So Proud of my Evie!

My 8 year old has been sewing for a while, and has made plenty stuffies and pillows and little things. We started working on her quilt about a year ago, taking 6 by 6 squares from my scrap stash and piecing them together. It was hard for her at first to keep a straight 1/4 inch seam, so a few of the blocks are wonky, but after working on it for a while she got the hang of it!

She finished the piecing a few weeks ago, and we took it to Teresa Pino at Quilts to a T studio. Teresa quilted Evie's quilt for 2 weeks allowance! It was so sweet. We also owe Teresa gratitude for giving Evie a sewing machine last year for Christmas! It has been the machine she sewed her quilt top with.

Evie was so serious picking out her quilting design and thread, deciding on big loopy heart shaped leaves and lime green thread!

She signed her work order and then waited... sometimes not so patiently...

Then ta-da! It came out beautifully! It did take us a while to bind the quilt, but now she has it in her room! She brings it out to watch TV with. We are so proud of her and she is so proud of her accomplishment! Go Evie!

Happy Sewing! 

Happy Fall!

I few years ago  my mother in law found a pack of fat quarters in fall colors and bought it for me to make her a table runner with. A few weeks back I finally decided on a pattern to use with them!

I took it to my longarm quilter, QuiltstoaT here here in Hernando, and she quilted it with this cute pumpkin and leaves pattern!

Love it! The quilting is just as important as the piecing! 

Sewing for the Spectrum

I know many of you have loved ones or know someone "on the spectrum". Someone diagnosed with Autism, Asperger's, ADHD, or any sensory issue really. These projects are for them, or for teachers and therapists who work with them. I hope you like our projects!

These started when Evie and I were trying to think of ideas to help younger ones with sensory issues sit still for carpet time at school. The school itself has vibrating pillows, but not all children like them. One therapist suggested bean bags, but the teacher said they were too large, and the children who needed them would be at the back of the group, and they really need to be closer to the teacher. So being Evie, she asked if there were bean bag pillows that would work. We searched for any that were for sale, that were big enough for a child to sit on, and the answer was no. They are either bag types or small neck rolls. That was the birth of this little seat, or as Evie likes to call it, Miss Muffet's Tuffet...

It's a 16 inch round pillow stuffed with bean bag beans. We found the bean bag beans from Walmart, a HUGE bag is about $10, and we found them in furniture by their bean bags.

We were able to make 8 pillows with the beans and our scrap fabric. The pattern is a free pattern from CluckCluckSew, The Sprocket Pillow. The only thing I changed was instead of a center button, I made a yo-yo and sewed it on the center to cover the seam.

When you stuff, leave enough room for movement. Our first tester loved the pillow, and instead of trying to get up during our test story, they rocked around on the pillow.

Evie was so happy with the results, she has decided that this is her science project this year! We are working to come up with a way to quantify if the pillow helps children on the spectrum sit on the floor for longer periods of time. We are waiting on approval and figuring out how to set up the experiment.

The next project we did was therapy balls. They are stress balls filled with different materials that the children can keep in their desks and feel when then need that sensory stimulation. For this we went to Walmart and bought a few different things to fill them with.

We chose rice, split peas, and navy beans. I can say our tester liked the feel of navy beans best, and that is the one kept as their desk. Again, these are made from scraps and a free pattern for Fabric Balls from Grand Revival Designs. We filled them less than halfway, so the beans and rice had a lot of movement. you can also buy polyethelene pellets online to fill them with.

I hope these projects are usesful! Let me know if you make any of them. These would be perfect little gifts for someone who works with kids with sensory issues!

Happy Sewing!



The Three Year Quilt

I bought the Bonnie Blue Belle Meade pattern before we moved from Nashville. I also bought about 85% of the fabric around the same time, picking up scraps and fat quarters from The Quilting Squares. It was a hard move for me, because we really loved that area, and I loved bitch and stitch nights at the squares. I learned more there than any class I have ever taken. Belle Meade is a pattern modeled after the Belle Meade plantation in Nashville, which is why I chose to do it. That was over 3 years ago.

