sweet stitches.

Introducing:

sweet stitches. (notes from my sewing machine) !

I did it! Just Stitch. now has a blog of it's very own! There you will find shop updates, giveaways, and more! I'm hoping to be able to post tutorials, so if you have any preferences, let me know! Until then, hop on over to the blog and leave a comment, you could be the recipient of my very first giveaway!

My new blog is so pretty. Special thanks to my very talented sister, Casey for designing my header and helping me come up with a name! I love it!

To blog...or not to blog?

I've been thinking recently that I should have 2 blogs, a personal blog and a just stitch. blog. I really want to grow just stitch., and I feel that having a separate blog dedicated just to my sewing and projects would help. What do you think?

I have lots of project ideas in my head for 2011, I can't wait to show everyone!

Hmmm...what should my new blog be called?

Handmade Christmas!

This was the year of the handmade gift, it seemed, and I loved it! My dad and sisters made some great gifts this year! They are so special, I had to share.

I love this picture! Lily is holding on tight to the doll that Aunt Casey made her! I love it.

One of the most special gifts of all! A pulley train with blocks! Bobby has so much fun with it. Thank you, Pa Pa!

Initial blocks for the kids! Perfect for their rooms...

As what has seem to become a tradition, I made all the gifts for the kids and women on both sides of the family. It's getting harder and harder to figure out what to make each year, I don't want to do a repeat gift and I want the gift to be something they will love. I made over 15 gifts this Christmas! I even made something for Rob, a manly toiletry bag. :) I won't bore you with the whole list, instead I'll just show you a few of my favorites.

This is just one of the hooded bath towels I made. It is one of the easiest projects to sew, so I made 3 of them! One for both my nephews, and one for Bobby, of course!

I made computer cases for my sisters and mother-in-law. I am very proud of this pattern, which is my very own! I even conquered the zipper! That was the scariest part. The bag is padded and comes with a velcro pocket. I can't decide which is my favorite, I love all the fabrics!

These will be available soon for custom order in my shop, just stitch.!

I found a pattern for these back packs and just thought they were so cute! I made one for Bobby and one for my niece, Ani.

I already know what I am making for every woman in my family for next Christmas! I think it will be my biggest project yet. I plan on starting next month, believe it or not! I have 12 women to sew for, so I better get started quick! For now, I'm getting ready to update my shop, so check back in February! I'll have more kitchen towels, crayon rolls, and a few new goodies!

I &hearts ....HEARTS!!

When I was a little girl, hearts were my favorite shape...and now that I'm about to have my own little girl, I think it has renewed my love of ♥♥♥♥s! Especially since I found this fabric, by Ann Kelle. I fell in ♥ with it as soon as I saw it. It is so '80's! She has other color schemes of this heart print, but these colors are my favorite. Hmmm...what else can I make?? :)

Heart apron for me! I found the red heart fabric at Hobby Lobby, I thought they went perfect together!!

Heart wipes case that I whipped up today. It was pretty easy, but OUCH! Hot glue is dangerous!

I swiped this heart seersucker fabric from my mom's stash before I even knew Lily existed! I can't wait to make a cute summer dress and bloomers! Won't that bring back '80's flashbacks?? (I think my mom has actually had it that long!)

When I saw that Gap had this line of clothes, I had to have it! But for a baby, I just couldn't justify spending so much...so I waited. And lucky for me, they are on clearance right now! Score!! Can't wait for Lily to wear these!

And who can forget the Care Bears and all their ♥♥♥♥s? I love me some Care Bears!!

Oh---if you think all this is cute, just wait until you see Lily's birth announcements, made by you-know-who!! :)

♥♥♥♥

Project: Lily's Room- Reveal!!

We are done with Lily's room! I really liked how it turned out. I think I may add some more wall decor later, but I can't really decide what I want to do, so I'll wait.

Since this room doesn't have any windows, I used a soft pink. I didn't want to use anything too bold or dark, which would make the room look smaller. Our room connects directly to this room, so she will be nice and close (just steps away!) without actually having her in our room. This idea makes me happy, because I remember being so overly cautious those first couple of weeks when Bobby was in our room. I was so paranoid about waking him!

Since we didn't have a lot of money to spend on her nursery, I was resourceful when thinking about furniture. Lily's dresser is my old dresser (my very first piece of furniture I ever bought new! ), the chair is a hand me down from Bobby, and while we were on our last storage unit run, I saw the yellow table and thought: 'Perfect'! I bought it on one of my Round Top trips. I think it looks so cute in her room! Her crib I got from Target online, and it was a gift from Lily's grandparents. (Thank you!)

