Lots of Attention!

S went to school last week and was the talk of the school for a day.  Why? Because I told her teacher about her new dress.

Usually I do not brag about my work (except perhaps to friends, neighbors, sewing circle pals, etc ;) This day, however, I made an exception because I was really bragging about S.  She has been bugging me forever or at least since we bought this fabric to make her a dress.  I did make both girls tunics using this fabric and pink t-shirts, but S has grown out of hers so she was really wanting another.  I told her to draw out the dress she wanted and the dress above was what she drew.  I was really impressed since I had been wanting to make something like this ever since I saw a similar dress made out of knit.

When we went to school and the teacher told her how beautiful her dress was, I made sure to tell her that S had designed it.  At the end of the day, when I picked S up the kids were on the playground.  While I waited for her to finish up playing, I heard at least two groups of adults talking about S's dress and how she had designed it.  I was so proud!!

I just hope her next design is as easy to make ;)

Sewer's Block

Unfortunately, I don't mean that I am going to talk about a block of a quilt.  I mean, I think I have sewer's block as in writer's block.  Between my month of family visits and a summer schedule that doesn't have a lot of free time (meaning when the kiddos are somewhere else), I've lost not only my time, but also my desire to sew. What is happening to me??  I hope when the summer chaos calms, I will find my inspiration again.  Maybe a new serger will help. Hee hee.  My poor hubby.

Even though my summer has not been full of wonderful creations, I was lucky enough to get the girls' Fourth of July dresses done.  I actually got them ready in time for Memorial Day which was fitting.  I even got pictures!!

The fabric was leftover from last summer when I made place mats and napkins for my mom.  I used the Leisurely Dress pattern from SewMamaSew for Sophia's dress.  Amelia's is just a layered version of the Summer Smock dress from Weekend Sewing.

Both girls were nice enough to pose.  And yes, that scrunched up face is what A does every time someone gets a camera out or says cheese.  Wonder how many years of that we will have? Well, at least she is happy!

Randomness-The Girls

No sewing. Just the girls. A picture of Amelia at the show and a video of Sophia's End of Year Program. It was just so cute even if you can hardly understand a word they are saying! I love the programs.

Having a Stash Rocks!

So, did I tell you about that crazy shopping spree at JoAnn's Fabric a month or so ago? 

Well, let's just say I am not allowed back and honestly, I should not need to go except for detail items like buttons.  I also have several items from my closet in the sewing room just waiting to be repurposed.  One such item was a floor length jean skirt.  I had finally chopped it up for use in my second quilt (no, the first quilt is not complete.  The class has 2 more weeks to go.  After that I plan on being a speed demon!)  The skirt had a nice waist area that formed a triangle in front and back that I preserved for use in a skirt for the girls.  I added the waist to some of the fabric I had bought during my spree and brought home thinking, "What in the world am I going to make with this?"  It ended up looking like this for Amelia...

I like it lots.  I also got to try out a peasant blouse/dress tutorial that my sewing circle friends informed me of.  I had been looking for one for a while.  You can find it and lots of other cool stuff at indietutes.  It is amazing to me that my friends always find new stuff on the web.  I feel like I spend soooooo much time surfing that I should have found it all by now, but apparently not.  We should just have a surfing circle so that we can see all the cool stuff that each one of us finds. 

I then tackled a replica of one of Sophia's Old Navy dresses that she had last summer.  It is just too small now.  I still need to add some details (pockets, embellishment on the top yoke) and get her to wear it, but other than that it is finished.  I am pretty happy with it, although I think I need to work on the attachment at the bottom of the yoke.  I bet there is a "way" to do it, but I don't know of it.  I just forced it to work. 

The cool thing about the dress and A's skirt is that I used elastic just in the back.  I had been wanting to try this and it seems to have worked fine on both items.  It helps give the outfits a less homemade look without having to deal with those pesky zippers and button plackets. 

I might be off to work on a shirt for me.  I so wanted to take part in Made by Rae's Top Week, but I only have 5 more days to get the shirt done and I don't even know what shirt I want to make.  Yikes!  Off to sew!

More Spring Clothes

So, I know that I made the girls Easter dresses, but then I saw this tutorial on Freshly Picked that was just like those dresses at Target that I have not been buying since I was sure that I could make them. I used some of the Easter Fabric that was used for those change purses.  And it turned out like...

 this, and...

this. 

