Fun Friday came and went and while I participated in many crafts in the past few days, I have not had time to post my creations. In the past days since I uploaded any entries, I have scrapbooked B2's life up until now, learned how to make korker bow ribbon, and organized my whole craft section of the house... so while I have been slow to update online, I have been working. I also have talked to a boutique in the area who is wanting 2 of every item I make... to sell in their boutique. I have been continuing to work on getting stuff together for B2 and B1, making sure to keep up with laundry, and getting the house picked up... needless to say, there just aren't enough hours in the day...

Today I wanted desperately to find some spectacular find while yard sale-ing this morning... I did not however. I did go to WalMart and get some things for the kids... I got a little snack thing that attaches to the carseat for Jonathan, so his cup and a snack can be right there for him... got Eliza some carseat strap covers... it was cutting into her neck... This afternoon, while not being able to be completely alone, I did manage to get away with just B2 and not both of them... while B1 napped. I got an embroidery hoop, to be able to (hopefully) monogram. I also got some rub ons for girlie... she just threw up on me... good thing about being a mom, you just keep going... wipe it, and keep going... so.... back to what I was saying... got a few rub-ons for her... don't know what I will do with them yet... but they were on clearance. I am going to try to monogram something today... Lord knows how to do it... and hopefully by the end of today I will be able to say I know how too... This week my goal is to work on a diaper cover. I went and looked at patterns for them today and honestly, they don't look too hard... we shall see though... never know until you start... I want to do that this week... work on embroidery, and try and get a few things ready for the boutique. I have the loveys already... (little rag quilts to take around everyday)... This week I am also hoping to get family portraits made. We have never had all of us... so this is something I am really looking forward to...

Don't Be Mad...

So... I didn't write all weekend... I went to the laundromat, got the rag quilts done... they are beautiful. I was so busy, running around, and doing stuff, that I didn't get anything done. I am right now working on a few things... One is learning how to monogram on my sewing machine... it says it can, but I don't know how... my goal this week is to learn... although, laying in bed right now is not helping that happen... I have been doing a lot of laundry and housecleaning and haven't had time... I went shopping this weekend for some more crafty things... got some onesies, that I plan to monogram... Want to make one with little girl's name on it... let's hope I can figure it out... who knows??? I have never monogrammed in my life, and the prospect is a little frightening. Today I also talked to a boutique that wants to sell my items... :) I am excited and a little scared. They want two of everything I make, and they will sell them in their boutique.

We will see in the coming days if I can figure out how to monogram.

So for now, I am sorry, and I will work on some crafts in the coming days.

It's Fun Friday... Was planning on working today on a new project... scrapping some... but the boy has been up all day... no nap... He is in his room playing with Barney and wipes, trying to diaper him now... My plan was to work on a few things while he napped... no such luck. Hopefully, this weekend I will get some done. I want to work on the diaper cover/bloomers. It pains me that my baby's tush is out there for the world to see covered by a diaper alone... she needs frills, lace, ruffles... She is about the most beautiful little girl I know, and needs to be covered in pretty things, and a diaper cheapens her look... Anyway... so the plan is yard sales in the morning, and hopefully for me to find some GOOD deals, and then to work on some crafty stuff. I did make some white "ElizaJanes" yesterday. They were very cute... will have to post some pictures of them. For now it is back to trying to get the little one in line, and hoping that the really little one stays asleep while I do it...

The whole package...

I did something creative today and had to post it.

I absolutely LOVE photography... I also love the way that everything B2 is in, I made, at home... One of my favorite outfits ever.

Baby Booties

This morning has been an eventful one. We went to the zoo... got to see the brand-new baby giraffe... only a few days old... We were the first ones to ever get to photograph him. I was so proud. We stayed there, saw all the animals... no splashing today... After touring the zoo, we came back home, stopping by the fabric store on the way home. I picked up some felt, and I feel a crafty naptime coming on today. I always thought baby booties were a hard craft. I figure I will do about 3 crafts a week... HOPEFULLY... that's my goal. Always want to challenge myself to learn something new... I like learning, and this is a fun way for me to keep my mind working while caring for two children under two, that doesn't involve Barney, poop, or crying.

On to the project at hand... felt baby booties. I have always liked babies feet being covered. When the boy was little, I always had him in an outfit complete with shoes. With the girl, it being sooooo hot outside I haven't managed to remember clothes all the time, and shoes most often go unworn. Being that school is back in session- (Thank you fifty million school buses causing the boy to belt out screaming SCO-BUS every 3.4 seconds) it is the perfect excuse for me to go back to school myself, learning something new. Since I have always been intimidated by the baby booties, what better place to start?

Booties Tutorial

Ttonight sewed the pieces together... did it wrong. Had to start over. Will post more pics as I do it... My seams were on the outside... Here are pics of them, not totally terrible for a first attempt.

