Sewing for the kids!

The reason I started sewing was because I wanted to make my daughter some cute outfits.
My mom flew from America with a sewing machine in her overhead baggage, but it took me 2 years to pull it out and actually sew with it, when my daughter was born, something about little girls just makes you want me want to sew!  So of course she gets the majority of my sewn items, but every once in a while I will sew something up for my son, like this wallet.

This is the 5th Pirate's Treasure Wallet I have sewn up, this pattern is from Fenna of Fabulous Home Sewn, the first one was for my son, last year, and he loves it.

He thinks he is rich and uses it to buy himself treats, like ice cream above, he is also very sweet and even bought his sister a birthday present with "his own money" now those are quotes, because obviously the money is from me, lol!

The inside has 3 card slots, a clear vinyl slot (Nik likes to use this area to place his treasures) a zippered change pocket that comes in very handy, also a place to place bills (not going to happen).  He has used his little wallet so much, I have also sent all of the nephews one.  I thought I would sew up a new one for his first grade graduation present.

Graduation photo!

 See he is even holding his old one here, it goes everywhere with him, and it was time for a new one.

The month before I sewed up the Perfect Petal Purse a pattern also my Fenna from Fabulous Home Sewn.
 
adding extra long petals and an embroidered bee for the front.

Next up on my list is the long awaited Secret Garden Dress, I have had this pattern since the beginning before the designer named herself Audrey & Tiffany, and when she was selling it on Craftsy.

I've had these fabrics picked for the dress, well for ages, like I said, it's just my daughter is very hard to sew for since she is not a regular size so I have to fiddle with the patterns and it's kind of a pain, but this dress reminded me of butterflies and ladybugs (I have a second selection of fabrics with butterflies on them, so if this one works I will be making another one)
I hope to get to make this before the Canadian Pattern Designer Challenge ends, and if I do I will add the pictures here, but if not, just check out this dress it is a beauty and also check out all of the other Canadian Designers, you will recognize some of them I am sure!

Pretty Perfect Fabric and Patterns

Pretty Perfect Fabric is Art Gallery Fabrics!  "Feel the Difference" is their motto, and it is a good one, love the feel of their fabrics, I can even tell when it is AGF fabrics and they don't have their selvedge, just by the feel of them.
AGF is having a giveaway of 100 yards,  in order to enter the giveaway you must post a selfie of yourself with something you have made with AGF.  A selfie is a “photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone and shared via social media”
How good are you at doing Selfies? 
I am NOT very good at taking selfies, so difficult, eekk.. you can see my nose hairs, oh now you can't see my nose at all, talk about double chin, hey where'd the bag go?  so on and so forth, I took about a dozen different selfies.

So I made 2 items to enter, one is the Pretty Floral Divided Tote by Thread Riding Hood.

I made it out of the new Skopelos fabric designed by Katarina Roccella, these are the 2 exterior fabrics, Paparounes Pastel (that's poppies in greek) and Greeka Skouro (the greek key like symbol in Dark -Skouro) and for the Interior I used Underground Route from the Jungle Ave collection by Sara Lawson.

I took these pictures at a girlfriends shop, she sells Greek trinkets.

Paralia means beach in Greek, but it is also a place here in Greece.

 I tried to take some selfie pictures at the outdoor market or in Greek - Bazaari, but was feeling pretty exposed with everyone walking around and several neighbors were asking what I was doing, the Greek community always wants to know what that strange foreign women is up too.

I used some hardware from Emmaline Bags, the handmade bag label and a magnetic snap inside.

I picked up some strawberries at the market and picked up 2 birthday packages from the post office.

I also made the Perfect Petal Purse for my daughter a pattern made by Fenna from a Fabulous Home Sewn. out of Art Gallery Elements, Floral and Nature, I love basics and just love AGF Elements, can't wait to get my hands on some of the newer Prisma ones.
For that selfie you will need to go see it on my Instagram account :) -link on the side bar.

