Life as Mrs. Emerson

When I originally started working on this project I told Evangeline I was going to make her a poncho.  She let me know that she didn't have any desire for a poncho.  (That's exactly what every seamstress wants to hear halfway through a project!  Guess I've still got some work to do with those manners.)  I decided to call this project a cape and she was elated!  Kids can be so funny!  Evangeline loves watching me sew when she isn't busy working on her own art projects.  It's been a while since I actually sewed a pattern that involved fleece fabric! I picked up this adorable fleece fabric from JoAnn Fabrics last spring along with Simplicity Pattern 8524 (D0852). The pattern includes some great tips for sewing with fleece so be sure to read those if you end up making this pattern.  I did use a ball point needle and tried out some new zig-zag stitches on my Babylock.  I ended up using stitch #9 on my Babylock Soprano which worked like a d...

I whipped up another skirt for Evangeline this past week and decided that I simply must share the tutorial that I used.  I used Owly Baby's Free Pattern for a Simple Skirt .  You can find the directions and fabric requirements by clicking the link and scrolling down below the photo. I simply love this simple skirt pattern and have made a number for Eva and my niece Paisley.  Sewing an elastic waist skirt is very simple and would make a great beginner project!  I love that the pattern included fabric amounts and elastic guides for sizes 6 months to size 7.  This is a great tutorial to use if you are sewing a gift for a child and don't have their measurements.  If you know what size the child wears in ready to wear clothing you should be able to come up with a skirt that will fit them. It took only 1/3 yard of fabric to sew a skirt for Eva.  I actually used leftover fabric that I had in my stash.  I used the same fabric to sew Evangeline's co...

This bunny dress came about after what was supposed to be a quick trip to the fabric store to buy materials for a baby gift.  Evangeline was with me and quickly spotted the purple bunny fabric.  Somehow that sweet fabric just grew arms and legs because it quickly found its way into my cart.  *Smile*  For the next week Eva proceeded to sweetly ask every time I sat down at the sewing machine, "Mommy.  You sew my bunny dress please?"  This sewing project quickly moved to the front of my to-do list!  Here is my review of the pattern. First of all this was a great pattern!  I really like to sew peasant dresses and this one was a cinch.  I'm always a big fan of Simplicity patterns since they usually include great instructions.  For Miss Eva I sewed this dress in a size 1 since she currently wears 24 month clothing.  I sewed View D. The big change that I made included sewing the bottom ruffle out of a different fabric.  I...

Ah winter.  The perfect time for staying home and crafting!  As I have mentioned before I am thrilled to spend most of my winter hibernating.  I catch up on sleep, read a large amount of books, and spend lots of time sewing!  On snowy days I also try to squeeze in a good deal of sled riding.   My month began with a simple sewing project for my sister-in-law Amber's birthday.  I sewed her an aromatherapy bag out of the cowgirl fabric (shown above).    The speech pathologist that Evangeline sees on a weekly basis will be having her baby any minute.  Both kids had a lot of fun helping me pick out boy fabric for the gift.  I had a great time catching up with a friend while I pinned the blanket together.  Our therapist was absolutely thrilled with her gift.  This type of flannel blanket has been one of my go to baby gifts for literally the past ten years!  It measures 1 1/4 yards so it is a nice size that can ev...

This year I scaled back a lot on the number of Christmas presents that I made.  This year I made about thirty Christmas presents.  I had hoped to make a few more for family members but I just ran out of time.  We really tried to focus on simplifying our Christmas this year.  There will be plenty of time in January and February to finish up a few projects on my wish list for the children! The above picture includes the gifts that I made for my Arkansas nieces.  I wasn't sure if the gifts would need to be mailed so I tried to keep them light weight.  I sewed two matching toddler infinity scarves using the frozen fabric.  The butterfly case is a diaper change case.  It can hold a few diapers and a pack of travel wipes for easy changes.   Do you remember a few years ago when the ribbon dancers were so popular?  This was another easy gift that I whipped up one afternoon.  I simply painted a dowel rod with two coats of paint....

I had so much fun sewing with Meme in November. Yes we are more than halfway through the month of December but I thought I would share what I was busy sewing in November.  Everything I made in November except for the following jumper is actually a Christmas present so this will be a short post.  Rather than spoil a nice surprise I will only be sharing the jumper that I made for Eva.  Stay tuned after Christmas to see all the gifts that I made. Brandon's grandmother Meme amazed me with her sewing skills!  Over Thanksgiving the family and I loaded up and headed to Arkansas to spend close to a week with family.  One of my favorite parts of the week included the afternoon where Meme (Brandon's grandmother) and I had a sewing party!  We had the absolute best time sewing right alongside one another.  Meme is pictured in the photograph above and if you look closely you can see that we each had a sewing machine.  (I'm actually blessed to keep a ...

