Summer Brights [part of the Knock it Off series!]

Today I’m super excited to be part of the Knock it Off series at Elegance and Elephants.

I’ll admit, I have a hard time shopping for regular priced clothes for my kids. Not only do kids outgrow their clothes ridiculously fast, but seriously… $25 for a pair of shorts that they’re going to get mud all over in five seconds? Um, no thank you.

So with a combination of upcycling and from scratch sewing, I knocked off this GAP outfit for my five-year-old [ahem, five and a half...].

I am loving the bright colors of spring! I had some green denim from JoAnn’s that was perfect for these simple flat-front shorts.And I added some faux back pockets, just for fun. :)The sweatshirt was upcycled from an XXL hoodie that I snagged at a thrift store a long time ago. It’s suuuuper soft. Upcycling tip: use existing pieces of the garment to create your own. I re-used the hood and part of the pocket. I also cut off the waistband and re-attached it onto the bottom of my sweatshirt. Such a time saver!The hoodie wasn’t a henley, so I added the placket and buttons. I did my stitching in a green thread to match the shorts… just because I liked the green so much.The gingham shirt was one that had been retired from my hubby’s closet. Have you ever sized down a button-up for your kiddos? So easy.

Place a pattern piece [or a folded shirt] on top of the button-up shirt. If your pattern piece is for knit fabric [like mine was], give some extra seam allowance. Cut around the pattern piece, cutting through both the front and the back. DO NOT cut through the button placket or the collar. Leave those in-tact.

Note: Unless you’re making a shirt for something super formal like a wedding, you can most likely get away with leaving the collar in-tact for an older child. Or if you have a smaller child, use a smaller shirt. It will be a little big, but not so noticeable that you need to go through the trouble of messing with the collar.Cut off both sleeves and cut them to match your sleeve pattern piece [or use a shirt that fits your child]. Re-use the hem of the sleeve to make it an even easier sew.

Enter super fancy graphics…

Unfold the body of the shirt and the sleeves – sew the sleeves on. 

Sew along the bottom of the sleeves and down the sides of the shirt. Seriously easy.

Thanks for popping in today! Happy sewing. :)

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Cuff Bracelet Tutorial: Because She’s Worth it!

When thinking about what kind of bracelet or zipper pouch tutorial I wanted to share with you as part of the She’s Worth it Campaign, the very first thing that came to mind was a simple cuff bracelet.

Natural fibers, easy to make, and one that requires little to no sewing skills.
Supplies Needed:

• felted wool
• twill tape
• button
• needle/thread
• fabric paint
• paint brush/stamps
• sewing machine – optional
• scissors

1. Cut a rectangle from a scrap of felted wool that fits around your wrist snugly, but not too tightly. Choose something that’s soft and feels good against your skin – and make sure the fabric stretches horizontally [around your wrist].

2. Cut a piece of twill tape that’s a couple inches long, depending on what word you are printing.

3. Carefully sew the twill tape onto the center of the rectangle. This could be done with a sewing machine or by hand. [you may find this step easier to do after you paint your letters on - it's your choice] The two cut ends will fray, but I really like how this looks.

4. Using fabric paint and either stamps or a paint brush, paint your letters onto the twill tape.

5. Cut a small slit on one end that is just large enough for your button.

6. Hand sew the button onto the other end.

Awkward hand shot… definitely no hand modeling in my future, friends.

This one I cut smaller and cut the twill tape on all sides, so that it would fray all around.

Have you made a bracelet or zipper pouch to give to women and girls who have been rescued from slavery? Want to see some other tutorials to get more inspiration? Andrea has made a Pinterest board for the She’s Worth it Campaign, so be sure to follow and get involved. Because she is worth it.

Cool Cardigan… with mix and match patterns

Have y’all seen Blank Slate Patterns by Melly Sews? This girl is a fellow boy-mama and a pattern making machine.

I recently sewed up the Cool Cardigan for my oldest. And seriously, this pattern is fabulous.

I used the size 5 and it was mostly a good fit. My dude is RIDICULOUSLY skinny, so when I make it again, I’ll for sure take in the sides.

