Fall KCW - 1st Bimaa!

Fall Kids Clothes Week started Monday!  This is the week were it seems like everyone who blogs about sewing is able to complete an outfit or more a day and I wonder how in the world they do it.  The week is supposed to be about dedicating an hour a day to sewing/creating for your kids and I'm going to try to stick to that rather than lose my mind.

So my goals are to sew up a Bimaa shirt (or two) and at least one pair of Skinny Jeans.  I had printed and cut out my patterns on Sunday, so I was ready to start cutting fabric and sewing on Monday.  I started with a Bimaa - the cowl neck version.  I've seen so many awesome versions out there already and everyone raves about how quick and easy it is so I was pretty excited.  They are not wrong!  It turned out so great!  I used a zebra thermal for the shirt and black knit with sparkly gold flecks for the cowl.  The arms and waist are black ribbing.  I should've pattern matched a little better at the seams - I centered a line of zebras down the middle instead.  There are a few decapitated zebras and random appendages...oh well!

I was not able to get the best pictures since it was almost bedtime.  The shirt took a little longer than it should have because my serger was not loving me.  I had to keep threading and checking it and I have no idea why it was being so finicky.  I finally gave up (though I was almost finished) and went for a run to get the kids, even though I already ran that day for exercise.  I was just that stressed and angry with the machine.  Running with the girls did the trick!  I came home and fixed the thread one last time and it was smooth sailing.  The pattern really is that straight forward and fun to sew!  

I plan to sew another Bimaa in a fun cat print.  Hopefully all with go well and I can get decent pics this week of the girls in them together! 

Flipped Sunki

 

Oh my, the Sunki dress is so cool!  I'm glad it was the pattern to be FLIPPED in October over at FrancesSuzanne, but man was it tough to flip.  I like the design already as is - the racer back-like front and pockets, the pleated sleeves, and wrap over shoulder seams.  So my changes to the pattern were very minor.

First I decided to make the back zipper extend the entire length of the dress and be exposed.  I also added some blue piping to define it.

Isn't the fabric so cool?  I bought it at JoAnn almost a year ago.  It's thin corduroy in a crazy animal print.  You know how they usually ask you what you're using the fabric for when they cut it?  Well the lady cutting it thought it was pretty ridiculous and gave me the side eye for saying it would be for toddler apparel.  She said "well I guess kids look cute in anything".  So true.  But I also think you can make any fabric look good with the right pattern.

The contrasting pocket fabric is Violet Craft, Waterfront Park, Reflection Luna from the Fabricworm.  The pockets were the most difficult part of the pattern instructions to figure out.  They are also accented with blue piping.  I'm glad instagram folks talked me into taking apart the seams I had already finished and adding it!

The other minor change I made to the pattern was to add a stand up overlapping collar.  I wanted it to echo the shoulder overlap and add to the structural urban design of the dress.  Also - I switched the overlap of the shoulder seams to the front over the back so the lines wouldn't compete with the collar.

It was a little tough to photograph.  I maybe should've used the contrasting fabric?  This little one wasn't tough to photograph though.  Give her a tiara and suddenly she's hamming it up. 

And asking me to get a picture of her "being nice" with her sister.  

So there's my FLIP!  Check out the others sewing along here.


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Three!

My little babes are 3!  They started off their birthday celebration last month with surprise donuts and candles to blow out when they woke up.  I really could've stopped there they were so thrilled.  But then I wouldn't get to make a bunch of stuff so we had a pretty big party that weekend.  This post is a little recap of some of the things I threw together.  I really wish I had better pics, but at least I got a few!

If you have been following on instagram you may have seen the several birthday project pics I posted.  I really could have kept going and creating but had to cut myself off.  It all started when they settled on a theme - knights and princesses.  and dragons.  and unicorns.  and rainbows were also requested.  I tried to hit them all without going crazy.

So of course we started off the party with a castle - a bouncy castle!  We had this thing for a couple days because it rained that night and they wanted us to keep it until it dried.  They loved their personal  bounce house!  It was humongous - with a giant slide.  I always thought it was weird when people rented bounce houses, but I get it now.  Perfect activity for their age and really fun (even for adults when no one's watching).

