A Dance Bag and Other Stuff

I made this little dance bag as a birthday present for S and am now just getting around to posting about it. The pattern is Keyka Lou City Tote and can be found here. Although smallish for an adult, it is the perfect size for a toddler. The straps are perfect for wearing across the body if you are around 3 feet or so tall. Fabric is by Kokka of Japan. Don't you just love the little ballerinas?

It's been a bit slow around here in terms of crafting and sewing. I've been doing lots of thinking, planning, searching the internet for inspiration, buying patterns and books, and occasionally I will even pull out some fabric only to look at it and toss it onto my work table. Ah well, I am hoping to get a bit of motivation back tomorrow night when the girls are in bed. My next project is the Everyday Shopper from Amy Butler's Style Stitches. Something simple and easy that will (hopefully) kick me into action.

Is it really february?

My oldest daughter's birthday was yesterday. We celebrated with her friends at this cool place called PLAY Boutique. If you are ever in Portland with a restless toddler or preschooler, go check it out.

I made all her little friends a crayon art folio as party favors. So basically it is a little travel briefcase with pockets for crayons, a pad of paper, and a separate pocket for stickers or artsy knickknacks. The pattern is by ginia18 on etsy and can be found here.


Here is the one that S chose for herself. Main fabric is Amy Butler and polka dots are Michael Miller. I had a fat quarter piece of the Amy Butler and ran out, but lengthened the piece with the polka dots which I also used for the interior.

Here is the interior view. The green fabric is another Amy Butler.

Here is the interior of another art folio with polka dots again and a sweet birdie print from JoAnn's.

Exterior shot of the same folio. Don't you love the birds and trees? As much as I hate JoAnn's I do sometimes find really cute prints.

All 16 of the folios lined up in a row...

I'll be back in the next few days to post more pictures of projects that I've been working on.

Handmade Christmas Presents

I wanted to share with you a few of the handmade gifts that s and b received for Christmas. The little vanity and stool was hand-painted and refinished by my sister. It's such a sweet piece of furniture. s loves to sit on the stool and look at herself in the mirror.


And this dress was made by another sister from the Kyoko Modkid pattern by Patty Young. I recognized the print right away as Alexander Henry. You can read more about the dress at Elvy Crafts, my sister's blog.

Here is the same dress with the reverse side of the obi sash. So cute. S loves it; but I think I love it even more than she does. Modkid has a doll-sized pattern too. hmmm.....

Speaking of dolls, remember the cinderella dresses? Well, here they are in action. S hasn't really warmed up to the AG doll yet. But I have big plans for her. It will be fun to sew sweet little matching doll clothes.

I've taken a few days off sewing but am now itching to get back to my sewing machine. More clothes for s and maybe even something for baby b. And I've also signed on to the Style Stitches Monthly Bag Challenge. You can find details of the challenge here.

Have a safe and happy new year!

The Princess and the Pea

I was inspired to make this gift set for s. when I read this post, by Make it Perfect. I love how this turned out! The book is The Princess and the Pea, by Lauren Child. It is a well-written, beautifully illustrated story.







For the doll, I used the Margot pattern from the book Wee Wonderfuls, by Hillary Lang. The doll is actually a topsy-turvy doll that when flipped is two versions of the same doll. This end is the dressed-down version. The picture above is the dressed up version.


I must say that the doll was more difficult than I expected it to be. There was a lot of handsewing and little details that were a bit frustrating. I don't think it really had anything to do with the pattern, just my lack of patience and the fact that I had a self-imposed looming deadline. So after a couple of nights of going to bed in the early hours of the morning, I was able to finish her in time for Christmas.

The backpack is of course made from the Made by Rae Toddler Backpack pattern. The print is Heather Ross Far Far Away Princess and the Pea fabric. I could only find this print in double gauze which is a very light thin cotton with a more textured and looser weave than voile. So I interfaced it and lined it with canvas. I added a bit of length to the pattern, about 3 quarters of an inch, to fit the whole princess in. Originally, this was supposed to fit the doll and the mattresses, but ended up way too small for everything. So presently, the princess resides in a cardboard box. I am thinking of gluing some cute paper in the box to make it look like a wallpapered bedroom. But that is a project for another day...

Here is a detail of the mattresses. I only had time to make seven, not the twelve that was in the book. I found some trim scraps I had to add a bit of detail and interest to the mattresses. I also made a liitle pillow and a tiny purse to hold the pea. The pea itself is a from a pom pom trim.

I would love to add a blanket and a crown someday and maybe a little coat. But for now I am taking a couple of days rest from sewing and going to bed at a decent hour.

Keyka Lou Bags

My last bag for one more niece! This is a Keyka Lou City Tote. The pattern can be found here. I really love how this turned out. The bag is smallish, more like a purse in my opinion. It has an inside pocket and an outer pocket with a button and loop closure.

The pattern was super easy and quick. It was done in basically a couple of hours from start to finish.

The focus fabric is by Erin McMorris from her Weekends line and the polka dots are Michael Miller. I have tons of his polka dot left and it will probably show up in a few other projects.

And here is a coordinating little keychain pouch, pattern also by Keyka Lou. Again this is a teeny tiny "clutch." It will probably fit a lipstick, a few cards, a bit of change, but not much else. The attached key ring makes it perfect for a night on the town. I think that next time I make this I will add a little wristlet loop. Oh, and I made this for S's dance teacher as a teacher gift. Along with a starbucks card and a little mug.

If you are looking for quick--almost instant gratification--projects, then I highly recommend these two patterns. Keyka Lou does a wonderful job of providing very clear and concise directions. Thanks Linh, for turning me on to such a great designer!