Ruffled Leg Pillowcase Romper Overalls

These are absolutely precious. I messed up twice, and thank the Lord for the seam ripper. Lesson from the experience: children and sewing (concentration) don't mix well all the time. When I went to put the ruffle on the leg, first I accidentally sewed the ruffle to the wrong side where the hem was showing... so I had to take all the stitches out and do it over... well then I made the GENIUS move and SEWED THE OPPOSITE LEGS TOGETHER, so it was like a dress, but not... because it looked like there was a trunk coming out from the crotch area. Needless to say, not a good thing for a pair of overalls... so had to AGAIN take all the stitches out... Live and learn. I was just too distracted, and not paying close attention to my project because I was too concerned with making sure it got done, because I wanted her to be able to wear it to church Sunday... Granted, I had a WHOLE other day, and it literally only took me about an hour and a half to complete... (that's including the 30 minutes it took me to get the stitches out and redo it.) All in all, it turned out better than I could have imagined. Next time, I will try and work with the lighting because the pant ruffles DO match one of the colors in the fabric, you just can't see it very well... and the ruffles look extra dark where as the pattern doesn't... Anyway. It looks super cute, and should be able to fit her Highness until Easter. It is big on her right now, but there is elastic in the top, so even if she grows more, it is expandable. :)

I often wonder if anyone reads these, so if you do, please comment.

Pillowcase Romper Overalls

Ok, after a long "vacation" of snotty noses, sickness, and just outright not fun-ness, I am back to the blog. Last night I made a absolutely adorable pillowcase romper overall outfit. The pattern was really well written, and I enjoyed making it. This morning I made another one of them, because the one I made last night was too big... little girl is just a lot littler than most babies her age. So... It literally took me two hours this morning to not only cut it all out, sew it up, and take pictures... you can't beat that. I have a few lessons I learned from it... here they are:

1. When you are sewing something for a child who is very small, it is better to measure it or you will have something that is WAY too big... (lesson learned).

2. If at first you don't succeed try again, because it was so much easier this morning. I practically didn't have to use the pattern because I remembered what it said.

3. A ruffler foot is so much fun. I was able to make close together ruffles, far apart ruffles, and deep ruffles, it was lots of fun learning about it.

4. Don't be afraid to use your son as a model... ;) I won't post the pic, but it was cute... boys will do anything for their Mommas.

5. My little girl is the best model ever.

Reversible Open Back Dress with Fancy Ruffled Bloomers

This is absolutely my favorite favorite favorite outfit EVER. I absolutely LOVE it.

When I found out I was having a little girl, the one thing I wanted more than anything was ruffled butt bloomers. I have tried to make them... made a good effort to it, but, not exactly like what I wanted. This is exactly what I wanted and more. I learned so many things from this project.

#1- I learned about a "Bodkin" It's called an Ezy Pull Bodkin. This works wonders when trying to put elastic through for bloomers. This little tool saved me hours of frustration. Before, I would have tried to push a thin little safety pin through the tiny little pocket in which the elastic goes.

#2- A Rolled Narrow Hem Foot for a sewing machine. This was completely awesome. This little dream you took and put the fabric in and it made a little rolled hem. It was so cute and dainty. I loved it. It worked better than what I imagined.

#3- A Gathering Foot. After doing the rolled narrow hem, I took this little foot put it on the machine, and then... nothing more... just took and put the stitch length at the longest stitch. Then I just put the fabric through... it did all the work.

I bought the pattern from TieDyeDiva on Etsy.com. It turned out perfect. Love It. I am selling the set for $45, (reversible open back dress, matching bloomers) and it comes with personalization, and a hairbow for free. You specify the colors... and in a week you can have the most beautiful thing I have made. Get one for your angel to wear this summer.

Embroidery!

It seems like ages... I have been very busy crafting. My latest and greatest invention has come in the form of a machine... I absolutely love my Christmas present. I have been having so much fun with it... I have a brand new Brother HE-240 in my possession. It is absolutely wonderful and only took a few minutes for me to learn everything I needed to be able to use it... and with reading the manual I made a few things already...

So here goes...

• Things to keep in mind: Stabilizer is your friend. This is very inexpensive but will be a money saver because who wants to go embroider expensive fabric to have it look like trash... no one... so do yourself a favor and get some. I got the tear away kind. I have an embroidery hoop and I just put that under the fabric and then sandwiched it in between the two hoops... and tightened. I then clicked it in... pressed a few buttons an in literally no time I was off and embroidering. I have already embroidered Ms E a few pairs of bloomers, which were ridiculously cute... and she will don at church tomorrow... she wore the zebra print dress before but never bloomers with her name that MATCHED PERFECTLY... so...sew cute...

• When embroidering, take care to notice if your fabric is centered not just on the hoop, but the fabric around the hoop... taking care not to let it block the embroidery "carriage" from moving.

• When embroidering a onesie... use IRON ON stabilizer... it doesn't work well without this. (That was disastrous) Ended up with a HUGE hole in a onesie, a broken needle, thread jammed everywhere... so... use it. It is worth it.

