Little Girls Big Style

I am so excited that my husband gave me this book for Christmas.  I have been drooling over it ever since I saw it in a blog tour giveaway.  I didn't win the book, so my kind-hearted husband bought it for me instead at Hobby Lobby (and used a 40% coupon of course).  Unfortunately all the blog giveaways for this book are closed, but you can still read interviews and inspirations from the author, Mary Abreu.  Check out Mary's blog too.  She is a talented lady.

The book features 4 basic parts of clothing.

basic bodice

peasant top/dress

pants

skirts 

The variations that can be made with these four sections are amazing.  I can't wait to make some for Little K.  She is going to be sassin' around in style.  Here are a couple of my favorites.

Classic No-Hem Peasant Dress

Twirly Girly Skirt

I love this book!

Free Patterns from Homespun Threads

All patterns are free right now from Homespun Threads.  I selected a few that interest me, like her giant baby shoe package and a couple of purses.  I can't wait to try them!  Just become a follower of Homespun Threads and pick the patterns you want for free.  What a generous offer!  Find the patterns here.

More Handmade Gifts

I love to sew (did I really say that mom?) and I love to hemstitch.  I decided to give my almost 1 year old niece a toddler bib and a snap bib.  I already had these 2 bibs hemstitched and so I sat and crocheted around them last night and this morning.  It probably took about 4 hours for both bibs.  I do not crochet as fast as my mother.  We once had a competition and she crocheted an entire blanket for the time it took me to crochet around a doll burp cloth.  Pathetic!

I tried to get the model to cooperate, but I wasn't expecting the sassy hands on the hips.

The toddler bib covers not only the front, but the shoulders as well.  Great for the head to toe eater!

And the back.

And.....more doll bibs.  I have been saving scraps from my hemstitching projects because I just can't throw them away!  

I think I'm addicted to doll bibs.  I cut out some more last night and whipped them up. I know I sound a little crazy, but they are just so cute!



Handmade Christmas Gifts

In my husband's family all the cousins give to each other.  Little K gives to her cousin who is the same age as she is.   Instead of buying toys, we decided to give the gift of handmade.  We made her 3 adorable skirts adapted from Little Sassy Skirts by Cindy Taylor Oates.  I just love her books.  They are so easy to follow and for me the patterns sizes are true and fit nicely. 

I love how they turned out! 

I used chunky chenille rick rack around the bottom of this skirt.  I love it so much I'm going to have to make one for Little K.  She wouldn't take this one off while I was fitting it.

And of course we had to make doll accessories.  A sweet little flannel doll blanket about 22" x 22".  And you have to have a little pillow to match!  I used the measurements from From An Igloo's doll pillow tutorial.    Sometimes I think it's easier to use a pattern than to have to make one up.  Plus it's a great way to use up all those scraps of fabric that I just can't throw away.  I think they turned out nicely. 

And then we had to make a couple of doll bibs too.  They measure about 8" x 6 1/2".  They certainly will protect dolly from all those messy meals.  I don't know about yours, but mine tries to feed her dolly real food.

I don't think she's going to give these up willingly.  She put one on her doll and then proceeded to put one on herself and wore it around all day!  Tell me why I can't get her to wear one when she's eating! 

We had fun and we hope little cousin enjoys them.

What do you do when you can't sleep?

Ok, sometimes when I can't sleep (which seems to be every night), I blog hop.  I have come across some amazing sites.  One of my favorites is From an Igloo.  Christine always has fun and exciting projects that anyone can do.  Check out this doll bed she made for $5.94!  She also made sheets, pillows and pillowcases, and a bedspread. 

She got the plans from Ana White.  This is another great site.  Ana specializes in making furniture that looks great and is affordable.  I can't wait to try one of her projects.  You can find the farmhouse bed tutorial here.

I am going to make one for one lucky little girl that lives in our house.  I'll post pictures when it's done.

Doll Bib

My niece requested two doll bibs for her birthday.  So I sat down and drew a pattern.  You could put right sides together, sew, turn and topstitch this or hemstitch it.   I put it next to a regular baby bib so you could see how small it is.  So cute! 

