Applique Birthday Shirts

This week we are celebrating our foster daughter's first birthday.
This is the first time we have ever had a child who has celebrated a birthday while in our home and since it is her first, we wanted to make it extra special.

For each of my kids, I have always made them a birthday shirt for their birthday party.  Since I have 2 boys they have been fun but I haven't been able to go all out.

But now, I have a little girl to get all dolled up so I went all out for this little one.  The plan started as just a bib, then I thought I'd do a onesie as well but then I just had to do ruffle skirt to bring it all together.

The applique work is fairly simple but I thought I'll give you guys a quick how to for a simple birthday shirt for those who don't have a huge amount of sewing experience.  You can design something as complicated as you're willing to try but if you are a beginner, I would suggest starting simple.

(You'll have to please excuse my terrible photographs for this post.  It was late and my studio wasn't getting great light when I was working on this project)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
     sewing machine
     iron and ironing board
     pen or pencil
     scissors (both paper and fabric)
     fabric of your choice and coordinating thread
     Fusible web (I recommend Pellon Wonder Under paper backed fusible web)
     garment to place applique on (t-shirt, onesie, bib)

This shows a few more supplies since I was also working on a ruffle skirt.

First, choose your design.  To start simple, maybe choose a number or letter.  You can sketch out that design or you can use your computer and simply print out a very large font.

Once you have decided on your design, cut it out with paper scissors.

Next take the fabric you will use and cut out a piece that is big enough for your design but small enough to work with.  Also cut a piece of fusible web that is slightly smaller than your piece of fabric.

Lay the webbing on the back side of the fabric.  Be sure to have the paper side up and the rough side down on the fabric.  Fuse webbing to the fabric by running a warm iron over it.  (Please note that all webbing has instructions and for best results, follow the directions that are on your webbing)

Next take your design template and place it face down on the paper side of the webbing and trace with a pen.  Be sure to place the template face down or your design will come out backwards when you flip it over to the right side.  Then carefully cut out your design using a sharp pair of fabric scissors. 

I also decided to add an oval behind to place behind my 1.

Now comes the toughest part.  Getting the paper backing.  Sometimes it's super easy but last night I struggled with it.  It helps to have nails and patience.

Once you get the paper off, place your fabric piece on your garment.

Be sure you like where you want it because once you iron it down, there's no turning back.

When you're happy with the placement, iron it down.  

I always did one layer at a time.  

First the oval and then I could be double sure that I liked the placement of the 1 on top of it.

Now you get to do some sewing.  

There are many ways to tack down your design so that it will hold up to many washings. 

You can use a fancy stitch, a zig zag or if you're not worried about using it more than one time, you can just leave it as it.

I like to use a simple straight stitch about 1/8" from the edge.

I tend to work from the outside in and from the bottom to the top.

So I started a the bottom of my oval and went around and then did the 1.

Take your time and go slow for the best results.  

Tight corners can be tricky but the more you do, the better you will get at negotiating them.

This is usually where I stop in the birthday outfit making but since I just couldn't resist dressing up this little one.  I went on to make my very first ruffle skirt.  It definitely reminded me that I wasn't used to making little garments and I haven't read a pattern in a while but I LOVE the way it turned out.

The pattern was from ViolaLeePatterns and this was her Madalyn Skirt.  The pattern was very easy to follow and it was sent immediately, which is great if you are looking for a pattern last minute.

Though I can't show her face, Little B really did love her new outfit. 

She had a great time celebrating the big #1 in style.  It has been a blessing to see this little girl blossom into an outgoing, happy little goofball with personality to spare.  

And she is officially the best cake smasher we have ever had.

Feed 'em Fridays - Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Lasagna

My favorite part of blogs and Pinterest, is the food.  Recipes, mouth-watering pictures and review of recipes.  Since its a goal of mine to start trying new recipes more regularly, I thought I'd try and make it a regular feature on the blog.  Most of my dishes will be kid friendly but I may throw a few surprises in the mix too.

This week, I put on my apron and tried a new recipe called Cheesy Chicken-Tortilla Lasagna. I found it in one of the many cooking magazines that get delivered but I rarely have a chance to open, let alone cook from.