Fast forward to 2 years ago, when my baby girl was going through a rough patch in preschool. That is when I started cutting the fabric out. I just couldn't work on it before that. Everytime I looked at the pattern and fabric I missed my Nashville peeps. It wasn't until I joined the Quilt Guild here and settled into life in Mississippi that I could start it. I'll never forget it, I was frustrated with everything my little girl was going through, newly pregnant with little man, and had just bought the Carolina Chocolate Drops CD. After it was cut and the spinning squares and the big half square triangles were done, I put it away again.

So this summer I was able to see The Carolina Chocolate Drops live at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Arts fest. Live, they totally blew me away. I ended up buying their new CD and as soon as I popped it in, I had to start back on the quilt. In about 2 weeks (I only get to sew during little man's naptime) I finished piecing it. I took it to QuiltstoaT here in town, and just finished putting the binding on! I am so in love with this quilt. Unofficially it is my Carolina Chocolate Drops Quilt, because everytime I look at it I have their music in my head!

Fall purses!

A few weeks ago, I finished a black and yellow Cross Body bag for the fall. You can find the pattern in my etsy store. I love this bag, the zippered front pocket is where I stash my things, and the roomy inside fits snacks, diapers, a few toys, and anything else I need for a day out with my toodler! The side pocket is great for a sippy cup or phone.

I feel in love with the fabrics because I am a Pittsburgh Girl, and these are Steel town colors! I bought a bunch of fabric, so I also made myself another smaller bag for days I only run to the store and such. I chose to do a Lazy Girl Designs Margo. It's one of my favorites!

The bag just fits everything I need, wallet, diaper and wipes, chapstick and phone and a few other things.

Last week at piano lessons, Mrs. Donna my daughters piano teacher commented how much she liked the Margo. A few years ago I made her a music themed Lazy Girl Designs Claire for Christmas. After talking for a while, we came up with the idea of maybe putting a Claire and Margo together. When I got home I noticed the bags were the same size... which meant NO MATH to create a Margo-Claire MashUp!!

She wanted Season themed bags, and found these great fabrics at Joann. It was so easy. I just cut 1 piece for the Claire, so the upper part of the middle is the same as the side fabric. The lining I did as a Margo so it would zip.

fall bag... and

winter bag!

I am a huge fan of Lazy Girl Design bags, love how they sew up! I hope Mrs. Donna likes them!

Adjustable Strap bag pattern

I feel as if I am neglecting blogging :( School has started, my little man is now 19 months and into EVERYTHING, and I spend my free time in the sewing room.

This is my new bag... a cross body adjustable strap bag big enough for a day out with little man.

I made the front pocket a zippered pocket.

I put an elastic pocket on the side

Plus the strap is adjustable!

I wrote out the pattern for this bag and it is now for sale on etsy as the Cross Body Bag.

I found the fabric for this bag at a cool local sew shop, Sew Memphis.  They have a great selection of fabrics, and wonderful classes. Speaking of classes, I will be teaching there! Check out my classes coming up:

Fat Quarter Frenzy! a beginners class

Disguise Yourself Workshop -Halloween accessories for kids!

Childrens Quilting

at heart I am a teacher, and love sharing my passion for sewing with others! I hope you can join me!

-p-

Easy scrap baby quilt

If you are like me, you keep leftover fabric from each project. I take my scraps and cut them into 2.5 inch strips and 6.5 inch squares, since I use those most in kid quilts. Yesterday I grabbed a bunch of the strips and about an hour later I had one of these baby quilts (36 by 36).

It was super easy. I just randomly took 3 strips and sewed them together. After I had 8 sets of 3 I trimmed them to 6.5 inch squares. I took those squares and placed them in a rail fence pattern, putting them together to make 2 sets of 12.5 inch blocks. If you look close, there are 2 types of blocks. I layer these out in 3 rows of 3 alternating blocks. Easy Peasy!

 

Happy sewing!

