Reflecting on 2022 and Embracing 2023

In some ways 2022 felt awesome and in some it felt like a bust. So I've been trying to think on the things I'm proud about 2022.

• Budgeting | After getting ourselves into a major financial pickle, I decided to change how we handle finances. Now I do weekly budgeting and bills. I cried a lot at first, but it's gotten easier. (But no more enjoyable, let me tell you what.) We're finally out of the red and in the process of rebuilding our emergency fund. We also worked really hard to fund our mission trip to Singapore and Malaysia, and God truly provided. I will continue weekly budgeting, building our emergency fund, and working on some new financial goals, along with raising funds for another Singapore/Malaysia trip in December.
• Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping | This is still a work in progress, but I feel like I've come a long way this year. Due to having a grocery budget, I have to be more mindful in my grocery purchases, which means I have to plan more. I'm not a natural planner, so this isn't the easiest thing for me, but it's getting easier. I'm realizing I need to handle things the way they work for me... not how someone else does it. This has given me freedom. I don't meal plan or shop perfectly, but it works for me, and that's good enough. 
• Reading my Bible | I found a plan that works for me, so that's what I do every year. (The one year I tried to do something different was awful! ha!) I was very happy to read my Bible through in 2022.
• Crafting | This year I started and completed four quilts for friends and family: Julianne and Sarah got wedding quilts and my grandparents got quilts for Christmas. I know I made some dresses, too, but the only one on the top of my head is the yellow one I made before we went to North Carolina. I did a lot of sewing and I really enjoyed it.
• Reading | I read 43 books this year. In 2021 I read 100 (a bucket list item for me). While it was doable, it was difficult and cut into time for other things. I averaged my books read per year for the last 10 years (I've been on Goodreads keeping up with my books read for that long) and the average was 40, so that was my 2022 goal. Super doable without having to try too hard.

This year I want to focus more on habits and less on goals. 

Habits I want to continue in 2023:

• Budgeting
• Grocery planning
• Daily Bible reading, devotion, and Jesus time - I purchased a new Bible! It's the same daily reading Bible I've used for 15 years (my copy is a little worse for wear) but it has room for journaling! It should come in today!
• Reading - This year's goal is 45 books. I also got some new earbuds so I'd like to listen to more audiobooks while I sew (if this bodes well, I'll raise my goal to 50)

Habits I want to create in 2023:

• Move more: Be it walking or yoga, I want to incorporate moving 3x per week. I've realized it's less about an end goal and more about reminding myself today why I should move today. I always feel better after stretching or walking. 
• Turn Sunday into Sabbath by incorporating these things:
• Weekly devotion and prayer time with Casey
• review Wednesday night kids' lesson
• choose a Christian book for Sunday reading
• Gather verses for a "take what you need" instagram story to encourage others
• No social media once I return home from church
• Home: I'd like to work on some house cleaning habits, but I don't know what that looks like yet, so I'm still thinking on it.

I know I've been talking habits, but I do have some crafting goals for the year. This year, I plan to make some quilts for others, but also finish some I'm making for myself. I only have one quilt I've made and I often wish I had a few more. I plan to finish and/or start:

• Fresh as a Daisy (I think I'm about halfway through the blocks)
• Picnic in the park (also probably about halfway)
• t-shirt quilt (haven't started, but want to finish in time to take to SALT in June)
• Summer Pop by Lo and Behold (I purchased the kit when it went on sale--would also love to have this one for summer)
• The tops for the following are done so they just need to be quilted:
• Eye Spy
• Scrappy Summer Quilt Along
• Vintage top I thrifted
• the Happy quilt (pink and yellow patchwork)
• bed quilt (which I accidentally made too big so some of it needs to be removed)

Another exciting thing for 2023: We are starting the adoption process! We've always known we wanted to adopt children, and it feels like the right time to start the process. I'll be looking into enrolling us into an orientation class for foster to adopt soon. I know this process will likely be a long one, but we are excited to start this journey.

Cabin Nights Quilt Along

I recently joined a quilt along to make a quilt for my Gramma for Christmas. I made a quilt for my Grampa too--an Irish chain quilt in LSU colors--that came together very quickly. This one is more time consuming but I'm SOOO excited about making it! My mom helped me put together a bundle of fabric and I love it so much. Here are some photos of the last few weeks. I still need to finish this week's assignment, so I'm gonna remove a kitten from my dining table (kitten foster parent probs), put away my lunch dishes, and go sew! 

