This week I’ve been going through my picture files on the computer, trying to organize things. I came across pictures of things I’ve made over the years & thought it would be fun to share my stroll down memory lane. These are only a taste of my makes, but I don’t have pictures of all of them – regrettably! Some of these are printed pictures I scanned into the computer, so the quality is not always great. I lived in a time before every cell phone had a camera, even before everyone had a cell phone! You may have seen some of these on Instagram if you follow me there, but most have never been seen on the blog. Hope you enjoy!
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Crochet Projects
I learned to crochet at the age of 2 with my Memaw Teadoddles. It was mostly just chains as long as I could make them! I lost touch with crocheting until my teenage years. This sweater is the first garment I ever crocheted. I made it for my mother out of very cheap acrylic yarn & even hand stitched the label. Needless to say, she never wore it because it was a little too small & very itchy!
I believe this bear is the first stuffed animal I crocheted. I didn’t hear the term “amigurumi” until I started collecting patterns from the internet. The vest was made by me as well.
This was the first afghan I ever completed. I made it for my mother & it turned out much better than the sweater!
These little guys are the first “amigurumi” patterns I crocheted. The owl was for my son & the hedgehog was for my {step} daughter. I believe they still have them!
I get requests from family members to make things all the time. My cousin asked me to make a minion hat for one of her special needs kids in her class. I did & my son decided he really wanted one too. This is the one I made my son, which he never wore except to try it on. Kids!
Clothing
When I was about 16 I got my first sewing machine. Up until that point, I had either hand sewn or used my Memaw Teadoddles push peddle Singer. I realized there were patterns for making clothes & I wanted to make everything. These silky pajamas were the first clothes I made that turned out like I planned & fit! I made these for my mom, of course, because she was my guinea pig for crafting projects. Haha!
Something I love to sew is children’s clothing. My son received some handmade items when he was younger, but sewing for boys is very limited. There are so many more options for girls! I also made many outfits for my {step} daughter, as well as a whole set of Disney Princess costumes. Oh the godets! Somehow I got roped into making another set for some of her friends & I really never wanted to see another godet in my life! My cousin has a little girl named Mary Kate & these are all pictures of things I’ve made for her.
Here is the very sassy Mary Kate modeling a pantsuit I made her with a Violette Fields pattern. They have the cutest patterns & if I ever have a girl grandchild I’m going to be in trouble! Of course, she’ll probably be like me when I was a child – I refused to wear dresses or anything pink. : D
This is a very blurry picture of a tunic top I made myself years ago. I really loved it, but recently had to put it in the donate pile. It just doesn’t fit anymore!
Putting handmade things in the donate pile is very hard for me & I purge my closet on a regular basis. I just have to remind myself that someone else will get to use it instead of it collecting dust in my closet.
Costumes
I’ve made costumes for my kids, my self, & other kids in the family for many years. I love trying out new techniques & using different fabrics. This is my son, before the beard, wearing a costume modeled after some game character he liked at the time. I made everything, including the belt. The pants I made did not work out, so he just wore black jeans.
These are more things I made for Mary Kate. The hat & skirt were worn together & the pink dress was just a princess dress up thing I made. Her mother is always sending me Etsy or Pinterest photos & asking “can you make this?”
One of my drafting students was in the drama club a couple years ago. He asked me if I would make costumes for their play, which involved some period dresses. I made 3 skirts & tops total & made them adjustable for different sizes. They were still too big because I didn’t have any measurements & had to use mine. The shirts were all made out of cheap flat bed sheets.
This is another costume I made for my son. He was going for a steampunk feel, so I drafted this jacket from several different patterns. The hat was a cheap costume hat we added steampunk things to.
This is just a drop in the bucket of the costumes I’ve made, but I’m not digging through all those pictures right now!
Formal Wear
Can I just say – I love making formal wear! There is something so pleasing about the finishes & details. The theme for my son’s junior prom was The Great Gatsby. He wanted me to make a suit like the one Leonardo DiCaprio wore in the movie. I think we got pretty close, what do y’all think?
My dog thought we were taking pictures of him too! Here’s some close ups of the details…
One of the very first formal wear projects I ever tackled was my wedding dress. I wanted a Renaissance style dress & was on a very tight budget. The pattern I used was actually for a costume. I sourced some silk for parts of this dress online & managed to make the whole thing for right at $200. That’s a steal!
All of the trim was hand sewn & it runs down the whole front & bottom. This is stored in a bag under my bed & that’s why it’s so wrinkled in the pictures!
Quilts
This quilt is the very first large quilt I ever made. It was king size & designed by me. I say was because my mother washed it once & it shrank to half the size! The back ground was all muslin & I did not pre-wash anything. My mother also washed it in hot water & dried it on permanent press. The combination of those things just ruined the quilt sadly. : (
That quilt was a gift for my dad. I’ve made other quilts for him that did not turn out right for one reason or another over the years. The quilt below finally broke the streak!
When I first started quilting, I did all the quilting by hand. Mostly because I had no idea you could quilt things on the sewing machine. I made this bear claw quilt…
And this heart quilt for an acquaintances two children. I think she paid me a whole $100 dollars for both twin sized quilts. Yeah, that was before I learned to figure out the real cost of making quilts!
My mother had breast cancer years ago & I made this quilt for her the Christmas after she finished chemo. My dad took it to all of her doctors, nurses, friends, & family & let them write messages to her. She really loved it & I’m happy to say she is a 16 year survivor! Yay mom!
One of my aunts is my biggest quilt customer! She is always needing a baby quilt, t-shirt quilt, or gift quilt for someone or knows someone who wants to order one. This quilt was a special request for one of the students in her school that was wheelchair bound.
Making all these baby quilts really gives me a chance to design something new. The pattern for the paper pieced blocks in this quilt is available for free here on the blog!
This is another pattern I designed. I hope to have a pattern ready to test before the end of the year! You can see a different version of this pattern right here. It’s the quilt with “Peyton” on it. Fabric choice really makes this look different!
Another make for Mary Kate – a doll quilt for her doll bed!
This and That
I love to make tote bags and such for gifts. Sometimes I just adorn a pre-made canvas bag if I’m in a rush. The apple bag was gift for my son’s teacher one year. The volleyball and cheer leading bags were for my {step} daughter’s coaches. The last one is a pattern I made up for diaper bag gifts. For some reason, this is the only {very blurry} picture I have of one! Of course, I did model my Super Mom Bag after this one as well. I gave one of these away a couple years ago & let the readers vote on what details to add. You can see those posts here, here, & here. {The giveaway is over, by the way!} : )
Some special order fabric dolls I made many years ago…
And lastly two handmade pillows – one for dad & one for mom.
Well that was longer than I thought it would be! Hope y’all have a great Memorial Day weekend! We are expecting lots of heavy rain, so no cookouts here. That just means I can stay inside & make more stuff – yay! : D
2 Comments on A Stroll Down Memory Lane ~ Pre-Blog Makes
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I enjoyed looking at your photos. I love sewing too. You were very brave to attempt a wedding dress. Yikes! I can’t even imagine. I’d have been so afraid I’d mess it up.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post Joyce! It was a little scary to sew my own dress, but also very excited when I finished. I have made one more wedding dress, for my sister-in-law. It was very basic though!