Kyra's Tutu

Any avid followers of my blog may remember this post about the hat I made for baby Kyra when she was born in September.

And before we move on to the latest craft for Kyra - it's worth seeing how absolutely adorable she is in that hat!!

Amy told me she wanted to make Kyra a tutu and we planned a sleepover craft night to get the job done! Amy & her husband are alumni of Wilfred Laurier University and have the most school spirit of anyone I know - they even had a purple & gold wedding to show their pride! So we of course had to make Kyra a purple and gold tutu.

Using this easy to follow tutorial we were able to make the tutu in about 15 minutes :)

For once I was not doing crafts alone so Amy could get an action shot - proof that I really do all these crafts :)

It was bedtime for Kyra so we could not try the tutu on right away but I think she sure thought it was fun to play with.

And Amy got some incredible photos the following day - what an adorable baby!!

Thanks Amy for a great craft night - we also did some great crafting for my wedding...but that will have to stay secret a bit longer ;)

Baby Boom 2011

February 21 is Family Day here in Ontario...and I thought what better way to spend the day than preparing gifts for my friends and family with growing families this year! I made a list a few weeks ago and I think I know about 15 people who will be having babies in 2011 - what an unbelievable number! So, I hunkered down and spent most of the day sewing.

This cute monkey blanket is my final craft for "Pay it Forward 2011" (post about this to come soon) - so it is going to a friend of a friend. I just love the monkey fabric.

These fuzzy ones are going to my fiance's cousin in Edmonton, AB who just had twins yesterday! As I was about to start sewing the news came that the babies had arrived quickly and safely - it was clearly meant to be for me to sew these for them!

I made a few taggy blankets - not sure who these are for yet!

Overall, a great day of sewing. And my yoga pants had the fluff to prove I'd spent the day handling lots of flannel :)

Yoga Mat Bag

I bought this Ikea Duvet at Value Village almost a year ago because I just love how colourful and cute it was. I have been savouring it for the perfect project and this weekend the idea came to me! I've been really wanting a mat for my yoga mat. I don't go to yoga often - in fact I've never been to a yoga class. But I do go to Goodlife's version of Yoga - "Bodyflow". I have been wanting to take my own mat but just couldn't get motivated to carry it without a bag. I read an article in a magazine in January about how germ infested the gym's yoga mats are...and that really got my more motivated to get a bag.

I used this tutorial but it is not a very beginner-friendly tutorial so strayed from the instructions as I went. I added a button hole for the drawstring (my first buttonhole!).

I did not end up using a round piece of fabric for the base - I just sewed it up because I tested it out and the mat still fit fine. I had the fabric cut but sewing it seemed like more of a hassle than it was worth.

I also sewed the strap into the seam - I cannot tell from that tutorial how it is attached, but this seemed the most logical to me - And I just stitched back and forth multiple times to reinforce the seam.

I am just loving how cute it all turned out - I can't wait to go to class and use it!

Happy Birthday Amanda!

For my dear friend Amanda's 30th Birthday I wanted to make somethign special - and so this called for my first zipper project!!

Using this tutorial I made the following clutch purse. I added in the handle myself because it seemed more practical. I know if you buy the pattern it includes these instructions but I am all about the free tutorial!

I'm very proud of this little purse, and I do believe I'll be making more in the future now that I've figure it out :)

MORE Baby Blankets

I swear I have been working on some other projects....but they are secret for a couple more days ...so in the meantime I'll post some more baby blankets. These two are variations on the others you've seen me do with the silky edging.

This elephant/numbers one was made using this tutorial - an easy yet lovely home made gift. I fell absolutely in love with these 2 fabrics when I saw it in the store and knew it would be just perfect for my friend who had a baby girl last week. This present hasn't been delivered but I am hoping that with a one week old and a 16 month old, my friend will be too busy to check out the blog!


You may remember this fabric below from when Becky & I were sewing together. I really loved the bright colours for a little boy and a childhood friend of mine has a 7 month old who she said loves the tags. Seemed like the perfect thing to make for him.

I especially love my new tags, ironed on to a ribbon just like a real tag!



T-shirt Necklaces

I have been meaning to do this craft for a while, and finally got organized to do it this week. I saw an article in Whole Living Magazine about a year ago and think this is a fun way to recycle a t-shirt. Using this tutorial I made the following necklaces. 

These are all going to various people as part of my "Pay it Forward 2011" crafting effort (which I hope to post about once all the crafts are completed).  I must confess, I love the purple one and may keep it for myself!

A few logistics for those of you who want to try this craft out - The tutorial is very easy to follow so you will get all the info you need on the link I've given. But, I wanted to mention that a rotary cutter is not necessary - I have a rotary cutter and yet found scissors easier to use. This is a forgiving craft, and if you do not cut straight lines, it won't matter in the end. Also, if you're purchasing t-shirts at a second hand store (that's what I did) for this craft, I'd suggest looking for shirts that do not have a seam on the sides - they may be a bit harder to find but if you do search them out, it will make it even easier to make this necklace. However, if you get a t-shirt with seams (or want to use an old t-shirt of your own that has seams) just make sure the seams get gathered together as Martha mentions in her video, can you can hide them with the piece of shirt you use to hold the whole necklace together.

Happy Crafting! 

More Baby Blankets

On December 29, 2010 I was blessed with another nephew - a perfect little boy named Cale weighing 7lbs 10oz. In anticipation of Cale's arrival I had used up leftovers (and bought some new matching fabric) and made these two blankets. Hoppefully Cale is having many cuddly moments in his blanket already and the purple one is in the mail to Ottawa right now for my friend Agata's new baby Elizabeth along with yesterday's crayon holder.