Wedding Quilts for my Besties

Two of my besties, Julianne and Sarah, got married this year! Julianne married my brother-in-law in January and Sarah married Zach (whom I've known since he was a child) in March. I wanted to make them each a wedding quilt, and I just finished Sarah's and Zach's, so I want to share them!

Julianne and Caleb's Quilt

This turned out to be the coziest quilt because the backing is a super soft sheet I thrifted. This quilt was made entirely from scraps and recycled materials, which is my fave kind of quilt. Every fabric has a story, and some of the fabrics were given to me by Julianne. As a fabric and second-hand collector herself, I knew Julianne would love it. She's assured me it's been plenty loved already.

Sarah and Zach's Quilt

I LOVE how this turned out. I did buy fabric for it because I wanted it to be in colors that went with their home, but I also wanted it to have a somewhat scrappy feel, so I did all the hearts in different fabrics. They're mostly from JoAnn, but some were already in my collection. The heart is from the Heirloom Hearts quilt by Lo and Behold Stitchery. I love that pattern, but didn't want to make the 9-patch blocks. 

The patchwork backing was not in the original plan. I was originally on task to finish this quilt before the wedding, but got sick and couldn't finish in time. While hanging out with Sarah the week before the wedding, she randomly showed me a patchwork quilt while she was scrolling Pinterest, so I thought it would be cool to make the backing of her quilt inspired by that photo. I used the scraps from the fat quarters I'd bought (a lovely way to reuse them since they aren't my style) plus some others in my scrap bins. I adore how this turned out and will probably do more patchwork quilts/backings in an attempt to use up some of my scraps.

Currently Sewing #2

I really love these posts because it helps me realize what I've actually accomplished and what I need to prioritize in the sewing room.

Recently Finished

Pink Everyday Dress

This dress turned out simple and cute just like I wanted. The problem? I have no idea what the fabric content is but there is no way it's cotton. It's pretty hot. So now I want to find some pink cotton and make another pink everyday dress.

Strawberry Dress

This is my new favorite dress and currently my most favorite thing I've ever made. My goal was to finish it in time for the Strawberry Fest last month, but we were making and selling cookies and I had no time to finish the dress. BUT it does not need to be Strawberry Fest for me to wear this adorable dress!

Maisel's Harness

This turned out so cute! It's a little small for her (I based it off a harness she already had but... she's gained a little weight). 

Working on

White floral dress

I thrifted this cute fabric thinking it would make a cute quilt back. Until I saw Amanda from ModernJuneCleaver make a dress out of the same fabric. And then I realized this fabric was meant to be a dress. I'm still working on the bodice (currently finishing off the neckline). The sleeves are going to be puffy. I've been thinking about doing a few layers of the skirt, but it depends on how much fabric I've got left. So... I guess future me will be able to tell you later what I chose!

Sarah and Zach's Quilt

While I was hanging out with Sarah during wedding prep, she came across a cute patchwork quilt on Pinterest that she showed me. She had no idea I had that same photo pinned, and I decided to use it as inspiration and make a patchwork backing for her quilt. Now, this definitely added A LOT of time to construction, but I think it is fun and was an amazing way to use up a bunch of scraps, especially since most of the fabrics I'd chosen for her quilt weren't my style and I was wondering what I was gonna do with them. I might start doing more patchwork quilt backs as a way to use more scraps!

Eye spy Quilt

Still an ongoing project. I felt like working on it a little yesterday and got another block finished and a few blocks sewn together. This will probably be a fave quilt when it's done.

Things on my to-do list

Summer Scrappy QAL: Yeah I haven't worked on this one. Maybe once Sarah and Zach's quilt is done I'll pull this one out and spend an afternoon on it.

Finish vintage quilt top: I thrifted a vintage quilt top (I think it's made of flour sacks) and I want to turn it into a quilt. I think I may skip the batting so it can be a thin summer quilt, perfect for picnics. I need to pick backing fabric and binding.

Finish cutting Fresh as a Daisy quilt: I started this a long time ago. There is so. much. cutting. I need to just make a few blocks to get the momentum going. But probably I should focus on one quilt at a time.

Did I mention I started a log cabin quilt too? It's been a while back and I had 4 blocks finished. It will be a cool quilt when I finish, but it's def not a priority now.

