A lot has changed since 2013

A lot has changed since I last posted on here in 2013, most recently, I moved to Puerto Rico four months ago. Pretty much everyday things happen that i want to share about so this can be my forum.

This is fabric that I just ordered from fabric.com (BTW they ship to Puerto Rico which is exciting but the cost of shipping significantly less so). I got it to make cushions for a ratan sofa that will go on the patio.  more to come, just wanted to get started. 

Shark!

I gotta be honest,  I'm pretty proud of this one.  Silas is modeling my nephew's Christmas present.   My nephew is super into sharks.  I saw something similar for adults online and loved the idea.  I already had the fabric so I gave it a go.  This was really fun to make and I am happy with the result.  I considered adding red rick rack on the teeth for blood but figured a red lining was morbid enough for a 4 year old.

I cut the gills out of black felt.  Using iron on hem tape to hold them in place made it much easier to zig zag around them.

teeth

The dorsal fin.  

The eyes are felt as well.

Silas modeling.  He is surprisingly unintimidated by sharks.

Baby Stuff

These are some of the things I have made for Silas in the 4 months since he was born.  

Baby pants.  I wanted something with a slimmer fit than the baby stuff in stores.

 I forgot to account for Silas' Puerto Ricaness.  I tweaked the pattern for the next pair.  I love the tiny pocket.  I should put something in there.

 His Halloween costume.  He was a rainbow, I was the rain.  And for a brief moment Bryant was the sun but we didn't really get any pictures of that.

 He didn't last very long.

Jeans!  They were way too long.  He is pictured here with his paternal great grandmother.

A baby carrier, good for hiking.  Its just a bunch of fabric but it makes life a lot easier.  That is a Joshua tree in the background.

A little rompery type situation that zips all the way down to the foot.  Working on this pattern, the neck was too big.

 A snake that he apparently hated.

But then my dogs got bored and this happened.

The End.  For now.

A book for Nikolai

I actualy started this book as a Christmas present for my adorable nephew Nikolai last year.  That didn't happen.  Then it was going to be a birthday present.  That didn't happen either.  So I decided to try to get it done before he graduates from high school and no longer needs to practice the skills in the book.  I took a picture of all the pages, check em out.
Ok.  The pictures aren't showing up in order, maybe you can figure it out.  Is it just me or is the Blogger app a little lackluster?

Dresser makeover

I finally finished a little project that I have been working on for a while.  Several months ago my sister in law and I decided to rescue a discarded dresser.  I knew right away what I wanted to do with it but it took a little while to get it in working order so I could start on the painting etc.  I finally put it all together today and here is how it turned out.  I think it is adorable.  It's going to go in my 8 year old nieces room.

Hi friends!

I am sure you have all given up on me by now, but I'm back! I finally joined the rest of the human race and got a cool phone I can blog from.  For the next few weeks I will probably remind you of a Christmas elf because I will be making a bunch of presents in preparation for a month long visit with my family. Can't wait.

So I hope my family doesn't read my blog or the surprise will be ruined.

I had this Batman fabric laying around and I needed to use it before my almost 6 year old nephew outgrew his passion for batman.  my sister in law said he needed pillow cases so there you go.

The second item is a closet curtain for my 12 year old niece.  It's sort of massive so it was hard to photograph.

I'll work on taking pics of all the stuff I have made since August 24.  Yikes!

Giant Giants Pants

My five year wedding anniversary was a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to make a little gift for my husband.  He is a big New York Giants fan and I thought he could use some lounge pants to watch games in.  My husband is a pretty big guy (like 6'4") and he has an affinity for baggy clothing.  I've been trying to get him to wear jeans that actually fit hit him for years to no avail.  Don't even get me started on his need to wear white tube socks with shorts. . .  Anyway, this is my compromise, a huge pair of pants that he will only wear around the house.

So about the pants.  I actually used a pattern for a pair of scrubs and added about an inch to the sides and the length.  I used a really light weight jersey knit.  I don't know that I've ever sewed a kit before and it was less difficult that I expected.  Here is a pic:

Look how wide the legs are!

A little Giants patch I found on Amazon

I sewed it all with a double needle, it is supposed to be good for sewing on stretchy fabrics.  You can see the double line of stitches. 

It is still insanely hot in the deserts of southern California so the pants haven't gotten much wear yet.  My husband modeled them for me and I achieved the fit I was looking for, they are massive on him!  I'm sure they will get plenty of wear once fall weather comes around.