Something New

I needed more lower priced items for the craft fair so I decided to make some key fobs. I might put some of them in my shop too.













They measure 1.25" wide and 6" long (a 12" loop). Pretty and practical :)

Garden Update #4

Well, my garden is still plugging along. So far everything is growing well. There are still a few things we need to do that we just haven't found the time for. We need to add supports to two of our gardens. My peas and beans are desperate for something to climb! I also haven't planted the 4 Brussels sprout plants that I bought last week. It's supposed to rain today and tomorrow but hopefully not so hard that we can't get that done.

On to the pictures!



Here's a view of most of the garden.




Carrots




Lettuce




Water cress




My ginormous broccoli. There's not actually any broccoli yet, just leaves. I'm hoping that changes soon!




Now onto the good stuff!



Cilantro. Mmmmm.




Tomatoes. Mmmmm.




Tomatillos. Mmmmm.




Only one of my tomatillo plants is actually producing. The others keep dropping their blossoms. I did a little cross pollinating the other day to try and help. Of course, I have no idea what I'm doing so we'll have to wait and see :)


Have a great weekend!


This post has been linked to Grow Eat Save at $5 Dinners.

Boy Purse For My Boy

My son has been asking me for a purse for months. I was happy to oblige. But there was a little problem. I didn't have any fabric for a boy purse. I have lots of flowers. And I'll admit it, I didn't want to make him a bag out of little boy fabric (think puppies, dinosaurs, footballs, you get the idea). I wanted it to be cool (that's assuming I know what cool is :)).

I've seen the Japanese imports around but have never really thought about using them for my purses (although I'm thinking a little differently now!). But once I decided on the pattern for the boy purse I knew that they'd be perfect. Thankfully Pink Panda Fabrics, a Canadian online fabric store, carries japanese fabrics. They also have free shipping in Canada. Free shipping makes me happy :)

So I gave my son a limited selection of fabric to choose from and this is what he chose.




This fabric in from echino. The line in called ni-co. It is a cotton/linen blend that's a little heavier than a quilting weight cotton.

I decided to use a pattern from the book One-Yard Wonders. It is called a map bag and it is the perfect size for a five year old.








This was my first time making an adjustable strap.




Under the flap.







The back.




When I finished it I held it up for him to see. He said it was beautiful. What more can a Momma ask for ♥

Knits Aren't So Scary After All

I've been thinking about buying this pattern for a while. It seemed like the perfect pattern. You can use upcycled knits (old t-shirts) or new yardage or a combination of the two. The possibilities for creativity seemed endless. I have two girls who could wear them. The price was right.

But there was one problem. I've never sewn knit fabric before. And I was always under the impression that it was really difficult to sew with. And I don't have a serger.

But the pattern promised that it could be sewn with a regular old sewing machine. And that Ashley would give all of her tricks and tips for sewing knits.

So I bought the pattern.

And bought some old t-shirts.





And I sewed a dress!





All that worry over nothing! The pattern had great instructions and helpful tips and the dress came together pretty quick!







Check out the bottom of the dress. This section was cut from the bottom of the t-shirt so I didn't even have to hem it!





I made the size 3T dress. If fit both of my girls (my oldest usually wears a 4/5 and the youngest a 2/3) but was probably a little short on my older daughter.

But that's okay because Juliette really seems to like it :)





I had her model on the table so she couldn't escape :)








I can't wait to sew some more!

Go check out Lil Blue Boo on etsy if you want to make your own upcycled t-shirt dress. She has other patterns too.

Happy Monday!
Bethany

Still Sewing...

Since I started this blog with intentions of mostly showing what I've been sewing, I thought I better do just that!

I've actually been sewing quite a lot. Over the last month I've been averaging one purse in just under two days. This might not seem like much to some but considering most days I have three kids home all day, I think it's good enough! :) Right now I'm focusing on sewing for the Mill Race Folk Festival in Cambridge, Ontario. They have a crafty area and I've rented a spot. It'll be my first fair so I have no idea what to expect. I just want to make sure I have enough product to fill my booth!

