elephant onesie dress

I wish my daughter was still young enough to wear this! I guess I could just do the pink elephant on a shirt and use this material in a skirt or ruffle capris! Or even ruffle shorts. This design is for my Etsy shop and the boutique I am working with. I have been staying very busy with orders from the boutique. I have been working on custom orders and also coming up with new designs. It has been so much fun trying new things. I am working on felt hair clippies now having fun with that. I'll post a few pics in the next few days of some of the ones I have been working on.

Easter bunny

I just love Bunnies! This ragged bunny applique is just way too cute for words. I am for sure making my daughter one in a shirt and either matching ruffle pants or a skirt for Easter. Heck I'll even sport a bunny on my shirt! The edges are clipped like a rag quilt so they will fray after washing and will add to an even cuter look. I used flannel so it will be super soft and I like the way flannel frays. I love the boy one too...I just love pastel colors. Well really I haven't met a color I didn't like, some I don't love but I like them all. I am getting so excited for spring now;)

love appliques

I love this shirt! I think I want to do one in my size;) I just love having my new machine! I didn't realize how much I missed my embroidery unit. My daughter broke my other machine a few years back so I haven't been able to do any embroidering. There are so many adorable applique designs out there and just using different material it changes the look so much. One of my favorite places to buy appliques is planet applique. They have such adorable designs and priced so well. They have specials all the time too. I also love the fonts at embroitique. I used their sugar and spice font on my christmas stockings. My head cold is getting better and I think I'll be able to focus and sew this weekend, I have to because I have a few orders to fill! This head cold has made it so hard to focus and think straight I swear I feel like I lost a million brain cells due to it!....not sure how many that leaves me with anymore;)

bunny toilet paper roll

How cute are these toilet paper rolls! The face and ears are embroidered and then you can just add a bow. It is perfect for Easter decorations but since I LOVE bunnies this stays up all year around on my toilet. I was joking with my bunny friend and said I should make a few of these and sell them at the next rabbit show. Us bunny freaks love anything with rabbits! I will for sure make one for the raffle table. I have had quite the cold for the last few days so I have not been in the mood to create much. I've been planning some easter designs in my head so I need to get busy on that. Easter is still 2 months away but we all know how time creeps up on us! Easter is my Favorite holiday! I love spring, I love the pastel colors, I love the warmer weather, and most of all it reminds me of how much Jesus loves us!! It just brings me to tears every time I think of the crucifixion. I'm just in awe of how much He loves me and that knowledge helps me to face anything this world wants to throw at me;)

Christmas Stockings

One more post of Christmas projects that I did. For years I have been wanting to do custom stocking for us. Every Christmas I have plans to do them and every year gets so busy and I run out of time. Then after the season is gone I am not in the mood to do them anymore;) So this year I was able to get the time to make some. I just loved how they turned out. I used the super soft minky material for them in fun red, green, and blue. The material is a little more tricky to work with only because it has a lot more stretch both ways than woven cotton does. Some of the material also was raised so when ironing on the fusible fleece I had to be careful not to iron out the bumps in the material. Also when embroidering the names I had to use water soluble stabilizer because the minky was so dense and plush the names would not have looked as nice if I hadn't. I did make a set for a customer but next year I think I'll stick with woven cotton or flannel if I plan on selling more. Looking at the pic I got a little sad, my dog Tori died last month so next Year when I pull out the stockings I won't be hanging hers up:(

Christmas gifts

Now that Christmas is long gone I can post a couple quilts I did for gifts. I didn't want to post them early incase the recipient saw;) The baby quilt was for my friends little 2yo girl. I had made her brother one for christmas a couple years ago when he was little so I wanted to make her one too. The mom is preggo now so looks like I get to make another one this coming christmas!

The red and turquoise Christmas quilt I did for my mom. She had been wanting a christmas one for herself for awhile and has been dropping hints.

I embroidered the names and dates on the quilts to add a special touch. Also you can see what year you got the quilt and who gave it to you. Memories fade so it is helpful to have those reminders!

