A stack of shirts.

Four of my sister-in-laws are currently pregnant, the one furthest along just had a baby shower this weekend as it's her first.  So of course I had to make my soon to be nephew something fun.  But then I got an amazing idea for a shirt and wanted to make it immediately for Sam.  So in all my procrastinator's glory, I made one for him then started on the baby's gifts.

The baby shower invitations had a picture of three mountains and words about the adventure just beginning.  So I designed a file in Photoshop and used the Silhouette Cameo (my fancy new Christmas gift) to cut some heat transfer vinyl.  I absolutely love the way it turned out, and that's why it had to be Sam's immediately. I was pretty excited that it came out just the way I wanted it being it was my first time designing anything and have only tried out the machine a few times before.

I put it on an Oliver and S Field Trip Raglan, size 18 months with added cuffs and hem band, made in a stretchy french terry.

Will buffalo plaid still be trendy in a year and a half?  Maybe not, but oh well.  I nearly kept this one for Sam, ha!

This is the Oliver and S School Bus T-shirt in size 18 months, again, nearly kept for Sam.  I need to quit making stuff to give away in sizes my kids are currently wearing.

Again with some HTV.  This one is size 12 months.

Again size 12 months.  The mom and dad are big Dave Matthews fans, so I knew this one had to be made.

This one is size 6 months in a super stretchy, super soft knit.

This is also a size 6 month.  I actually squeezed it out of a scrap from a shirt I made for Jack and apparently never blogged.  Whoops.  I have been much better at keeping up on flickr and instagram than here, which is kinda bad since I don't always add sizing notes in other places.

I also decided I couldn't ever be a sweat shop worker, 7 shirts in three days was too much for me, ha!

Hatteras and Halifax.

 A while back I tested the Hatteras Hoodie for the oh so awesome Adrianna at Hey June.  I am just a slacker and haven't blogged them yet.

My original tester call was for the size 7 view A.  That would be for this stud.  I used a denim jegging material and for the accents used the wrong side of the fabric.

As it turns out, I probably should have made him a size 8.  That's what I get for not updating measurements more often, but I really like the slim look it gives a size down.  He wears this one most days to school, so I call that a win.  I really should make him another one...

After that was finished, I decided to try out the view B.  These two were while still in testing, so the fit was tweaked a little for the finished pattern.

I love the slight hi-lo hem on them.

This one is also view B, size 10.  Again, she wears this one all.the.time. I used the rad quilted heart knit from the doodles line at Jo-ann's, and ribbing for the neck and cuffs.

These were made with the final pattern (though before the pattern was released).  Georgie (on the left) is in one that is way too big for her chest size, but since they share and these are meant to be worn over another shirt, she gets to wear Elizabeth's size.  These are both a size 4.

 Abby loved her first one so much she demanded begged for another one.  I let her design this one herself, though I did pick to change up the direction of the stripes.  This one isn't quite as warm as the first I made for her, so it is more of an around the house rather than out in the cold mornings on the way to school.

I thought it would be fun for my niece's birthdays to make them a kitty sweater.  I have two nieces and they play most Sunday nights with the twins at Grandma's house while we visit.  One of their favorite things to do is pretend they are all cats.  I added a toy in too, since I don't want to be the weird aunt that just give clothes when they really want toys. This one is for the younger niece, in a size 3.

This one is for the older niece, in a size 5.  Iz is just about that size, so I had her model for a quick picture.

During testing, we kept pestering, begging, bugging suggesting how awesome this pattern would be in adult sizes.  And, um, it is amazing.

For my tester version of the Halifax Hoodie I sewed up a view A in a french terry from Jo-ann's.  I really love it and am so excited it is finally cold enough to wear it!

Then, last week I made a view B for me, too.  I have been dreaming of one for a while now, and it is so comfy! The mint is a french terry from Jo-ann's and the quilted knit is from Raspberry Creek Fabric.  I have worn this a ridiculous amount of times already.

Again a view B, but this time I copied a few other ladies and used this Robert Kaufman mammoth plaid for the front and a french terry for the body, again both from Raspberry Creek.  I didn't change anything to accommodate the woven since it was roomy enough in my first run through of the pattern.

There are lots more options in the Halifax, five views in all.  Also, the Hatteras includes a zipper option.

I think we may all need a few more of these soon...

Shandiin times two.

A few weeks ago, a friend pinned the Shandiin Tank and I commented that it was an easy sew and she could totally make it.  A little bit later, she asked if I would be willing and said of course!  She wanted something springy and coordinating for her girls, so I went through my stash and gave her a bunch of options.  

So she chose two she liked and left it up to me to decide if they should have contrasting fabrics for the bindings and back, and who would get which print.  I thought it would be fun, and in true coordinating fashion to make the contrasts out of the opposite main fabric.

I just love the back of these tops.  The one I made for Abby was only worn once other than pictures, sigh.  But I remembered not liking how low the arms were cut for her, so for the bigger one I sized down the top and added length since her oldest is tall and thin.

It's always fun to sew for others, at least I think so.

For my nephew.

I made my nephew a birthday and Christmas gift this year, he just turned one, so he doesn't know that I didn't give him a toy, ha! 

