The Handmade Dress

Are y'all in for another hair flower tutorial? And where have y'all been lately?! I feel like I'm talking to myself! :) Well this one isn't just cute for a hair flower, you can also use them as decorations for gift bags or gifts or a cardigan that needs a little update! If you are like me you have lots and lots of fabric strips around from tearing fabric to find the grain. I have loads! But a few years ago in a hurry to spiff up a gift bag, I finally found a good use for them. I call them scrappy flowers. Get some scraps and lets go! For this flower I used strips torn into 1/2" sections. I've done them up to 1" before and they are still cute, just a little chunky looking. I used 4 different fabrics for this one but more would just make a fluffier flower. Wrap each fabric around your 4 fingers, 4 times. That should be easy to remember! Just pile them on wrapping each one 4 times. Don't worry about all the strings. Now using ano...

For this fabric flower project just collect some old t-shirts, or if you have any knit fabric handy you could use that too! You will need a needle and thread (or a hot glue gun if you prefer), and a button or pearl (anything for the center of your flower). Cut out 4-6 layers of fabric into a circle, the circle doesn't have to be perfect, in fact it may look better if it isn't. Then cut 4-6 layers in a circle a bit smaller than the first.  Cut 4 slits in each stack as shown above.   Now round off the pointy parts making a petal shape.  This is where the magic happens! Stretch each petal out and lay aside, see how they ruffle up like flowers!  Now stack them all up nice and pretty with the smaller circles on top.  Make a few stitches in the center of the flower to secure all of the layers together (a dot of hot glue between each layer would work too).  This part may take awhile...picking a button!!    Now add a pearl or button and you are ready to hot glue it to a hair clip, a he...

For this project just collect some old t-shirts, or if you have any knit fabric handy you could use that too! You will need a needle and thread (or a hot glue gun if you prefer), and a button or pearl (anything for the center of your flower).

You can find it in the shop here!    

Finally! I have managed to get a pattern out! My girls call this "the fairy dress", but her official name is Miss Penelope. The official description goes something like this: Miss Penelope is the perfect little top or dress for any little fairy to wear! It’s adorable as a top over leggings, jeggings, or jeans; or as a dress it can be worn in any season paired with a top underneath or cardigan. My girls start twirling and hearing “fairy giggles” soon after donning this enchanting dress.   This cute top or dress even looks good in knit! The one shown here is Molly's new favorite dress. Since you need to size down a size or 2 to use knit you can also go up to a size 14-16 too. You can mix it up a bit by using different fabrics for the skirt layers too!  The pattern is in THE SHOP so head on over and take a look! By the way, to properly launch the new pattern we are having a shop wide SALE! Get 20% off of your entire purchase until Friday! ...

Surprisingly, today found me (thanks to some amazing grandparents) with just one child. It's just me and the littlest of my five today, so I built myself a little nest around our gas heater (it's not quite cold enough for a fire or this scene would have been slightly different), gathered a few necessities, and started the writing part of my next pattern. It's the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon! I have a cooing babe at my side, my favorite kind of work to do, a hot cup of coffee, a Lucy Maude Montgomery book that I've heard 4000 times playing aloud, and a warm spot in a comfy chair...yes, it's  a perfect pattern writing kinda day. I hope your Monday is going well too! :) xo, Sam

The night before Thanksgiving I realized that I didn't have a bag big enough for two babies! I went up to the loft and dug around a bit for an idea and came across this canvas tote -given to me by Amy Butler when I was at market! Perfect! It was the right size, and I hated for it to stay in a drawer not being used (Amy would be disappointed), so that was it. Besides, I was pretty crunched for time and needed something already put together like this so that I didn't have to start from scratch.  (Me just chillin' with Amy Butler! hehe!) Next I raided the scrap bin and went to work. I put pockets everywhere I could fit one! I dropped a liner (with pockets) into the inside of the bag, and I was done in under two hours. It didn't cost me anything but fabric scraps and a tote that wasn't being used. Oh! And now I get to look at my Amy Butler bag everyday. :) This is the inside without the diapers and extra outfit. Pockets everywhere! And he...

Today I'm going to teach you to make this..... ...from this! The easy way! Some of you may want to know why I would want to do that to start with. Well first, the cheapest way to cloth diaper is to use prefolds and covers. Prefolds only cost about $1-$2 each and if you have 24 you can wash every other day and have plenty of diapers. You only need about 4 covers (and that's PLENTY) to go with them and you are set. (Covers are the waterproof outer shell that keeps baby's clothes dry.) For the newborn stage cost is very important because they grow out of them so fast! Prefolds are bulky and fiddly to use on newborns, and that's why I haven't used mine at all until now. Fitteds however, make life much easier because you don't have to try to fold the diaper around your tiny baby. To be honest I just couldn't get the hang of it on a newborn. Prefolds come in several different sizes so as long as you have the correct size for your babe, this t...