INGREDIENTS:
     1 can of enchilada sauce
         (I used a mild in hopes of feeding this to my kids)
     2 cups of chopped plum (Roma) tomatoes
         (I used whatever looked best at the store that day)
     2 cups of cubed cooked chicken
     8 medium green onions, finely chopped
     1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
     1 cup of Southwest ranch veggie dip*
     8 corn tortillas (6") cut in half
     1 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese
         (I used a full 2 cups)
     1/4 cup sliced olives
     2 TBSP of chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted)

* this can be substituted with 1 cup sour cream mixed with 1 TBSP of taco seasoning but I used the real thing since I didn't see the note until I was home with all the groceries.

ON TO THE COOKING:

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  

Spray a 13x9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray 

and spread about 2 TBSP of enchilada sauce in the bottom.

In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, 

chicken, onions, and black beans.

In another bowl, mix the enchilada sauce and veggie dip.

Blend well.

Take half of the tortillas and cover the bottom 

of your pan. This was my arrangement.

Spoon half the chicken mix on the tortillas, 

then add 1/2 cup cheese

and top with about half the sauce mixture.

Then repeat - add a layer of tortillas, 

chicken mix, cheese and sauce.

Cover with foil and pop in the oven for about 

40-50 minutes or until bubbly.

Then remove foil, add remaining cheese and olives 

and return to the oven.

Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes 

or until everything is melty and delicious looking.

Then here comes the hard part.  

Let sit and set for a few minutes.

I did not do this which is why you don't have a nice, on the plate, ready to eat shot.

Mine came out looking like a mess but it was delicious.

The kids weren't so excited about this meal but really, with the moods they were in, I could have served their favorite foods and they would have complained.  But it's okay - it was more for me and the hubbs.  All we have is two good size pieces leftover for tomorrow so I'd say that we enjoyed it.   

So that's one of the ways I attempted to feed'm this week.  I hope you enjoyed it and if you try the recipe, let me know what you thought.

PS - the leftovers reheated very nicely and it was great the second time around too.

Inspiring inspiration

There are times in my life when life drags me down.

Exhaustion sets in, household chores pile up, daily duties overwhelm me and the joy and inspiration gets sucked out of me.

Can you relate?

I think that a lot of my problem is that far too often I allow unrealistic standards run my life.  When I worked outside the home, I dreamed of the day I could stay home and have a perfectly clean house, with laundry folded and put away and serve delicious home-cooked gourmet dinners every night.

Then I became a stay at home mom to 2 kids and reality struck.

Yes, as a stay at home mom, you are home more but that just means you have more hours of living in the home, which equals more mess.  Laundry is lucky be clean and it's a miracle for it to actually be folded and put away.  And home-cooked meals resemble "kids food" and closest I get to gourmet meals is in a recipe book (on a dusty shelf).

Sometimes I look around and all I see is disappointment, and failure.

Bedlam Country Crafts

Real life is not always fun and far too often I let it suck the inspiration and joy right out of me.  The meloncholy, uninspired feeling can last a day or a week.  It usually lasts until I do something to kick myself out of that joyless funk and do something to inspire inspiration.

So tonight, after a couple days of feeling uninspired, I'm taking some steps to bring inspiration into my life.
Everyone has their own tricks but here's mine.

I do the most uninspiring thing I can think of.

I know that sounds insane but completing the most uninspiring task brings great satisfaction.  So tonight, I ill be folding laundry.  It's one of my least favorite tasks and I put it off all the time.  Nearly every morning, I go down to the laundry room and dig through this mess to find some clothes for me and my kids.

I can't believe I'm even sharing this photo but it's the reality of my situation.  And for as much as I hate folding laundry, I love the feeling of satisfaction of having everything folded and put away.  It may only last a hour but for that hour, all the clothes will be clean, folded and put away.

And typically while completing such a mindless, menial task my mind is allowed to unwind, relax and amazingly, find inspiration.

So tonight, no sewing for me.

Tonight I will be mindlessly folding clothes of all sizes and colors and injecting some inspiration back into my life.