• Remember which way your fabric is laying on your hoop... after you cut out your pattern you don't want to find that you embroidered on the wrong side, it was upside down, or anything remotely like that... it is a sinking feeling...

• Always prewash your fabric when using it if it will be washed. If you don't all that pattern following will mean nothing. You should at that point invest in a little American Girl doll and let her wear it, because it will not be fit for even Fido to wear... (Let me just say you have to add a step to buying the American Girl Doll... first before you do that take out a second mortgage... you will need it)...

So far, I have embroidered a "lovey" security blanket for Liza-Loo... as well as done a few crafty projects, including stuffed bunnies. Everything has turned out super cute. I am wondering what I can embroider next. The hubby has already said a firm NO to embroidering any of his unmentionables...

Tomorrow is my birthday. I have lived 29 years. 29 more years than doctor's said I would. I was given less than a 10% chance at living and if I did, "they" said I would never walk, talk, have cognizant thought... so... This year I wish you a year full of miracles, where you have a renewed wonder at creation, and your Creator.

The New Improved Eliza-Janes....

The long-awaited surprise is here!!!

What you've been looking for...

Makes a great Christmas gift.

Set of shoes with interchangeable bows (3)- $20.

Can be customized to your preferred colors, and size.

Send me your size, and colors and these can be done very quickly.

Etched Ornament Tutorial

It's that time again... I absolutely LOVE this time of year, not just in the fact that being a Christian, our Savior and Lord was born, but also because I love the whole spirit of giving everyone is in, and just the lights, and the family, and friends. Like many people, this past week I put up our tree... having two little ones 18 months apart and the oldest turning 2 this week, my hubby and I felt it was in their best interest to not have a big tree that they could get hurt with, but three smaller trees...

Being in this decorating spirit, I wanted to make ornaments for the kids, because, who doesn't like that...??? So... I set out this week looking at different ornament ideas... I came across etched ornaments... and I was intrigued. I absolutely LOVE the look of etched glass. Something permanent and beautiful, delicate, and elegant all wrapped in one... so... I looked up how to make them, and I bring them to you today.

I had a little help from an elf, who decided to take a nap in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. (Which was just fine by me...) So... Here is the tutorial... Enjoy!

First, to do this, you need to be prepared... it is not going to be stuff you have on hand. You are going to have to go to the store and get the supplies.

You will need:

Glass ornaments, (anything glass is good.... have fun, be creative... I see LOTS of etching in my future...) Etching Creme (this is not available in all states because of vandals using it and not being able to get it off... this is permenant... it will not wash off at all... so... keep away from delinquents... :) ) Heavy Duty Gloves, Apron, Glasses... ( I only used gloves... living on the edge I guess... but if you are careful, that's all you need...) (IMHO) You also need to put down newspaper, or some other protectant for your floor/table. I worked on the floor... so... I put down a huge cardboard piece that came in a toy for the boy's birthday... You also need vinyl. I used Cricut vinyl. I think that's it...

Step One

Start by selecting what you would like to cut out. I wanted to cut out the children's names... so I did a J&E. I used my Cricut. You can pretty much put anything. I cut it out twice, because I didn't know which direction it would need to be on the ornaments. You can know that it is the correct way, not the backwards way. Then you put that on the ornament... being that ornaments are round and the letters were made on a flat piece of paper... you need to make small cuts in it to be able to get it to go around the ornament in a way in which all the little pieces go down... take your time...

Step Two

After you get the stencil down, make sure to put on gloves.... suit up, be safe... at least wear gloves... Get a foam brush, and dip in the cream. Apply a thick layer and leave on 10 minutes. I actually left mine on for 12 because I got distracted with the elf...

Step Three

Wash off the etching cream.... Put your gloves BACK ON... rinse off in the sink with warm water... making sure to not use really hot or really cold water... You could shatter all your hard work. Wash it off, take the stencil off, and wash again... After that, you can take your gloves off.

Step Four

Admire, Admire, Admire. I absolutely LOVE the way mine came out... have some new ideas for other stuff around the house... nothing is safe!!!

Tip- The Etching Cream is about $8 for a small container... I thought I would use a lot but it didn't... even when you coated the whole thing with lots...

What else can I etch??? We shall see!

This week.

I have a new top-secret product. I am looking into getting a patent. It is the best idea ever, and I want to post it soooo much. But, alas, I can't. In the meantime, here's what I have been working on. BG had a state pageant, competing against babies that were 7 or more months older than her. She came in second place out of all the girls...

Alright... I had a lot to do this week. I did get a lot of crafts done. I just didn't have time to get it posted. Here's what I have been working on. Hope you like it. We had the state pageant where BG won Duchess. So proud! I made all her accessories. She was the most matching contestant if I say so myself. She had matching shoes, a charm bracelet with a crown, bloomers, and her headband. All put together, and Viola! Lovin' it. Here's another picture of the zebra dress with matching accessories. It turned out great.