Smocket...

So yesterday I went to the fabric store for some fabric to bind the baby quilt. While I was there I got a bit of baby girl fabric. Last night I decided to try to alter the pattern for the Smocket (check out the link here). It worked well! I'd say the girl in the picture of the tutoial looks to be maybe a year, year and a half? Allie's almost 7 months... I just took her measurements and guessed. Here is the finished product! It's too cute! I can imagine making one for her a bit bigger for this summer, a bit longer too, to wear as a dress with a onesie. I can see a lot of potential in altering it to make it into a pretty dress.

Etc...

So the other day I went out in search of a new fabric store... they must have been sold to some other company. Now the location still has the sign on the front, but it's a dry cleaner/seamstress place with very very very little fabric for sale. What's worse is it was ugly fabric, and expensive. So, I went to JoAnn's again. I got my fat quarters for the swap and need to mail them today (I'm already running a bit late on that). I have thus far recieved four of the eight that should be coming for me. There are a couple cute fabrics in there! I'm excited to have more random stuff in my stash of fabric.

On that trip I also got fabric in purple to piece the back of Allie's quilt. I finished the back, and it looks great! We played with fabric paint last week and I was successful at gettin Allie's stamped feet in the corner of the front of her quilt (without ruining it!). Now all I need to do is finish up some of the embroidery then I'll be ready to quilt it together. Still not sure how I'm going to bind it though. I may use pre-made binding tape, or I may buy some fabric and make my own. I'm not sure how much fabric that would take, which is why I didn't buy the fabric for that part yet. It's looking good! I'll post pictures of it soon I promise!

Fat quarter swap, quilting machine parts, new fabric store

I just got my email with my names for the Fat Quarter Swap from Sew mamma sew's blog... now I get to go shopping for fat quarters for 8 fun people. I've never done anything like this so it should be fun.

So, tomorrow we venture out to find the new fabric store I've been looking for. (I've only ever shopped at JoAnn's which is fine, but the locations near me are all so small) I asked around (since I'm new to the city), and there's a Hancock Fabrics nearby. Allie and I will check it out tomorrow - hopefully I can find the attachment for my machine which will allow me to quilt. The machine supposedly came with it - according to the instruction booklet, yet it has been years since I got it... no recollection of it coming with extra parts!

I will post soon with pictures of my spoils... providing I find the place, and find pretty fabric!

1. Here's the dress I made for Allie. Too cute if you ask me... It's not perfect though... I would make some alterations if I were to make another. It is based on this tutorial.
   

There's the cute baby... Happy to be awake... crazy hair and all.

Here's a close up of the embroidery on Allie's quilt. I'm not done yet... more when it's finished.

Here's the purse I made last night using this tutorial. It really did only take an hour, and it looks great. Once again I made a couple alterations... and it needs a snap. Don't mind my ugly couch.

Baby size quilt... in progress!

Today Allie napped for about 3 hours strait!!! lol It works sometimes. I pieced together and sewed the top of her baby size quilt. I worked on some of the embroidery on it too. It's turning out super cute. I can't wait. I have decided against using the fabric I had purchased for the backing - it just doesn't seem right. So I'll return to the fabric store soon. I also need to buy some fabric paint and start practicing baby feet stamping (as I intend to print her feet on the corner of the blanket, along with her birth date.

After the nap we got out the stroller and walked down the way to the dollar store for some valentine's day goodness. No, not for the husband, but for his mom. Sweet as she is - babysitting for us whenever we need her, and being back up for when her dear son doesn't make it home from work in time for me to leave for work... she deserves a nice surprise at work tomorrow. Which will come in the form of Allie in her pretty dress delivering the pretty purse (that I made this afternoon using this tutorial) and some goodies. The purse turned out great... it could be a bit deeper, but being as I used only two fat quarters to make it, I'm pretty satisfied.

Again, photos to come soon.