Rio Racerback

I have been terrible about keeping up with this blog this summer. I'm so sorry. 

I've still been sewing though!  About a month ago I decided to make a fun, casual summer play dress for the Bug.

Peek a Boo pattern shop was hosting a sew a long for the Rio Racerback which was just the push I needed.

This coral striped fabric was a remnant I bought somewhere ages ago. I made another dress from it three years ago and it was one of the Bug's favorites.  It's a bit thin on it's own though.

So I made the dress reversible! It's an easy pattern hack since the neck and the arms are finished with binding.

I love this doodle landscape fabric. It's a much more recent purchase from Girl Charlee.  I really like the contrast of the coral stripe with this blue too.

Hand a girl a paper fan and she becomes a model. I fully intended to do a "real" photo shoot for this dress but she was so in to this quick one I didn't.

I love this version of the dress best. That pop of color from the binding really makes the dress for me. 

The Bug loves that she has options. She is a girly girl after all and sometimes she's feeling the stripe, sometimes the blue!

It really is the perfect summer play dress!

~Lindsay

Swimsuit

We do have a bit of summer left, right?

Four weeks until school starts in these parts... but who's counting?

After sewing the Bug a suit last summer I've kind of been hooked. It's such a fun and unique thing to make and it makes me happy that the Bug has a one of a kind suit. 

I actually had a bit of trouble with fit this time so I made three variations of this suit this summer.  We passed the two versions that didn't quite work for the Bug on to two of her friends and they are all just tickled to coordinate on their Boys and Girls Club field trip days to the pool. Seven year olds do not apparently appreciate originality as much as I do.  But that's o.k.  I'm just glad she loves it so much she wanted to share!

I won the fabric in a blog contest. It came from the Fabric Fairy and is super great quality.  I loved it as soon as I saw it.  They still have some here.

The top of this tankini is from the Coney Island tankini pattern from Peek a Boo pattern shop.  The ruching is super cute and I love the band at the bottom that adds just a little bit more coverage.

I made the tankini bottoms from the Coco Cay tankini pattern.  Most of the fit issues were with the bottoms.  They were too tight so I went up a size which kind helped. Even so they seem a little small but I just told The Bug they need to be tight so they don't fall off in the pool. That seemed to work.  They don't look tight at all so I'm wondering if less leg elastic would have been better.

At any rate, the suit is adorable and well loved and that's really all I can ask.

~Lindsay

Happy Easter! Savannah dress from Peek a Boo Patterns

I had visions of a sweet, white eyelet dress for the Bug for Easter this year.

One trip to JoAnn's and my hopes were crushed.  

First, my JoAnns had ONE eyelet. ONE. And it wasn't cute.

But they had rows and rows of sparkly chiffons and shiny satins... so you can imagine where the Bug's eyes went immediately.  She couldn't be swayed.

This is the blessing and the curse of taking your child to the fabric store to pick fabrics with you...

You can be reasonably certain they will like the finished product because they had a hand in it but your own creative vision?? You can pretty much forget about it.

Turns out, my own creative vision aside, this kiddo has pretty good taste... most of the time.

We wound up with a pretty coral satin for the underlayer and a shiny iridescent polka dot organza for the overlay.  When I saw the two fabrics I just saw SHINE, SHINE, SHINE but somehow they turned out so soft and ethereal.  I'm still not quite sure how that happened.

The dress pattern is the Savannah dress by Peek a Boo patterns.  I picked it because I loved the detail of the small pleats on the neckline, and if I'm honest, because the cover photo grabbed me 

(Yellow eyelet! Hello gorgeous!).  

Because I couldn't really iron the organza much, the pleats end up being much softer and less structured than the original dress but I kind of love that.

The sash is a bit of grosgrain ribbon that just happens to match the satin perfectly.

Because I can't have TOO much of the matchy matchy, we chose these blue sparkly buttons for the back.  Blue is the Bug's favorite color but I vetoed all blue fabric for Easter since she chose blue for her Christmas dress.  One can only use so many fancy dresses of the same color, right?  I really love the pop of color on the back.

