Friday, August 12, 2011

Birthday Banner


I couldn't let the Pooches & Pickups scraps from Leo's birthday shirt go to waste, so I made a penant banner/bunting/garland to decorate our porch during his party.


For Louisa's first birthday, I made a "party garland" from this tutorial on purlbee, which uses several shapes (all edges raw) and invisible thread. Unfortunately invisible thread doesn't hold up so well. Although I was able to use it again for her second birthday, it broke in several pieces and tangled very easily. This is the best picture I could find of it:


So this time, I used bias tape instead, roughly following this tutorial, although I didn't have pinking shears. I think I prefer the unfinished edges.

I made two different sizes of triangles. The larger ones are about seven inches long and six inches across the top, and the smaller ones are four long and four across. Almost all of them I cut as two layers, right sides out (with the exception of some solid broadcloth that didn't have a wrong side, so I strung them individually).

I pinned the triangles to the edge of the binding in completely random order, with just an inch or two between each flag. Then I stitched, folded the binding, and top stitched through all the layers with a contrasting zigzag.

I was particularly excited that I made this project entirely with things already in my stash (the reds and oranges were from some Amy Butler quilted potholders I made for gifts one Christmas). The bias tape was actually a package of old brown quilt binding that I cut down the middle and refolded, to make it six yards of 1/2 inch instead of three yards of one inch.

Super easy one-hour project! It is still hanging on our porch because we like it so much.


Thursday, August 11, 2011

My MADE Header

If you found me through the design-my-header contest on MADE, thanks for visiting! For those of you interested, I started with this photo from Dana's Summer Vacation Dress & Shortie Pattern (a pattern that I own and still haven't made! Maybe this will finally get me to work. Love the shortie variation).


I've read Dana's blog for a while, and I know she loves bold colors, so this photo stood out, especially with her cute daughter looking so celebratory—celebrating is a lot of what MADE is about.


To make the photo work with my vision, I used Photoshop (the clone stamp and a little patch tool) to extend the red background to the left to give me room to fit "made" there.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

First Birthday Shirt


My little Leo turned one a few weeks ago, and this is what he wore. The pattern is Kai's Shirt from Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing. The fabric is Laurie Wisbrun's Pooches & Pickups in "Small Trucks for Summer," which I bought from Hawthorne Threads.


The shirt is styled to fit big, so I knew that the 12 month size would work for Leo, even though he is a big boy. It will fit him for a while.


From what I read on Heather's Weekend Sewing flickr group, it seemed like a few people were having trouble with the collar pieces measuring up right. But I decided to do go ahead and follow the instructions and I actually had no trouble at all. As always when I join two curved pieces, I used lots and lots of pins.


I was making this just the day before his party when I realized I hadn't bought any buttons! Would you believe I found exactly five brown buttons that I have no recollection of buying in my button stash (which is 99% spare Banana Republic buttons from clothes I could no longer identify)? It was meant to be.

I was happy with it how it turned out, but next time I make him a shirt I will find a more fitted pattern. This one is good for a loose, casual look, but from straight on it looks a little boxy.


Happy First Birthday, Leo!

And next up for the blog, his coordinating party banner.