Small Fry Skinny Jeans in Floral

Another installment of skinny jeans for winter here today. I picked up this fabric a month or so ago and didn't expect that it would take me THIS long to make them. Oh well, the weather got warmer for a bit and has now dipped back down and she'll certainly need them.

Holiday Dresses for Mae & Co. 2014

This year is my first when it comes to selling handmade clothing. Instead of creating a bulk lot of dresses for the holiday I decided to try something different. I created sample dresses and took orders from there, which seems to be working out pretty well. I think it's really helped with keeping me from being overwhelmed and I also feel creative about what I'm making. Something I don't want to lose while moving to the business side of sewing. 

I chose to use the LLK Best Dressed Girl pattern for my holiday dresses. 

If you follow me on IG, then you've likely seen at least one of them before. 

All Spice Blog Tour

Winter Sewing

Hey guys! 

I thought I'd check back in with you quickly to show some of the projects I've been tackling in my absence. I totally have the in-laws coming over in a bit to eat pizza (yay, Friday night!) and then take the two big kids to stay with them. That's means a bit of television and some sewing is in my near future! 

Aster Cardigan in Olive Green + Print

The other day I was pretty frustrated. 

Treat by Shutterfly

Hey guys! I'm here to chat with you about a new mobile greeting card option that I tried recently called Treat. Before I begin, I was given a credit to their store to try for free, though I was not required to give a positive review. While it was great to try risk free, my opinions are my own and I would not recommend a service I didn't support.

So let's talk greeting cards.

KCW Day 2 - finishing Firestar

Alright, Day 2 people. 

I've got myself a Halloween deadline and I'm not about to fail. Firestar has been completed. 

For the top I used the new Titchy Threads pattern - The Rowan Tee. It's amazing. So many options that my head spins thinking of them all. I used the basic shirt pattern without stripes and the hood option. That way it can be warm and useful after beggars night. 

Pants were made using the Go To Leggings. They've worked wonderfully for everything I've made, this included. I knew the fleece didn't have as much stretch as the pattern calls for, so I added zippers into the seam and wah-la! 

Gloves were made using a free pattern I found online, though it was for adults so I modified it to fit my child. 

Mask was another online find- I just googled children's mask template and found one that was a Mardi Gras mask. I didn't even have to change the shape. Apparently Firestar likes her some Mardi Gras.

Hm, I think that's it. 

Wish me luck as I begin to dive into a Batman outfit. My son stated today that I'd be making him a Transformers outfit, aaagh. Kids and their ever-changing opinions. I did my best to explain that mommy is already making Batman and we can look at making a different costume afterwards. He seemed ok with it. Crisis averted. 

See you tomorrow!! 

KCW Day 1 - Firestar

Day 1 of KCW 

Thank goodness that this round is right before Halloween. I need one more reason to get in my sewing room and get these costumes done or I'll be up the night before beggars night cursing. 

Sew Geeky - Studio Ghibli Totoro Dress

Studio Ghibli - they make some of my favorite children's movies& when I saw that this was the theme of September's Sew Geeky I was ON BOARD. 

Pattern Parcel #5 - The Mimi Dress in Blue

If you hadn't realized by the title, I'm participating in the tour for Pattern Parcel #5!

Astro Boy - Project Run & Play 80's Cartoon Sew-a-long

 Another season of Project Run & Play is upon us. 

It's a fun competition full of themes and drama. Yes, only one can be the winner- but for the rest of us, there's the sew-a-long. I've been participating for many seasons now and truly enjoy looking at each seamstresses work, gaining both inspiration and motivation to push my limitations further and further. 

So, week 1. The theme is one near and dear to our hearts... anyone who spent their Saturday morning or after school hours plastered intently to a television screen knows exactly what I'm talking about- 80's cartoons yo. 

Paper Bag Skirts in Blue & Plaid

So there's a huge chasm between those who love paper bag skirts and those who hate them and then there's me standing in the middle seeing both of their points going hmmmm...

Fussy Cut Circus Purses

Because I'm now sewing for a local brick and mortar shop called The Vintage Street Market in Altoona Iowa, I've spent a ton of time recently getting together items to place for sale. It's taken a lot of my *just for fun* sewing time away but I'm still really enjoying it! Recently I finished these purses. 

Sew Geeky Marvel Vs. DC: Batman Toddler Backpack

WOOHOO! I've never made my kids a backpack and it was time to check that item off my bucket-list. Though, I feel like there could be more in the future since it was really fun to sew. 

I grabbed the Toddler Backpack pattern by Made By Rae when it was featured on the Friday Fiver for $5, yessssss. 

Sewing for the store-front shop: Saffron Twirl Dress in Pink & Orange Elephants

Why have I been so busy lately? 

Well, aside from the fact that we homeschool, have a new baby, are renovating a house, and are in my husbands "busy" season at work (yeah there's ANOTHER reason as if I needed one!) ...

From the Saturn to a tractor...

Well hey there!

It happened. 

Do you see that photo up there? Yeah, that's us! 

A few weeks ago, my husband sat down and discussed with me how much we needed a tractor. On the list of reasons? Well, the weeds have grown almost ten feet tall on all ten acres of our land ... no way can they be mowed and hiring someone to come every few weeks is expensive. 

The All-Spice Dress in Floral & Ruffles

My final All-Spice tester dress is another intricate one. Yeah, I could have quickly sewn up something to satisfy my role as tester, but how much fun is that?? Lily loves everything ruffles and girly, which if fine with me although I'm not a huge fan of them. If you remember, not too long ago I changed my mantra to "quality rather than quantity." I want my kids to wear their handmade clothing happily, and if that means taking a bit of extra time on them then I'll do it. 

Kcw - The Last Days + 1; All-Spice Mural Dress

All my dreams of finishing my dress by day 7 were shattered at about 9pm last night. 

I finally realized it just wasn't going to happen, but I kept embroidering until around 10pm. Then I needed a goods nights rest and to give myself today to finish up. 

Plush Pony (take 2) in Floral

Not long ago I made an adorable plush Fox Lovey for my newborn, which got me thinking about the first plush toy I ever made, a pony for Lily Mae. I kept going back to it in my head thinking about how I learned so much from it and had so much fun creating it. I began planning #2 in my head, well here she is. 

KCW Day 4 - Skirt & More Embroidery

Day 4

I'm still chugging along getting in at least an hour a day, if not a bit more. It's hard to tell sometimes when I'm able to pick it up for 10 minutes at a time here and there and then again at nap time.