Switching things up, (and a giveaway!)

Well, I know it's been a long time since I posted, and I'm sorry about that!  I've actually been quite busy lately.  For one thing, I started up an Etsy shop!  Please, check it out!  It's called Wing Strings, and I'd love for you to visit it! 

At Wing Strings, you'll find lots of cute bags for yourself, your littles, and your littles' littles!  And hopefully I'll find some time to put some more of my crafts up there as well... I have so many ideas for it that my brain is just bursting! 

And of course, my Etsy shop has a blog... I hope to post about new products, and other things I've been working on there, so check it out too!  Especially if you read this soon, because right now on the Wing Strings blog, the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway is going on... UNTIL TOMORROW at 5:00pm EST!   So check it out and you could win this fabulous prize, lovingly handmade by me!! 

a few little things...

I know I've been silent a long while, but my craft room, (yes, I now have a whole room to myself at our new house!) has been bustling! I've now sewn three patterns from my new "little things to sew" book from Oliver and S. I love this book!

Both my kids have new hats, (they are admittedly flawed - a bit gathered in places), but they fit great. I will add straps the next time I sew this pattern though. Seems like every day we've worn them has been windy. I also want to size up the pattern for myself and my husband!

I've also sewn the adorable bear carrier. But I unfortunately gave it away before getting a good picture.

And the last thing I did was this bento box carrier. I had to adjust the dimensions to make it the right size for a standard rectangle gladware container, and it works great!

The next time I make one of these, (and there will be a next time - everyone who saw it today wants one), I'll make it even a bit bigger to allow for two containers stacked, and maybe an apple or two on top. This was a "three scissors" project and sure enough the curved edges were a bit beyond my skill level, but it still came out great, and I'm sure each additional one will be better! I used some flannel-backed vinyl I had on hand to make a splash mat for the wipeable inside instead of clear vinyl over regular fabric and it worked great. It probably took me 4 hours total including adjusting the pattern.

I can't wait to make some of the other projects in the book - there's a great vest for hiking that my little girl needs, and a messenger bag too. Check it out!

finally finished!!

My I-Spy quilt for Natalie's 2nd birthday, (last March!) is finally done! I'd had all the squares done, then stalled at the sashing, then stalled again at the border, and then stalled one last time at the quilting! But it is done, washed (I almost stalled there too, but bit the bullet and just made sure to use a bunch of color catchers!), and in use on her bed. I loved the idea of this quilt, and the finished product, but the next time I do it will be on a smaller scale.
I quilted each colored square with a border and bubbles. This quilting technique is also something I will only attempt again on a small scale. I couldn't believe how much thread I went through!
Natalie loves it, and it seems nice and sturdy, so I'm happy with the results!

Baby Shower Gift

Almost every mom I know is pregnant with her second baby right now, so a bunch of us got together and did a group, secret Santa style baby shower. I drew a friend of mine who isn't finding out what she's having, but luckily loves the color green, which is pretty gender neutral, so I went with it.

I quilted her a quick, cotton-chenille-lined stroller blankie.
Knitted a tiny cotton hat, (my fave!)
And tried my hand at terrycloth-lined bibs,
and burp cloths.
Top the whole thing off with a cow, and it was quite a popular gift! Phew!
Now on to all my Christmas sewing and knitting!

Birthday Party favors

Natalie's birthday was last month, and in keeping with my handmade gifts goal for the year I made handmade party favors for her little friends.

The little crayon/paper holders ended up going together pretty quickly when done in bulk. And one would really take only about half an hour or so.
Sewing the slots probably took the longest, (after choosing the fabrics from my stash!)
I personalized each one which was actually pretty easy after getting the hang of it.
Pretty cute, huh? And perfect for little toddle hands I think!

quiet book page, G and H

I recently began the huge task of creating an alphabet "quiet book" for Natatlie. It should be done by the time she's out of college. Here she is playing with the first page: G-H, (H is on the other side). I have since put button holes on the flowers in the garden.

Some parts of this project are going very smoothly. The applique letter blocks for example are much easier than I expected and are improving my applique skills and my sewing machine confidence. Other things will change in future blocks; more raw edges and felt will make appearances for one thing!

travel sewing case

I wanted a little something to carry my needles and hooks for just a couple projects, so I made this little carrier. I used some hoarded Amy Butler fabric that I ad a very tough time cutting into. It came out very well, and though I used it for knitting projects on my last trip, in the future I think it will be more for crochet and embroidery/hand sewing that I plan on taking on. It will hold floss and thread very well in the elastics under the flap. And though it folds and is functional, it doesn't look quite right when the flap is folded over the longer knitting needles!