Tie dress with link for pattern.

This is another one of my simple tie dresses. This one I didn't hem the bottom. Until I learn how to fold down a hem I am going to turn and top stitch the bottom. I took pictures all along the way and added directions to them. You can check it out at... http://tinyurl.com/o3atk I will also add it over in my links. It is very easy to make so go give it a try!

OH! Just a heads up! If you write your pattern down with the purple side of the marking pen and don't get back to your pattern for 2 or so days it CAN disappear. I know that is why it says disappearing ink but I didn't believe them. I have purple marks on some of my diapers from moths ago that hasn't disappeared yet. LOL! Live and learn.

Diaper Dreams

This is the fabric I got from Vicky Forba. www.comfycreations@yahoogroups.com I am so lucky to live down the road from her. She is a wonderful person! I dream of being able to sew like her someday! I don't think that is possible but I can dream. I want to find the time to make some diapers with all this fabric. I have made a few diapers with the patch, denim, and hot pink already. I want to come up with a cute style for my next set. I need to get thinking about it. I think my baby should have some cute diapers like this lady... http://onnila.blogspot.com/2006/05/vaippapuuhastelua.html I think they are so NICE!

Baby Dress! First BIG success!

I am so happy!!! I know my hem is not perfect but it looks cute on my DD. This is my first project that I can put on my DD and take her out in. I will even let her wear this to church this summer! I need to learn how to do a hem. If I make another one I will shorten the ties a tiny bit. I will take pictures and write how to make this pattern and sew it. If I can make this anyone can!!!

First try at a dress.

I made this without using a pattern. I did use a dress we had on hand for the size. It was very easy to make. I was able to cut and sew it up in just a few minutes. I made this out of an old sheet because I was afraid I would have try 20 or so times to get a dress to work. This looks cute on DD. I didn't need any fasteners for this. It ties in a knot on the shoulders. I am going to make another but I will layer it with 2 different fabrics (not a sheet). All I want to change is I need to make my ties a little longer.

Jean set front and back.

This is the jean outfit together front and back. I think it turned out cute. It was so cheap and easy to make!

Why I need to learn to sew better.

This is what I want to work with soon as I get a little better at sewing. I got this from a wonderful kind person who went above and beyond for me. Denise at http://www.this-end-up.com/ sent me this! I found the frog print at walmart and found that she had some of it with Pul. This is all pul and not pul fabric so I can make up outfits for my DD. I was so happy I cried when I got this! She is a terrific person! She even tossed in some FOE to go with it. I hope to find a way to repay her kindness. I looked for fabric with and without PUL and couldn't find any from any online fabric/diaper places. Denise was the only one who could help me. I am afraid to sew with it yet because I know I will mess it up. I need to find time to sew so I can get better with it. DD has decided she doesn't like to sleep AT ALL! She is up most of the night and she is not taking naps. She wants to play and talk to us all night. I think it is great that she is learning to talk I just wish she would do it more in the day and sleep at night.

Jean diaper to go with top.

I have made several pocket diapers in the past out of old jeans. I love how they look on my DD. On days that it is warm I don't put on any pants or shorts over the jean diapers because with a tee shirt they look cute. This time I added the pocket on the back. This is the same jeans I made the top out of. Yes, I know my pocket on the back is a little crooked! Everything I sew is a little crooked. I am still trying to learn how to sew. I will post pictures of the inside later today. I have to go add the snaps to it first. http://tinyurl.com/pp8ft
That is the link to a few pictures of the top and bottom together now with the snaps on it. I didn't get the denim diaper idea on my own it came from. http://fernandfaerie.com/recyclediapers.htm I just took that idea and added the pocket on the back.

Baby jean top finished

I added a pocket to the baby jean top from last week. I still need to make shorts or a diaper cover to match yet. This top was easy to do. I didn't need a pattern and best of all is the price. FREE!

Mother's Day and want to sew again.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! This holiday has made me sit and think some about being a Mom. Many people know we homeschool and have a rather strict schedule with school work. Having a lot of goals with homeschooling, working around the baby, and DH days off has made us start to miss out on some of our "fun" time. I am going to make some fun games for my children in the next few weeks. I will be making up some simple games for my school age son and the baby. I will post them when I get them done.

OH! I have some great news!!! My glasses are done. My glasses broke a few weeks ago. I have had to look around a HUGE super glue spot to use the computer. My DH is taking me to pick my new ones up tonight. I will then be able to sew again! I have some simple projects I have wanted to make up for a friend and her little boy but I am not good at sewing to begin with so I wasn't about to try doing it without my glasses.

I am going to take pictures later in the week with directions on how to make a skirt I made for my DD a few months ago. I want to make up a few for some friends but I have to find some sweaters in good shape to do it.

I have some plans in my head on how to make a church dress for my DD. If you check back I am sure you will get a laugh with that. I have no pattern or anything. I have looked around online and I can't find anything that looks at all like the dress in my head. I am going to try a two layer dress. I am going to make it tie at the shoulders. I am not planning on adding ribbon or bias tape for the tie. I am thinking of making a bunny ear shape on the front and back and tie a knot with them at the top. Can this be done or is this just something that looks good in my head? I am going to either make it an A line using one of my DD's tee shirts to estimate for the size or I am going to make it with a puffy bottom using a tee shirt to estimate the size for the top part and adding a skirt bottom 2 times her waist size. Please forgive my way of explaining things. I don't know a lot of sewing terms yet. My first try at everything never turns out so I think this will not be something she gets to wear next Sunday.

