SS17 from Mae & Co.

It's been a busy spring with lots of new items being designed and made, as well as lots of great markets. I was ecstatic to continue working with photography Raelyn Ramey this season. Not only did we get to shoot in her new studio that's got gorgeous light, we also were able to come out to my farm and get the kids busy catching frogs and splashing in the pond. 

Looking Back: Holiday 2016

The last photoshoot of 2016, and what a great way to end the year. 

For this shoot I worked with local photographer Raelyn Ramey as well as three other local businesses - Peach Polka Dot (Megan) who produces flower crowns, Acanthus Apparel (Alyssa) a local screen printing company, and The Pink Revolver (Melissa) who is another handmade clothing company specializing in up-cycled garments. 

Looking Back: FW16

We're nearly caught up and today we'll look at what's currently out for FW16 - these items can be found in my online shop Mae & Co. until they're sold out. 

Looking Back: SS16

Hello!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I've spent the last two days in pajamas fighting against a cold. Lots of tea, honey, and homemade soup. Regardless, I'm excited to push forward and look back at my Spring/Summer 2016 collection. 

DIY Best Bottom Diaper Tutorial

Hey guys! I was suggesting my diaper cover pattern + tutorial to a friend the other day and was saddened to find the link to the tutorial wasn't working. Granted, I am not a tech savvy person so fixing it will be an undertaking in itself. If anyone has advice on how to do that, I would be forever grateful! Until then, the most obvious answer was to post the tutorial into its own blog post and link it to the pattern. My main goal is to offer an inexpensive alternative to buying pre-made diapers and I hope this tutorial does that! 

Here we go!

First you need the pattern- you can find it at my original post HERE.

Boys Button Up in Echino Fabric

Hey!

I'm back to show off this killer boys button up that I made to sell last week. I was realizing the sad state of boys clothing on my Mae & Co. rack and had purchased a yard of this insane Echino fabric last year, but hadn't felt confident about what it should be. I wanted something that I could really show off the intricate design of the pattern. I think this top does a great job, though I could see it as a few other really awesome garments as well. 

Little Photographers Camera Pattern Test

Hey guys! I'm back with a really fun pattern I tested for Stephanie at Swoodsonsays who now lives IN MY CITY. As a midwest blogger, that's a pretty big deal. Sewing bloggers are few and pretty far between in these parts- so I welcome the company! 

Ok, to the pattern. Isn't it cute? I saw her post a teaser on her IG account  and asked if I could be added to the tester group. I'm kind of an Instagram junkie, so if you don't follow me GO DO THAT. 

KCW Upcycle Spring 2015

This round of KCW was super fun! I only wish I could have seen MORE awesome things. I mean, my upcycled box runneth  over and that's after purging it 6 mo. ago! 

The Top Posts of 2014

This year I was having trouble wrapping my brain around the whole Round-up of 2014 thing. Last year I had fun doing The Best of the Worst 2013 where I pulled out all of the bloopers from 2013's photoshoots. This year I was planning to skip it because I couldn't think of anything new that wasn't an overwhelming task. Let's be honest, now that I have myself a busy toddler and a baby under 1yr, time is not something I have in excess. So today when I was scrolling through my newsfeed during a shockingly long streak of uninterrupted free time, I came across the idea of rounding up your top 7 posts in 2014- Readers choice. I love it! What a great way to show you guys what YOU like and also to get some insight into what makes this place fun for the readers. Shall I venture to say this is definitely going into my thought process about goals for 2015?? 

7. Project Run and Play: Let's go to the Movies

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! 

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. 

First Day of Summer Romper with FREE 3 - 6 months pattern

Happy first day of summer! 

Though it may have felt like summer before, today is the official first day of summer and I wanted to celebrate by offering you a pattern I drafted for my little girl, Skye. She's not quite big enough to fit into it, but I'm attempting to plan ahead (shocking, right?).

