Sewing bender!

A few months ago (or a year...time flies), I bought a sewing machine and made some little curtains. I then proceeded to abandon that trusty little machine, along with the fancy scissors and Project Runway aspirations that accompanied its purchase. When it got cold here last month and I realized the Biggest Girl was going to freeze her tootsies off if we didn't get some cozier bedding, I decided to dust off the sewing machine and just make some sheets. How tough can it be?

I'll tell you: it's not tough at all. It's ridiculously easy, in fact. I followed the Crib Sheet Tutorial from the Michael Miller Fabrics Blog for the bottom part of the sheet and the Top Sheet Tutorial at Whipstitch for the top of the sheet. Two yards of fabric for each sheet--on sale--brings these bad boys in at about $10-12 each. They could have been even less expensive, but I splurged on fancy flannel at a local quilting shop that has a dangerously exciting sale section.

XOXOXO, The Cat by Wendy Slotboom

for In the Beginning Fabrics

Day Dreams from the Just Dreamy collection

by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake Designs

The babies are particularly fond of this sheet.

I was feeling like a total badass, so I made a fitted sheet, as well. It's folded neatly on the shelf in the Biggest Girl's closet right now, though, and since I'm not nearly ninja enough to sneak into the room of a napping toddler, open the closet, grab the sheet, and escape undetected, you'll just have to trust me when I tell you that it is a masterpiece sculpted of blue polka dot flannel.

After conquering the sheets, I boldly moved on to bigger (smaller, actually), more exciting things. Like flannel pajama pants!

I used Simplicity pattern 8493 and some snowman fabric I found at Joann Fabrics. The most nerve-wracking part of these little pj pants was cutting the pattern--something I had never done before. After I face my pattern cutting fears, they went together so easily that I'm already plotting to get Mr. Mallard and the Biggest Girl in matching jammies by Christmas.

I'm on a roll! I don't know if they sprinkle crack on the fabric or if there's something genuinely therapeutic about the monotonous hum of the sewing machine, but I can't seem to stop. There's more to this sewing bender--specifically an awesome holiday table runner--but it will have to wait. I hear the dishwasher running, but I do not hear the toys in the living room putting themselves back where they belong, so I need to go have a word with them.