Loads and loads of School Bus Tees plus modifications.

So I will just apologize in advance for this one being a picture heavy, few word post. But that's what happens when I use this as my journal and have a huge backlog. 

The Oliver + S School bus t-shirt is by far my most used pattern, I have made well over 100 at this point. I added it up once a couple years back and I was at like 80... I don't have the patience to go back and count again, ha! So you will just have to trust me.

I paired the tee with the Sew a Little Seam Movie Night Pajama bottoms you can get for free with a code from their facebook group. It does come with a shirt, but I like what I like.

These are also the SALS pj's, they come with a shorts cut line.

My cool friend Courtney is setting up a shop to sell applique patterns, so I volunteered (read: begged) to try a couple out.

I gave this one to my nephew for his birthday, but it was reaaaaally hard.  I need to make one for Sam!

 As the next few photos will show, I clearly have a thing for this very specific colorblock.

Another one for the nephew.

A very long time ago I wrote a post for the O+S blog on how to do a faux sleeve.

Also one on how to add a hood.

And how to use it to make a tank top.

I also used it to make a swim top.  It is such a versatile pattern, I am certain there will be many more made in the coming months.

Skater Dress.

The Kitschy Coo Skater Dress is probably one of my very most used patterns. It's such a classic shape and so easy to wear! It always looks so cute on the girls.

It is also one of the dresses that they consistently pull out of their closet to wear- so it must be good!

It is great to show off a print, and also very easy to customize.

I typically use cotton lycra for it, so many great prints and it can be hard to find great patterns to use cl on since it doesn't drape well, though as kids it doesn't matter as much. for this one I used a double brushed poly and eliminated the waist seam to change it up just a little.

Really though, this is their favorite one.  I think at this point George probably wears it more than Izzy, but she does try to get her turn in it!

This is why they love it so much! I added a full circle skirt.  I really should have added some clear elastic to the waist seam, the skirt is a little heavy. I guess nothing is stopping me from adding it now, ha! Well, other than the fact they search it out and wear it every time it comes out of the dryer.

International patterns.

 I have recently fallen for international patterns, more specifically German.  They have pretty unique designs, and with a little google translate and some basic sewing knowledge, they are very doable.  Most of them don't include seam allowance so that can be a turn off for some, but I don't mind.

This is the Yara and if I was smarter I'd write down the size I made because I really, really liked it.

The back is where it's at, it is so cool!

The Coemi Mini Jessi is pretty popular among the Facebook sewing crowd for good reason, it is so, so cute.  It is a slim fit, so I sized up on this one.  It has a cute cowl or hood and that front panel has pockets. He got a ton of wear from this one, and I made his bff cousin a matching one.

This was my first mini Jessi I made him, it was pretty tight on him so he didn't get much wear from it. This one had a hood.

The Lolletroll Henry(ette), often called just Henry, is also quite popular on FB.  It is one of my favorites so far!

I made one for my nephew's birthday (left) and another for Sam.

And when it was too close to the end of the cold season to justify making another hoodie I made it as a shirt.  I actually used the Oliver and S School Bus t-shirt as a base and the Henry for the colorblocking.  I have seen people make the Henry as a shirt and complain the neck opening was too wide.  I knew I liked the fit of the School Bus, so it was a no-brainer.

I was looking for something unique to since boy's tees can be so... the same and basic... that's not a bad thing, I just wanted a "fun" sew.  That's when I found the Elle Puls Bethioua kids.

I thought the back was pretty cool! I'm not crazy over the fit, it feels maybe a little feminine with the curve, idk? And maybe because it is short sleeve with the curve, I'm not sure exactly what is making me think that, because I like the long sleeve on boys. That is definitely just personal preference, the pattern was excellent.

George is all about the skirts! This is the Kid5 Cozy Skirt, it is a super straightforward and easy sew.  She pulls it out to wear quite often.

Panama tee and dress.

