Guess Who's In Stitch Magazine? My Fuzzy Hedgehog Duo.

I've been so excited about this for months, it's been hard to wait to share this - my Fuzzy Hedgehog Tote and Pillow patterns are in the Fall 2012 issue of Stitch Magazine!

I came up with this design as a special item for my daughter's birthday last year.  Some of you may remember this hot pink hedgie pillow from the post I did of her cupcake party pics:

I did a little redesigning to create a fun, fleece tote bag project for the School Days section in this new issue of Stitch:

They asked me to do the original pillow style too, so both versions of the hedgehog are included:

And besides being in the issue on newsstands, the pattern itself is available as a free download (the instructions are all in the magazine).  Digital versions of the entire issue are available here.  There are loads of fun projects & wearables in it.

I have to say, I kind of feel like a sewing rock star when I walk past the magazine section at Joann's these days.  I get to see this and the summer issue of Quilts & More (which features my Fresh Start bag) sitting right out there.  This must be how celebrities feel when they're in the check-out line.  Except no one else knows it's me...but it still feels great.  I almost had my husband take a picture of me standing there and pointing to them like a crazy, but I'm saving up that level of crazy for next time.  No matter what, it always feels amazing to see my name in print next to the words "Designed By":)

Go For The Gold: Make A Plush Olympic Torch & Gold Medal

The Olympic Games officially begin later this week.  The whole world will be watching & cheering for their favorite teams and events.  What better way for the kids to celebrate the magic of the moment than having their own Olympic torch and gold medals? 

I originally designed these plush Olympic accessories as part of an Olympic-themed party over for Bird's Party Magazine.  You can see the full spread HERE.

Here's how to make your very own and get into the Olympic spirit:)

You'll Need:
- Fleece scraps in red, orange and yellow
- Scrap polyester batting
- Gold pleather fabric
- 1 1/2 inch wide red grosgrain ribbon
- Fiberfill
- Sewing Notions (shears/rotary cutter, tape measure pins, thread & sewing machine, hand sewing needle)

For the torch flame, start out by cutting out three leaf-shaped pieces as shown below, the yellow being about 3 inches high x 1 inch wide, the orange being about 4 1/4 inches high x 2 inches wide and the red being 6 inches high by 3 inches wide.  Sew the layers together to get three layered flames:

With right sides facing, sew all three flames together, leaving a small opening at the bottom.  Clip the curved edges and turn right side out.  Stuff with fiberfill.

To make the handle portion, cut a long, thin isosceles (aka two equal sides) triangle from the gold pleather.  Mine was 15 inches long and 4 inches wide at the base.  With the right sides facing, sew together lengthwise and then turn right side out and stuff with fiberfill.

 Baste the open end and cinch closed by pulling threads:

 Pin flame to handle piece and slipstitch together by hand.

 Now it's time to light the way to greatness:

Ready to go for the gold?  To make a medal cut two lipped circles about 4 1/2 inches in diameter and a  single matching out of batting.  Cut a length of grosgrain ribbon (personal preference of amount, I did 28 inches) and overlap raw ends.  Sandwich batting on bottom, a gold piece right side up, ends of ribbon and then remaining gold piece (gold side face down).  Coil up ribbon in middle and pin outer edges of fabrics.

Sew all the way around, leaving a 1 1/2 inch gap for turning right side out.  Clip around raw edges and turn.  Fold opening inward and slipstitch closed by hand.  Now we're ready to award a little champion.

Let the games begin!

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A Review & Giveaway With Crochet By Allie

Today I'm thrilled to introduce a new favorite shop of mine, Crochet by Allie:

Allie, the amazing crochet artist behind this business, contacted me about reviewing her crochet hats & hair accessories.  Her shop offers hand crocheted hats, headbands, barrettes and other lovely items for babies and children of all sizes.  

What makes Crochet by Allie's shop so special?

• All of her items are handmade to order with amazing craftsmanship
• Her adorable designs are available in a wide range of colors, styles and sizes
• She welcomes custom orders, so you can match a special outfit, favorite sports team or school colors
• Her creations make great, unique gifts for things like birthdays and baby shower and look fantastic as photography props  

Let me tell you, I was wowed with my experience.  I fell in love with her tiny crochet crowns and asked if Allie could make a larger version for my 2yr old.  Without hesitation Allie came up with a new design in the perfect size.  

Ordering on her site was quick and easy - I was able select my crown style, size and choice of pale gold metallic and received updates when my order was ready and shipped.  To top that off it was made in record time.  And when it arrived - it was absolutely adorable:

It goes perfectly with the princess costume I made for my daughter last Halloween.

       

And she absolutely loves it.  She's literally worn it every day since it arrived:

The crochet hair bow barrette she sent is terrific too - especially given the fact my daughter has very wispy hair.  It holds amazingly well:

If you are looking for cute hats or hair accessories, Crochet by Allie is the ideal place to shop.  Special, made-just-for-you styles and really reasonable prices.  As the designer and creator of all items in her shop, Allie says her goal is to fill each customer with joy when their order arrives.  She perfects each of her designs so they are charming and flaw-free for keepsake quality.  