I can't decide if I want to put a snap on it or velcro.  Velcro would definitely be easier for a little girl to open, but a snap is smaller.  I'll try one with both and then decide.

Craft Aprons

These craft aprons are fun and flirty.  My sister in law is a teacher and uses one every day to keep track of keys, markers, and anything else she needs at her fingertips. 

I use one when I am crafting to keep my scissors, rotary cutter, markers and all sorts of things.  I am always misplacing things when I sew.  This handy little apron keeps me organized! 

Receiving blanket packs

You know those cute, little coordinated blankets you see in the store all bundled up so nicely for that new little baby? 

We now sell them at Busy Bee.  All blankets in the packs have been hemstitched and measure appoximately 30" x 30".  They are single layer and come with other matching blankets in 2, 3 and 4-packs.    Here's a peek at a few we have in stock. 

(Sorry about the plastic glare.  I'd already packaged them before I remembered to take pictures.)

Pretty in Pink 3-pack

Lily Pad 3-pack

Under the Sea 4-pack

Butterfly Baby 4-pack

Hello Baby 4-pack

Jungle Adventure 4-pack

Howdy Partner 4-pack

Hearts and Kisses 3-pack

Puppy Love 3-pack

This is my favorite kind of blanket to use with a new baby because they are the perfect size for swaddling. 

If you see something you love and do not live in the Phoenix area, I'd be happy to mail it to you. 

Don't forget to come see us at Cowboy Christmas.  We will have drawings and giveaways!  See you there!

Mama Stellato Giveaway

Some nights when I can't sleep I think I should clean or work on a project.  Yeah right.  I end up fiddling around on the computer.  I find some great sites and giveaways, so I thought I would share.

I love this hoodie.  And since I'm sewing on knits right now, it's the perfect project from Mama Stellato.  Andrea from The Train To Crazy is hosting a givaway.  Stop by and check it out.  I love her site name.  We have plenty of crazy to go around at our house!

Monkey Pajamas

I tried making my monkey a pair of pajamas.   I haven't worked with knits since I was a 4-H kid and my mom would "chain" me to the machine and make me sew.

 Thank heaven for ball point needles

 and differential feed. 

What a difference it made when serging the edges.  I'm still using the good ol' bernette funlock.  I love this machine!

The easiest part for me was adding the ribbing on the legs because I've done it so many times when making our Busy Bee bibs.  I didn't take time to match the stripes on this pair.  I only cut out the bottoms so I could see if the size worked for her.    

Too big!  I'll try a smaller size.

She just had to pull them up as far as she could!

 I'll put them in the closet for a couple of years.



And the winner is.......

Thanks to all who entered in the giveaway!  We used random.org to pick our lucky winner, #3 the Morris Family.  Congratulations!

Check back for more giveaways!

Snowman Blanket Giveaway

To enter, leave a comment below.  Double your chances by becoming a follower.  Don’t forget to leave a second comment telling us you are a follower.  Like us on facebook and leave a third comment to increase your chances!

Make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you.  Good luck!

This kit is approximately 42" x 42" and comes with a matching burp cloth.  This is not a finished product and will need some fancy crocheting!

This giveaway will close on October 16th at midnight.

Self-Binding Blankets

We have a new product at Busy Bee Hemstitching.  These make great gifts for that special little someone.  And the best part--they don't need to be crocheted!

Ready for the Fair

This is my hemstitcher.  She's old, but she still runs fast.  They say that each machine has it's own little personality.   When you sit down to use her, you better strap on your seat belt because she's going to take you for a ride. 

She has 2 piercers and 2 needles.  The first piercer makes an initial hole.  The second piercer opens the hole even more while the needles stitch in the edges of the holes.  Don't get your fingers too close.  She shows no mercy.

I put together more kits to take to the Greenlee County Fair. 

The cows were a big hit.  We sold mostly cow kits and cowboy kits. 

I just love this little bear print.  We have a great selection of outdoor fabric from animals to camping.

I've been stockpiling bibs and burps.  So many cute ones!

I have hundreds of kits to choose from, come by and take a look!

I'm so glad I had a litte helper to box up the kits!