Racerback Dress in Teepees and Fringe + quick tutorial

Hi! 

I wanted to jump on and share with you a quick and easy way I've discovered to change the bottom hem of my dresses into fringe. I've been really liking the look that fringe gives with it's movement, but I wasn't sure if I could create the clean precise strips and I wasn't interested in buy fringe trim and hoping that it washed well. 

But, I found a quick and easy solution that I can reuse over and over again. 

See? 

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.

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! 

Brindille & Twig Bodysuits version 1 and 2

Before I get to these ...

I'm going to start with a list. 

I really like lists. I make them in my head when walking around. I am most likely to hand you something written in list form. I make multiple lists per day on scratch paper I find in my house. Even simple things like "do laundry" or "unload the dishwasher" get listed because checking off things from a list is satisfying to me. It keeps me focused and goal oriented and so I think it'll help me expand in my writing here on the blog as well.
So here goes my first list, I think you will all need it as much as I do.

 5 Reasons Why Winter Isn't Total Hell:

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. 

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. 

Racerback Dress in Stripes

Something's got to give when you have a new baby, right? 

Right. 

I love sewing and blogging, but guys- this baby is gorgeous and snuggly and cute in all the best ways. 

Crawford Family Quilt: Earth Day Square

I've said it again and again - in our house, we love Earth Day! 

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)

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.

The Last Dress ... ? Little Geranium in Mustard Yellow and Geometric

Goodness guys, I'm still waiting for a baby. My first came 7 days early forever messing with my perception of the due date. My second waited and I was induced 3 days after my due date - something I now wish I wouldn't have done. This time, I'm waiting it out. I feel really good about my choice to let baby come naturally, but I also realize that with Lily coming early, I've since expected them to (probably to keep myself from procrastinating!). Yeah, but that's not happening and now I'm squeezing in sewing time hoping to finish each item *before the baby comes. It's fun!

I just finished a little newborn geranium dress in case we have a little lady. 

Fox Lovey Pattern Review & Giveaway!

With baby Crawford version 3.0 ready to make it's entrance at any time, I feel like today's review and giveaway fits right in. Emily from Tangible Pursuits contacted me several weeks ago regarding her Fox Lovey pattern. I had admired Emily's Fox Lovey on her facebook page  and commented to tell her it was adorable -  needless to say, I was happy when asked review the pattern and excited that she was generously going to offer one of my readers the chance to win it.
YAY!

Sew-a-bration Of Womanhood: The Buttercup Bag in Canvas

I'm so pleased to be back again this year for the wonderful series "The Sew-A-Bration of Womanhood." Last year it was referred to as "Make For Mom" - but this year it has undergone a great transformation where all women are celebrated, rather than just mothers! 

For more information on the change, visit this post by our lovely hosts - The Shaffer Sisters where they explain it oh, so well. Also hosting the series this year is one of the Season 9 contestants of Project Run & Play- a very talented lady Ajaire, from Call Ajaire. 

What's Next?

Hi! I know that after the fury of KCW, Calling All Kids, and PR&P it seems so quiet around here. Well, in truth it is pretty quiet. I haven't stopped working but I've been using my time to prep for next month when I'll be guest posting on a few great blogs. I'm also prepping for our baby to come any day now! I've still got a few weeks until I'm due, but the reality is baby chooses when it wants to show up. :)

I'll give you with a little teaser of what's next:

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 5: Newborn Geranium Dresses

Another great pattern I have found for the new baby is the adorable Little Geranium Dress offered on Made By Rae.