Getting my sewing mojo back

If you’ll recall, last summer my MIL surprised me with a sewing machine of my very own. I had been using my sister’s and while she wasn’t in a big hurry to get it back, she was showing some interest in learning how to use it, when I was done.
I’ve been having…issues with the machine. [...]

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Vying for title of Crazy Aunt Ally, who always insists on homemade gifts

Holiday gift-making is in full swing here and I got a head start with gifts for our niece and nephew, who visit for Thanksgiving every year. We’ve gotten in the nice habit of having Christmas on Thanksgiving, and for our princess M, I made this:

Instructions can be found here. I didn’t think the ribbon would [...]

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The cheeseburger stands alone

Through some cruel trick of scheduling, MD’s work schedule was changed to 2nd shift last week. And he’s working 6 days a week, with a 12 hour shift on Sunday. So the same week we lost daylight, I lost my adult backup. Totally not fair! (We just keep reminding ourselves of the overtime pay.)
I’ve been [...]

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Oh yeah, she sews!

A little bit. It only took me…NINE MONTHS to make this. It started out as a birthday present. For Jamie’s third birthday. Last October. Then it was going to be for Christmas, then Valentine’s Day, then I gave up and figured I’d get it done eventually.

Thank GOODNESS it’s really big.

We’ve entered into full cheesy fake [...]

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I love

A few weeks ago in church my friend D was performing her usual Sunday routine. After her daughter L leaves the sanctuary to go to children’s church, D goes through her “mini methodist doodle pad” and pulls out her pictures to take home. She showed me this one, and I couldn’t help myself. “Give me [...]

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At last

I made these for my program coordinator because I wanted something special that would convey just how much I appreciate her. And if there’s anything to get me off my orange kick, this is it. I’ve always loved blue and silver together (they were our wedding colors, in fact) and now I want to [...]

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BTRS: Simple Tote

Henry’s doggie bag, originally uploaded by ally.o.
Another Bend the Rules Sewing project, this one a doggie bag for Henry’s 3rd birthday.

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Belated birthday sewing

Or, another artsy clutch:

This one was sent to my friend Austina recently as a very, very, very belated birthday gift. I used heavy iron-in interfacing with this one and switched the orientation. I like both modifications very much. The fabric is from JoAnn. The outer is a wonderful corduroy that I found in the seconds [...]

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Finished: bags

This first bag I finished ages ago and never took a picture. It’s Amy Butler’s Chelsea pattern, tote size.

It’s smallish for a tote but perfect for carrying a few folders to a meeting, makes a great lunch tote, and in it’s latest incarnation, the perfect bag for carrying around a small crochet project, complete with [...]

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Choosing colors

I love this idea of looking for color palettes at the grocery store posted at Whip Up. I’ve been stuck on pink and orange forever now, and with few exceptions haven’t strayed in my fabric purchases. Take a look at all the gorgeous choices used in project from Bend the Rules Sewing over at flickr. [...]

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