Amelia's was so short though that it stuck straight out in the back.  I ended up adding another layer just so her modesty would not be offended.

The picture above was so blurry that I thought Amelia needed another photo to show off her cuteness. So...

Here she is modeling her sister's hat.  And since A got a cute pic then so should Sophia. 

 

I have been wanting to show off her blue hair anyway.  It matched her bunny.

I also made myself some pants using the shorts pattern. 

It worked quite well even though I had to fudge on the bottom hem and do something like bias tape or they would have been too small. I think that they will be nice for spring and summer since the cotton is so thin. 

The only bummer about all these new clothes is that they wrinkle very badly after being washed and dried.  I have been meaning to mention that.  It is ok since I always have my ironing board out in the sewing room, but man, it makes those store bought clothes all the better.

Intimidated…

I am supposed to be working on a dress for me (Simplicity 2885).

 I got to the point of buying the pattern (yay Joann’s 5 for $5 sales!!). I measured myself. Yuck! I cut out the pattern pieces. Then I got scared. I really hate sewing garments. I never seem to get them quite right. I think it has to do with my fear of making things too small and my desire to make things quickly. I also want to use a brown with pink, green, and white dots material, but I am not sure if it is appropriate. So I was stalled…

Then, out of the blue, I decided that I needed to make Easter gifts for Sophia’s class. I had bought this cute little change purse in Hot Springs, NC over New Year’s.

 This was the weekend my parents took the kids (Gott sei Dank!!) and hubby and I went to NC with my sister and hubby and Gina and hubby. It was the first time the six of us were together without kids in SIX years. We love each other lots. We enjoy each other’s company so much, but the kids have put a bit of a damper on our wild and crazy ways! So, my sister set up this weekend in honor of her FIFTEENTH wedding anniversary. Oh my! She got the grandparents to take charge of children. She begged couples to come. It was so nice. We should have sent her flowers. We didn’t. She is family. One never thanks family properly.

The point: while in NC I saw these cute little change purses made by some local sewer. At first I just said, “How cute. I will have to try that when I get home.” Then I felt some sort of need to support people who do such cute things and bought one for SIXTEEN dollars. I thought that a bit steep, but “support, support” went through my head. After I got home, it was a big hit since I had chosen the frog (Sophia’s current favorite). The sewer had sewn so many cute appliques to choose from it was hard to make a wrong decision. Anyway, I got to the cutting of the dress fabric and I…thought it was best if I made Sophia’s class change purses reminiscent of her new frog purse. Logical, right?

I have been tempted to repurpose some of my old clothing partly due to guilt of my need to buy fabric and partly due to all of these blogs that show just the cutest transformations.  So, I finally took some scissors to an old denim skirt of mine.  I used that skirt, some Easter fabric, and then scraps from my ever increasing scrap collection.  The only thing that actually cost anything was the thread, the velcro, and my time.  Since it was procrastinated time (such a thing?) I don't count it!  Thirteen change purses later, I am quite pleased with myself.  There are different insides for each and I tried to make the boys manly.

Each one has a letter on the front representing first names.  I used a straight stitch to try something new and to save thread.

While making the change purses, I was also inspired by my Sewing Circle Friends to make something for Sophia’s Go Texan Day. For you non-Texans, perhaps non-Houstonians, Go Texan Day is a day when the kids wear western clothing celebrating our past and our Rodeo present. Sophia’s is next Thursday. I decided to finally tackle one of the true repurposing projects-transforming adult clothing into children's. I used one of my old t-shirts that had just gotten too short, too tight, too old. I did this for two reasons: first, I have been unable to find plain, long sleeve t-shirts for the girls and our weather has been too erratic to assume she can wear short-sleeves next week (Crazy for us!). Secondly, I have been reading for MONTHS about these type of projects, and honestly, have just been too afraid to try. This pushed me into it.

I knew that a cute bandanna skirt would have been the best option. You know the ones, like these. It is easy and cheap and sooo cute with a LONG SLEEVE WHITE T-SHIRT. Wait, I couldn’t find one of those AND S HATES skirts. I think she might be growing out of this, but this was no time to really test my theory. So, instead, I bought a blue bandanna and went to work on the old t-shirt.  Like most first tries, it is not perfect. But, all-in-all, I like my first woman’s tee to child’s dress repurpose project. I might even try another. I might even embellish this one a bit more with a bandanna ruffle on the end of each sleeve (covering up the fact that I made the sleeves a bit too long ;) )

So, here I am. It has been several weeks now since I cut out those pattern pieces for my dress. I have almost run out of excuse projects. I might actually have to cut fabric and give it a go. I am still intimidated….Hey wait, don’t I have to make Easter dresses and perhaps even Easter PJ’s (yes, I did buy a lot of Easter fabric last year on clearance right after I started sewing)? We shall see…

What should be...

is not always what is.  It should have been like this tent from The Land of Nod.

