by Sherri Sylvester | Nov 5, 2012
The Art Smock
You will have to excuse the colourful front on this white art smock. It has been used well used! A fabric store near me was going out of business a few years ago and I picked up some waterproof-backed white terrycloth. The kind that is really nice to use for baby change pads. Turns out is is nice to use for art smocks too! They are lined with some brightly coloured random fabrics that I had in my stash at the time.
The pattern is based on one that I’m sure you are used to by now – the Burdastyle Sophia pattern that I use for everything. The three-quarter length sleeves are great because they have an elastic cuff and fit over just about anything – including rolled up sweater sleeves.
I just love the tiny toes peeking out in this photo!
The back is fastened with a long strip of velcro, so it is adjustable, and will hopefully make them last for a few years, size-wise. The tunic length is just right for our after-art tradition of “washing” the brushes and paint containers in a bubble filled sink. No more wet clothes hurray!
Messy kids with clean clothes = happy mom. Happy mom = more art projects without fear of disaster (or more laundry). More art projects = Happy kids! It’s good all around!
by Sherri Sylvester | Nov 2, 2012
I have run into the ability to buy myself some “for fun” fabric and can’t decide what to do! I know this sounds like a ridiculous problem, but keep reading…
Whenever I go online the selection is so big that I usually give up because I can’t decide. I don’t make quilts or I would buy precuts in fat quarters of everything. And sometimes I can’t think what I would make out of something, so I don’t know how much to get.
I think it might be easier if I bought more fabric more often – or maybe bought fabric whenever I saw something I really liked… Hmmm… anyone want to sponsor my blog? (and maybe also buy me another closet to put the fabric in?!)
In the meantime – here are a few things I have seen recently that I think are worth spending my current “fun” money on. Which are your favorites?
1. Cori Dantini – Beauty is You – Sunglow Palette
2. Moda – Half Moon Modern – FQ’s
3. Cloud9 Fabrics – GeoCentric Circles – Turquoise
4. Laurie Wisbrun – Perfectly Perched – Nesting Chairs in Celebration
5. Alexander Henry – Once Upon a Time – Princess Kingdom in Natural
6. Laurie Wisbrun – Brrr – Ice Palette
7. Lotta Jansdotter – Bella – Pebbles in Grey Plank
8. Moda – Bonnie and Camille – Marmalade – Pinwheel Strawberry Raspberry
9. Kokka – Echino by Etsuko Furuya – Ni-Co 2012 Cycling Mocha
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 29, 2012
The Best (Ever) Diaper Bag
*** Update! There is now a tutorial on how to sew this bag here. ***
This Diaper bag is amazing! I made it when I had my second daughter and loved it.
I used this tutorial by Sew Much Ado, and (of course) added in some pockets and things of my own.
The inside is super roomy, even for a mom like me that can’t forget ANYTHING (just in case!) I packed it to take to the hospital and didn’t need any other bags. The bottom (under the pockets) will fit a small fleece blanket, and then you can pile things in on top of that as well.
This is a view of the back. I added in the pockets and also some side button on straps for fitting onto your stroller handles. I also changed the pattern to allow for a bottom band of colour, which makes it look a bit nicer.
Stroller Strap CloseUp
Funny thing – I actually ended up making two of these. The first batch of fabric I ordered was a bit greener (read florescent!) than I thought when I saw the colour online. So I ended up making the gray one above, which I was much happier with.
Nice thing is though, now I can use one for each girl when they stay overnight at grandpa and grandma’s house. Of course I still dream of making these – though I think that may be far, far in the future! (Like maybe after I finish the list of Christmas gifts!)
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 26, 2012
I have been wanting to make this coat for a long time. I mentioned here that I have had the fabric for a while and went on a sewing spree when my daughter’s fall coat broke.
I love this fabric, it is so bright and colourful. The owl and bird design is so on trend – and since it is, (unfortunately?) I am bound to love it!
I bought just over a metre of fabric and used every spare space to barely scrape together the outer pieces. I added a contrasting hem in the matchy fabric and pieced together the centre of the hood, just to make everything fit!
Amazingly, everything except for the zipper was already in my sewing closet. The “fur” for the hood, the blue fleece (though I would have picked a different colour if I didn’t feel it was necessary to use up my giant stash), the buttons…
Here are a few om my favorite things.
The unfinished edge on the tag section.
The furry lined pockets.
The dart/tuck on the front, just over the pockets.
The cuffs with a strap and buttons.
The pieced hood.
The pattern is a mix of a few that I use all the time – the BurdaStyle pattern that I used to make the pattern for the heart shirts here and here and a 3T pattern that I upsized for her Cinderella costume. I also got a lot of my ideas for the cuffs and length from a super-cute coat that she received when she was a baby.
The great thing is that I now have the coat pattern on paper and can re-make it anytime! I see another coat in her future, maybe in the spring?!
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 22, 2012
Scooter Lunch Bag
I made this a while ago (like a year or more ago) with my (almost) favorite fabric ever. It is by Monaluna, Monaco Organic Cotton Scooters in Pink. I especially like the bird riding on the scooter (below), so cute!
The tutorial is on Pink Penguin – here. The instructions are easy to follow and it turns out really great. It also holds a lot, which is good – because I take a lot of lunch and snacks to keep me going for my 10 hour day!
I lined it with an old “hot/cold” reusable bag that had a broken zipper. It makes it look more like a “real” lunch bag and keeps my food cold too!
I think when my oldest daughter goes to school full days next year I will make her one of these for her lunch. It would also make a really cute purse also, if you lengthened the straps.