Mending pile: I don't even wanna talk about it.

Currently Sewing #1

I tried to make a list of all the sewing projects I did in 2021 and I got a pretty good ways... but I'm not sure I actually remembered everything I made. So here's what I've sewed in 2022 and what I'm working on.

Finished:

Scrappy Blue Irish Chain for Julianne and Caleb

I wanted to make a quilt for my bestie and brother-in-law for a wedding present, so I went with a scrappy blue Irish chain quilt. It was so fun because there is a story for every fabric--some of them were ones that Julianne gave me! It's backed with a super soft sheet and is so cozy!

Jon Fav(th)reau Quilt Top

I was inspired to work on clearing out my scrap bins so I dug into the pinks and yellows to piece together a fun, simple quilt top. I told Casey it was made with happy colors and he said, "Happy like Jon Favreau?" I thought it was funny so I'm calling this the Jon Fav(th)reau quilt. I need to buy batting for it and quilt/bind it.

Working on: 

Pink everyday dress

Literally all I have to do is hem and then finish the raw edges where the top and skirt meet. I'm excited to have a pink everyday dress!

Maisel's Harness

We have a cute harness for Maisel that looks like a dress, but it is a winter harness (made with velvet and lined with fleece) so she needs a summer version. I made a pattern from the harness we have and only have a few more things to finish it up. I'm making it out of some strawberry fabric I had (not the strawberry fabric I bought--see below) and a vintage pink gingham pillow case.

Scrappy Summer Quilt Along -- 2020

Yes, I started this quilt top in 2020 as part of a quilt along... it's still not finished. I'm getting there though! This entire quilt has to be laid out to work on it, so I tend to grab an easier project when I feel like sewing. This was the quilt that first inspired me to learn to quilt, so I'm not mad about it. I hope to finish it before this summer... we'll see.

Eye Spy Quilt

I started on this one last year, inspired by Gigis_Thimble. This is such a great way to use those little scraps--every square is cut at 2 inches and finishes at 1.5 inch. This is the perfect project when I just feel like sewing for a little bit--I don't have to pull out all the blocks and can just start sewing a colorful square to a white square. I love playing with all my fabric scraps! I really think I'm gonna love this quilt, and I might always have a similar quilt in the works as a way to use up those tiny scraps. There is no hurry to this quilt--I will likely be working on it for a while, and that's okay.

Sarah and Zach's Wedding Quilt

I was on schedule to finish this quilt (a modified Heirloom Hearts quilt by Lo and Behold Stitchery) before I had to leave town for the wedding, but then I got sick and wasn't able to finish it. I considered bringing it with me to finish but decided it would be okay for them to receive their quilt late. I didn't have to haul my entire sewing room on a five-hour drive and I'm able to be more present as I'm helping with wedding prep. I've got all the hearts sewn and just have to do top assembly, quilting, and binding.

Fabric Acquisitions 

-white and cream sheets to use for quilts (thrifted)

-white sheet with cute flowers on it--will be a cute quilt back (thrifted)

-Pink floral sheets that are the exact same as I have on my bed (I LOVE them) that I got at Dirt Cheap for half the price (originally from Target). I love these things so much and I'm sure they will find their way into a quilt. Maybe I should buy another set and turn it into a dress???

-Fabric for Sarah and Zach's quilt (navy background, a mix of blues, greens, yellows, and terra cottas for the hearts -- all from JoAnn) (blue floral fabric from Hobby Lobby for binding)

-strawberry fabric from Hobby Lobby - it's PINK and has strawberries on it and was 40% off. I wanted about 4 yards but decided to just buy what was left on the bolt. I think it's around 6 yards. I plan to make a flowy dress out of it which will be perfect for summer and the upcoming Strawberry Festival. I don't know what I'll do with the leftovers but I'll definitely come up with something!

From Besties to Sisters!

This weekend by brother-in-law Caleb (Casey's brother) married Julianne, my bestie since we were 14. So now my bestie is my sister! Their wedding was so beautiful and held in this adorable little chapel in Opelousas, LA. 

But let's get down to the important thing. Julianne MADE her wedding dress. Like, designed it and everything. It is so stunning!!!! Were we still making adjustments to it the morning of the wedding? Yes, yes we were. Did it turn out absolutely perfect? Yes, yes it did. 