It looks like this BEFORE the kids play with it (balloons and streamers just before Sophia's birthday party).

Unfortunately, it looks like this afterwards. 

I might have to take it down until the baby realizes that the walls can not support her.

Special thanks to the hubby for helping with the hanging and supporting of the princess castle.  I made it using McCall's 5827.  I modified it a bit so that I could use old curtains which hubby also dyed this nice blue (Sophia's favorite color).  I also used an old Papa San chair cushion.  I think the cushion is the real draw for our Amelia.  Our other princess really did enjoy it and the party.  I, however, did not get much credit.  I mentioned something about me making the castle for her and she informed me that I did not, Santa did.  I know it is wrong, but sometimes I begrudge Santa.  

 

I did get credit for the princess dress.  It was super simple.  I found the shirt at Target and used the left over castle material for the skirt.  She wears it all the time.  Sometimes, Mama actually gets it right.

I've been sewing, but I can't show you...

That is the problem with Christmas time. And yes, I am now using the store calendar as my own. I am doing this because if I didn't get started on Christmas gifts in September and October I would never get them done. So, believe me I have been sewing lots.

For instance, this dress for Sophia.

Talk about easy-peasy! My sewing circle friend, Jodi, told us about this one. You just start with a tshirt (this one is from Target, of course) and cut off an inch or two. Then add two or three ruffles making each ruffle 1.5 times the width of the previous level. In other words, the first ruffle is 1.5 times the width of the tshirt. Next time I might go for 2 times the width since I don't think this one ruffled very well. Unfortunately it might also be my ineptitude at gathering. I try, but I NEVER get an even ruffle.

Along with Christmas, birthdays have been coming fast and furious. I bought Eric an iPod nano for his birthday and gave him a couple of bags to gather all the accessories in. I have been threatening to take his picture for the blog since I gave it to him, but have never done it. While I was making his bag, I got jealous and decided to finally make my GPS a bag too. It took me two tries but I ended up with this.

It fits perfectly in the compartment of my car where I keep it. Yes, I know. I am just asking for someone to steal my GPS. Oh well, I really can not carry that around with all the other stuff I have to carry around for the kids AND carry the kids on top of that. I am a SMALL person people!

Both bags that I made for the GPS are from Projects by Jane. I found them both on this cute little site called DIY Bag Lover. I really like the Bag Lover site because it gives you a picture of each bag, not just a name or description. The only thing that I will add in the future is interfacing. Most people don't add it, but I like the sturdiness that it adds to the bags, but especially to the handles.

That is about it for now. The circle is working on some dress-up scrubs. They should be done in a few weeks. I am looking forward to Halloween so that I can take pics of Sophia in her costume. It turned out well and that was only a day or two after my last post. When I say that I have no grace that is what I mean. If I could have kept my concerns private for just a couple more days, you guys would have thought that I was a sewing genius. Well, maybe next time!!

Amelia's birthday is in just a week and a half. I am super excited, not only because she will be ONE but also because she has some cute stuff to wear and decorate with. I am excited to write about them...but first I have to finish them. Gotta go.

still kicking my butt...

School started yesterday and it was GREAT. Both girls did really well with the new routine which includes Sophia wearing something other than a leotard and Amelia staying awake until we get back from dropping Sophia off even if she wakes up early or doesn't sleep well at night.

The drop off went super and when I picked her up Sophia had nothing but good things to say and a big smile on her face. She didn't even want to leave so I let her play on the playground for a bit. We got home and BOTH girls gave me over a two hour nap. In fact this is Sophia after two and a half hours, still knocked out.

The only thing that got her up was her little sister banging on the bed.

Unfortunately today has not gone so well. Sophia had a hard time getting to bed last night and then got up early today. Waking up just to discipline your child sorta sucks. Amelia also seemed to be a grump or maybe she has just decided to become a screamer. Yep, cousin Ella might have a screamer companion. Please let it not be!

