When I saw Rae’s preview of her new fabric line months ago, I knew that come this fall I would have to have it! Foxes, elephants, and bunting all in organic cotton flannel…need I say more? Thankfully right after it came out, Pink Castle Fabrics had an amazing 30% off sale and I stocked up! Got enough for some pjs for the boys, pj pants for me, and a little extra for other misc. projects that come up needing soft, cozy fabrics. 🙂

I have been so busy that I hadn’t had a chance to dig into them yet but determined to make something with them this week after seeing Rae’s Fanfare blogger’s tour full of amazing ideas!

I have to admit that Eliot’s outfit is a partial copy of probably actually… I had already planned on making him the pants but loved her idea with the onesie applique to go with. Eliot’s pants are the Oliver + S bedtime story pajama pants. Love the coordinating waistband and hems on this pant pattern.

Oliver’s pants are Rae’s Parsley Pants… (double Rae factor with the fabric and pattern 🙂 ) One note on the pants: when I went to pull out the pattern, I realized I never printed the final version- I just have the tester version which is a bit baggier than the final version. However the cut is perfect for pajama bottoms so I went ahead and used it. Also Oliver picked out his elephant fabric all by himself. I bought enough of the elephants and foxes that he had several choices, (in fact I had planned on using the gray elephants for him) and I asked him several times which fabric he wanted. Every time he asked for the blue elephants. I am finding it fun that he now has an opinion about what I make him- although I know that works in reverse too!

I just love the softness of this flannel! I want to keep the boys in their pajamas all day! Now if only someone could tell me the trick of how to get a good photoshoot with a toddler and a baby, I’d be all set! Also the settings were weird on my camera and I couldn’t quite fix them so everything is a bit pixelated. Boo! 😦

I have more fanfare set aside to make pajama pants for me and hope I can find the time to get to that very soon!! By the way, these outfits were done just in time to coordinate with no big dill’s sew all 26 letter F!

And we’re back! That was a bit of an unintended, extended break, but we are back up and running folks! Wanna see what’s been taking up all my time and energy?

Yep, you got it…another little rugrat will be running around our house come June. And we are excited to announce that it is yet another boy child so let the boy crafting keep coming! No ruffles and bows at this house, peeps. Having an active toddler running around while going through the loveliness that is pregnancy sure has set me back a bit. However crafting must still go on and I am excited to get back into this space and share some fun projects I have been working on. To begin with, let’s just do a quick recap of what’s happened since I last visited this space. Most of the pics will be instagram since these were all captured on the go.

First: CRAFT FAIRS

I was in two craft fairs. The first craft fair was a small, local affair and I must admit to being a bit disappointed at the amount of money I made for all the work involved. The second craft fair was located just a little ways from me in Columbia, SC and turned out to be a huge success! I loved everything about the Crafty Feast and hope to make it an annual event! My thoughts on craft fairs- they are tons of work, but if you pick the right one, the outcome can be quite good. I think I will pick one or two a year to focus on because any more than that is too much time for this part-time crafty mama.

My first little craft fair booth

Second craft fair- notice the new contraption the hubs made me to keep my hoops on. This worked out great!

Next: CHRISTMAS CRAFTS

I didn’t set too many goals for Christmas crafting because my last craft fair was December 15 and I knew that I wouldn’t have much time for handmade gifts this year. I did manage to make a few things though. I made a little side table topper for my mother to match a vintage quilt in her guest room. This was a fun, easy little project. I used a quarter square triangle tutorial to make a version of the Ohio Star block

The other big Christmas gift I managed to make was a Clemson quilt for my brother. This was a joint venture with my parents. They asked me if I would make the quilt if they provided all the materials. I don’t have any pictures of the finished quilt- seriously, how terrible is that? However, I made the quilt was a copy of the one I made my dad for Father’s Day so I’ll cheat and show you a picture of that one as an example.

That about wraps it up for now. I am hosting a baby shower at my house this weekend and I cannot wait to show you the cute decorations we have made in preparation for this shower. However, the decor is a surprise to the mama-to-be so I shall have to wait till next week to reveal the cuteness. 🙂 I will be back later this week to show some fun house projects that I have completed in anticipation of all the visitors that will be here on Saturday.

This past week has been quite full…. family time, a sick little man, car trips, hand quilting, and practicing new skills. I so enjoyed the family time we had with the hub’s extended family, but I am very happy to be back in my own house and on a normal schedule again! Since we’ve been back, the poor little man has not been feeling well and has needed extra momma time- resulting in less sewing time for me. Oh well, he’s only little for a short time, so I need to enjoy every minute, right? I did sneak some time in during our 8 hour drive home to finish the hand-quilting on my quilt. Just have to add the binding and it’s done! I have also been working on some new projects that I hope will turn into more of a lucrative venture for me… more to come on that if it works out!

A photo collage of said activities…

my nephews and their handmade vests

new fun project!

rough day on the job

hand quilting- check!

I’m in; are you? It’s kid’s clothes week challenge time! I have decided that after a month of selfish sewing for the spring top sewalong, I need a push to work on some kid’s clothes. I will be making some things for Oliver, but I also will be stockpiling gifts for upcoming baby showers. I always have great hopes of making handmade gifts for baby showers but, more often than not, run out of time to put these ideas into concrete form. The goal for this challenge is to spend one hour a day working on your projects. To join, add a comment on elsie’s post. Check out her flickr group to see what amazing things others have made in past years. I’m hoping to gather more inspiration as I peruse this group. I will have to utilize nap time wisely in order to accomplish this challenge because I also have a special little boy’s 1st birthday party to plan! Oh where has time gone? I will pop back in several times this week to show you my progress on my to-do list.

Here’s my list for this week. It’s a bit ambitious, but reach for the skies, right?

Baby gifts

• Several circle skirts from Dana’s tutorial
• Baby bibs

For Oliver

• Reversible Vests (for church)
• Summer shorts- I haven’t decided yet on exact pattern but I plan on shortening a pants pattern= either the treasure pocket pants or AMH quick change trousers
• Bow ties
• Birthday crown

Morning nap is in progress…off I go to sew! Here’s a few pictures for inspiration.

Easter vest

Treasure Pocket Pants

Last year’s quick change trousers/shorts