I made him a few pairs of the Lil' Papoose Moccasins, my first pair was as the pattern was written, the second pair was with mods to make them look more like the crazy expensive and super trendy kind.

These are both the 12 month size and fit perfectly.

I actually made them way back when I made Sam a pair.  Sam got a little use out of them, but I see Cooper wearing his all the time.  But C is a walker, so that makes sense, ha!

C's dad is a huge motorcycle fan, so when I saw this print I knew I had Christmas figured out.  In fact, most of his baby shower gifts I made were motorcycle themed.

I used the Oliver + S Bedtime Story pajamas in a size 18 month, just extending the pants a little to omit the contrasting cuff.  I also kind of guessed on the size, he is still wearing his 12m After School pants so I figure even if they don't fit now, they will soon.

Again with a 12 month set of Lil' papoose moccs, though I ordered this on fabric.com and didn't realize it would have a fuzzy backing.  I don't know if it will wear off or not, I guess he will be my guinea pig, but it was an experiment anyways as I threw this on an order I was already making from there.   P.S. the pajamas and shoes aren't meant to be worn at the same time, though they do coordinate:)

Doll sewing.

 A while back Abby was invited to two birthday parties for little friends in the neighborhood, both who I know love their 18" dolls, so I sewed them each a few outfits for their dolls.

I made the first friend doll clothes for her last birthday too, and Abby told me how much she just loved them and that she rarely saw her doll without one of the outfits on, so I knew it would be a good choice.

I used the book Sew Trendy that I picked up recently from Jo-anns, with coupon stacking I got it for under $7.  It had a lot of basics that I figured would be good building blocks if I ever get brave enough (or crazy enough) to start matching the girls Oliver + S outfits like they have been begging me to try.

I made these as I was making Georgie's Carousel Dress so the purple was an easy decision.  The bottom was a heavier denim that was a PITA to gather.

I didn't like the way most of the items were put together, so I used my own construction methods, ie, easier ways I have learned in my few years of sewing experience.  The instructions weren't bad, I just knew there were easier ways to do it.

Then the following week we got an invitation for another friend, being I had the patterns already traced I just made up the same patterns again... the day of the party, because I am a procrastinator like that.

I started a top for Abby in the pants material, I really should finish it...

I bought these fabrics before I even started sewing, ha!  When Abby was a baby I thought I'd learn to make her a blanket, that never happened, so I had some fat quarters that have been hanging around for forever and ever.

On both of the dresses I used snaps, I was out of velcro and made both the prezzies at the last minute.

A little sewing.

Oh, these two just crack me up.

I have been working on a few items for a friend and they have just been dying over the "Chwismas reindeews!".  Today when I hung the dresses (more on them in a minute) to snap a few shots of they just lost it when I said for the millionth time that the dresses weren't for them.  Since I managed to overestimate the amount of fabric I needed I ended up with enough to make them each a skirt.  While George wasn't thrilled it wasn't a dress, she loves her new skirt, and I love that these only took an hour.  Score.

I wanted to do an accent color on the skirts, but I wanted to have them ready for a Christmas party tonight which meant having them match any random shirts that happened to be clean.  Elizabeth is making a fashion faux pas, or is she?  I have started seeing brown and black paired together lately.  But, she refuses to wear any other pair of shoes lately, so that's what she gets.

It was pretty cloudy today, so the colors are a little off, but the reds are a pretty 'true' primary red, not too dark or bright and they actually do match perfectly to each other.

I used the Oliver + S School Bus Tee as a base and added the neck ruffle and skirt based of a picture my friend picked out.  These are size 5 and 18 month.

She also wanted a baby gift based on a picture she found.  I used the Lullaby line bodysuit from Peekaboo patterns and the baby go-to leggings, both 3 month.  I was (am) a little worried about the trim because there is absolutely no stretch so I made the head opening slightly bigger.

If those dresses and skirts didn't put you in the Christmas mood, I bet my utterly adorable baby will, ha!  Time for a million (or so it seems) Christmas parties!

Itty bitty Sketchbook set.

I had a baby shower to attend this weekend, so a tiny outfit was begging to be sewn.  Don't mention that I knew about this shower for close to a month and was literally finishing up 30 minutes before it started, that's just how I  roll.  

I don't know her very well, but her mother was Ben's aunt for a little while and her brother is Ben's best friend, so I for sure wanted to make her something.  But without knowing her style it was kind of hard to choose, in the end I went with a classic little boy look and something I would dress my boys in.  In fact, I almost wanted to keep it for Sam, ha! 

I made the Oliver + S Sketchbook Shirt + Shorts in a gray bottom weight (denim, I think...) and a plaid seersucker-ish material.  I pretty much ironed the crap out of the shirt so it lost it's seersucker look and I didn't have time to throw it in the wash like I normally would before giving it away (I usually like to wash baby items in dreft so they are ready to wear), but I thought the material would work well since it didn't necessarily need to be ironed, most new moms probably don't want a gift that needs to be ironed, right?

