Ginger the Guinea Pig

My sweet fourth grade daughter informed me that her teacher's birthday was coming up and she wanted to make her something cute and fuzzy because her teacher loves little animals. 

So, she went to work and found a pattern online (it was actually a whole site of free stuffed animal patterns that we will likely visit again.,.)

Then, she put the pattern up on the projector and traced it in the size she wanted. Then she cut out the pattern, pinned it to the fabric that she picked out from my FabMo (aka Fabrix) collection from years past, cut out the fabric, and picked out some beads for eyes. 

Then it was mom's turn. I did the sewing machine work, then handed it back over to her to sew the eyes and ears on and stuff. We finished it up by sewing up the backside, wrapping it up for Miss Chapman, and naming her Ginger. I think it really turned out cute! I was really proud of Dawna for finding and sticking with a project like this! It was really fun to work on with her! I hope we have many more Sunday night sewing projects ahead :) 

Good luck, little Ginger!

Developing Talents!

So, now that I have the best life in the world, ie, I'm a stay-at-home mom, I've had the chance to develop a new talent. This will shock many of you who have known me for a long time, but I've actually taken up sewing quite a bit.

Sarah Jean and I go get free fabric about once a month. The fabric comes from old upholstery samples and such, so all the pieces are relatively small. But, I've been experimenting with some of the pieces I've gotten, and made some fun stuff so far; for example:

Kitchen accessories: a very portable "stove and oven," if you will, made on an old carpet sample. Also, an apron, complete with pockets! (That's Dawna's favorite feature)



Pillows! These are actually even easier than you'd think... my mom has some old pillows that were worn around the edges and didn't look very nice anymore, so all I had to do was make a pillow case and stuff the old pillows inside.



And finally, purses and bags! These are a little harder to make... I didn't even want to embarass myself by showing my first attempt... it was hilariously hideous... anyway, these two aren't so bad... but still can improve some.



I've really enjoyed learning a little more sewing... it's really relaxing and fun when you don't have the stress of knowing you had to buy all the fabric. Makes you want to experiment and try things and be brave. So... what should I try to make next??