The blanket, bed skirt and pillows were my own patterns. I am excited about how the bolster pillow turned out! I may sell them in my shop in the future...

I got the fabric for Lily's room from this Etsy shop, and I used an Amy Butler pattern from her book, Little Stitches for little ones, for the bumper pads. The pattern was so easy! I wish I had done that for Bobby's bumper...which I did on my own, and it didn't turn out quite so perfect! It's amazing what I learn with each new pattern I sew. Did you know they actually make bumper pads? Specifically designed to make crib bumpers? I had no clue! Such a novel idea!!

I've been working on Bobby's room too, so I will post pictures probably next week. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

I was featured!!

Wow! I am so excited! One of my headbands, the Red Thin-Band, was featured in an Etsy Treasury! The subject is: GTL Baby! (Gym, Tan, Laundry) I don't watch Jersey Shore, but I do know what GTL stands for, ha! Check it out!! So many cute things in this treasury!

Car Seat Cover

I knew right from the start of this pregnancy that if I was having a girl, I would make a car seat cover instead of buying a whole new car seat. I found this pattern on Etsy, and I couldn't wait to start! I was a little nervous, because it looked a little tedious and time consuming. I was pleasantly surprised because it actually was fairly easy. The floral fabric is called Lindy Leaf from Heather Bailey.

Now all it needs is a baby to put in it! Only 5 more weeks left!

Ta Da! The finished product.

I think the canopy is my favorite part!

I also made some strap covers. I got this pattern here. They are super easy to make. Probably 30 minutes from start to finish! I used a pretty 'vine' looking stitch on the bias tape to make it extra special. Only the best for my little girl! :)

I &hearts Handmade!

So many of my friends are crafty!! Handmade gifts are so special, and everyone did not disappoint! My mother-in-law was so impressed when I told her that most of my friends sew, and that we used to have sewing parties. Those were so fun!! I need to find some crafty Laredo friends to have craft parties with...or just teach Bobby and Lily to craft with me!! I can't wait to teach Lily to sew one day. Check out all the handmade goodies!

One of two blankets my mom made for Lilliana. This one is my favorite! Cupcakes on the front and polka dots on the back. So colorful!!

Burp cloths from Sarah! These are the best. Very absorbent. Love the birdie!

Knitted hat from Erin. I love her hats! She made 2 of them and they are so cute! The flower is actually a hair clip, so when the hats are too small, Lily can still wear the flower in her hair! Genius!

I am so impressed with Courtney's new sewing skills. She is new to sewing and she does a great job! She also appliqued some onesies and pants. So cute! The other side of this blanket is a super soft 'minky' fabric.

My sister, Casey, made these veggies for Lily. Two of them are little rattles! She also made a little market bag to go with. So creative. I am already hiding these from Bobby, who right now thinks everything in Lily's room is for him!

This one is extra special. My grandma made it for her first great-granddaughter. She has 4 great-grandsons so she is extra excited to finally have a little girl to make things for! Everyone (especially the grandkids) knows my grandma's scent. If I pass someone in a store wearing my grandma's perfume, I have to stop and take a long breath. The blanket smelled so much like her, that I had to indulge in a big whiff! :) My grandparents live in a small town, Kermit, TX, so I don't get to see them very often.

Thank you everyone! I loved everything, and I am slowly getting everything organized and put away. Right now I am doing a big load in the washing machine. It is so different to see pink and purple twirling around in the wash! It used to be just reds, blues and greens! I could get used to this... :)

My 'Sew' Fun Shower!!

This weekend, we traveled to Sugar Land so Lily and I could be showered with gifts and fun memories. My sisters, mom and friends threw me a sewing theme baby shower (how appropriate, right?)! I had sew much fun! (Ok, ok...that will be my last time to do that! I promise!)

Everyone got their craft on and decorated cute onesies, hats and pants for little Lily. I can't wait to put her in them!

The food spread

The craft spread

Me and my two beautiful sisters!

My wonderful hostesess with their one of a kind, just stitch. originals! (Hanging kitchen towels)

Sewing buddies: My sister and my mom (we don't look anything alike, right?)

The finished products from the shower!! They all turned out so cute!

Hmmm...where do I begin??

