My Version of the Pillowcase Dress

Have you tried making a pillowcase dress like this one? I did, and I was NOT happy with the results. The dress was a huge shapeless sack on my skinny little girl. Not as cute as I was hoping. So I modified the idea and came up with this:
It has an empire waist to give it some shape. So much better than the sack dresses, in my opinion. And the elastic on the neckline makes it easy to slip on with no zippers or buttons to mess with. My kind of sewing!

Here's a close up of the bodice. Much better than the original in my book! And the best part...the total cost of the dress: $1. Yeah!

Girly Flannel Baby Blanket

Have you tried making this SUPER EASY swaddling blanket yet?

Seriously, it is one of THE easiest sewing projects. The hardest part to me is getting the fabric square. If you are looking for a quick, cheap project, give it a try!

Here is my latest blanket. Don't you just love the bright colors? (well, they are bright in real life anyway....sorry for the lame picture). The flannel is from Joann's. Oh, and of course I had to make a matching card.

Quilted Christmas Table Runner

Last year for Christmas, I got a free motion quilting foot that looks something like this:

I have played around with it a little, but this last week, I finally did a project. Say hello to my fun table runner:

Yay! I have been so intimidated by free motion quilting, but I finally did it! And if you don't examine it TOO closely, it looks pretty good! Still need more practice, but I am pretty excited. Now I think I might need one runner for every holiday.

Oh, and here's a close up of the stitching... well, as close as I dare look. :)

Burp Rag Bouquet

Have you seen the burp rag bouquet I made earlier this year? Well, I went to a shower two weeks ago and made another one:
It looks pretty much the same as the last one, eh? I was going to take pictures of the whole process and make a photo tutorial, but to tell you the truth... I was too lazy. :) Maybe next time. But if you are looking for an easy, cute, practical gift for a new baby, try making a burp rag bouquet. So fun!

Halloween Dinner

My sisters-in-law and I decided to get together for a fun dinner the night before Halloween. Save these ideas away for next year people! We had a blast!

First up, WITCH'S FINGERS: They are breadsticks shaped like fingers with pumpkin seed fingernails. They are superb dipped in blood (spaghetti sauce).

Next, we had PIZZA SNAKES:

They are basically just calzones painted with a mixture of food coloring and egg white. But the best part was cutting them open and seeing all the sauce and cheese oozing out. Bwah ha ha.

We also dined on MELON BRAIN:

Detailed instructions can be found on familyfun.com, but basically I peeled a watermelon and carved the grooves into it. I had been wanting to try this one for a long time and it actually worked and looked just as good as the picture!

And here are some of the goodies all laid out.

We finished the night off with a graveyard buffet... chocolate pudding, Oreo "dirt", gummy worms and graham cracker tombstones. YUM!

I think we're going to make this spooky dinner a tradition. It was so much fun!

Crafty Chicks Quiet Book

Tonight in my blog wanderings, I found this amazing quiet book:

And if you know me, you know how much I ADORE quiet books. She has some really cute pages. Definitely worth checking out if you are wanting to make one some day.

My little girl would have SOOOOO much fun with these cupcakes. They are adorable!

I've never attempted finger puppets, but she makes them look and sound easy. Isn't this barn to die for?! I am in love!

This gal did a great job. In fact, she makes me want to add to my books. Seriously. Go check her out! And since I don't know how to do fancy links, here are the cut and paste links:

http://craftingchicks.blogspot.com/2009/09/quiet-book-i.html
http://craftingchicks.blogspot.com/2009/09/quiet-book-ii.html

Happy Fall, Yall!

The weather has been a bit of a roller coaster lately, but it is officially Fall even if it isn't cooling off yet. So here's my one table and ode to the changing season. It's pretty simple.

1. Framed stitching. I just used fabric and did a little bit of stitching to make a little pumpkin that says "Happy Harvest" underneath. Seriously so easy. But I like the rustic feel of it, especially for Fall.
2. A little Fall dish someone gave us as a wedding present. I thought it was random at the time, but I really appreciate the dish now.
3. Books tied with an autumn ribbon that I got on clearance a few years back. I didn't want to cut it up too much, so I folded the extra ribbon and shoved it under the books.
4. That pumpkin is really just fabric wrapped around a roll of toilet paper with a fabric leaf sticking out the hole on top. My friend, Rachel H. gave it to me eons ago. Thanks, Rachel!
5. My lovely silver candlesticks that I got at a yard sale for 50 cents a piece. I just tied more ribbon around them (sorry, you'll have to cut the ribbon to do this. haha). The leaves are from the dollar store. I hot glued them to a strip of computer paper and taped them around the bottom of the candles.
6. The red and gold table runner is actually for Christmas, but it looks beautiful with the autumn tones. It was a couple bucks at one of my favorite stores ever-- Kirklands-- which went out of business. Sad.

And there you have it folks. Easy, cheap, work-with-what-you-have fall decor. In a few weeks, I'll change it out for Halloween stuff, then put it back up until Thanksgiving.