Appliqué time

This blog post has been a long time coming...I am constantly emailing these sites to people~ so while I have time and the girls are napping:) I thought I would generate a new blog tab at the top just click and you have some really adorable appliqué sites to pick from. I am sure I missed several but these are what I could think of. Browse around and if you see something you like just email me the link to cuddlebuggifts{at}gmail{dot}com. I can give you a quote and go from there.

http://cuddlebuggifts.blogspot.com/p/applique.html

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Ruffled Boutique Jeans

Now I must say that I was going to do my own tutorial for you all to see but why when it is done already? I have made a few of these for my oldest daughter as she is in an odd stage where a 3T fits in the length but the waist doesn't. So we have to improvise with bought pants. This is super easy and this tutorial is well written as to why I am just linking hers.

 I made these into capri length for her with a matching applique shirt {of course}

So hop over to this lovely little site and make some for your little CuddleBugs.

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Bloggie Winner

I want to thank everyone for participating and a HUGE thanks for this past year!! I have done so much this year and it wouldn't be possible without all of you.

Drum Roll Please....

AND THE WINNER IS CHARLENE OVERTON

Congratulations and I have sent you an email.



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Caring for boutique Handmade Clothing

Let's face it...we LOVE handmade clothing~or at least I do. I know when my child wears the clothing that not everyone and their dog will have a piece like it. I also know that if I buy it from another seller it is likely that they are also a stay/work at home mom and I am supporting them in their decision to care for their children. BUY HANDMADE~that's all I can say!!

I can't speak for everyone's handmade clothing but I take great pride in making quality clothing with extra special care to the stitching. I serge and topstitch the seams to help them last longer and not worry so much about fraying in the wash. I wash my clothing in a COLD gentle wash cycle and hang dry. WHY, you ask?...the COLD waters helps to prevent any fabric dye from bleeding~the gentle cycle slows down the speed of the cycle which isn't as harsh on clothing~ and I hang dry to try and prevent ironing. I am not a FAN of the iron, though much needed at times, but seriously I am busy enough without having to worry about pressing any clothing. Sometimes I forget and throw the clothing in the dryer but I will then either suck it up and pull out the iron or wet it and hang dry....depending on the time I have. I follow the same directions above for Appliques except I turn them inside out to further protect the stitching. Now on to those cute tutu's~they can be washed. If you have a laundry bag put them in it, but if not be careful as to what else you throw in there with them as the tulle can easily be snagged on zippers etc. After you have washed them~ hang to dry...NEVER dry a tutu or they will be ruined. You can Fluff the tulle when and it is dry and it's as good as new.

What a difference dryer vs hanging to dry makes!!

See how winkled the sleeves and ruffle at the bottom is?



And now the results of Hanging to dry. I do straighten the dress a little while wet after I hang it and pull a little at the ruffle to get it straighten out.

Protect your investment in all those cute boutique outfits and take extra special care when washing and drying. If you have any other helpful hints feel free to share.



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Miss Libby Lou Peasant Dress Giveaway

June was my one year anniversary month and I had so much I wanted to do to celebrate but things didn't work out as planned. I ended up taking 2 vacations to see my sisters new place in Florida and a little R&R on the beach~with all that I ran out of time. Now I am back in Full Force and wanted to say Thanks for a Great Year!!

With that being said~ Here is your opportunity to score one of my new Peasant Dresses for this Fall in the Purple Poppy. Winner can pick any size from 6 months to 8 years.

It has the sweetest little ruffle down the center and a bow at the top.

These dresses are perfect for play and so easy for the little ones to take on and off

{This was her pose~not really sure what that's all about}

A few ways to enter for this Fab little giveaway

1}Fill out my FORM

2} Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook or Twitter

3} Publically follow my blog

4}"Like" me on Facebook

You can do One or ALL 4. Please make one comment on the blog for each entry.

Thanks and Good Luck!!

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Ruched Camera Strap Cover

A little beauty for a friend to use for her camera. I used the tutorial over at The Cottage Home~which is Adorable!! I knew when I saw it I had to use this one for the strap. I love how it turned out and a BIG Thanks to The Cottage Mama!!

It has padding on the inside for some extra comfort. This tutorial was really easy to follow with wonderful pictures~you should definitely give it a try.

Here is her little Camera shirt that I made

Hope you enjoy and Happy Sewing!!



Long to Short Sleeve TShirt Makeover

I can't take full credit for this idea, for one it seems as everyone is making tshirt makeover blog posts. All I have done is take two ideas and combined them to make my rendition of this upcycled Tshirt. I had two Walmart Garanimals brand shirts leftover from the winter, however I saw several on clearance the other day for $1. You will also need a sewing machine, 1/4" elastic, 2 buttons, and coordinating thread.

First you want to cut the sleeves off and make them a little longer than you want them.

I then took my sleeves and cut them open and cut the hemming off , and then cut each in half. You will have 4 rectangles but you can toss one to the side.

We will work on the sleeves first~Turn the shirt inside out and press the sleeve so you will have a "guide" to sew the elastic to Measure out your elastic which you want to be about 1/2 of the length of your sleeve it was a little more than 1 1/2 inches for mine. Sew the top of the elastic to the sleeve to hold into place and with your needle down, stretch your elastic to the end of the sleeve. This will gather your shirt sleeve~you might want to move the gathering around to how you like it before you sew the elastic into place. After you have it like you want, sew the rest of the way down the elastic and don't forget to backstitch at the beginning and end. Repeat this to the other sleeve.

You can now turn your shirt right side out. Lay two rectangles together and run a gathering stitch down the center and gather your rectangles to the desired length and sew to the center of your shirt. {For gathering tutorials you can reference these~there are several ways to do this but this will help you if you haven't ever tried-- with crochet thread and sewing machine,  or with a straight stitch.

Then you will want to cover up that middle, so I took the last rectangle and turned the tow ends under and edgestitched both sides.

Next I took two buttons to sew into my center. You can sew the buttons by hand or machine. If your machine does not have a button setting then you can adjust a zigzag stitch to fit into your button holes (just make sure that that the needle will fall in your holes). My machine has a button setting so I taped my buttons where I wanted them and sewed them right to the front. (you can sew over the tape)

This is a very easy project that I finished both shirts in less than 45 minutes~could have been sooner if Gabie wasn't sitting next to me.