Homemade Momji Doll

When Ava was in the hospital this past weekend, I bought her a little Momji Doll at the gift store run by volunteers.  The one I bought was called Dance Dance Dance.  It is made of a hard resin-type kind of material.
After playing with it for a few moments, it was dropped on the hard hospital floor and the head broke off.  I have had to re-glue it back on...crazy glue is very useful in our house!

While I was gluing the head back on the doll, an idea popped into my head...Why not try and create a fabric version of these dolls???  Ava always gets my prototypes so I knew she would be surprised with this one in particular.  I have some adjustments to make as you can see that the lower body is a little longer than I wanted and I wasn't happy with the "hair", but all in all, not bad for a first try right?

Here's a pic of the Momji Doll I purchased:

And a pic of the one I sewed this afternoon (Ava was delighted!):

Little Hibou and More!

I wasn't able to sew this past Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend as my little Ava was hospitalized for emergency surgery due to an Incarcerated Strangulated Umbilical Hernia.  We spent the entire weekend in the hospital (my wonderful neighbours brought us over Turkey Dinner!  How Sweet!).
Ava is recovering at home very nicely, but it is hard to keep her in one spot for long...I have tried every craft imaginable in order to get her to stay put and rest...Good Luck to that One!

So, in the meantime to preserve my sanity, I have been sneaking off to my Design Room every chance I get.  I have been sewing more and more of these cute little Owls while having fun playing with fabric combinations!

Pillowcase Dresses. Oh My!

I love making Pillowcase Dresses for dear Ava...they are easy and can be made within the hour.  I admit that I have been known to get up early in the morning just to make a special dress for her to wear to a party that same afternoon.  You got it, I don't have a life outside my home...but it's a life I love! 

I even select different fabrics based upon the event.  For example, we attended a Jazz Festival in our city and I selected fabric that was covered in wind instruments to suit the occasion...We received many comments from people saying she looked like a little "Movie Star"..

                                                       Little Miss Hollywood

The great thing about Pillowcase Dresses is that they can be made from a variety of fabrics but I do prefer the clean look of cotton or a cotton/poly mix.  Pair the dress with leggings and a long sleeve shirt for the cooler months and you have a completely different look.

I am never satisfied with the HO HUM regular stuff, I love to add a touch of glitz and glamour to my Creations!
I add ribbons, trim and whatever else I can think of to "glam up" these dresses. 

                                                      

Little Hibou

Anyone who knows me will tell me that I always learn the hard way.  I proved this to myself while attempting to sew a stuffed Owl for Ava's upcoming 5th Birthday.
I had seen stuffed Owls around different craft shows and decided to draw my own pattern and create my own.  Well, it took 3 tries to get it just the way I wanted.  My husband showed me that he has a "real" interest in my sewing as he had a lot of input after reviewing each drawn paper pattern (I only started listening to him after sewing the second owl and still couldn't get it right!  boo hoo).

So, the first one was too wide (I didn't even bother sewing on a beak), the second one was too long...but....the third one was perfect!  Three strikes and you are out!!!  Whew! I narrowly escaped that one :)

                                                         Too Wide

                                                        Too Long


And now for the final reveal....Drum Roll Please....I would like to formally introduce "Olive Owl"

                                                  I finally got it right!

                                         I even sewed a pocket on the back!  Woohoot!

Preparing for Our Canadian Thanksgiving!

Preparations are underway for our Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend!
Fall is my absolute favourite of all seasons...crisp morning air, warm afternoons,  colourful arrays of leaves and best of all, Ava's Birthday! (October 16th). 
We have really worked hard on our Fall/Thanksgiving Crafts this week and I can't wait to show you the finished products...
But first, I wanted to share you Ava's rendition of a coloured "Scarecrow".

                                                         Happy Thanksgiving!