Abby is now in to women's sizing, so I was on the hunt for a good tee pattern for her.  She still loves all the fun prints you can find on cotton lycra, but they aren't always good for t-shirts, so that was another concern when choosing a pattern for her. 

Enter the Alina Design Panama Tee and Dress.

It is a slimmer fit tee and works perfectly with all the cotton lycra in my stash and even the stuff not so much in my stash but on a constant postal route from Raspberry Creek Fabrics << seriously, I order way too much from Diana, I need an intervention. 

Abby really likes the fit of these tops, they are very well worn- all of these are from early this year, so I can say that, ha!

I do like to grade out one size for the waist and hips, she doesn't like her tees super tight and these are definitely on the more form fitting side. 

This dress is made from double brushed poly, gotta love that drape! I was so against dbp for a while, I had bought some and it was so thin and my machine absolutely hated it.  But again, enter Raspberry Creek, I ordered some from there and it was thicker and easy to sew! I love that she strives for quality, not just the cheapest. 

Anyway, she wears this dress nearly every Sunday and has worn it to school a couple of times, so I'll call that a win! It has been long enough that I can't remember if I shortened it. Also, I did grade out just like with the tees. She is pretty tall at this point, taller than me even, so I doubt I shortened it...

Flannel Playtimes.

It's probably time to dust off my sad little corner of the internet, I'm beginning to forget the details of things I've made over the last year.  While I still document all my makes over on instagram, I don't add things like sizes I make and how much length I add for my kids.  This makes my life harder when I go to make something in the next size up, haha.  So here we go, I'm going to attempt to start journaling my makes again. 

And what better way to start than with the Oliver + S Playtime Dress.  I made both girls a size 6 with some length added to the skirt and sleeves.  The skirt is also a little more narrow than per the pattern as I didn't want to have to plaid match two side seams, then since I was making a coordinating set I wanted them to both look the same.  Also, I was worried about the bulk of gathering flannel.

Speaking of flannel, both fabrics are Robert Kaufman flannels.  I really can't say enough good about the RK flannel, it washes up so nicely and continues to look fresh after many, many washes.  It's also super soft.

I chose to line the bodice instead of using the facings.  It really is my preferred method because it's just so fast and I tend not to do the optional topstitching on this dress. 

The fit on them is great, I probably didn't need to add length to the skirt but at the same time I'm wondering if I should have added a smidge more to the arms for longer wear.  I did a narrow hem on the sleeves so there isn't anything I can let out.  The bodice fits well, it isn't restrictive at this point.  This pattern seems to last for a while for these two, they are able to wear them as a tunic once they grow until the bodice is too tight.  In fact, they have had some last two winters. 

Luckily they fit nicely because I have already started on the next two.  A few years back I sewed sequins on the Playtime following the topstitching guide and just loved the result.  I was at Joann's while killing time waiting for Costco to have my photos ready and accidentally decided to replicate the dress, times two.  Because twins.  George and Izzy both added "pridde dress" to their Christmas list and I have a feeling that will fit the bill nicely. 

New swimsuits.

I recently made swimsuits for 4 of my kids, meant to do 5 but the baby's will have to wait, ha!

Abby is at that hard stage, she's very particular on what she likes and what she's willing to wear.  She LOVES rash guards and boy shorts, so I figured this combo was sure to win her over.  She also chose the main fabric, so that didn't hurt either.

For the rashie I used my favorite shirt pattern for her.  I have bought a rashie pattern in the past and realized it was basically a slim tee with a taller neckband.  I usually choose not to do the taller neckband because I don't like the look of the way it flops, but if you want more sun coverage you can just add some height.

The Hey June Camden Raglan was perfect for the task.  I did add a partial lining to the front that goes a little below the armscye, I just layed the wrong side of my main fabric and wrong side of my lining together and treated it as one.  I probably could have figured out a way to add some elastic to the bottom of the lining to keep it down, but for now she didn't seem to mind. She says it's very comfortable and her favorite rashie yet.

