Gingercake

Insta who?

I finally figured out my instagram account! It is as fun as everyone says.  I admit that so far it is a lot of baby but I swear I will be sewing again soon!  Come and follow me at @gingercakesews.  

 

Dreaming of Summer Sale!

I don't know about you but I start thinking about summer vacations in January!  Now is the time to sew up!  Two of my summery patterns are on sale are this week!  If you don't already have these 2 favorites, it's a great time to buy them up!

Baby's New Shoes

I have been losing a lot of baby socks lately.  On our Washington DC trip, strangers kept coming up to me and either handing me fallen off socks or letting me know the baby was missing a sock.  Whoops!  Socks don't work so well to keep baby's feet warm but these little shoes do the trick.

I cruised Pinterest to find a free pattern but then just decided to search on Etsy "baby shoe pattern PDF"  and this great pattern by Petitboo appeared in the results.  They are adorable and totally functional.  The clever construction makes them fully lined too.  By the 3rd pair I had them done in 1/2 hour.

 I made them in 6-9 month size and they are a little big (since she isn't 6 months yet) but they still work great.  Yeah for a useful baby item that I could sew up myself!  There are lots more baby shoe patterns that include frills and ruffles but I just wanted a shoe to keep her feet warm and wouldn't fall off!

She sits!  Loving this stage.  Just in time for spring-  I can just plop her down and be outside.  Thanks to PetitBoo for such a cute pattern.  I'll be making more when she grows out of these!

Related articles

Super Simple Little Bib Tutorial- for my Slobberer and Craft Hope!

Color Block Triangle Quilt

It always feels great to complete a quilt.  Even the simple versions of quilts that I make!  I love how this one turned out.  Cal was ready to celebrate too...

I made this by using a 1/2 yard of six solid fabrics.  For inspiration I visited this site which is great way to guide you for mixing solids.  I never would have thought to add the navy and it really makes the whole quilt pop.  

Cut the 1/2 yards of fabric in 18" x 18" pieces (each color will make 2 squares for a total of 12 squares).   Match up the pieces with 6 different combinations.  Then use this method to make your HSTs.  Awesome tip!  The only change I made was to increase the size of the squares to 18" x 18".  I like the bigger pieces and it comes together really quickly.  Then just mess around until you have a fun pattern.  

I quilted it by stiching in the ditch (along the seams) along the zig zag and then down the center of the triangles.  I like the fun pattern it made on the back!  The binding is simply more of the solids and then finished using this method by Jeni Baker.  You would have to purchase a little more than 1/2 yard of the solids to make the binding the same way.  

I used Bella Solids by Moda.  They are lovely!  The backing is just pink flannel.  The finished size of the quilt is 47" x 62".  It's not big enough for a bed but more for the baby to play on the floor and for picnics or a cuddle on the couch.

Fun with HST

I bought a stack of solids and finally starting cutting into them using this method.  It's really cool to try if half square triangles interest you!  I love fun sewing tricks, don't you?  I enlarged the fabric pieces to 18" x 18" since I wanted bigger triangles.  The baby enjoyed chewing on the fabric pieces as Cal and I messed around with a quilt design.

She is getting big!  Almost 5 months already.  My original idea was much more random piecing (like this) but my 5 year old was really interested in making a pattern.  I am feeling a little over the chevron look but we were both pleased that it all came together like magic since I didn't even plan on the pattern!  Quilting is super cool like that.

I'll be sure to give more details as I get further along with this project!

Another Spring Break Adventure

Last year we went down to the Smokey Mountains but this year we stayed a little closer to home and took the educational route.  Washington DC is only about 5 hours away from us and we have friends that live close to the city.  We had a great time!  I will admit that parking is tough and the METRO is super expensive for a subway, but once you get on the Mall, the DC experience is fantastic.

Our ambitions we pretty toned down- Travis and I aimed for only a couple of spots on each of the 2 days we were there.  This strategy made everything less stressful.  It was hard to see all those big and beautiful museums and not even attempt to go inside (we did brave the air and space museum but it was super crowded and we only stayed about an hour), but it would have been a nightmare to try and drag them through the lines and crowds.

One of the reasons for the crowds was it is cherrry blossom season.  Due to the cold weather, the trees were only in bud but we did get to see these beautiful Japanese magnolias in bloom.  They looked like heaven after such a long winter!

When asked what their favorite thing about DC was, the kids all agreed that they loved playing in the reflecting pond at the national scuplture garden.  Travis loved the Lincoln Memorial and although I loved it all, I think my favorite part was watching the kids crawl around on Albert Einstein...

And what about the baby?  It turns out almost 5 months is a great time to travel with a baby!  She was content in her stroller and loved all the sound and action.  I admit I was pretty nervous about how she would fare, but she did really well inspite of the interuption in her routine.

We spent 2 days in DC and then traveled back up to Pennsylvania and went to Hershey Park.  What a great park!

I can't handle roller coasters so I was happy to stroll the baby around while Travis and the "big" kids went on the rides.  Hershey park is only open on the weekends right now and have special springtime rates.  The weather was great and the crowds were pretty minimal.  

Did you go anywhere for Spring break?  Do you have any recommendations for next year?  The kids are hoping we take a little trip each year and I am game!  Hope you all are finally enjoying Springtime!

How Bunny got a Pocket

Since I am having the bunny sale this week, I was trying to think of a way to make more versions of the pattern.  In the past I made the bunny smaller by printing it at 65%.  You can read about those here.  Very cute!  I have gotten lots of emails by sewers saying they are excited to use the pattern to make bunnies for the easter basket.  I thought, why not make Bunny the easter basket?!

