Handmade in the Wild: Red Chevron

One of the first items I made for E actually turned out to be a great to for JT, too.

I loved it under overalls this summer! Our town is known for the "World Famous Corn Palace" and this was the first summer that a local 5th grade classroom (with help of several organizations and businesses) set up a learning area in the upstairs auxiliary gym in the Corn Palace. We went often with friends :) It was a great way to entertain the kids during the hot summer months (and made the Corn Palace more exciting to visit for tourists!). 

Up, up, up!

Down, down, down!

(E still loves frilly-ness and JT learned how to go up and down slides!)

Post about the Skipper Top

Another set of Matching Tops!

I recently posted that I made a shirt for a MOPs meeting. Well, before I used my "good" fabric, I wanted to make sure the pattern fit me correctly. 

Pattern: Seafarer Top by Sew Much Ado 

Fabric: Cotton Lycra Print and Solid both from Raspberry Creek Fabrics on Etsy

Pictures Taken during our Black Hills "vacation" that I'll post about later...

I added the color-blocking myself, and after creating this top, I wished I had added the color blocking to the back as well. So, although the size fit me fine on this practice one, I did learn from it and thus made my next one better.

Of course, E kept asking me if she was going to get one, too. Lucky for her, I had just enough fabric left over to make her a matching Skipper Top (also by Sew Much Ado). You can see on hers that I added the color blocking to the back and how much better that looks! 

So, while I'm not one who loves-loves-loves being matchy-matchy with my daughter, the fact that it's a great way to use up scraps of fabric and it puts a huge smile on her face made me give in :)

PS: James decided to photobomb our pictures. Fun times ;)

Summer PJs

As I sit here watching the Olympics, I figured I can also be productive by trying to crank out some blog posts that are long overdue :)

This Spring, I cut out 6 pairs of Alex and Anna Pajamas from Peekaboo Pattern Shop. After cutting, they sat there in the corner of our downstairs sitting area for much too long. Then, I would sew a little bit here and there, until FINALLY, all 6 pairs were finished! 

They have been great this summer! Both kids also have a few rummage sale find pajamas, so we definitely have plenty to choose from at bedtime ;)

Fabrics: Art Gallery Bucks and Springs Creative Licensed prints... from Peekaboo Pattern Shop, Raspberry Creek Fabrics on Etsy, and another random Etsy shop that still had the My Little Pony fabric... because we all know that Ev needed it! :)

Birthday Presents for Lolo

My niece turns 1 today! I was very excited to try out a few new (and a few well-loved) patterns out for her birthday gift. 

 Patterns: M4M Talor (somewhere between dress and tunic length)... SMA Skipper Top... M4M Riley Racer Back Tunic... M4M Bonny Shorties

Fabrics: Riley Blake Vivid Fireworks (Raspberry Creek Fabrics on Etsy), Pink Ruffle Stripe from JoAnns, Riley Blake Idlewild Main (Peekaboo Pattern Shop), Denim-look Knit from Walmart, Solid Cotton Lycras from a local fabric shop

I love the combination of the Idlewild fabric with the denim-like peplum. I have no patience to thread a double needle, so the hem on the skirt is just two separate lines of stitching to make it appear like a double needle :) Don't you think the shorties will add a fun touch of pink under the skirt?!

I have used the skirt pattern of the Riley before when I made the Brooklyn/Riley mash-up for E's Christmas dress, but this was my first time making the Riley Racerback top. I may add a touch of length to the bands... and I will definitely pin/sew the bands on separately instead of pinning all of them and then trying to sew with all those pins!

I won the Talor pattern by participating in a month-long Instagram activity that Made for Mermaids organized. It is such a easy and simple pattern, but so perfect for warm weather!

I had a bit of fun and used a decorative stitch to hem it. I look forward to making more Rileys and Talors for E's summer wardrobe. The recipient of these lives in a much warmer climate, so I enjoyed dreaming of warmer weather while it was snowy and cold here :) 

Happy Birthday Lolo! We love you!

Christmas for Me

When I was little, Mom made us matching Christmas dresses two years in a row. I enjoyed it then, but I never knew if I would want to make matching outfits for E and I. 

Turns out, that I did! Honestly, I felt a little silly matching my toddler daughter, but I only made a matching skirt - not the entire outfit. I paired mine with black leggings and a black sweater top, so it wasn't overly-matchy-matchy.

This was a quick and easy pattern, which was wonderful during the busy pre-Christmas season.

Who knows, maybe I'll be making more matching skirts in the future :)

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Patterns Links

Peek-a-Boo Seattle Skater Skirt (Link)

Made for Mermaids Bonny Leggings with Separate Skirt (Link)

Christmas for the Girl

I've had fun sewing for the little girl lately...

