Beautiful Tote: My Students Are Talented!

I should probably do a little more showing off of the great projects my sewing students make. With just a little bit of instruction, you'd be amazed how much you can do. This gorgeous tote was made by Tiffani in only her second sewing lesson!(I apologize for the blurry photography.)

It's made with 45" home dec fabric so it has a lot of body to it; then it's interfaced to give it even more body. There's a simple cotton lining along with beautifully contrasted inner pockets and straps made from the same fabric as the outside. It's durable, it's beautiful, it's functional, it's versatile, and it's one of kind. Use it for the beach, the gym, for travel, as a purse, as a reusable shopping bag, a diaper bag.

Gone Fishin' Wine Glass

I love designing wine glass art that is specific to an occasion or individual. Here's a new design I have, "Gone Fishin'," personalized for the birthday boy who's turning 50. I'm adding this one to my Etsy shop.

What I've Been Sewing: Babies and Childrens Items

Here's what I've been making recently. What about you?

All of these are items I've made for other people the past few days.
These are for a little girls club.

I made some hats for a baby shower a few weeks ago. The baby came early and is a tiny little thing who needed some smaller hats so I made her these today.

 

I just love these baby hats. They're adorable and fairly easy to make too. Did I show you the other ones I made recently?

I also made this little pillowcase dress this morning for a little sweetie who is turning 3 years old. I recently learned to use the serger I've had sitting in my sewing room for 2 years and I love how nice it makes everything look.

I'm working on some pillows and curtains for a baby's room. I hope to have them finished this weekend with pics to show you next week. I've got wine glasses to paint this weekend too.

I also must find time to start listing things on Etsy. I have so many things made and so many new things I'm making, especially the baby items. What are you working on or what have you made recently? Share links if you have them!

Friendly Friday-- Welcome new friends

I'm doing some hopping this week and looking forward to checking out some great new blogs. I welcome all of my new followers and hope you'll become regulars.

Simplicity Patterns $.99 Sale

Now's the time to pick out the patterns you want. Make a list of the ones you want then get to Joann's from 3/31 - 4/2 to get your 99 cent Simplicity patterns. This is one of my favorite sales. As always, there are some exclusions so check out the sale flyer, page 6 for the details.

I spend more time than I probably should, perusing the patterns on Simplicity's & McCall/Butterick/Vogue's web sites. I keep a list of the patterns I want to buy, then when I see them on sale somewhere, I just grab my list and go.

For beginner sewers, here are a couple of my favorite recommendations if you're just starting out.

Simplicity 3553

Simplicity 2576

Giveaway and Review -- Green Giant

*************GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED****************

Yesterday was my birthday and one of the ways I've come to enjoy celebrating it is by giving a gift away to one of my readers. I recently received this terrific gift pack from Green Giant through MyBlogSpark and I've got one to give away, too.

The picture doesn't even fully do this package justice. That's an insulated bag, with the silver inside that's perfect for bringing home cold and frozen groceries. The serving bowl and spoon are really, really nice. And that little small item is a pedometer! Plus you get a coupon for your free Green Giant frozen boxed vegetables!

Before I tell you the easy rules for the giveaway, let me tell you about this product. Well, c'mon, who hasn't had and loved Green Giant frozen veggies? This broccoli and cheese sauce is DELICIOUS! The broccoli is just firm enough, not all soggy, and the cheese sauce is heavenly. I'm not kidding and I'm not just saying that because Green Giant sent it to me for free. Check out the box, though. It now has the Weight Watchers Points Plus Value on the box! That's a big selling point for me. I'll always check out products that give me that info because I'm always following, or loosely following, the plan. I would not have thought that something so satisfying and good would be so low in points, so that's a big plus for me too.

Did you make a resolution to lose weight this year? Have you fallen off the wagon? Hey, it's only mid-March with a long time left to go in the year, so get right back on that wagon. Maybe this will be a little reminder or motivator for you if you've been slacking. Check out this info I got from MyBlogSpark:

Green Giant Boxed Vegetables can help you stay on track to achieve your weight management goals in 2011. Twenty-nine delicious varieties are now endorsed by Weight Watchers®, and most have only a 1 or 2 PointsPlus^® value per serving! Packed with flavor and ready in minutes, Green Giant Boxed Vegetables are available in a wide variety of flavors, many featuring mouthwatering sauces and seasonings. They´re a terrific addition to any meal and a delicious way to achieve better health in 2011.

Don´t forget to visit Green Giant on Facebook and Green Giant on Twitter and "Like" or "Follow" the brand to keep up with their latest and greatest products! For more information and great recipe ideas visit http://greengiant.com/.

All you have to do do enter is to leave a comment below telling me of a way you like to prepare Green Giant frozen vegetables. As always, make sure I have your email address so I can get in touch with you if you win.

