Fabulous Entries:)

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1. Run Bunny Run Dress Little Girl Jumper by thetrendytot
2. Crochet White Kitty Cat Hat with Earflaps by amotherscrochet
3. Mommy's Little Monkey Hair Clips by Emmaleesboutique
4. Camo Critters Puppy Tee and Camo Shorts by BellaParis
5. Natural Child Friendly Crocheted Cotton Amigurumi Turtle - OOAK by sabahnur
6. Big Belly the Turtle - Weighted Stuffed Animal by cuddlebugkids
7. My Pet Pony-I Love Horses Bottlecap Charm Pendant Necklace by craftyaddictions
8. Cat Kitten Face Yellow Purse by SewSoNancy
9. XL Here Kitty, Kitty Flannel Baby Blanket -DOUBLE SIDED by cuddlebuddies4kids
10. Crayon Roll Up - Dalmations by DancingKat
11. Personalized First Birthday Bib by sewsosweetboutique
12. Puppy Bath Mitt - Toy or Washcloth by crochele
13. Doggie Blue Beanie Newborn by NinisHandmades
14. Ale's Pink Pet Elephant Hair Clip by CuzItClipz
15. Atomic Doggy Reversible Bib by babycheeks
16. Photo Prop Puppy Dog Cocoon and Hat for Newborns by BurryBabies
17. Little Bunny Tutu with yards of soft pale pink tulle by piggytailsboutique
18. Pinkie the Horse on Pink and White Tee by plumtreestudio
19. Upcycled Recycled Felted Wool Striped Plush Cat by woodponddesigns
20. Woof Dog Applique Onesie by TheRoyalDetails
21. Little Goldfish Hair clip by happygrandma402905

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Recycling Tutorial

It's been a while since I did a how to - and since Ive been up to my neck in The Jump Off this week I though it appropriate to share the process - so you can start experimenting!


I start with a fabulous Tshirt - I wash and dry it and give it decent pressing.

Then I cut off the sleeves, the hem, cut the side and shoulder seams. Im very careful to cut strait so I dont damage any of the design space on the tshirt.

I put the sleeves and hem trim into my stock pile - I hoard up every tshirt I can get my hands on and even if I cant use the logo or if the shirt has holes, I can still salvage the sleeves and trim and I use the body of solid shirts to make the skullys to coordinate with the onesies/dresses.

From that fabulous stash of sleeves and such I find great coordinating sleeves and trim for the project Im working on.

Next, I find the center of the design - not the shirt - With tshirts, you don't match the edges because when you take them apart the edges stretch out of shape so the shirt edges are not accurate for centering. This step is crucial - b/c if your off the onesie image will be off center.

Now I take my handy dandy patterns that I made from taking apart actual onesies and making sketches (which took years :D - but it was worth it) You can just take apart a oneise or a dress that you have at home and use it for a pattern.


After the pieces are cut out I take this opportunity while the sleeves are still flat to attach my rock out label for the Jump Off.


I then, take the hem trim and sew it with a zig zag stitch on the the front and back neck edges of the garment.


I cannot stress how important pressing is to your sewing projects. A good press job can save you tons of time. Don't skip this step - Pressing makes the difference between a 'home made' look and a 'professional' one.

The same can be said for pinning. The only thing is you must be careful with pins b/c they can warp your machine needle and ultimately break it if your not careful.

So, I pin the front and back together, centering the two pieces to create an overlapping shoulder seam as on a traditional onesie and then I center the sleeve and pin it so I always know where the center is.

Ok - this is the tricky part (as with all set in sleeves). Set in sleeves are larger than the 'hole' they fit into, this gives your arm room to move. So the key is to 'ease' the extra fabric into the 'hole' with out getting any tucks or pinches into the seam. Do you see how much more blue fabric there is than the cream. The key to set in sleeves is, sew them in before you sew the side seams up and then make sure the sleeve is on the bottom so the feed dogs can ease the extra fabric in for you. This happens because the feed dogs pull the bottom fabric more than the top because it is touching the bottom piece, thus pulling it through at a faster pace.

OK - sleeve in, no tucks or pinches...off to the serger.

The Serger simply gives your sewn seam a finished professional look. You can use sergers for tons of different things, but for my things this is what I use it for. You can totally skip the sewing machine for construction and only use the serger - which will save you a step. I choose to use both because Im selling my item and the process I use give me peace of mind that nothing will come apart on the customer!

See how nice the finish seam looks? If you dont have a serger, you can certainly zig zag the edges, or actually - in this case - you can just leave the seams alone since knit doesnt ravel :) Im a little anal though - so I finish mine.