I was going to wait until next year to sew this combo up, but I couldn't help myself!! It's a Made for Mermaids mash-up along with their free infinity scarf pattern (links at the end), and I just love how it turned out! A great, comfy Christmas (and after!) dress :)

Here is her other home-sewn outfit for the Holidays. 

We tried wearing this to go see Santa; she loved the thought of seeing Santa, but then we arrived in line and she no longer thought it a fun idea. Maybe next year ;) 

I'm thinking this outfit might work for around Valentine's Day... 

... it's red with hearts! The red fabric actually has the stretch going perpendicular to the stripes, meaning that I had to pick looser fitting patterns. The tunic and the skirts were the perfect answer to the stretch going the wrong way!

Ohp, there's a sneak peak at my next post (matching skirts!)

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Patterns Links

Made for Mermaids mash-up of Brooklyn (Link) and Riley (Link) 

Made For Mermaids Free Infinity Scarf (Link)

Love Notions Girls' La Bella Top (Link)

Made for Mermaids Bonny Leggings with Separate Skirt (Link)

Peek-a-Boo Seattle Skater Skirt (Link)

Minnie Mouse Outfit {Second Post}

I'm a big fan of this skirt :) 

Pocket Full of Posies Skirt by Elliedactyl

Black and white scuba knit from Girl Charlee

Minnie Mouse cotton lycra from Hancock (available online from several stores)

Pink solid cotton lycra from a local fabric shop

Here it is paired with a RTW turtleneck top and a white denim vest. 

I like how this pairing tones down the "Minnie Mouse-ness" of the outfit. 

I just love the pockets on this pattern! This pattern in general is one of my favorite skirts... a simple skirt with a yoga waistband and big impact pockets! 

Pocket Full of Posies for Miss K

Miss K is turning 3 tomorrow! Happy Early Birthday! 

And so, for my niece's third birthday, I made her a skirt... she is also getting some paint markers, a book and a shirt that I stenciled (but forgot to take a picture of it!).

Pattern: Pocket Full of Posies by Elliedactyl

Fabric: Pink Cotton/Lycra - local fabric store, Purple (interlock?) - Hancock Fabrics, Black Flowers Scuba Knit - Clearance from Girl Charlie (out of stock now)

Doll skirt for "Baby" was roughly made using the same pattern with a little modification. It fits E's dolly that is about the same size as "Baby," so I'm crossing my fingers! I'm also crossing my fingers that the skirt fits Miss K. I had her measurements from making the matching cousin pajamas, and the skirt fits E, so I'm pretty hopeful :)

E was actually really good about me making this skirt for K. She would ask who it was for and when I said that is was a birthday present for K, she would sometime ask where hers was... she never whined about me not making her one, though, so I was pretty happy about that :) I am actually making her a similar skirt with the scuba knit and pink cotton/lycra... but instead of purple pockets, she'll have Minnie Mouse pockets (I just picked up the Minnie fabric this week... I have a whole pile of items to sew for E now that will have splashes of Minnie on it!)

Anyways, the birthday party isn't until Tuesday, and I am so excited about her gift. I really hope she likes it! We continue to pray for the adoption process... hopefully by Christmas she will be my niece for good! :)

E's Popeye Dress {ALYOF}

I finished it! 

 In a previous post, I showed you a Popeye Skater Dress that I made for a friend's little girl who recently arrived... I figured that I might as well make Evelyn one at the same time. 

Evelyn's dress is a little different. This is my first sleeveless Skater and I didn't have enough of the Popeye fabric for the skirt. The skirt is a thin, black knit instead... and because it was so thin, I decided not to hem it. I haven't tried it on Ev yet, as I made it a little big so she can grow into it for the summer. When summer does arrive in 6 months or so, we'll see if we have to shorten the skirt any.  If she grows into it sooner, we have a black turtleneck that can go underneath :)

She likes dresses... and soft things... so she liked carrying her new outfit around until I hung it up in her closet.

Happy Girl!

Pattern: Skater Dress by Kitschy-Coo

Top Fabric: Popeye The Sailor Man and a red ribbed knit (both from a Craigslist purchase)

Bottom Fabric: Thin, stretchy black knit from a chain store

November ALYOF Goal is Complete!

Goal Post: Here

Entry Number on Goal Linky: 25

Popeye Skater Dress {Plus November's ALYOF Goal}

Remember good-ol' Popeye? And his beloved Olive Oil and little Sweet Pea? 

Ok, I admit, I don't remember watching the cartoon that often... but I certainly remember his love of spinach :)

I found this knit fabric (selvedge says it was made in 1987 for Peter Pan Fabrics, Inc.) while buying a bundle of fabric from a lady on Craigslist back when we were still in Montana. I always knew it would make some really cute clothes!

Here is a Skater Dress (pattern by Kitschy-Coo) made for a sweet baby girl recently born to my first best friend (her husband was also a classmate of ours). I made the 6-12 month size (free add-on to the pattern), and I'm crossing my fingers that it will fit this coming summer.

