A few cute things I've been working on

I'm still hanging my head in shame over that pink velvet dress debacle. It really made me question whether I am, in fact, halfway decent at this — in the way that running into a lame ex-boyfriend makes you wonder whether you ever have any idea what you are doing ever.

To help myself move on, I've been sewing some small projects this week — and nothing for myself. All three of these projects are for my daughter for Christmas, and all were made from fabrics I had in my stash.

My daughter is three, and she seems to understand that she can ask for something for Christmas. But her wishes are vague and weird, and left up to a certain degree of interpretation. Her main request has been for a "teacher bag" and a "teacher toy." What those two things are...we may never know. She wont' tell us. Most likely she doesn't know. (If you have any suggestions, please leave them below!)

So following roughly this great tutorial at Say Yes To Hoboken for a Notebook Lined Tee, I used some scraps of a cream-coloured denim (some weird muslin? I got it from a neighbour who was getting rid of fabric) and fabric paints to create this "teacher bag":

I'm fully expecting her to toss it aside Christmas morning and say, "THAT'S not a teacher bag!" Harumph.

Moving on, I also made her this shirt (from the last bits of blue jersey I have previously used to sew leggings and underpants, as well as the pink polka-dotted fabric I used to make tents for Lucy's camping birthday party, and a lovely bird-printed cotton I used for doll carriers). I used the Elise pattern by Violette Field Threads, which I won in a giveaway. The pattern was great, and it turned out very cute, I do believe.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that my kid actually wears it. After using cotton bias tape to finish the neckhole I realized I'd never be able to get this shirt over my kid's head, so I cut a slit in the back, bound off the opening, and added a button and elastic closure. I should have known better and used jersey as the bias strip to finish the neckhole, but the pattern instructions didn't specify and clearly I have poor judgement. Also, the pattern didn't have grain lines. Weird, non?

I also made a few flowered headbands for Lucy and her friends as little gifts. I think I'll give her this one early so she can wear it in her preschool holiday show tomorrow:

So tell me, what do you do to make yourself feel better after failing?