Spring Top Sewalong 2011

It's that time of year again when Rae hosts her Spring Top contest. Last year, for whatever reason, I felt compelled to sew 5 tops! I don't know what came over me, but I was determined and did end up making the top 60.

This year, it's almost the deadline, and I decided I need to throw my hat in the ring again and make at least one top. So here it is.
I really love the way this top came out. I didn't use a pattern, but gathered up a few tops I own for inspiration. Originally I was going to put some ties on the side...but as it usually goes with me, this kind of evolved as it went along.

I love the rolled flowers, which I've seen a lot of, but never actually tried. Super easy, and no sewing involved! I sat and rolled them while I was watching TV and glued them together this morning. I added a little bead to the middle for some contrast. I decided to put the flowers on a pin, so I could take them off. They get in the way if you want to throw a sweater on...

My favorite part of this top is the back. I shirred it across the back so it would be relatively fitted, but still have a little flare. This style of top works great for me and my little post-children belly that won't seem to go away. I don't do a lot of sewing for myself, but this is one I'll definitely make again. If the stars align, maybe I'll even take some pictures as I put it together next time.

Here's one of the 5 five tops I sewed last year. This one made the top 60, and it was quite an honor to be among such beautiful tops and such talented people! Can't wait to see the finalists this year!

Spring

The past few weeks, time has been getting away from me. I don't think I've been especially busy, but somehow, I haven't managed to sit down at my computer long enough to post the projects I've been working on. I wish I could say it's because we've been having spectacular weather..... April showers bring May flowers, right?

My little photographer and I did manage to capture a few signs of Spring....and a Spring backpack too!

I have been working on a project I will post eventually. Here's a sneak peek.

Any guesses?

New Life for an Old Cork Board

With the weather getting warmer, my husband has been on a mission to clean and organize our garage. One of the things we had to clean out was this old cork board that was actually my husband's when he was a kid. I love cork boards, but this one definitely needed a face-lift.

First, I gently pried the frame apart at one corner and took the cork out of the center.

I gave the frame a quick coat of paint with some white exterior paint we had sitting in the basement.

I covered the old cork with a piece of fabric from my stash, put it back in the frame, and hammered in one finishing nail to put the frame back together.

Super easy and very satisfying. Including time for the paint to dry, this took me about an hour start to finish. I love these kinds of projects.

Kitchen Towels

A good friend of mine just moved back to the east coast from California and I wanted to make her a simple housewarming present. These towels are really easy to make and who doesn't love a pretty kitchen towel?


I measured a towel I had, added 1 inch to each side, then used this tutorial to do the mitered corners.

Added some twill tape at the corner.


Beautiful.

Not as original as I thought....

This past weekend, I had coffee with a friend and her daughter after swim lessons. I'd missed her birthday and wanted to make her a late birthday present. So, I made this little bag for wet bathing suits or other wet stuff (we both have potty training boys.....).


I'd never seen an actual tutorial for one and I thought I was being really original, so I made another, taking pictures as I put it together and started working on my own tutorial.

Then, yesterday I was poking around on Craft Gossip and came across this cute tutorial at The Polka Dot Umbrella.

Then a friend pointed out this one at A Lemon Squeezy Home.

So, I guess I'm not as original I thought. But, I can say great, creative minds think alike!

Slightly Obsessed

For those of you who don't know me personally, you might not know how obsessive I can be. I'm not someone who's obsessed with details or things being perfect. More like I make something that's fun and easy and I just keep making it.

So, when I first saw these bracelets by Vanessa at V and Co, they looked too hard, so I thought, those are cute, but I don't have time to figure it out. Then, she posted a video and made it look so much easier.

So I made one, then another, then another.....all in about 15 minutes.


Do I need 6 bracelets....no. Will I wear 6 bracelets......no. Can I stop making these....no!

But I will share with you what I learned in case you decide to make one (or 6) yourself. The first ones I made (hot pink and light yellow above) I made with a cotton spandex blend. I didn't like the way they came out because they're almost too perfect looking. The ones below I made with leftover scraps from repurposed shirts, and I liked the result much better.

I also liked the 2 finger result the best. The four finger is really chunky and I've got tiny wrists, it was just too much. The hot pink on the far left is a 4 finger, the rest are 2 finger with varying strip thicknesses.


Here's the evidence, I did actually wear one today. And will probably wear it again.

And I did make one for my daughter and I think she will wear hers too.

So go check out the video, it's pretty cute with Vanessa's daughter singing in the background. But be forewarned, it's addictive!