The pink/red Christmas quilt is for me! I made a flannel christmas quilt a few years back and that poor thing has seen better days. I last brought it to a rabbit show and snuggled under it to stay warm. I wanted to make a new one this year so I found this adorable riley blake material and knew that was it.

Riley blake is coming out with a new halloween fabric real soon so I think a halloween quilt is in order! I know it is 8 months away but better early than late I say. Plus when fabric comes out you need to get it before it is gone. It is like lipsticks and nail polish they are always coming out with new colors and retiring the old.

baby boutique sets

I have exciting news! My clothing designs are now in a boutique. Posh Baby boutique in Lakeville, MN is now carrying my outfits. You are still able to purchase designs in my Etsy shop and now at a store front. I am just so excited to be creating and designing and I just love to be behind my machine working with my hands. It has all been happening so fast. I just opened my little shop on Etsy and trying to figure out my niche because I love to do it ALL and now working with a boutique and coming up with baby designs. My daughter is now 5 so it feels like a lifetime ago that I was out buying baby stuff. It actually makes me want to have another one but that is just not in the cards for us unless God wants to preform another miracle for us, I know he is more than capable just not sure it is what He wants for us.....this is a WHOLE 'nother post that I won't bore you guys with;)

So back to sewing...... I have been making a few baby sets. Here is one of my faves. I am a total sucker for pink and black;)

I'm almost tempted to make my 5 year old the top, I think it would be adorable on an older girl as much as it would on a baby. The only problem is my daughter has more clothes than she can wear! I guess summer is coming up and she doesn't have much for short sleeve stuff......How cute would this top with some white shorts with the roses be? She has these new pair of baby pink tennis shoes that she could rock with this! Oh yeah guess what I'll be making this weekend;)

only 3 years later!

So I finally finished this quilt. I think I started it 3 years ago;) I bought a jelly roll of this material not knowing what I was going to do with it I just loved the colors. Then I decided I was going to make a quilt for my bed then I ran out of material and had to find more then it sat in my closet for a year or so. I pulled it out and decided my daughter needed a quilt for her bed first so I finally finished it this weekend! It is going to be a long time before I do another queen or king size quilt! Pushing all that material thru the machine to hand stipple is quite the workout. My shoulders get so tight and sore I can only work on it in small sections so it felt like it took for ever to get done. I love piecing and I love hand binding I find that so relaxing it is the stipple part that I could live without. If I had a longarm machine that would be so much easier but I don't see myself getting one of those in the near future. I will just stick with lap size or smaller quilts and my shoulders will thanks me.

Now I need to make some pillows and curtains to go with the quilt. I'm not sure what color....I painted her walls this weekend and boy did they turn out PINK!!!! It is kind of a pink purple and I'm not loving it but I think once I get art on the walls and curtains and accessories up the pink will not be the main focus. The shades she has have to go and maybe I might have to paint the woodwork white......uggg always lots of work! First thing first I finding a material for the curtains.

Brother & Sister sets

I have been working on designing brother and sister shirt sets and onesies. I have never embroidered or hooped something so tiny like a onesie before so it was a challenge but I figured out an easier way to do it so that was a relief. I was using the 3 month size, there is the newborn size that is smaller so I'll have to try hooping those. I have a few more designs and also ones that work for brother and sister that are more color neutral. I am trying to come up with color combos that aren't the typical baby colors. I remember when my daughter was small EVERYTHING was baby pink in the stores for size 0-24 months. I wanted bright bold funky colors and it was hard to find. That might not be the case as much I'm not too sure, I haven't strolled around in the baby section for awhile now. I just remember when you opened her closet door it was a sea of PINK. Pink is my favorite color but I have to have more than just that in a wardrobe.