I got so many handmade gifts, which I love!! I'll have another post about that tomorrow!! Thank you to everyone who came and to all the hostesses. Y'all out-did yourselves!!

Crayon Rolls!!

When I got my new diaper bag last week, I wanted to put some little activities in it for Bobby. So naturally I thought about crayons, wishing I had a crayon roll or something cute to store them in. Then....ding ding ding! I decided to make him one! I whipped up a pattern in my head, jotted it down on paper, and I made 2 in about 45 minutes. They were so much fun to make that I decided to add them to my shop, just stitch.

Please go take a look! There are girl and boy designs. Perfect for a birthday present, back to school gift, or for stocking stuffer (it's not too early to start your holiday shopping, ya know!!).

I can't decide which one is my favorite!! I'll let you be the judge!!

Love these fabrics together!!

All rolled up and ready to go!!

Project: Lily's room: I &hearts ruffles...and all things girly!

I am going to love having a girl! If nothing else then for the sewing projects alone! (kidding, of course!) I was on a sewing kick this weekend, and I started the pillow above at about 11:30 on Sat. night. I wanted to do some girly ruffles, which I had never done before. I was pretty sure I knew how to do them, but I looked it up online just to be safe. I think the ruffles turned out so cute! I am hooked for sure! This pillow is my pride and joy right now.

I also made some cute scalloped bunting to hang in Lily's room. I love all the colors...so fun!

The bunting would be perfect for a summer party or baby shower also!!

Close up...

Eat, sleep, SEW!

It seems like that is all I do some days!! I am very busy sewing things for friends, family, and for Lily, too.

Seems like I'm not the only one having a baby! Many of my friends are welcoming little ones, most of which are boys. A few have had girls, and I had the pleasure of meeting little Leah Monroy this past week when I went to Sugar Land to visit friends and family. I made some soft stacking blocks for little Leah. She was so adorable!

Blocks...I got a chance to use my new tags that Casey made me!

I won't comment much on the trip, except that it was one of the hardest experiences I've had as a mom. We have been traveling a lot lately, and it seems to have finally caught up to little Bobby. He was a non-stop tantrum the entire week, and we ended up cutting our visit short to go home. Turns out all he needed was home. He has been his normal self ever since we walked in the door on Friday!

I also made some blocks for Kelly and her baby girl (due at the end of the month!) Carly. I just love the animal print I found.

I loved the print so much, that I used some of it to make a bib (along with another one) for Lily.

I just love it when you think of an idea, and it actually turns out good! My sister-in-law, Becky, requested some hanging towels for her new kitchen that she is sharing with my other sis-in-law, Vero. I made two for them. I think they look so cute! I may add some to my Etsy shop, so keep an eye out!

I did have some fun while in Sugar Land. Casey and I got a chance to sew a bit. I made some cute soft animals for Lily's room. Another idea that turned out cute!! They were super easy to make.

The paisley fabric in the background is the fabric I am going to use for Lily's room. As you know, I love paisley! Casey found this print on Etsy, and she knew it would be perfect for me. I can't wait for y'all to see all the ideas I have for her room! Don't worry, I'll keep you posted on my progress!!

Just something I cooked up...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I know I did!

My day started off with little Bobby reminding me of his presence 4-5 times during the night...ahhh...good times. We didn't do much during the day, just hung around the house, then Rob and I went to a nice dinner. I even wore a dress! Ooh La La! Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of me and Bobby on my second Mother's Day, which is very unlike me! Must be the pregnancy brain at work...

I did remember to take pictures of the gifts I made, of course!! I didn't mean to, but I sort of had a theme this year...aprons!

Apron #1

For my mom, I made an apron to match the kitchen towels I made her last Christmas. She loved it! I actually made this apron from memory. I had printed out the instructions from a book, A is for Apron, that I borrowed from my mom. During the move, they somehow got misplaced, so I decided to wing it! I think it turned out pretty darn cute! I used my handy dandy bias tape machine, which makes the tape for you. It was really cool! I even did some gathering detail for the first time...again, just winging it! Of course after I finished the apron, I found the pattern...arg!

I love this fabric! Perfect for an apron.

Thanks mom for the bias tape machine!

Apron #2

Reversible apron for my Mother -in-Law, Aida. I adapted the pattern very slightly from the pattern in Lotta Jansdotter's book, Simple Sewing. It was a very easy pattern, one that I'm sure I will use again!

I love these colors together! I found these fabrics at Hobby Lobby, which is a great place to find fabrics that match each other.