2016 Family Pictures

We took our 2017 pictures a few weeks ago, but we haven't received them yet. Here's a look at last year's pictures!

Every year MOPS puts on a photo fundraiser - you get a 15minutes with a photographer and a CD with 5 edited pictures on it... all for $50. Half of that goes to our MOPS group, while the photographer ears the other half. We are so thankful for the photographers that partner with us! 

I took these pictures after the session last year - they are still smiling! She's wearing a Hey June Hatteras sweatshirt while he's in a Peekaboo Pattern Shop's Happy Feet Pajamas raglan sweatshirt. Other than a thrifted pillowcase for her front fabric, the rest of the fabric is a combo of cotton-lycra jersey and french terry from Raspberry Creek Fabrics.

Then, when we take the annual family picture with Dan's side, we usually take another family picture  of just us as well. (My top is a Love Notions La Bella Donna Top - french terry from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I made it two years ago, and it was the first top I made for myself since Montana.)

We always get a little more creative with these since we already have the family pictures taken that will go on our Christmas cards!

Siblings...

Sweet Girl.

Sweet Boy.

And one more to make you smile - he wanted to hold a flower, too... just like big sister!

Michael Miller's In Bloom

Earlier this summer, I received the ENTIRE line of Sandra Clemons' In Bloom for Michael Miller Fabrics. One yard of each print (24 prints!)... just for winning a giveaway on Facebook - I felt pretty lucky! The giveaway was through Sewing Portfolios which is an amazing resource for anyone wanting to get more involved and connected in the sewing community online. I have come to realize that I have so much on my sewing to-do list, that I don't have time to PDF pattern test any more (but if the right pattern comes along, I may still apply!) Thus, currently, I use Sewing Portfolios to keep track of my makes and for motivation to keep taking "nice" photos of those makes. 

That sewing to-do list is the reason that I couldn't cut into the amazing fabric right away. I knew that I wanted to make E's first day of preschool dress, so I was able to start planning that, even as I finished sewing a pile of knit clothes for the two kiddos. 

Enter: The Juniper Dress by Sew A Little Seam

I used the Sunburst and Garden Patch prints from the teal colorway.

I didn't expect E to love-love it, due to the lack of PINKNESS, but surprisingly, she actually does love it! She asked me to make her Halloween costume just like it (she wanted to be a silver fairy, but after seeing this dress, she wants to be a *colorful* fairy... )

As for the rest of the fabric... I currently have 4 patchwork totes cut out (Christmas presents!!). James will eventually get a reversible vest (Schoolboy Vest by Sew Much Ado) from two of the linger prints and Ev's Thanksgiving Dress will be from the wine colorway (Magrath Dress by Sew Much Ado). 

Even after sewing up the amazing fabric, it is still hard to believe that I won this great giveaway! I'm looking forward to completing more projects with the beautiful prints that I have left.

Of course, since I had Ev all dressed up and fancy, I had to try to get a few nice portrait pictures of her. 

This one may be the winner! 

And now that her dress is done, she can start preschool tomorrow :) 

Peekaboo Patterns Felicity Testing ~ Simple Summer

Happy 4th of July!

This was the third and final Felicity dress that I made during testing for Peekaboo Pattern Shop.

Fabrics: Red Gingham from my stash and a lightweight chambray from Raspberry Creek Fabrics on Etsy (Denim Swiss Dot Chambray by Robert Kaufman)

I added the red piping that was also in my stash - the pattern does not come with instructions for the piping, but it is such an easy addition! This was the updated bodice (and final version for this size), and I think I could have sized down to her true size. You don't want to size-up too much with this dress because then the bodice is too wide as you see in the pictures. 

I've wanted to sew something with gingham and chambray for so long, and this dress was the perfect reason to finally do it! Plus, it's so lightweight - perfect for summer (see, I'm just a broken record over here, ha!) and the 4th of July! She wore it to a hometown parade a few weeks ago... it was so hot out, but this dress kept her cool (well, as cool as you can be while running after candy and just loving life at a parade!)

We took pictures at a local park and hiking trail - I took pictures of the batik dress first, so by the time we were ready for this dress, so was a little less excited for the photo shoot. 

But, I still hope the pictures convey a fun and comfy addition to any summer wardrobe. Seriously - I plan on making her one of these every year from now on ;)

SaveSave

Peekaboo Patterns Felicity Testing ~ Proud Purple

This purple version was the first Felicity dress I made during testing for Peekaboo Pattern Shop. 

Fabric: JoAnns - they were red tag fabrics last winter and it was during a 50% off red tag fabric sale

It's a lightweight poly-cotton from the Tutti-Fruitti collection.

My daughter was right at the maximum chest measurement for the size I made, so this dress sadly came out a little too tight. It fit enough for good pictures, but the fact that is was a little tight plus the fact that I ended up making 2 more dresses during the testing process led me to giving this dress to a local friend. Her daughter is only a few weeks younger that Ev, but she's smaller, so this dress fit her perfectly!

Ev had a hard time giving this dress away, and I kind of did, too! It was such a great summer dress! She keeps asking me to make her one just like it again, and I would have enough fabric if I switched the two fabrics, but again... does she really need 3 dresses in the same pattern? I'll just hold on to it for next summer ;)

After this version, there were changes made to the bodice and the collar, plus I added length to the future dresses I made. 

All-in-all... I love this dress :) but I'm happy that I could give it to a friend who can happily use it for a longer period that we could have!