I hope to finish Evelyn's version soon. I started them at the same time, but then some travel plans came up and I needed to finish this gift quickly. E's dress has a few differences, so I'll be sure to post it when I finish it! Actually, let's make finishing that dress my November goal. Wish me luck!

Sewing At The Lake {ALYOF July Goal Complete}

Even though we were living in my parents' lake cabin all of June, I was able to still get some sewing done!

My ALYOF July goal was to complete two quilt tops using my scraps. You can read about my scraps in the goal post (number 16 in the link party). I did a simple alternating design with 4-patches and 5" charms. 

Like I said in the goal post, these will be quilted and donated as baby quilts (Mom thinks I need to keep them to remember the fabrics from special projects dating back to my 4-H days, but I keep reminding her that I have plenty of these scraps left for more projects!)

Surprisingly, I also got two more quilt tops partially done. These still need borders. The top one uses the rest of my Sasparilla charms (cut from a layer cake)... this quilt will be finished and then tucked away in case Ev ever gets a sibling ;) 

The bottom quilt has a slight plus design and uses more of my charm scraps.

Even more surprisingly, I even finished a winter dress for Ev. 

Pattern: Skater Dress by Kitschy Coo

Cream Fabric: Interlock knit remnant from JoAnns

Floral Fabric: A jersey knit from Hancock Fabrics

While I am soooo happy to finally have a home of my own, I very much enjoyed my month-long stay at the lake cabin :) This journey to home ownership has been lengthy, but we've be blessed with wonderful friends and family that have helped us out along the way. God is so good!

Evelyn's First Skater Dress {Picture Heavy!}

As I was scrolling the internet one night, I came across this free add-on (free pattern pieces but no instructions) for the Little Skater Dress. I printed off the pattern pieces, and while I probably could have figured out how to sew it together without the actual pattern (by Kitschy-Coo), I decided to buy the pattern anyways. I figured I'd be making a lot of these in the coming years! And after sewing up this one, I truly hope I can get more done. It was a quick and easy project, and...

I LOVE THIS DRESS!!!

Isn't it adorable?! 

I love that the top is fitted and the skirt is slightly flared (but no gathers!). The pattern comes with several sleeve options... sleeveless, short and long. 

As I continue to sew with knit fabric, the more I like them (this was a craigslist purchase back in Montana). What's not to like?! With knits, I don't need to worry about zippers, buttons or snaps. Sweet bliss!!

My double needle worked really well, and I used a yellow ribbed knit from my stash for the neckline and armbands.

Lucky coincidence... Ev's cloth diaper cover matched the dress perfectly ;)

I love that the knit fabric makes this a no-fuss, comfy play dress. She can help feed the cows in it and I don't have to worry about her getting it dirty! Just keep playing, Ev!

She can help Grandma plant her garden and flower pots in it...

And just go for a walk around grandma's backyard...

There's always time to explore the playhouse and pick a dandelion...

And finally, it's time to check out the machine shed. No Ev, you're not quite ready for the trike yet! 

Thanks for hanging out with us during Ev's favorite time during the day... being outdoors ;)

**This is just a typical outdoor playtime for Ev. She just walks, walks, walks and explores, explores, explores... and I just follow, follow, follow. This time, I just decided to keep the camera handy :)

More Matching Cousins

Once upon a time, I was in 4-H and sewing 2-3 outfits a summer to enter in Fashion Revue. 

For the non-4-H-ers out there, Fashion Revue is a "Youth-in-Action" project. Participants sew an outfit, model it for a judge and answer questions about the construction and care of their outfits. A few weeks later, during the county fair (or in my county's case, 4-H Achievement Days), there is a public event where participants put on a fashion show and model their outfits while the emcee reads a script about the outfit, accessories and a few tidbits about the participant. 

Here I am during the public Fashion Revue modeling an outfit... I believe this was the summer after finishing 6th or 7th grade. One of these days I'll dig out my old 4-H book which has all of my outfits (and records about all my other 4-H activities, too) and I'll post more outfits as part of a Throwback Thursday series... someday :)

This past winter, Mom and I cleaned out her fabric collection, and I found plenty of this JoAnn's Tie-Dye knit fabric leftover from the top I made a decade ago. I had just enough to make matching Skipper Tops (pattern by Sew Much Ado) for Evelyn and her cousin! 

Since the knit fabric was a little older, it didn't stretch as well. I should have went up a size for Evelyn's top... she was only able to wear it a few times before I gave up fighting her to get it over her head. Thankfully, I guessed big for Anna's size and her's fits perfectly! Evelyn's top will just have to go in the box with her other outgrown clothes and wait there for the next baby girl in the extended family :) Besides, someday Evelyn will fit into Anna's! Haha, on that note, she will probably fit into my top someday, too... I'm pretty sure I still have every outfit I ever made!