The bottoms are the Jalie Swim Shorts.  The pattern has a great value, with 27 sizes included in one pattern.  But  that also came at a price so to speak, there are no layers and at times it was difficult to discern my size line.

Once it was cut, though, it was smooth sailing.  The instructions are well written, very to the point which I really like.  The shorts are lined with a bikini style bottom, again she said she really likes these and would want another pair in the future.

I made this adorable little set with the Boo Designs Swimmers.  This is definitely a favorite swim pattern of mine, I've tried many, many swim patterns and this one gets my highest recommendation.  It's drafted well, instructions are great and it actually tells you to use elastic in the straps and other places it needs it, unlike other patterns.  There are also loads of views included.

For this one, I chose the tankini and boy shorts.  The bottoms come with an optional lining, that I always choose to use because no one wants unsightly camel toe, not even a kid.

The palm fabric from this top, the starfish and sharks (boardshort) below are all from Raspberry Creek Fabric, she just got in to the swim fabric game and I have to say, it exceeded my expectations.  It is nice and thick and as easy as swim knit can be to sew.  My machine hates the shiny swim for whatever reason, ha! I have bought from other custom swim places and the base is thin, this one is nice and thick and so I chose not to line the top even though it is white.

I have been eyeing this Jalie Racerback for quite some time.  Again, it has 27 sizes in one, so fabulous value.  This one at least has the adult and kid sizes separated in to two separate files, which made it a little easier to cut my size, but still no layers.

This pattern did not disappoint, I was very, very happy with my end result!

If you're interested in any Jalie patterns, on their website you can download the instructions and take a peek before you buy a pattern, I thought that was pretty cool.

I actually went out more than once, maybe more than twice (shhhhh!) to try for photos, that's what I get for not wanting to wait for the golden hour.  So the last time we went out (all the photos above) George and Izzy wanted to switch suits, hence the child changing in the suit.

I just love the lines on this suit, It would be adorable in two fabrics to show them off even more.

This pair, I hesitated to include it.  I chose the Gracious Threads Swim and Surf Shorts for my shark obsessed boy.  As it turns out, they ended up too tight because they are drafted for girls.  There was no indication of that on the website or pattern listing, so I was quite disappointed.  The only way I found out was through a post on Facebook where the designer confirmed it.

The pattern itself went together alright.  I really like the way the bias tape is done, it makes it less bulky as it isn't overlapped except for a very small part where you hide the raw edge. I liked the lining, I used regular swim knit instead of lining (I think she mentions to in the pattern, can't remember) because swim lining is very thin and doesn't give any support.  I actually line all my suits with regular swim. I had major problems with the waistband elastic, though.  You're instructed to sew 1/8" from the top, then 1/2" down and 1/2" below that.  I chose to follow the 1/8" but then split the difference in the remaining waistband at 3/4".   I used 1/2" elastic and could barely thread it through, my hands were so sore by the end, ha!

So I grabbed some more of these sharks and the other boardshort print offered by Raspberry Creek and am on the look out for a better boardshort pattern.  Maybe just a regular short with a lining?

This post was written to be a part of the Suit up for Summer Blog Tour, but all opinions are 100% my own and I was going to make them all suits any way, haha! But if you want to check out other posts that review other swim patterns, check out the links below. And rumor has it, the giveaway is pretty rad.

Hosted by Sew Sophie Lynn & Paisley Roots

Monday: Pear Berry Lane / Inspinration / It's Liesel / Sewing For Four

Tuesday: Harper Lu / Call Ajaire / Stylin Stacy / Skirt Fixation

Wednesday: Sewing By Ti / Sewing With Sarah / Sew & Tell /  Me Made

Thursday: Made By Melli / Life Sew Savory / That's What She Crafted / Auschick

Friday: Rebel & Malice / EYMM / Stitching & Making / Lilliepawillie