Classic Polo from Peek-a-boo Patterns

Is it wrong to love a shirt? Because I totally do.

And the baby wearing it. Obviously.

The Classic Polo, this newly released pattern from Peek-a-boo Patterns, is my new fave. How did I not know how easy it is to sew a polo shirt?! Because it is ridiculously easy. Especially with Amy’s super clear instructions. Click here to view more details [affiliate link]I tested the short-sleeved version [the pattern includes both short and long sleeves] in the three month size on my [98th percentile for height] seven week old. Side note: newborn sewing takes scrap sizes of fabric and barely any time. Love.
I used some knit I had picked up at a rummage sale last year. I had assumed the stripes were horizontal, but when I realized they were vertical, it suddenly screamed vintage baseball. So vintage blue buttons were the clear choice.He’s a fan. I mean really, a polo shirt that’s super cute, and I can sew it up before the baby starts crying? Yep, I’m on board with that too.

And while you’re sewing, it’s Thrifty Thursday at Peek-a-boo Patterns, and these super cute convertible pants are half off today only.

Perfect for spring and summer! Click here to view more details [affiliate link]

Spreading the love…

I wanted to share a few things I’m loving from around the blogosphere these days.

My lovely friend Alyson at Vintage Sunshine makes the most aDORable hoops [I have one in my sewing room that I love!]. She’s started a Happy Hoops subscription where you can get a monthly hoop for a discounted price. Handmade art makes me happy. :) Click over to her blog to see all the details.

Andrea at Go To Patterns designed the fabulous Casual Lady [affiliate link]- a dress and top pattern that is not only a super easy sew [eventually I'll show you mine!], but Andrea has also been donating the proceeds of this pattern to help victims of human trafficking. There’s still a week or so for you to purchase this pattern for yourself and help these women experience freedom in the process.

There are also some sweet coupon codes you can use to purchase multiple patterns in her shop [affiliate link]:

Use code MAY10 to get 10% off $20 or more
Use code MAY15 to get 15% off $30 or more
Use code MAY15 to get 20% off $65 or more

Heidi over at Elegance and Elephants has a sweet series – Knock it Off – that’s going on this month. I’ll be participating later this month! Be sure to check out the fabulous knock offs that have already been posted.

What are you loving right now in the bloggy world? Share a link in the comments!

Baby + Baby Pants

Well, apparently blogging [or doing anything, actually] with three kids + a newborn is not easy.

Slowly but surely, though, we are getting into some kind of routine. Sewing and blogging are making their way back into the mix… with the help of coffee. Lots of coffee.
Remember the baby pants tutorial? They’re getting good use these days.

Baby toes get me every time.

P.S. He peed through these pants about thirty seconds after I took this picture. Obviously.

Easter Sewing Inspiration [for the procrastinator]

I’ll admit it. I’m already going through sewing withdrawal!

But since I haven’t quite figured out how to fit sewing into the new baby schedule [read: what schedule?!] I thought I’d snag some inspiration and ideas for those of you who can sew right now. Especially for those of you who, like I always do, have procrastinated and need to do some quick pre-Easter sewing!

Need an Easter dress for a little girl? I’m loving the new Sunshine Dress from Shwin Designs.

How adorable are these Easter finger puppets from The Sewing Loft?

I so wish I had time to whip up some Basic Blazers [Click here to view more details] for my boys!

You can never go wrong with bunny ears – check out this super fun tutorial from Sew Chibi!

What have you been sewing for Easter? Let me sew vicariously through you!

[and p.s. please show some love and pin from the original sources!]

Surfer Slacks

As promised, I’m sharing with you another one of the patterns I had the privilege of testing for the Pattern Anthology collection. [If you missed yesterday's post, read it here to see the Submarine Pullover!]See Kate Sew is another pattern designer that you’ve got to know if you have littles to sew for. She has such a great style. Her little girl patterns kill me with cuteness. And as a mama of two, she knows a thing or two about what kids like to wear. This pattern was, of course, no exception!
The Surfer Slacks are a super easy sew. I don’t think you need a lot of sewing experience at all to sew these, especially with Kate’s great photo instructions that are very clear and easy to follow. There is one pattern piece for all the leg pieces and the pants have an elastic waistband, so they sew up really quickly.

The cuff detail at the bottom of the pants is my favorite part, and a fun way to highlight a fabric. Plus, you can pull the cuff down as they grow and extend the life of the pants. Win! The main fabric I used is a lightweight corduroy, which will carry really nicely from winter to spring. If winter ever ends…

I tend to make my oldest pants that are much slimmer, since he is ridiculously skinny, so at first I wasn’t sure if I would like the fit. But after watching him in them, I realized that the looser, relaxed look works for him too. Perfect for my boy who is running, jumping, and moving all.the.time.

Speaking of fun details – how great are these back pockets?

Don’t forget, the Pattern Anthology has patterns for boys AND girls and is a limited time package that you do not want to miss.

AND just to repeat what i said yesterday, I WAS GIVEN THIS PATTERN IN RETURN FOR TESTING IT AND GIVING MY HONEST FEEDBACK, BUT I DON’T GET ANYTHING FOR TELLING YOU HOW AWESOME IT IS – OR FOR TELLING YOU ABOUT THE PATTERN SALE. I JUST KNOW THAT YOU WILL DEFINITELY WANT THESE PATTERNS. :)

Submarine Pullover

If you sew kids’ clothing and you don’t know Shwin Designs, you are missing out. Shauna creates fabulous patterns for both boys and girls, and they never disappoint. One of my favorites is the Nowhere Man Pants, which I have made and used as a starting point for pants many times.