Also, she wore a stunning vintage crown that she picked up on Etsy for a grand total of $18. The word I used to describe it is iconic. 

She also wore my wedding veil as her something borrowed, so that was very special. :) 

Okay now, onto photos. Some are mine but most I stole from other people off Facebook and Instagram.

Christmas Outfits

I love dressing festive! As soon as December 1 comes around, it's time to pull out all the red and green! I've decided I don't want to wait until I'm an old lady to wear all the fun, tacky Christmas outfits. Unfortunately we've had mostly hot weather this month, so I didn't get to wear my sweaters as much as I wanted, but I did my best to dress festive anyway. Here are some of my Christmas outfits!

My candy cane sweater unfortunately made too few appearances this Christmas, but I still love it!

sweater: thrifted

skirt: Old from Forever 21

I made this Christmas tree skirt two years ago and get compliments on it every time I wear it! Worn with thrifted top and shoes.

Thrifted top, me-made skirt, and... sandals. Sigh. Christmas in Louisiana. (It was hot that night.)

Love this thrifted sweater! (It's even better because my name is Joy.)

This is probably my favorite Christmas look this year. Sweater and plaid skirt are thrifted and the hat was my mom's--it's vintage now.

Me-made gingerbread apron! My kitchen gets decked out in gingerbread for the Christmas season, so I couldn't help but pick up this fabric to make a festive apron.

Thrifted Star Wars Christmas t-shirt (if next year's Christmas is anything like this year's, I need to thrift more Christmas t-shirts) and me-made skirt. I wore those antlers to many events--they're much cooler than the hot Santa hat! Unfortunately they broke at the Christmas parade when someone on a float threw Mardi Gras beads to me. (Because Christmas parades in South Louisiana are include people throwing candy and beads and plastic cups and end with Santa being pulled by a tractor.)

My mom bought me this beautiful green dress from Dainty Jewell's. I love that I can wear it any time of year but the color is quite festive for December. Worn with cute boots that I thrifted for a few bucks.

My Christmas day outfit featuring the birthday cake I made for Jesus! The top is secondhand (I can't remember if I thrifted it or if a friend gave it to me) and the skirt was made by me out of a thrifted tablecloth.

My First Quilt!!

Last year, I spontaneously decided to join a quiltalong, despite the fact I'd never quilted before. Over a year later... that quilt top is still not finished. (Unfortunately I'm not liking how it's turning out. Pic below.)

BUT over a year later... I've completed a different quilt!

So... meet my first quilt! (Our foster kitten Louie is doing such a good job showing it off.)

Pattern

The pattern is the Homecoming Quilt by Lo and Behold Stitchery. I've been obsessed with this quilt pattern since the first time I saw it and knew I had to make it. The pattern was so thorough and easy to follow--exact cutting guides, which way to press the seams. A great pattern, and it turned out so beautifully.

Fabric

All of the fabrics in this quilt are recycled fabrics. Several were sheets I'd thrifted to make Bible costumes from, but I ended up not needing as many costumes as I thought and had a pile of fabric left over. The backing is also a thrifted sheet that is originally from JC Penney. The backing fabric inspired my fabric choices for the quilt top. I would have chosen different colors had I been buying new fabric, but I think that's part of the fun of using recycled materials--creating things I wouldn't have thought of otherwise!

Batting

I used Hobb's Heirloom Premium cotton batting (which is 80% cotton and 20% polyester) and bought it in a package that contained batting for a twin sized quilt. It was on sale and the lady at Hobby Lobby (unfortunately the only "quilting shop" my town has) told me she didn't know anything about quilting, so I was a little intimidated to buy batting by the yard without guidance. Maybe next time I'll have the courage! I was grateful it wasn't too thick because I worried that my quilt sandwich would be too thick for my little machine to handle.

Making the Quilt

I didn't make the quilt all at once, but rather spread the work out over several weeks. I cut all the fabric over a day or so, then would make two to four blocks a day. It took about two weeks to make the blocks, then one day I sat down and sewed them all together. The quilt top was done! Then I set it aside and worked on other projects until I got batting (and courage) to put it all together.

For this quilt, I decided not to think too hard--just do it. So I definitely did some things wrong. The backing is super bunchy because I didn't properly tape it down while I made my quilt sandwich. It's okay. The quilt is still super cozy. But it is definitely an area I want to improve in in the future, especially if I make quilts to gift to others. 