Alright, it was bothering me so much that I got up at 11:00 pm just to be able to work on the booties. I finished... this time with the outside outside, and the inside inside. I also made it so you couldn't see the inside seams from the outside... These took a lot of work, but I like them a lot.

Love them!

Rag Quilt Tutorial...

Being that I am not a sew-er by nature... Although, it does run in my blood a little... I do not know the terms and descriptions of sewing. I am self-taught, and do it in a way in which normal people can understand.

Tips before beginning a rag quilt... First, even though it is expensive, GET A ROTARY cutter. I am the cheapest person I know, and tried to use scissors the first time to cut out squares for a rag quilt... It is virtually impossible and KILLS to try and use real scissors... Break down and get the rotary cutter. I have the Olfa, and LOVE it. It was expensive, but well worth the cost. Second, cut all the material at the same time. You are making squares, (mine are 6 inches by 6 inches) and it is easier if you are in a grove, and get all done at once... don't try and cut and then sew, cut and sew... it wastes time and is not as efficient... also, you will feel more accomplished if you get through with a task... start by cutting all the squares, then you can sew the "sandwiches" and then you can go on to making the quilt, and then the last step, cutting for the fray... In addition to the rotary cutter, you NEED to have rag quilt scissors. They are spring loaded and won't kill your hand. If you make even one quilt, it is worth the cost.

To begin, you cut out all squares... Mine are 6 inch squares. Then you make 3 piles (the three different colors). Make sure all the colors coordinate. Mine are pink and brown stripes, pink, and a khaki color in the stripes... then you start sewing. Sew diagonally through each square. Do this for each square... you will have one LONG strand. Then cut each square separate. This is a lot easier cutting it with the sewing machine's cutter thingy... on the side of the machine. Then you go back and sew the other direction on the diagonal. This will make an "X" on each square. You can't see very well... but, there is an "X" sewed on each and every square... you can see more details of this on the picture of the back of the quilt before it is cut.

I ended up with 80 squares... My finished quilt will be 6 squares by 8 squares... this will make a pretty big quilt. These won't be 6 inches when you sew them, because you will allow an inch on each side to be frayed... so each square will end up being about 4 inches. Which will still make it big.

My Sewing Assistant has loved her job. She loves being able to help me sew... She just watches and watches until she gets tired and falls asleep... She loves these blankets. I started making them because of her.

Back to the project at hand... After all your squares are cut and sewn diagonally then you get to design it. I am making mine with the same fabric on the front but changing the direction... this way it looks like two fabrics for the price of one... I am going to have the stripes going different directions... horizontally and ve

rtically. I also have the back of them to design as well... all of this has to be done precisely because it is VERY easy to mess up... prime example, last night I was making one for Jonathan and instead of making the rag side be the patterned side, I made it be the solid side... oops... So... that being said, you have to be very careful, because no one wants to take it apart and fix it, or in J's case, it was unfixable. Just added character.

Keep in mind, these rag quilts are not supposed to be perfect... if you mess up, it is just more proof that YOU made it, and that it was done with love, (in my case love and sleep deprivation...) :). So, if you mess up, just take it as that, and know that your special someone child or adult will love it all the more because you took the time to make it.

How do you want your quilt to look? Do you want it patterned, do you not care how it goes together, just that it is all there??? However you want your quilt to be, you need to plan. Do NOT try and do it without planning out what will go where... this is a BAD idea... and I only speak from experience. No one wants to have a pattern for 3/4s of a quilt have it only to be changed when you are almost done... so take a few minutes and plan it out.

To plan out the pattern, it is easiest to me to set all the pieces down in the way in which you want to sew it. This will help you get the big picture. It is most helpful to lay it down on the floor. In my case since the pattern on the front is the same and the back is different, I will start with the back. the back will go brown, pink, brown, pink. The front will go, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical and so on.

After you sew it, you will end up with this.

When you get to this step, get really comfy... Get those nice spring loaded scissors and cut every 1/4th of an inch on every seam allowance... this will give it a rag appearance. It will take a long time, but is worth it. Cut just to the seam. Not past it. It took about an hour to cut it all the way around, but it is done.

All that's left is to throw it in the dryer... Little tip- DO NOT USE YOUR DRYER AT HOME. Leave the mess somewhere else. Go to the laundromat, and use theirs... YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF LATER. Take a few towels, big fluffy ones, and wash them, and then dry them... There will be thread everywhere, but most should be caught by the lint trap. The more you wash them, the more they will fray and become softer. This ends the rag quilt tutorial.

Time to finish project: 2 days give or take.

What I like most about it: It is the perfect blanket for a little baby, or anyone for that matter. They are soft and so cuddly.

What I could improve: straighter lines in sewing it... making it more uniform.

All in all, it turned out perfect and I love it and know B2 will like it so much.