Just the Snaps!

I am determined to finish Cambria and Titan's rodeo shirts today. I sewed Titan's Monday and then yesterday I sewed Cambria's. I ran into a problem right away with the unicorn appliqué (unicorns are ALWAYS problematic, right?) 

I consulted with Jessica about how it should be stitched. It was so large that if I put it straight on the yoke, it would interfere with the collar and sleeve seams. Jessica told me that Cambria absolutely would not mind if it were at an angle.

Once that decision was made, then I was able to finish the shirt that afternoon. There is just one more thing to do.

Add the pearl snaps to the pocket flaps and the front of the shirts. And I am procrastinating this step big time.

 I've laid the snaps out on the shirts so that I know where I want to place them.

 And I've decided that five snaps going down the front is better than four. 

But still I procrastinate. Frankly, I am intimidated. It has been a LONG time since I put snaps onto a garment. (I used to sew my kids little rompers that could be unsnapped for diaper changes. Cole is 32. Yep! A long time! )

My experience was not always the best - I've used the spool and hammer method mentioned in the directions on the snap package above, and I've used snap pliers, too. (Old ones from years ago; I did buy new snap pliers for this project.)

It didn't help when I opened my new snap pliers and out tumbled a whole bunch of brightly colored parts.

 And the large, full color sheet of instructions that was front to back.

I was already intimidated; this served to raise my apprehension level through the roof.

I need seven pearl snaps for each shirt and I have two packages of twelve. There is enough to practice with on scrap fabric before actually applying them to the kids' shirts.

Wish me luck. 

Non-Holiday Pillowcases

When we were in Santaquin and visiting Jessica, they were still in the throes of unpacking from their move. One of the things I noticed in their basement family room was this:

A big stack of the pillowcases that I had made for Cambria - one for each holiday. It made me really good to see that Jessica and her family enjoyed them. And, if REALLY made me feel good when she asked me to make some "summer fun" ones.

So, Jessica and I picked out some fabric together.

 Mermaids for Cambria to match her bedroom.

and dinosaurs to match Titan's.

 Colorful ice cream cones to reflect that summer fun for Cambria

while Titan got a camping/outdoorsy theme.

Cambria & Titan - Back to School Pillowcases

Jessica asked me if I would make her kids pillowcases for back to school. Her reasoning? It's a long time between the 4th of July and Halloween, and she wanted pillowcases for the time in between the two holidays. I was happy to oblige, although there is not a big selection in fabric for back to school.

 I took a big chance on Titan's. It was a panel for decorating, but its measurements were right, so I crossed my fingers and bought a panel.

 And I love how it turned out! This may be one of my all-time favorite pillowcases.

Cambria got a pink fabric with owls and school supplies on it.

Julie and Cambria's Birthday Pillowcases

Well, after a chat with Jessica, I discovered that Cambria is using a pillow now, so I have changed my mind and am going back to making the pillowcases for the two year old grandchildren.

So... here we go! It's going to be a busy year since the quads all turn two this year. Since I did some for Whitney earlier at her siblings' request, I only need to make her birthday and Thanksgiving ones to complete her set, which means I will just be making three per holiday.

I can't wait - I love this tradition!

Today I sewed Julie and Cambria's birthday pillowcases. I used fabric with cupcakes on it, and if you look closely, you can see the Very Hungry Caterpillar nibbling on a few!

And thus begins the "sewing year"!

Cambria Opens Her Quiet Book

After a long drive through Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, we arrived at Jessica and Andrew's for the first leg of our journey around dinner time Saturday. Opening Cambria's quiet book was one of the first things we did!

Two bags - one with the pillow and one with the quiet book.

Mommy helped encourage Cambria to look at her book - she'd never seen one before and wasn't quite sure what to do.

The bunny in the cradle was the first piece that Cambria pulled out to play with.

Her mama was very excited about the Caps for Sale page I had created and told me I should include it in other quiet books.

Cambria puts hats on the monkeys. She likes monkeys and can make a monkey sound (which she did while playing with this page.)

The counting page was a big hit, too - especially the cupcake.("Happy Birthday to you!" was sung.)

Cambria's Quiet Book

It's done! After a month of sewing every spare moment I had, I completed Cambria's quiet book.

 The cover is the same fabric that was on Jessica's quiet book. I found it on eBay.

This page is a family favorite and a connection to my parents' orchard.

 I love that the girl's eye is peeping out - an accident while sewing, but perfect for this page!

 The pink fabric has sparkles, but it's hard to tell in the photos.

This next page is a new one. I wanted to do a Caps for Sale - style one, and found a flannelboard story set online.

 I ordered it, cut out and then backed all the pieces, and it worked perfectly! (Jessica loved it and recommended I put it in future books.)

The blue ribbon was worn by Trinity or Addie at Jessica and Andrew's wedding.  I had a difficult time finding a doll for the cradle. 

 A mini Easter Bunny from CVS was just the ticket!

 Fabric from past sewing projects comprise the dresses for this page. The white ribbon on the top dress is the same ribbon that I put on Cambria's blessing gown a year ago.

 I think the chick appliqués add a lot to this page.

 The buzzy bees and their flight trails are a legacy from Great Grandma Martin.

 This is a new page, although it's in the original pattern book. The pattern had you cut shapes out of felt - boring!

I switched it up to appliqués and am delighted with the result.

 I also changed this page from "Indian" to "little girl" to make it a bit more politically correct. Great Grandma drew the original designs for the tipi.

 I also changed the gender of the person inside from a boy to a girl.

Due to safety concerns with the clothespins, I have never done the following page, even though it is in the original pattern book.

 Jessica assured me she would monitor Cambria, so I went ahead and put it together.

 Last but not least - the traditional quiet book ending page!

With the leftover fabric from the cover, I also made Cambria a pillow.

 I think it turned out well. (Front side.)

(Back side.)

Quiet books take a lot of time to make, but they're super fun for me and, I hope, something that my grandchildren treasure.

And More Progress on Cambria's Quiet Book

Here are some photos I took to show my mother of the progress I had made on Cambria's quiet book. (It's now done, but I haven't taken any pictures of the finished book yet.)

A screen shot of the Caps for Sale flannel book story I found online and purchased for the book.

Progress on Cambria's Quiet Book

Cambria's birthday is February 6, but I am not going to finish her book in time. She and her family are here for a couple of days and I just can't sit down and work when they are here. I want to visit, not sew!!

By the same token, I have made a lot of progress on it. Here are some snaps of things for the book.

 Flowers for the buttoning page.

 I am trying a page I have never done before - I am really excited about it!

It takes two tables so I can spread out. And actually, there are things on the desk behind these tables, too!

Cambria's Alphabet Wall

Jessica invited all her friends and family to make an alphabet letter for Cambria's bedroom. Unfortunately, the letters were all gone when I responded that I'd do one. That made me really sad as I wanted to participate in such a fun project for my grandbaby.

But, luckily for me, someone never got their letter R done, so Jessica asked me if I would do it. I used fabric from Cambria's blessing gown and found buttons to match the bow/headband she wore that day.

Simple but elegant - I am pleased with how it turned out. It will look nice here among all the other letters!