I had ordered both knit fabrics from Girl Charlee, and I really like it a lot, though the sweater knit turned out to be much thinner than I had anticipated [only because I failed to read where it said "lightweight" - woops!]. So I upcycled an old sweatshirt and lined the cardigan.

I love the combo of the argyle and stripes. The contrasting bands and pockets are a great feature. I omitted the buttons on the pockets, because I knew my 5yo would never use the buttons and they would end up just driving him crazy. Plus I only used three buttons instead of four, like pattern called for, because… well, I only had three matching buttons. ;)

As long as you don’t have prego baby brain like me, this pattern is a pretty quick sew. If you do have prego baby brain, just expect it to take a little longer, as you stare at the pattern instructions without understanding even the simplest of steps. [cut on the fold.. what does that even mean?! kidding. sort of.]

And p.s. don’t forget, today is the last day to buy the Sew Fab e-pattern bundle! I’ve never seen a pattern deal like this before, so if you haven’t scooped this one up, be sure to do it today!

The Grandpa Inspired Look – sewing along with PR&P’s boy week

Well I’m sewing along with another week of Project Run and Play! Really, how could I not sew along with boy week?

I decided to sew for my three-year-old, because honestly, I don’t do that often. Poor middle child. Plus, he’s my most reluctant model.

As I lay awake the other night [seriously, pregnancy insomnia? I'd like to sleep while I can, thankyouverymuch], I knew exactly what I needed to make for my middle man. Inspired, once again, by this photo:

My grandpa seriously knew how to rock the plaid pants. Instead of going plaid this time, though, I went argyle. Argyle! I seriously love this fabric.

The pants are made from this yummy Kaufman 21 Wale Cool Cords Argyle Brown that I got from fabric.com. It’s a self-drafted pattern based on another pair of his pants, and they fit him exactly the way I wanted.

The shirt is upcycled from a men’s tee and self-drafted as well, though I wish I had made the neckline a little bit higher. This dude of mine has a large head and since I don’t sew for him terribly often, I always overcompensate.

Then to take the grandpa inspiration to the next level, I sized down a thrifted sweater. I used the existing neckline, which meant I had to move a button up. It ended up a little bit big, but he should be able to wear it for awhile.

The pants also have a little flare at the bottom [which I could not capture for the life of me, since he was being oh-so-cooperative].

Flat front, elastic back. Best style for a three-year-old.

He really was a fan of the clothes. Maybe just not a fan of me….

And then he realized just how crazy his mom is for making him stand in front of the open door in twenty degree weather.

 

Linking up with Make it Wear it on The Train to Crazy.

Handmade from Head to Toe [a new outfit]

Even though we’re in the midst of the Boys Will Be Boys… gift series [which I'm totally loving, by the way - I hope you are too!], I decided to break from the tutorial posts.

If you are a sewing mama, you might be with me when I say that sometimes, you just have to sew for your littles.

Even if that means letting your toddler rip apart your scrap bin so that you can do it.

But when you come out on the other side, and you have an outfit that is pretty much exactly what you had in mind, it’s worth every second of clean up.

With some tweaking of my overall pattern, I made these pants with soft, comfortable grey corduroy [that I've used before on these pants].

The pants are fully lined with this fabulous fabric.

He’s wearing the shoes I made from the pattern I shared this morning. Once again, he thought they were not worthy of photographing. I disagreed, but you know how it is arguing with a 16 month old.

At least the shoes are nice to look at, even when they’re not on baby feet.

The shirt is upcycled from a men’s XXL T-shirt snagged on clearance at Target. I modified the Lil’ Long Johns pattern to make the tee, since I really liked the fit. [ironically, the shirt I upcycled for those PJs was also found at Target on clearance... I scored the mother load of XXL T-shirts that day]

Hooray for new outfits!

Boys Will Be Boys: Soft Soled Baby Shoes Tutorial and FREE Pattern!

We’re already halfway through our gift series, Boys Will be Boys, so Handmake Their Toys!

Click the image to see all the posts in this series.

So far in the series, I’ve shared a lot of tutorials for toys your little boys are sure to love. [well, mine are sure to love them anyway!] But sometimes you want to be a little more practical with your gifts. And really, how many toys do your littles really need… even if they are handmade?

