Embroidered Heart Tunic

One of my favorite sewing blogs to follow is Simple Simon and Company. Liz and Elizabeth always have such cute project ideas and tutorials, and I love seeing what they come up with. They have another blog called Project Run and Play, and this month they are having a sewing challenge featuring hand-work on children's clothing. The ladies at Frances Suzanne chose this challenge for this month, and I was so excited to participate! I have seen their work over the past couple of years, and they have the most amazing handwork on the beautiful clothing they sew for their darling nieces. Everything I have seen is expertly crafted and gorgeous. 

I am no expert in embroidery, and consider myself a beginner. However, I didn't let that scare me away from sewing along! 

From the start of this project, I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted to make. I was originally inspired by this shirt from Anthropologie, and I wanted to make a version of it for my daughter. 

I envisioned a breezy tunic with a slight gather on the back, made with two very different patterned fabrics that color-coordinated. When I looked in my sewing closet, I found the perfect fabric pairing; a yellow and cream gingham, and a beautiful floral fabric with blues, purples, green, and yellow that matched the gingham's shade almost exactly. 

I bought these two fabrics one day when I ventured into the Habit for Humanity Restore. I love going into that store, they have so many interesting items, and great deals on fabric and notions! Each of these fabrics only cost me $1 per yard, and there were 1 1/2 yards of the yellow gingham, and 4 yards of the floral.

To cut out the pieces for the shirt, I took one of my daughter's T-shirts that fits her well, and used it to estimate the sizing and trace its shape onto the fabrics. I cut out a piece of gingham for the front, and both gingham and floral for the back. Since I wanted gathers in the back, I cut the floral fabric a couple inches wider than the shirt. 

The shirt also needed sleeves to protect my daughter's shoulders from the sun, so I took a sleeve pattern piece from a dress pattern in her size (it was already in my sewing closet to be used in a Christmas dress) and cut out two sleeves in the floral fabric. I like to use my pinking shears, because they help keep my fabric from unravelling as fast. :)

After I had all my pieces cut out, I started the design on the front of the bodice. I sewed two pieces of ribbon onto the top to frame the embroidery, which naturally draws the eye to the part of the shirt I wanted to highlight. Then I drew three hearts between the ribbons, and began to embroider around them in a light purple embroidery floss that matched the floral fabric. 

After I outlined the hearts, I embroidered inside with a dark magenta embroidery floss. I chose to weave the floss on the middle heart...

...and to embroider vertical lines on the side hearts. 

Each heart is a little different, and I like it that way. It is sweet and unique, just like my daughter for whom it was made.

After finishing the embroidery portion of this shirt, I sewed together the back, and attached the sleeves. The shirt needed a lining to cover the embroidery and the gathers, so I traced the outline of the shirt on an old white sheet I found in my fabric pile. It was nice and soft, and I knew it would be more comfortable this way.

I made sure to cover all of the potentially scratchy parts of the shirt, and I think it will protect the back side of the embroidery from fraying, as well.

Only the very top part of the back yoke is lined. I did this to keep the shirt breezy and cool, so my daughter can have fun and not overheat while playing in it.

The lining turned out as well as I could have expected, and should help the shirt to last a long time. :)

I also added two pockets to the bottom of the shirt in a light pink fabric which match the ric-rac on top of the white eyelet ribbon. 

The shirt turned out just as I had hoped: fun, unique, and sure to be loved for a long time.

The sleeves are very loose and flow in the summer breeze, which makes them perfect for the last summer days we are now having. 

My daughter loves the pockets, and they are the perfect size for her little hands. :)

This shirt has been proved to be easy to play in, and the extra room in the back gives her plenty of space for bending, jumping, and twirling like a ballerina.

I had so much fun creating this little shirt. Fortunately, everything I used to make it was already in my sewing supplies and fabric stash.

The best part was seeing how excited my little girl was when she watched me make it, and how pleased she was when she first tried it on. She is a happy camper!

If you get a chance, you should check out Project Run and Play! So many people have submitted such beautiful work, and all of the outfits are amazing!

-Bridget :)

Chicken and Bacon Zucchini Noodles

Today I have a delicious recipe to share that I made with my Gefu Spirelli Spiral Slicer. I love this little kitchen gadget. It does a beautiful job of julienne slicing my little green squash into a noodle shape. This gives me a way to pack more vegetables into the tummies of my family members without hearing grumbles and complaining during dinner time. 

If you have considered buying one of these, you should do it! I have owned mine since the beginning of the year, and I have used it so many times. It does a great job, and the possibilities are endless.