 I made a little stumpwork bee for the center of this sunflower purse.  I even made him wings out of some AGF fabrics, but decided that they were a little too big and was afraid they might get caught on things as my daughter wore her new purse.

So no wings for the little guy, but surrounded by delicious french knots representing the center of the sunflower.

The zipper has some bag bling with an Emmaline bags handcrafted zipper pull

See a Pretty Perfect Fabric and Pattern Pairing!
Did you make anything out of AGF?
#ShowUsHowYouAGF, #artgalleryfabrics & #wearefabrics

All The Skirts

Hello All, I whipped up a skirt for my daughter over the weekend, I have been meaning to make one for a while out of this fabric that I bought from the Fat Quarter Shop.

"Pepe in Paris" by Riley Blake Designs and the text print is "Surrounded By Love" by Deb Strain for Moda

When I ordered this fabric I knew I wanted to make something for my daughter with it and along came the Skirt Fixation link up of "All the Skirts" and all of the pretty skirts made using Oliver & S patterns, I really need some good patterns, but I do love what I whipped up.

The skirt, an appliqued shirt and a purse to match!
I designed all of it myself based off of my daughters measurements, she is a little chubby compared to patterns.

The purse is felt with the fringe at the bottom, I sewed up the sides with a zigzag stitch using Aurifil Variegated Thread #3840

I made some pockets for the skirt, because as we all know little girls love pockets.

One on each side, the text print peeks out just a little on the top and is also used as the lining of the pocket.
I really hate hemming clothes so I did something to the bottom of the skirt so I wouldn't have to hem it, not sure what it would be called, but I just used the text print again and then added the trim.

But my daughter doesn't like the trim so much now because it keeps getting caught in her shoes, so I will be taking it off, but it will be okay cause the text print is what made it easy for me not to have to hem the skirt.

I need to learn the trick on how to get kids to stand still for photography shoots, bribery does not work on this child of mine.

It's still cold here in Greece for the morning walks to school.

running ahead of her, maybe I can get a front shot, just made her run faster :)

So on a hanger will have to get you a better picture of what the outfit looks like.

Linking up to "All the Skirts" with Skirt Fixation!

A Challenge and FairyTales!

My friend Fenna who has the blog Fabulous Home Sewn is doing a Photo Contest with her patterns, she is the one who created the really cute Perfect Petal purse, that I made here.

and also the Pirate wallet, she has a few more new patterns that you should also take a look at.

Check out all of the awesome prizes available here.
The pictures are due at the end of this month May 31st! You can purchase her patterns on Craftsy.

And now to talk about Fairy Tales.
I am in a swap on Instagram (okay a few to many swaps on Instagram) and one of them is the SPD FairyTale Swap, well I really let my partner down in not telling her what fairy tale I like, but my problem is I like them ALL!  I went to Wikipedia and looked at the List of Fairy Tales, OMG, it is so cool, you can loose yourself in there, finding new fairy tales, reading the history behind them, it is so much fun!
So short story, darling partner, I don't have a favorite Fairy Tale, I think they are all pretty darn cool, I especially like the ones that have a moral or "parent warning" in them, like "The boy who Cried Wolf" which is Greek by the way, cool right!
I had fun finding new ones like "The bee and the Orange Tree", I can see this mini being made out of some Tula Pink fabric! (one of my favorite designers)

Tula Pink, The Birds & the Bees, Tree of Life

I didn't even know that "The Little Mermaid" was a fairy tale, I thought it was a Disney cartoon, but it is in fact a Hans Christian Andersen Story from 1837!  Who knew right, well I didn't, I love mermaids! and the real story is so much more interesting than Disneys remake :) Although a tad sader, but the moral of the story is so much more interesting.

So the short story is, make something you love and I will also love it, if you can contain a book of the fairy tale or a written note of which fairy tale you are making the mini from I will really appreciate it.  I love reading and finding new stories and sharing them with my children who still love to hear mommy read to them.
I am on Pinterest and Flickr if you need more ideas into what kind of style I like, my user name is grecomara.
Thank you so much!

