blanket for sister

I'm feeling incredulous about the fact that my due date is just over 2 weeks away. I mean, it feels like I've been pregnant forever, but this last month also feels like it is flying by. I've come to grips with the realization that I won't be able to finish everything on my "to sew" list. I'm trying to enjoy working on this messenger bag (diaper bag) I've been obsessing about, and hoping to begin baby's quilt (which I finally finalized all of the fabric choices for). This past week the boys and I finished a small project for baby. Check it out!

One of Marcus' main concerns about the new baby is whether the baby will try to take his two blankets. Marcus is very serious about his blankets - "Star Blank" and "Truck Blank". They are both fleece blankets that were store-bought and given to me for baby shower gifts (even though Marcus has a homemade quilt from me, he prefers his store-bought blankets - oh well). I tried to reassure him that the baby would not take his blankets, but he was still skeptical. So, I suggested we make one for the baby together.

Marcus was very excited about this project. He selected the fabric himself (based on a blanket I made for Charlie long ago), and enjoyed pinning the fabric and using the sewing machine.

He also used my tiny craft iron (unplugged, of course) to pretend to iron out the blanket once he removed all of the pins and turned it out.

A few days later (in full Batman costume) Marcus invited Charlie to help finish the blanket. He chose a zig-zag stitch to topstitch the blanket.

Charlie's sewing skills have really improved - he sewed some very straight lines. The crooked, curvy ones that Marcus made are very charming, though.

The boys worked diligently to remove all of the pins and carefully replace them in the pin cushions (instead of leaving them on the floor where their dad could accidentally step on them with bare feet - ooops).

The boys plan to bring the finished blanket to the hospital when they meet their new baby sister for the first time. She has a couple of gifts for them (of the Star Wars ship variety), but I think their gift is the tops.

Hopefully I'll have a finished bag to show you soon. Tonight I can hardly get off of the couch!

:) Shelly

the priest and the puncher

Whoa. It's been a long time. Sorry about the extended absence. We were in Chicago for a couple of weeks celebrating a very special occasion. My brother, Chris, became a Catholic priest on May 21st in Rockford, IL! One of my seamstress projects upon my arrival in Chicago was to alter my brother's alb (which was an extremely anxiety-producing task). All I did was remove the black satin lining from underneath the lace cuff, but I did this TWO DAYS before his ordination! I was so nervous! My brother wasn't, though - he was a total natural, and he will make an excellent priest. Congrats, Fr. Chris!

Here are me and my brother with my husband (also Chris) and my dad just after the ordination ceremony.
I wish I had a whole-family photo because my lovely mom and sweet sister (and her hubby) are missing from this one.
But, check out my handiwork - a nice, clean seam rip!

 The other project I worked on while I was at my parents' house in Chicago was Charlie's costume for his school play. He was The Puncher. According to Charlie, The Puncher does not punch - he instead has arms that transform into a storm trooper and has a hose that shoots peanut butter and arrows.

 Of course, I did not get this information from Charlie until after we had planned his whole costume out over pancakes one morning. I sewed most of his costume using pattern pieces from his Spider-Man costume (circa Halloween 2009) using McCall's M4951.

 Charlie did sew the mask himself, though.

 He was very pleased with the mask, but not very fond of wearing it - even after I cut the eye holes bigger.

He simply adored his boots, though. He chose all of the fabric himself. The black and white fabric is Alexander Henry Baddana. The rest is from JoAnn's.

 He also chose an iron-on patch for the belt.

 There he is with Bad Guy Mummy and most of his pre-k buddies. I can't believe he is done with preschool! Kindergarten, I hope you are ready for The Puncher!

:) Shelly

a belt by Charlie

This afternoon Charlie and I set to work on a project he's been wanting to make for a while now... a belt.

After selecting the material from some of my larger scraps and watching me cut it to size and iron it out, Charlie set to work sewing it together. We set the machine speed to "low" and he chose a to use a zig-zag stitch and black thread.

I set the foot pedal on top of a storage box so that he could reach it. He really enjoyed using the foot pedal - in previous sewing adventures, Charlie has always just used the automatic button feature on the machine to sew.

I sewed the velcro tab onto the belt, but Charlie did the rest.

He had a hard time guiding the material without tugging on it, but I think his crooked stitch lines are adorable.

The reason why Charlie was so excited to make himself a belt was because he needed something to hold up his pirate sword and scabbard. I never thought I'd be *that* mom who buys her kid pretend weapons, but I've come to realize that pretty much anything can be turned into a sword by an imaginative 4.5 year-old (recently a roll of contact paper - seriously!). The truth is, this fascination with pirates is really fun for Charlie and for me! I love watching Charlie turn the couch into a pirate ship using cushions (walls), wicker baskets (seats, hatches), coasters (portholes, ship wheel), and a hairdryer (anchor). We've made some safety/respect rules about sword play which Charlie follows pretty well. He invites his friends and brother into his pretend world that he's made up from his creative young brain. What can be better than that?

