Countdown to (sewing) fun!

A big thank you to all of my family, friends and blogosphere buddies who reached out to make my birthday magical this week. From Tinker Bell cupcakes  by day to an artsy-crafty painting party by night, it was a truly wonderful birthday and I wouldn’t change a thing! I’m being completely truthful when I say it’s the best birthday I’ve had in years.

I finally got a chance to open some gifts last night, and I have two exciting sewing books to add to my collection! I talked about one book, Fabric-by-Fabric One Yard Wonders, in a blog post a few weeks back. The second book is called Countdown Calendars and just came out last July.

Countdown Calendars sewing book

Countdown Calendars: 24 stitched projects to celebrate any date!

I first discovered the project shown on the cover  – a birthday countdown calendar – about two years ago when I was thinking about buying a sewing machine. It was a finished project listed for sale on Etsy, not a pattern, so I saved a photo for inspiration.

It’s such a fun concept – just add a fabric candle to the birthday cake on the wall hanging each day leading up to your birthday! Advent calendars were always a big deal in my house around Christmastime, and I know I would have loved this birthday calendar if we’d had one in our family.

I can already imagine an infinite number of color combinations in my head and can’t wait to give this a try. It would make a great gift for all of my friends who are exploding my social media newsfeeds with photos of their new babies! Plus – the book has lots of other fun countdown calendar ideas too, including a Christmas advent calendar.

Happy counting! Not gonna lie – all of this talk about countdowns and I can’t get the Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade music from Disney’s Hollywood Studios out of my head… Five, four, three, two, FUN! 🙂

The (not so) big two-eight.

Tomorrow I turn 28. I want to write something profound, but I’m at a loss. What’s there to say about 28? I keep typing and backspacing, so I’ll just start with this celebratory birthday photo from 1988 instead:

February 7 Birthday

My fourth birthday at pre-school, 1988

So much has changed in the last year that I can’t help but wonder what 28 has in store for me.

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY…

I lived in a tiny apartment… now I’m in a grand ‘ole townhouse with the most spectacular sewing nook in the world!

My life was Winnie-less… so hard to believe this precious puppy hadn’t even been born at this time last year. She’s been a part of our little roommate-family since July, so it’s hard to imagine life without her. I’m so thankful that my roommate Katie brought Winnie into our home and our hearts!

Winnie the Morkie

Winnie love.

I was working two jobs… office by day, retail by night. Since then, I quit the retail job and I’m spending a zillion hours pursuing my MBA instead… which might as well count as two jobs!

I had never run a half-marathon. My longest race had been a 10K – only 6 miles. But in October, I completed Disney’s Wine & Dine Half-Marathon with my two wonderful friends and running-mates, Joe and Chris. We were so proud!

Wine and Dine Half Marathon

Race photos are never attractive, so thanks in advance for not judging!

I had never gone home for the holidays since moving to Florida in 2006. But this past year, I went home for Thanksgiving and spent the day on a dairy farm with my family and some dear friends.

And speaking of family, my brother Jason was finally able to visit me in the Florida for the first time!

Mickey and Minnie in Town Square Theater

Spending some time with my favorite mice, my brother Jason and his girlfriend Sarah.

I still had all four wisdom teeth… now I don’t have any. So much for being old and wise!

Wisdom Teeth Cartoon

Some dentist humor...

I had never traveled abroad. And while I still don’t technically have any international trips stamped on my passport, I will in just four months as I head to Turkey, Hungary, Austria, Sweden, Finland and Russia!

I never could have predicted any of the ups and downs that came my way at 27, for better or for worse. I’m insanely curious about what 28 has in store, but there’s only one way for me to find out! Stay tuned. 🙂

One-Yard Wonders… take two!

You all know how much I adore the One-Yard Wonders book I picked up last year. It’s where I discovered one of my favorite patterns in the world – the adorable and convenient jewelry roll.

So of course, I was elated to discover that there was a SECOND One-Yard Wonders book released in November!

One Yard Wonders

I already have my eye on the insulated wine tote in the bottom left-hand corner…

My mom picked it up from the library while I am home in Chicago this week. After leafing through it just once, I already know that I want it for my birthday in February. I won’t let myself pour over the book in detail until it’s officially mine!