I actually took the Bug's measurements before sewing and cutting this time. Imagine that! She measured around a size 5 bodice... I couldn't imagine sewing the bodice two full sizes smaller than she wears in ready to wear clothing so I split the difference and made a size 6 bodice with a size 7 skirt.  You can see the buttons pull a little when she pulls both arms forward, making me wish I'd not measured and just gone with my gut. I think a 7 all around would have fit better. Live and learn.

This is kind of how I feel about sewing these "special occasion" type fabrics.  They are slippery, stretchy and the organza snags easily.  It took some extra work to make French seams where I could and just very neat seams where I couldn't.  That hem?? Don't get me started.

But she loves the satin, shine and sparkle. And really, there probably aren't many more years she will want to be so over the top girly so I've determined to let her go with it whenever it's feasible.

For Easter Sunday it will likely be styled with this gold cardigan.  I'm hoping it's warm enough for the gold sandals as well.  (No more SNOW Mother Nature!! Got it??)  She is not really one for accessorizing or doing anything fancy with her hair so we will keep it simple.

~Lindsay

More footed pajamas

I wasn't necessarily going to blog about the other pairs of footed pajamas I made...

 but then this happened...

Oh my goodness.

Cuteness overload. That's my little niece being held by her "big" brother. They are the sweetest little cherubs are they not? Footed pj's were made to match the pair I made for The Bug. (Because, why not?)

I also made another big girl pair of pj's for the daughter of a friend.

You can't look at these without singing... right??

This sweet little fox says "Zzzzzzzz..." He's sleepy fox.

I found this fleece at JoAnns. It appears it's gone now. I'm guessing it was quite popular. So sad! The Bug requested a second pair in this fleece. Guess that's not happening.

On this pair, I used jersey for the neck band and the cuffs.  I'm not sure which I like better. The jersey was certainly easier.

So there are a few more cute kiddos that will be warm head to toe this winter. Again, I highly recommend the Classic Footed PJ pattern from Peek a Boo patterns. It's so fun to see it all come together and it doesn't take as long as you might think. Plus, the results are professional looking, which I love.

~Lindsay

Classic Footed Pajamas

I'm loving this pattern for Classic Footed Pajamas. I used it for the first time a few weeks ago as the base for the little mouse costume.

The Bug requested a pair for herself so I got some fleece and set to work making a pair for her and a pair for each of her two younger cousins.

I asked her to work the camera. This is what I got. Check out that hip action, that attitude...

 I wouldn't have started this as soon as I did had it not been for the sew-a-long hosted by Peek a Boo Patterns. It was just the motivation I needed to get to work.

I made the Bug a size 7 hoping it would fit for a long time. They are really roomy. I probably could have gotten away with a 6 but this works.

The fabric is blizzard fleece from JoAnn's. I thought it would work well for Christmas pj's without being too over the top.

When I came home from work today she was already in her pj's sitting at her table, crafting. If that's not a vote of approval I don't know what is.

~Lindsay

Little Mouse and Madeline

I made a few other costumes this October.

A friend of mine had her baby a bit earlier than expected. When I found out, I knew she needed a mouse costume so she could hang out with big sister who was going Trick or Treating as a cat.

The hat was made from a free on-line pattern/tutorial here. It was very simple to put together and so adorable!

The sleeper is adapted from Peek-a-Boo patterns Classic footed pj pattern. It was surprisingly a pretty quick and easy thing to sew--even with the zipper! Hooray!  I added in the pink tummy and we made the pads of the feet pink as well to make it extra mouse like.

Obviously a mouse needs a tail.

I wanted Momma to be able to use this outfit as a sleeper after Halloween so I attached the tail with a button so it could be removed. Easy peasy.

I'm smitten with it and can't wait to see how it looks on.

The other costume I made was for this little sweet pea. Her Momma requested a Madeline dress and I was happy to oblige. 

The dress pattern is Debbie's Birthday dress, View 2.  I just left off the pocket and added long sleeves and a red bow to make it a bit more Madeline-like.

I think it turned out super duper sweet, didn't it?

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween! We have thunderstorms predicted here so we are scrambling to find indoor options. It's a real bummer! But we are making lemonade out of our lemons. I think we are going to head to the local assisted living center to visit the residents and hand out apples.  It may prove to be the most fun Halloween yet!