The actual quilting isn't the best. I don't have a walking foot for my machine and didn't want to buy one because I plan to buy a new sewing machine in the next few months. A walking foot probably would have made it easier, and definitely would have made my stitches look nicer. Again, I wasn't going for perfect on this quilt---I just wanted to do it! My little Singer Simple is definitely not an ideal machine to use for quilting with just 5.5 inches of throat space, and, as I said, I really should have used a walking foot. 

I thought the quilting part would take FOREVER, which is part of the reason I kept putting off the quilting, but it only ended up taking a few hours. I basted and quilted the quilt in one day. (On my birthday! My 30th birthday. It was the perfect way to spend the day.)

After it was quilted, I decided to make a tag for the quilt. Many quilters say you should always add a tag, so I hand embroidered one! I LOVE how it turned out. I love embroidery and look forward to adding embroidered tags to more quilts in the future. After sewing on the tag, it was time for the last step--binding!

The hardest part was the binding. I've used binding before on clothing and purses, but quilt binding is applied completely differently! I had to watch and read several tutorials to make sure I understood how to apply it correctly. Thankfully, the binding process didn't actually take all that long, and I believe it will go faster (and more neatly) in the future with a walking foot.

Quilting Resources I Used

I have learned everything about quilting (and sewing) from YouTube, Instagram, and books I've checked out from the library. Here are some helpful resources I've used:

Quilting Tip: Scant 1/4 inch - Diary of a Quilter (blog post)

Basting the Quilt Sandwich - Fat Quarter Shop (YouTube)

Straight Line Quilting for Beginners - Fat Quarter Shop (YouTube)

How to Machine Bind Your Quilt - Lo and Behold (blog post)

The Best Machine Binding Method Part 1 - Melanie Ham (YouTube)

The Best Machine Binding Method Part 2 - Melanie Ham (YouTube)

Quilt as You Go Made Modern - Jera Brandvig (Book) (I don't like the actual quilt patterns in this book but really like the binding tutorial.)

Quilt as You Go Made Vintage - Jera Brandvig (Book) (I LOVE the quilt designs in this book.)

Things I Love: Sewing Edition

Another Things I Love and this time it's about a thing I love--sewing! I got into sewing at the beginning of 2019. I've made many skirts (you can check out my first skirt here and my lemon skirt here), some produce bags, a reversible baby bib, and have hemmed several secondhand skirts and dresses. (You can see my 2020 sewing recap here and all my sewing posts here.)

Bohin wrist pincushion. I shared this on my Things I Love September post, but it's for sure worth mentioning again as it is my favorite sewing tool. I love keeping my pins on my wrist and this pincushion is comfortable to wear. And stylish too, which is an added bonus.

Snips. When watching YouTube tutorials, I often see sewists using snips instead of scissors to trim their threads and I never really understood why. Until I started making face masks and was clipping threads VERY OFTEN. At first I used my embroidery scissors, then on a supply run I grabbed a pair of snips. Y'all. These things are AMAZING. Especially if you do a lot of sewing.

Dritz Easy Grap Pins. I love these purple pins! I picked them up at Hobby Lobby (on clearance for super duper cheap) when I first started sewing because I wasn't a huge fan of the pins that my mom gave me with my sewing machine. (They were fully metal without a big end to grab.) I've really liked these. At some point I ended up with a few regular pins with the colorful ball on the end but I like my purple ones better. The unique shape at the end is comfortable to grab and easy to use. However, if you like to iron over pins, get the glass ones. (I accidentally ironed over one the other day.)

Spool holder. At first I thought this was a want and not a need until I got SO TIRED of digging through the gallon sized zipper bag for a spool of thread and a matching bobbin. But I'm a cheapskate and kept putting off buying one. I don't know why. I think mine was $10 at Walmart. I love having it on my sewing table! Especially when I was constantly switching thread colors making masks. It also makes me feel like a real sewist, having it on my craft table behind my sewing machine.

Hot Ruler. Another want and not a need, but I really like being able to iron right over this ruler when I'm pressing a seam allowance. I picked this up at a local sewing shop and use it all the time!

2020 Sewing Recap

I didn't realize how many items I created this year until I made a list. I thought it would be fun to do a post with everything I sewed this year! 