For those that like the chance to get extra entries, each of the following is worth 1 extra entry (and remember, you must leave an separate comment for each entry.):
1. Like Maureen Makes It (MMI) on Facebook (or already like MMI on FB)
2. Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect (or already follow this blog via GFC)
3. Refer someone else to like MMI on FB.
4. Refer someone else to follow this blog via GFC.

For 3 extra entries:
1. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post.
For 5 extra entries:
1. Grab my button and put it on your page.

Winner will be chosen via random.org from all entries received by 12:00 noon, central time, Tuesday, March 22. Good luck!

*****EDIT******

Congratulations Shawn!

Setting Up Your Sewing/Crafting Space

I never seem to feel like I'm finished setting up my sewing area. Does anyone else feel like that? With every change and addition, I like it better and it feels more efficient, but then there's always something else that I think will make it better. Of course, if I'd stop buying things, I wouldn't need so much organization and storage, but that just doesn't seem like it's ever going to be my reality.

I used to have the most uncomfortable sewing chair-- I used it for years, too. Now I have a nice comfy leather desk chair that I love. I had hoped to combine my painting space with my sewing space so I bought a portable folding table. Too bad I've never ended up using it for painting though. Turns out it makes a great table for cutting fabric and laying out projects too. I also use it for my embroidery machine and serger and I love being able to jump from my regular machine to the serger or the embroidery machine and having a place to have everything out all at once.

I'm also a big fan of baskets and those fabric drawer/bins. I use those like crazy. I use the over-the-door shoe hangers for notions. All those pockets are great to have. Another favorite has become hanging closet organizers, like the ones pictured below. They're great for storage of everything from notions to fabrics. Be careful with these though. See how the first one has a fabric strip that attached over the closet rod? These haven't held up as well for me when I've loaded them with fabric, which gets heavy. The ones like the second picture, with the metal hanger tops, have worked out much better.

I'm always finding something new or looking for something new to keep me organized. What are you favorite organizing tips?

Edit: I got this unbelievably rude email from CSN stores regarding a link that had been in this post, at their request! " We appreciate your willingness to endorse our company and link to us on your site..., but circumstances have arisen that require us to ask that you remove any links to our sites.  We would be very appreciative if you could remove the links on this page and let us know when that has been completed.  This will prevent either of our sites from running into any problems with the major search engines due to what is perceived to be unnatural linking."

I will certainly not be linking to CSN stores in the future and I will no longer be a customer either. And I have no intention of notifying them that the link was removed. I'm supposed to do their work for them, too?

Current Class I'm Teaching: Quilted Purse

Look at these great purses made by two of my students, Ann and Allison (not my sisters, who happen to have the same names!). We're making these with Simplicity pattern 2551, using double faced, pre-quilted fabrics. They're pleated and lined with pockets and magnetic snap closures. Pretty nice, right?

These are similar but not identical. Notice that the bands and straps are different and the piping around the pockets is a different color.

Baby Sewing: Items coming to Etsy soon

I've been working on quite a few baby projects lately and have completed many that are just waiting to be uploaded to Etsy. In the meantime, don't hesitate to call or email if there's somthing you'd like me to make for you that you don't see listed. Here's a menagerie of blankets, bibs, burp cloths, and hats that I made last night and this morning. (You can click on the photo to enlarge it and get a better view.)

I'll have more details and more photos soon. Which is your favorite?

Irish Soda Bread Time

Remember my Irish Soda Bread recipe? Aside from Thanksgiving dinner, there aren't a whole lot of recipes I remember my grandmother making, but Irish soda bread was a standout and a favorite. It always felt special that my grandmother was born in Dublin and here she was making this treat for us that she'd shared her whole life with her huge Irish family. My love of traditions goes back as far as my memories. Irish soda bread is a great tradition and has played a part in many great memories, too.

Give it a try!

Sewing Question: What's a basting stitch?

Basting stitches are long, loose stitches that are usually temporary and, therefore, pulled out at some later point in completing your project. For instance, when transferring pattern markings to fabric, we mark on the wrong side of a fabric. But suppose that marking is for a pocket that is going on the right side of the fabric? Basting is a means by which to transfer those markings to the right side: simply sew a basting stitch (by hand or by using the longest straight stitch on your machine) right on top of those markings and you'll have transferred that marking- in thread- to the other side of the fabric.

There are other applications for basting but this should give you an idea of what a basting stitch is. Since it is almost always temporary in nature, don't reinforce the seams and leave your beginning and ending threads long enough so you can grab them to pull the threads out later.

Do you have a question? Email or post it here and yours may be the next question answered.

Simplify grocery shopping: easy tutorial

I just came across this tutorial for a coupon caddy that is just what I need when I'm trying to shop with coupons.

I always have trouble juggling the coupons I'm actually using from the ones I ended up not using, trying to hold on to my grocery list and pen, and staying as organized while I'm shopping as I was when I was getting everything together to shop. If you feel like you don't have enough hands when you're at the market, check out the tutorial for this caddy from Blue Cricket Design.

(Thanks to Blue Cricket Design for permission to use these great photos, too.)