Ergh. I uploaded these backwards. And I'm too lazy to change it. So! Most proud-of project (and most recent!) first! I decided to make Alex a toddler backpack for his 2nd birthday. I downloaded a pattern here: Made by Rae
I bought all the fabrics about halfway through last year when I stumbled across them on Etsy.com. I didn't know then what I would do with them, but I've had a lot of fun since then figuring it out! Of course it started with Jacob's tote that I made for Christmas. But THIS project featured all 5 coordinating fabrics, which I just think makes it super-fun!
It was a really challenging project for me, though. I'm intimidated by zippers, but I managed to make this one my first success! After a really badly done first try, at least. ;) Also, there are parts of the backpack that ended up being about 11 layers thick, which my sewing machine simply couldn't handle. I'm lucky I had my mother-in-law's machines available just 5 minutes away to use! I couldn't have finished it without that. Also, the zipper, bindings, and adjustable straps all came from her sewing supplies. :)
I just love it to death. I think Alex will love it, too! The reason I decided to make it for him is because he's always stealing Melinda's backpack, or grabbing some other bag or bucket, and pretending to go "bye-bye", complete with a smile and a wave and walking right up to the door. Plus, come on... what little boy can't use a super cute bag all for his own? I'm sure he'll come up with all sorts of things to put in it.
Alright, let's see. Next on this little out-of-order list is a little toy bassinet I made for Melinda. I found a tutorial online (because I couldn't think of how to do it myself!), and followed it. It ended up being small because I didn't take the time to measure it and see if it would actually fit her baby doll. But it does fit her Webkinz animals. She likes it, and wants me to make her a bigger one. Jacob wants his own for his Webkinz, too. I've been thinking about how I might modify the hood so it's less of a flap and more of a hood. Fabrics were painstakingly selected by Melinda out of Grandma Newson's stash.
Melinda was invited to a Kindergarten friend's birthday party, but it was on Sunday so we couldn't go. We decided to make her a gift, anyway. We *loved* the appliqued shirt that Aunt Sarah made Melinda for Christmas, so I decided to copy that idea. I had Melinda do some detective work and find out what her friend's favorite animal and color are. The answer? Giraffe and red. So I worked in a red flower and made a fun little giraffe applique. Very pleased with the results!! The appliques are all felt (well, aside from the fabric center of the flowers, and the ribbon stems)... we were so thrilled to find giraffe-print felt at Hobby Lobby! There's enough to make one for Melinda, too. Because, of course, giraffe also happens to be her favorite these days!
One of the first crafts I made... a pocket shirt for Jacob! He always prefers a shirt with a pocket, but he has so few of them. So I picked up a plain T-shirt and sewed on a pocket for him. With the same owl fabric that matches his church tote. He LOVES it. And Alex loves pockets, too, so I ended up making him one. Somehow I didn't get a picture of it? Anyway, his shirt is blue with a beaver on it (the same beaver can be seen on his backpack, front panel). I think Melinda wants a pocket shirt one of these days, too.
I also tackled making Jacob an owl tie. I mentioned it in passing, one day, throwing around ideas of what I could do with all those fabrics. He LOVED the idea, and begged me to make him one. I found another tutorial (gosh, the internet is great!), and grabbed some muslin and silky blue material to help finish it up. When I didn't have it already done that Sunday (I hadn't started yet - I had other project to finish first!), he threw an absolute fit. Apparently he was just dying to get that owl tie around his neck! I was happy with how relatively easy it was, once I figured out the process. The longest part was hand-sewing invisible stitches up the back. (And why didn't I make a little loop to stick the back end through? That was silly!) And yes, he does love it. But not enough to wear a tie every week. He doesn't really like the choking feeling of wearing a tie. And Jesse LOVES tying it. I bought some ties for Jacob a year-ish ago from Etsy, and they didn't have a supporting middle layer, which I guess makes it too flimsy and annoying to tie. But since I used muslin in the middle, this is a good, sturdy tie. :) Tutorial found here!
Also, I recently threw together another digital scrapbook page. I've been stocking up on templates when I can... now I just need to convince myself to take some time to use them! This page went together in less than an hour, and I'm so happy with how it looks.
Actually, I'm trying to remember if I've ever shared anything I've been doing with Photoshop lately. I'm trying to look through my archives, and I don't think I have!! What?? Goodness.
Well.
Here's the other pages I've done semi-recently, then! I took a couple classes at jessicasprague.com, and learned a lot of cool stuff. I also figured out where to print 12x12 pages. Yay me! Now to go through 6 years of accumulated (thousands of thousands) pictures! Uhhhh. Yeah. I'm never going to catch up.