But now in the quiet of the house, after another smooth drop off, I am hoping these bumps in the road are just part of the adjustment. And I am hoping that I also get adjusted which means actually getting something accomplished instead of just sitting here and being amazed that quiet still exists in the world. It hasn't been in mine for quite a long time.

Sophia's Rummage Sale

I am the first to say that TV is bad. However, I love it and so, unfortunately, does Sophia. I also LOVE my DVR. Seriously, out of everything that was invented or made popular while we were in Germany, the DVR was the absolute best. I mean, I can fast forward through commercials, I can pause it when asked a question. Man, I love it. It also allows me to record shows for Sophia so that most of the time she only gets exposed to things that I approve of. Somehow she still knows who Sponge Bob is and still likes him, but I have no idea how. Weird.

One of the shows that I let Sophia watch is Max and Ruby. Like all kid shows thse two bunnies take some getting used to. Really, where are the parents of these kids and can I really expect Sophia at age 7 to fully take over watching Amelia? I can hope.

Well, Ruby is teaching Sophia about money: How to spend it AND how to earn it. A couple of months back Sophia wanted a toy. She wants a toy every day so that was nothing new. But when I gave her the party line of "Maybe for your birthday" or "Tell your grandparents" she said, "I can have a rummage sale." Huh? Yes, Ruby had a rummage sale to make money and now, Sophia wanted to, too.

I fought this idea for quite a while. I had two fears: 1. She would sell everything and 2. That she would want to have a rummage sale every time she saw anything that she wanted. But I finally gave in and found out that I should not have worried about the first thing. As for the second, I tried to make it VERY clear that rummage sales are sort of like birthdays: they only come around once a year. Only time will tell if that sunk in, but, oh my, was it worth it!

Sophia and I started getting ready for the rummage sale on Monday. It took her DAYS to get enough toys to have a sale. I had to help at the end, but even my suggestions didn't help much. I didn't realize that Anna Lisa would like the stuffed dog and that Eli really likes to play with that McDonald Happy Meal robot. But even after we found all the toys, there was so much more to do. We had to sort them, price them, and draw signs for the toys AND the sale. Here is the finished product.

We invited the kids from the mommies group and since only girls seemed interested, I made them all little princess shopping bags for the occasion.

Yesterday was the big day. I held my breath hoping that she would make enough money to buy that Cinderella doll that she wanted so badly ($3 at Target, so we thought) as well as not yell or cry during the sale. (I was afraid, of course, that she would be upset that the girls were really going to take her toys home, but also that she would tell them how much money they had to spend. She had mentioned this throughout the prep time. She was going to make everyone pay $3 since that was how much the princess was.)

No worries necessary. It went off beautifully. The shoppers were so ready to spend and be happy with their new toys. Sophia was so proud behind the cash register just beaming at me as the quarters kept multiplying. It was great. Not all, in fact not many, big projects that I do for/with Sophia actually end up as planned, so it was just such a relief and joy to see this one happen!

Then came the counting of the money and the buying of the toy. She had to wait until after our playdate to count the money. (You might as well teach them young that it is impolite to count other people's money in front of them). The final count was $6.91 and I gave her another $0.09 to get an even $7. She had to wait until this morning to buy the toy. Oh, but she did so without whining (oh my goodness, miracles happen!!!).

After breakfast this morning it was off to Target we went and she had eyes only for that one doll that was in the cash register line. I had to make her go back to the toy section just to make absolutely sure that she didn't want a different princess. She didn't. It was one of the quickest shopping trips EVER. And now, we're home...

and she and Cinderella are happy.

Just a note: Notice the dress that she picked out to wear today. Oh my, she is determined to make today a good one!

At least she sleeps...

Jet lag has hit our house pretty hard. Or at least that is what I am telling myself while listening to Amelia scream her head off because she doesn't want to take a nap. It was also what I was telling myself at 5 in the morning when I was getting up to feed a nine month old AND give cheerios to a hungry and AWAKE 3.5 year old.

At least Sophia makes it up during her nap time. I don't see how she gets into these positions, but she sleeps and sleeps hard...and pretty: notice the bow in her head.