playing with jersey knits

Yesterday I pulled out some knit material and decided to make a few tops for my daughter. I have been more of a woven cotton girl over the stretch material but it is fun to mix it up. I like to try pushing myself to think out of the box. I love how both turned out. It has also been awhile since I put a zipper in an outfit but it was like riding a bike. I do have a confession, the zipper was easy to put on but I made a huge mistake! I was just about done and I was hemming the bottom and cut the bottom of the zipper off to line it up! What did I do??? I had spent the whole day embroidering designs and embellishing it, and the zipper had no stopper so when you went to unzip the hoodie the little handle flew right off! I was mortified and couldn't believe what I had just done. So long story short I had to zigzag the bottom close, super glue the end of the zipper so it wouldn't separate up from the bottom. After that mess I had to make it look visually appealing so I cut some felt to make a flower and sewed it over my BIG whoops! So it is now a pullover hoodie with a zipper;) It is still cute but not what it was suppose to be. Oh well, I love how there really is no right or wrong way, it is like art anything goes. After these 2 tops I think I might make my way over to the stretch knits area at the store a little more often to see what else I can make.

What was the first thing you ever sewed?

I was trying to think back to see if I could remember mine and I think it was a pair of shorts in home ec. I just loved going to sewing class in high school! That was the one class I never skipped....lucky for me it was an afternoon class! Oh me and mornings have NEVER been friends. With the help of my home ec teacher we sewed a formal dress for a dance for me. That is me in the little "green" number! I wish I still had that dress. I lent it out and never got it back. Wow that is 22 years ago now! 1990

So what was your very first thing you sewed and do you still have it?

tooth fairy pillows

For the last week or so I've been working on different tooth fairy pillows. I have perfected the look I was going for. They are all just so cute! I think this is my new favorite thing to make right now! I love quilting so I get a little "patchwork" fix....check.... and I love to embroider.....check, They also don't take too long to make so instant gratification....check! It is a win win for me! They are all posted in my Etsy shop.

I also reorganized my sewing room. It had slowly started seeping into the dining room little by little. My hubby took back the dining room so I was forced to organize and clean out some things to make room for everything comfortably. I think he was more concerned about the noise when I embroidered, it would drown out the TV in the evenings....one does NOT mess with a man and his TV;). I actually love being back in here, my little pink happy place!

SheSewSassy

My etsy shop is up and running! I have been busy sewing and coming up with new designs. I will be posting new things often, my head has been spinning with ideas so keeping checking back. I just ordered some new fabrics and can't wait to make a few more new outfits. I have spring and summer on my mind even though it is january and cold! Since I'm new to Etsy any tips or tricks or just advice post your tidbits!

SheSewSassy

white ruffle skirt

I had a bunch of this white fabric and so I wanted to test out this skirt pattern. It is the nie nie skirt from pink fig. The pattern still calls for 2 more layers of ruffles but I like the length of this one on her. The fabric is a little thicker than the normal cotton quilting fabric so this skirt is extra puffy and quite heavy with just the four layers. I have been doing all the ruffles on her clothes the old fashion way with a basting stitch and pulling the threads. It is soooo time consuming. I enjoy doing it, it is almost therapeutic pull gather, pull gather, pull gather. I feel like I go in a trace;) But because it is so time consuming and I'll be making skirts with ruffles for my Etsy shop I bought a ruffler foot for my sewing machine! I played around with it all day yesterday trying to figure out the learning curve for it. There are so many factors that you can change to make more or less gathers or pleats. It is really a cool little foot and I know it is going to save me a ton of time and actually be more precise on the gathering placements. I whipped up another nie nie skirt in black and it took at least half of the time or maybe even less from when I did it all hand gathering on the white skirt.

Last month I got a new machine! I have had my viking designer for about 9 years and my daughter broke the embroidery part on it a couple years ago. I thought about just getting it fixed but it is a floppy disk and I would also have to upgrade it to a USB and so I decided it was also just time for a new machine. I went with another viking, The Ruby and I love her!!! It is so nice to have my embroidery part back. Everything from my old viking I can use on my new one so all the feet and hoops I've collected over the years is not a waste. I am keeping my designer as a backup and if I get really busy I can use it while my other machine is embroidering. It has been so fun! The shirt she is wearing is an embroidered applique rudolph and then her name. So stinkin' cute!

