Just Jen

"Jessie's Cold"

Andie LOVES her "babies." Especially her new Jessie doll that she got for her birthday. Lately she's been telling me, "Jessie's cold," and covering her up with blankets. I had watched her wrap up the baby dolls at church in little doll blankets, amazed at how this nurturing instinct is just hard-wired into little girls. I decided she needed a dedicated doll blanket at home too - and Jessie was cold, so the sooner the better. :)

I had this stash of charm squares that were intended for a larger project I never found the time to start. I'm kind of glad now, because I love the way they work in this little blanket. It's far from perfect, but I loved watching Andie's little eyes light up when I gave it to her. Jessie looks much more comfortable too. :)

I sewed a dress!

I used the same pattern from this top and just made the length a little longer for a dress. This pattern really is fun to sew, pretty quick (probably even quicker for those of you that actually have good sewing skills) and is really cute on.

Helps that my model is the prettiest little girl in the world, though. Not that I am biased. :)

I sewed a top!

I consider my sewing skills to be pretty basic, and clothing has always intimidated me. But having a little girl makes me want to sew up all kids of cute ruffly tops and dresses. So I am spreading my wings a bit. My "sew" board on pinterest is full of great inspiration, and with the long holiday weekend ahead of me, I decided to tackle one of them.

I settled on this pattern by EverythingNiceSewing on Etsy. It had some gathers, and (gasp) a button closure - which I usually avoid - but I was willing to give it a try. I just used the measurements in the pattern for a 2t-3t (my daughter normally wears a 2), but I should have measured her first, because it was a little snug on her. I ended up adding a little bit of the contrasting green on the sides to give her a little more room, which did the trick. I love the way it turned out, and think I'll probably make it again in a longer dress version soon.

Valentine Crochet Heart Tee

I've been crocheting a lot of little hearts and flowers lately - mostly for little headbands and clips for sweet little heads. I was wandering down the yarn aisle at Hobby Lobby last night in search of the perfect yarn for Valentine hearts, and came across this. I thought it would be fun to use it to make a larger heart and applique it on a tee for Andie.

I wanted the heart to be a little wobbly and imperfect, and this yarn was definitely perfect for that with all its thicks and thins. I followed this crochet pattern for the heart, then I laid it on the tee where I wanted it to end up and sketched around it with my black Sharpie fabric marker to add something fun and unexpected. (Have I mentioned how much I love my Sharpie fabric markers?) Then I pinned the heart in place, turned the tee inside out and stitched the heart down by hand so the thread would be hidden. This was a really quick, easy project that turned out almost as cute as the little sweetie that gets to wear it!

DIY: A-Frame Tent

My little guy loves it when we toss a blanket over the furniture to make a tent. I think he'd really have a blast in this! It looks relatively easy to construct and can fold up for easy out-of-the-way storage. I'd have to find a manlier fabric, of course, though I love the vintage floral sheet she used here.

Check out the awesome step by step tutorial at mycakies.

Needlepoint I need...or just really want

What great examples of putting a modern spin on an old craft!

Kiss & Hug pillow kits by Emily Peacock Tapestry

 
Pillows and eyeglass cases by Jonathan Adler   

 
 

Fruity Fabric Fun

Get your Recommended Daily Intake of fruit with these fun prints!

  Metro Market by Robert Kaufman

Bite Me by Michael Miller

  In the Kitchen by Alexander Henry

I really hate ants...

...but I really love this ant farm embroidery by Stitcher Scribbler (via Feeling Stitchy).

Stitch School

I am always looking up embroidery stitch how-to's online (usually for the blanket stitch, which is so easy I just can't seem to remember how to do it from one project to the next). It was during one of these searches that I came across the Stitch School blog. There are great step-by-step pics and directions for lots of simple stitches like the blanket stitch (of course) and the herringbone stitch.

There's also more advanced stitches like the palestrina and the guilloche. Ooohh - fancy. 

Can't wait to try them all!

 

 
 

Values Quilt Tutorial

I am really feeling the itch to make another quilt. This is the perfect project to use up some of the fat quarters I've been collecting. I found this quilt and tutorial on this blog by Sew Katie Did

Check out the flickr group here - some really beautiful stuff!

I decided I need a design wall (which is currently under construction) in my craft room before I undertake a project like this. More on that to come!