Tara Miller Designs

Black Friday Cyber Monday Discount!

This weekend, Black Friday through Cyber Monday everything in my Shops is 20% off, just use the coupon code "blackfriday" to ge the discount! happy Shopping. 

New Product shots

Polka Dot Swaddle Blanket

I finally found some time where the babe wasn't asleep, hungry, or being feed. There is a bit of time each day where she is content to just hang out. It lasts about 15 min and the time varies each day so you have to catch it when you can. It is tricky but if you can get it then it is great. I used the time yesterday for some swaddle blanket product shots for the shop. They look great and I am so excited!

Green Apple Swaddle Blanket

Green Moroccan Star Swaddle Blanket

Green Apple Swaddle Blanket

Lining the [wool] hat

 

When I was pregnant I made several hats for my new little one. Two of those hats were knit from wool because being a Sept. baby, Emily was due for some cold days early on and I wanted to make sure that her cuteness not be diminished by some warm hand knits. However, my pregnancy brain didn't trigger that babies don't like to wear  a lot of wool because it can be itchy. This is true for my baby. Two seconds after donning her new hats Emily would imitate our Wednesday Tornado Siren. I quickly decided to line her hats with some nice cotton jersey knit fabric. It was a piece of cake but I wanted to share a quick picture tutorial in case any other babies have moms as forgetful as Emily's. 

First lay out your hat on a big piece of paper and trace all around the hat. 

Remove the hat and add a small seam allowance. It doesn't have to be perfect since this is just the lining. I added 1/4 in. 

Cut out your pattern piece and trace it onto a folded piece of cotton jersey knit fabric. Make sure the stretch is going width wise. Cut out your hat liner- you should have 2 pieces. 

With RS together, serge or zig zag stitch around your hat, leaving the bottom open. 

Fold up the bottom of the hat 1/2 in. toward the wrong side and stitch around the hem. Insert lining into hat and pin in place. Starting on the back of the hat and using a narrow zig zag stitch begin sewing the lining to the hat. Stitch in between rows if you can to hide the stitches. Since my brim was garter stitch, I was able to stitch between purl bumps to hide my stitches- you can barely see them in the bottom picture. Trim your threads. 

Your baby, toddler, or older kid is sure to enjoy their hand knit wool hats much more with a nice smooth lining. I am even considering lining my wool hats for the extra warmth and to prevent itching. I deserve something nice too :)

Chocolate pie!

So Devon has been asking to make chocolate pie for almost a week now but I have been sidetracking her because my MIL brought us a bunch of apples that needed to be dealt with. They were turned into an apple crisp and an apple cobbler. Both yummy and the crisp recipe came off a box of cereal from Kroger!

today Devon and I made the chocolate pie which was just 2 boxes of chocolate pudding and a graham crust, super easy. The best part is the whipped cream topping which I dreamed up: Peanut Butter Whipped Cream. This was also easy to make. Check out my recipe below.

Peanut Butter Whipped Cream
3/4c whipping cream
2tbsp creamy peanut butter

Add peanut butter to chilled metal bowl then add the cream. Start mixer slow and build up speed to prevent splashing. Beat until stiff peaks. Smooth whipped cream on top of chocolate pie, peanut butter pie or even banana cream pie!

Pinterest Pass/Fail

I have been a long time Pinner on Pinterest and I LOVE it but the one thing that really irritates me is the lack of ratings or success rate for many pins. Other than dusting off google and searching for the Pin subject on blogs there is really no way to learn if that DIY, recipe or product is any good. So for my own interests and maybe for those who follow me on Pinterest I have started a Pinterest Pass/Fail board so I, at least, can remember. 

The rules of my board are pretty simple (and may be subject to change later on) but when I try something from Pinterest and it is successful I leave it on its originial board but also pin it to my "Pinterest Pass/Fail" board with the word "pass" in the description along with the subject of the pin and any comments. I might add some suggestions for a recipe, add why it was so good/fun or suggest tips for making the project/DIY a little different. 

Now should the Pin be unsuccessful then I remove it from its original board and just pin it to the Pass/Fail board, add the word "Fail" to the description along with a short snippet on why it failed. 

I am hoping other's might follow suit with their own boards so we can weddle out the bad, unsuccessful pins to keep Pinterest fun and full of worthwhile Pins. 

Let me know if you are intersted in joining my board and I will add you. 

New Etsy Shop: Swaddle . Dwell . Baby

I had alot of time to think creatively while on maternity leave and have opened a new store to sell some of the (hopefully) great ideas I had for baby and kids items that I love. My new store is called: Swaddle . Dwell . Baby. The first and in my opinion, the most important, are several swaddle blankets. 

I am a big proponent of swaddling. It kept me sane with my first baby and had done the same with my newly born second child. I created my double layer swaddle blankets because both my babies were/are wee during the cold months and I love stretchy swaddle blankets much more than woven. Flannel is great and cozy but my babes easily pull out of the wrap because I just can't get the swaddle tight enough. I found with gauze I can get the swaddle nice and tight (the way my babies like it) but cotton gauze just isn't warm enough. By backing the gauze with cotton knit I can keep the stretch and gain the warmth. These blankets are so cozy and my added details really make my swaddle blankets awesome sauce! One blanket is hand stamped and painted with open apple slices. Another features 3 polka dotted polka dots and another shines with a Morrocan style reverse applique in a bright green print. I wish I could keep them all but I already have plenty thanks to all my prototype sewing. I hope they will be a big success so I can make many, many more. 

Back to knitting

It is day 2 of my return to knitting post Emily (don't you love how she sounds like a hurricane). I am slow, slower than I remember. It is nice to back to my usual activities. I'm making progress in the Chevron Hand Towel for the girls bath room; only 10 more inches to go.

Meet Emily

Hi Ya'll. I'm on maternity leave and bummed to have very limited creative outlet but stoked to discover that since switching from Android to the iPhone I can now blog while caring for my newest addition and her older sister.
I want to introduce Emily. She is one month old and already running things. She has everyone wrapped around her finger especially her sister.
I have ventured into the sewing room a few times as you know if you follow me on twitter. Mostly I have been learning all that my Brother serger can do and finally fitting all the garments made while pregnant for postpartum wear.
I also want to wish you all a belated Happy Halloween and hope you can resist the siren call of candy better than me!

Put your name on it

I have been intending to put Devon's name on her door at the new place for a few months now. I even bought some really neat vinyl at TJ. Maxx (contact paper) for $4.50 for 2 rolls! The plan was to cut it with my cricut and then install it on the door. However, I didn't have any transfer tape. I hate buying cricut brand supplies because the price is outrageous so I researched alternatives. Apparantly you can use clear contact paper (which I purchased from Wal-mart for $5/roll) and used that. Her name cut like a dream. Once I had isolated the letters, I cut a piece of clear vinyl a little bigger than her name and placed it sticky side down on the name and pressed hard to get good contact. Then I flipped it and pulled the backing off. I was left with the clear contact paper with Devon's name backward on it. Then I lined it up on her door and pressed. You want to make sure you use a credit card or hard squeegie for this. You want the letters to really adhere to the surface so you can pull the contact paper away without the letters coming too. 

She loves her name on the door! Once #2 is born and ready to move it with her big sister, I will add her name as well. I am tossing around the idea of labeling the bathroom downstairs for guests....hmmm

Shop updated!

Hi All, 

Just a quick word to let you know I have added new Out of Print patterns to my Etsy shop! I am cleaning out my sewing room trying to get organzied for baby. Patterns range from $1-$4 with shipping low!