I am Gemini

Hear me Roar...  Haha, okay just kidding it is probably the Leo who roars.
This is mostly for my partner in the #zodiacminiswap being held on Instagram.
But if you would like to learn a little bit more about me, then please read on.

It was hard to make a mosaic board about your star sign, mostly I came up with quotes when I wrote Gemini Zodiac on google, I have placed my favorite quotes on my Pinterest board, I am Gemini!
There are only a handful of pictures that I have found, other than the traditional Gemini sign.
I really liked this one, cause it represents both my Zodiac sign and also my Chinese Horoscope, Year of the Dragon.

Source and Designer can be found here.

I guess some people don't like signs and horoscopes and stuff, but I do, okay I don't go out and read my daily horoscope, but I really just love reading about different people and also to see if there is any truth to what is written about me, I have a ton of books, these are the only ones I could find quickly.

 The top two are written by Robert Lee Camp and are more specific, like they go by the day you were born, I have a friend who does Yearly Reports based off of this specific horoscope reading and it is really dead one, example below of just what is in the book.

Let's have fun and do a little Greek History of the twins or διδυμος (in Greek, Gemini/Διδυμοι) .  The ancient Greeks told of the seduction of Leda by Zues (that darn Zues seducing all of the women) who transformed himself into a swap (okay I had to leave that there after I proofread, cause that is where my head always is in swaps, haha, but it is supposed to read SWAN) for the purpose: Leda laid two eggs, one containing here children by her mortal husband, Castor and Clytemnestra, and the other her immortal offspring, Pollux and Helen.  When Castor was killed, Pollux mourned his brother's death so deeply that Zeus raised his dead twin to immortality.  Well that's that story, hehe, let's have mine:

The Gemini-born are highly intellectual, love change, and love to talk.
Well I don't know if I would say I am highly intellectual, but if it is something I am interested in, you only have to tell me how to do it once, and I can memorize it.  But on the other hand if I am not interested in what ever intellectual thing is going on it will just go in one ear and out the other.  Same thing with loving to talk, I can talk to complete strangers very easily IF I find them interesting, but if I have nothing to say then I don't talk, because I feel when I talk it should be to say something important, not just to hear myself speak.  LOVE CHANGE, YES, that one is right on!  I could paint a room a dozen times over, go on vacation to a different spot every time, etc.  I didn't realize how different this was until I married my husband and well he does not like change, if I move the couch he freaks out... So yeah not much change happening here lately.


People born under the sign of Gemini love to converse. They spend a lot of time on the phone, sending emails, and chatting with people they may or may not know personally. They love to ask questions because they have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. They are likely to gain information from a wide variety of sources. An encyclopedia is just as good as a co-worker who is recounting gossip from a recent tabloid.
Like I said above not so much, I can talk if I find the conversation stimulating, or I am talking with a best buddy.  But I can also sit quietly in the corner.  I get most of my knowledge from the internet nowadays, if I want to learn something I type it into the computer.  I don't find Greeks very intelligent at least not the ones I am around so not very many conversations with them.

Gemini loves change and variety. A Gem will become bored and restless if stuck in the same place or situation for too long. Gems love freedom and traveling to different countries. They find true joy in the journey. They also love working on multiple tasks, usually leaving them all unfinished. They lack the focus to complete one assignment. Instead, they spread their energy out over as much as they can. People born under the Twins actually love to have more than one of everything in their lives, not just jobs. This includes careers and lovers. After all, "twin" means "two".
Ummm.. yeah, the above is all me, as you can see I am an American living in Greece and totally dig the idea of moving to Australia with my husband and kids whenever he brings it up (cause the economic situation here is not good) but it is my husband who is always like, "oh you can't do that, you won't be able to live in Australia", ha, see how well he knows me, I always argue, Hey I'm livin' in Greece.  But it is really HIM who doesn't want to move.

