Prince Charming Suit

I generally like being challenged into making things I've never made before...but sometimes, I get myself into these difficult situations just because I find it so hard to say 'no' to people.

I recently met this young mom in the baby shower I attended a few weeks ago.  One day, I got a very unexpected phone call from her.  She said she was so impressed with the handmade baby presents I brought to the shower that she thought I could help her with something.  Her son is turning one year old in April and she was wondering if I could make a Prince Charming costume for him to wear on his birthday party.

I've sewn just a few clothes for my youngest when he was a toddler.  They weren't very good at all.  But then again, that was years ago and my sewing skills weren't that good either.  So I thought, why not?  I'd give it a shot.  If it doesn't work out, at least, I tried.  The timing was in a way perfect cause I just got myself a second-hand overlocker/serger from eBay.  This was a great opportunity to try the machine out.

She sent me a link to this awesome tutorial and provided me with Size 1 top and pants to base my patterns from.  I got to work right away.  Three days into the project and not without much frustration, I managed to finish it.

The royal blue colour was the mom's choice as she had already purchased a hat/crown to match.  I used satin for both the coat and the pants. It wasn't the easiest of fabrics to work with but I reckoned it was the most appropriate and the most comfortable for a baby.  The trims on the pants, collar and belt, as well as the frill on the shoulder (the epaulettes) are all gold (but look yellow on the photos). The tutorial was a huge help though I changed some things to make the whole process easier.  Having the overlocker was great!  The seams were all nice and neat.

Would you have asked to be paid for making this suit?  I didn't, inspite of everyone around me telling me to do so.  I asked payment for the materials alone.  I am not a professional seamstress and I don't want people to expect me to do a flawless job just because I am being paid for it.  I did my best and that's enough satisfaction for me. 

Would I do this again?  Maybe not.  I sew my own shorts because they're pretty easy to do but baby clothes???  My son was joking me that soon, people will be asking me to make wedding gowns.  Oh please!!!!

Speaking of weddings, here's a sneak peek into another challenge I got myself into...

  
Will keep you posted on how that went!  Wish me luck...

Alone again

I never would have thought that watching re-runs of Dragonball Z and That's So Raven with my four kids nearly every single night for the past two months would make me miss them as they all went back to school.  While in the past, I would look forward to being alone again after the lengthy vacation, this time around, it's like a big part of me had gone missing.

We didn't do anything much out of the ordinary during the school holidays.  It's summer and we didn't even go to the beach, not even once!  Personally though, I feel my family bonded a lot more by staying home .  We played boardgames and ping pong, watched our favourite TV shows and laughed together, stayed up late every single night.  Considering three of my kids are teenagers, I think doing these things with them was priceless and worth much more than any trip to the beach.

So now, I should get back to normality, to my old routine and to faithfully doing my chores (which I slightly neglected when my kids were around).  I surely am looking forward to more sewing, baking and more computer time too!

Before I end, here's a simple laptop sleeve I recently sewed up for my daughter.  I made her a laptop bag at the beginning of the school year last year but after using it for sometime, she found it difficult for her to be carrying that plus her heavy backpack.  This one, she can just chuck in her backpack along with her other stuff.

I used the leftover denim from the laptop bag and appliqued a couple of flowers which are actually cutouts from a curtain material I found at the Op Shop a long time ago.  I lined the denim with fusible fleece and used pre-quilted material for the inside (again, a leftover from the laptop bag).

The laptop fit rather snugly because of the thickness of the bag layers but I think the snug fit is actually a good thing.

Close-up of applique.  I think the blanket stitch really adds a nice look to it!

That's about it for now.  It seems I'm getting distracted again.  There's so much to do around the house.  I better get moving.

Have a good week!


P.S.

My patchwork pillow tutorial has been featured in Sew, Mama, Sew!'s Pillow Tutorial Round-up along with a bunch of other cool tutorials!  Stop on by and check out all the links!

More baby gifts

Baby changing pad, nappy/wipes clutch, and bath mitt (I hope you're not getting tired of seeing this bird fabric yet!)

 

I used the tutorials here and here to make the baby changing pad and the bath mitt.  For the changing pad,  I used two layers of fusible fleece and quilted the flannel myself instead of buying a pre-quilted one.   For someone who nearly hated bias binding just a while back, I can even say I thoroughly enjoyed making these!  Seriously...I think I'm even beginning to love bias binding.  It makes everything look so neat.