This version is arranged in sections by fabric type versus project type. I think that’s pretty neat – now when I have a yard of fabric laying around with no specific sewing intentions, I can turn to that fabric type section in the book and look at all of my options. There were a few patterns in the first book that deterred me when I had a piece of lightweight cotton to use and then was disappointed to discovered that home decor weight was required.

Is anyone else out there as excited about this book as I am?

November and December in 15 photos or less…

I haven’t updated my blog since Halloween, and tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Talk about MIA!

I could write a novel about what I’ve been up to since then, but instead, I’ll show you… iPhone-photo-library-style…

Lindsay and Gizmo

I went home to Chicago for Thanksgiving… I spent some time cuddling my brother’s dog, Gizmo, in the backseat of the car while we drove to Wisconsin.

Baby Cow

We spent our Thanksgiving on a dairy farm!

Spool of Thread Ornament

On Thanksgiving, my family was a part of a very special tradition in which we each received a special ornament. The little spool of thread fit me perfectly!

Christmas Tree

Back to Florida, and put up the Christmas tree. We don’t have a tree topper, so the Mickey ears Santa hat is our traditional solution.

Winnie and the Minnie Wreath

Winnie proudly admires the Minnie Mouse wreath I made two years ago. We have the most magical house on the block!

Clothespin Wreath

Put the finishing touches on my Christmas card clothespin wreath. Since then, we’ve filled it up by clipping our Christmas cards on all of the clothespins! I promise we’re more popular than this photo portrays. 🙂

Mickey Popcorn Bucket

Found this lil guy sitting on my desk one morning and felt really happy!

Corn Chowder

I tried to keep it healthy one week and made some delicious corn chowder. As you all know, Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday, so I use my heart-shaped measuring cups all year long. The hearts were a welcome break from all of the Christmas madness! A lovely reminder that my favorite holiday is just around the corner. 🙂

Sewn Christmas Cards

Sewed a few Christmas cards by quilting some fabric panels and sewing them onto blank cards. It was my first attempt at free-motion quilting. Man oh man! Free-motion quilting is crazy, you guys! As you can see, I didn’t do a great job – LOL! More on that later…

DAK Lodge

My mom came to visit and we spent a lovely weekend at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. We loved watching the zebras and giraffes outside our balcony when we weren’t hitting up the Disney parks!

Zebra Domes

Delicious zebra domes were the snack of choice when we returned to our room each night. 🙂

Christmas lights on Cinderella Castle

It wouldn’t be Christmas without seeing the sparkling Christmas lights on Cinderella Castle… caught this pic post-fireworks at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party with mom.

MVMCP

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

WIzard of Oz inspired zipper pouch

Squeezed in some craft time and sewed this lovely Wizard of Oz inspired zipper pouch! Ruby slippers and a yellow brick road…

Studying with Winnie

And of course, through it all, I’ve been doing schoolwork. This morning I worked on my accounting exam while Winnie snacked on my accounting textbook. Nom nom!

Well, 15 iPhone snapshots later, and I’ve covered November and December!

So… what have you all been up to?

Ghosts of Halloweens past!

Happy Halloween!

This is the first year in many that I haven’t prepared a Halloween costume. While I don’t have access to photos from every single Halloween I’ve ever celebrated, here’s a sampling of some of the “ghosts” of my Halloweens past!

Pre-school Years: A repurposed dance recital ensemble turned Tooth Fairy costume. Yes, Tooth Fairy. See the tinfoil wand that says “Tooth Fairy” at the top? What can I say? I come from a family of dentists, and I was easily impressionable.

Tooth Fairy Costume

Kind of a sad little Tooth Fairy…

More pre-school years: I’m a store-bought bunny, and my brother is a skeleton. My mom made the skeleton costume herself by tediously cutting white felt into bone shapes and sewing them onto black sweats. My mom is awesome!

Bunny & Skeleton Costumes

Kind of a sad little bunny… why was I always so sad!?

1990: I’m a non-politically-correct Native American. One of my favorite costumes, despite the fact that a boy in my class was also a non-politically-correct Native American that year, and everyone said we were going to get married, which is a traumatizing statement in the first grade.

Native American Costume

So excited to bring my non-politically-correct Native American baby doll to school!