A few weeks ago I also did a custom order for a friend of my sister. She wanted a slouch purse in an Amy Butler laminated cotton. I was a little nervous about sewing with this fabric but I found a great post that gave a lot of helpful tips. I didn't particularily enjoy sewing with it but I think it turned out quite nice!


Sandalwood in Ivory







I also did some more Buttercup Bags. I've been making these bags the longest and I still love them. This is the style of bag I carry everyday, although I do have plans to make myself a new purse soon :)

All lined up




This is my favourite of the bunch




I also made 8 slouch bags in the last couple weeks. Here's a few of them.

Alexander Henry Koto




Dogwood Stripe by Laura Gunn




Bali Gate in periwinkle by Amy Butler




Alexander Henry Kleo in pink





I also recently ordered this fabulous pattern from Lil Blue Boo on etsy. I can't wait to make a few for my girls! Of course, I've never sewn with knits so this will be another learning experience :)


Happy Sewing!

Bethany

Garden Update #3

My garden is really starting to grow! Most of the seeds I planted have germinated and the transplants seem to be adjusting well. I really enjoy seeing the seeds sprout, but I also start to get a bit impatient for something to harvest :) Because of my late start it'll still be a few weeks before there is anything to pick, other than radishes, which I don't really like. I planted those for my neighbour.


Here's a shot of the main garden. I was hoping to get a chance to mow the weeds grass before I took these pictures, but as you can tell, I didn't :) Soon we'll be putting down some gravel around the outside to help keep the weeds under control.





The square foot garden





The corn. The rows on the left I sowed earlier and they are doing quite well. On the right they didn't germinate quite as well but I think it's probably too late to re-seed. There's also one row empty on the right (I ran out of seeds) so I think I'll plant the 4 brussels sprout plants that I bought last night for $1.19 (total!) there.





Corn again




Tomatillo flowers





Tomato flowers




Lettuce




Red Onions




Broad Beans - I don't really know what these are, but when they say broad bean, they're not kidding. The seeds were huge, probably about the size of a nickle!




Any my broccoli - This one is huge! It's quite tall so it's not crowding the other plants, yet!




When I walked outside yesterday I was overwhelmed by this glorious smell. I thought my neighbours must have planted something really special. Then later that day when I was in the garden, I realized it was our bushes. They have profuse amounts of these tiny white flowers. And I have no idea what kind of bushes they are. And I don't really care. They smell good. That's all that matters.








How's your garden growing?

Jaybird is having a Giveaway!

Go check out Julie's giveaway! If you love fabric, you'll love this one :)

Have a great day!

Bethany

Garden Update #2

I've been a little late planting my garden. Some seeds could have went in weeks ago and my seedlings that I started inside were quickly outgrowing their small pots, but every time I thought about planting, I'd remember what my garden looked like.






It was a huge mess!


I didn't winterize my garden last year, mostly because of the discouraging end to the season. I found it sad to even look at it. And partly I was just a little lazy :) And this spring I just kept putting off cleaning it up because it seemed like such a huge job. Finally I got it done (mostly) and I feel great!

So far I've seeded and planted all of my square foot garden and I only have a few spaces left to seed in the rest of the garden. I still have about 8-10 seedlings to plant but the weather hasn't been agreeing. This year I started all the seedlings myself except one, a jalapeno plant. I purchased it at a nearby nursery for $2.


Here's a shot of the non-square foot gardens. Three of the sections I planted in grids because it just feels more manageable. The other three sections I planted with the extra seedlings. We also planted a 6 foot by 6 foot garden of corn to the right of the main garden. I'll post pictures of that when they sprout!




A tomatillo. They are huge already and look like they'll flower in the next week or two.





Basil



Sunflowers





Lettuce




Broccoli




Cress




Radishes




Spinach




Beans




I'm going to try and do weekly updates now that there is actually something to update :) I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Bethany