The baby shower was yesterday.  I brought along these baby items plus the baby bibs I made earlier.  Can you believe it, the two moms-to-be aren't even my close friends?  They're my sister in-law's.  I haven't even met one of them till yesterday.  But it really didn't matter.  I had a great time making presents!

And this cake,too...

Purple yam cake (Ube macapuno) as requested

Chocolate Chunk Pizza Cookie

Been avoiding baking calorie-laden snacks lately for fear of tempting myself...but with four kids still on vacation, a mom's got to give in sometime, right?

Enjoy this chocolate chip cookie with a twist...it's like pizza!

CHOCOLATE CHUNK PIZZA COOKIE (recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping)

Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks (I used a combination of dark and white chocolate chips)
1/2 cup cashew nuts or walnuts, coarsely chopped

Procedure:
1.  Preheat oven to 190 deg C / 375 deg F.  Grease or line a baking sheet.
2.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, sugars, vanilla and egg. Mix in the flour mixture, chocolate chunks and nuts.
4.  Place the mixture at the center of the baking sheet.  Flatten and spread into an 8-inch circle using a spatula.
5.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooke is golden brown along the edges.  Cool for 5 minutes then slice.



Crunchy edges, chewy center!

Baby bib crazy

As soon as I learned I was going to a baby shower next week, I was excited. Not quite excited for the shower itself, but rather, for the prospect of handmaking something. There were tons of projects to choose from...burp cloths, receiving blankets, baby washers, diaper pouch, changing pad, nappy bag, nursing cover. The wisest choice in the end though was baby bibs. Having everything already on hand - assorted printed fabrics, cotton towelling, flannel, snaps - meant no new expense. Perfect.

I downloaded the small bib pattern from here. My initial plan was to make 5 bibs. Then I added one more...and then another....and then I just had to make it 10.

You can never have too many bibs anyway, can you?

These were addicting to make. So fun and easy!

I added a flannel middle layer and used cotton towelling for the backing for extra thickness and absorbency.

Of the ten, my favourites are these 2...

Made from Moda charm squares (PURE by Sweetwater and It's a Hoot by MoMo) and natural linen.

I especially adore this one because it aptly describes what babies are...



Pure and simple...pure happiness...pure laughter...pure joy...pure excitement...pure bliss...pure love...pure grace...

I enjoy making baby stuff cause I never got to make anything for my kids when they were newborns. I didn't have the resources then. I really wish I did.

So now that I have most things within my reach, I am more than happy to jump at every opportunity to sew up anything for a baby. Hmm...I just might make something else before the baby shower.

Disappointed

I wish I could have done a better job.  After all, this cake was for my eldest son. 

Francis turned 17 today.  I decided to make a basketball-themed cake for him since basketball is his favourite sport and it is the sport he plays.  Last year's one was an Orlando Magic cake.  This year, I wanted him to be the "star" of the cake. 


That's him with the #6 jersey he wears for his local basketball club.


The gumpaste centerpiece was all right.  More than just all right in fact.  It wasn't the problem.  My problem was the chocolate frosting.  It was too soft and it curdled.  I am not sure if I didn't beat it enough or if I beat it too much. 

My idea was for the top of the cake to look like a basketball and the sides like a basketball ring (with net).  But because of difficulties with piping, I ended up making a mess and had to cover up my mistakes with stars. Not at all how I originally planned it.


Sigh.

Oh well.  It still tasted good despite.  We still enjoyed it. 

Happy birthday, Francis!

The Errand Clutch

Didn't expect me to be back so soon, did you?  Even I suprised myself!

I tried my pouch again today.  And...I am happy to say that this time, it turned out just as I had envisioned it. 

I love this fabric!  It's even much more beautiful in person.





Looks small but is actually quite roomy.  The flex frame closure will keep everything secure inside.

The bottom is darted rather than boxed.

I think I got it right with this one...from the shape down to the size.  Just right for bringing along keys, mobile phone, driver's license and some cash for those quick trips.

Now, to work on my pattern...I think I'm going to call this my Errand Clutch.  Be back with that soon!