Summer Beach Robe

So, last week Dana over at MADE posted this and I immediately emailed Hubby and asked him to get it for me (since he has a PayPal account)! The digital pattern is AWESOME. I wouldn't expect anything less. Dana is amazing at taking such wonderful pictures and really walking you through each step. I am happy to say that I finished my first beach towel robe this afternoon.

Ta Da!

Got the beach towel at Kohl's for FREE. Well, it was $8, but I had a $10 gift card, so I didn't pay for it! AND, I probably have enough left to make another one...it was a big towel! I can't wait to get it on the little guy and see how it fits. The pattern came with 3 different sizes and I used the medium for him. But, with the first time you do anything, or I do anything, there are little imperfections. Really, the only thing I'm not pleased with is the bias tape on the tie, but hopefully, I'll get better with that. I know exactly what I'm gonna make for my little Hawkeye! You guessed it..I'm gonna get a black towel and I have some great Iowa material I bought from a fabric liquidation to line the hood and hopefully make my own bias tape. I say hopefully, because all of my efforts thus far have failed. If not, there is the perfect shade of gold at Hobby Lobby!

Oh and check out these serged edges...

...not the best picture, but believe me, they look pretty great! I finally busted out that serger and it is the smoothest machine! I want to put gold thread in it for the contrast against the black on my next robe, but I'm scared I won't be able to get the machine threaded. I'll have to look at/study it a little more. I'm so excited!

Well, we're off to get the boy and venture out to Riverside to see what this Trek Fest is all about! I'll post more pics when I finish the next robe!

Finished Bag and New Project

I finally finished my Amy Butler Cosmo Bag! Didn't get it done for our trip last week to the Dells because I ran into some problems with a skipped step. I skipped the stay stitching step because I didn't understand what it was and just wanted to hurry up and finish. Well, I had to go back and stay stitch around those curves and slit them in order to sew the bag together. I did some research online for some clarification to the directions. I love crafty ladies of the blogosphere. They are so helpful.
Anyway, here is a picture of the bag.

I used it this week to take to the pool for our swim classes. Two beach towels fit in there with lots of room left over for sippy cup, snacks, change of clothes and dry diapers. I can't wait to find some fabric to make another one. I think it will be even better the next time. I will pay attention while cutting and not skip steps! Those were my lessons learned with this project!

So, on to my next project. I found a sew-along for a cute, wavy top tote bag. I'm a few days behind, but I think I'll be able to catch up. Even if I can't, the instructions are all there. It's my first sew-along. Check out the button to the right and join in if you would like. I found some cute material on sale this week, so I hope to get started soon! Here's a sneak peek!

Until next time...

New Project and Recipe!

So, just a little preview of what I'm working on now. I got an Amy Butler book back in March. I finally got the courage up to tackle the Blossom Bag. I think it took me more time to cut out all the pieces and prep them than it did to do the actual sewing. Anyway, it turned out ok. There were a couple of bumps along the way. Keep in mind, the first time you do anything, it is not going to turn out perfect. You will measure wrong, mis-read some instructions or just space out at some point. No worries, there is always something to learn and it gets you thinking about how you can alter the pattern to make it more "you" and in my case, easier to construct! :) Sorry, no picture of it here.

Anyway, I wanted to make this weekend bag from one of my other books, but didn't feel up to tackling it. I was pleased with how the Amy Butler book read, so I decided to try out the Cosmo Bag for weekend trips or to take towels and a change of clothes to the pool.

Here is a finished Cosmo Bag as pictured in her book...

And here is the fabric that I'm using for mine...

I love it! It took me 2 movies to cut out all the pieces the other night. (For the record we watched I Love You, Phillip Morris and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People...both good) And, of course, when I tried to start putting it together, I found that I didn't cut the 8 handles out correctly. I had to change my color scheme and just use what material I had left, so my bag is going to look a little different without contrasting fabrics on the outside, but I think it is still going to look cute! REMEMBER...pay attention to cutting instructions!

Last night, I finished the exterior of the bag, so now I just have to construct the lining and I'll be done...hopefully, this weekend at some point. Shouldn't take long, like I said earlier, the actual sewing part doesn't take long, it's the cutting and prepping that takes FOREVER!

And, now a picture for my sister-in-law. 

We were looking at something on the internets awhile back and we stumbled across this recipe for a Mexican Dorito Casserole found over at Jam Hands. We both thought it looked good and every time I was in the store I would think about it but couldn't remember the ingredients.Well, this week, I made a list and last night we tried it out. Here is a picture right out of the oven...was going to take one on the plate with the rice, corn and tortillas, but the boy was hungry and I just forgot by the time I was able to sit down. Hubby said, "It wasn't bad", but I thought it was really good, especially with the tortillas. I'm having leftovers for lunch today, so we'll see how good it is the second day. Also, I used the Taco Doritos instead of regular Nacho Cheese. They kind of taste like Cheese and Ranch Doritos mixed together. It is a super easy recipe and yummy...not the healthiest, but oh-well!

Away we go!

So here it is, my first attempt to start a blog that I hope will showcase creativity and be entertaining to follow. For Christmas this past year, I received a sewing machine. I had asked for one and was very excited when I opened it. I've never been much of a sewer and besides the one semester of costume crew and the costume construction class I took in undergrad (yes, I was a Theatre major) I've never done much on a sewing machine. I remember 'sewing by hot glue gun' because I was so intimidated by the costume shop and the different machines that were in there. But, the first machine I used was a serger and I thought it was the most amazing thing! Once I learned the machines and spent hours making multiple Clara gowns and soldier jackets for our production of Nutcracker that year, I wasn't quite so intimidated. But, it is not something that I kept up with. Fast forward 13 years (jeez!) and I have been a teacher, a student again, a stage manager and now a mom. There started to be an 'itch' to create things. I have dabbled in other crafts throughout the years. Tried scrapbooking...didn't like it. I found that I would stress out so much because I wanted it to look as if things were just thrown on to the page and it took a lot of work and effort to get it that way. So, paper, stickers, page protectors and an unfinished project for my niece sit in the basement (sorry, Cora). I also got really into making jewelry. I had so many supplies. I made rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings...and do I wear jewelry? Nope. Just my wedding band every day and occasionally a necklace that I also just go for Christmas. But, there were so many great ideas out there and being single, I had a lot of free time. I did give things to my friends and family and even made a little money at one craft show that I did. But, once I entered grad school, all of the supplies just sat in the closet. Now and then I would pull it all out, try to make some stuff and then realize that the 15 minutes of free time that I had, was over. Then I got married and started a new job and it all sat in storage for a year. Then came the baby and the realization of how much of a choking hazard all of that stuff was. So, up on craigs list it went. I sold the whole lot to a lady that was really excited to get into making jewelry. I then discovered that I needed some sort of crafty outlet...after all, I am my Mother's Daughter! :)
So...I get this sewing machine for Christmas and am so excited to get started. But, you have to buy everything...thread, seam ripper (I knew I would mess some stuff up), bobbins, patterns, material...the list just kept going. I made some pants for the little guy and realized that working from a store bought pattern was not that much fun. So, off to explore the internet I went. Wow! Between YouTube, blogs, about.com, and just google search you can figure out how to do just about anything! I found some wonderful blogs and websites that had ideas for different projects. I love making things for baby and have really enjoyed making bags.
So, here it goes. My adventures in sewing! I will post projects that I complete and maybe someday, I will have items available for sale. I'll have to first get some of that free time again. Hope you enjoy!