Cupcakes and Ice Cream Appliques

I had to make some new baby gifts in the last few weeks and thought I'd share my appliques. I love to make applique onesies, and these just came out perfect!

Download the tutorial here.

Usually, when I make onesies for gifts, I tiedye them before the applique, but I thought these would be better in white -- to really make those colors pop. Plus, this ice cream cone and cupcake are sprinkled with hot fix Swarovski crystals.

These are adorable cupcakes and ice creams appliques. The ice cream on this onesie is a double dipper, which I think came out totally adorable.

You can easily make these.  The tutorial has lots of helpful hints to applique.  It can look daunting, but once you've learned, it's so much fun!

 I've updated my applique tutorial to include the pattern for both this ice cream and the cupcake.  You can find them at the end of the digital pattern.  Just click on any of these pictures and it will take you to the PDF to download. 

My next post will have the boy appliques...but my sewing room has been in a bit of a frenzy with my microboutique and pattern designing, so...they are currently missing in action.  As soon as I locate them, I'll create a boy version of my applique tutorial with those patterns.  My favorite is the octopus with crazy eyes. 

Enjoy these! I hope you have as much fun making them as I do.

I'll be disappearing for a few days as we're taking our first roadtrip vacation as a family next week.  Last year, we had the house fiasco with the queen of bankruptcy and all funds we had saved to go on an awesome vacation last year were diverted to the "let's pay 2 months of back mortgage and a month of rent all at the same time" fund.  This time, we're going to San Antonio and Corpus Christi.  Living in the upper part of Texas, we don't see the beach around here.  We are all very excited to get to the beach, especially hubby -- he grew up on the coast.

The kids have never seen the ocean up close and personal.  I can't wait to see what Molly is going to do.  We're stopping in San Antonio for Miss Em, as she has had to make two dioramas of the Alamo, and I felt that she probably needs to see the real thing.  Mr E is so excited to go on a real vacation, he can barely contain himself.  Plus, we have a surprise trip to Sea World planned.  I think my dear husband is going to scare them into believing we are going to volunteer to pick up trash on the side of the road that day.  I'm going to have to video their reactions. 

And I almost forgot!  Be on the lookout for a post in the next week or two, I'm almost to my 500th post on my blog.  I can't believe it's been 6 years since I first started!  Anyway, I'll be having a few giveaways to celebrate.

Embellished Onesie Tutorial

I'm a scatterbrain, so I just realized I didn't have the applique tutorial up here. It's now in the free list on the left and in the old post on embellished onesies you can click the pictures and it takes you to the link. I'm such a dork. And for those of you lazy like me, here is a direct link.

Later...off to the library we go.

Applique Tutorial - Cupcakes and flowers

Last weekend I took pics of the appliqued onesies I made my niece and I turned it into a tutorial. In a bit, I'll stick it over on the left in the Freebies section, but for now, just click below and it will take you to the PDF download.


I'm swamped finishing my school work right now, so I'll be back in a couple of days to tell you about the latest books I've devoured and they were good.

Happy Independence Day!! I hope you got to see lots of fireworks!!

Nursing Cover / Apron Tutorial

Here is the big tutorial! You would be surprised how many hits I get for a breastfeeding cover. Hopefully soon I will have modeling pics from my SIL and her baby. Also, I will turn it into a downloadable tutorial over the weekend, but here it is for now. I have a 2-layer version coming very soon.


Nursing Cover/Apron

Materials
1 yd of fabric A
¼ yd of fabric B
½ yd of Rigilene boning
2 D rings


Instructions
1. With fabric A cut:
1 piece 36 x 28 inches
1 strips 2 x 6 inches
1 strips 2 x 20 inches

2. With fabric B cut:
2 strips 2 ¼ x 28 inches - these are strips #1
2 strips 2 ¼ x 37 inches – these are strips #2

3. Press fabric B strips in ½ lengthwise.

4. Line up raw edges of folded strips #1 with raw edges of right side of fabric A large piece. For strips #2, fold in the extra ½ inch on each edge of the 37-inch strips before sewing so there are no raw edges. Then only sew one of strip #2 (this will be the bottom edge).

5. For the second strip #2, fold in and pin the ½ inch at the raw edges. Next, mark the center of the strip and measure out from the center 8 inches and mark these points. Then insert the boning and tack it at the two 8 inch lengths from the center. Then stretch out the strip (because it will want to curl with the boning), and sew right down the middle lengthwise to create a casing for the boning.

6. Now attach this strip #2 to the last raw edge of fabric A.

7. Press all seams toward the inside of the cover, and then topstitch on fabric A all the way around to hold the seams in place.

8. To create the straps – fold the straps lengthwise with right sides together, sew lengthwise and then sew one end closed. Turn straps right side out. If you have a tube turner, use it to flip the straps right side out. If you have a chopstick or a knitting needle, you can do this easily as well.

9. Line raw edge up with seam of the back cover. (It does not matter which side is the shorter one). Pin raw edge of each strip to back of cover at the edges of the boning. Tack at topstitching and at the edge of the cover on both straps.

10. Take short strap and insert it through both D rings, then fold over the edge and tack it.

11. Now insert the larger strap through one D ring and under the second D ring and pull back through the first one (like a belt).

...And you are done!