If you love Anthropologie and you love sewing you will love this tutorial by Megan from DIY Maternity. Megan has come up with a plethora of ideas for sewing up your own maternity wear. She has told us about some of her favorite Fall/Winter posts such as How to Make a Wrap Cardigan, Maternity Maxi Skirt, and even her Fall/Winter Sewing list, where she assembles weekly outfits and provides you with 13 do-it-yourself sewing pieces. For all of you with your little bun in the oven, make sure to check out the Maternity Calendar Shirt post to start the big countdown.
Now, let’s get to sewing. Megan will tell you all about how to make this adorable top after the jump…
Link Love
Instead of buying decorated garlands use those fabric scraps to create a garland with unique and homemade charm.
Glam up your Bugaboo stroller by following this tutorial to create your own Bugaboo canopy.
I have always bought a cinnamon stick broom when the holidays come around. Now I think I will add making this Winter Citrus potpourri to my favorite holiday scents.
If you love to make your special apple cider every year, try spicing it up by serving it inside a real apple.
THE IDEAS KEEP COMING…
Next time your kids take a bath have them whip up these waterproof finger puppets. Before you know it they will have perfected Romeo and Juliet.
Our friend Rachel from Handmade Charlotte creates the cutest Anthropologie Mini Line for little ones.
Kids grew out of their winter coats? No problem. Follow this pattern to make a coat as adorable as this.
Halloween costumes are almost done, good job mamas. Treat yourself by making this stylish winter shirt dress.
The Hatch Collection is brilliant now you can have maternity clothes that you can wear before, during and after the pregnancy.
Looks like an expensive coat, right? Click this link for the free pattern, yes I said free, and start sewing.
We all love our children’s artwork, but every day they come home with new stuff it’s hard to find new places to put it. Jan Eleni has created a new way to shrink your children’s artwork and compile it into framed collages. Check out what I mean on her page and click on collages to see the mini masterpieces.
Now that you have the patterns needed to make your winter coats, learn how to make a coat rack to hang all of them.
Love: Handmade Charlotte for Anthropologie
Have you ever seen such an adorable collection of kid’s clothing? We had to share this with you because it’s all HAND SEWN by our friend Rachel Faucett, mother of five and author of the beautiful blog Handmade Charlotte. She spent all summer sewing this collection for Anthropologie in her house, and now Handmade Charlotte for Anthropologie is available online! What a dream come true, right? Our faves include the Little Plume Coat (above) and the Merrymount Dress…
and super sweet Love Letter Bloomers…
This is one time we totally recommend a splurge. So pretty!
Making Your Own Pattern
We often hear that new sewists are intimidated by drawing their own patterns, so we were thrilled to see Katy from Sweet Verbana made a fantastically easy Make Your Own Pattern Tutorial that everyone, yes everyone, can do!
Make sure to stop by Sweet Verbana’s to check out many of Katy’s other tutorials like the adorable Maxi Dress, an infinity loop scarf (perfect for winter) and even a learn how to do reverse applique (I’m seeing Holiday gifts!).
Don’t go anywhere just yet, keep reading for the Making Your Own Pattern Tutorial after the jump.
The Easiest Halloween Decoration: Old West Haunted Graveyard
We love Halloween here at the Curtis household. I thought I’d share some pics of our haunted graveyard. There’s a sweet story behind these decorations, if you can believe it.
I have four siblings, two of whom are much younger than I. When I was a teenager, before they were born, I’d visit my dad’s house around Halloween, and a house down the street always had the coolest old west graveyard decorations taking over their lawn. Around the time that I went off to college, it seems the kids from that home also left the nest. When my brother and sister were toddlers, the owners of that home passed along the decorations to my father & stepmother so they could keep up the tradition on the street. Now my siblings are almost in college themselves, so the decorations were passed on to me to share with Scarlet.
