Cupcakes & Dolls

I recently finished a couple of fun projects as gifts for some sweet girls. I made the cupcake for my niece for her 1st birthday and the doll for a good friend's daughter for her 4th birthday. Both turned out great!

I love the cupcake, even though the candle is a bit off in terms of scale. I used the cupcake pattern from "One Skein" and then I did the candle myself, using a bit of trial and error. The doll is from the Black Apple pattern. I knitted some leg warmers and made the skirt with stash fabric. My friend's daughter loves dancing and is taking dancing classes.

Happy Birthday Girls!

Gifts Galore!

I have finished up my holiday gifts and thought I'd post some pics. Here are a couple of dolls that I made for my niece. I used the Black Apple doll pattern. You can find it HERE.I decided to make her a cowboy and cowgirl to reflect where her aunt and uncle live. They turned out really well, I think. It took me forever to decide on how to paint the cowboy face. I went super simple for both faces, but I think that is okay. I found the buttons for the "belt buckles" at JoAnns and I decided to add the handkerchiefs to give them a bit more character. I hope she likes them. I love this pattern. It is a great way to use up scrap fabric. I made a couple of other dolls as well, but I haven't decided who to give them to yet. I will definitely be making more of these.





I also finished up some small journals for my co-workers. I used Amy Butler designed scrapbook paper for the covers and cream "résumé" paper for the interior pages. I saddle stitched them with embroidery floss. I think they are cute. I will probably make some more of these in 2009.

Socks & Dolls

Hello! I have quite a few projects in the works and in my head :) Below are pictures of my first pair of socks (they are tube socks though, so I haven't yet tackled the heel in a pair of socks) and a doll that I made. I am planning to make a handful of these dolls to give as Christmas gifts to my nieces and friends daughters. They're really easy and are a great use of my enormous collection of scrap fabrics. Anyhow . . . more to come, enjoy!

First sock finished! Yay! From "First Time Tube Socks" pattern HERE


Dolly #1:

Sear-Sucker Blazer Finished

Well, after 3 months and tons of patience I finally finished the sear-sucker blazer that I intended to be a birthday gift for Jim. This whole project was pretty difficult, but overall I am pleased with the final outcome. Jim wore it out to an office summer party and received lots of compliments (and a couple of order requests for me). It's heavier that I expected, but I'm not sure how I could have fixed that, unless I used a very thin fabric for the lining, or didn't line it at all. Anyhow, I will try to get a pic of Jim actually wearing it, but for now . . . here it is:

New projects

I've got a couple of projects that I am working on right now. The first is a sear sucker blazer for my husband. I started this one a month and half ago with the intention of finishing it as a birthday gift (his b-day is May 7). Well, that didn't happen, so now I am working on finishing it before summer is here and gone :) Just kidding, I hope to finish it up in the next couple of weeks. I have never made a blazer before and I don't know if I would do it again. The hardest part by far was the collar and it is in no way perfect. I am planning on doing a top stitch close the the edge as a finishing touch in hopes that it will mask some of the imperfections. Right now I am working on getting the sleeves on. Jim tried it on today and it looks like it will fit pretty good . . . thank God! I don't know if I would know how to fix it if it didn't fit. Here are some pics:

Full view as is, one sleeve pinned in place.


Close view of the collar.
There is some puckering at the corner seam and I don't know what I did wrong. If I ever decide to do a blazer or anything with a collar again I think I would practice a few times before.


Close up view of one front pocket.These actually turned out pretty good and weren't too difficult.


Close up of the chest and "welt" pocket. This one was tricky. I don't know if the pattern had a typo or if I read it wrong, but I had to redo this one because the first time it was backwards.



The second project I just started yesterday. It is a super cute baby shrug. The pattern is from the Fall 2007 issue of KnitSimple. I'm kind of winging it as I didn't check my gauge that closely and am using a different type of yarn. It's not that different, but you never know. I'm trying to work through my stash. Not sure yet who will be on the receiving end of this one. I'm thinking of making a little dress to go along with it. It is kind of a blah color, but if I use a bright colored ribbon for the tie I think it could be super cute. Make a dress with pinks and browns? We'll see. It's an easy K3, P3 rib pattern. Here's my progress, I hope to finish it up this week:

New t-shirt

It's been a long time. I have been working on projects for gifts and don't want to post them until they have been given . . . so, I have had some fun with a book I got for my birthday. I heard about it from my friend Jill. It's called "Generation T: 108 ways to transform a T-shirt. I added the sleeves, the original project left the shirt sleeveless. I think it turned out okay. I love the hood, and it was super easy to make. I'm hoping to make a few more of the projects, especially a bag and I've got a couple of my own ideas floating around in my head.

Crafty Fun: Part 2

It has been so hot here lately it's crazy. I think they're going to have to rewrite the record books. The airport reported 106 yesterday! Today is much better, but all this hotness made me wish I had more summery dresses. The kind you can just pull on and be comfy and cool in. I hit Jo-Ann Fabrics post July 4th and they were still having a sale. I got 3 patterns and enough fabric for 3 dresses for $30. Sweet! Anyhow, here is dress #1:


I was inspired by our recent trip to the rodeo :) The fabric was only $2 a yard and it's super soft. One thing that I found out is that pattern sizes are totally whack! I should have read the pattern closer before I cut it out. I tried on the top before finishing it at the shoulder seams and it's a good thing I did. This dress has no zipper, it just slips over your head. If I had finished the shoulders I don't think it would have gone over my head. So, I improvised with the ties and I think it actually adds a bit of fun to the dress.

I'm hoping I can get the other two finished before summer is over :) But, we'll see. . . .

Crafty Fun: Part 1

I've had the last few days off and in the last month or so have had the itch to get crafty. Especially to sew. I made these onesies for a friend of mine who is due next month. She lives back in Michigan and invited me to her baby shower but I couldn't get back to go. I wanted to send her a gift and knew she is having a boy so I started looking for unique and cute boy baby clothes. Boo to what is out there. I was disappointed. I went to the fabric store to look for patterns to make something and there was 1, maybe 2 patterns that were for boys. I found someone making onesies like these and thought I'd give it a shot myself. They turned out so cute!! I think I may make some for ANOTHER friend of mine that is due in late fall (and also knows she's having a boy).