Upcycled Vintage Sheets

Boy, getting back into the groove of blogging has been such a struggle after having Skye, ahem, a year ago. So, I was piling up projects for The Lucky Star Market that I was a vendor for last weekend and staring at all the items made me a tad sad. No, I'm not going all sappy about it, but know that I do love sharing everything I make with the sewing community. I was sad because I gained so much inspiration from the seamstresses I found online, and that's really what pushed me to keep making and failing and making again. I really like it when I get to give something back. Even if it's simply something beautiful for others to enjoy, and that small moment inspired me to take time to write up some new content.  

I'll start it off with a great find from the thrift store... a vintage Disney sheet rocking Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck (with those two nephews.. Hewey and dewey right? Is that how you spell Hewey?)  This sheet is such a throw back to childhood and though I had an entire list of other projects I wanted to get done, I tossed that thing aside and made upcycled clothes.

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! 

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. 

Wearing My Work: Baby Skye Maxine

Before baby was born I had sewn up some clothing for her to wear, and while I LOVE showing what I create right away - it's always fun to come back to them to see what they look like while on the baby! 

Here's a geranium dress I made. Though it was newborn it took her a couple of weeks before she could put it on. Really though, she was only 7 lbs at birth and filled out very quickly, making this an adorable staple in her wardrobe. 

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?).

Stitchwerx Designs Ainsley & Aiden Baby Suite I Pattern Release & Giveaway Blog Tour

Welcome to the Stitchwerx Designs blog tour. If you haven't seen the other tour participants, make sure to check them out! (links at bottom)

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. 

KCW Wrap Up & Mix N' Match Gender Neutral Baby Outfits

I finished KCW feeling amazed at all of the items I managed to sew in a weeks time. Here's a pile of my baby items. It didn't have Lily's green dress since she was wearing it at the time of the photograph. 

KCW Day 7: The Racerback Dress in Green

On the last day of KCW I decided that I had sufficiently stocked up on newborn/small sized baby clothing and that this day I would have a little fun. Of course the project was finished towards dinner time when light was less than ideal, so I chose to wait to photograph. I even tried (for a good twenty minutes) to see if I could play with lighting/settings on my camera to get a decent photo and found it futile. For my level of photography skill, proper natural light is needed. 

KCW & Calling All Kids Day 3: Baby Romper In Blue& Buses

Last night I had an unexpected surge of sewing power and started on my version of  The Baby Romper offered as a free pdf pattern by Shwin & Shwin. I made it over a year ago as a baby shower gift but this time it's for me!

KCW Day 2: Baby

Back for Day 2. 

I kept tackling my baby list and even added to it a little. 

KCW Day1 & Calling All Kids

Kids Clothes Week (aka KCW) is a sewing event I've followed for quite some time. I've enjoyed taking time to plan out my kids outfits rather than flying by the seat of my pants. It's that extra creative step that many times gets left out & during KCW and other challenges I get to stop and really enjoy the creative process of sewing that I love so much. 

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.

KCW Day 3 & Upcycle Challenge

Day 3 - A success! 

After mulling over a bazillion ideas that I wasn't feeling, I chose to make Archer a tshirt I originally saw on Pinterest that was similar to this but dip dyed in blues.  

KCW Day 2

 Here we are day 3 of KCW and I'm chugging along slowly. I've had some setbacks people - what's new? I managed to finish this pillowcase nightgown but alas I made it a size too small for my lady 

(sad face) and so it will likely find a good home among my friends who have smaller little girls. BLASPHEMY!

Archer's Upcycled Long Sleeve Tee

Remember when I said I had some upcycles in mind? I didn't realize how quickly it would be, but here we are! I realized recently that Archer is outgrowing his 18 month shirts. He is especially in need of warm long sleeves. I'm super happy that my good friends know my love of sewing and frequently drop off piles of old clothing at my house. Not too long ago, a male friend of mine gifted me a pile of extremely nice mens shirts that had been shrunk in the wash. I have since used them to make quite a few items, but there were still a few left. 

Sweatshirt Upcycle: A-Symmetrical Jacket

Today I'm sharing yet another upcycle. 

I have a large box overflowing with clothing items that need to be shown some love& this winter they're definitely getting it.

This particular project began it's life as an ill-fitting Hanes sweatshirt that I purchased cheap. I thought it  was comfy until I washed it & it shrunk in length (not width) leaving me this odd oversized crop-top style sweatshirt. Into the box it went.