This is from the book I mentioned above, this is my Planetary Ruling Card.

The second sentence Yes, just take a look at my kitchen table right now as I am writing this, I have 4 sewing projects I am working on right now and that doesn't include the 3 over on my ironing board in the corner or the ones that are down in my dungeon  I mean craft room.

one end of the table has space for a computer or for my sewing machine :)

This is why I enjoy joining challenges, cause it gives me a deadline to complete something, Swaps also are awesome cause they do the same thing, you need to finish it by a certain date and it needs to be a mini or a pouch or whatever, but there are specifics, which is really good for me. I have been meaning to make my Mom a purse since last June, and all I have done is picked the pattern and ironed the fabric, but since no one is around to say hey did you finish that purse for you mom, well it isn't getting done, I even set my own dates, like first it was for Thanksgiving then for Christmas now for Mother's day (probably going to miss that one) so then it will be back to being a birthday gift for her in June (gosh I hope I can get it done this year!)
The last sentence, two of everything, yeah me again, first I just love to collect stuff, we have 3 cars, 1 vespa and I am hoping we can get another one this year ;) I used to always have 2 jobs, or if I couldn't do 2 jobs I would volunteer somewhere for my time off, always staying busy.  I took College classes after getting my bachelors degree just because I could and I liked learning.  In college I always had more than one boyfriend, my roommate kept track of the dates for me :)

The Twins are adaptable and versatile, which comes in handy since they have that love of change. They love to be around many different kinds of people. Often the Gemini-born are drawn to the arts, such as theatre or creative writing. Many famous writers and performers were born under Gemini, such as William Butler Yeats, Marilyn Monroe, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Johnny Depp.
My art for the moment is sewing, but that is not to say that it will not change in the future.  As you can see from my poor neglected blog I don't write much and it's not because I don't have anything to write it's because I really wish they would invent that computer chip that they put inside of your head and you could say "Computer on, write blog post, blah, blah, blah......" and it would write it out for you.  I have a ton of things to say when I am doing the dishes or making beds, but getting the time to write on a computer, with my 2 crazy kids screaming in the background (well let's just say right now I have a huge headache and the only thing that is keeping me sane is drinking my coke and eating some nuts)

Gems are lively and energetic, with a witty sense of humor. They are usually trendy, loving to take part in the latest fad. Trends offer them endless change, and a Gem is usually bored with one fad by the time the next rolls along.
My humor is very sarcastic, so I don't use it much, my husband isn't fast enough to catch on to it, and I have no desire to explain what I am saying.  And fashion not really for me.. I like to be comfortable and with huge boobs I just dress in a t-shirt and jeans.  And trends or fads, I just don't have the time or energy to want to follow them, I create my own trends (haha).

Though highly intellectual, Gems aren’t known for their deep understanding of anything. Instead, a Gem usually gets to know a little about something and then becomes bored. They grasp the initial information about a subject quickly, and then move on. They become frustrated if those around them do not absorb information as fast as they do because that means they must spend longer on one subject than they would prefer.
Yeah pretty much says it all.  I know a little about a lot of stuff, but I am definitely not an expert on any one topic.  But if I find a subject interesting I will learn as much as I can before I do move on to the next interest.

Though Gems are usually seen as upbeat, they do have an "evil-twin". Though only revealed to those closest to them, Gems can be moody and discouraged. They often become sarcastic when upset.
My husband can attest to this ;)

My birth card in the book mentioned above is the Queen of Diamonds, and this is pretty true about me also.

Have you seen my Sunday Stash posts, hahaha, yeah I have a spending problem and love showering gifts on my friends.  Good thing I married a man who is tight with the billfold.

