A friend asked if I could make coordinating half aprons for her little girls. She wanted them to be coordinating and use pink and purple fabric, plus have a pocket big enough for actually using. I was delighted to oblige. The fabrics are from the newest Lakehouse line — just yummy. I’m in a polka dot phase and that seemed to suit the future owners, too. I went for a slightly deeper waistband than I normally do; not sure if I’m as crazy about it as I thought I would be. I can’t wait to see them modeled, but will have to wait since they are destined for a couple of Easter baskets.

Thanks for all the well wishes and kind thoughts sent my way. I’m happy to say that I’m feeling much better and looking forward to getting back into the swing of things today and through the rest of the weekend. So let’s get back to a little crafty talk, shall we?

We’re off to see the wizard! A friend asked if I could pull this together for her daughter. How could I say no? She ordered the Wizard of Oz fabric from Superbuzzy (oh, how I love that place!). The dress is the Farbenmix Marieke. It’s the first time I’ve made it with both pockets but I think the red needed a little breaking up. It’s also been lengthened, since the sweetie who’ll be wearing it is tall. The polka dot is Jason Yenter for In the Beginning; I think it’s my new favorite dot. Before I received the Oz fabric, I’d thought I’d do a full lining with peekaboo underskirt. It’s such a heavy fabric, though, that I feared too many layers would make the dress uncomfortably heavy (and warm) for a little girl.

This little outfit is the one I was working on Tuesday. It evolved from this one made for Miss L. When I was asked about revamping the top, I immediately knew the above style was more suited for the future wearer. (I’m fortunate to have seen many a picture of this little girl over the past few years.) I did a quick sketch, sent it to the mom and got to work.

I tell you, it’s quite different to sew for a size 5 than a size 2! Lots more fabric — necessitated not only by the size but the style. The halter dress is nearly three full yards of fabric. In comparison, L’s peasant top is about a yard. I think the bottom ruffle turned out to be more than 200 inches of fabric! I’ll be making only one more of these sets, this one a duplicate of the original, which will use up the last bits of my pretty embroidered cream fabric. It’s one of my backburner projects, though, since it’s not needed in its new home until May.

In the meantime, I have quite a bit to keep me busy: a couple of orders from my Etsy shop (cut out and ready to sew! Go, me!), a couple of apron orders from a friend, some Try It! projects and a stack of fun things I’m itching to start working on. Oh, the fun we’re going to have here on ye olde Craft Addict blog!

Hey — if you are in the Atlanta area, you don’t want to miss this weekend’s Shop Hop! It’s going on now and there are some great giveaways to be had. It’s a really fun annual event and a great way to get around to all of the area’s fabulous quilt shops. I may or may not have done a little “hopping” myself today. (Shhhh! Fabric’s in the wash!)

Honey headed into the office today so it’s been just me and the babies. Yes, I still refer to all of them as “babies” even though the older two have towered over me for years. Secretly, I think they like it; after all, they sometimes still call me “Mommy.”

Since conditions were right (a second camera operator) and the sun was actually out, I had J take a picture of me wearing my latest sewing-for-me project. These are the “muslin” I made for my first crack at Favorite Things‘ new Smarty Pants pattern. I did not hem them because I do not intend to wear them out of the house. Or likely ever. Nothing says “I have a big butt” like this fabric print. Why did I buy it? I have no clue. All I know is that I had enough of it to try this pattern without making some sort of hodgepodge clown pants because I had to use two or three fabrics.

But I digress.

I know capri pants are some big fashion no-no according to all those makeover shows but I don’t care. They are comfortable and hide my thighs, and they’re a bit cooler than jeans or long pants during the summer. (It’s not called “Hotlanta” for nothing.)

The pattern also makes Bermuda shorts and there are options for pockets and belt loops but I haven’t tried them out yet. And I’m not sure I will, since that style of pockets draws attention to my hips, which I’d prefer received a little less attention.

This is actually a pretty easy pants pattern. I highly recommend covering up the sizes and looking solely at the measurements to determine the best fit. Go by just your size and you may be disappointed. I know I would have been. Maybe “depressed” would be a better word.

Moving on.

The pants are only six pieces, which sounds like a lot but it’s not. Two front leg pieces. Two back leg pieces. Two pieces for the waistband. The waistband is two pieces because the back band forms a casing in which you insert elastic to fit the waist. The flat front waistband is a flattering look, and I like that the back fits closely so I don’t have to worry about someone seeing my Hanes Her Way.

Because these are a muslin, I didn’t do any serging of seams which did cut down the sewing time. Still, I made these pants from start to finish (cutting, pinning, sewing, fitting) in just a couple of hours. I think future iterations will be faster, especially because I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the assembly of the waistband. This is no fault of the pattern instructions; I’m just a hands-on learner and sometimes have to read the directions a few times, then practice with the fabric to get it down.