I know it's made for some fantastic photos for us and plenty of enchanting pretend play too.

Would you like a chance to win some Crochet By Allie goodies for yourself? One Winner Will Receive:

~A $25 Gift Certificate to Crochet by Allie!~

To Enter:

Check out Crochet by Allie, then leave me comment saying your favorite item.  Be sure to include an email address if it's not on your profile.

For Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

- Like Crochet by Allie on Facebook
- Follow Crochet by Allie's blog

- Follow Crochet by Allie on Twitter- Follow Crochet by Allie on Pinterest

- Follow Sew Can Do

- Like Sew Can Do on Facebook

- Follow Sew Can Do on Twitter

- Follow Sew Can Do on Pinterest

- Link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter

Giveaway IS CLOSED will be open until 11:59PM EST July 13th, 2012. Giveaway is open to residents of U.S. and Canada only.  Void where prohibited.  The winner will be chosen at random and announced later that week.  Good Luck Everyone!  

I Heart My State T-shirts: A Tutorial

Part of our homeschool studies this year has been to study the United States.  We've gone state-by-state to learn about each one's history, famous landmarks, industries, facts & features.  It's been a lot of fun and we've all learned a lot.  For our home state, Michigan, we've done some extra things and one we really enjoyed was making these I Love My State Tees.  It's a fun way to show where we're from:)

Here's how to make your very own (using your own state, province or country of course!) -

You'll Need:
- Some cheap blank tees (mine were about $2.50 each)
- Scrap fabrics
- Paper
- Scissors
- Sewing notions
- Shaped buttons/beads (optional)

First we made some paper patterns for our state and used their hands for sizing.  Since we live in Michigan, it was pretty easy to trace the state shapes with hands for both the Lower Peninsula:

and Upper Peninsula:

After cutting them out, I used them to cut the state appliques from some fleece scrap fabric:

I pinned them into place on the shirt fronts and then stitched them with a 1/8 inch seam allowance.  Using fleece meant there would be no fraying and the shirts would still feel stretchy and soft even though the appliques are big:

I wanted them to have a bit of fun flair so I added some little faces.  I cut some circles from white and blue fleece for eyes on my older son's shirt and a "U" shape for the mouths and stitched them on so the eyes of the UP & LP look towards one another:

We also hand sewed some buttons & charms to represent the various industries of the state and where they're located: cherries for Traverse City, a copper bead for the copper mining in the UP, a car for Detroit, a star for the capital, a heart for where we live, etc.

Now he's got a shirt that shares what he's learned and is fun to wear too:

For my little guy's shirt I went a bit more Kawaii (cute) style with some rosy circle cheeks, wider mouth and a little "Hi!" message:

Now we're all set to celebrate our state any day of the week!

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The Bunnykins Dress & Big Brother Easter Wear

I thought I wouldn't have to make or buy Easter outfits for the kids this year.  I was feeling SO confident about it too.  I was sure my little lady could wear the dress I made for her last year:

and my guys could wear these appliqued t-shirts from 2yrs ago since they still fit:

But of course, making that assumption, the dress (which was extra long last year) was too short when she tried it on.  Ugh.  So an unexpected challenge was thrown down.  Then I saw this purple bunny fabric on sale for 60% off and figured it was a sign, so I came up with my Bunnykins Dress.

The base is a simple party dress design using pieces from one of my favorite sewing books: Kwik Sew's Sewing for Baby.  I scaled them up to a 3T and used a few of my own shortcuts to save time putting it together. 

The pinafore was my own design that I literally figured out as I made it.  I wanted to use this pretty embroidery design that came programmed on my Brother sewing machine (now that I've figured out how to use my embroidery attachment & have the right stabilizers for it).  I was so please with how it turned out - machine embroidery is so addictive!!

I used some nice quality muslin from my stash to create the pinafore and since I was adding embroidery on the front, I made the entire thing fully lined so it would hold its shape well and be a nice, crisp white.  I made it tie at the sides for some extra detailing and for plenty of adjustability:

I didn't want to wrestle with doing a closure on the back for what's essentially an apron, so I made it an over-the-head style:

I was so thrilled that this turned out as I imagined it.  When I was almost finished with it I stumbled across a very similar purple dress with embroidered pinafore online for $118! Other than the yard of the bunny print fabric I only used old materials from my stash, so this was ridiculously inexpensive - literally cost $5 from my wallet (and not counting this Mom's time to make it).  And by making it a bit generous in size, and using a big hem, I'm sure this one can get multiple years of wear:)

Of course after I finished the dress I kind of felt bad my guys would have to wear the same thing a 3rd year in a row.  But being older boys (ages 6 & 9) means super cutesy Easter outfits don't quite work anymore and I just don't see the point of making boys' dress shirts or polos from scratch.  Too much time & materials for something so basic!  So I did some a quick embellishing to make these Dandy Gander polo shirts:

I used inexpensive, plain polos from the local mall and embroidered a small, custom colored duck with bow tie on each one:

Now they have something Easter-y, but not too precious looking.  I'm even doing one for my husband (per his request), so everyone will have some seasonal flair.  Now figuring something out for myself is another matter...

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