Repurposing, but with a pattern

Alot of the sewing circle have done the repurposing of a man's button down shirt and Sophia has been begging for a blue dress, so again I took the opportunity to do a twofer. I, however, do not love sewing without a pattern and really hate the Step 1: make a pattern that begins a lot of the repurposing tutorials like the one found at Made. So instead I used the dress to make one of my Simplicity patterns (Simplicity 3859) that I picked up on sale at JoAnn's.

The dress, like a lot of the other stuff that I have made, turned out ok.

Yes, just ok. I am proud of myself regarding one thing that actually didn't work out that well, but I tried and that counts for a lot in my sewing world!! For the first time, I actually checked the final measurements on the back of the package BEFORE I started. Amazing, right? Unfortunately, I am unclear about whether the measurements are with or without the ease. After it is made, I am thinking...with the ease. Regardless, the end measurement was suppose to be 22 1/2 in around the chest and my little bitty 3 year old is just 19 in around, so I....made the pattern pieces TWO inches smaller. And now, it looks...................a bit small. I have decided that sizing is the hardest part of this hobby!!

With armholes following somewhere close behind.

I added some iron on butterflies to make the dress even better.

And how did Sophia like it, you ask. Sigh.

I almost hate to admit this, again, but the girl doesn't approve. She did model it for the pics which is more than I can say for the cape. Unfortunately, she took it right off after the pictures. That means another failure, at least as far as the critic goes.

I offered to change up the buttons on the back to make it even more special, but she said, "no thanks." She is a tough critic, but, at the very least, a polite one.

Confessions of a lazy day...

Yes, this is sitting in my floor. Yes, there is another one right beside of it and a load in the washer AND the dryer.




Yes, my kid does need a diaper change (pew wee) and is playing with both a pen and a tube of benadryl cream.




Yes, the other child has been like this all morning.



This has been a lazy day.


In my defense: we just got back from Germany and are all a bit jet lagged. We are going to bed early (at least the kids), getting up early, being a bit cranky and needy. Yesterday, I think we held Amelia about 85% of the day. So, who could blame me taking advantage of the times when she is happy to sit on the floor and play with things that normally she couldn't?





So, I took advantage. I made this cute little bag using the tutorial found here. In the process, I learned how to use my zipper foot. I have used it before, even successfully a couple of times. But this time I really understood where the zipper should be positioned and where the seam should be. Yeah for simple projects that give you the time to understand what you are doing.



I also got to take a few pictures today of the cape I made last night at our second sewing circle. We used the tutorial found here.

In true Sophia fashion, she informed me BEFORE I went out that she did not want a cape. I, as always, thought that 1. I wanted to make it anyway and 2. that after she saw what an awesome job I did that she would BEG me to wear it.

Well, at least I was right on one account. It was great to make. I love the material I got for the princess side even if it was $7 a yard ON SALE!! We switched around how we cut the material compared to the tutorial so that we saved a lot and I could make another cape using what I bought. If one thinks of it that way, one could convence oneself that one only spent half the money...sort of.

Now back to reality. The lazy day is now over. Amelia is screaming bloody murder after a nap that was less than one hour. I have a feeling my arms will be getting a workout this afternoon.

It was fun while it lasted.

The new dress...

Well, this has been my most successful dress so far. Sophia wore it from the time that I finished to bedtime.

Confused by the material? The first dress was made as a size 3, but swallowed Sophia. The next day I made a second one, size 2. This one turned out okay, but I had the same problems with the ruffle, arrrrggghhh. It also showed the problem that I expected which was that it was somewhat hard to put on since there are no buttons or a zipper.

My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

As Alexander would say, "I think I'll move to Australia." My only question is: Do they have fire ants in Australia? Yes, the invasion of fire ants all over Sophia's lower half (including her ANUS, yes, that still makes me a bit queasy) was just the icing on the cake that was our day or actually our last couple of weeks.

I am afraid that our lovely little Amelia has turned into a screaming, unhappy-unless-you-are-holding-her thing that we barely know what to do with. She just doesn't eat and then turns around and screams until you feed her, like you were letting her starve. She is content playing in the floor until you dare to move (an INCH) and then she screams until you go to comfort her. And woe to those who dare to put her down when she does not want it. I don't know how to explain how I feel after a day like this, but suffice it to say, not good. After a week, in tears would be how I describe it.

