Back in the "Spring" of Things

Yes, it's been a while since I last posted - other important things (like moving and children!) took precedence - but I'm finally back at my sewing machine - Yea!!!

Because of Pinterest I have a mile-long list of things that I want to need to sew, and these Spring-y things caught my eye:

 

I saw the sweetest little basket on one of my favorite blogs, nanacompany.  I decided to make it up in this birdie fabric from Door County that I've been saving. This is a quick and fun project and would make a great gift with a little something in it (like, ummm, chocolate!)

 

 

This was made from the Mooshy Belly Bunny pattern from chezbeeperbebe. It's soft and mooshy, just right for a little one to snuggle, and it can be made from an upcycled T-shirt! I used minky on the ears to make it even more cuddly.

 

 

I couldn't resist making these mini baskets from another favorite blog, A Spoonful of Sugar.  They are made from felt (I like to use a wool/rayon blend) and ribbon.  They are fairly quick to make, and again, perfect for gift-giving with a little chocolate :) tucked inside.

 

 

 

Right now I'm working on a tote bag using Anna Maria Horner's Multi-Tasker Tote pattern and this great vintage fabric that came from a friend at our church.

 

After a loooong winter (for St. Louis, at least) I'm so happy that Spring has finally sprung!  All this new life around us is a beautiful reminder of the new life that we have in Jesus.  I love the words of this hymn that we sang on Sunday:

 





Life eternal! Heav'n rejoices: Jesus lives who once was dead.

Shout with joy, O deathless voices!

Child of God, lift up your head!

Life eternal! Oh, what wonders Crowd on faith; what joy unknown,

When, amid earth's closing thunders, Saints shall stand before the throne!

Fun with Kids! Playhouse for Z

I'm back! After Thanksgiving things got crazy busy around here, and I just couldn't post. But I made a bunch of things that I'm excited to share with you, and here is the first: a playhouse for Zoe!

This was Zoe's 2nd Birthday present. She loves to crawl into and under places with her books (boxes, laundry baskets, tables, beds...) so I thought I'd give her a safe, cozy place of her own to "read" and play. After scouring the internet and Pinterest (love! love!) I found this playhouse and this PVC fort frame. We ended up modifying the PVC fort frame to make it a better size for Z (3 1/2 feet wide by 5 12 feet tall.)

Making the sides 42 inches also meant that I could just use the width of the fabric for each side - no piecing - yay! I used duck instead of cotton weight so it would (hopefully) hold up better.

The windows are reinforced with another layer of fabric, an overlock stitch and ribbon trim - hoping they'll stand up to lots of peeking!

There's a flap with a slot underneath for postal deliveries...

And just the right amount of room inside to stretch out and relax!

 

Now the older boys are asking for one their size...