May Flowers

Well, I've been sitting at the sewing machine again!  I just love taking on a new sewing project - especially when it is something cute for my girls.  Here's the latest:

This shirt combines two of the hottest things in the "sewing world" these days...ric-rac and fabric rosettes.  I followed this tutorial for the rosettes if you want step-by-step instructions - I'm just hitting the highlights with my post.  So, so easy.  Again this project was great for me because it didn't require a lot of precision!  Notice a trend in the projects I pick to tackle?!?  I simply pinned the ric-rac in place and sewed it on by stitching down the middle.

I outlined the circles I would sew my rosettes into.  I couldn't find exactly the right size for my "bloom" and I finally ended up using my pepper grinder!  Perfect size.

My fabric strips were cut to 1 1/2" and sewn together with a 1/4" seam allowance.  They were approximately 44" long.  (This is more than long enough.  I ended up cutting quite a bit off at the end that I didn't use.) When I flipped them right-side out using a safety pin (as instructed in the tutorial), they looked like this.

Then, you just sew and sew and sew in a circle using your outlined pepper grinder as a guide.  You can make little folds in the fabric to make the curve in the rosette.  It is really pretty easy and forgiving if you aren't just perfect.

I think it turned out pretty cute, huh?