tina nealis

A Whole Lotta Hullabuloo!

2009-11-11T10:39:00.005-07:00

The Hissyfits Hullabuloo Handmade Market was a hit. Thanks to all of you who came out and stopped by to see me. The dresses were well received and a few people asked for custom orders for the play pants so that will keep me busy for a while. Here are a few pictures from the event.

Up until Sunday I was working very late to get items done for the show. Now that it's over I'm on to other projects...already! Here's a custom ordered baby quilt I'm currently working on. I'm very excited to see this once it's quilted. I've finished cutting and piecing in the past two days....very fun project.

Dresses, Dresses, and more Dresses!

2009-10-31T21:09:00.005-07:00

Here are a handful of photos of some absolutely adorable little girls in the dresses I will have available at the Hissyfits Hullabaloo Craft Show.

Thank you Sue, Kari, and Jamie for letting me borrow their beautiful little models for these photographs!!

Play Pants

2009-10-31T20:32:00.002-07:00

Here is my first try at some play pants. I hope to have a few pairs of these at the craft show as well.

Another Dress and finished a Quilt!

2009-10-11T15:50:00.004-07:00

I finished another pillowcase dress. The second one went even faster than the first. They are really satisfying to complete and the color combos are so fun! This one is more of a tangy color with rainbows on the body of the dress. I'm hoping to get a handful of them done and ready for the Hissyfits Hullabaloo craft fair.

I put this quilt on hold for a bit to work on the pillow dresses. I started to get tired of the quilting and actaully started getting bored with the design, but after a week long break I was ready to finish it up. As I finished the quilting, I fell in love with the whole blanket again. I think the simplistic quilting really
compliments the quilt. I'm really happy with the outcome and even found the perfect brown polka-dotted fabric for the border. It's now washed and folded and ready to be delivered to a brand new baby boy. :)

Little Lavendar Rose Dress

2009-10-08T00:18:00.005-07:00

In the middle of my progress with the baby quilt I had an itch to start on dresses. My mind has been swimming with ideas for the craft show and I'd like to have a few of them for the upcoming Hissyfits Hullabaloo. This was my first full attempt at children's clothing...girl's clothing at that. As I was making it, I had intended for it to be a size 2T, but I think it ended up being closer to a 12m size. I will have to find a model to be sure what size it really is...

I really love the mixture of colors especially the contrasting trim at the armholes. It seems to add a clean and modern touch to the dress. I'm pretty happy with the outcome and I'm ready to start on the next one! Don't worry, I haven't left out the little boys. I've got some ideas...

Baby B's Quilt

2009-10-08T00:06:00.003-07:00

This baby quilt is for my husband's friend and colleague. Their new bundle of joy arrived last week so it's a tad late, but almost done! I did a mixture of modern and classic fabrics in a simple style, staying with a combination of browns, greens, and blues. Quilting is almost done...

colors

piecing progress

quilting...

Quilted Hoodscarf

2009-10-04T21:32:00.003-07:00

This was a custom order for a friend in Chicago. It took a little bit for me to come up with a pattern, but was very glad with the results. The aqua colored ruffles were randomly placed and after putting it on for the first time, I realized it was in the perfect spot! I wish I needed one, but it doesn't get cold enough in Arizona! :)

Modeled by Theresa...thanks! :)

It's a Hullabaloo!

2009-09-29T22:57:00.002-07:00

I will be a vendor again this year! Should be a fun event!

Where do I start?

2009-09-29T22:03:00.010-07:00

To say that a lot has happened since my last post would be an understatement. We were shocked to learn earlier in March that our son (at nine months old) would have to go under open-heart surgery. Soon after his heart surgery, he ended up needing emergency stomach surgery. Needless to say our world was turned upside-down. Both surgeries were a success and thanks to the amazing staff at Phoenix Children's Hospital, our son is alive and well. We were released from the hospital at the beginning of April and we've continued therapy sessions and monthly follow ups with all our doctors to make sure he continues to thrive. Baby continues to be happy and healthy overall and we feel thankful every single day that he is home with us. You can go to CarePages and search for "ourson" if you'd like to follow our son's journey.

There are many things that I've made since my last post, but here's a glimpse of what I've been up to...

The was a quilt for a friend's baby. She requested a very modern pattern with black and white as the main colors for the quilt. Most of the black and white fabrics were leftover from other things she had made in the nursery. I love the green pops of color.

This was also a baby quilt for a dear friend. She handed me scraps of fabric she used throughout his nursery and I was able to use them as the main stripes in this beautiful quilt. This was my first free-motion quilting attempt on an entire blanket and although it was a long process, it was really fun.

This was another "first time" project. I created his embroidery piece for a friend as a wedding/housewarming gift. It was something I had started during my long stay in the hospital, but it took quite a while for me to complete it. I love the contrast of the colors. This was a really fun project and I liked the mobility of it as well. I will definitely be doing more in the future.

I also tried sewing from a pattern and was pretty satisfied with the outcome. This is the Daily Spice Apron by Heather Bailey. Putting extra time into the intricate details of lining things up and keeping it clean really paid off. The fabric is also designed by the talented Heather Bailey.

This was a custom order from my wonderful friend who is getting married this winter. I was really happy to be able to make this for her. It was such a simple design, but this took more thought than most of my creations, not sure why. Sometimes the simplest things are more of a challenge to make. Anyway, I'm really happy with how it turned out with the combination of colors and the pleating...elegant and simple.

