Simple Burlap Tree Skirt

Finished in under two hours, this basic tree skirt is all I wanted to cover my tree stand and give our gifts a simple back drop. Instructions for sewing a skirt this style are on Design*Sponge.

I had one yard of burlap to work with, so my skirt has 35" diameter after the 1/2" seam allowance. The underside is a bit of an old thermal curtain from Target (the same fabric I used inside my Showoff Bag.) I had to unpick the curtain hems to have enough yardage, but it worked out. I wanted to complete the project with things I had on-hand, so the ribbon is actually some black hem tape from my stash.

Holiday Sunki Dress

For Louisa's Christmas dress, I made my first (finally!) Figgy's Pattern... a Sunki dress. I managed to finish it in time for her last day of school before winter break, which is also the day of her school's annual performance of St. George and the Dragon, which celebrates the winter solstice and the holiday season.

I made size 4/5 with Let it Snow in Eggnog Green from the Dear Mr Claus collection designed by Cosmo Cricket for Moda Fabric, which I got from Sew Mama Sew. The green side panels are Kona Cotton in Holly.

Popcorn and Cranberries Garland

Shiny Ball Ornament Wreath DIY

Last night a couple local mama friends and I had a glittery craft night to make Christmas ball ornament wreaths.

There are lots of different techniques for this kind of wreath online, but this is how we did it. We worked loosely from this tutorial, but didn't take the caps off our balls.

Gilt Trip Washi Dress

I mentioned in my Weekend Sewing Workshop post that my Washi dress saga started there. Here's the full story and the finished creation. Voila! And at the beach, no less. :)

First, the basics, because this is a long post:

Pattern: Washi Dress by Made by Rae 

Fabric: Dear Stella Gilt Trip in Buds Metallic Navy (with a cheap-o navy lining from Jo-Ann)

Size: Medium, with an FBA and other alterations, including the long sleeves and a partial lining. (Those two things aren't included in the pattern but are available as tutorials on Rae's blog here and here.)

The Short Story:

After three muslins, I had a pretty dress to wear to a dear friend's beach wedding in Nags Head, NC this November. Yay!

Heather Ross Weekend Sewing in NYC

This October I was so lucky enough to attend a Heather Ross Weekend Sewing Workshop in New York City. I was happy Heather offered the NYC workshops this year without including accomodations so I could make it work. I was supposed to go in May but it ended up being my sister's college graduation weekend so I finally got away in October. It was worth the wait. Plus I am so glad I got my chance because Heather is taking a break from workshops for a year or two (the last one is in California in February!) while her daughter is young. (I left my camera at home so all pics are from my iPhone.)

I got in on the bus late Thursday night and had all day Friday to souvenir shop for the kids and hubs and catch up with a couple old friends. Friday evening the workshop started with a private shopping event at Purl Soho, (with prosecco), and then dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant with the whole group, including our other workshop teacher the fantastic Liesl Gibson of oliver + s.

Trick or Treat!

Max's Wolf Suit (Where the Wild Things Are)

And for my sweet little (not-so-wild) wild thing... Max's wolf suit!

Updated to add the above fab 5 pictures taken by the fab Cat Thrasher on Halloween Day when his buttons and whiskers were finished. :) 


Leo loves Where the Wild Things Are (and I love Maurice Sendak). We've never seen the movie but Leo has been practicing his "I'll eat you up!" and "Be still!" for weeks.

If you have never read more by him, I highly recommend the Nutshell Library (Pierre!) and Outside Over There.

I used the pattern by Jessica from Running with Scissors, available here. I made size 2, and enlarged the head for Leo's noggin, but it is a bit too short in the trunk. The pattern was easy and thorough (with links to videos for the tricky parts) and includes fox and bear (Ewok) variations.