Today was particularly bad with Amelia starting her mattress stomping (that and crib kicking are our alerts that she is waking) at 5:20 AM. She didn't make a verbal sound until 6:10, but who could sleep with their 9 month old kicking the mattress in the room right above them!! So I fed her and, unlike normal, put her back to bed. I knew it was a mistake, but I wanted to see if she would sleep until 7:00. She did. In fact, she slept until 8:30. The funny thing is: During that 2 hour period even though I got to take a shower AND have a nice breakfast with Sophia, I KNEW that this was going to cause problems. Well, it did. She SCREAMED from 10 to 12 for no apparent reason.

Poor Heather, our babysitter, was here while I was upstairs sewing. After 20 minutes, I came to relieve her. She and Sophia went outside to swim while I fed Amelia, hoping that that was the key. It wasn't. An hour later she was still screaming as Heather brought Sophia up so that I could see the fire ant bites. With background screaming, Sophia showed me her bites and then started screaming herself and clutching at her butt. I looked and there were two fire ants just walking around her anus. I felt so bad for her because at that point, when fire ants are biting you in your private region, even a mother's love won't help you.

Now, a couple of hours full of benadryl, food and a movie, the girls are in bed and the house is quiet. I am wondering what tomorrow this afternoon will bring and if I will be able to handle it because I am, mentally at least, exhausted.

And really, no joking...50 min. into her first nap of the day, while I am writing this, she starts to cry.

I'm off to have a beer...

Exciting Happenings

Okay, this has been a great summer so far. Amelia got baptized at St. Paul's Catholic Church on June 7, 2009. Her godparents, Melissa and George, came with their families. We had 12 kids in all at the pool afterwards, so it really felt like a celebration.

Then there is swimming...Sophia and our neighbor, Kelsie, started swim lessons two weeks ago. The first class went great, but the next two were a bit hairy. Poor Tante Sonja had to deal with them though since Eric and I were gone. Eli started his swim lessons a week later and has loved both of them.

Well, love 'em or hate 'em the results are wonderful. After a few days in the pool practicing what Mr. Sam taught them and having their Papas' encouragement here are the results. I am totally floored by the whole thing. I tell you what...summer is a great thing.

Not to be outdone, Amelia is officially crawling and doing so all over the house. While sister and Eli were all over the pool, she was all over Sadie.

Big Show Continued...

Just one more video. I love them so...

Sophia's Big Show

Oh my goodness, I can not believe how much fun I had today watching Sophia's big show at The Little Gym. We have been going there for a year and a half now, but this was her first dance class and her first solo class (no mama). It has been a hard transition and each week could be either great or horrible. At home, she always talked about it and ALWAYS wanted to wear her leotard. However, sometimes we got there and she didn't want to do anything. Today started that way too with her just sitting on the floor and not doing the practice run. Then the audience came in and man, she thought she was a star.

It was great and I was very impressed with how well they did. I have never seen them do the whole routine. I was also impressed that all the other parents got their girls to wear things in their hair!! She wouldn't even consider a ponytail let alone something on top of that! I felt somewhat bad that I didn't buy Sophia's outfit from TLG like the other parents, but $35 seemed a lot when I was not sure that we would make it to the end of the semester. I ended up buying her a red leotard and making the tutu just a week ago when I was sure that she would participate. She chose red out of the choices of red, yellow, and purple but as you can see purple was the overwhelming favorite.

They did a tap and ballet dance and then went into the gym to do a floor and balance beam routine. By the time they got to the balance beam they were all a bit wild. I think it was about as much as 3 and 4 year olds can handle. Today almost made me feel bad about not signing her up for next semester, but after this one and 3 days of school instead of 2 I just don't know if I could handle it. I hope that she will actually ask about it when school starts and then I will feel like it is worth the money and hassle. Until then...

BRAVO girls!

A craft for my cutie

So I actually took up sewing to be able to do little things like the bean bags above.

I never thought that I would be able to make clothes especially for myself since I seem to zone in to the mistakes. I could just see myself sitting in a restaurant staring at my hem thinking it looks crooked. That would be such a waste of a time.

I did think, at the beginning of this obsession, that I could and would like to make little things for my kids and their friends. The bean bags were one of my first ideas and the beans have been sitting in the cupboard for months now. They are an end-of-the-year gift for Sophia's class and since the last day of school is TOMORROW I got them done (with Eric's help-He cut out all the letters) today.

Deadlines are sometimes necessary!

The letters are out of different fabrics that I bought for the memory games. I used a small, closely spaced zig-zag to stitch them on. I messed up on a couple, but really, it was not too bad for my first time.