I've been told that 3 year olds are really into pretend and dress-up, so I knew right away I wanted all the kids at the party to have knight and princess outfits.  I didn't have time to make a bunch of puffy princess dresses, so I went with no-sew tutu's - my fav to make.  The knights received purple tunics made of felt and ties at the waist with fun ribbon.  Girls were encouraged to be knights too!

I have a thing for party hats, so I ordered some knight hats and made a bunch of princess hats to decorate with stick on jewels.  That was a lot of hot glue fun for me creating the hats!  Last year's hat is still my favorite though - a shark!

There were also plenty of necklaces, rings, and rainbow hair extensions too.

The kids also went home with some foam swords/shields and a mini dragon for their adventures.

Too much?  maybe, maybe not enough :)

Last I want to share is the cake!  I love making (and eating) birthday cakes.  Here's the one from their 1st birthday - Rainbow Cake

And their 2nd - Ariel/Shark Themed 

(that was chocolate with salted caramel icing - yum!)

And this year's cake - Purple stars, rainbows, and a Unicorn 

This isn't exactly the cake I had in mind, but it was what they requested.  Actually, they requested a rainbow cake but I already did that 2 years ago and I didn't feel like repeating it.  The cake was apple with apple pie filling and salted caramel icing.  I have a thing for salted caramel.  It goes with anything!

The kids actually got their own little cupcakes.  Hard to see, but I used food spray paint to make ice cream cones silver and filled them funfetti cake mix.  They were topped with whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate unicorns.  In my mind the ice cream cones were castle towers and the whipped cream was a cloud.  I loved how the cupcakes were baked into the ice cream cones.  It was a little less messy I think.

We also made some blackberry ice cream with colored sugar sprinkles mixed in - aka purple princess ice cream.  They love purple right now, if you couldn't tell already.  

I wish I got more pictures of the decor and the food, especially the fruit wands (fruit on bamboo skewers with a watermelon star).  We had so much fun with all of our friends even though it poured much of the time and everyone was stuck in our tiny house.  The girls loved having all of their friends over and especially the part where they got to blow out a candle again!  

Can you believe they used to be less than 5 lbs?  Which is why I'm so happy to see them grow and thrive :)

Just Breathe

Week 3 of Project Sewn is here.  The theme is to use a graphic print to design a fun look.  I've been looking forward to sewing along this week ever since they announced the themes.  I love bold prints!

I decided to sew something up that I needed and that would get worn more often than a dress or skirt.  That meant something comfy in knit - perfect for the yoga wear I needed.

I've been trying to teach the girls some moves and they love it.  They couldn't resist popping in during picture time.

The top is the Seafarer Top with a banded neckline, waist, and arms.  I had intended to make a cute yoga tank but I don't wear tanks to practice.  I prefer soft tees that aren't too tight.  I love how this top is loose yet still form fitting at the arms and waist so that it won't slide around when I'm going through sun salutations.  The super cool ikat/arrow printed fabric is from Girl Charlee (though not likely in stock anymore).

The pants are super comfy leggings made with some stretchy black knit from JoAnns.  I used a pattern I drafted from my own measurements a few months back using a tutorial by Miranda over at OneLittleMinute.

Peek-a-boo!  I also made an infinity scarf that I can see myself wearing on casual days or to work.  I love the black/white print.

This outfit was really fun for me to sew.  I used fabric I love and made pieces that I needed.  I learned that sometimes I need to slow down and create something simple like this.  Even the photo shoot was fun, though it was night time outside!  :)

Next week is the last week of Project Sewn!  The theme is Signature Style.  I usually am lost with that theme but not this time!  I'm completely sure of my signature style for fall.  So wish me some good sewing karma that I can get it finished in time next week!

Also - check out all the other graphic print looks here!

The Mustache Dress

I've had the Eleanor Dress/Top pattern printed and waiting to be made for weeks.  I love Shwin & Shwin designs.  This is the first pattern I've purchased from them, but their free tutorials are endless and awesome.  Who hasn't seen the Maggie Mae Tunic/Dress?  That'll likely be my next purchase.

This one is so devilish when photographing. She's always begging for us to take silly pics! This is her best go at it.

