The Witches of Apex

Sharon Stewart of Liberty Rose always has the cutest patterns and it’s tons of fun to take classes from her. I recently took her Wilomena Witch class, and this was the result (the black cat was made at a different time):

This is a basic doll body stuffed with a mixture of sand and sawdust in the base (to give it weight), and then fiberfill for the rest. We used tulle and fancy netting for the skirt, and of course got crazy with the embellishments. I was so inspired after this class I went home and made three more witches!

I now present the Witches of Apex – Wendy, Winifred, and Willow:

I can’t decide which one is my favorite. I’d like to add more embellishments, Sharon always has tons of great stuff to use for decoration. My supplies are more limited – but I did think I was pretty clever for buying the Halloween confetti that has bats, spiders, and pumpkins, and using those as accents. Something for a shawl or brooch would also add more variety.

I also don’t know what I am going to do with so many witches!

Pumpkin Costume

My three year old is going to be a pumpkin for Halloween this year. He has been talking about it for several months, even after I explained that his costume could be anything he wanted it to be. After briefly considering a bumblebee costume for a day, he finally decided that he indeed wanted to be a pumpkin.

We headed down to Joann’s to get the pattern. The Butterick patterns were on sale for 99 cents, so of course that’s the only book we looked in. He was very pleased with the pumpkin costume they had:

I need to get an early start to get his costume finished in time. He has several opportunities to wear his costume in the last part of October, and I definitely want him to get the most out of it! I will post a picture when I am done.

Also, be sure to check back at the beginning of October for the first pattern in sewing club! It’s something you will need for Halloween :).

Finished Quilt Tops

Starting this blog has motivated me to finish up UFO’s (unfinished objects). I guess quilt tops kind of count as UFOs until they are quilted and bound, but I do think completing a pieced quilt top should count as finished project. What do you think?

I just completed this quilt top today. I started it in January 2008! This was a very easy applique project created by Sharon Reilly at Plain and Simple Quilt shop. We cut out three different sizes of hearts from a variety of fabrics then we rough-edge appliqued them onto a neutral background. Each square was cut into fourths, and then reassembled to get the off-kilter effect.

This is the very first quilt top I made, in early 2007. I actually finished it in 2007, but thought it would be fun to share on my blog. This was done with strip-piecing – I really love the red, white, and blue color scheme.

This is a christmas tree skirt I made in 2008. I plan to quilt this in the next month or two so it is ready to use under the tree this year. I am still debating whether I have the guts to cut a slit and circle into it for the tree. I might just use it at a table topper instead. It is based on a free Thangles pattern and went together very quickly.

One More Apron

My son really liked the Church Ladies’ Apron I made yesterday, so I decided to make him one too. I present the “Spongebob Sea Creature Apron”:

He picked out the fabric himself – Spongebob Squarepants for one side and sea creatures for the other. I modified the Church Ladies’ Apron pattern to fit a toddler, and I think it turned out really well. A lot was guess work, so I might tweak the pattern a bit if I make anymore (which I’m sure I will).

Aprons

I love making Aprons! There’s just something satisfying about wearing one in the kitchen – even though I hardly ever cook.

I just finished this apron tonight from Mary Mulari’s Church Ladies Apron Pattern. The cool thing about this one is that it is reversible. I know that this isn’t the ideal picture, but I didn’t have a model handy.

I read in a book that aprons are acceptable to wear in public as well, especially when you are out running errands. The pockets come in very handy, and it’s a great way to keep your clothes tidy (since you can get pretty dirty going to the bank and the post office). I can see how they would be useful while at the grocery store – you would have something to wipe your hands on if you had the misfortune to pick up a leaky meat package. This one was made from Vanilla House’s Sunday Dinner Apron pattern. I love the fabric on this one, it features cherries. Yum!

I actually did wear this one to my son’s pre-school Halloween party, thinking I was so retro AND hip, but 2 year olds are a tough crowd; my cutting edge fashion statement just went over their heads. They were more interested in what types of treats I brought for the party (Oreos if any of you were wondering). It was made from Cindy Taylor Oates book “More Retro Aprons”. This is a fun pattern because you use one charm pack and 1/2 yard of fabric.

Finally, here is another one from “More Retro Aprons.” This one is kind of sexy 😉 since it accents your cleavage. That’s all for now!