I seek out easy sewing projects, especially when it comes to clothes.  I can make easy clothes with a pattern, and I am probably capable of making more complicated stuff, but it's not something that really interests me at this point.  I'd rather be quilting, honestly.  Anyway, I do like to make cute things for my kids if I can, and this dress is probably the easiest it gets.  

If you have a sewing machine and can sew a mostly straight line, you can do this.  

This fabric (and others like it) comes pre-made by the yard. The top is pre-smocked, so all you have to do is measure the chest width of your child, cut it, and sew a seam down the back.  You could leave it strapless for a cute swimsuit cover up, or pick out some cute ribbon and sew straps.  Just measure on your daughter and pin them where they belong and sew.  It's literally the easiest thing I've ever made.  Finishing something that is wearable, no matter how easy, is quite satisfying as well!

You can get the fabric and ribbon at Hobby Lobby with a coupon (make sure you have the app) or when it's on sale, which is often.  They sell it at other fabric stores as well.  Happy dress making! 

My daughter, above, wore this to school today with leggings and a little tank top underneath.  

Cakes are like the jewelry of the party.  I love having a really cute cake, and most of the time I buy them.  But, this year for my son's birthday I thought it would be fun to make a baseball cake.  It wasn't as hard as I anticipated either!  

I got Wilton's ball cake pan and followed the directions using a regular cake mix from the store.  I like to make my own frosting, but I was low on time so I just bought store frosting.  The great thing about this cake pan is that it comes with directions on how to make many different sport balls - soccer, bowling, basketball, etc. so it's pretty versatile.  I have a football pan that I do the same thing during football season!

It didn't take long to decorate using decorating tips.  I bought this set a long time ago and used the #18 tip for the baseball.  I used red decorating gel with one of the small tips for the red piping.  

I frosted the cupcakes and added the shirts that I picked up at a party store.  I stuck everything in a cake box I also purchased at the party store, and WA-LAH, a great looking cake!

The baseball was classic yellow cake, and I made the cupcakes chocolate to give the kids a little choice.  It was a big hit, and everyone loved it!  Someone even asked where I bought the cake, and so I felt it was successful!    

I've started quilting, and I just love it!  I've only made 2 so far, but I'm working on my third one, which I hope to finish by the end of the month, maybe sooner if I can get enough time in one sitting to really work on it.  I've discovered a great book using pre-cut fabrics to make quilts - Quilts from Sweet Jane and it seems like a great place to start.  The quilts are super cute, and the instructions are pretty easy.  If  you need even more help beginning, I recommend The Quilting Bible, which is a great reference for terminology.  It contains great photos, and has really helped me!  I'm currently working on the Greek cross quilt from Quilts from Sweet Jane, and I'll share photos when it's finished! 

Precut fabric packs are great for beginner quilters.  As a beginner myself, I find the task of picking numerous complimentary fabrics daunting, not to mention very time consuming.  I've bought a few layer cakes and fat quarter bundles to get me going on my first few quilts, so all I have to worry about is choosing which pattern I'm going to use!  The fabrics are all complimentary, so you don't have to worry about picking fabrics that look good together.  There are jelly rolls (strips of fabric), charm packs (5" square packs), layer cakes (10" square packs), and fat quarter packs.  Precuts make cutting easy, and in some cases you don't even need to cut, and they are easy to pick out.  Fabric stores carry them, and you can find great ones online.   

Here's a preview of what I'm working on from the Sweet Jane book.  I've been trying to organize my blocks so I can start piecing them together.  The prints are a little wild, and if I did it again I would maybe tone it down, but we'll see what happens when it's all put together!

Happy Quilting, Y'all!

Valentine's Day is Friday and that means school parties are coming up.  I'm participating in my son's party this year and I was assigned to do the photo booth.  We are going to take each child's picture at the photo booth, print the photos and then put them in a frame made by the kids at the party.  

Making the background was super easy.  I got a tri-fold presentation board, covered it with some valentine wrapping paper and added some letters.  I think I would prefer the letters to be a bit bigger, but I'll have a better camera when taking the photos.  We also got several props - silly glasses, feather boas, hats, etc. for the kids to put on for the photo.  I think a simple background is best since the kids will have the props for the photos.  And, what a fun keepsake to give to Mom and Dad!  I'll post an update after the part

I have many spools of ribbon sitting around waiting to be used.  And, as I wandered through Hobby Lobby the other day I walked past the flip flops and I realized it would be pretty fun to make some flip flops for the girls.  And, it turns out it was pretty easy with all the right tools.  Add a bow, some sparkle and you have some cute flip flops.  I once bought my daughter some super cheap flip flops at walmart, and her foot grew out of it before they wore out.  I was very surprised since they were so cheap, and these seem much better quality than those.  My daughter has already worn them despite the 38 degree temps we've had this week.  More to come!