Where has 2012 gone?

I'm still here, I promise!  After a move to the big city and a new job, 

my little corner of the web has been sorely neglected.  

source: January Jones on Etsy

My crafting, however, has not.  I have an ever-growing list of finished projects to share with the world, but have lacked the time to take the next step and photograph these beauties.  

Here's to the New Year and resolving to FIND the time.  

Until then, here are a few of my latest creations. 

(click each picture to visit my ravelry project page)

Happy Holidays!

The Typewriter Tote

My new favorite accessory: a self-drafted bag featuring 

Melody Miller's typewriter fabric.

Cleaning out Closets

Remember this dress I made for last year's Sustainable Living Fair?

It's been sitting in my closet waiting to be worn, so I finally 

decided to gift it to my good friend Julia.  

My favorite detail is the gold bow that ties in the back.  

I think Julia wears it beautifully!

Happy stitching!

The Mendocino Dress

A quick Mendocino Dress stitched for my very special cousin Annie.  

After all, she is the one who sent me the link to the pattern to begin with! 

Big thanks to my friend Julia who modeled the dress beautifully 

before it was sent to its recipient in Portland.  

Pattern:  Mendocino Dress by Heather Ross (free!)

"It's very purpley." - Buddy the Elf

 I made this dress a year ago and am finally posting pictures!  

It's a Kwik Sew pattern that was super easy; great for beginners 

but also a fun, quick project for more advanced seamstresses.  

I've worn the dress a few times since its construction - I like it for the most part

but the neck line is low and the sleeves are a bit too poofy for my liking.  

Still a fun dress for how quickly and easily it came together!

Pattern:  Kwik Sew 3675

Fabric:  Joel Dewberry Empire Weave

Stash-busting Sunday: The Sorbetto Dress

This was a stash buster from months ago, and I finally have the pictures to prove it!

I used the Sorbetto pattern for the top and a Kwik Sew pattern for the skirt.  

The end result is ... OK.  I haven't worn it in public yet because it feels a little like a potato sack.  I definitely like it more with a sweater than without...but this one may end up at the ARC eventually.  

The Target knock-off

A Target original, a wearable muslin and my new favorite shirt!

This blue shirt has been in my closet forever, and I've been meaning to re-make it for a while now.  After a full viewing of the new Muppets movie, I had all the pieces traced and ready to sew!  

I used some red fabric I've had in my stash for years for the muslin, and it turned out to be fairly wear-able (although it's a little gape-y at the neckline and the fabric isn't very comfortable).  

And the final product that I've been wearing non-stop on my days off is made from this pretty Lecien floral that feels great and drapes beautifully!  If you look closely, you can see I used light-pink bias tape to create a border around the neckline.  

Pretty soon, my entire wardrobe will be a version of this shirt!

Nook Cover

It was a busy week, but I managed to stitch up a cozy for the BF's new Nook.

It's a simple lined sleeve with a button and loop closure and

the fabric is from David Butler's new line.  

Happy stitching!

Birthday goodies and Give-away!

I just celebrated my birthday this past Saturday and I couldn't have asked for a better day!  

I celebrated by sleeping in, taking the day off from work and 

spending time with my family and these little guys:

inspired by Dump Your Frump's tutorial

I've been using my birthday as an excuse to buy more fabric.  Now that it has past, I hope I can bring down the fabric budget again and stitch up some more projects with what I already have in my stash.  

Even so, here is one of my self-gifted birthday goodies that I could not live without-  

one yard of this beautiful light-weight Italian wool.  I would actually like to stretch it over a canvas and hang it above the couch.  Isn't it lovely?

Thanks for stopping by!

Handmade Baby Gifts

My good friend is expecting a baby boy very (very) soon.  I finally gifted their baby gift, 

meaning it's safe to share the handmade goodness without ruining the surprise! 

baby blanket, tutorial found at Apostrophy Designs

"Put a bird on it!" 

handmade card, complete with little boy outfit 

set of burp cloths, self-drafted

Hidden Treasures

A peak at what's slowly drying in my tiny apartment bathroom...

I can't wait to show you more!

Springtime Sewing: Perfect Fit Sleep Shorts

I think it's safe to say I'm out of my sewing rut!  I finished 4 projects on Monday alone. 

This is somewhat of a stash-buster; I bought the fabric in the last month but at least it's 

already stitched up into something fun & practical! 

I used the Perfect Fit Sleep Shorts pattern from the first One Yard Wonders book.  You actually draft a pattern with your own measurements.  I was skeptical at first, but it actually worked!  They fit great, and the only modification I made was slightly curving down the front waistband so it isn't so high in the front.  

