More pinafores

Isn't it amazing how different fabric qualities, colors and details can make the very same pattern into completely different items? For my boys, I sew every pattern at least twice, of course. But even when I sew gifts for other kids, I tend to make varieties of the same patterns over and over. I've sewn several varieties of cozy car caddies, a number of hats, tons of neckerchiefs... And one pattern I just adore for little girls is the pinafore by Smashed Peas and Carrots. I've already shared the first one I made a year ago, and here are two more I've made since:

On a pattern like this, where everything is cut in one piece, fussy cutting is somewhat limited,

Last minute...

When we were preparing for our fairly spontaneous trip to Fuerteventura last month (huge grin :-D), I decided to do some last-minute sewing. The boys needed new bathrobes, as the ones I made for them nearly two years ago were definitely too small now. I was a little surprised how long they actually lasted - the pattern is just fabulous! So again, I chose one size up to accommodate for the next growth spurt or two.

I had been planning to make a second set of these bathrobes for a while, so when I found those striped beach towels

Earring holder sewing tutorial

I had this idea when my mother-in-law was wondering how she could mail a pair of earrings to one of her relatives. I immediately thought of those little cards that I used to have for my earrings when I was a kid, only those were actually quite plain and boring. So why not make a cute earring holder out of some fabric scraps? Here's what I came up with:

I even thought of taking pictures to write a short tutorial :-)

Kitchen play sets

My boys sure love their play kitchen, and prepare the most delightful dishes every day. Well, I guess they take after their granny :-) So for Christmas, I made them some kitchen equipment and supplies. Besides crocheting some food items (which I will show you another day ;-)), I sewed two sets of aprons, oven mitts and dish towels. Of course I made a mistake in only sewing one oven mitt for each boy. L asked me sternly if he was supposed to burn his other hand?! Silly me. For now, they'll have to take turns using the oven mitts, but in the long run, I guess I'll have to sew two more...

Fortunately I still have a piece left of that funny

Tip top

I sewed another shirt for myself, from Lekala pattern #4099.

I'm still amazed at the fit of those patterns... It's a tad short, but I have a matching shirt that I can wear underneath, so I think that's fine :-)

Bucket hats

As we're preparing for our next vacation (woohoo :-)) I noticed that I haven't shown you something I made for the boys last summer. Maybe you remember my preparations for that road trip? Well, it didn't go as smoothly as we'd hoped. Our kids just don't like car rides. Full stop. Maybe I'll just sew a heavy curtain to separate the back of the car so the boys can do all their whining and screaming and breaking toys and arguing with each other while we enjoy some peace and quiet in our front seats? Just kidding. This time around, we'll find out if they like flying better than car rides.

The holiday was lovely, though. We stayed at a wonderful cottage with a garden. There were other kids to play with and lots of toys. That gave us a little break from time to time. It wasn't far from the beach, and the weather was fine. So I got the pictures I was hoping for :-) And here they are (drum roll please):

What a fun day at the beach!

The pattern for these bucket hats

A birthday present

My dear mother-in-law is the best cook in the world. I wish I could share with you the delicate scents of those yummy treats that come from her kitchen... Instead, let me show you what I made her for her birthday three weeks ago:

For the oven mitt, I used the pattern and tutorials over at