This was surprisingly easy and fun.  I thought it would be perfect for the baby this easter too since she is obviously not going to be eating chocolate or jelly beans!  I am thinking the easter bunny can fill the pocket with baby toys and onsies.

To make the pocket in the bunny, you have to just make a couple adjustments.  First, give yourself some extra width so the pillow will stand on its own.   Add about an inch to the base and backside when you are cutting out your pattern.  Like in this fuzzy camera picture below!

Follow the pattern instructions with interfacing, sewing the darts, making the ears, and all that other stuff.  Next cut out a rounded piece of fabric for the pocket.  I didn't take measurements here but from the picture below you can get the general idea of size...

Before you sew the 2 bunny sides together, attach the pocket pieces to each side of the bunny like in the photo above.  Then, flip up the pocket piece and layer the 2 bunny sides together and sew all the way around the bunny edges and, instead of going straight down the bunny back, sew your seam around the pocket edges.  Trim your seams and clip the corners around the pocket.

Turn it right sides out and push the pocket inside.  See?  works!  I then used a funnel and added about an inch layer of rice to the base before I stuffed the bunny with polyfil.  This gave it a nice weighted bottom so it stands up easily.

Stuffing the polyfil was a little extra work since you need to keep your hand in the pocket but it doesn't have to be perfect since the bow hides folds in the neck area and when you stuff your items in the pocket it fixes problems there too!

I stuffed it with the super simple bibs I made a couple weeks ago.  I went to a baby shower over the weekend and I thought this would have been a perfect gift!  The kids are loving trying to figure out what they can stuff into the pocket.  It would be fun to make one for a big kid that has velcro and is like a secret pocket, huh??  

 

Bunny Pattern Sale! $5 for 1 week

Head over to the shop to get your bunny pattern for just $5!  Starting today and ending next Friday, March 22, 2013.
P.S.- see that cute stripe background?  That is a photoshop freebie from Pugly Pixel.  So great for spring!   Thank you Katrina.

Super Simple Little Bib Tutorial- for my Slobberer and Craft Hope!

My sweet little Marion is almost 4 months old.  She is precious but the girl can slobber!  And spit up all over me and her clothes several times a day.  My other babies were not big spitters/ slobberers so I always looked a little sideways at the moms whose babies had bibs on all the time.  I found a small bib pattern I drafted years ago that worked great for her size and should be good for a few months at least!

This has been saving me from changing her clothes like 10 times a day.

Also, I try to contribute to craft hope projects when I can and figured I could make extras and send over bibs for their current project.  So even if you don't have a baby to sew for right now, making these little bibs is fun and fast and you can contribute your work to craft hope's excellent cause!  

I made mine reversible and with pearl snaps.  This way baby can slobber (my 8 year old, who is always dying to hold her, says "MOOOOOMMM!  She slobbered on me again!  Come and get her please!") on one side and then she can slobber on the other side too.  OR, you can switch the bib around to match her outfit if you care about that (and I admit that I do...).

First gather your materials~ 

2 pieces of cotton fabric that measure 9.5" x 12"

1 piece of cotton batting that measures 9.5" x 12" - flannel can substitute

pearl snaps (or velcro, regular snaps, or ties)

chopstick to poke out corners

sewing machine, coordinating thread, scissors, & iron

optional- rotary cutter & self healing mat

 

1.  Print pattern pieces, cut them out and tape A & B together.

Download Gingercake Little Bib Pattern Pieces

2.  Use pattern piece to cut out mirror image pieces of the 2 cottons.  This is important since the sides of the pattern are not symetrical!  Maybe layer the fabrics right sides facing and cut them out together.  Also cut out a piece of matching cotton batting.

3.  Layer the materials together- starting with batting, then a piece of cotton face up and then the other piece of cotton face down.  Pin together.  Sew the 3 pieces together with a 1/4" seam allowance and leave a 3" opening to turn the piece right side out.  Trim the seams down to 1/8" except at the opening.

4.  Turn the piece right sides out and poke out tip with a chopstick.  Iron it nice and flat and match up the opening edges.  I use a piece of steam a seam to close up my opening but if you don't have any around, just be careful when you top stitch.  Top stich around the bib about 1/4" from the edge.

5.  Follow the directs to attach the pearl snaps.  Make sure you have one side of the snap facing up and the other facing down!  

Now you have a pretty little bib!  One thing I noticed is that a quick ironing after washing seems to shape them up really nicely.  If you want to put in the extra time, you could easily quilt the top to give it some added interest and probably eliminate that ironing after washing.  I made a bunch at once and it was so fast and easy!

Now she slobbers away and I just have to change the bib!  So cute and yet so slobbery...

If you want to make these to sell, go for it!  Just give me credit for the pattern with a link back to this post.  Thanks!  Also, please share your creations in my gingercake flickr pool!  

 

March Bag

It is not spring here yet!  Yesterday we had a foot of snow- thick heavy late winter snow.  The kids were home for school and Travis spent most of the day home too- and outside with the kids.  I needed to make myself a new bag but I couldn't quite bring myself to use bright spring fabrics.  I know in another month I will be more inspired but for now, this is my March bag!  It only has a hint of spring...

This is Noodlehead's 241 bag.  Great pattern!  The green is a thrift store find- I think it's a corduroy with no whaling (non whale???) The leaves are the tiny bit I have left of a cloud nine fabric I bought long ago.  The interior is drop cloth canvas.  Have I told you how I have been sewing with drop cloth canvas?  It's from Lowes!  I just wash it before using and one cloth has lasted me for tons of projects.  

See it in there?  The color is natural and the weight is nice especially for bags and things you want to be a little sturdier.

Hope you are having more spring weather than me!