Batgirrrl, Batgirl!

Batgirrrl, Batgirl!

Batgirrrl, Batgirl!

The Bug has been requesting a Batgirl Halloween costume for about three years. For two of those years, I was able to talk her out of it. This year I decided to go for it.

She specifically requested a "real" Batgirl which meant no tutu to soften things up.

 Her cape was made from one of daddy's old tee shirts. I cut off the front of the shirt, leaving the neck binding for her to slip over her head. None of the edges are finished since knit won't fray. This was a super easy way to make a cape.

 She had a lot of fun with this photo shoot--pretending to fly and fight crime is right up her alley.

 I used a leotard pattern from Mountain Ash that I've sewn up several times now. It's surprisingly a quick and easy sew if you are comfortable with knits. The pants are the Go To Leggings pattern--also a very very quick and easy sew.

 The fabric is a silvery knit that I ordered from Fabric.com. It didn't work for the project I intended it for but it works well for this application.

All of the accessories were made from felt. She requested a pink mask so I made the belt buckle bat pink too to help tie it in.

She loves it. I love that she loves it.
We are both excited for Trick or Treat!

~Lindsay

Jeggings. . . and all sorts of awkward photos. . .

The Bug loves jeggings and leggings. She pretty much lives in them in the cooler months. They are worn on their own or under skirts and dresses but rarely a day goes by she isn't wearing them.

So I was thrilled when I saw jegging knit at JoAnn's.  I thought about making a pair of skinny jeans with them, but instead opted for a very simple pair of Go To Leggings.

I'm loving them and so is she. Such a rare combination these days. Isn't her shirt super cute? She fell in love with it at H&M and for $5 I could hardly say no. It's probably a good thing we don't really live close to that store.

I can't explain this child other than she goes completely weird and awkward when I ask to take her photo. She is a mini me. As for the flip flops, it's going to be a sad sad day when they have to be retired for socks and more sturdy shoes. There may be a riot.

The Go To Leggings pattern is awesome, not just because it's well illustrated, clear and put together but also because it has so many options! I chose probably the most simple option for these jeggings but there are plenty of variations to keep me from getting bored with this pattern.

More awkward. . . and she's not even looking at the camera! Be normal girl!! O.k., maybe this IS normal. Sigh. . . That part is TOTALLY her dad's fault.

Another thing I like about this pattern is that it has a HUGE range of sizes--from 12 months to 12 years. As the Bug grows I'm noticing more and more of my favorite patterns only go up to 5T or 6. Since she's in a 6 now, that poses a problem! Either I need to get serious about learning pattern grading or she needs to stop growing! I'm guessing the later isn't going to happen, which is why I'm thrilled when I find a pattern like this one that has larger sizes. Probably by the time she is 12 she will either be sewing for herself (a mom can dream!) or totally disinterested in having me sew anything for her (more likely since we are already headed in that direction).

At any rate, it's a quick simple project with great results. As we head into Fall I see more of these variations becoming wardrobe staples.

~Lindsay

Thanksgiving dress

I may have been on the ball with the Christmas dress, but the Thanksgiving outfit was an 11th hour decision.

I wasn't going to make anything, but then I saw this orange and brown floral knit in my stash and it just seemed so darn Thanksgiving-y

. . . and then I tore a hole in one of my favorite orange striped shirts (it was an accident, I promise!)

. . . and then I spotted another orange stripey knit in my upcycle pile that just went well enough to be funky.

You see how it all snowballed, ultimately leaving me with no choice, right?

I used a shirt pattern from my favorite kids clothing book and made some pretty significant alterations to make this little dress. The leggings were made by tracing an existing pair of her leggings onto my fabric. It came together pretty quickly and easily even with the pattern adjustments.

Unfortunately, photographing the Bug in it was no where near as easy.

She was in a goofy mood.

What is this? The monkey pose?? Who knows.

When I asked her to act normal she got all offended.

So I let her wander and took pictures of her from behind, when she wasn't looking and I cut her pouty little head off.  That'll teach ya!

You can see I took some details from the two original shirts I was upcycling and re-used them on the dress.

First, the button placket from the polo. . . I just cut it off of the polo and sewed it right onto the neckline of the dress. It's just decorative, not functional. But it doesn't need to be functional since the neckline is nice and stretchy.

I also took a small pocket off of my favorite shirt and sewed it onto the short sleeve of her dress.

The long sleeves were cut from the original shirt sleeves so I just used the existing hem.  Hooray for short cuts!

The cute yellow rick rack was a super lucky find at my favorite thrift store.

It is straight out of the 70's I think. It's a real nice stretchy double knit sort of thing. I've never seen anything quite like it.  

I didn't have much so I conserved by adding it only to the front panel of the skirt. 

And then just to be fun and funky and unexpected, I added it around the hem of just one leg of her leggings.

Can we talk about the leggings for a minute?

They fit perfectly.

I have never made a pair of leggings that fit her the way I like them to.

And I didn't make a paper pattern, so I probably never will again.

Dumb.

This is the lone "good" photo I got that shows the entire ensemble.

And I only got this because I informed her her posing was not up to par for receiving the promised candy reward.

Hey, I do what I can and I take what I can get.

Ultimately, it's a cute and comfy little outfit that the Bug loves which is a huge accomplishment considering there isn't a lick of pink or purple or sparkle.

I think she will actually wear it again!

Hooray!

~Lindsay