Sew Spoiled

I love to make one thing each weekend. Sometimes it is a big under taking and sometimes it is a small little project. If this goes well this might be an on going thing. Each weekend I break down the steps of a project so you can sew along with me and complete a weekend project together. This weekend I have chosen the Colette Madeline Mini Bloomers! It is super hot this summer here in the States, 113 degrees yesterday. Maybe these will be cool to wear at night and they are adorable with the ribbon ties! Step 1: The very first step to go to Colette's Madeline Mini Bloomers  tutorial. There you can see more inspiration and there is a Flickr group too! So after we finish we can share our success with others! Step 2: After you download the pattern print pages 7-22 and tape together! Step 3: Cut out the correct size for you! There are two template pieces! Step 4: Place your templates on your fabric and cut! Now you should have two of each template! That is all for today! Set aside...

We recently bought an iPad. At first I did not understand why we would need or want one. We both have iphones, the iPad just looked like our iPhones just bigger and with no phone. After going to the Mac store a couple times and seeing the kids use it, it was clear at this device was a useful tool for our family. My husband likes to read his ebooks, surf the web and check up on worldly news. I like to blog and visit cooking, sewing and crafty sites. My kids enjoy the educational games, watching shows and ebooks. I can't believe how fast technology is moving! Can you imagine what devices our children's children will be using? If you have an iPad or tablet, What is your favorite use for it or app?

This is the cutest menu planner ever!  Just go to Olli Bird at their website and follow their instructions! I placed it in a glass frame and now it is user friendly with a dry eraser marker. Then I found this awesome site called Cooking with my Kid . I put the girls to work on the weekly menu planner.   My littlest, the princess, scrolled the Cooking with my kid site and my oldest, the penguin, wrote the dishes they wanted to try on the menu planner . Princess and the Penguin love helping and since they are picky eaters it was fun watching them collaborate together. Now we just need to go grocery shopping:)!  Happy Shopping! ~Leah

Today I wanted to share an email I received yesterday. It made my whole day, week, year!... "Hi Leah! I bought this pattern a few months ago because I'm planning on making purses for my bridesmaids to carry instead of flowers. My mom is helping me out (since she's the one with a sewing machine) and she had a chance to make a prototype last week and it turned out GREAT! My mom is not a professional sewer, but she said the instructions were easy enough to follow and the pictures helped a lot. I can't wait to go pick out the fabric for the official purses and get them sewn.  Thanks for the great pattern! Kerri Ann" Thank you so much Kerri Ann for writing to me. You are right!  If you are about to get married the Sew Spoiled Wristlet is an adorable bridesmaids gift! You can personalize it and even match your colors of your wedding! You can also print labels with printable fabric and place your names and date of the wedding inside the wristlets! Here is 5 different wa...

I instantly fell in love with the  Peek A Boo Toy Sacks, from Make it Perfect.  I have two beautiful but messy children. Toys are everywhere! We recently started to organize their room (again) and this tutorial couldn't of come at a better time. Make it Perfect's tutorial is wonderful! I am just adding another fun way to use it.  Remember, if you need to see the picture larger just click on it! Supplies: I made a larger bag, so my measurements are a little bigger. The main panel and lining panel are twice as wide because I folded them in half to make a bag measuring approximately 14"h X 12"w. (I can make one in the amount of time it takes a 3 year to take her afternoon nap.) Main Panel= 15"h X 25"w Lining Panel=  15"h X 25"w Tie= 1.5"h X 44"w Casing= 2"h X 13.5w Letter Fabric= Main Fabric 5"X 6" Lining Fabric 5"X 6" Clear Vinyl 5"X 6" Step 1- Print off the size letter you want on your bag. I used th...

This is a picture of my oldest playing banjo with Grandpa!  My Dad has played guitar since he was a young boy. His inner ear is amazing and without reading music he is able to play whatever he hears. I have always admired that! I have had formal music training since I was 10, read music note to note and went to school to become a music teacher however whenever we sit down together I always learn something new about music. I recently started to miss our jam sessions and that is when I decided to make something special for him.  I remembered that his guitar strap was not comfortable anymore. I looked for a tutorial for a guitar strap cover tutorial, no reason to reinvent the wheel, and that is when I found the  DIY guitar strap on Prudent Baby ! It is very simple and a wonderful gift.  I embroidered his initials and the celtic crosses  on soft microfiber. I used fleece to pad the strap along his back.   Making something special made me feel better about missi...

I thought shirring would be easy! After reading Heather Ross's book, Weekend Sewing  (Which I Love!) and seeing her video clip with Martha Stewart . I thought I could instantly make these adorable dresses for my girls but I couldn't. Shirring was my kryptonite! I have researched, tested and found a solution and I want to share it with you!  Especially if you have a Brother Machine with a drop in bobbin.  Look away if Shirring with elastic thread is easy for you! Ok, so if you have a Brother Machine raise your hand! Me to:)! I love it, I can embroider, quilt and sewing over any surface ( Sometimes my own fingers ) but when I shirred no luck.  Then I found out that I am not alone!  Sew Mama Sew  had a forum on it and that is where I found the answer! Creative Heart The only tip I did not use is adjust the bobbin casing. I tried it first without adjusting the painted screw on the bobbin casing and it worked!  Thank you Amber for sharing your shirrin...