Little Girl Skirts

A month or two ago a friend sent me some fabric and measurements for her daughter and told me she wanted some skirts for her.  She included a couple skirts that belonged to her daughter and fit her well.  She said she didn't care how I made them.  This is what I came up with.  They were lots of fun to make!

I'm missing summer (and fall) already.

 The flowers in my urns turned a bit twiggy by the end of summer but they were glorious in their season!  When I decided I was tired of 'twiggy' I cut them off and added these...

 ...Cinderella pumpkins!

 pumpkins make fall decor fun, especially all the heirloom pumpkins

And though fall was fun, and I'm very much enjoying my Christmas decor ( I will share pics when I get it all finished) I miss summer and my huge, beautiful flowers.  5 months till I can plant again!!

Found on my doorstep...

OK, so if you like to follow my bog I'm sure you 've noticed the completely horrendous lack of posts lately.  Let me just say 2 words - school and sewing.  I'll spare you the other details that have contributed to this lack of blog posting.  You can thank me!

I really had the best of intentions to blog about this box that was mailed to me the exact week it arrived.  But I didn't get it done.  Then I thought about doing it so often that I began to be convinced that I already had posted about it.  But after perusing my blog I find that I, in fact, did NOT post about it.  And it deserves to be posted about!  I was beyond thrilled when I opened this.  And I'm hording this stuff like it is gold!!!!!

 Vintage seam binding - the dreamy ribbon kind - my absolute favorite!!  I use this stuff in projects, on clothing items I create, as ribbon tied around gifts, and anything else I can think of!  It is just the best and the vintage kind is the best colors.

 The box had a note taped to the top and when I opened it I found it was from my best friend from way back before I can even remember!!  It said 'happy sewing'.  I could not imagine.  My gasp of delight when I tore open the box could probably be heard all down the block! 
Thank you, thank you, S.S.!!  I am so thrilled that you thought of me while shopping at that auction!  I can't wait to have time to create some really fun stuff with all this.  It makes me happy just seeing it sit there in the crate all ready for whenever inspiration strikes:)

Sewing shoes - yes! Shoes!

Little Sister and Middle Sister needed new Sunday shoes this fall.  And I was not finding anything that suited me, their likes, and their dad's preferences.  He is a firm believer in all leather - at least the uppers and the lining.  And I've come to think like he does!  They are more comfortable, they look nicer longer, and they last longer.  But I find it very hard to pay the money for children's shoes that they will wear one season and then outgrow.  So I searched and I searched and I stewed a little!  I finally decided on these flats from Mini Boden.  They are leather with leather lining, they were the color of brown I wanted and with a coupon I got them for $33 a pair.  Much better than $80 and up for most of the others I drooled over!  Now I know I can go to P*yless and get shoes for $15 or less but they are not real leather (even if they say they are!) and besides I don't like anything they have right now!!  So don't tell me how ridiculous it was to spend over $30 on shoes for each child;)

 Aren't they adorable?  And let me tell you they look like the cat's pajamas on my two little darlings!!

 We did have a slight problem with Little Sister.  She couldn't keep them on!!  I was worried about that because it seems my girls have all had that problem with shoes that don't have a strap to keep them on.  I was hoping she was old enough to learn how to walk in them anyway.  But, alas, she just couldn't do it.  So... after debating on whether to send them back and exchange them for a size smaller, I decided to bring some sewing skills into the picture:)  Enter some chocolate colored bias binding and a scrap of elastic, and voila!  A strap to keep them on!

 Because they are made of suede leather the sewing part was really quite easy.  The hardest part was getting the side of the shoe and the binding under the machines presser foot at the right angle.  But I was determined and figured it out:)

Little Sister loves them!  And she can keep them on her feet.  So the next time you buy a pair of flats for you little girl and she can't keep them on, don't despair.  A little time, some bias binding, a scrap of narrow elastic, a sewing machine and some thread to match your shoes and you have a cute little strap to keep them on her feet!

I would also like to share a couple links to a couple people who actually MAKE the entire pair of shoes!!  I am in awe!  Now I probably wouldn't wear these to town and places that would be hard on them but for a wedding?  Or special occasions?  DEFINITELY!!  They are on my 'wish' list and I am just amazed at the talent and ingenuity that goes into these.  Check them out!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGeneration  this is my favorite pair on this site: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62064053/oriental-chic-vegan-mary-jane-style-b

And another site:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HydraHeart?ref=seller_info  and this is my favorite pair on this site:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/57883024/lotus-mary-jane

New fabrics from Sew to Speak

This past weekend my hubby and I went shopping with 5 other couples.  The girls left on Friday morning and spent all day and the next shopping.  The others were nice enough to stop at Sew to Speak - my favorite shop!  I promised not to spend too much time but I did pick up some fun new stuff to add to my stash:)

 Christmasy fabric to be turned into some gifts.  Not sure what yet, but something fun!

 Wool felt.  Tons of fun stuff can be created with this stuff:)

 More laminated fabric.  Love the stuff.  I need to share some pics with you of the bag I made myself from the laminated fabric I purchased when I was there in September.

This kind of pile of goods gets my creative juices simmering!