So, I say, "Go Charlie with your big imagination!"

And Charlie says, "Aye, aye, Captain Mom!"

:) Shelly

Another Hobo Sack

My fingers are aching to get at my sewing machine (and the many projects in my queue), but my every attempt in this last week has been thwarted by a meeting of some sort to attend! I desperately need my sewing sanity! My evening schedule is about to clear up, though - then I'll be reacquainted with my machine and the big pile of fabric awaiting transformation.

I did manage to get a little sewing in yesterday when I helped Charlie make another Hobo Sack - this one as an end-of-year-thank-you for his preschool teacher, Teacher Tom.

Yep, this is the best photo I have of the sack. Pathetic, huh? I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished project before Charlie anxiously gifted it to his teacher. A cute shot of Charlie, though!

Charlie took this photo of the fabric he used - isn't it awesome?! I have another yard or so of it, and I'm wondering what I should do with it. Ideas?

This time we used ribbon for the drawstrings. We did this because Charlie got a little bit tired of sewing (sorry, Tom). It worked pretty well, though. Charlie also took this photo. I am actually embarrassed that my almost-4-year-old takes better pictures than I do.

What a goofball.

More projects coming soon - I've got a serious deadline for a couple of gifts and two capes for my friend Jo's auction. I better get cracking!

Charlie Makes a MADE Hobo Sack

Yesterday Charlie and I worked on another sewing project - this Hobo Sack from MADE. So cute! And so easy, too! A perfect project to work on with an almost-four-year-old.


I love this fabric. It is just right for the bag's purpose - to hold some of Charlie's many, many Matchbox cars.
Charlie was really into using the sewing machine this time, even more so than when he made his own toolbelt.

He used the correct names for many parts of the machine while operating them: foot pedal, presser foot, and needle. He also mastered using the forward stitch and backstitch buttons, and every time he'd move the needle he'd say, "Needle UP!" or "Needle DOWN!" I wished I had been able to video it, but I had to be sure he didn't sew his finger off.


We used some leather cording I had leftover from another project for the drawstrings, but they didn't work very well. I think they rubbed together too much, which made the sack hard to open and close. Plus they started to fray and looked kind of ugly after a while.

So, while Charlie was at swim lessons in the evening, I fashioned some new drawstrings. When he returned home, he immediately tried them out.

And he was quite pleased! (And so was I - they look much cuter than the cording).

I was so excited about this project that I made another sack after the boys went to bed - this one is for Marcus. Charlie was quite irked that Marcus kept swiping his newly made bag yesterday, so I thought Marcus should have his very own.

He was pretty happy with his, too!


I am searching for some easy sewing projects to do with Charlie. Sometimes Marcus naps for 3 hours (I know, I'm so lucky that they sleep so well - and it is total luck), and it is difficult to keep Charlie quiet in our small house so that Marcus can have all of the beauty sleep he needs. So, projects like this come in really handy. If you have a project to share with me, please leave me a comment with a link. Thanks!


And, even if you don't have a project to share, please leave me a comment. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy - or better yet, become a follower. That would make me smile a super huge smile. :)

Toolbelt By Charlie

This morning Charlie helped me sew this fabulous toolbelt! We used a toolbelt tutorial from one of my favorite blogs, Make It and Love It.

Charlie chose the fabric for his toolbelt last week. He also helped me measure and cut out the pieces, which is why the pattern on the fabric is oriented the wrong way. Ooops. (Also, Charlie chose his own outfit this morning, just so you know.)

Charlie's interest in my rotary cutter was bordering on dangerous, so I distracted him with a tracing wheel and some scrap fabric I had nearby while I finished cutting.

Apparently that scrap fabric really grew on him because he insisted on incorporating it into the toolbelt as the hammer loop. This was the first piece he sewed - my machine has an automatic feature so that you can sew with a push of a button instead of the foot pedal. I rarely use this feature because old habits die hard and the foot pedal just feels more natural to me. Charlie really liked the button, though.

Next Charlie sewed the bias tape (yes, bias tape again!) onto the top of the pocket.

He also used the foot pedal for a while while I steered.

And this is what we came up with! To be honest, I'm a little bit obsessed with the design on the fabric going the wrong way. But, I'm trying to get over it. I'm so happy that Charlie had fun sewing it and that there were no injuries as a result!

Charlie is delighted with his first sewing project! And, I love that he still has a death-grip on the tracing wheel and marking chalk. He actually wanted to put those into his toolbelt! Atta-boy!!