Does anyone have any advise on learning to sew from a book or online? I would like to learn more but I don't want to spend a ton of money on books that are not going to work for me. My sewing ability is about that of a child. I know how to turn on my machine. I can follow a few EASY patterns. I can't follow them all. I can make pants with elastic (PJ bottoms for son). I can sew a diaper (not the best looking). I can not make an even hem or sleeves the same length. I don't want to give up I do want to learn more. You can email me at schoolnsuch@aol.com if you have any ideas. I was thinking maybe a children's book on learning to sew is what I need? I can give it to my DD when she is old enough to learn.

Link to some pictures.

I put up some pictures of my learning to sew. You should know first that I am learning to sew. When I was a teen my sister gave me a lesson on how to make a tee shirt and a simple pants with elastic. I gave up on sewing WAY back then. I have made a few ugly mittens for my son over the past 5 years. When my DD was born I started making diapers. I have made around 10 dozen diapers so far. They are getting better but I still have a LOT to learn. My wool soaker shorts are all made with me not knowing how to crochet. I only use one stitch over and over. I want to learn how to crochet enough to read a pattern but I haven't found the time yet. I dream of making beautiful clothes and diapers but for now this is as far as I have got. http://tinyurl.com/fsoh6

I need to add Catharine www.chloetoesboutique.com is the reason I wanted to learn to sew. I saw her pictures on www.sewyourowndiapers@yahoogroups.com and wanted my baby to have nice diapers like hers. I also have to add thanks to Vicky Forba www.comfycreations@yahoogroups.com I don't think I will ever sew like them but I do dream of it. I met Vicky on the sew your own diapers group and found out she lives down the road from me. I am so lucky! She is a wonderful person!

Turning a boy diaper into a girl set.

I made a few of the denim patch diapers. I thought they looked a little boyish I decided to make up a simple dress to make it a little more girlie. This dress needed no pattern it only took a few minutes to make. I haven't tried it on my DD yet because I am trying to soften up the denim still. This charcoal grey denim doesn't come out well in pictures. I cut a piece of fabric, made a C for arms, stitched up the sides, bound the top with FOE added a hem, cut out some hearts from my Pul fabric, ironed them on top and did a quick stitch around the hearts to keep in place. My diaper is a lot like http://www.chloetoesboutique.com I would have bought her pattern but she wasn't selling them when I started making diapers. Cloe toes diapers are a nicer looking diaper inside and out. I do a simple front pocket with only one strip of FOE. Anyway.... This is a quick and easy project for someone like me just learning to sew. http://tinyurl.com/phu8a has my step by step pictures of it.

Baby jean top

This is it done except for attaching the straps on the front. DD is sleeping so I will have to wait until tomorrow.

Jean top and first try at shoes.

Yesterday I started a top for my DD made out of an old pair of jeans. I am not done yet. I hope to finish that up tonight. I started making a pair of shoes today. All I can say is WOW! That is MUCH harder than I thought it would be! I made a pattern from my DD's sneakers. Her feet are SO small I found this very HARD to sew. OK, for anyone who doesn't know I can't sew very well! I am just learning. I think the pattern I made is for my DD's size 2 foot. I think I have to make another for 2 1/2, 3 and so on. I do not think I will ever do that! I would like to make up one pair of size 3 in cloth (because I have a pair of size 3 sneakers). If they turned out I would like to try one pair made out of deerskin leather. My MIL gave the leather to me so I should try to make a pair with it. I think that will end my shoe making days unless my DH buys me a pattern. If anyone wants to make them and save LOTS of time trying to make a pattern I would suggest buying the pattern from http://www.chloetoesboutique.com/ I think it would be well worth the money. Her pattern would have to be better than my way! This is a bad picture of my shoes. They are hard to see because they are dark in color. They are hunter green Alova Suede. I used that because I have lots of it. I guess you can call them some hard to make slippers. LOL!


This is the top I am working on. It is just a simple make your own pattern type of thing. I took apart the top of the jeans for a binding of sorts to make it look more finished. You can see I didn't get very far in my picture. I need to add the straps and a hem yet. I will make a diaper cover for the bottoms.

Make a drop spindle

This is how I make a simple drop spindle in about 1 minute.

This is what you need.

1. 1 wooden craft wheel
2. 1 dowel the same size as the wheel center
3. 1 cup hook
4. glue

I took a my wheel (Treaded Tire 2-3/4") and put it on a 3/8" wood dowel.

Then twisted a cup hook on the top.

If it doesn't fit snug you can add a drop or two of glue. I have used all kinds of glue even kids glue from the dollar store.

Now you have a drop spindle. You are ready to make yarn!

I think I want to decorate this one but I don't have time to paint today.

First thing made from my own yarn.

This is what I made with my small amount of blue yarn.This is it on a toy about the size of my DD's head.

Learning to spin wool

This is my first yarn. I think you can see a big improvement with my second try the blue. I now have dreams of a farm full of sheep, llamas, and alpacas. I will have to talk DH into that. He did say we can get an angora rabbit. That will be a good start.

The Proverbs Wife

I have felt the Lord telling me to work harder at being a good wife. I am working on Proverbs 31:10-31 The Wife of Noble Character. I am learning to spin wool because in verse 19 it says In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. My wonderful Mom bought me a spindle, roving, and a how to spin book. I found it hard (impossible) at first. After a few hours of working at it I got the hang of it.

Kool-aid and making shorts

I am going to try using this to share what I am up to.



This is my first try at koolaid yarn.

This is some Fisherman's wool yarn in with some red koolaid.

This is what it looked like after 2 minutes in the microwave. I let it sit for about 5 minutes and then heated for another 2 minutes.

Look! The water turned clear!

I started thinking about hot pink wool shorts.

I kept going with the koolaid and came up with this! I didn't see pink wool shorts anymore I saw all sorts of colors.

DH picked the order of the colors. He said it is about a 3T in size.

With it tied it is small enough for our baby who is in 9-12 month size.