There's more in the works and more to come!

If you're still following the blog after all this time....thank you, I appreciate you stopping by. :)

I'm still here... and now, so is baby!

2008-10-16T23:17:00.002-07:00

It's been quite a while since my last blog entry. I swear I've been sewing even though there are no new post. A lot has happened since April... I've become a Mom to the most adorable little baby boy. He's a joy. I've finally found little time here and there to start sewing once again. The transition has been going really well and I love motherhood. :)

I'm going to be doing my very first craft show next weekend. I'm a little stressed to get things done, but extremely excited. I have also set up an Etsy account for the items I finish from time to time. I hope you will check in to see what's new. I will try to update this blog when I can with any new information on my handmade endeavors.

For now you can find my most recent creations here.

Wrist Clutches

2008-04-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

I made these as gifts for the girls that put on my baby shower. It was the least I could do for all they've done for me. :)

I just made up the dimensions as I went. I used 9" zippers and added the hook/clasps for the first time. They were pretty easy and really fun to make. The interior fabrics match the handles.

Pink & Black Tote

2008-04-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

This was a custom order for my friend, Nicole. This is probably one of the last orders I'll be taking for quite a while. I couldn't say no though! She was requesting a book tote as a gift for a friend. The bag is a really great size...wonderful for magazines, papers, books and a ton more. The exterior is black corduroy and I added these magenta accents throughout the bag. I really like the corners on the exterior. They are just a patterned cotton, but I did magenta corduory piping at the edges of the curves, which added a nice touch. I also made an exterior pocket with a curvy flap and snap button. Hope she likes it!

Diaper Bag

2008-04-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

This was one of the most time consuming bags I've probably ever made. I shopped around for a long time hoping to find a good diaper bag for myself, but decided in the end that I probably should just make one. I found this great pattern from Amy Butler called the Weekender Bag. I made a few adjustments to the pattern by adding elastic to the side pockets, lengthening the handles, and adding elastic pockets and a smaller interior pocket at the top so I can stash all the baby's goodies in there. It matches the stroller rather well with the orange/brown combination. :) I'm pretty happy with the results...now if I could only keep it clean and new forever!

IIDA Fashion Show 2008

2008-02-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

Even though I've been so busy sewing...it really hasn't been for my own personal projects. My company entered in the IIDA Couture Fashion Show and I've been so busy trying to get this outfit done with my team mates! The show was this past week and we had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of our process and final design.

This was a tote I made for a fashion show we did through my firm. It's made with all Knoll Textile upholstery fabric and was such a pain to get through the machine, but it turned out rather well. We ended up giving it to the Knoll rep as a gift for sponsoring us with all her fabric for the show.

Retro Plush Car

2008-01-01T19:12:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this was a complete shot in the dark. I thought I'd try my hand at some stuffed things. This is my first try at a stuffed car. I drew it out first and then made my cuts and just ran with it...adding windows, door handles, and even wheels! I really don't like hand-stitching, but I had to do that after I stuffed it to close it up and it actually was rather clean! I think it turned out pretty cute. Maybe I'll make different types of cars! I really loved the retro fabric. My favorite part are the wool felt wheels!

Diaper Holders

2008-01-01T18:02:00.001-07:00

I've been searching for all sorts of useful baby things to make recently. I saw these while I was looking at baby items and people seem to really love how they keep diapers and wipe boxes together and organized in your diaper bag. I made my own pattern and gave it a try. The skeleton one was my first attempt and then I made seven more! They were actually really fun to make and went by rather quick.

Pillows for Luisa

2007-12-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

Pillow for Jean

2007-12-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

Zipper Pouch

2007-12-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

Since moving I haven't had much time to sew! Theresa and I finally sat down for some good sewing time this past Friday. I finished a pillow and this little zipper pouch. It has a hidden pocket inside! :)

Amelia's Tote

2007-09-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

I made this one a while back for a coworker's little one. Just kind of threw it together, but i really like the front pocket. Seems like she's been putting it to good use. Her Dad says, "The purse is Amelia’s ice skating bag. She uses it to keep her hat, mittens and stuff in for her ice skating lessons."

Is she not the cutest thing? Even her shirt says so...

Apron Night

2007-09-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

A few friends and I decided to take an apron making class at Bernina Connection last Friday. It was so much fun and all the aprons turned out so cute!

Wool Felt Tote

2007-08-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Baby Alex!

2007-08-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here's baby Alex wearing his nifty bib. Thanks Gina for sending me his picture! He is adorable! AHH! :)

Baby Set

2007-07-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

This handmade baby gift set includes a swaddle/cuddle blanket that is about 35"x35". One side is a vivid cotton patterned fabric and the other side is plush pink swirl minkee fabric. I love how the front and back compliment eachother. There are two burp cloths made of fluffy pink terry cloth and a stripe of the main fabric. I also made a diaper/wipes holder for easy transportation. One side will hold diapers, the other side will hold a plastic baby wipe case and the center can carry baby cream or anything else you need to store.

Pink Minkee Cuddle Blanket

Two Pink Terry Burp Cloths

Diaper Organizer

Velcro Closure

Interior

Striped Suede Pillow

2007-07-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

This pillow was a birthday gift for a friend. The front is the back of brown corduroy with suede strips pieced on layered on top. The back is a patterned fabric. It measures approximately 15"x15".