Scrap Bibs

I certainly enjoyed the October Scrap Buster Month at Sew Mama Sew! I made these for a bunch of babies born into my world recently. Even one adopted one! Welcome Aaron, McKenzie, Haley and Naomi!

Scrap Buster Cloth Napkins

Wow! I just loved the look of these napkins. Wedding present for Nikki! Tutorial here.

Halloween Curiosities

Sushi Cake for Baby

Sushi Shower Present

I guess these are the new thing in baby shower traditions along the lines of the diaper cake. I saw them for sale at The Silly Wagon boutique and over here at etsy.com for $100! Needless to say, I made mine for a lot less. Happy babies Alison!

Bubble Skirt with Suspenders

I’ve had this great deep plum fabric with a gold pin stripe for 6 years. I was thinking of making a fun leisure suit for Henry, but then I was inspired by one of my favorite designers to make a skirt instead. There is still enough for Henry too!

Inspiration

Do you remember reading those old-fashioned reading primers? Or any old book from the 60’s for that matter? The girls always wore cute full, short skirts with suspenders. I’ve always loved that. So when I saw Black Rabbit had re-created that design, I had to take a stab at it too!

Onions and Bees

I let a lot of my vegetables bolt this year, just to  see how pretty the flowers were. Broccoli?  Ugly. But they are redeemed by their beautiful green hue. Lettuce? Weird. Mine reached 6 feet tall! Radishes? Weedy looking. Carrots? Couldn’t wait, had to pull and gobble. Onions? Gorgeous! Mine snaked out hollow green tubes that bloomed these beautiful orbs at the end! The bees and me are lovin’ it.

Pizza Caprese!

Thin Crust

1. Start half a packet of active yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1/2 cup HOT water. Let sit for 5 minutes until it foams.

2. In mixer with dough attachment, add 1  – 1 1/2 cups of all-purp flour and 1 tsp salt. Slowly mix in yeast water. Knead dough on slow/medium speed for 10 minutes. Dough should be sticky, but not wet. Add a little flour or water to get the right consistency.

3. I like to put my oven on Warm for 10 minutes, then turn it off to get a nice cozy rising home for my dough. Put kneaded dough in a big oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Put it in a warm spot and let it rise for 2 hours.

4. After 2 hours punch down dough, roll it out on a floured surface and spread it out in your oiled pizza pan. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Using a pastry brush, spread Extra Virgin Olive Oil over crust and use a fork to poke holes evenly in dough to prevent bubbles from rising.

5. Bake for 10 minutes. Just until the crust turn light golden in spots. Pull it out and set aside.

Sauce

In a blender or food processor, pulse 1 8oz can tomato sauce, 3/4 cup basil leaves, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and 3 cloves garlic. Spread on top of semi-baked crust.

Toppings

Top with Sliced Roma tomatoes, halved grape tomatoes, basil leaves, and fresh rounds of mozzerella.

Bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese gets bubble and golden in spots. Enjoy!

Bag O’ Fabric

My church met at the Country Village in Bothell, WA for three years and I only set foot in this store once. Keepsake Cottage Fabrics is a quaint country quilting store packed from worn-wooden-planked-floor to barn-rafter ceilings with Michael Miller, Moda and so much more. Now that Seed Church has moved to Lynnwood, I find myself in this store ALL THE TIME! Oh, the irony.

A Shower Present

An excuse to sew

Baby showers are an excuse to sew! I used to smock a dress for all the incoming baby girls, but I love this elastic neck when I don’t feel like pulling out all the paraphernalia to pleat. I made matching crib shoes to go with it as well because this pattern is too easy to ignore.

Inspiration

I  love the designer behind Baby Bean Vintage Daywear. Her Beverly Bib Halter Dress is simply fantastic. Looking at the pictures make me want to pack a tomato and cheese sandwich and go to the lake.  I had a bunch of vintage buttons I’ve collected from here and there that went perfectly with the look.

A baby will make love stronger
Days shorter, Nights longer
Bankroll smaller, Clothes shabbier,
The past forgotten,
And the future worth living for.

Hawaiin-styled Western Shirt

The fabric

This material is so cute! My husband grew up reading Louis L’amour, and so he’s always had a hankering for anything western. I knew he’d like the fabric, and it was about time I made something for Henry!

The pattern

I used Simplicity pattern 2907, and simplified the pocket. Easy pattern! My buttonhole foot has disappeared and so I had to free-hand, zig-zag the holes so they aren’t perfect, but close!

Ride ‘em Cowboy!

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