This recipe works very well with leftovers. I used some leftover chicken thigh meat from our dinner the previous night, and some leftover bacon from our breakfast that morning. Everything else was already in either our refrigerator or pantry. The flavors blend beautifully, and it makes for a deliciously savory Italian-inspired meal. This recipe made enough for a light lunch for two adults and two small children, and the meal would be complemented perfectly with the addition of garlic bread. 

To make this recipe, you will need:

• 2 medium zucchini
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 4 slices cooked bacon
• 1 cup cooked chicken
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• about 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• lemon juice

For step one, rinse the zucchini and find something the "spiralize" it onto. I like to use my trusty cutting board, since I can slice everything else on it, as well.

Now slice off the very top and the bottom of the zucchini. I don't know about you, but I don't want to eat the stem. :) Twist the zucchini through the Spirelli to make the noodles. The length of the noodle will continue until you get to the end of the squash and be insanely long, but I find it easier to cook them when they are shorter. To accomplish this, I usually twist the zucchini three times, rip off the noodles with my hand, and repeat until done.

Now you can admire your beautiful vegetable noodles, and think about how much faster that was than slicing each piece with a knife!

The next step is to rinse and slice the mushrooms. It will seem like a lot of mushrooms, but as they cook they shrink. 

Now it is time to chop the bacon and the chicken. I like to dice it into little cubes so there is either a piece of chicken or bacon in every bite.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When it is up to temperature, add the mushrooms, chicken, bacon, 1 tsp of minced garlic, and 1 tsp of dried oregano. Stir it all together to coat everything with the olive oil. Add more olive oil if the mushrooms look a little too dry. 

Recently I bought this little jar of pre-minced garlic, and it has saved me a lot of time. I find the flavor to be slightly different than freshly minced garlic, but not so different that it changes the flavor significantly.

Continue cooking until the mushrooms have shrunk down and all the ingredients are hot.

Now add the zucchini noodles! Stir them into the meat and mushroom mixture to combine all the flavors. As it cooks, you will notice the zucchini loose some of its juices, which makes a nice sauce in this dish. I like this because it gives the finished product a flavorful sauce without adding any extra oil or cream.

Keep stirring until the zucchini is cooked, but still firm. It should look like the picture below when it is ready. 

Now you need the Parmesan cheese. I like to use Parmigiano-Reggiano when I cook, because the flavor is full and robust, and delicious. However, normal Parmesan will work fine in this recipe if that is what you have on hand.

To prepare this dish for eating, I like to squeeze a little lemon juice on top of the "pasta" after it is on the plate, and then top with a generous helping of the cheese. 

It is finished, and ready to eat! 

It is much harder for family members to complain about eating their vegetables when they look so pretty. Since I have started using the Spirelli, my kids get excited when they see me take zucchini out of the fridge. Yay for vegetables, and yay for a kitchen gadget that slices them so easily!

If you are interested in more recipes that can be made with the Spirelli, please follow along with me. I love finding new ways to feature vegetables in meals, and more delicious recipes are on the way! 

-Bridget :)

Baby Tag Toy

Recently I was invited to a baby shower for a sweet baby boy, and I wanted to make a fun handmade gift for him. After much deliberation, I chose to make a tag toy. I have made several of these little toys in the past, and they are always exciting for tiny hands and mouths to explore. Each time the toy turns out differently.  I never use a specific pattern, and I always love the end result. I think the most important part of the creation is finding lots of different ribbon with different textures, colors, and designs. This makes it more exciting for the little one receiving the gift. Fortunately I am a fabric and ribbon hoarder, so I had a large selection to choose from for this project. :)

Safety is always a concern for infants, and it is very important to make sure the ribbons are properly secured. If they are not, they can break loose and become a choking hazard. I always sew the ribbons to the fabric three times, with one zig-zag stitch and two straight stitches. 

Admiring the finished product is always fun! For this little gift I chose a cute robot fabric and black and white polka-dot fabric. A dear friend gave both to me when she was sorting through her fabric stash. :) One side is fun and colorful, while the other has a sharp contrast in color. What baby boy wouldn't love a toy like this?

Even my toddler loved it, and tried to snatch it every time he was close enough! 

After giving it a wash (to remove any dust and stabilizers on the fabric and ribbons, and to make it soft and lovable)  and ironing it, you are ready to go! 

I love how this project turned out. I think it is adorable, and sure to provide entertainment for the precious baby for whom it was made. I also like how all the materials for its construction came from my sewing closet. That saved me from taking a trip to the fabric store...and buying more fabric than I really needed! 

How about you? What do you like to make for expectant mothers? Do you have favorite patterns? Let me know in the comments, I am always looking for new gift projects and patterns to use!

-Bridget :)