Cute outfit for Baby

Dress with pockets and rick-rack hem.

Another finish for my Quarter 2 Finish Along List . This is #5 on the List. I thought I would really finish a couple more but hey its at-least 50% done and I am happy with it.

For this dress I used bias maker to make bias binding using the main fabric rather than buying a contrast binding. I bought the bias maker a decade ago may be. Whenever I tried it, the end product was sloppy but this time it came out perfect and I won't dread to use it again.

The two small pockets brought character to the dress and officially made it cute. 

This is the second time using rick rack and I love it.

Baby Girl dress completed

This dress (Finish Along List #6) I started couple of years ago in order to enter for the American Sewing Guild Contest. When I couldn't complete it before the due date, it ended up in the closet zipper unattached, pack of rick rack, bias binding and pattern and all in a ziploc. I took it out of the closet when I found out I was going to have a girl last April and it sat on the table until this April. Wait another 8 months to actually try it on my baby when she turns 18 months old.

Zipper attached.

Layered rickrack hemmings.

Neck and collar bound using bias single fold binding.

Kindle Sleeve

My Kindle Sleeve( #9 on Finish Along List) is sewn with these colorful fabrics by laurie Wisbrun's Perfectly Perched collection, using Amy Gibson's Ipad sleeve workshop on Craftsy.com. It took me a while to get all the dimensions for my kindle as I am not so precise on measuring and cutting. By doing this project I learned quite a bit about interfacing and stabilizers as well as to have the measurements written down rather have it in memory. Amy's pattern has two pockets but my kindle dimensions only allow for only one pocket and its just right for my cell phone. Another alteration I did was to add binding to the inside of the sleeve because it's raw edge and my lining fabric was a super raveling kind. Didn't want to take chances on that.

Quilted using one of the decorative stitches on my machine. Love the way it looks, seems just right for this project.

Binding on the inside to keep the lining from raveling.

New home for my phone and kindle.

And some hand sewing for a finishing touch. Following all the way to the very end of a pattern, which I rarely do.

Gifts

These tissue keepers and grocery bag holders are gifts#7 Finish Along List I made for those who helped me through my difficult pregnancy and childbirth. I was planning to give these out on Mother's day, but did not get it done by then.

Several unexpected things and my crawling baby kept me away from sewing. I am glad to have finished these gifts now. Some of them not pictured here have gone to those whom I intended for.

I received an adorable pocket tissue holder last year from my friend Carole and absolutely loved it. It is very handy, so using that as my  pattern, I  whipped  up a few in just minutes. An easy project anyone can sew.

These are my go to gifts for friends. Very easy to make and really useful in your pantry for all those plastic bags. 

Finish Along progress

Baby Blocks finished and this is my first finish for FinishAlong Quarter 2. I made the bottom two blocks first without any interfacing. They were soft and squishy. So I made the third block using stabilizer just to make it stackable. It's not that different in look from the other 2 blocks but its definitely not soft . What was the point of making soft baby blocks if its not soft. The first two blocks, that is "C" and "D" blocks score points with my baby and everyone else who's been playing with them more than the baby.

 

I am almost done with the Oblongagon quilt top. Piecing the hexies by machine was fun and tedious at the same time. My carpal tunnel syndrome was active at its peak. Every 3 or 4 hexagons my fingers would go numb and I need to take a break. There were a few puckers here and there, but I am overall happy with how it turned out. Hope to finish this soon. I will definitely piece hexagons by machine but not sure if I'll do it for large projects. My love for hexagons is still intact though.

 

After cutting one side of the quilt, I thought of just sewing it to the other side instead of cutting and straightening it. I hope it doesn't make it wonky.

 

And here just add two half hexies for a straight edge.

Fabric blocks updated

Baby Blocks finished and this is my first finish for 
Finish Along List #3.
 I made the bottom two blocks first without any interfacing. They were soft and squishy. So I made the third block using stabilizer just to make it stackable. It's not that different in look from the other 2 blocks but its definitely not soft . What was the point of making soft baby blocks if its not soft. The first two blocks, that is "C" and "D" blocks score points with my baby and everyone else who's been playing with them more than the baby.

I made just two blocks using “A is for” collection from Windham Fabrics. These blocks are soft and squishy, easy for the baby to hold but not easy to stack. I think I am going to make the next block using fabrics lined with interfacing or stabilizer. Right now I am happy with these two blocks and my baby hasn’t complained.