Handmade in the Wild: Celebrations

Just a celebrations where handmade outfits have been found!

Dan's birthday... He has always preferred pie over cake (and even then, he'd rather have extra steak than dessert!).

Happy Fourth of July! We spend the 4th at my parents' lake cabin, and we had just come back from outdoor church (so technically, this was on July 5th!)

The local college's homecoming parade (it has nothing on my alma mater's Hobo Day parade!). We enjoyed the parade with some of our friends. Always fun to spend a Saturday morning chasing candy with friends!

Birthday: Ev wore a Magrath from Sew Much Ado. (post here)

4th of July: Ev wore a Felicity by Peekaboo Pattern Shop (post here) and James was in a Schoolboy Vest by Sew Much Ado. (Looks like I need to write a post about the vests I've made!)

Parade: I'm in a Hey June Lane Raglan made from cotton-lycra... the grey is an Art Gallery print and the blue is a navy dots from the Club line by Raspberry Creek Fabrics.

Pretty in Peplums

Remember when I tested two different patterns for Sew Much Ado Patterns last year? Well, Abby (the designer) gifts each pattern tester a free pattern from her collection as a thank-you for helping with the process. The first pattern I chose was the Schoolboy Vest, and then the second pattern I chose was the Pretty-in-Peplum top and dress. Let's just say that I went crazy with making these once I received the pattern!!!

Here's one in Springs Creative princess knit and Art Gallery knit for the sleeves... we gave this as a birthday gift to one of Evelyn's friends. 

I won this "Happy Fall Y'all" panel from Peekaboo Pattern Shop, so I purchased just a little bit of coordinating material to make a fall top for Ev. It probably didn't get worn as much as it could have because we were having difficulties understanding the difference between a one-day holiday and a full season... toddler/preschoolers... :)

She definitely wore this one a few times though - a Halloween top made from two different thrifted tops I purchased the year before. 

Last, but not least, I made coordinating tops for Ev and her cousins! I finished them in time for Kae's birthday celebration last October! The girls really do love matching, and these tops are so easy and quick! The green fabric is designed by Lizzy House, but I can't remember which fabric manufacturer she designs for. The solids either came from my local shop or from Raspberry Creek Fabrics on Etsy.

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

Handmade in the Wild: A Bad Deal

This was an interesting evening early last fall. 

We were walking up the steps to a church - we had music class for the kiddos in there that evening. The kids absolutely love the music class! JT was being stubborn and wanted to climb the concert steps himself, but he slipped and bonked his mouth on one of the steps. I immediately scooped him up and hugged his head to my shoulder. It wasn't until we were inside and I saw blood drops that I realized he was bleeding... a lot! The teacher (who we are good friends with), helped by bringing paper towels, cleaning up the drips and distracting Ev, while James and I hung out in the bathroom. Normally, you apply pressure and the bleeding stops, but it's hard to apply pressure to a 16-month-old's bleeding lip! He just would not let me keep it there! Eventually, the bleeding did stop, and we did start music class - I just wore a bit of blood on my shoulder through it all. 

Thankfully, I soaked it once we were home, and it came right out. Woohoo! JT just had a bit of a fat lip for a day or two, and he was right as rain. It definitely wasn't the last time he had a bleeding accident ;)

Post about the Seafarer Top

Handmade in the Wild: En Route to Wisconsin

We took a family vacation to Wisconsin this past summer. It was a family reunion of sorts with my mother-in-law's family. I hope to share more details about this fun get-away to Door County... but it may not happen until next summer ;) 

We had a few fun handmade sightings while there!

It was a 10 hour drive just to get there, so of course we had to stop at a few parks on the way to stretch our legs! I can't believe E's skirt still fits, and it appears that it will continue to do so for awhile... yay yoga-style waistbands!! She still loves how twirly it is and she still loves Minnie Mouse!

We stayed a cute resort with nice rooms and fun balconies (great distractions for the littles!) We recently had to retire the pajamas that E is wearing here, but they still fit last summer. We were thankful to have older cousins there to help distract the kiddos, too :)

The kids' first time bowling! The entire family ate out at a nearby restaurant, and the kids received free games of bowling with their kids meals. It was so fun to see the kids learning and to have their grandpa and great-grandpa showing them a thing or two. We look forward to more bowling fun soon! I think this dress was her favorite one that I made all summer. I'll have to remember the fabric combo for future creations :) 

Posts about the different outfits: Minnie Mouse Skirt; Pajamas; Pink, Black and White Dress

Handmade in the Wild: Farm Fun

Welcome to my first edition of "Handmade in the Wild" where I share pictures of items I've sewn being loved and worn :) You see, I love sewing, but I also love seeing the items I've created out in public doing what they were intended for!