DIY Best Bottom Diaper Covers with FREE Pattern

We really like our BB diapers. My husband did extensive research before we made the large cloth diaper purchase for our son two years ago. They have held up remarkably well with just a few of the inserts getting holes - and the full set had some 75 inserts or so.

Small Fry Skinny Jean Shorts in Geometric Print

I'm back for my second pair of Small Fry Skinny Jeans. 

Such a great pattern. 

Upcycled Summer Pajama Shorts

New item of necessity? Summer pajama shorts for Archer. 

It seems like winter dragged on forever, then suddenly without warning, we had a day where the temp was 86 degrees. Whaaaat? So, like a smack in the face, spring showed up and I realized that though Archer had plenty of tees to sleep in, but he didn't have many pairs of shorts to go with them. He really can't go without shorts on or he'll rip his diaper off and scream "Mommy, help me!" until I come in and put it back on. I'm also not a big stickler for matching pajamas- in fact, it seems like anytime I expect items to go together the kids pull out their opinion cards and tell me they want something different. oy. I give up, wear what you wish little ones. 

Training Underpants: Using a free 2t pattern and tutorial

Training undies are so cute! 

I went searching for a simple and free training underwear pattern for Archer to wear so when we leave the house on short trips he can practice his big boy skills of telling me when he has to potty. I liked this pair especially (originally posted by Lemonwood Clock) because it used burp rags as a center piece to absorb better if an accident were to happen. I had just been gifted a bunch of burp rags and even though they work great for well, burp rags- I grabbed two big ones that had small stains to use for this. I think I'll still have plenty left for the new baby, there were quite a few. Another bonus? Along The Mom Road was nice enough to add to the tutorial by creating a printable 2t underwear pattern. 

Just the size I needed.

Surfer Slacks in Khaki and Navy Blue

Good morning! 

I'm rarely up before 6:30 am as I am pretty fond of sleeping but this morning Archer wasn't having it. He was up yelling before six so I pulled him into bed thinking it would give me at LEAST until 6:45 am to wake up. Instead, he poked me a while, demanded my blanket saying "It's MINE MINE MINE!", and told me the window was open. Anyways, I gave up and now here I am. So, good morning and I hope you had the chance to wake up leisurely this morning. 

Pajama Pants in Brown and Red

More pajama pants? 

Yes.

Although I truly enjoy the creative process of sewing, my main concern is that my kids get what they need because I rarely (and I mean VERY rarely) go purchase items that my children need. I don't do a lot of "shopping around" when they are lacking the essential clothing items, instead I dig into my stash and make the items. Which is probably why I spent my daily sewing time, aka naptime, sewing a doggie diaper yesterday. It was the LAST thing I wanted to be sewing, but it was the first thing our family needed right now. So I done did it.  

Giveaway Winner !

This season on Project Run and Play has been a doozy. Not only did I sew along, but my good friend Karly from Paisley Roots was asked to be a REAL contestant! I was over the moon for her! 

Then, to top it all off, she won! 

You can imagine the excitement I held for her. I mean, we've both been following the competition as sew-a-longers for many seasons and have really bonded over our mutual love to sew. I simply cannot describe how proud I am of her talent and heart. Each week we'd see the looks go up and I would be rooting her on and oggling all of her work. 

To be a part of her "Thank You Giveaway" was a really fun way to end the PR&P season! 

Pajama Pants & Thrift Shop Finds

I was absent last week from the blog so the projects I was working on have accrued in a nice little "to-do list" for blog-writing that I keep on my kitchen table. I totally get that consistent posting is good, but enjoying each and every day is a huge priority for me. So, when we have sunshine, I push my computer aside and take my kids to the zoo or the library or somewhere we can get OUT and move. It tends to mess with my blog posts, but my children (and I) are so much happier! I'm sure anyone else living in a climate where winters are cold and icky can understand. 

Plus it leaves this week with lots of new posts, which is pretty fun.