We Are The World...

This chokes me up inside, each and every time I watch it...

A Few Other Window Panels

Here are a few other window treatments from around my house that I've sewn. These floral ones are in my dining room for now - I have big plans to replace them with a nice heavy rich colored brocade fabric, but that requires more cash than I'm willing to spend right now. I also covered my dining room table chairs in this same fabric. These were the first curtains that I had ever sewn - from about 6 or 7 years back, (embarassingly long time to have up the same window treatments, but it is what it is.) The panels are 114" long, still leaving about 4 more feet of bare wall above them in this room. Not a great photo of them, but you get the picture, right? I have these two narrow windows that flank the fireplace in the downstairs living area. Full sun floods through them during mid-day..summers are brutal. So, I lined these dupioni silk panels with a thermal fabric and a blackout fabric. They are awesome - not a drop of sunlight gets through them, so they serve their purpose well.

And lastly on my list today, are the silk panels that I literally threw together for my littlest son's room. At this point, his bed backs up agains this wall - would have included it in the photograph, but didn't feel like making his bed this morning :) The panels are floor length and lined with blackout fabric as well. Needless to say, they match his bedding - store bought, mind you, perfectly... His room decor is for another day, perhaps...

A Few Vinyl Projects

I own a Cricut Expressions cutting machine, so when I find free time, I like to work on vinyl projects like these.. If I were a smart woman, I would put my machine to work for me and try to make some cash with it...just something I should and could easily consider. Anywho...

I have this quote on my bedroom wall - I put it up as a constant reminder to keep my calm, whether times be good or bad, hard or easy, and it really has helped get me through...

This is in my upstairs family room, above the front windows. No matter what faith you belong to, I feel that this could apply.

...And last, but not the least, I put up this quote on the mirror in my oldest son's room - in a place where he's guaranteed to see it at least twice a day. He's awesome, and on some of my busier days, I feel like I've neglected to tell him just how much I cherish his sweet spirit. These three things are very important for him to know, how ever the message is given.

Grace's Bedding

I put the twins into twin beds, no pun intended, on their second birthday. For Grace's, I used a daybed that used to be in one of our spare bedrooms, but for the past several years, has been being stored under my own bed. For two purposes, I didn't want to leave the underside of her bed empty. First out, because it would become a haven for straggling toys, and secondly, because it was an awesome place for me to hide away some of our food storage. In any event, I needed to come up with a dust ruffle to cover the underneath portion. This particular daybed does not accomodate a standard ruffle because of the slats underneath the mattress, so I had to be a little creative. (by the way, pardon this photograph - it was taken on my iPhone..., pun: but you get the picture...)
I gathered and sewed up these panels, then stitched velcro, (yes, I said velcro,) along the tops. Having to purchase it separately, I lined the underside of her bed with sticky-back velcro. Viola! Problem solved. All I had to do was line the panels up with the bed, and she was good to go.


Now, on to the next project, her bedding. For now, she is using a white down comforter, but I already have a vision of the quilt that I am going to make for her bed, which will tie everything in her room together... You'll just have to wait for now to see the finished product!

Drapery for Grace's Room - A Work in Progress

As with most rooms in my home, they are a work in progress...and so it is with Grace's room. Once again, with store-bought bedding not appealing to me, I take on the challenge of sewing my own custom bedding and window treatments. Deciding on a color palette was by far the most challenging thing I've had to do so far. I didn't want the standard pink and purple decor, and loathe the idea of a themed room like Barbie or the Disney Princesses, so I set out on my own to invision something exciting. After deciding on a bold color palette, the kids and I got started...and yes, I said the kids and I. They are always a lot of help, and I've learned that if I involve them, things tend to go smoother for me :)

When making long drapery, it is wise to just spread everything out in a wide open area - I chose my entry way, as usual. Walker helped me smooth out the coral colored fabric, and mark off cut and hem lines for two large panels...

Then he helped roll out the lining...

Grace did the cutting... (not really, but she thought she was really being a big helper!)

The fun part was left up to me...the sewing. These panels are 108" long, completed, so they were quite a hand full, literally, to sew up. I managed, and though I don't have the rest of the window treatment sewed up yet, they are now serving their original purpose in her room - to block out sunlight when she naps :) For now, they look like a huge wall of orange, but it's only temporary. Once I install tie-backs and sew up a top layer for the upper part of the window, they'll look like they came straight out of a magazine...

Crib Bedding for the Twins

When I was pregnant with the twins, I took it upon myself to sew custom bedding for their cribs. Not necessarily trying to save myself money or time, just not very impressed with what I had found in stores. Custom bedding is ridiculously priced, and after taking this task on, I know exactly why... Keeping in mind that I was sewing for two cribs instead of just one, and add in the fact that I am a perfectionist down to the last stitch, I spent a large amount of time on these. I am my own worst critic, but looking back on them now, I think they turned out really well.

This first photo is of Walker's crib... I commissioned my sister-in-law, Amy, to paint the tree mural - which turned out fabulous, (thanks again, Amy!)I wanted to keep the nursery colors very neutral until I knew each baby's personality, so I went with a creamy color and browns.

Here is the inside of his crib. I used the chocolate browns, creams, and a blue, almost a deep Tiffany blue for his bedding. I also sewed these teddy bears - one for each child, out of left over scraps from their bedding. Love them...

I also made these quilts, seen hanging over the back of the crib here, in their respective colors, using minky fabric on the back. Sooo soft and sweet.

...and his dust ruffle. Gracen's bedding was/is identical, with the exception that her dust ruffle was chocolate brown with a sheer polka-dotted brown ruffle sewn into the top, and her quilt & bear have pink in them rather than blue. I know for a fact that I photographed Gracen's bed, too, but for whatever the reason, cannot locate the files. Here are a couple of random photos that show her quilt and bumper.

(I will post Gracen's bedding photos when I come across them.)