Favorite Things also makes these in a Little Smarty Pants version (which I also own) and I expect them to be a cornerstone of Miss L’s spring and summer wardrobe if they sew up as easily as I expect.

In other news, I added these Mommy & Me aprons to my Etsy today. I’m still loving the Heather Bailey Fresh Cut fabrics, accented here with a little Robert Kaufman floral plus a touch of grosgrain ribbon. I had originally planned to do the ruffle a little differently but I’m happy with how these turned out.

We had fun with our little photo shoot. I think L expected to keep wearing her apron as she played, since she dragged my mixing bowl and spoon into the living room. Sorry, kiddo!

I love Valentine’s Day; it’s another excuse to make cute things and give them to people. We — meaning me and the eldest — have been busy this week with putting together all the goodies. Yes, my teenager likes to give out Valentines. This year, he did wrapped Hershey bars. Not sure if he enjoyed the cutting and wrapping part, but I had no complaints. I had my hands full with other things:

The goodie bags were for the little missy’s preschool class. The covered lollipops, we handed out at yesterday’s ballet class. I’d thought of designing my own but the Confection Collection over at The Shabby Shoppe was just too cute to pass up. That’s also where I bought the template for our Valentines (at the top of this entry). Yes, everything is coordinated. I can’t help myself. (The font is MA Sexy; I thought it was a great match for the papers.) In retrospect, I wish I had nudged down the ribbon on the pictures so it didn’t cut across her face. Oh well.

Here’s a little Valentine love for all of you:

Aren’t they just the cutest things ever? I found these vintage Valentines last month when Miss L and I went “treasure hunting” at a local antique mall. The colors and designs just spoke to me. They’re on my Flickr and I think I’ve fixed the settings so they can be downloaded and incorporated in your collages and crafty projects (personal use only, please). The originals are staying with my inspiration files.

Thanks for the comment love yesterday! Here’s the latest creation. I’m totally in love. I stumbled upon the fabrics and immediately knew they would lend themselves to something over the top. Gotta admit that it scared me a little. I’m not usually an over-the-top kind sewist. Now I’m ready for the weather to warm up so she can actually wear it!

Don’t forget to enter yourself in the drawing for some crafty goodies. You have until tomorrow to comment here. I’ll do the drawing Saturday afternoon (after running a 5K but before meeting friends for dinner and a play). There may be one box o’ good stuff or there may be more — all depends on what’s inspiring me. I do know that there’s an Amy Butler pattern in the mix, as well as some fabric and who knows what else. I’m making a list with all your suggestions, too; definitely some fun stuff y’all are throwing at me!

Please, try not to be jealous of the hotness that is me. I know that little peek of strap is just overwhelming. You’ll just have to control yourself.

I stink at self portraits and trying to take one with my monster lens and enormous external flash while using one hand is … well, you can see the results for yourself.

But that’s not why we’re here.

No, we’re here to talk about my February project for  Stephanie’s Sew for Yourself challenge. Don’t bother clicking around the blog for January’s project; it has yet to be photographed — with good reason. I’ll try to get a snapshot and share the results on Thursday (tomorrow is another Word-Free Wednesday).

This is a Kwik Sew pattern (3353, if I recall correctly) made with two jersey knit fabrics. I had high hopes for this pattern and am more or less pleased with the results. I do think I will size down on the next one. It seems a bit big in the chest area and neckline; I’m optimistic dropping a size will resolve those issues.

I also will not use a jersey knit — probably ever again. I spent so much time trying to get the curling edges to lay flat long enough to zip through the serger. Major pain. Or is that “may-jah”? Regardless, it was more of a headache than necessary. The fabric is very pretty, though, and reflects the current color and pattern fixation I’ve had going on for the past six or seven months.

Honestly, I think it does fit better than it looks in this picture. (The mirror, however, is just as dirty. ) The pattern includes a shorter sleeve version and a dress, so I’m sure I will make this one again with an interlock. There’s not a lot of topstitching and the next one may get a little more than the pattern calls for, since I’d really like to make sure certain pieces lay flat.

All in all, I think it was successful and I’m glad I made it. Two down, ten to go!

I’ve got a little bit of a vintage thing going on right now, which is why I have been fondling floral fabrics every chance I get. (How’d you like that little bit of alliteration there?)

I couldn’t help myself when I came across these two fabrics. I think it took me about three seconds to figure out what I was going to make with them — and I’m quite pleased with the results.

Usually, I shirr the neckline and sleeves of my peasant tops but this time I opted to go with elastic. I’m so glad I did! I really love the look; it’s a little softer than shirring, in my opinion, and really kind of lends itself to the vintage-y feeling I was going for.

The pants are my favorite part, though. I actually found that fabric — a lightweight embroidered cotton — first and immediately bought every last inch. Yes, I can be a little obsessive sometimes! It’s very light and will be perfect for wearing throughout the spring and into the summer here.

