Sewing for Boys: Simplicity 8180 boy's shirts

 I wanted to make Damien some soft, long sleeved nice shirts.  I used Simplicity 8180.  It's a simple pattern but I wasn't thrilled with the details.  It has a good fit but I will look for another pattern for a better finish.  The top button is supposed to close with a loop and I used a button hole instead.  The button placket is not attached according to the pattern and I changed that.  It's little details that make a pattern nicer and seem more professional.  I liked how they turned out, I would just use a different pattern for the shirt in the future.  The pattern does come with a tie and shorts option as well as men's sizes.  I definitely would use a different pattern for the men's shirt.

This is an okay pattern for a beginner sewer for a shirt and the shorts and tie are nice.  Use a ball point needle when sewing with flannel and make sure you wash your fabric first!  The dinosaurs were a lot whiter before I washed the fabric and it didn't shrink as much as I thought it would.  You want any changes to your fabric to happen before you start sewing with it.

Craft: Halloween Paper Gargoyles

 Here are three paper gargoyles that I made for my family for Halloween.  

They are a pattern that I found on Cricut design space.  

I did add some shading to add depth to each gargoyle. 

 I ended up making 2 of each kind.

Halloween Costume: Tooth Fairy

 Damien is modeling the costume I made for his friend who happens to be the same size.

  She was a tooth fairy.  She added a tutu and fairy wand to her costume.

 I use car headliner fabric as the base and covered it with felt. 

She provided the wings that are hand sewn on.

Halloween Costume: Day of the Dead

 Here's Teresa's Day of the Dead costume.  

I used grease paint for the white and then put powder to set it.  

All the rest was eyeshadows and glitters.

Halloween: Dr Busen Honeydew and Beaker Costumes

 Here's this years Halloween costumes.  Damien was Beaker from the Muppets, or as his win for funniest costume was called, "Orange hair, bugged eyed, creature."  The head is a rolled up piece of posterboard.  There is a strap that runs like a belt to help hold the head on.  The sleeves only go up to his elbows and are held on by safety pins.  There is a slit above the tie that he sees through.

 Dr Busen Honeydew was made out of a large paper lantern.   I cut off the bottom rings until it fit over Oscar's head.  I had to get 2 to use the metal holder that comes with them.  I covered everthing with batting and then added the outer layer.  There is a slit in the mouth that he sees through.

Hope you have a happy Halloween!

Quilts: Oriental & Meto Lattice Quilts

Here's the oriental quilt.  My sister suggested the placement.  I made a wall hanging out of the paneled fabric and there's 2 pillow shams as well.

 Here's the batik Metro Lattice pattern quilt by Sew Kind of Wonderful.  I have never used their patterns before but I found the instructions to be very clear and I was excited to try sewing all the curves.  I think this will be a great stash buster pattern.  This is definitely one of the brighter quilts I've done but I really like it.

Sewing: A Family of Bears

Here's a family of bears I made for my friend's mom.  They are made from the clothing of the matriarch of the family who is 95.  They are jointed bears and were fun to make.

Auction: The Big Game Auction, February 6, 2016

 Here's our wine pull.  We had 40 bottles, the bows are made from sports magazine pages and the R is the school plaid.

 Here are some of our silent auction tables, there are three silent auction tables.

 This was our photo opportunity area.

 Here's the staging for our entertainment.

 Our centerpieces were all sports themed, and every table represented a different sport.

 Here's what our bathrooms looked like!

Our entrance sign.