Okie Dokie Sleeve number 1 is in and pressed! I repeat for the other sleeve and then I sew the side seams and run them through the serger. The last step is to take the other piece of hem trim and put a colorful edge along the bottom edge of the onesie or dress in this case.

And now you have a totally rockin wearable for your little rocker girl to sport alone or with jeans, tights or leg warmers! If I were making a onesie instead all the steps are the same. I would just put the trim around the leg and crotch edge in one swoop and then apply snaps to the crotch. I hope you enjoyed getting to see all the fun I have making my wearables - make sure you stop by the shop sometime~ XOXO and get to sewing! Make something today!

Im off to the pool! Smooches Divas!

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Friday Finds: EtsyKids South region

Today's Friday Finds are based on one of our regions' team tag "EtsyKids Team SOU," which is the South region (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisana, Oklahoma, and Texas).

1. Baby apron - Butterflies - 6 months by Lizzypops.
2. LSU Purple and Gold woven Headband GEAUX TIGERS by Babiesbowsandbeyond.
3. Whats Your Number Baby Toddler Boutique Chenille Bib by Mudpies.
4. Green Olive Ring Sling by Babymoon.
5. Going out on the town tie onesie by Cindyjoy.
6. Bright Soft Texture Blocks for Baby or Toddler by PoppyPatch.

Have a wonderful weekend! :-)

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Baby items - crochet

Alright so this week I am in love with baby items that are crocheted.

And here is an artist with sooo many adorable things that I want to buy half her store, LOL. But, I still don't know if I am having boy or girl so I am ohhh so trying to be patient. LOL.

A Mothers Crochet

She has the cutest hats and the most adorable booties. There is literally just soo many things here that I get lost just looking at the first page, now that isn't a bad thing, because I am lost imagining what my child will look like in these. LOL. I think it is all soo awesome and great.

Here is another with cute hats, I am sure she can make them to fit baby and soo many cute hair accessories too.

Sheepsclothing

I love the hat that I have the photo up for, absolutely adorable. If I have a girl I just have to come back here.

I hope you had fun shopping with me today and I look forward to our shopping next week.

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The Minivan Clan

Phew, okay, that was the longest two weeks ever, but I'm back, I'm alive and I'm ready to blog away. It's been over a week that I haven't had a voice (literally), but no more, dagnabit! That's what blogging is for.

Now that I'm well, next on the agenda; buying a new car. Not just any car, but one that will get killer gas mileage, seat 6 or 7 people and NOT be a minivan. Yup, all of those are requirements. I flat-out refuse to join the Minivan Clan. I know you pro-minivaners are out there, and probably reading this (or maybe you're not because you're busy chauffeuring your kids, your kids' friends and your kids' friends' friends), but I'm sorry, you can't make me one of you.

There was an episode of Oprah, (okay, don't laugh, I don't normally watch) it was about the truth behind being a mom and it was pretty funny listening to mothers from all over America talk about what it's really like and what they don't tell you. Anyway, one of the moms said that the day she went to buy a minivan, she knew exactly what her dog must have felt like when he had to get neutered. I felt a kindredness with this woman, but I will remain strong and not succumb to the lure of the minivan. I will not be neutured!

Sure it's roomy, gets great gas mileage and can seat more kids than you'd ever care to own, but it's a minivan! They're ugly and they just scream, "I'm a breeder and I need to keep them all boxed up!" I swore I'd never have enough kids to need a minivan, even if I did, they would make lovely hood and roof ornaments before I'd buy the dreaded van.

I will drive an SUV, a crossover or a sedan, so if you have any recommendations on those, I'm all ears. If you happen to drive a minivan, I'm sincerely sorry. :oP


Originally posted 5/24/09 here

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Cultural Tendency vs Principal

This is an excerpt from another book that I adore...the 7 habits of highly effective people. It evaluates the 4 dimensions of human nature (body, mind, heart and spirit) and the two approaches we can take to all 4. Cultural Tendency vs Principal...

Body:
cultural tendency> maintain lifestyle: treat health problem with surgery and medication.
principal> prevent diseases and problems by aligning lifestyle to be in harmony with established, universal accepted principles of health

Mind:
cultural tendency>watch television - entertain me!!!
principal>read broadly and deeply; continuous education

Heart:
cultural tendency>use relationships with others to forward your personal interests.
principal>deep, respectful, listening and serving brings greatest fulfillment and joy.

Spirit:
cultural tendency>succumb to growing secularism and cynicism
principal>recognize that the source of our basic need for meaning and the positive things we seek in life is 'principals'.

I hope you can use these to help you evalutate why and how you react to people and situations!
Happy Weekend Divas!

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