Category Archives: Crafts

Jun 19

Summer Sewing

I’ve had the sewing machine out a few times this Summer. I love to sew in the Summer, and this time I made a quick and easy dress for Agnes.

My mother in law found this super-cute aqua smocked Hello Kitty fabric. She picked up some for Agnes.

It was super easy to sew too. Just pin, and go.

I sewed some little straps on too.

All done, this little dress just took minutes to sew.

Agnes liked this one too.

The fabric is light and airy.

Perfect for Summer!

She is ready for a trip to the Farmer’s Market.

Jun 8

Home Sewing: A Dress For Agnes

When Grandma was visiting, we girls went shopping. We headed for the craft section, and Grandma asked if I had ever made a dress for Agnes. I had hoped that when I had Agnes I would sew her lots of dresses, but I hadn’t.

We looked through the patterns, and decided to give it a try. Agnes picked out some pretty purple fabric. Purple seems to be her favorite color these days.

We got the patterns out, and started pinning. Then we had to stop, and go get the boys from school.

The pattern said easy, and it seemed like one of those projects that you could finish in an afternoon. Well, it took me five days to get the project completed. I’m a bit out of practice when it comes to patterns.

I kept working on the dress whenever I got a chance.

Finally I had all of the pieces ready to put together. I made a homemade iced coffee, and got to work finishing up the dress.

The dress turned out to be really cute.

It fit Agnes just right too.

I think I’ll look through my fabric stash, and see if I have enough to make one more.

May 29

Summer Sewing Projects

My craft table is a bit messy.

It is a good messy though. I’ve got several projects planned for Summer. Some are home related, but the ones I am working on now are all about sewing and crochet.

I’ve started another afghan for Agnes. She spotted some yarn while shopping with Grandma, and now I have lots of pretty pink yarn to work with.

I’m also making a dress for Agnes. I haven’t sewn in a long time, or cut out a pattern either. I’ve wanted to make clothing for Agnes ever since she was little, but I just haven’t had the time.

I’ve also started a housewarming gift for my brother and his girlfriend. I’m making a big granny square blanket for the two of them.

 

 

 

Apr 10

Granny Squares

I think it was about six months ago that I learned how to crochet. I’m not doing complicated stitch-work, but I have learned how to make granny squares.

It happened one very cold Friday night. I grabbed a book that my hubby gave me, a book that my brother gave me, and I read over the patterns. I then sent a message to my Mother in law, she is the Queen of making Granny Squares, and she gave me some pointers too.

Little by little I was starting to get the hang of it.

By twenty squares I had the pattern memorized, and I had a plan for the squares too.

I whip stitched the little squares together, and started a throw for the foyer.

Over the weekend I added my 100th Granny square to the throw. I still have a long way to go, but it is cute and cheery. It is Agnes sized too, she she has claimed it as her’s.

Mar 15

Spring Break Projects

Thanks to many unplanned and unprepared snow days, I knew I needed a plan to keep my kiddos busy on Spring Break. They are all different ages, and all different stages, and they each have their very own interests. I need some activities to do at home, indoors or outdoors,  that are budget friendly too.

I had a few in mind, and I asked the oldest two for some ideas. Together we wrote down a plan to have a different activity for all of the week days during Spring Break.

We  kicked off Spring Break yesterdaywith ice cream from the ice cream truck, and running around the yard after school was out. We also picked up dinner when Dad got home, so I got a night off from the kitchen.

Today we got started on the rest of the list…

  • Friday- Outdoor project: Homemade Sidewalk Chalk painting. The weather is amazing today, and the kids are loud. We are going to spend a bit of time outdoors today.
  • Monday- Indoor project: Make Homemade Ice Cream. The weather is turning cold again, and Thade has found a recipe that he wants to make. We are going to try and make Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Sounds pretty good to me.
  • Tuesday- Indoor project: Cleaning out the kids closets and dressers. I am going to have the kids try on all of their Spring and Summer clothes and see what still fits. I also need to see what we need to get for the warmer weather.
  • Wednesday- Outdoor project: Happy First Day of Spring! We are going to decorate the trees with yarn for the birds. We’ve spotted a lot of robins in the neighborhood, and a few of them look like they might be mommies. We want to help them make their nests nice and cozy, and the kids can practice their scissor skills on the yarn too.
  • Thursday- Outdoor project: Walk to the library, and pick-up some reading books for the weekend. The little ones love to have Thade read to them, and the library is just a little walk from our house. I hope the weather cooperates.
  • Friday- Outdoor project: Pick a park and go! It’s the kids turn to pick which local park to visit. We have a few to choose from, but I think I know which one they will pick.

Today’s activity was a lot of fun, and it was messy too.

We made the sidewalk chalk paint with everything that we had in the kitchen. It was 5T of water 5T of Cornstarch, and lots and lots of colorful drops of food coloring. Mix it all together, and grab some brushes. I used some “throw away” brushes that I had on hand from painting projects.

The weather is just awesome today. It is in the 70’s and oh so pretty.

The kids had a lot of fun decorating the sidewalk.

They even shared a bit too.

We will have to do this project again soon. I think I need to make bigger batches of sidewalk chalk paint though. The kids loved painting, and it was nice to spend a bit of time outside in the sun too.