~Lindsay

Penny Peplum Jacket Pattern Test

I was thrilled at the opportunity to test the new Penny Peplum Jacket Pattern for Peek a Boo Patterns.

I love Peek a Boo Patterns. They are such simple, classic clothes... the practical items every kid needs in their wardrobe. The instructions are always clear and step by step photos help clarify even more if you have questions.

 Part of the reason I was so excited to pattern test is that I'd just gotten some new knits from Girl Charlee. Have you heard of them? They have an amazing selection of cute, unique knits (which can be so hard to find in stores).  This bunny print was an instant favorite of mine. The Bug wasn't sold on it so I only ordered a yard which meant I had to make do for this pattern which calls for 1 1/4 yard for the size 6. I threw in this grey stripe I found on clearance at JoAnns as a cute accent.

I've been sewing with knits more and more lately. Chalk it up to a kiddo who pretty much lives in tee shirts and leggings.  You don't have to have a serger to sew knit you know. I don't. Sure, I covet one, but the basic stretch stitch on my machine does just fine.

I love the back view of this jacket with the hood lining poking out and cute little peplum skirt. It dresses up an otherwise basic little jacket.

This is her thinker pose.

Actually it's more like, "When the heck is Mom going to be done taking pictures of me? I am so sick of this."

I am a little less fond of the front view.  I think it has to do with the choice of the striped fabric for the button placket. It's a bit jarring to me.  I unfortunately didn't have enough of the rabbit fabric to make the placket in, but I think that would have been better.

I do love the grey buttons though.

I had to go to JoAnn's for buttons for the first time in a long time. Grandma's button jar is awesome but when it comes to finding four identical buttons of a certain size?? Well, that would just be an exercise in frustration.

Can you believe we found fallen leaves on our photo shoot? Enough to toss in the air? I'm not sure I can handle the thought of Fall's approach. . . even less so, brrr..., Winter! But I suppose the Bug is ready for cooler temps now that she has this sweet little jacket.

In the interest of full disclosure, these photos were taken in 80 degree temperatures. There may be leaves on the ground but Summer isn't going down without a fight! God bless you Summer! I love you for that.

Also, I mentioned the Bug wasn't a fan of the bunnies? Well, she doesn't like them any more now that they are sewn into a cute jacket. I thought she might but I should have known better.  I had to bribe her with the Golden Arches to get these photos and the jacket has been sent off to a friend whose daughters will love and wear it as it deserves to be loved and worn.

Fabric choices aside, The Penny Peplum Jacket is a cute addition to your child's Fall wardrobe. It is well worth picking up a copy of the pattern.  Just make sure and let your kiddo pick their own fabric.

~Lindsay

Swimming Suit

It's not like the Bug needed a swimsuit.

Well, she kind of did. She needed one to take to daycamp with her. One she could easily put on herself--her other suit has a halter top and she can't tie that herself--and one that could stay in her backpack and just go back and forth with her every day. So there's my justification.

In actuality, I was looking for a challenge. I wanted to attempt something I've never sewn before. And guess what? It's no where near as difficult as you might think. I shouldn't have waited so long to try it.

I was just going to wing it and trace an existing suit to make my pattern. But I was a little nervous about that, so I bit the bullet and bought the LaJolla One Piece Swimsuit pattern from Peek a Boo Patterns.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for a coupon code! And I really love Peek a Boo Patterns, they are one of my go to PDF pattern companies.

It was kind of tough to choose, there are a lot of swim suit options at Peek a Boo. Ultimately though, I'm all about the modesty of a one piece. As long as I have that control, I'm going to exercise it. And this one had the sew in straps with no tie which makes putting it on easy peasy for her. Also, it's kind of a blank slate. I can see lots of potential tweaking and making this pattern my own.

Like all Peek a Boo patterns I've tried my hand at, this one was well put together with clear and easy to follow instructions that are well photographed. The pattern instructions make things so easy I really felt foolish for waiting so long to give swimsuit sewing a whirl.