I love the fun and subtle details in boys clothing.   I cut the placket and pocket on the bias, added a bit of bias tape to the pocket and snaps- because snaps on baby clothing are the bomb diggity.  So much easier than buttons when they want to be wiggly.

I loved making this shirt.  The yoke construction at first left me scratching my head, but once I figured it out I felt like a rock star! I can't wait to make this one again.

Ugh, my iron job sucked and I was trying to sneak a few pics in as quickly as possible.

I tried out my piping foot that I have had for forever, I probably shouldn't have used it on a gift for my first go.  The right side is a little too narrow.

I didn't have a matching gray thread, just lighter or darker, so we are going to pretend it was a design feature rather than my procrastination and laziness that led to this look.  I used my stretch stitch to get a more defined look since I hate topstitching thread but love the look.

Hopefully she liked it!  I had to leave before the gift opening as Sam was fussy.  And now I can't wait for Sam to fit the 6 month range!!  

Capes.

I have a million projects running through my mind and I don't have the time to fit them all in, so I am jumping around between a few currently.  Not a good thing, because that leaves the potential of something being left in the WIP so long that it is outgrown before it is made.  Sigh.  

But first, a project that had to be finished by today (and I got done just in time).  My nieces joint birthday party is this evening and they are both obsessed with Frozen (but what under 10 year old girl isn't?).  I was brainstorming ideas when it came to me, capes.  Not only do they love Frozen, but they also love dressing up. 

One likes Elsa and one likes Anna, so I made one of each.  Elsa's was super easy, a yard of glittery tulle, some ribbon and gathering, no hemming required.

For Anna's I used the Oliver + S School Bus Tee.  I used some interlock from Joann, some black bobbles and a heart clasp. 

The girls super love them, but understand that they are going to A + C (or at least I hope they understand, ha!).  I showed them the fabric I have for theirs and that helped a little, though they keep asking if theirs are done yet.  I am making them slightly different too, ie Elsa in a different fabric and Anna with a different clasp so that just in case all four girls wear theirs at the same time we can tell them apart.

Hopefully cousins like them, if not I know two little girls who will take them off their hands...

A gift for a baby.

This gift has been waiting to be made for a long time now, the baby shower was in March, but we were preparing to head to a beach house when I got the invite and were to be gone when the shower was held.  But, the gal's mom is so sweet and always gets my babies something I knew I would be making something for the baby no matter how long it took me.  And hey, her due date is in the next week or so, and the baby isn't here yet so I am calling it a win.  

I was originally going to do something definitely vintage (think Puppet Show) as that seems to be the mom's style, but getting up and down a million times gives me contractions, so I went with something quick and easy.  Being I have made it now nine times (!!!) I knew what steps came next and was able to keep the getting up and down to a minimum.

Oh, so what is this pattern (as if you haven't seen it a million times all over blogland)?  It's the Geranium dress that I was lucky enough to test way back when it came out.  I have never made one this little though, it's so cute and small!  Eeep!  If I was having a girl she would have a closet full of these.

I also threw in a few headbands.  The mom and I talked a little bit about headbands and she is not in to the giant bows on tiny babies (neither am I, really) so hopefully these aren't too big.




Snaps are for sure the way to go on little ones, heck, even toddlers!  ... Actually, Abby loves snaps too!  I used some purple ones from the stash.

Um, apparently I need to iron a little better before photographing/giving it away.

And I finally invested in some labels!   I have always used the size tags and my MIL bought me some labels a long, long time ago but I used all of them and had just been using ribbon which worked, but now I am totally legit;)

When we were thinking of names for the twins, Ben decided he wanted one of them to be called Georgia after a character on "Dead like me" and her nickname was peanut.  I had a hard time thinking of what I wanted on a tag and that is why it took me so long, but I am glad I finally took the plunge!  Now to find more time and energy to sew... ha!  

Argh Matey.

For my fourth and final set this go-around, she chose pirate themed.  (first, second, third).

 The inspiration for these dresses were found here.

I used the Oliver + S Roller skate dress, modified, of course.  Also, in a size 4 and a size 12m.  I constructed it slightly different as I didn't want the raw edges shown on the black layer (aka lining layer).

I used the pirate as the "main" layer, black as the "lining" and attached the striped fabric to the black.

I think they turned out pretty well, and similar to the inspiration dress, my friend seemed to like them too.  Can't wait to see pictures from her vacay and live vicariously through her, haha!

S'more Minnie.

Continuing on with the Disney themed outfits (first here, second here) next up are matching appliqued shirts and super twirly skirts.  

Again, the inspiration for these was from Pinterest.  I was SO psyched to find the same tossed Mickey head fabric as the inspiration skirts.

I used the super fast Flashback Skinny Tee for the shirts, sizes 5T and 12m.  I for reals love this pattern, like, so much.  Pretty sure it's my most used pattern.  So I have said all I really need to say about it before, but it is a super fantastic fit and a seriously quick sew.

The skirts were just self drafted from the girls' measurements.  The waistband is 1 1/2 times the waist measurement and the skirt is 2 times the waist measurement gathered to the waistband length.  I thought about making each tier more full than the one before, but I like the way these look.

One final installment for this adventure: Pirate themed.