Taming the wild mane

It's no secret that Chloe's hair is wild, thick and easily-tangled.  Poor girl had the misfortune of inheriting my hair exactly.  The color, texture, thickness - everything about Chloe's hair is identical to mine. And since I do my hair in a grand total of TWO different ways (down or ponytail) I'm pretty clueless as to how to manage Chloe's hair.

The mane problem (that's not a misspelling, just a cheesy intended pun) is keeping her hair out of her eyes.  I've done pigtails, braids, ponytails and barrettes to no avail. Sure they work at first but give her hair a few hours and it's bird-nest-city.

Until now that is!  I think I may have finally found the solution to keeping Chloe's thick hair off her face.  The fabric headband!  Usually headbands aren't strong enough to keep Chloe's hair back.  But these fabric headbands really stay put.  And they're cute to boot!  And super easy to whip up in an afternoon (check out the linked tutorial here though I opted not to use interfacing). 

The bonus is that Chloe really likes wearing them.  She helped me pick out the fabric (went with navy blues to match her school uniform ensembles) and even did a little of the sewing and cutting.

Any tips and tricks for me on managing my little girl's hair?  If you'd like to come and french braid her hair every morning I'd feed you breakfast.  Any takers?  :) 

Bitten by a rabid sewing bug

Ever since a month ago when  friend gave me some super cute fabric, I've been on a wild sewing spree.

Prior to receiving said fabric my sewing machine had laid dormant for many months.  Since I don't have a designated "sewing room" I have to haul the machine and all the necessary accouterments every time I want to sew.  That's no fun.  Oh, and I also have three busy children who like to try and "help" me sew.  And because I abhor giving up the precious golden moments of nap time, I often attempt a sewing project when they're all active.  And that's just pure unadulterated madness. 

For those reasons I have done almost NO sewing in the past year. 

Until now!  The sewing tide has turned!  Something about this funky bright pink material and the hope of spring has revived my love for sewing and repurposing.

I started with several long-sleeved shirts that Chloe has hardly worn this season.  After cutting off the sleeves and bottom band, I set to work on pairing the shirt tops with coordinating fabrics to make them into playdresses for Chloe.

The concept is simple.  Connect a shirt top to a gathered skirt and voila!  Aside from the inevitable sewing mistakes, the most time consuming part of these dress projects for me is the finishing.  I cut the sleeves off too close to the arm hole so I have to recover the arm hold myself.  Ugh.  Wouldn't be so bad if I had a stock of bias tape.  But alas, I do not.  So I've been making my own bias tape out of strips of complementary fabric.  Works well for the most part though it takes FOREVER.

And I tell you what, sewing clothes is so rewarding!  It's such a grand feeling to see something I crafted with my hands and creativity take shape into a practical wearable garment.  Now I get how Ma from Little House on the Prairie must have felt when she chose fabric, envisioned a dress and then sewed it into existence.

The other bonus to making clothing is the huge cost savings.  All of these dresses started out as unused shirts from Chloe's drawer.  The coordinating fabric for the bottoms I had in my sewing stash or spent a few cents on at the thrift store. 

That's what I've been busy at for the month of March!  I only wish I had more concentrated time to commit to fun projects like this.  Instead I've been sneaking upstairs when I have a chance and sewing for 10-15 minutes at a time and slowly seeing a project completed.

When do you find time to sew?  What have you been sewing or crafting lately?

This was my first project.  The shirt ended up being a tad tight on Chloe so I decided not to use it as a dress bodice.  Instead, I made it into a shirt/skirt duo.  That way when Chloe outgrows the shirt we can still get a few more years' wear out of the skirt.

This was project #2.  The puppy dog is too cute to go to waste in the give-away pile!  I paired the puppy dog top with a pink pillowcase I had in my fabric pile.  Yes, I said *pillowcase*.  Didn't you know you could make clothes out of bedding?  Not quite happy with how crooked the band is but she's an active girl.  Hopefully all her jumping and running around will distract the onlooker from seeing all the glaring sewing mistakes!

Another shot of Chloe modeling her new puppy dog dress. 

This was project #4 and it's my favorite!  You can't tell from this weird shot (Chloe was getting impatient with modeling) but it really is a cute dress.  I didn't have any matching fabric to go on the bottom so I scrounged the thrift store for a ladies t-shirt.  It worked beautifully!  The best part was that I didn't have to hem the skirt since it was really the bottom band of the ladies t-shirt.  And even after I had hacked up the t-shirt I still had plenty to make bias tape for the neck and armholes. 