The only thing I would change about the pattern is the top. I'd like it to come up a bit further on the Bug's chest. It wasn't immodest or anything I just felt it was a bit low for my taste and it would be more interesting with a bit more shape there. The leg rouching was a cute touch. I left off the bows at the hip, I just didn't think they added anything to this suit.

The fabric is swimsuit fabric I found on the clearance rack at JoAnn's. Super cute polka dots, you can't go wrong. And since it takes so little fabric to make a swimsuit she just might get another suit in the same fabric next summer!  The whole thing is lined as well, with swim lining also purchased at JoAnn's.  I didn't find the fabric difficult to sew at all. It was most definitely easier to sew than some of the tissue weight knits I've sewn with. It was comparable to any other knit really and having the lining there with it help tone down the slip factor.

The Bug loves it. She loves a halter style more. . . I think it makes her feel more grown up. . . but she really likes that this is easy to slip on and I think she's a little proud that her Momma made it.  This won't be my last swimsuit sewn. I'll be coming back to this pattern again and again I think.

~Lindsay

Crafting Hope with Summer PJ's

I guess I'm kind of on a pajama kick lately, huh?

I've got good reason though.  A few days ago I received an e-mail listing some things that were needed for the county women's shelter. One of those things was summer pajamas for kids.

It just so happened that our June meeting of Crafting Hope is coming up and kids pajamas seemed like a pretty good project for the group.  This pattern was generously donated by Peek a Boo Pattern Shop. It's the Alex and Anna Summer PJ's and this is a size 6.  Fabric used is some pink camo knit I picked up at Vogue in Evanston.  The binding is a heathered grey rib knit that I think I got at Vogue as well.

I sewed this set up as a sample. I always like to have one done for the participants to be able to look at. It also helps me lead people through the steps if I've made the pattern before.

This one is super simple and a really quick sew.  If you are new to sewing with knits this pattern is a great place to start. There is an option to add short sleeves or you can just bind the sleeves like I did. Either option is adorable.

If the Bug's reaction is any indication, they are super comfortable too.

I can't wait to make some more for some very deserving kids.

If you live in the area, Crafting Hope meets on Thursday, June 20th at 6:30 pm at the Nappanee Public Library.  Anyone is welcome to come. All skill levels are invited.  E-mail me and I'll send you details.

If you don't sew but would like to help out, purchased items work just as well!! Here's a list of their current needs, 

• “Summer” pajamas for children: sizes 6-8, 10-12, 14-16
•  Boys underwear size 10-12
•  Women's “summer” sleepwear sizes large, X-large, 2X, and 3X
• Size 8 women's underwear, briefs

The above items can be dropped off at iFiT, 101 East Hively Ave., Elkhart, IN 46517.

(or you can give them to me and I'll see they get dropped off when we take the pj's)

~Lindsay

Knit Pajamas

So I made the Bug a pair of pajamas for her 6th Birthday party (it's a pajama party).  I'll share them later. But she loved them so much that she begged to wear them to bed and I said no because they are for her birthday party which is still a few weeks away.

And I did what any rational human being would do.

I let her loose in my knit fabric stash and told her I'd make her another pair.

I think it speaks to the quality of the pattern that I cut and sewed these in about an hour and a half.

And she adores them.

The zig zags are a bit much for me but they are pajamas. . . they ought to be fun.

The pattern is one I've had for a while. I was going to make the Bug Christmas pj's out of it but then fell in love with the Sugarplum nightgown.  I'm glad I finally got around to making these.

It's called Alex and Anna Winter PJ's from the Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop. Seems silly to make winter pjs on the verge of summer but you know, with the ac and all, sometimes summer nights are a little chilly. And these are big enough they will still fit next Fall/Winter. 

She wanted a star on the front. It's a little wonky. That's what happens when you freestyle it. But I kind of like it.

She was all about doing a photo shoot.

Until we nearly stepped on this little guy. . .

And then it was all about him.

She reminds me a bit of her bunny hunting Aunt when she was this age.  We told her if she could catch one she could keep it.

Knowing full well she would never catch one.

Her niece is the same way.

Once we started with this it was obvious all concentration and focus was lost.

But it's good to know she loves her pj's.

~Lindsay