1992: I was a “50’s girl” complete with a poodle skirt and a silky pink jacket from the Mirage in Las Vegas… because every girl from the 1950’s had a Vegas jacket. LOL!

1950's Girl Costume

Why were there poodles on skirts back then, anyway?

1994: I was a mime. Not pictured, as it was one of my most embarrassing costumes. However, if you ask my mom, it was one of her favorites and she’ll show you pictures. So don’t ask my mom.

mime

Don’t ever let your mom talk you into being a mime.

With the exception of freshman year (when I didn’t know any better and wore a Dorothy costume to school), I didn’t dress up in high school. I went to a Catholic school with a strict dress code and there were just too many restrictions to even bother. Back then, we were just happy if we were allowed to wear blue jeans. And I didn’t dress up in college because I consider myself a person who values dressing tastefully and appropriately, and dressing up isn’t an option in college if you dress appropriately.

After college, I moved to central Florida and started spending a lot of time at Walt Disney World… after a long hiatus of no Halloween costumes to my name, I was excited to jump back in to the wonderful world of Halloween – especially in a place where awesome, appropriate costumes are valued. All of the sudden, Halloween was fun again!

2006: I was determined to dress up as my favorite Disney character, Wendy Darling, and ordered a handmade Wendy costume from Kelly’s Costumes. I wore it to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party with some friends who dressed up as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell!

Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinker Bell costumes

What’s a kiss?

2007: Because I just couldn’t get enough – Wendy returned.

Wendy & Peter Pan Costumes

Sometimes Peter gets mistaken for Robin Hood… what’s your vote?

2008: I debuted TWO costumes in 2008 for two separate parties! One Tinker Bell costume, complete with light-up fairy wings and – my favorite – poof ball shoes. I was so adamant that the shoes be exactly the way I pictured them that I made them myself – celery green Prima Crocs with a poofball sewn on top.

Tinker Bell Costume

Perfect poof-ball shoes!

And one Mouseketeer ensemble, easily created with a white t-shirt, iron-on letters and a custom set of Mickey Mouse ears.

Mouseketeer Costume

Y? Because we like you!

2009: Two chefs hats, a chef jacket, some red hair dye and an “Eiffel-tower-on-a-stick” created the perfect Remy and Linguine costumes from the movie Ratatouille. I wore all gray and pinned craft-foam rat ears to my chef hat. I also decoupage’d that pretty fab version of the cookbook from the movie!

Remy & Linguine Ratatouille costumes

Can you believe I was lucky enough to go to the Halloween party with Nick Lachey?

That brings us to last year, which was the first year I sewed a Halloween costume! I dressed up as Boo, and I sewed this gigundo Mike Wazowski costume!

Boo & Mike Wazowski Monsters Inc Costume

Nick Lachey loves Mike Wazowski!

So why no costume this year? Well, at the risk of sounding like I’m full of excuses, I’ve just been too busy with school, and dressing up as an MBA student is kind of boring.

Woman Studying

Not the coolest costume in the world.

But in a dream world, this is what I really would have liked to be this year… maybe this is something I can sew for next year? If I get started… now… I might just finish in time… 🙂

Giselle's Blue Dress from Enchanted

Giselle’s blue “curtain dress” from Enchanted! Dreamy!

Any fun Halloween costumes in your world this year?

Do the sewing touchdown dance

Even though it still feels like summer here in Florida, football season has officially arrived! Although I’m not a die-hard football fan, I grew up hearing my dad’s Chicago Bears games in the background every Sunday and the sound of a football game on TV still makes me feel incredibly nostalgic.

Family Circus Football Comic Strip

When I see Chicago Bears fabric stocked on store shelf here in Central Florida, I can’t help but stop in my tracks. Living across the country from my hometown, it’s a rarity to see my team of choice! But licensed fabric is expensive and I’ve never had any specific NFL-ish projects in mind, so I’ve always passed it up.

That is, until recently, when I saw a treasure trove of Chicago Bears fleece in the remnants bin… two remnants that were each just one inch short of a full yard. I almost did a touchdown dance right there in the fabric store. I couldn’t pass up these Chicago Bears gems for 50 percent off!

Chicago Bears fleece remnants

SCORE.

