Adventures with Cricut & Beyond

I just realized I haven;t shared any of my Cricut projects! My mother-in-law gave me a Cricut Explore Air 2 for my birthday and so far it's been really great!

My very first project was a t-shirt that is one of my favorite sayings for this crazy year we've had!

The rest of these photos are out of order, but I'll share anyway. I have been attempting to propagate succulents and have a section on our patio devoted to our "nursery." So naturally I needed to make a sign! 

I have also been experimenting with the stencil product from Cricut. There's definitely a learning curve, but I like the look of painted signs over vinyl stickers. 

A few more t-shirts. We tease my son all the time by asking "do you know you're still talking?" He now has two of these shirts "am I still talking?" and he loves them.  

My first attempts at vinyl on canvas turned out cute! 

Another wood sign, this time with a vinyl sticker instead of the stencil. 

This bookshelf shirt is my favorite and I would wear it everyday if I could! I drew the design in PhotoShop and I am so proud of how it turned out.

These flowers and hot air balloons are all free downloads from Love SVG.

I also made some canvas toiletries bags. The bags themselves are from Hobby Lobby and I think they were $1.29 each. Can't beat that!

Second attempt at a barn quilt painting with Cricut stencil. Better, but definitely not perfect! It makes me happy to see by my rulers and cutting area.

I also made some cute little wooden labels for my fabric baskets. 

Not Cricut related, but I have found myself in a lovely Summer habit of a afternoon iced latte. It's one of my very favorite times of the day. Speaking of... my espresso machine is truly one of the best purchases I have ever made. I love it so much. 

I also loved this month's American Patchwork & Quilting magazine. The magazine was great, it was also a wonderful idea to read it while floating in the pool on a hot afternoon. 

We went up to Shaver & Huntington Lakes for the last weekend before school (distance learning) started. It was so beautiful (and just before all of the California wildfires started and smoke overtook these beautiful blue skies). 

Last but definitely not least, if you are a quilter or a puzzle lover, Camille Roskelley's new puzzle is SO good and SOOOOOO cute! I loved working on it while listening to an audiobook. 

*Affiliate links... if you purchase a product using any my links, I earn a very small "commission." 

Happy 4th of July!

We decorated t-shirts for 4th of July! We used some of my scrap fabrics and HeatnBond iron-on adhesive. The kids were able to do most of it without too much help and we all were happy with how they turned out. 

A little of this, a little of that...

It’s been a busy summer! Not busy sewing, but busy none-the-less!

The first picture is actually sewing! I made this pillow for my friend Patti. She helped housesit for us while we were on vacation, which is no easy favor since we live pretty far out in the country. She loves B&W and red, so I made her a little pillow. She’s a truly great friend to me. She always says yes when I ask for help and has even driven me 45 minutes (one way!) to my treatments and waited patiently while I am poked and prodded. Most visits take between 2-3 hours, plus travel time, so this is no small task! She’s also babysat my kids, picked us up from the airport, and countless other favors. She’s a rock star! I wish I had the energy to make her a whole quilt. 

If you’re curious about my MS and clinical trial story, you can read more here: https://www.youcaring.com/jodie-bissig-436264

Speaking of vacation, while we were away, I took some time to paint with watercolors. Here are a couple of my creations... 

 We camped for a couple of weeks, during which time I had my birthday. We went whale watching out of Santa Cruz. I painted this little whale on a thank you card for my dad (who was able to meet us for the boat ride) and step-mom.

My husband surprised me by extending our camping trip to include the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Sonoma County (my family lives in Santa Rosa). I LOVE hot air balloons and this event is very special since that is where my husband proposed to me a little over fifteen years ago. 

This balloon reminded me of a quilt with it’s cute star in the middle. I definitely have a hot air balloon quilt on my to-do list once I’m feeling a bit better. 

Boy Applique T-shirts

I haven't been sewing much, but I did spend some time this week making some new shirts for my "baby" boy who begins Kindergarten next week. He's wears around a 4t, and I find myself struggling to find boy's t-shirts at this age that aren't very loud designs. We like mellow. And cute. Like this little airplane with the button on the prop. I love it!

And a new "5" shirt to celebrate his birthday in a few weeks. His "4" shirt and orange truck shirt from last year have definitely been well-loved. 

And because he still looooves orange, I made him an orange tie shirt. Fun and funny for all of Kindergarten's events where formal dress is required.  ; ) 

T-Shirt Applique for Mothers of Preschoolers (Mops)

This year, I am volunteering to help with my local Mothers of Preschoolers (Mops) group.