A close-up of the fabric:  Little Apples by Aneela Hoey.  

I am unreasonably amused by wearing shorts with tiny little outfits on them.  

  

Stash-busting Sunday: Dinner Napkins

I've been busy at the sewing machine, but not so busy with my camera.

Here's a great way to use up some or your larger scraps (and a great house-warming gift):  dinner napkins!

I cut my fabric to 15" squares, used a 1/4" seam allowance, turned right side out and edge-stitched.

My sister and her boyfriend were the lucky recipients of these, 

but I think I need to make some for myself, too!  

Happy sewing!

Stash-busting Sunday

Hmmm...It's only been four weeks since I started my 

Stash-Busting Sunday series, and I'm already behind!

oops.  

Here's what I made last week, a flannel baby blanket I made with the help 

of Apostrophy Designs' Perfect Corner Baby Blanket tutorial.

Stash-busting Sunday: In the Works

 I've actually been quite busy with projects this week, but my Stash-Busting Sunday post is postponed because I have no photos to share with you & I haven't finished up quite yet.

In the meantime, here are some projects I've been eyeing...

I can't wait until I can get a hold of the Darling Ranges Dress pattern by Megan Nielsen.

source

I found Sew Katie Did's blog via Pinterest, and I love how she uses 

shot cottons to make beautiful modern quilts like this one:

source

And I love Julia Bobbin's version of Collette's Parfait Dress.  

source

That's all for now.  Happy sewing!

A Not So Stash-busting Sunday: Macaron Coin Purse

As if I needed another reason to save those 3" scraps of fabric...

This week I fell in love with Craft Passion's tiny macaron coin purse.

Luckily, she posted an awesome tutorial so I could make one for myself!  

Exterior:  Red dotted fabric left over from another project

Interior:  Floral scraps that once belonged to my great grandmother

Zipper & Ribbon:  From my stash

Cover Buttons:  $5 (yikes...I forgot my 40% coupon for JoAnn's)

$5 for complete satisfaction....totally worth it.  I suggest you make one too!

And yet another shameless plug...

I'd love to do a give away, but first I need 50 followers.  

Tell your friends :)  Thanks!

Stash-busting Sunday: Pom-pom Adorned Placemats

Remember those kitchen towels I made a while back with Melody's Miller's awesome tea-cup fabric? 

Well... I had more of that fabric and I decided it was finally time to do something with it!

For some reason, this fabric just screams pom-poms to me, so after much consideration, 

I finally broke down and bought some trim.  I'm so glad I did!  The fabric, however, came from my stash.

Traditionally the trim the pom-poms are attached to are hidden in your seams, but I prefer 

the look of the trim, which makes the assembly a little trickier.  

To make your very own pom-pom adorned placements, follow my tutorial below.

Materials:  

1 yard top fabric 

1 yard bottom fabric

3 1/2 yards pom-pom trim

*enough for 4 finished placemats 

1.  Cut 4 rectangles from each of your fabrics, 13" tall X 19" wide.

(8 rectangles total)

2.  Mark 1/2" from the 2 sides of the top fabric rectangles using your favorite marking tool.

3.  Pin your trim slightly inside of the marked chalk line, 

with pom poms facing toward the outside edges.  

Can you see that tiny chalk mark next to the middle red pin?  I pinned the trim about 1/8" from that line.

4.  Go out and buy some more fabric for your stash.  

Wait, what?!  Oops.  Sorry, I have a weird thing for Denyse Schmidt...

5.  Stitch pom poms to your fabric on the inner edge of the trim.  

Attach the trim to each side of the top fabric in this way.  

6.  Pin the backing to the top, right sides together, along the long edges 

(the edges without pom pom trim).

7.  Stitch along the two long edges using 1/2" seam allowance.  

You should now have a tube with the 2 sides still open.  

8.  Press seams open.  I know you don't want to, but trust me.  It makes the next step much easier.  

9.  Turn your placement right side out and press those seams flat!  

10.  Fold the side seams in toward the center 1/2".  

You can follow your chalk line from Step 2 as a guide.  

11.  Press side seam and pin in place.  

12.  To close up the side seam, stitch along the trim close to the outside edge.  

That should easily close up the seam you just pressed.  

How fun is that?!  What projects will you adorn with pom poms?

If you are not using pom pom trim, it's even simpler!  

Cut out your rectangles, stitch front and back with right sides together (leaving a few inches open), 

turn right side out, press and edge-stitch.  

Don't forget to post your stash-busting projects to the Flicker Pool or e-mail me at sparrowsandspools@gmail.com to be considered for a Stash-Busting Sunday feature!