Miss L had lots of fun modeling today, especially since I put on her ballet shoes to wear with the set. Lots of “tippy toes” and showing Mommy her ballet poses. (The faces were an added bonus — and challenged me not to laugh!)

I’ve had this Valentine’s set in mind for a while now but had not gotten around to working on it until today. It always makes me happy when something comes together the way I imagine it, although this outfit was not without it’s stumbling blocks.

Or, rather, block: my stupid serger. Normally, I love my serger. And through the majority of the construction process, it was great. Right up until it was time to do the lettuce edging, when it decided to snap my upper looper thread. Repeatedly. About halfway through the curve of the cuff flounces. And then the skirts. I was finally able to finish by going ssssslllllooooooowwwwwww until I was finished. It probably added an hour to the sewing time. Grrrr.

I did my first lined hood on this set and am thrilled with the results, so much that I’ll probably do it every time I make a hood, if I’ve got enough fabric.

The darling Miss L was happy to try it on for me but would not stand still for pictures. I think she enjoys the twirliness! Please excuse any dangling strings. I need to finish off the seams but decided to take advantage of my daughter’s willingness (more or less) to try on the outfit and take some pics.

I think it’s a great Valentine fabric, even though there’s not a heart to be found. I can guarantee we’ll be getting a lot of use out of this outfit between now and when warmer weather arrives. I’m even just a little bit sad that I used up all of the print, since I won’t be able to make anything else with it. Oh, well — it’s not like I don’t have a closet full of fabric to sew!

One of Miss L’s favorite friends from preschool just turned three and celebrated with a party yesterday. Great fun for her and nice mommy bonding time for me.

I had actually planned her friend’s birthday present for a few months but kept putting off sewing it until … yesterday morning. Yeah, I’m a procrastinator of the highest degree. Oh, but it was worth it when I finished.

The off-white fabric is a Japanese import featuring the characters Snow White & Rose Red. I actually bought the fabric because it reminded me so much of Miss L and her friend (one blond, one brunette). The red has small white dots; I picked it up at Joann’s. The accent fabric is Michael Miller’s Dumb Dot in turquoise.

I know I always so that I’m in love with an outfit and this one is no different. I have not yet sewn the one for my daughter and will make it just a little different — but not too much. I really like how this one turned out and I think it will look so sweet on my little girl, too.

Boy, it’s been a whirlwind few days around here. Snow, a birthday, a holiday. It’s enough to keep me occupied and away from the computer, for sure.

My oldest celebrated his 17th birthday yesterday. SEVENTEEN. That seems so old, which makes me feel so old. LOL! He and his best female friend went to the rock-climbing gym and then the movies (I Am Legend). Afterward, we had our annual family dinner at his favorite Italian restaurant.

Today I got a little sewing done while Miss L was at preschool: Burda 2989. I actually picked up the pattern and fabric to sew them up for my sister-in-law. She’s been wearing a similar style on stage and is always in need of extras for when she does her mini-tours. I found some pretty linen/cotton at Joann’s during the 50-percent-off-clearance-fabric sale, which was perfect for my first attempt at these pants.

I love them! It doesn’t show up in the pictures but the fabric has embroidered circles on it. My only criticism is that the ties are a little too short (although to be honest, the pants are probably a size too small for me, since I made them for Jenn). They sewed up pretty quickly, too, although it’s such a big difference to sew “grown-up clothes” — man, do those seams go on forever. I’m definitely going to sew up a pair (or two) of these for me. They’ll be perfect for the steamy Southern summers.

I’m definitely going to have to sew them, since I signed up for the new challenge posted at the blog At Home. It sounds like a fun way to make sure I sew a little something for me this year. Go check out the details and sign up!

I have had the best time pulling together this darling birthday-girl set. A friend asked if I could do something with this beautiful fabric which she bought and never used. How could I resist? It’s so feminine and sweet, and I just adore the print.

I found the twill for the pants first. Actually, I didn’t know it was going to have pants until I stumbled over the twill. It’s a perfect match and I hear the weather where this little girl lives calls for pants pretty much year ’round. Serendipitous!

I have always admired the way Sandi uses trims and one of my sewing goals this year is to incorporate more embellishments in my work. The pretty crochet trim here is so dainty but I think it works well, not overwhelming in the slightest. I asked my oldest about adding the trim to the top of the bodice; he was skeptical. After it came together, even he had to admit it was a good idea.

• • • • •

Thanks for the comments and e-mails about yesterday’s picture post. I’m trying a “Word-Free Wednesday,” at least for now, to have a place to incorporate some of the daily photos I’m taking. Yes, snow is a rarity in these parts. Around the time I took that picture, it actually started to stick. Within a couple of hours, the snow turned into freezing rain and made that 1/2-inch a nice bit of crusty slush. Nothing to cause our immediate area to shut down but the county north of mine had school closings and the like. It was, of course, a great disappointment to my oldest, who was hoping for the first snow day of the year. Poor kid. It’s not like he’s not getting a three-day weekend for his birthday.