 

For a Special Teacher

This is the project that has consumed me since February, when we found out Evie's second grade Spotlight teacher, Mrs. Roehm, was retiring. I thought it would be nice to do a small signature quilt for her from the second grade, so I asked a few other parents what they thought, and it blossomed into us getting signatures from not only the second grade, but also many of her former students! We took blocks to all the schools here, and then some former students stopped by my studio to sign. I also had a lot of former students email me signatures for the quilt. What impressed on me most was how LOVED she is. I heard over and over, "She was my favorite teacher! She believed in me! I still think of her!"

I feel blessed that Evie was able to have her. Evie helped a lot with the piecing of this quilt. We gave the quilt to her this afternoon after our field trip.

We are losing a great teacher this year, but I know she will enjoy her travels and time with her family. She has touched so many lives during her career. Bless you, Mrs. Roehm!


Happy Sewing Ya'll!

Toddler Time Take 2

I made another bag using the new Anna Maria Horner fabrics! A new store, Sew Memphis, has opened up in town and they are carrying Amy Butler and Anna Maria Horner and other Free Spirit designers! I have also written out the instructions on how to make this bag, and am selling the Toddler Time Diaper Bag Pattern on etsy.

If you want to purchase the pattern, use the coupon code sfncmay2012 for 20% off the pattern price until May 30th!

Happy Sewing!

Quilt for Auction

I have so many projects going on but can't post them just yet! I did just get this back from the long arm quilter,Quilts to a T! It is a quick easy 1600 quilt Teresa Pino from Quilts to a T and I are donating to the elementary school for the spring fling auction! The only issue with the 1600 pattern is it is really difficult to square the quilt!

Happy sewing!

Baby things!

I am preparing for my sister in laws baby shower in a few weeks, so things are a bit crazy! I love planning parties and will post pictures, but I am a bit of a perfectionist and try to do everything either handmade or bought from an artisan. I ordered the invitations from Hootsie on etsy, who does beautiful things with paper! A friend is making fancy cookies for favors! Now I just have to find game prizes and games!

Along with planning, I have just finished the gift, a Hawaiian themed diaper bag! 

I am working on the little accessories to go in the bag. The pattern I have used before, it's the Go Mama! Diaper Bag Pattern I found on etsy. LOVE this pattern. 

I have also been sewing for a few friends here with new ones, and tried my hand at these easy peasy little onesie dresses!

All they are is an extra long skirt (I did 3-6 month onesie and used a 22 inch strip for the skirt) sewn around the onesie. I stretched the onesie as I sewed, then added the little appliqué from the scrap fabric!

Happy sewing!

Diaper Bag Giveaway!

I started a Facebook page to go along with the blog, since I am trying to push myself to write more tutorials for my projects and share more of my sewing in hopes of learning more tricks and techniques! You can find me on Facebook at Southern Fried Northern Chic.

To help things along, I decided to do a giveaway for the Facebook page! Here are the details. Like the Facebook page.  That is all you have to do. If I can reach 100 likes by Sunday, April 2, one name will be picked at random from the Facebook page to win this....

Ta-Da! It is 14 wide by 12 high by 6 deep. the front pocket is one open pocket, perfect for keys!

The back has a zippered pocket.

The side stretchy pockets fit a sippy cup or an iphone!

The inside is lined with a variety of pockets!! There is a snap closure you can't see in the pictures!

Clothes for a little southern gentleman

One big difference I have noticed living down here is that parents take care in dressing their children (and themselves). A lot of what is typical southern would be considered too cutesy farther north, where moms would chose keens over mary janes, and headbands over hairbows. I have to admit, I love a lot of what is considered cutesy in children's clothes. I love smocking. I had never really seen it until we moved here, and I have dedicated HOURS of my life learning how to smock, and more productive hours shopping the consignment stores for smocked outfits! 

I have noticed some of  the other little southern gentlemen wearing outfits with their name embroidered on them, or a cute matching applique on the front. I started shopping around for them, and came to realize these adorable outfits start at about $35! Simple pants and a top! Sew.....

 I decided to make a few new outfits for Bubba. This one is my favorite, he wore it today! It was really hard getting the polo shirt in the embroidery hoop, but well worth it! The other outfits I chose tanks to go with, since it gets so hot here!

I even started to make bucket hats to match each one! Not that a toddler will keep a hat on his head!