But what are the most relevant uses for NFL fabric? Other than the typical scarf/gloves/hat combos (this Floridian doesn’t need any of those) …

After some Google searching fun, here are some free tutorials for projects that might shine even brighter with some licensed team fabric – both fleece and non-fleece projects!

Never lose your remote again with this handy couch caddyClick here for the free couch caddy tutorial at Sew4Home(Note: this tutorial technically calls for home decor weight fabrics. Since most licensed fabrics aren’t home decor weight, you may have to get creative with heavy interfacing.)

Couch Caddy Sewing Tutorial

Photo and tutorial courtesy of Sew4Home.com

Follow along: Football games on Sunday afternoons >> Sunday afternoons are lazy >> lazy Sunday afternoons call for pajama pants. Enough said. Click here for the free comfy PJ pants tutorial at Sew4Home!

Free pajama pants sewing tutorial from Sew4Home

Photo and tutorial courtesy of Sew4Home.com

If pajama pants just aren’t lazy enough, how about a tutorial for a knock-off Snuggie – a.k.a. “Snuglet?” Yes, please! Click here for a free “Snuglet” tutorial from SissonFamily.com!

Snuggie Slanket Snuglet free sewing pattern

Snuggie, Slanket, Snuglet… whatever! Photo and tutorial courtesy of SissonFamily.com.

I’ve had fabric pendants on my sewing to-do list for awhile, but I only had celebratory birthday pendants in mind. A fabric pendant made with team fabrics (mixed with color coordinating calico prints) would be really fun for Super Bowl parties, etc! Click here for the free fabric pendant tutorial at Your Homebased Mom.

Fabric pennant sewing tutorial

Photo and tutorial courtesy of Your Homebased Mom.

This tutorial is so amazing it’s ridiculous – a stadium blanket that can be toted around in a bag that doubles as a bleacher cushion – and can be made using old t-shirts. BRILLIANT. Click here for the free stadium blanket and cushion bag tutorial from Sew Mama Sew and Fishsticks Designs!

Free stadium blanket and bleacher cushion sewing tutorial

Photo and tutorial courtesy of Sew Mama Sew and Fishsticks Designs.

Well, I’m off to TACKLE some studying… ha ha ha. 🙂

Any other fun ideas for using NFL fabric?

Go Bears!

LindsaySignature

The most magical workroom on earth!

An avid follower of the Disney Parks blog, I recently stumbled across this video in which a Cast Member from Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Creative Costuming shows viewers how to put together a quick no-sew pirate costume for Halloween. While the costume is nice, I’m more interested in the amazing workroom, located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Doesn’t it look amazing?

This is the first year in many that I will not be able to put together a new Halloween costume, which means I’ll be pulling a previous year’s costume from my closet!

Does anyone out there have an amazing Halloween costume in the works?

LindsaySignature

 

The day I broke up with my TV tray

Ever since I bought my sewing machine a little over a year ago, I’ve been using a sad little TV tray for my sewing setup. Yes… a TV tray. Wah wah.

Wooden TV Tray with lunch

TV Trays: Ideal for lunch, not for sewing machines.

I recently moved from a tiny apartment to a luxurious townhouse, and in the process, moved into a new bedroom with the most spectacular sewing nook in the universe. The angled walls create a picture-perfect alcove that screams “CREATIVE THINGS NEED TO HAPPEN HERE!”

Bedroom floor plan

I refuse to let this cozy nook be anything less than amazing.

It was immediately clear that a TV tray sewing setup would NOT do my sewing getaway any justice.

I’d like to introduce you to my new best friend: the HEMNES secretary desk from IKEA.

IKEA Hemnes secretary desk study and sewing oasis

I promise I will actually read that Econ book once I'm done using it as a photo prop.

My love for this desk is threefold.

  • One: The need for a new sewing oasis (Sorry, TV tray… this just isn’t going to work out)
  • Two: A place to do my schoolwork for grad school (Studying: a necessary evil)
  • Three: The desire for a neat and orderly bedroom… (i.e. – shove all my junk inside the desk and close it up. Secret messes.)

And as a bonus, this desk matches my already existing HEMNES bedroom set.

Yep. I might love this desk more than I love fabric softener.

Anyone need a sad and lonely TV tray?