This was my last dress made from Chloe's shirts and I don't like it much.  The spacing is weird.  I should have cut the shirt a bit more and made a fuller skirt.  And it's a tad tight on Chloe.  So, this dress might get a new home with one of Chloe's friends soon!

Obviously, the model is DONE.  Dress #3 uses a pink pin-striped top and the groovy swirly pink fabric that inspired this sewing run.  :)  I love this one.  Plus I love that it still looks little-girlish.  I can't deny that my Chloe is growing up but I still love to see her wear these innocent girly styles.

Bitten by the sewing bug

I've been bitten by the sewing bug! My recent sewing spree began innocently - out of necessity.

Chloe has recently been going through another nap rebellion stage. I think part of the reason is that her room was too bright as she had no curtains, only a shade and some cheap blinds. So, I got to work sewing her some new curtains. As material is unbelievably expensive these days, I found a good quality fabric shower curtain at a local thrift store. It didn't take long to sew up and it does an INCREDIBLE job blocking out the light. (Don't look too closely at the photo - there are an embarrassing amount of threads that need trimming.)

Project number 2 was along the same lines. Curtains for Clive's room (previously used as our study). I had a more difficult time finding fabric for his room and had to dish out $4 a yard for his curtains. Ouch. I hated having to pay that much money. But I really like how his curtains turned out. They block the light fairly well and the fabric is fun and colorful.

Project number 3 was the most enjoyable one and I'm so happy with the result! I made Chloe a lovely tiered spring skirt and a matching headband. It was an extremely easy project and would be a great way to use up fabric remnants. Here's the link to the tiered skirt instructions if any of you are interested.

It has been so soothing and therapeutic to sew these past weeks. Ah. Just me and my machine and oodles of quiet during naptime. What could be better?

What projects have you been crafting/sewing/baking/decorating lately?

Projects

During the last few weeks, our family has accomplished a bunch of projects around the house. I keep mentioning said projects here on the blog with a promise of pictures . . . so, here they are finally!

At left is my newly sewn shirt. Cute, eh? It's not a maternity top; it's one of those big flowing trendy shirts. I really love it and it's extremely comfy. Now I just need a chunky wooden necklace to go with it.







Project #2 at right is a nightgown I sewed for Chloe's birthday gift. It's hard to see in the photo, but the material is chocked full of ants, spiders, and caterpillars (and yes, I'll certainly be teaching her that those are NOT all bugs; it's a pet peeve of mine that people call spiders bugs. They aren't bugs at all they're arachnids - totally different class altogether). I made it a little big so that she can wear it this winter and next winter - that's a valuable tip from my mom-in-law.













The next project was done almost single-handedly by my father-in-law during their July visit. He painted our front porch!!!!! Ever since we moved into our home 2 years ago, the wooden front porch was bear-naked and ugly. The new coat of paint makes the entire house look nicer! Thanks, Mr. Horn!










Last, but certainly not least, is the upholstering project my mom-in-law completed so beautifully. It rained for an entire week of our visit with the Horns, so Mrs. Horn kept herself busy by recovering our living room chair. We found the material dirt cheap at a local Joann's which is closing ($10 for 4 yards). And then the sewing-extraordinaire went to work. She did all this in the period of 3 afternoons WITHOUT a pattern. I'm still in an fog of amazement over the spectacular and speedy job she did.

Speaking of projects, I better get back to my last minute frantic cleaning. My mom and grandma arrive is t minus 6 hours and I've got lots to do.








What projects (sewing or otherwise) have you accomplished recently?

A sewing spree!

Tonight I finally completed my 3 transition shirts. Whew! It feels good to be done with them and I plan to take a much needed sewing break this week.

I made MANY mistakes on this first shirt the biggest error being size. I took my measurements hastily and over my clothes (very bad idea) so I ended up making this shirt an entire size too large. Adding to the sewing adventure were the darts (my first time ever), lining, and ruffly sleeve things. And of course I didn't realize until the shirt was done that I was swimming in it. Then came my not-so-ingenious alterations. All of that totals up to a lllllllllong time for Alicia to get this shirt sewed. I'm pretty happy with the results though. And it seems that I learn through making mistakes so hopefully I won't repeat my errors. I'm usually creative enough to make brand new mistakes with each project . . .



Here's shirt number two. It's amazing how much nicer a shirt fits when it's made in the correct size! I ditched the lining and ruffled straps and opted for Jenny Muth's amazing zipper shortcut. I highly recommend her zipper method; it's fast and painless. Thanks, Jenny! (If any of you sewers out there would like the zippery secret, email me at aliciahorn@hotmail.com) Paired with a new-to-me sweater and my yard sale black beads, this makes a cute outfit.







Shirt number three is a recent 25 cent yard sale find. The neck line was a bit too plunging for my liking so I sewed in a quick modesty panel this evening. Not quite straight but it'll do.




I feel like I have a new wardrobe! I can't wait to wear these shirts out and about this week.

What sewing projects are you tackling this summer?

Repurposing: the first of many projects

My latest sewing project was my first attempt at "repurposing". My sister has been talking up the idea of repurposing to me lately, but I didn't feel confident in my sewing skills to try it.

So, what is repurposing? It's a means of recycling your old clothes by turning them into something else; giving old clothes a new purpose. As we are way below the poverty line right now during Matt's schooling days, this is becoming an exciting prospect for me to create "new" clothes.

My pal Melinda is celebrating a birthday today - Happy Birthday dear! - and after probing her for gift ideas, I discovered she was in need of an apron. I could have just sewn an apron from scratch, but do you know how expensive material is these days?!? Even our wal-mart's sewing department has downsized and has upped their prices on fabric. Instead, I came across a dress for 50 cents at salvation army made of really nice material, and I thought I'd transform it into an apron for Melinda.

As my sewing skills are elementary at best, I did some internet researching before beginning the apron project. I found some apron patterns and then I hit the jackpot: instructions for converting a full skirt into a half-apron! I wanted to do a full apron for Melinda, but these online directions gave me some very helpful ideas and a starting point.

Check out the photos below to see how the dress was transformed into a new apron! I'm very pleased with the result (and so was Melinda - yay!) and this project has given me a fresh wind of confidence to do more repurposing. I think my next project will be a tiered summer skirt for Chloe. Happy repurposing!





















The original dress after I cut out the buttons and center front seam.






















The first big cuts - this was scary!

















More cutting to give it a scoopy neck and to straighten the sides.

















Cut some length from the bottom and sewed up all the unfinished edges with a zigzag stitch (my new favorite!).

















Adding some fabulous ribbon for the waistband.






















The finished apron!






















Chloe models the apron. She's not hooked on repurposing yet. :)

A silly video and headbands

We have COLD SNOWY weather here in northeast Ohio today. Yuck!

Check out this cute (and brief) video of Chloe trying to sing . . .


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The sewing bug has bitten me again! This morning I sewed up the ends of some wide ribbons I'd bought to make cheap headbands for Chloe. I found each ribbon on sale at Jo-Ann's for 25 or 50 cents a yard. As ribbons are known for their unravelling tendencies, I sewed up the ends on a slant with a quick zig-zag stitch. I'm very pleased the outcome. Now I just need the secret to get Chloe to sit still long enough to tie these headbands on her wiggly head! I'm thinking I should put on a body-numbing movie to get her to sit still and then covertly sneak the headband on.

My latest project

It feels like I've not blogged in months! I don't know if anyone even noticed, but I haven't been blogging as much lately since I've been wrapped up in my latest project. I just finished a cross-stitch wedding record for my friends' 10 year wedding anniversary. Whew! This project has given me a new appreciation for cross-stitchery. It turned out beautifully and I thank God for the time and energy to complete such a monstrous thing.

Melinda was so touched by the gift that she started crying! Yay! It feels so wonderful to know that I surprised her that much and that she appreciates all the effort I put into this.

In other news, my vivacious grandma flies in tomorrow morning for a visit so I anticipate a lack of blogging for the next week. Chloe is so pumped about seeing her "nana".

Here are a few pictures of my darling girl to keep you occupied while we're enjoying nana's company. Blog ya later!





Chloe's new favorite seat is the bookshelf even though it's rather crowded.



















A close-up of the project. You would not believe how many shades of purple went into this.














Chloe and her beloved Elmo.

My latest sewing project

Thanks to my mom's recent visit, I had some help on my latest sewing venture. Since we don't have money to spend on decorating our home, we don't have many curtains hanging. I really like the homey-ness of curtains though and for a while now I've been wanting some cherry curtains for our kitchen.

After some depressing searching on e-bay for cherry fabric ($7-$10 per yard plus shipping), my mom and I visited a Jo-ann's superstore in a nearby city. WOW, we were both blown away by the huge selection of fabrics and the cheap prices. I found some cherry fabric for about $4 a yard and some ribbon for 10 cents a yard. Voila, kitchen curtains!

Here are some photos of the finished lovelies (please don't look too closely at my sewing handiwork):























This larger window is above our kitchen sink (those are clean dishes drying).


















A far-away shot of the smaller window over the stove so you can see the full effect of the curtain.


















My attempt at showing both windows in our small kitchen.