Here we are at the farm... I didn't make these items to be worn together, so it was a happy coincidence that they really went together well. 

No worries if the outfit gets dirty - that just means they are having fun! We are able to visit both grandparents a lot, since they both live about an hour and a half away in different directions. Summer visits mean lots of exploring and playing and having fun!

Patterns: Skipper Top by Sew Much Ado and Bonny Leggings with added circle skirt by Made for Mermaids

Fabric: Top - can't remember! Bottoms: textured chiffon from Hobby Lobby with solid cotton lycra from various sources

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 ;)

Three More Creations

Another Olympic binge-watching blog post :)

A few more creations from this summer: 

**The striped top was needed for my MOPS Mom-Prom with a sailing theme last Map. I color-blocked Sew Much Ado's Seafarer Top using fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I've worn it several times since and look forward to wearing it more once the heat of summer passes. The cotton-lycra gets a little warm during this July and August afternoons!

**I found the diamond remnant at Hobby Lobby last spring and kept it out knowing that it would make a fun Bonny Leggings/Shorties Skirt (Made for Mermaids). Thinking about sewing that circle skirt hem held me back, though! Finally, I remembered the fun bias binding trim in my trim box and I fought it into submission to make a fun hem ;) The waistband is white knit and the shorts underneath are pink. Ev loves the twirl factor!

**Finally, the bucket hat was a necessary creation because Ev kept asking for one (Brother James has 2 rummage sale bucket hats and Ev was feeling left out)! Well, with as much fabric as I have, I knew I didn't want to buy one... so I purchased the pattern with some rewards points I had from Peekaboo Patterns and I finished it just in time for our Black Hills trip in May. It's not perfect, but Ev wears it and that all that matters (well that, and it saved me a few bucks)! I'm sure it helps that I let her pick the fabric :)

The Sullivan Dress! {Pattern Testing}

Abby from Sew Much Ado has designed another fun pattern! The first time I tested for Abby was during this past winter - the Magrath Dress! Evelyn and I loved both of those creations, so I was very excited when I had the chance to test for Abby again - the Sullivan Dress!

There are 8 different views contained in this one pattern, created from combining 2 skirt lengths, 2 bodice hems and the short sleeve or sleeves views. Here is the link to the pattern listing on Abby's site.

**Both of my dresses were considered View D, which is the straight hem, knee length and sleeveless view. Ev has had a growth spurt, since she is now using size 4 length, but still a size 2 width. 

The blue and white dress is the 2nd one that I made, which has smaller armholes than the first version. There were a few other small changes, as well, but essentially this is the final version that you will receive in the pattern. 

(The main differences between this dress and the final version is the lack of interfacing around the keyhole back and needing a cleaner finish to the lining side seams.)

The white fabric is a eyelet fabric from Walmart, and the only fabric I had to purchase for this test. The rest came from my stash - I love when that happens!  

The blue is a tiny gingham, and the flower crown was my own DIY creation last spring. On a side note, she will often come out of her room after her "quiet time" wearing it and talking about either being a princess or a queen... or that she is going to a wedding with it :) 

I didn't have enough polka-dot for both the bodice and the lining, so I had to use two different size polka-dots that were on slightly different colors of pink. This isn't a big deal since you can barely see the lining... it is visible though if you lift up the bodice, since the skirt is only attached to the lining. This type of finish requires careful reading of the instructions during the bodice construction - it's not hard, but do read it slowly and thoroughly!

The black and white stripe was from Hobby Lobby... I think I purchased it last fall. I don't often do such a dramatic pairing as this, but I do so love how it turned out! E has worn it several times already :) 

While this is a simple version of the Sullivan dress - sleeveless and straight hem - I love that Abby included it. It may not be as flashy as the cute scallop hem or with the fun detail on the sleeves, but I look forward to adding some fun trims to the straight hem! But who knows, I may try a scallop hem yet... I have a cousin getting married this fall, and I already have fabric picked out! 

 Here is another link to the pattern! Go check it out :)

Oh, and here is a link to Abby's blog post about this sweet dress!

PS: Ev is certainly opening up during these photo shoots. Just look at her strut and pose! Goodness, she just makes me giggle :) 

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Magrath Dress at Grandma's House {Testing}

We spent two nights at my parents' house during the Magrath testing week, so I thought we would try to take our initial pictures there. 

Well, finding the correct lighting with a "pretty" background is tough to figure out at their house, so here are a few fun pictures to make you chuckle and smile...

I used lace tablecloths taped to the wall and draped on the floor (to cover up some plain oak bi-fold closet doors and neutral carpet).

I raided Mom's vintage hat collection and set up a few hat boxes.

Grandma's shoes, vintage gloves, and a few 5-year-old wedding flowers (Mom doesn't throw away anything... kind of like me, ha!) round out the photoshoot.