Her attitude matches the quirky dress fabric - mustaches!  Her sister is actually the fan of mustaches and absolutely LOVES the dress but refuses to take pictures in it.  The dress is a combination of the dress pattern with the oversized collar option in feather knit I had left over from my flapper outfit.  These fabrics are from Girl Charlee and just rock together.

 I love this pattern!  The fall edition of Kids Clothes Week starts soon and I just may have to make another.  The puff sleeves are absolutely adorable and the faux scarf collar is so cute for fall.  Perfect dress for apple picking! 

  

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Boho Flapper

It's week 2 of Project Sewn and this weeks challenge is to sew up an era inspired outfit.  One era just jumped out to me right away - the Roaring 20s!  I love the styles from this era.  A lot of the dresses from that time had cute streamlined silhouettes with dropped waists and flowy skirts.  I can't imagine myself wearing a fancy flapper style dress out now that we have toddlers (who has time for dates?), so I came up with a more casual interpretation that looks a little bohemian to me.

I already had this fabric on hand and was dying to use it.  I love how challenges help me use my favorite fabric instead of hoarding it.  Both knits are from Girl Charlee.  The top was drafted using one of my t-shirts as a guide.  I made it sleeveless with a banded v-neck and banded drop waist.  

I love how the tie gives a vertical line to the top.  The tie is some blue velvet ribbon I was given by my husband's grandmother.  I doubt it's from the 20s but it's probably 20 years old.  

I added some flair to my hair with a knit headband to echo some flapper style.  The headband was adapted from this hat pattern.  

The skirt was super quick and easy.  It's just a yard of stretch ruffle knit that was cut in half and sewn to make two side seams.  Then I just gathered it to an elastic waistband.  I think the ruffles are true to a flapper's flowy skirt style without being too costumey.

I just LOVE these two fabrics together.  I'm actually just loving anything paired with this feather knit lately.  Of course the feather knit was chosen to represent the feathers sometimes found in flappers' hair or dress hemlines.

I didn't plan on making the skirt a maxi length, I just couldn't cut into the ruffle fabric.  And I could use a few more maxi skirts anyway.  The length totally gives it a casual bohemian look. 

My husband caught this pic - just had to share it!

So do you think I pulled off a wearable look for this week's era challenge?  

Stay tuned for next week's challenge of using a favorite graphic print...

ps, you can see the other sew-along looks here - voting starts Friday!

Also, anyone been following No Big Dill's Sew all 26 (where she's sewing through the alphabet)?  I have, but this is the first time I'm linking up.  This week is "F" so I'm linking up this feathered flapper look.
 

 

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Inspiration Monday

Craftastic Monday



LBD

Project Sewn has begun again.  Time to sew for myself and pretend not to be awkward in pictures!  The first week's challenge was to sew a little black dress.  

I have a ton of dresses, though barely any black.  It's a flattering color but my cats are blond and their hair shows up on anything dark.  When I decided to sew along and make a black dress for my wardrobe, I knew I wanted something comfortable and with a bit of a sleeve to match the upcoming cold weather.  So I went with a black knit that has a little gold sparkle - I have no idea what compelled me to pick it.  The fabric looked a little cheap to me in the store, but then I started envisioning it as perfect for a holiday dress.  I could see this being worn with a witch hat for Halloween, a cute cardi for Thanksgiving, or as is for Christmas parties.

I went about constructing this dress by hacking apart the Casual Lady pattern.  It had the bodice fit and sleeves that I wanted, but not enough flow in the bottom portion.  So I stopped the pattern at my natural waist and added a banded area to highlight it.  The skirt is gathered in the center and pleated in the back.

The knit is very thin so it drapes a little different than I expected.  You may also notice that I made a V back and scooped the neckline low in the front.  Everything is covered, yet the dress isn't super modest.   I also added some braided knit to the shoulders for interest.  I swear it lays flatter than the pictures suggest.  

So week 1's sew along - check!  Next week's challenge is to make something Era inspired.  I have some ideas, but nothing sewn yet.  Hopefully I'll be back next week with a new outfit or dress and some smiles in pics.  Kinda tough to smile when everyone at the library play ground is wondering what you're doing.  Check out the contestants's black dresses for this week here - they are all amazing!

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