Your monkey is awfully cute. Again, I think these would sell if the price weren't crazy. People love stuff for a little kid or baby (lots of babies rooms are done in a jungle theme). Molly will love it, I'm sure!!!! You are getting just too clever!

Molly Monkey

Here is my mostly finished Molly Monkey (which is the pattern I emailed you Maureen). I need to add some finishing embellishments and wipe the fabric marker off her face but otherwise she's good to go. I like how she came out though I can see a few mistakes in her I think Molly will love her.

The cape

Thanks Maureen, I am glad you liked it. I thought it came out really well and am excited to put the last patch on and start William's I think both he and Jackson will love them. I thought about making one for Molly but she just turned 3 and I am not sure she'd really get what it was for or find it as much fun as if I make her a dolly or a toy of some sort. I have considered making one for Harley and Sean so they can play superheros with their boys tho and the pattern is pretty simple so I am pretty sure I could enlarge or shrink it for whatever size I want... might be cute to do a mini one for dogs too as boys always play with their dog and people by crazy stuff for their pets.

Let's see if I can figure out the general cost... or ways to make it more cost efficient...

The cape measures 30 inches long, 40 inches wide (at its widest point) so 2 pieces of Fabric 30"x 40" and one piece of interfacing to help sturdy up the silver fabric of the same size. I am not sure how much the silver fabric costs as you gave it to me but I could easily find a lining fabric to use instead or other fabrics I just used the silver because I had it. The flame fabric I bought at SAS for I believe a $3 a yard. I got the interfacing at Joann's for a $1 a yard on sale. I also used two bits of fabric roughly the size of a dinner plate (actually not roughly, I literally used a dinner plate to draw the circle patch on my pattern paper).

Double sided bias tape I used all around the cape and to encircle the patches (not sure how much it normally costs but I used some sale stuff I had in my sewing kit so I got it for like a dollar for 4 yards.) I don't have to use bias tape to make these either it just was easier especially as I was working with that silver fabric which tends to tear and fray (I figured encasing it with a good seam allowance within the bias tape would help prevent it from tearing or fraying). If I had been working with a different fabric I would have sewn wrong sides together and probably just turned it right side out after.

The lightning bolts and J were created out of Felt which I got for free or from SAS on clearance for a dollar a yard, again I could probably make them out of other fabric but felt seemed easiest and less time consuming as it didn't have to be hemmed and could be attached with embroidery thread.

I attached the patch with some steam a seam but its because I had never used it before and wanted to try it out I could have also simply sewn the patch on.

I drew the pattern myself so that was free. But I don't really like the way the collar looks so I would probably change that making it smaller and maybe more curved.

The ribbon I used to attach it was free from a supply craft swap I did but you can get ribbon at Micheal's for a dollar a roll and there'd probably be enough ribbon on that roll to do two or three capes.

I'd say it took me about 5 hours from start to finish (tho I have not made/attached the second patch for the fire side yet) but to be fair that includes drawing the pattern and it being my first time making one and figuring out how I wanted to make it and I had to stop in between and clean my sewing machine and then had trouble getting the needle plate back on right so had to fiddle with that for a while until I figured it out.

I looked on Etsy and their super hero capes run between $18 - $40 the average being between $20 and $25 but they don't appear as labor intensive or detailed or well made as mine and most aren't reversible... so I'd either need to simplify my cape a bit with less embellishment or charge more and hope people would want the deluxe kind.

I also considered making a little velcro belt to go with the capes or a little mask... which might add on some value if it was a set?

I could buy my fabric and embellishments from SAS which would keep my cape costs down significantly because I could get fabric for a dollar a yard or $3 a pound for decorator weight fabrics and speciality fabrics only cost a bit more by the yard there but it means each cape would likely have to be unique because you can't guarentee that they will have the same fabric at your next visit.

I'll make Ryan do the math but I think I could keep the cost of making one pretty cheap and after getting a few under my belt and the pattern worked out how I want my hours of labor could be brought down to probably 2 - 3 hours a cape.

Capes

Oh my God Jenn! This is sooooo cute. I would think that you could sell these (without the initial - or charge more for the child's initial). How much $$ do you think you actually have in them? I know that people don't want to pay you for your time, but I would think you might be able to get $20.00 per cape since it is two sided. (I recognized that shiny silver fabric - isn't it a peach to work with?). You have a real winner here - maybe you could come up with one that is a wee bit smaller (like that would fit someone just a bit taller than Molly), and offer them up for sale. See if you get any takers!

Superhero cape

Okay so I am almost finished with my first superhero cape. This one is for Jackson but I do intend to make one for William too.

It is reversible (so its like 2 capes in one!) I just need to finish the patch for the fire side and then I am done but here it is so far.

My first quilt

Okay so I am mostly done with my first attempt at a quilt, I spared everyone who isn't interested in the pictures by posting it in my other blog here is the Link for those who want to peek.

Thanks Maureen and Auntie since you both provided a lot of the fabrics I used in its creation :)

Hugs to everyone and I hope you are feeling better Maureen, not much we can do from here of course but if there's anything you need (even if it is just conversation to distract you from the pain) call us!!

Jenn

Blocks into trains

Jenn,
Good to see your work. I happened to remember a pattern that I have that reminded me of the blocks. You make three or four blocks and sew velcro to two opposite ends. They stick together and make train cars. Then you fashion a block that looks like an engine, and something to resemble a caboose (use your imagination here) and when they are all velcro'ed together, you have a train for a little one to play with.

Sewing

So here are pictures of my first two burp clothes (made with Maureen's pattern, thanks for that!) and a little cloth building block (made from my own pattern, go me!).

If you click on the pictures it shows a much larger picture so you can see the details better. There are only 2 burp clothes I just showed each side as they are different.

Good to hear from you Jenn! Sounds like you are trying to get your life set up better. It will help to have the computers out of your bedroom. We turn ours off every night so it's not a problem, but they really do throw out a lot of heat!!! Plus, you are kind of a night owl so you can be doing other stuff if you wish.
Glad to hear the grocery thing worked out. I'm really impressed that you thought of that - I know that I just never would have. Kind of a dork!
Stephen got going today and got my HOA labels made so when I get back from the trip I'm ready to go on getting my secretarial duties to the Homeowner's association done - I'll be done in December. I'm looking forward to not having to deal with stupid people anymore! Then, God bless him, he fixed my I-pod so I have some new songs on it because I can't remember how to do it even though I know he has shown me more than once.
Look forward to seeing you guys when I'm home. I'll give you a call. Stephen is out sniffin' at the spaghetti sauce and asking if it's ready yet. I just started it a half an hour ago - I bet he won't last until 4 p.m.!!!!!
ME