giraffe love

if i had to choose a favorite wild animal, the giraffe would be on the top of my list.  i've been wanting to make a stuffie from this tutorial by kristina karkov (woman's day) for a while now...  i knew that it would be perfect for my friend's baby boy!

i guess this would make it my 3rd sew september project! so check out what i made with my trusty needles and threads...

hello!

embroidered (raised satin stitch) - eye detail

felt heart applique

i used a 4-strand round braid for the tail

i decided to use two different fabrics to create the stuffie, and added some details to make it extra special!

xoxo,
carla

so nuts about french knots

i wanted to share my 2nd sew september project.  i really love embroidery, and my usual favorites are the back, split/chain, & stem stitches to draw lines.  i wanted to try something different and add more dimension to the lines.  so,  i decided to use, the french knot!  i guess you can say that i am nuts about french knots (now say that 3 times, as fast as you can - quite the tongue twister)!  

i've been getting a lot of my inspiration from pinterest lately (and i'm pretty addicted to it).  i've been eyeing this post from the mother lode, and decided to create my version of an embroidered family hands portrait!

i received some fabric scraps from one of my friends, and i used part of this cute ikea fabric and appliqued it to my base fabric. 

the house that i used is within the blue heart (source)

to lighten the black outline within the hand prints, i applied a thin wash of white acrylic paint.  i didn't want to completely lose the outline of the house.

then, i traced our hands and used different colored threads to represent each of us: 
bry - navy blue
me - turquoise
dom - purple
solana - yellow

so, here's how it turned out:

i hope you are all having a wonderful week!
xo, carla

sew september - i heart dad headband

welcome to my sew september challenge project # 1!  i was hoping to get this project done in time for the morning of september 1st!  i guess i will settle for 3 minutes to midnight :)

without further delay, here's my "i heart dad" (aka. dad tattoo) headband:

 

my model was asleep, so i made "octtie " wear it...

i made a "mom tattoo" headband  prior to this one, if you'd like to see it click here.

i would also like to thank city bird's nest for starting this sew september challenge.  check out cb's wonderful diy project & the sew september flickr group!  i heart crafty chic bikers!!!

have a great september!
xo, carla

sew september challenge

i'm so happy to introduce you to one of my favorite bloggers, cb of the city bird's nest (aka. chic biker - a nickname i made for her, because she is. i love her bike oufit posts, diy's, pretty much every single thing she posts)!  she is one of the sweetest people i know...  so, send her some love by visiting her wonderful blog and her etsy shop!

if you are a sewing lover like me, i know you'd be interested to take on the "sew september" challenge.  i don't own a machine, so my projects will be small (imagine the great things you can make with a machine!!!).  it sounds like so much fun!  i hope you can join us...

xo, carla