Our leadership group opted to make our own Mops t-shirts. I helped instruct them how to applique the letters and then I sewed 6 of the shirts (two ladies sewed down their own letters - thank goodness because it ended up taking about 30 minutes/shirt just for the sewing!). But they turned out cute so it was worth it! 

We used scraps from my quilting piles and each shirt was different, depending on the colors the mom was drawn to. And here are all eight of us in our shirts. Yay for Mops! 

We spent the weekend at the coast planning the Mops meetings for the next session. It was SO much fun to get away with these ladies and we made some great memories. And there's nothing as lovely as a weekend at the coast.  

Happy Birthday Matthew!

My "baby" boy turned 4 this week. One of the things he asked for was a shirt with an orange truck on it. Specific? Luckily his mama knows how to sew, so we made this little truck and even added a passenger to the back. When I gave it to him, he got a big smile and said "super duper, mommy!" I guess it's a hit? 

I also made him a "4" shirt a few weeks ago. It's been hanging in his room and everyday he's asked, "Am I four yet?" The morning of his birthday, he was so excited when I finally said "YES!" 

Happy 4th of July!

 We made some red, white, and blue shirts for Independence Day. Blue fabric paint for a handprint and red puffy paint for the stripes. I'm figuring my days of them allowing me to dress them alike are numbered, but they just look so darned cute! These were super easy to make - maybe 5 minutes total? 

 Mia and I also have matching red and blue fingernails today. 

 And she made her flip flops using a $2.50 pair from Old Navy and red, white, and blue scrap fabrics from my sewing room. These happen to also be her favorite colors, so she is a happy little American today, for sure!

Happy birthday, America! And happy celebrating, swimming, BBQing, and fireworks watching!

Rainbow T-Shirt

I made this scrappy little rainbow t-shirt for my favorite girl this week. I looove it. I have a feeling I am going to be heartbroken when she outgrows it. It's made with small square and rectangle pieces of fabric, fusible interfacing, and then a single stitch along each row in matching thread. 

Love this shirt, love rainbows, love this girly!

Maybe I should stick to quilts?

I have been itching to make clothing for a while now. And feeling like I need some "me" time. So I decided to attempt the "super simple nightie" pattern that was featured on Sew Mama Sew a few months ago.

My original idea was to make this using some of my vintage sheets - the super softness with the funky prints would make for a great nightgown. However, since I am not experienced with sewing any kind of clothing, I opted to use some inexpensive fabric that I wouldn't be upset if it went to waste. Good thing! I am not a fan of how this turned out - it's cute on the hanger or in the pictures, but once it's on it looks more like a mu-mu! NOT what I had in mind and I have no idea why it didn't work out.

I followed the pattern exactly, with the exception of the straps. Since I am a nursing momma, I altered the straps to tie in a bow so that I can lower the straps as needed to nurse.

I think I'll stick to quilts........

Princess Dress

I didn't make this dress, but since it is homemade, I wanted to post it and share it here. A old friend from high school made this for my daughter as a "big sister" gift for our recent baby shower. This dress is unbelievable and my daughter loves it.





And the crown.

Amazing, right? Amanda - thank you soooo much for the time and energy you put into this dress. I can assure you it will be very loved in this house by this girl. XOXO.

Big Sister Tee

I almost forgot to post photos of this little t-shirt I made for my daughter in January. Yes... a little t-shirt and a big announcement. I am pregnant with our second baby and my darling daughter will become a big sister in September! We used this t-shirt to share the news with Daddy and all the grandparents.

It's a very simple applique and it's actually made from the same fabric that inspired her 3rd birthday quilt.

I have a feeling this new baby is going to need a quilt... now I just can't wait to find out if it will be blue or pink (or green or purple or orange or or or...).

Generations

My best friend's son is named after his father and his grandfather, which makes him Ernesto III. His daddy has been calling him E3 and I wanted to make him a custom shirt with his sweet little nickname. Here's the finished project. The best news? The day I planned to go to the post office to mail it to him, his parents called with news of a visit. They'll be here in a few hours and I hope to get a snapshot of him actually wearing his gift... what more can a proud "auntie" ask for?

A Dress!

This is the first time I have attempted to sew apparel. It turned out pretty cute, although next time I think I will use a pattern (this was all in my head).