How to build an army bunker

As the owner of this blog, I have access to some pretty magical tools that give me all sorts of site stats to scrutinize and take personally (Only three visitors today!? What!? Is my blog not good enough for you!? My sewing projects aren’t pretty enough!?). I can also look at a list of the Google search phrases that lead people to my blog. The number one topic that leads visitors to my blog?

Pascal / Tangled: Yep, this little guy is the number one reason that people visit my blog – all because I posted this sewing-related photo from Tangled. Thanks for making me famous, Pascal! Despite the fact that you really have nothing to do with sewing…

Rapunzel sews Pascal a dress in Tangled

Pascal: Cuter than your average dressform!

Summer Sewing Projects: I have to admit, I really enjoyed putting together this compilation of summer sewing projects  a few months ago, and plan to write more collective tutorial posts in the future. My blog visitors must have enjoyed this entry too since it led lots of Google’ers to Sew Lindsay Sew! Did anybody out there make any of the projects that were listed?

Strawberry pillow sewing tutorial

Photo and tutorial courtesy of purlbee.com

Project Linus: I still haven’t gotten a chance to sew a blanket for this outstanding organization. Has anyone else volunteered with Project Linus?

Project Linus projectlinus.org

Sewing blankies for those who need them most!

Sewing nook covers: Everyone out there with an e-reader must want to make their Barnes & Noble nook just a little bit cozier, ’cause “Hooked on my nook” is attracting lots of visitors to my blog!

E-reader nook cover

Hooked on my nook!

Rotary cutters: I talked about rotary cutters in an entry about the top five sewing tools I can’t live without. Not much else to say about rotary cutters other than this: They are magical and I can’t live without them, and apparently, neither can you because they’re one of the top Google search phrases in my site stats.

Sewing rotary cutter

Blissfully straight lines!

While the top phrases are pretty darn fun, I know you’re dying to know some of the awkward phrases that have led people to my blog!

Wallpaper sewing: Huh? This one baffled me for awhile until I realized they were probably looking for desktop wallpaper for their computer. In my head, I initially had a vision of sewing wallpaper onto walls in lieu of wallpaper paste. Strange.

How to build an army bunker: Yep, this is just your typical army-bunker-building blog… LOL!

Troll pigtails: What!?

So what led you to stumble across my blog? Or are you simply a Facebook friend who took pity on me and my sad little site stats? LOL!

Regardless of how you got here – thanks for visiting! And I’m sorry if I misled you – I do not actually know how to build an army bunker. 🙂

The Secret Summer Sewing Project

Recently, I referenced a big sewing project without being able to mention specifically what the project entailed. Now it’s finally time for the reveal!

My dear friend Cait got married last week, and asked me months ago if I would make six jewelry rolls (initially presented in this Mother’s Day blog entry) for her bridesmaids. Although the idea of making six – plus one more for Cait – seemed a little overwhelming, I didn’t hesitate to say yes! But the project had to remain a secret so I wouldn’t ruin the surprise for Cait’s bridesmaids.

Being responsible for even a tiny portion of someone else’s wedding plan might be a little intimidating to anyone who has seen an episode of the TV show “Bridezillas.” But I know Cait, and I knew she would be the complete opposite of a Bridezilla.

I now present to you three pieces of evidence that prove my point:

1) When we took a trip to the fabric store, Cait was torn between a so-so fabric that matched her wedding colors – yellow and gray – and a stunning green fabric that she knew her bridesmaids would love. She ultimately put her bridesmaids first and chose the fabric that she knew they would like, despite the fact that it didn’t match the wedding colors. Awesome!

Green fabric for jewelry rolls

The winning fabric combo!

2) While trying to balance the start of my MBA program and moving across town all in the same month, my life was in utter chaos and I didn’t finish the jewelry rolls until just a few weeks before the wedding. Cait didn’t hound me for the finished jewelry rolls once. Awesome!

3) Cait wore yellow Converse chucks down the aisle… and then broke out in a surprise hip-hop routine with her dad during the father/daughter dance. Now THAT… is an awesome bride.

Wedding Day and yellow Converse Chucks

Photos compliments of Brie at rgbrie.tumblr.com

Her wedding was beautiful and I feel lucky to have been a part of it. Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs!