A last minute Italian feast.



I recently ran across this pattern on etsy while searching for some fun, unique items to add to the new kitchen.  Seriously, the lasagna killed me with cuteness, and I just had to buy it.  I wasn't planning on making it before Christmas, but the twins napped right through church so I stayed home yesterday with them while the biggies went with Daddy.   So free time with no prying eyes, score. 

 

 



Looks delish, right?!  I would totally eat this:)

The pattern instructs you to sew most parts with your machine, but I wanted to watch some football... so I hand stitched all of it, which took probably waaaay longer, but that's okay.  Plus the artsy, uneven stitch look is growing on me.   I am considering adding more lettuce eventually, chances are I will never get around to it though, haha.

Bowtie pasta, sauce and two meatballs. Yummy!

These suckers are what took the longest! I was finished two noodles and was excited, thinking I was done, then I realized I needed another.  Oh well.  They are the reason I splurged on a pattern, right?

I love that they are all separate pieces, makes for more imaginative play!

So the feast went in a zip bag along with the ice cream sundae and veggies, time to get wrapping!  Of course I decided at the last minute to also make the kids pj's for Christmas Eve.  Yep, for tonight.  The big kids are off to find snow in the mountains with Daddy and twinsies are due for a nap, so my machine will be put to work! 

Eat your veggies.

Back so soon? This set went together a bit quicker than the last.  Or maybe it was because I snuck in a little extra time early in the morning when I put on a movie for the kids... It had dogs, the twins loved it.  And Jack was totally oblivious to anything and everything I was doing, so I scored a free hour! Those are nice every once in a while. 

 

 

Again, these are from the book Big little felt universe.  When I rented it a few months back I made the eggplant, well Ben has this rule that if the felt food is left on the ground at the end of the night, he will just throw it away. He HATES the stuff.  I have lost broccoli, cauliflower (both ten individual pieces), a chocoalte bar, and the eggplant.  Yikes!  Naughty Daddy.  Anyway, so Jack was pretty sad he doesn't have an eggplant anymore (he doesn't realize Ben tossed it) and it was his first request when he realized what the book was. 

 



 

There is a white radish, radish, tomato, carrot and eggplant in the set.  I love this book because of the great details.

Like how you don't sew the bottom of the radish, and how she has you sew the veins in the leaves.

Or how you are instructed not to sew the leaves down on the tomato, looks just like the real thing.

And how you use two different greens for the white radish.

Just as I love the detail in garment sewing, I also love it in felt food. (pretty much all sewing, to be honest!) It just gives it that little extra touch.  I may be super slightly obsessed with making felt food...

The kitchen project.

Ah, it has been a while.  In the last little while we have painted every surface in our "new" home that is paintable (tables, shelves, chairs, cabinets, walls- nothing was safe!), new tile, new carpet, new walls... lots... and we finally moved in.  We have also dealt with being sick for pretty much the last month straight!  The before Thanksgiving the twins had the flu, the week of I had it, Jack and Abby had a cough just before that,  then about three days after we were all better the twins came down with rotavirus.  That stuff is awful!!  They are pretty much all better now, though still a little crabby, though they could be teething. Anyway, so not much sewing going on here! (though there was a little I will update later). And I am behind on my flickr and blog reading, so if you get some random comment from me a month later, don't worry;)

 

So a few weeks ago I went with a group to a few garage sales and saw this beauty.  Well, in this state not so beautiful, but it had great potential!!

 

I saw it even before I got out of the truck and was SO excited.  I asked the guy what he wanted for it, he said make an offer, so my MIL said $5... and he accepted!! I was totally willing to pay a lot more.  But that just meant I had more of a budget to fix it up. 

So a couple cans of spray paint, some varnish and few knobs later...

I am so in love! I was worried at first it was going to be too dark, but it really has grown on me.  I wanted gray in my house but didn't have anywhere that it would really work, so this became gray!

 

 

And while it was supposed to be for Christmas, the kids were so excited and started playing with it as a kitchen even before I painted it, so I put it in the front room and just let them have it.  See?  Jack has even already stocked it with their felt food.  And honestly, I can't even tell you which group loves it more, the bigs or the littles, they all play with it All.The.Time. 

 

Abby was so excited when she saw the knobs "they are just like a REAL kitchen, Mom!" I almost went with some novelty ones, but since this really is for me (haha) I went with what I wanted and she approved:)

I have plans to make removeable "burners" so it isn't strictly a kitchen.  They also play bakery with it and put the donuts in the top see through part, and I thought they might like to play ice cream shop... so...

This:

An ice cream sundae!  It is from the book Big Little Felt Universe.  Oh I can't say enough good about this book! I rented it from the library a few months back and fell in love!  And now that I had a kitchen, I had the perfect reason to order it, right?! Plus it was half off, so win-win.  The kids remembered it from the library and were SO excited to flip through it and begin putting in their requests.  This was Abby's first request.  Of course I told her "when I have time", she will be excited. 

I learned a lot with each new item I made.  I feel like it will be how I was with my sewing, I am a bit embaressed looking back at some of my first projects I sewed, and I can see all my mistakes in this sundae.  But I am trying to look at the positive, and someday when I get really good I will have to revisit the boat and bananas!:)

If you are interested in trying this pattern out, it happens to be offered on this website for free.  But really, just get the book, you wont be disappointed!!

I am only able to sew at night after the kiddos have gone to bed so that makes it difficult, this took me two nights.  I do really enjoy it though, it makes me feel productive while watching tv! :)  I have quite the list I want to make, but since I am cutting it close I am not sure how much will get done by Christmas.  I  bought a few Melissa and Doug sets at Michael's last week as they were half off (yay!!) so I wouldn't feel too pressured... because I am a procrastinator- just ask my curtains, ha!