. I found a free pant pattern online, along with the bucket hat pattern. All the fabric came from the scrap bin at Joann Fabrics. The shirts were from Walmart. It was hard to embroider  on the polo shirt, but I love how it came out! We went out today and I had a few moms ask where I found his outfit. I spent a grand total of about $15 and 3 hours of work for all three outfits!


I think I am going to make him a few john johns next!

Toddler Diaper Bag

Yeah!!! So this is my new diaper bag. I needed something bigger than a purse, but smaller than the massive diaper bag I had. I wanted sippy cup pockets on the side, and love the curved pockets on a lot of bags now, so this is what I came up with! It is my first design that is more complicated. I think I am going to try it out for a few days then maybe make the top band a little smaller.

I am so excited that this came out! a few weeks ago it was a sketch, then I calculated how big and came up with a rough pattern, then double checked the math on it, then yesterday I just jumped in! The back has a zippered pocket.

If I like it, I will add a tutorial in a few days!!! If not, back to the drawing board...

OK, so I looked at this bag and changed a few things up, this is the new version

The only difference is the band is only 2 inches instead of 4!

Daddy Diaper Bag Tutorial!

Sew... This is the Daddy Diaper Bag!

It's a big boat tote with lots of pockets, usually made out of sports fabrics. Hey, if it gets Dads to start carrying the 20 pounds of stuff needed for an outing with a baby, then it is worth it!

I usually buy 1 yard each of 3 fabrics. Lets say fabric 1 is the square gators, fabric 2 is the blue at the bottom (and lining) and fabric 3 is the orange. I buy extra to make accessories. ALL SEAMS ARE 1/4 inch!

Cut
Fabric 1
2 - 10 1/4 high by 21 wide
1 strip 10 1/2 for interior pockets

Fabric 2
2 - 21 wide by 18 high
2- 8 1/4 high by 21 wide

fabric 3
3 strips 4 1/2 inches
1 piece 12 high by 8 wide

Decor Bond fusible interfacing (or craft fuse)
1 inch wide strips for handles
2 - 10 1/4 high by 21 wide
2 - 21 wide by 18 high
2- 8 1/4 high by 21 wide

fuse interfacing to cut pieces. Prepare the handles by sewing the strips together. I do as if I was sewing binding.

After sewing the 3 strips together, take to ironing board and press in half, open, then press again.

place interfacing strip in one of the grooves, press again. Seam up both sides at about 1/8 inch. Then, to make 2 handles, fold in half and cut.

To make lining. Take your 10 1/2 inch strip, fold in half right sides together and seam. Pull right side out, press, and topstitch at the unseamed top. Cut in half, so you will have 2 pieces about 22 inches long each.

Mark a 2 1/2 inch square in the bottom corner. Cut out. Take a long ruler and with your marking tool mark a line 3/4 up from the corner cuts

Pin pocket along bottom line, stitch as close to bottom as you can. Then take your ruler and make pocket lines. I leave the pocket sizes up to you! Just make sure you stitch 1 or 2 stitches over the edge and tack it down really well.

When you are done, put the lining together. LEAVE AN OPENING AT THE BOTTOM TO TURN.  You can add a magnetic clasp if you want.

Fold your front pocket piece in half wrong sides together, and topstitch about 1/8 from top. Now it will be 6 tall by 8 wide. Take your top piece and fold in half, fold the pocket in half and match with the center of top piece, lining up the bottoms. Then take your handle and line up overtop the pocket,so the handle covers half of the pocket. Pin down. Make sure handle is not tangled!

take a ruler and mark the handles 2 inches from top. This will be your crosspoint.

Stitch up over top the handle stitch, cross over at the mark and sew back down the other seam. repeat for other side. reenforce the stitch at the top, since it will bear a lot of weight.

on the top backside, line up the handles to they are the same width apart as the other piece, and assemble in the same manner.

Then sew the bottom and top together. Press towards the bottom and topstitch at 1/8 inch.

Then cut the 2 1/2 inch squares out of the bottom sides. assemble outer bag. Pin bag outer and lining right sides together, turn and topstitch.

Hope this was helpful!