All-in-all, it was entirely too busy of a set-up, especially with the lace background, but we all had a good time during it!

Magrath Dress and Tunic by Sew Much Ado!

Magrath Dress {Testing}

Here is the first dress I made while testing Sew Much Ado's Magrath Dress and Tunic.

This floral was a purchase late last summer from an online fabric store that was getting out of the business. I knew it would become something for E, but I didn't have a timeline of when I'd use it nor did I have a specific pattern in mind.

Then, I was chosen as a tester for Sew Much Ado's newest pattern (woohoo! Thanks again, Abby!), and I started rummaging through my stash. And there I found it... the Jennifer Paganelli Emma Vintage Blue from the Lucky Girl line for Free Spirit Fabrics... it paired beautifully with the solid yellow remnant I also had in the stash. All I had to do was purchase the zipper!

I love how the fabric showcases the sweet, classic lines of this pattern. This is View C in dress length with short sleeves. Prior to testing, I was planning out E's Easter dress with other fabric and other patterns. Now, they are not needed! E's Easter dress has been made, and I couldn't be happier with it! Abby's pattern is perfect for sweet spring and summer dresses! (Of course, it is also perfect for fall, winter and Christmas dresses, as you can see from some of Abby's samples plus other tester's creations!)

I had Dan pick up flowers on his way home from church (we were stuck at home as the baby boy had a fever... ugh!). I told him they would be considered my early Valentine's flowers :)

Toddler photoshoots are always a nerve-wracking event... especially when you need to take them inside and the lighting from the window just isn't playing nice. Again, these aren't my favorite pictures, but thankfully you can still see how wonderful a pattern Abby put together. I was also thankful that E was enjoying this shoot, and she loved that Daddy bought her flowers ;) 

Again, here's what is all included in the pattern, along with the normal fabric requirements, cutting layouts, and great instructions:

3 View Options, 2 skirt lengths and 3 Sleeve lengths

Plus, sizes are easy to mash! E ended up needing a 18-24 month width with 1-1/2" added to the bodice and a skirt length cut with a size 3 length.

The pattern is on sale for $7 in celebration of it's release until February 20th. 

Go check it out!

Plus, a link to the tunic I made during testing week.

Magrath Tunic {Testing}

Sew Much Ado just released her latest pattern... 

The Magrath Dress and Tunic

This was the second version I made during testing week. I'll post the other one next week sometime!

(Link to my dress post!)

View-A Tunic with 3/4 Sleeves

18-24 month width with 1-1/2" added to the length of the bodice and size 3 length of skirt 

The yellow was a remnant in my stash (probably JoAnns), and I had just recently purchased a yard of the border print from my local quilt shop - they send out coupons during your birthday month (ahem, January). It is a batik by Alison Glass. Abby decided to add the tunic length early on during testing week, and I was so thankful... I don't think I could have squeezed out a full dress out of the border print, but I really wanted to use it! Tunic length to the rescue :)

The pink exposed zipper brings out the pink flowers for a fantastic pop in the back! Abby's instructions are wonderful - there is no reason to be scared of this zipper! Really, this will probably be the easiest zipper you ever put into a lined bodice of a dress :)

I added the buttons because the solid yellow bodice looked just a little too plain. E had fun playing with my button jars; I don't take them out as often anymore with a little 9 month old crawling around! To be honest, I keep envisioning making this dress using eyelets in the bodice to make it look like a corset... wouldn't that be so sweet?

Our weather was horrible during testing week... cold, windy a little snowy but still there was ugly brown grass everywhere. Sigh. I love our Midwestern winters, I do, but they are just not conducive to photo shoots of spring and summer outfits! So, it was time to put up our wooden backdrop in the sitting area next to our large window. I'm still not super pleased with the pictures, but hopefully you can see that it really is such a sweet pattern!

Again, Abby has put together a wonderfully versatile pattern. It was released today! Go check it out!!! (Link)

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!

Family Pictures and another Skipper Top

We took family pictures with Dan's family last fall. We chose a color scheme about a week before everyone was coming to our house with plans on heading the park with a tripod and a camera...

She already had the red skirt, the cream tights and the jean jacket but no shirt to go under the jacket. The Skipper Top by Sew Much Ado came to the rescue! Thankfully I had the fabric on hand and even had the lace in my old hat box of trims. She may not have worn it once since picture day, but it was a necessary make none-the-less! 

The weather was perfect on picture day! There were just enough cloud cover to defuse the brightness of the sun and there were still quite a few trees holding on to their fall foliage to provide wonderful backgrounds. Like I said before, we headed to a nearby park and just used a tripod with my camera. My brother-in-law used his graphic designing expertise to help set up all of us.

Gotta love this outtake... guess she was proud of her mommy-made shirt :)