PJ Pants

I made my mom these PJ pants for Christmas and although she loved them - they didn't fit that great.  (I tried to make them less 'wide leg' and ended up making them less 'comfy pj' at the same time - ugh!)

So, I told her I would make her a new pair (that hopefully fit).  That was, eh, six months ago (sorry Mom!)  But I finally did get around to it and finished these the other week.  I sent them to her and she LOVES them (and they fit!)  yeah!!!

(yeah, that is me in them - but I wanted to get a pic before I sent them - you can see they are too long on me - that is how I know they have a better chance of fitting her).  The fabric is all Amy Butler Love and the same In Stitches Wide Leg Lounge pant (this is pair #3? for me!)  My mom picked the trim when she was here a couple months ago (good choice! - I think it makes the orange in there pop more!)

There is some fun stuff going on in my life - keeping me out of the sewing room - so I am sorry to not have posted very often - but between happenings and the External Hard Drive crash - I am still catching up.  Hope to see you in this space more often in the next couple weeks.  Happy Weekending!!  :)  xoxo, Nikki

Friday Eye Candy

Oh what?!?  It isn't Friday?  Well I owe you one from last week - and believe me its not from lack of trying.  I tried to load these pictures to blogger (or even save a post) all day on Friday and all to no avail.  So my promise of fabric fun is coming a bit late.

 

I found a great fabric shop in Chicago that I wanted to visit - and I was really excited when I found out it was just a couple miles from my brother's house.  Unfortunately I didn't look it up sooner b/c they also have some amazing class offerings. Once I was there though I found amazing things I haven't been able to feel and see anywhere else (I do most my fabric shopping online and its hard to tell scale, how something feels etc from any description).  So while at the Needle Shop I was ecstatic to see Echino, and AMH's voile, more of AB's Love fabric and lots of amazing patterns.  I'm a bit on a budget b/c I haven't been making much lately (did you notice that too) so I bought only some 

Echino Scooters

And some AB Coriander in Blue

I finally got to touch AMH's voile fabric and I can tell you with much certainly there will be Voile in my future!  That stuff is AMAZING!  The hype I hear is real!  I really wanted to make AMH's new dress pattern, but as I've never made anything to fit my body (yet) I think starting smaller (with less expensive fabric) is in order first.  But let me just reiterate about her Little Folks - WOW!

Hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend.  We certainly did around here.  We had gorgeous weather, the message of Good News (He is Risen!  How great is that!) AND I had my MIL in town to help me with a different type of crafting, and its garden season again!  :)

Friday Eye Candy

Remember this bag of goodies?  (from the knitting weekend?!)

Well I showed you the yarn already...but the fabric I found in Summerville too was amazing!

Here's a peek...

Nicey Jane Fat Quarters 

(by Heather Bailey)

(I had no idea how much I loved this line until I saw it in person.  Now I'm trying to decide how much more I can afford to get my hands on.  Its just lovely in everything I've seen made with it).

I also got some Dolce

(by Tanya Whelan) 

b/c well fat quarters were buy 12 get a 13th free - and who can resist that (when you already have 10 in your basket?!?)  And the one on the far right is AB - of course!  :)

They also had this adorably cute car fabric (that I didn't realize was Riley Blake til I had it being cut)

I couldn't resist just in case I had a nephew (which I did!!)  So you will see this heading to Chicago as something soon!

Last but not least they had some AMH and AB in their 'sale bin!' *gasp!* so I bought all they had of both (less than 3 yds - for $3.50/yd!!  CRAZY!  I figure it will work well for a quilt back - if I ever to finishing one of those!  lol)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  We have family in town - so maybe not too much sewing - but hopefully lots of fun!  :)

Happy Weekending!

Friday Eye Candy

A week late and a dollar short right?!?  Sorry!  I've had a pretty bad case of the winter blues - keeping me from sewing and posting to the blog - but I'm trying to pull myself out of it.  Maybe eye candy will help us all!

 

My very very FAVE from this stack (AB - shocking huh?!)

 

and finally some ADORABLE fabric from Fabricworm

 

Have a great weekend.  I am headed to the middle of nowhere for a quiet knitting weekend with some good 'fiber friends' of mine!  We have a cabin, 4 bottles of wine, no cable television and snow on the way!  We should manage to have a really great time - and in light of the fiber weekend - I'll share some yarn eye candy too ( my BFF bought me this so we can make Calorimetries together as she learns to knit!)

Happy Weekending!  :)

Pretty Pretty Princess Pillowcase

Last week's secret project can now be revealed - our little JoJuice (and by our I mean Brandy and Dave's!) turned three on Saturday!! 

Her birthday party was an explosion of pink (including everyone's outfits, the food, the decorations, the presents - everything!  There are more excitingly pink details here...) but to make the princess happy with pink I had the perfect idea!  I had just gotten some Princess and the Pea fabric (by Heather Ross) and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to use some of it (fussy cut of course).  I used this tutorial and made her a pretty pretty princess pillowcase for her big girl bed!

 

I couldn't find a bag big enough to fit the pillowcase with a pillow in it - so needless to say she had NO idea what it was when she opened it and tossed it aside.  Good thing we had bought her Pinkalicious as well! She did take a minute to look through that.  :)  Later we put a pillow in and showed her what it was - then we got a good reaction!

 I think she liked it!!

 

 Playing with it is a good sign!

 

All in all I think it was a pretty good gift - and I sure enjoyed making it (I kept talking about using all that pink fabric for something!) 

This week is back to the regularly scheduled programming - I HAVE GOT to finish that quilt!  I am going to miss my New Years Resolution in the first month!  :)

Exciting News

Well - I promised handmade things before the end of the week - and I shall deliver - but I must share my exciting news first!!  Glenna sells fabric and she featured my AB love bag here - on her blog today!  I was so excited this morning!  Yea!  Someone noticed my stuff (and liked it too!  ala Sally Field "You like me, you really like me!")  anyway - enough gushing.  Just thought I'd share my excitment.

Now, truly onto handmade things.  I chose a layout for the Nest Quilt (or rather learned how you were supposed to do it) and sewed the squares together.  I still plan to frame the front and have to make the back - but I'm pretty happy with the layout.  Also - my squares are lining up better and better!  The 1/4" foot is making a difference - but I am not invincible - yet.  :)

I do have another handmade I'm working on this week - but its a surprise for a certain little princess's birthday this weekend - so I can't show you.  Luckily, I have a few aces in my back pocket of things I've made that I haven't showed yet.  Here is one!

My fabulous Amy Butler Wide Leg Lounge Pants (complete with fabric upside down - I was just too excited when I started making them that I cut before I realized - lol!)

Anyway - I love them.  But also - just because I thought it was funny - not only are they wide leg - they are wide topped too!  If  you untie them they fall STRAIGHT down...

No unfortunately - I didn't lose any weight for this shot!  I just like to pretend it is my 'after' picture when I'm having a bad day!  These pants are actually why my mom asked for her pair for Christmas!  I love the In Stitches book and have made quite a few patterns from it now.  These, are probably my favorite!

You are definitely going to want to come back tomorrow - Friday Eye Candy is going to be GOOD!  :)