So, how about you?  How do you move past feeling overwhelmed and uninspired and begin to feel inspired again?

How it all started

I have often been asked how I got started.

Its a bit of a long story so please, bear wih me.

Butterfly Designs has been quite a journey that started when I was very young.  As I mentioned in my intro post, I have always been around fabric and sewing.  I am first generation Canadian, which means that my parents immigrated.  Well, technically my dad immigrated when he was very young and my mom is first generation.  but the point is my family is very Dutch and we grew up with a deep heritage but not deep pockets.  Looking back, this was a blessing.  I wasn't handed everything but I earned it or I was taught to DIY before the term was even coined.  Creating was just part of our culture.

I don't remember a time when I didn't know how to sew - I played beside my mom with the whir of the sewing machine as background music.  I don't know how far back it started in our family tree but my paternal grandmother taught my mom and she also taught me.  When I was in middle school, I had to take home economics class. I finished the semester's project in the first day. I was promptly assigned to make a dress and assist in teaching the rest of the class.  In high school, I couldn't find a formal dress that I liked and fit so my mom and I designed one and made it.  It was just what we did and it's never been a big deal.

When I moved away from home, my mom gifted me with a sewing machine. It was the same one that she had so it was like an old friend.  I was sewing infrequently for a number of years but it wasn't until I was married and getting settled in life did I really start feeling that urge to create again.

The idea to start making aprons came to me after attempting to find a cute apron about 7-8 years ago and finding nothing.  I decided to make one and the "Andi Apron" was born.  I made one for my mom and my grandmother, and for some gifts.  The Madison Apron came into my head after seeing someone wearing a sundress with pants - which is a little weird but apparently inspiring. I put my patterning skills to the test and I designed the Madison apron and the I began to sell on Etsy.

Things were very slow at first.  I was enjoying my career at the time, we had our first son and then things got really interesting.  I would open my shop for 6 months and then have to shut it again for one reason or another.

But then Baby #2 came around.  I had decided I wanted to stay home and raise my boys so I quit my job, which had always been a great balance of right brain creative work and left brain business analysis to keep me complete stimulated mentally.   It took about 2 weeks of staying home to realized this wasn't going to work and I was going to need something additional to focus on.  That's when I got serious about Butterfly Designs.  I started building an inventory and adding new items.    In the fall of 2009,  I did my first tiny craft fair and I was hooked.  It wasn't a success but the energy I got from doing it made me realize this is what I wanted to do.  I resumed selling on Etsy and then realized that Facebook is a much more personal way to reach my customers.

It's been just over three years since I made that leap and I am loving it.  It's been a challenge to balance work and kids and life in general but I think as moms, we all deal with that on some level.  No matter if you are a working mom, a stay at home mom or a work from home mom, it's a challenge not to loose ourselves in the chaos of every day life.  It's hard not to push back those dreams and just "power through" life.  It's exciting to have finally realized that the whispers in our hearts, those things that truly make us feel alive, are important.  And not only are they important but they are essential for us as women and moms to listen to.  If we continue to suppress those things that make us feel alive in our core, we start to allow depression, fear and self-doubt creep in.  Whether your heart skips a beat over the thought of painting a picture, going for a run, dancing or cooking a gourmet meal, these things are key to living your own full, happy and healthy life.

So, do me a favor this week.  Try to take a moment to do something for yourself, in a completely unselfish but self-renewing way.  Let me know what you did - I'd love to hear about it.  I'll do the same and let you guys know.

The woman behind the apron

Hi!
It's me.
The "Apron Lady".

If you can believe it, I have been called that to my face and honestly, it's makes me smile.  I'm known for my craft and what's better than that?  But I thought a good way to start my blogging journey is to introduce myself.

Photo by Bella Photography

      I am Jenn.

Well, Jennifer to be more accurate but most people just call me Jenn (but with two n's - that's important)

     I am a wife.

I have been married to my best friend and pretty much the best man I have ever met for over 11 years and he is truly the love of my life.

     I am a mother.