So when I had the opportunity to test another pattern from Shwin Designs, I jumped at the chance! This pattern is part of an amazing collection of patterns called Pattern Anthology – eight patterns by four designers [who are all so.darn.fabulous!] – but available for just a limited amount of time, only until March 24th!And like the other patterns I’ve made from Shwin Designs, this one was awesome. Clear instructions, great pictures, and seriously – look how amazing it is when you’re finished? I upcycled a men’s linen button-up shirt for the main fabric and had this super cute outdoorsy fabric [from Jo-Ann's] that my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas that I used for the accent fabric.Since I was part of the testing phase, there was some tweaking that needed to be done on the hood. So I added a band of fabric to the front of my hood [which is not in the pattern] to make up for that. I actually really love it this way, though, and would totally make it again like that in the future!
I loved how this pattern came together so nicely. I’d say it could be a bit complicated for a beginning sewist [but she has plenty of other patterns that would be good for you!] And despite my super uncooperative model’s face, he really loves it. He just hates to model for me. Even with bribery.

[See the Surfer Slacks here, which are also from the Pattern Anthology collection.]

and p.s. i was given this pattern in return for testing it and giving my honest feedback, but i don’t get anything for telling you how awesome it is – or for telling you about the pattern sale. i just know that you will definitely want these patterns. :)

Getting Ready for Baby: Cloth Wipes and Burp Cloths

If you’ve had a baby or seen a baby before… ever… you know that babies make a lot of messes. And usually at the times that are the most inconvenient [like when you're sitting in church or cleaning the house for guests to come over].

So some of the obvious baby prep for me was making more burp cloths and cloth wipes. We use burp cloths all the time still – even when we don’t have babies spitting up. We use them to wipe boogies and drool and tears and … well, whatever else might need wiping. And since I’ve had the same burp cloths for more than five years, some of them are looking beyond sad.

So using some of the flannel I scored from Jo-Ann Fabric’s Black Friday sale [three bolts! woot!] I made some easy peasy burp cloths.I just sandwiched two pieces of flannel together and used the rolled edge setting on my serger.Then I whipped up a bunch of cloth wipes in the same fashion. We use these with our cloth diapers, but they’re the perfect size for washing up in the bath or after meals too. We spend very little money on baby wipes by using these, and it’s one more way to use less waste.Plus they look cuter than baby wipes! And don’t worry, if you don’t have a serger, these are still easy for you too! Make them in a similar fashion to my quilted coasters [minus the quilting step].

And just in case you don’t follow me on instagram…The baby belly in all it’s glory. And my “I went to the hospital in labor and they sent me home when it stopped so now I’m still waiting for this baby” face.

Happy sewing, friends!

Easy DIY Baby Pants Tutorial

With a house already full of boys, I haven’t had the need to buy much of anything for this new babe. I did want to make a few things for baby, however, and one of my favorite things to make is baby pants. Okay, pants in general are a fave, I’ll admit, but especially baby pants. Everything is much better in miniature version.

There are two things that I really love about sewing knit baby pants: they are a super quick sew and they take very little fabric.

Don’t have a baby to sew for? This tutorial is basically an updated version of my lounge pants, so you could easily make these for any sized kid.

If you know my crazy love for upcycling, you have to know that I adore using thrifted T-Shirts for baby pants. Not only does it make these even that much faster to make, it also gives you so many great fabric options. [the two pants on the right were both upcycled from thrifted tees!] And obviously, stripes are always a good choice…

1. Lay a pair of baby pants on top of your fabric/thrifted tee. You want to line up the outside seam of your pants with the folded edge of your fabric. Cut around the pants, giving yourself a little extra fabric around the side for a seam allowance. [for baby pants made out of knit, I make the front and back the same, but you can always make the back a little higher if you need some room in the booty]

Be sure also that you add some extra length at the top for the waistband. How much will depend on how wide your elastic is. I prefer to use fold over elastic like this:

for baby pants, since it’s soft and won’t dig into baby’s skin at all.

2. Sew down the inseam of each leg, with the right sides of the fabric together.

4. Turn the pant legs right side out. Pin the legs together at the center seam and sew.

5. Sew the ends of your elastic together. My elastic was about 14in. long, allowing room for overlap as the ends were sewn together. I don’t want my pants to be too tight, and I cloth diaper my babes, so I don’t need the pants to be super skinny. And my babies tend to be well over eight pounds. If yours are smaller, you might want to use less elastic.

6. Fold the top of the waistband over the circle of elastic and pin in place.

7. Sew the waistband down, being careful not to sew the elastic at the same time.And then sew up a bunch for all the babies you know, because it was so ridiculously quick!

C’mon, baby, you’ve got some sweet stripey pants waiting for you!

K.I.D.S. post on Me Sew Crazy!

Today I’m sharing an outfit my five-year-old and I designed together as part of Jessica’s K.I.D.S. series at Me Sew Crazy!

So come on by to check out my son’s inspiration drawing and a little pocket tutorial!

Sew in Tune: Sunglasses at Night

Today I’m over at Melly Sews, sharing the rockstar look I talked about yesterday, as part of the Sew in Tune series.Click over to see a fun tutorial for the shirt I made for my little rocker. And to check out the rest of the awesome song inspired looks!