Well I hope that kind of helps, or maybe not, jeez who knows, I am still deciding on what to make my partner.  Just go with her favorite colors, and add her sign, or.... I really have no idea. good thing we have some time to think and create.
P.S. I love Books, but don't buy any since the shipping cost is CRAZY, when we go to the States I always pack one suitcase with my old books and stop in a shop that does exchanges, this is mostly for my murder suspense and romance books.  All hardcover books I keep, but they have been moved to the dark outer corners of the basement to make room for my growing fabric collection on my bookcase.
I like all colors, my favorite changes daily recently I have been loving a raspberry pink color, but seriously it changes daily my hobby room is going to be mostly blues and sea themed.
It is impossible to find any sewing related items in my town, I have exhausted the local supply of colorful zippers and plastic buttons cost .60cents each (yeah crazy right, I picked out 10 the last time I was in the shop to make some cute pins and when she told me 6euros I flipped out)  I found 2 bead shops last time I was in our closest large town and my husband has promised we will go one day when the kids are in school (they were running like hooligans along the busy street)
Hey look how much I talked today!

Bob Along

Did you hear about the bob bag?  No it is a cute little box to fill with your goodies, what would go in yours?
The pattern can be found at Quilt Jane.  The pattern is well written and easy to follow.

I used Alison Glass Sun Prints in Ink and Grove in blue, Aurifil 2785 is a great match for those blues. I used 2 similar colored fabrics because of Angie's (Gnome Angel)  suggestion about the thread showing because there is a lot of hand sewing involved in making this.

Plus I just happened to have found this perfect matching blue color of twill in my local shop!
The pattern pieces and measurements are very precise, I was really afraid that things wouldn't fit, the box looked huge compared to the cover piece which is a teeny tiny pattern from Amanda of What the Bobbin, you can find it in her Craftsy store.

Do you like my foundation paper pieced mermaid?  I kinda messed up her arm but since she will be for me, I thought I would let it slide.

I was going to fill my box up with Aurifil.
But my daughter had other ideas.

And filled it up with her own treasures.

Good news the bag lasted the whole day at the park, so you know it is a well written pattern if it can stay together in the hands of a 4 year old, Pattern can be found here, at Quilt Jane.


I'm linking up to the Bob-A-Long Linky Party over at Gnome Angel, here.

Poison Ivy

Last minute entry into the Sew Mama Sew Softie Contest. (so last minute I missed the cut off time, darn, well at least I got in one lousy picture, the weather was just not with me last week.)

I give you Poison Ivy the version in the Batman movie with Uma Thurman.

I made this design myself and it is the first time making this kind of "toy" now I use the word toy loosely because it's so cute and delicate that I don't want to play with it.  But my 4 year old daughter has no problem playing with it, in fact she doesn't want to give it back..

Poison Ivy and her Flower Throne

I have taken creative liberty in making her, I will start with the hair, that is from the part in the movie where she goes to break Mr. Freeze out of prison.

Hair using 2 different colored felts and beads.

The dress part is from when she makes her enticing entrance into the auction and puts all of the men under her spell, I must admit this is my favorite part of the movie!  If you look closely her bodysuit in the movie is covered in gemstones, absolutely gorgeous!

I used a couple of felt leaves and beads for mine.

 And her flower chair is of course from the part where she tries to kiss Robin.

I used 3 different purple felt pieces for the chair, covered a cut of piece of a toilet roll in some green felt along with some more leaves and beads and small stones.  Everything was hand sewn, both Poison Ivy and the chair. I am especially proud of the chair, it looks just as good in the back as it does in the front.

Poison Ivy measures in at 6 1/2" from the her tippy toes to the very top of her hair!

I cut the back of her dress a little differently than the front, I was thinking of giving her a but shape with some embroidery thread, but ended up tearing it out, what do you think, did she need a butt?

Ahh and this is the rainy crappy weather we have been having for days so I was taking pictures under the roof line instead of the garden like I wanted too.

Rain Rain go away, my husband didn't want me to show you a behind the scenes shot :)

The shop I purchased the Wool from also helped me pick out matching Aurifil Wool spools, they worked perfectly.