Masks

Casey and I made about 350 masks in March and April. Shockingly, this didn't kill my sewjo, but I was so sick of making masks and happy to work on some fun projects instead!

Skirts

Paris Skirt 

My grandma gave me this fabric and it's so cute! I bought the gingham fabric for the waistband for a bit of contrast and love how it turned out. 

Pattern: McCalls 6706 (I added 4 inches of length and a pocket)

Fabric: I think the Paris fabric is from Walmart, but I'm not sure. Waistband fabric is from Hobby Lobby.

Map skirt 

I've always wanted a map skirt and decided to make my own! Unfortunately I made this one (and the Paris one) a size too small and haven't gotten much wear out of it because it's uncomfortably tight. 

Pattern: McCalls 6706 (I added 4 inches of length and a pocket) 

Fabric: Quilting Cotton from Hobby Lobby

Plane Skirt 

As it turns out, this isn't my style and I don't wear this skirt a whole lot. But it's still cute!

Pattern: Gathered skirt using Gertie's tutorial with an added pocket

Fabric: thrifted bedsheet

Floral skirt

I love how this skirt turned out! It's such a pretty fabric. This was also my first make to include a label! I found some vintage labels with my name (Joy) and have had fun including them in my projects.

Pattern: McCalls 6706 (I added 4 inches of length and a pocket)

Fabric: Hobby Lobby on clearance. I got it for $3 a yard!

Burnt orange skirt

I wanted a fall skirt and this fit the bill! I wore it a lot during fall.

Pattern: Gathered skirt using Gertie's tutorial with an added pocket

Fabric: Quilting cotton from Hobby Lobby

Yellow Buffalo Plaid skirt

This was my birthday skirt! I saw the fabric at Hobby Lobby and planned to go get it to make this skirt for my birthday... then we were exposed to Covid and had to quarantine, so I didn't get to make this until after my birthday. Oh well--I still got to enjoy it!

Pattern: Gathered skirt using Gertie's tutorial with an added pocket

Fabric: Quilting cotton from Hobby Lobby

Christmas Plaid Skirt 

This was my last make of the year! I finished it up between sewing Christmas presents and actually didn't finish hand sewing the waistband until Christmas Eve. We woke up to a White Christmas and it was so magical!

Pattern: McCalls 6706 (I added 4 inches of length and a pocket)

Fabric: Thrifted tablecloth

Dresses/Pinafores

Red Gingham Dress 

My bestie Julianne challenged me to make a dress. She came over and we started a sewalong at 9:00 at night and finished around 2:00 the next morning. I LOVE this dress and wear it all the time. It's so comfy. 

Pattern: Cora Half Sleeve Linen Dress (free pattern) with darts

Adjustments: After making the dress, I decided the bodice was longer than I like. So with much trial and error, I shortened it. I also used my own gathered skirt pattern and added pockets. Omitted keyhole and button on the back. I think I also shortened the sleeves.

Fabric: From Julianne

Blue Dress 

This is the only photo I have of this one because I just don't wear it much. There's something about the fit that I just don't like. I think it has to do with the sleeves? I need to take it out and try to make some changes to it so I will like it!

Pattern: Cora Half Sleeve Linen Dress (free pattern)

Adjustments: I made the bodice shorter and used the version without the darts. I also used my own gathered skirt pattern and added pockets. Omitted keyhole and button on the back. 

Fabric: From Julianne

Apple pinafore 

I kept seeing the Fleur pinafore on Instagram and had to get the pattern and try it myself! I had like 5 yards of this apple fabric and decided to give it a shot. It turned out so cute! I made a few mistakes (like stitching in the incorrect place for the button placket, see above), but nothing too noticeable. This was my first time doing buttons and buttonholes and there were EIGHT.

Pattern: Untitled Thoughts Fleur Pinafore

Adjustments: I added an inch to the bodice, and I'm not sure why. It wasn't necessary. I also added some length.

Fabric: Casey's grandmother gave this to me.

Buttons: Hobby Lobby

Burnt Orange pinafore 

The apple one was so cute that I had to make another one! This was probably my most-worn piece this fall. It's so cute and perfectly fall. After the apple one, I realized how confusing it was to have the same fabric for both the outer layer and the lining, so I used a fun rainbow stripe pattern to line the top. I also made the top in a smaller size (size 2) but kept the skirt the same size (size 6). The yellow buttons on the side are vintage! I also added pockets to this one. I wasn't sure if I'd like the look of them, but I do. Plus... pockets. 