I have two wonderful boys - Judah, who is 6 and Israel (better known as Izzy) who is 3.  They are a joy to my life and have challenged and stretched me more than I ever thought possible.

     I am a foster mom.

We have been a foster family for nearly 2 years and it has been a great experience.  We specialize in infant care and so far we have had 7 children in our home anywhere from 24 hours to 6 months.

    I am an introvert, Type A personality.

Though you'd never believe it if you saw my work space at the moment, there is very little I love more than an organized space.  I tend to organize and clean when I'm dealing with stress. I tend also to be a bit of a loner - which is where the introvert part comes in.  I don't particularly love big crowds and I'd much rather be having coffee with my one friend than be out in a big group.

    I hate bugs.

This is has to be stated, mostly because there is a housefly buzzing around my head as I type.  It's driving me crazy.

     I am a bookworm.

Seriously.  I love to read.  When I turned 30 (which was simply devastating to me) I made a list of 10 goals for the next 10 years (a list - do you see the type A coming out?).  One of my goals is to read 200 books.  That's about a book every 2.5 weeks.  Though I thought it was a lofty goal at the time.  I'm currently on book 59 and I am only 2.4 years into the goal.

     I'm claustrophobic.

Just an odd fact I'd throw out there.  Small spaces are not my friend.

     I am Canadian.

It really explains a lot once you get to know me.

     I am a lover of Jesus.

My faith plays a HUGE role in my life, how I raise my children, how I spend my time, energy, money and generally how I live my life.  I believe in the power of LOVE and it's ability to change people and situations.  For me, it's that simple.

    I am a night owl!

I am hardly ever in bed before one.  It's a curse really, since the morning routine starts early but I simply can't  shut my brain off at night.  My best ideas come then and most of my work is completed then.

   I am not perfect.

So often, in this world of blogging, Facebook, and instagrams, it's very easy to choose to only reveal parts of who we are.  I am guilty of that.  But here is the truth.  I am not super mom.  I have dirty dishes in my sink about 100% of the time.  I can't keep a clean house to save my life.  I curse like a Canadian, and drink like one too (in a very responsible, social but frequent manner).  More often I have greasy hair than clean and I'm in sweat pants about 75% of the time.  I drink too much coffee, eat too much junk food (too late at night) and I HATE to work out.  (yup, I said it.  I HATE it!)  Granted I won't be revealing every ugly detail but I also don't want to give the illusion that life is easy, clean and neat.  Life is messy but that's what makes it interesting.

   I love/hate to cook.

What I mean is I love to cook but only when I have time to do it.  So when I'm busy and running behind during my day, I'm much more likely to throw a frozen casserole in the oven than make a nice fresh meal.  Or better yet, order in.  But I love to cook for people, try new recipes and best of all enjoy a meal with family and friends.  I'm hoping to share some of this with you in the blog, which will also encourage me to start making time for the art of cooking and the joy I get from it.

     I LOVE to create.

I have been creating things my entire life.  I grew up in a home where sewing, knitting, and crocheting were common practice.  My grandmother taught me about fabrics and sewing when I was very young and it has been a part of my culture for as long as I can remember.  Granted, sewing back then was generally a necessity - with an odd body shape and a small clothing allowance in the budget, we relied on our skills to "make it work".

       I am an artist.

This is very tough for me to say.  Since sewing was a skill I grew up with, it's been a hard road to get me to a place where I can own my craft and start believing that there is artistry behind what I do.  "Craft" is often a negative term in the artistic world.  But CRAFT is defined as "an art, trade or occupation that requires special skill."  So I believe the term is fitting and appropriate to what I do, which doesn't make me less of an artist and which is why I am perfectly happy being known for my craft.

So, here I am, the "Apron Lady".  I hope that this blog will become a way that we can connect on a different level.  Our lives are more that what we do for a living.  I hope that by sharing how I am inspired throughout the entire scope of my life, that you too can be inspired and inspire others.
 
I will do my best to be consistent in posting and not jump around too much.  Please feel free to join the conversation and comment, or not.  Blog stalking is okay too. I hope you enjoyed my not-so-quick introduction.  I hope to meet more of you as this journey continues.