This was the third time I have sewn a baby sleep sack using McCall's 4236.  I thought it was high time that I write a review about it.  I'm always on the lookout for good patterns or sewing projects.  I appreciate it so much when others share about their sewing projects. As a mom of two myself I absolutely love gifting others with a baby sleep sack knowing that it will help keep their baby both warm and safe.  There is no fear of a baby smothering with a blanket in the night and no chance of the baby kicking off their covers.  This is one of my go to gifts for babies born in the fall or winter.  For this project I again chose McCall's 4236 view C in a size small.  In my experience this will fit a baby for more than just a few pounds as the pattern indicates. This pattern is straightforward and easy to sew.  My only caution would be to make sure that you don't stretch the fabric in any way when you are sewing around the arm holes.  ...

For Evangeline's second birthday I knew that I wanted to make something both sweet and feminine.   This nightgown was the perfect combination of both.  I picked up Butterick 4910 and sewed view D in a size 2.  I used a super soft cotton flannel with small roses that I had on hand.  I sewed view D but used the length cutting line for view C.  I love the peasant look to this nightgown and the flow of the sleeves.  I think it could also be used to make an angel costume. This pattern claims to be very easy and I would definitely agree.  I would add a caution while cutting out the pattern.  I made the mistake of cutting along the wrong line around the neckline.  Next time I plan on attempting to raise the neckline about 2" from where I accidentally cut it too short.  Oops!  I'm thankful it worked out okay in the end. My daughter measured smaller than the size 2 but I really wanted to make this pattern.  (My daughter is ver...

As the weather turns colder and the leaves begin to change their colors I enjoy spending more time each month sewing.  I love sewing but there is something about the cold weather that drives me to my machine.  It's so relaxing and such a fun outlet for creativity.  I also realize the important role it can play in helping me to find an outlet for the stress and busyness that stems from the more recent demands of Eva's health concerns on top of my other responsibilities.  (Attending so many appointments and therapy sessions on a weekly basis continues to be draining.)   In September my focus on sewing included two gifts.  The above gift is a colored pencil roll up that I made for my niece Zuzu's birthday.  It was simple to sew and I even have a tutorial on my previous blog that you can visit here .  Eli enjoyed helping me pick out the fabric that he thought Zuzu would enjoy the most which was so sweet.   The second gift which I...

So blessed to have a sweet little girl to sew jumpers for!   I picked up this adorable Nativity Doll Fabric (see below) last year thinking I would probably use it to cover a canvas or sew a pillow cover.  It is rare to find such beautiful fabric that includes the characters from the Christmas Story.  I also just adored the boutique look of the fabric and how the figures almost resemble Matryoshka dolls.  When I pulled this fabric out of my "Christmas Fabric" box I knew that I needed to make a dress or jumper for my girl.   I added the white rick rack.  When my younger sisters were growing up I remember sewing them lots of jumpers but jumper patterns are hard to find.  I think jumpers are simply adorable especially on little girls!  I was so thankful when I found an older pattern that my sweet mom had picked up for me at a yard sale.  Simplicity 5936 was actually printed while I was still in high school.  Does that mean...

I made Evangeline a sling for her birthday!  I have been wanting a baby sling for Evangeline for the last 6 months.  We have a number of baby carriers but I really wanted to have a baby sling that I could put on in just a few seconds for short episodes of baby wearing.  Originally I hoped to purchase a Maya Wrap Ring Sling but the money I had saved for that was needed to buy gas for a trip we just took.  Then I decided to try to make a Maya.  The company is so nice that they even put the instructions for how to sew one on their website!  When it came time to sew the Maya Wrap I could not find my special ring slings that a friend had given me years ago. Then I remembered the McCalls pattern I had purchased last year that included a Mei Tai and a sling pouch.  Ta da!  The sling looks very similar to a New Native Sling Pouch.  The happy hubby was watching the kiddos so this was the perfect time to get started on a new project just in time...

I am so pleased with how it turned out. I finally finished sewing the above dress for my five year old cousin Anna a few weeks ago.  I think it might be the only thing I have sewn all summer!  According to her chest measurements she needed a size 3/4 but I made a size 5 (her current size) so that she would be able to wear it for 2 summers.  It does look large in the picture but the style of the dress is long and modest. The three pleats on the bodice would show up much better in a solid fabric. I used a light weight seersucker fabric called Tutti Frutti that I purchased from Hancock Fabrics.  It was easy to work with.  I thought this dress was fairly easy to sew but I do have a lot of sewing under my belt.  The cover of the pattern says easy but this pattern is not for the beginner.  It includes a zipper and pleats for view B which I made.  The pleats really were not that difficult to sew but this was my first experience with them. I ende...