SaveSaveSaveSave

Jolie Skirt by FAM {Testing}

Let me proudly introduce a lovely skirt pattern that I helped test...

The Jolie Skirt by Filles á Maman

Currently the pattern is only available in the Australian-based digital magazine of One-Thimble. Be sure to check it out!

The Jolie can be made in knits or woven, which makes it so versatile! You can also choose to have the front pleat or to have a plain front. It has an elastic waistband with fun topstitching. I used a purple plaid from my stash; I believe it is a wool or a wool blend.

I picked up the fabric at a thrift store when we lived in Montana. Even after cutting out two skirts, the hat, the scarf and the hair bow, I still have quite a bit left. I love this skirt so much (and E has even asked to wear it a few times - score!) that I will probably end up making another one next year :)

I had a lot of fun planning this photo shoot. Of course, the week of testing was super cold, but I was still thankful for the snow so it didn't look too brownish-blah out. E did a fabulous job! As you can tell by her pink nose, she was pretty cold, but she smiled all the same - I think she was just thankful to be outside and stomping in the snow (she always asks to go outside "bys mysshelfs," but I don't let her go out when it's too cold outside like it was that week).

Because of the cold, I wasn't sure how I was going to style the skirt right away. Her nice church coat would cover the skirt completely, and her puffy snow coat wouldn't look very nice with the pretty skirt! And I definitely didn't have a nice winter hat for her to wear.... so I made the matching accessories and layered her with long sleeves and sweaters and tights and pants :)

The testing process was a lot of fun. Melanie did a great job at listening to the testing group and updated the pattern multiple times to make sure it was just right. She even changed the shape of the skirt pattern from rectangular to a-line... that is a lot of work for her! The testers just get the fun of sewing, sewing and sewing :) 

I always appreciate the opportunity to test as it always pushes me to explore new techniques. While this time around I worked with wool for the first time, the waistband was the main new technique. I've never topstitched over an elastic waistband like this before, and I was pretty nervous! However, it turned out so well! I love how professional it makes the finished product!

Credits:  

*Skirt (Jolie Skirt by FAM)  *Hat (The Blue Beret - Free! by Lil Blue Boo)  *Hair Bow (Original Design)  *Scarf (Loosely based on the infinity scarf pattern - free from M4M)  *Purple Plaid Wool of unknown content (Montana Thrift Store)  *Black Cotton Waistband (Joann's Remnant) *Black Knit for the Beret (Cotton/Lycra from Purpleseamstress on FB)

Christmas Quilt {December Goal Complete}

I finished binding this Christmas quilt in time to use it for Christmas! 

(Which also means I was able to finish it before the craziness of family gatherings started!)

Fabric: Cosmo Cricket's Dear Mr. Claus for Moda

Pattern: Adapted from "Parlor" in the book A Quilting Life by Sherri McConnell

I won the book in a giveaway last year, while I bought the fabric from the Fat Quarter Shop when it first came out; I think it was at the beginning of Summer 2012. 

I used low volume Christmas stash fabrics, some of which originally came from my mom and mother-in-law's stashes. The binding was just leftovers from the original fat quarter bundle.

The kiddos are always happy to jump into my photo shoots :)

December Goal Post Here

#27 in the Goal Linky Party

A Few Family Pictures

My family needed to take some family pictures before my oldest brother and his family moved to Guam for 2 years!

And since schedules were hectic and difficult to predict with 6 kiddos under 6 years of age... we decided to forgo trying to book a real photographer and we just set up my tripod. We were at my parents' farm in the country... Dad and I had scouted for good shady locations the week before... and this is what we came up with! It should work for a good Christmas card and perhaps even a canvas for my parents' walls.

Of course we had to do a goofy picture :)

The 6 grandkids!

E and JT! E refused to take off the necklace...

My nephews and niece who are now living in Guam...

Individual family picture time!

This brother and his family only live an hour from us :) Cooper is right in between E and JT in age.

Our turn... eh, ours may not be Christmas card worthy, but it'll work for a photo collage wall at my parents' house :)

Welcome Gus-Gus {DIY Wall-Art}

Welcome Gus-Gus! Well, you're not Gus-Gus anymore... so...

Welcome James Thomas :)

He came three weeks early, but things are going well so far. He's a sleepy little thing during the day, but his nights are getting better. His latch is slowly getting better, too, so hopefully nursing continues to improve as well. 

I'll post more about him as the weeks and month go on, but as for now, here is the DIY Wall Art that I made for his nursery.

We have had this covered with a blanket for the last month or so... that way no one could see the name until he arrived!

Just a quick rundown of how we made this wall-hanging...

• Dan joined two reclaimed wood boards with a brace and drilled a hole in the back where we can hang it on a nail (that's been pounded into a stud in the wall). 

• I used my go-to charcoal transfer method to transfer the image of an elk silhouette (found after a quick internet search, enlarged in photoshop, and taped together after printing). 

• This transfer method is a little more challenging on this type of wood. I was painting more by looking for the indentation made by the tracing step rather than the charcoal. I also had to eye-ball quite a few places where I couldn't see any indication of where I should be painting. 

• I also learned that a paint marker doesn't work as well on this wood, so after finding the outline with the paint marker, I used craft paint and a small paintbrush instead. 

And, there it is! It looks a lot better out in the open than covered in a blanket!

PS: I'll post about his quilt soon :)