So these tombstones have history. We’ve also added a few new ones. I love the “old west graveyard” theme because it’s inexpensive and easy to execute! You just take scrap wood and paint silly halloween tombstone sayings on them, then use a mallet to drive a stake into your grass and lean the tombstone on it. Rain, sprinklers, and the elements only make the tombstones look more old and authentic.
And of course, some skeleton limbs, zombie arms, and light-up brains only add to the fun.
My favorite addition this year was Scarlet’s selection of rubber centipedes, which of course had to be placed on skulls.
And my husband’s finger-on-the-doorbell brings me endless joy. I knew I married him for a reason.
Check out some more pics of our easy Halloween Old West Haunted Graveyard after the jump, and tell me, do you think it’s too much?
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Last Minute Halloween Costume: Tippi Hedren in The Birds
Not sure what to be for Halloween yet? Here’s a last minute costume that’s easy to pull together and totally awesome: Melanie Daniels (as played by Tippi Hedren) in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
My friend Erin went as this one year, then I stole the costume from her a few years later (right after baby was born and I hadn’t quite pulled myself together yet). It took about three minutes to get the elements together and I had a great response at our annual halloween bash. This year my friend Anna (mom of adorable Niko that you’ve seen featured on Prudent Baby before) asked to borrow the get-up, so I forced her to pose for pictures as payment. All you need is an old dress, a blonde wig done up 60’s style (or your own hair), and some dollar store black birds. Stick a few in your hair…
Glue a few to your dress…
Accessorize with some drips of fake blood (or a lip liner works just as well) and act spooked out all night long!
Think you might give it a try?
Link Love
This is an adorable tute for DIY “boot socks” but what’s even better is the name of the blog… Oops I Craft My Pants. HA!
This caught my eye since I’m currently in lovely Mexico. Learn how to make mini-pinatas with Jordan at Oh Happy Day.
What a cute and simple way to make a Halloween wreath – with mini umbrellas. Learn how to at Design Editor.
This room is entirely knitted and entirely amazing, at Beyond Beyond.
As I mentioned, I’m lucky enough to currently be in San Cristobal de las Casas, in Chiapas, Mexico for a tweet-up sponsored by the Mexico Department of Tourism as well as the Adventure Travel World Summit. I think you all know that we adore Mexico. This trip has been an especially amazing experience and I can’t wait to tell you about it. But in the meantime, follow our adventures on twitter at hashtag #WeVisitMexico, and check out some of these wonderfully inspiring sites written by some friends I’ve met here…
The Planet D – Dave & Deb have been on the road for 11 years and have some truly awesome stories to read and great advice to give.
Off Track Planet – This site is particularly good for the young & single set. Their new magazine has some interesting headlines…
Matador Network – Awesome community site for adventure travelers
Ken Kaminesky – oh, the photos. THE PHOTOS!
Solo Traveler – Janice is a kindred spirit, she traveled solo in her twenties like me, but now she’s doing it all again. Def. check out her adventures.
Girls Getaway – Dian runs this online magazine covering exactly what you think!
Off to have a margarita or five! See you Monday!
Introduction to Cheater Quilts
Cheater is such an ugly word for such a beautiful thing. Cheater quilts are a perfect project for new sewists or folks with little time for craftiness. Featuring fabric designed and printed to look like patchwork or applique, a cheater quilt allows you to skip the huge task of doing piecework on a quilt. All you have to do is quilt and bind. I quilted this lovely baby quilt in about 30 minutes. All that’s left to do is bind it, which can be done quickly on the machine or heirloom quality by hand. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on the different ways to bind a quilt. 
But I know the big question, right? What is that gorgeous fabric? It’s Jay-Cyn Designs Storyboek for Birch Fabrics – Field Stroll Cheater and the back (which I think would be so cute for Christmas) is Field Friends Coral. Both are on sale right now at Fabricworm.
And the baby… is Gordon, who is totally man enough to pose with a pink quilt. Thanks buddy, I owe you the boy version.
Read on to learn more about how to make a cheater quilt.
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