I am hoping to have my Etsy shop up and open in the next week or 2. It is called She Sew Sassy. It will mostly be for girls clothing but also I will have a few random other things occasionally. I am nervous and excited and it has been a few years in the works and the timing is finally right now. I will post when it is open.

skeleton animal fabric

When we were out shopping my daughter said mom I love this material. So how could I not get it and make a cute dress with it! I also love anything polka-dots so I grabbed this black and white dots to got with it. I made a mistake when I was cutting the skirt part and it didn't get cut on the fold so I had a seam down the middle. Well I was just going to put it in the back but somehow it got on the front so I had this ugly seam down the middle of the dress. I sat and looked at it and decided it had to get covered so I made the ruffle and sewed it down the center. I love how it turned out and looking back many of my mistakes end up working out for the better! It causes me to get creative and it always seems to work out to my advantage! This dress might be a gift for my niece if we happen to draw her name for Christmas if not it will have a home here. It just needs a button in the center of the flower and it is done.

ruffle mania

This is my daughter's christmas dress. It was a lot of ruffles but I love how it turned out and can't wait for her to wear it. The pattern is the stella dress from izzy and ivy designs. I am a glutton when it comes to ruffles! It is my love hate relationship with them. love how they look but there is just no easy way to do them other than the old fashion way of gathering and pulling the thread. I have gotten quite efficient and can whip out some ruffles quickly. It is true practice makes perfect. After I finished this dress I said it would be awhile before I did another but I quickly made a skirt from the pattern for thanksgiving. I adore those ruffles down the sides.

upcycled jeans

These jeans had a hole in the knee and were too short in the length but still fit in the waist so I seam ripped open the legs, cut the length and added fabric and a ruffle and presto the jeans have a new identity and another year of mileage left in them. I got the idea from pink fig and just started cutting and pasting;) I love how they turned out and I think I see a few more pants that are going to go under the knife

ruffle pants

Another great pattern from pink fig! These are the bella pants. The material is a brown suit type fabric from Joann's. I was originally going to make a skirt for me but ended up using it for my daughter. I am all about ruffles and all things girly but I really love it in these basic brown pants. I prefer lots of color but it is also nice to have more dressy neutral things too.

My next project is getting some labels printed up so I can sew them into my clothes. My hubby is always asking which way do her pants go. It is hard to tell the front from the back if you don't know what you are looking for. My daughter is also dressing herself a lot so she knows tags go in the back but when her clothes are tagless it makes it harder. I just need to design something in photoshop and print them out on fabric paper or iron transfer stuff....not sure what would be best.......time for some research.

Halloween skirt

I just love riley blake fabrics! The colors and patterns are always so perfect! This is called trick or treat. The pattern is a take on the patchwork skirt I just cut some blocks even smaller and left some bigger. I have used this pattern a million times and with all the different materials the skirt seems a little different each time.

This is the same pattern just the blocks were cut a tad bigger. I also did a bunny applique on the tank to make a set. I loved this material!! It is sparkly in the fabric. It is called urban angel by studio e. They had it at my mill end textiles and I grabbed what was left....not much. Pink is my downfall anything that is pink my eyes drift towards and I HAVE to have it. I was so happy to have a little girl because I have a feeling my little boy would be wearing a lot of pink much to my hubby's dismay.

How time flies

I have been sewing I just haven't been blogging about it. I have been blogging about my bunnies! I show american fuzzy lops and that has been a huge part of my last couple years. Now that fall is approaching I find myself at my machine sewing more. I spend most my time making my daughter clothes and the other time is spent quilting or making other crafts. I made this back to school outfit for her now that she started preschool she needs to be stylin'. The teachers commented on how they all look forward to seeing what she is wearing the next time at school! Those are big expectations to live up to to try and create something new each week;) This fabric is from Robert Kaufman it is a corduroy material and is super soft and lightweight. I love it. The pants are the bella pants. I have used this pattern so many times for pants for her over the last couple years. Every time she wears a pair someone always comments on them I am also a sucker for ruffles! The shirt is from baby gap and I just appliqued some material on it to make it a matching set.