Operation Incognito - Sewing for School

Our school has a really awesome fundraiser each winter!  It goes like this...

Each class has a theme such as "Let's Go to the Movies" or "Let's Build Something", and each child brings in one or more items for that theme basket.  The baskets are wrapped in clear cellophane and raffled off at the Winter Festival.  This is a great fundraiser because each item is donated and all of the money made from raffle tickets goes to our school and directly benefits the kids.

My preschooler's class theme this year is "Let's Dress Up".  I specifically wanted to donate an item that was fun for girls or boys, since we all know boys sometimes get jipped in the dress up department.

I found this sewing pattern at just the right moment!

Get yours here on Craftsy!

It also comes with instructions for a yellow felt envelope to keep it all in, but I had only smaller felt pieces and I also wanted to position them so they will all be on display in the theme basket.

Travis really wants to win one of the baskets this year, he's saving up his money for tickets!

First project of 2013 - Cozy Sweatshirt Tunic

Here is a casual project that's been on my to-do list for quite awhile...

It's a quirky tunic length hoodie, European style! The pattern is Deborah by Mamu Design

Warm shirts are at the top of my sewing list right now. Christmas sewing is over and now it's just plain old winter. This hoodie fits the bill perfectly because it's cozy and fun. It also has a pocket for my ice cold hands!

I didn't make any adjustments to the pattern except shortening it just a bit. I could have fitted it a bit more as it is baggy in the waist. I may do that later on.

The fabric is interlock from Fabric Fix in Manchester, NH and the floral knit is from Girl Charlee.

I'm really not sure what to make next. I have project overload right now. I might need to make a list and prioritize so I don't waste time staring at my stacks of patterns and fabric.

 Recent acquisitions include: Sisters of Edwardia blouse and tiramisu dress from Cake Patterns, Angel Bootcut Jeans by Angela Wolf (which I am a little afraid of). I also got a few new books for Christmas including this amazing fashion book that I can't pull myself away from!!

I highly recommend this book, Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style.

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Happy New Year!

So 2013 seems to have sneaked up on me!  I can't believe how fast time flies by.  During December my daughter hit the big SIXTEEN and we had a great relaxing Christmas!

I need to get caught up and show some of my recent projects.

I'll start with the big one!  A quilt for my mom for Christmas. 

This quilt was done to match my mom's quilt collection.  I seem to make one for her every 3 years or so.  This improvisational pattern I got from Craftsy's free Block of The Month class.  It is the block for May, Modern Frame Log Cabin.  I love Craftsy and you can't go wrong with a free class.  Check it out!

The quilting was done on my Bernina 530.  It was my first time free motion quilting and I was nervous but I'm glad I went for it.  I really like the texture it gives this quilt.  If you can't see from the photo, I used a loopy all-over design.  I was on the fence about whether to purchase the BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator) which helps you get even stitching when free-motion quilting.  I finally decided against it because A) It's outrageously expensive and B) I almost never make quilts!  I did fine without it, so it all worked out!

After that was done, I felt the need to do some quick and easy projects.

So naturally I needed a new pincushion.  This is also a free pattern by Anna Maria Horner.  It's available on Better Homes and Gardens.  For some reason I can't link to the page, but if you go to bhg.com and type in "wild flower" you can find it.

Next I made this cute doll for a friend's baby:

Pattern available here: Dot Dolly by Herbst on Etsy

then this Doodle Jump Guy:

For this one I made my own pattern on butcher paper.  

I used fleece from JoAnn's because of the wide range of colors you can find.

I think I can fit one more project into this post,

A skirt for Maura's birthday!

 Maura worked at the snack bar for her brother's basketball game, what a nice helpful teenager!

Exactly the kind of skirt I would have rocked at her age!

It's drafted using panels and bustled using elastic sewn into each seam.  I got the directions from a tutorial I purchased on Etsy, but it's since been removed.

That's it for today.

I hope you all had an excellent Holiday and New Year!