Cowgirl Booties

My friend & coworker Justin saw the cowboy booties that I made for a silent auction and asked if could make a pair for his niece-to-be. She is due in a few weeks, so I made them this weekend in Caron Simply Soft Pink and Red Heart Super Saver Buff. The Cowboy Booties pattern is one of the very few patterns that I actually follow without changing it up. Actually, maybe the only one! The booties are sized for a newborn and super-cute!

In other news, the Wags and Whiskers Annual Dinner Auction to Benefit the Humane League of Lancaster County was held on Saturday. It was a huge success and everyone had a great time. This morning, my sister sent me this adorable picture of the lucky recipient of the GI Joe dog sweater that I donated. His name is Mickey, isn't he adorable? ... er, I mean, isn't he super-tough in his camo?

Tough Guy - Sewn Dog Jacket

A friend of mine is living with his sister and her two toy dogs that she loves to dress. The great thing is that the dogs both love to wear clothes and come running happily every time she pulls out an outfit for them. He knew that I was getting into sewing jackets and asked me to make a "tough guy" jacket for the male dog of the pair, since apparently, some of his current outfits are lacking a bit of testosterone. Hopefully, soon, I'll have pictures of this jacket modeled... but for now, here it is. Of course, Lily-Cat loves photo shoots and was desperate to get in every shot. So, the paw here and there is her trying to add value, glitz, and glamour to the frame.

On the Catwalk...

My sister received my contributions to the Wags and Whiskers Annual Dinner Auction to benefit the Humane League of Lancaster County. She even took some pictures of a few of the sweaters on some "dogs". So, thanks to her, you can have a better idea of what these dog sweaters will look like when their future owner struts their stuff in them.

Fiesta Print with Sage Trim

GI Joe

He's an American Hero, you know....

Barbie and GI Joe...

or Miss Piggy since she obviously is begging for attention...

Enjoy!

Test Bag for Devon's Bridal Party

Lately, I have been taking on some projects for my family and a few friends to help them out while gaining some sewing skillz. The latest one is for my younger sister's bff - Devon - and her bridal party. I'm going to make small bags for her bridal party that coordinate with their bridesmaids dresses. The original plan was to do just fun bags for them for the bachelorette party, but time wasn't on our side.

Really, though, it's actually kind of exciting for me to be helping out with the bags. Bridgid and Devon have been friends for years and years. When they first became friends, I was their driver to many a freshman year event. So, I hung out with them a lot. Back then, I also met her soon-to-be husband... since Devon is actually marrying her high school sweetheart. I know, I didn't know that actually happened in real life, either :o)

Anyway, I'm thrilled for Devon and very happy to help out with her wedding. So, hopefully the bags don't suck.

Since I'm very green at sewing, I picked a pattern that was from a beginner book that teaches the basics. Keywords: Beginner and Basics. Even though it was supposed to be pretty simple, I enlisted the help of my friend Nicole who is an expert sew-girl. She studied costume design at UT and actually understands patterns (something that is completely lost on me).

I've been teaching her crochet, so it was kind of a trade off of sorts. And let's face it, she gets to hang out with moi, which is a privilege in and of itself. ;)

I helped her out with her and her boy's theme party costumes --they were to be GI Joes for an 80's party. She had bought the camo pants and black shirts and we ironed on a GI Joe graphic to the front of the shirts. I was there to make sure that it was somewhat centered and straight.

Eventually, after procrastinating, we started on the "Beginner" and "Basic" bag.

If Nicole had not been there, I probably would have given up and tried a different pattern.

There were a couple of steps that were really confusing... and a few that are just plain annoying.

Now that I know what to do, the next bags will be much easier... it's just that there were a few things on the first bag that I coulda woulda shoulda done differently. Also, the bags for Devon's wedding will be with a thinner, smoother material, so it will be easier to do some of the steps.

Anyway, the bag is still cute, but it did take some time and elbow grease. We made it much smaller than the original... and I think it's tres cute. The small orange is pictured to show approximate size.

Closed bag.

Bag open, lying flat, back.

Open Bag, Lining Exposed.

Latest Skirt

I made a skirt for my friend Tiffany on Saturday for taking care of my kitties over Christmas. I'm hoping to get pictures of her skirt soon.


After I made hers, I figured, eh, why not make another one?


So I made one for me. These skirts take about an hour to make and are very comfortable.... one size fits all.

My next sewing projects are 7 bags for my sister's best friend's wedding... and pillows for another sister's living room.

Ready To Wear: Dog Fashion

I reallyreally wish that I had these dog sweaters photographed on an adorable dog... but alas... You'll have to just pretend. I considered buying a life-sized plushie to model the sweaters, but then I figured Beethoven would tear the poor, defenseless toy to shreds before I ever got around to the photo shoot...

so imagine these on adorable puppies.

The sweaters will be part of the silent auction "Wags and Whiskers" to benefit The Humane League of Lancaster County where my sister works.

The great thing about these sweaters is that they work up super-quickly!

Camoflage Print

Sized XS in a pull over sweater. Let the neighborhood know that he’s boss.

I used this pattern and only made small adjustments and made it in Bernat Camo yarn. It's pretty tiny, but I think it will fit a chihuahua nicely.

Lilac and Lace

Sized S and fastens around the neck and tummy band. Pretty and sweet.

I crocheted this one in lavender (caron Simply soft) with cream trim (hobby lobby cottontots). It's a hybrid of several patterns with the addition of a lace stitch from a book of stitches that I have. I added a few buttons to close it and a bow at the neck. I used this free pattern as part of the pattern "suggestion"... but I took a lot of liberties with it.

Hot Pink Diva with Fur Trim

Sized S in a pull over sweater. She’s Ready for her Close-up!

For this sassy number, I didn't use a pattern. I just used the other already made sweaters as a guide. this is the only one that isn't washable-- and that's because of the fur trim.

Fiesta Print with Sage Trim

Sized XS in a pull over sweater. Perfect for a Party Girl.

Lily-Cat is jealous because it isn't in her size.
I used this pattern with minimal adjustments and made it in red heart yarn... I washed it with fabric softener and a dryer sheet and now it feels nice and soft.

Pink Camoflage

Sized S in a pull over sweater. For the girl who’s a bit of a tomboy.

Just updated with pictures. I made it in Rose Camo by Bernat. I was actually disappointed by this yarn because it barely looks camo since there are only two colors (pink and green) instead of three. Oh, well. I used this pattern again... but changed it up a lot... mostly because the camo wasn't striping well (it looked like a checkerboard!)... so I did different stitches... I'll take a picture tonight.

Thanks for looking!

Hope these items help raise money for lots of lil cuties.