Pattern: Untitled Thoughts Fleur Pinafore

Adjustments: Added length; Did crisscross straps for the back and omitted back panel. 

Buttons: Strap buttons from Hobby Lobby; side buttons are vintage

Other

Purses

I've made three Full Moon circle purses and of course have no photos of any of them. I've got two more in the works. These were Christmas presents for friends.

Bunny

I made this bunny for my niece's first birthday. It turned out very cute! The pattern was free from a book I borrowed from the library, and it wasn't a very well written pattern. There were a few times that the instructions were so unclear that I just had to figure it out as I went. Very disappointing. But ultimately it turned out adorable.

Pattern: From the Sunday Sews book; I had to do my own thing for the dress because I never figured out the instructions. 

Fabric: Gray linen from Hobby Lobby; dress fabric was thrifted; dress lining made out of her mom's pillow case from when she was a baby

Neckties

I discovered this necktie tutorial and have made like 8 ties! Most were for Casey, but some were for friends and family. This is a quick sew and comes together beautifully. It is a great beginner project. Casey loves having unique ties, so we always keep an eye out for cool fabric when we're shopping. (Btw, the filter I used on this photo makes the fabric look a little weird.)

Pattern: MADE Everyday Necktie. She goes through the entire process in this video and it's so easy to follow! She explains how to create your own pattern, but I decided to buy hers. Totally worth it! It comes with both the skinny and regular tie options. Casey prefers the skinny ties, but I have used the normal size pattern for gifts.

Fabric: Chateau Sew and Sew in New Orleans (They had such cute fabric!)

Princess Anna Costume

By far my favorite and most time consuming make of the year!! I've wanted a Princess Anna costume since Frozen came out, and now that I know how to sew, I had to make one myself! Eventually I want to thrift a light blue top and embellish it to be even more like her costume.

Vest: I thrifted a velvet jacket and turned it into a vest, then added gold bias tape and hand sewed the embellishment. 

Skirt: Made a gathered skirt (with an Olaf pocket!) and then added some darts to take away some bulk from the waistband. The motifs were made with heat and bond and it worked very well! (I tried fabric paint and it didn't look as nice)

Cape: This was the biggest experiment and I am THRILLED with the results. I got a lot of inspiration from this tutorial but did not use any patterns. I made some mock ups before cutting it out of my fabric. I made the cape really wide so I could actually wrap it around me to stay warm.

Fabric: Fabric for skirt and cape were from JoAnn's. Fabric for motifs and fold bias tape was from Hobby Lobby. Cape clasp was from Walmart.

I want this costume to be an ongoing project. As I progress with my sewing skills, I'd like to update pieces or recreate them completely. I really want to work on the motifs on the bodice (it's hard tell in the photos, but it's crooked) and add some more details to the cape. I'd also like to get more of the pink fabric to make her hat. I used almost every bit of the 5 yards I bought for the cape!

Current Projects

• Two Full Moon Bags | I still have two to make for Christmas presents. All the fabric is cut and prepped, so now I just have to sew them.
• Striped Corduroy Fleur Pinafore | I'm so excited about this one! All the pieces are cut and interfaced and I think I finished the top part of it. 
• Quilt top | I'm making a rainbow scrap quilt (because I love to not waste fabric) and I'm about halfway done with the quilt top. 

Whew! That's a lot! I really had no idea I made that many things this year.  I never planned to learn to sew, but it has been one of the most fun creative ventures I've done. It's so rewarding and I really enjoy it. Here's to another year! It will be so fun to look back in another year and see what all I've made!

A Zoo in the Sewing Room

As promised, here are photos of our pets hanging out in the sewing room over the last few weeks. The orange cat is Tigger, the gray cat is Sushi, and the dog is Oxford.

They all love to find a pile of fabric to sleep on. Oxford has his bed in there, but sometimes Sushi steals it. Tigger usually prefers to sleep on the sewing table, but can also be found in the corner on top of some papers I need to go through.

The cats often find fabric to play with (half the time it is attached to my current work in progress) and somewhere in there they have hidden a ball that makes bird noises. We hear it squeak on occasion.

The cats bring so much fun into the room! And Oxford mostly just enjoys napping. :) It's kind of a perfect life.