So today you get a tutorial for a gift that’s perfect for those littlest boys who are content to play with pots and wooden spoons. And who just need to add a little cuteness to their wardrobe, instead of adding to their toy bin.

Supplies:

• felted wool
• 1/8 inch elastic
• soft leather
• sweatshirt scraps *optional
• sewing machine
• coordinating thread
• scissors

1. Download the soft soled baby shoes pattern. This is nothing fancy [but it's free!], and it is sized for a young toddler – between 12-18mos. My son wears a size 5 shoe or 12-18mo. soft-soled shoes (like Robeez), and these fit him well. If your child wears a different size, just scale the pattern up or down.

2. Cut out the half circle pattern piece out of felted wool. You will need two of this piece. You will also need to cut two rectangles of wool that are 2.5in x 7.5in. I used this awesome vintage wool suit coat that I thrifted and felted.

3. Now cut two of the oval pattern piece out of soft leather [I upcycled mine from a vest]. I also cut two ovals of sweatshirt material, to make the shoe a little more cushiony for baby’s foot. This is optional, though.

4. Fold over the edge of the half circle piece and top-stitch. Because you are using felted wool, you don’t have to worry about the edges fraying.

5. Fold over one long edge of the rectangle piece and top-stitch.

6. Cut 5in. of elastic and attach it to a small safety pin. Use that pin to thread the elastic through the rectangle piece of wool. [note: if your baby has particularly pudgy ankles, you might want to use 6in. of elastic]

7. When your elastic is just barely sticking out of your wool, zig-zag the end to attach it. Then pull the rest of the elastic to the end [the wool will bunch up slightly as you do this] and zig-zag the other end.

8. Now pin the rectangle onto the half-circle, as seen above. The finished edges should be facing away from you.

9. Use a straight stitch to sew the two pieces together. You’ll want to sew two rows of stitching – one that is close to the edge of the rectangle piece and one that is close to the edge of the half-circle piece. [you can see the two rows of stitching if you look carefully at the picture above]

10. Sandwich the leather and sweatshirt piece together. The sweatshirt piece should be on the bottom. Then pin the wool pieces around the leather. The finished side of the wool should be facing the leather.

11. Zig-zag stitch along the edges, making sure to capture all layers of fabric as you go. Repeat all these steps for the second shoe.

Now turn your shoes right side out and admire your handiwork!

And attempt to capture them in action… but of course, a 16 month-old will not sit when you want him to and does not yet understand bribery…

Stacey at Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy has a great stocking stuffer over at her place today. Super hero hand warmers! She also has a giveaway for a T-shirt from I Heart Bricks that your boy would LOVE to wear!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaways from Fabric Fairy and See Kate Sew!

Re-using Handmade Birthday Decorations [happy birthday, E!]

When my oldest turned three, I went on a little birthday decoration making spree.

I made him a crown.

I appliqued T-shirts with threes on them.

I even made a no-sew birthday banner.

In the past two years, there have been many birthdays, but I have yet to make anything new to add to the collection.

But lucky for me, this little lovey turns three today! And we get to re-use all of the wonderful birthday decor that I created two years ago. [we do use the banner all the time... it's very well-loved by now]

So happy birthday to my Eli! Three years of hugs, laughs, and trains. And just enough nutty to keep mama on her toes. ;) Wouldn’t change it for anything.

The Easiest, Coziest Pillow Cover Ever: a Tutorial

Sometimes life is funny… like how you blog about listening to your body and taking more naps. Then you come down with the stomach flu and have to stay in bed all.day.long. Funny or … not so funny?

Today was a slow day of recovery. But since I was bored silly yesterday [I actually got sick of Netflix... who knew that could happen?], I needed to sew today. Need. Rather than clean the house. Because obviously sewing is much more important.

Awhile back, I made these pillows. They’re still on my couch. And after seeing Andrea’s super cute Christmas pillows, I realized they don’t quite fit the change in seasons.

So, after raiding my to-be-upcycled sweater stash [which is quite large, if you must know], I now have a pillow that took me about 10 minutes to make.

Supplies:

• Button-up sweater [pick a fuzzy one for maximum coziness]
• Scissors
• Sewing machine and thread

1. Lay out your sweater. Using your pillow form, decide where you should cut your sweater. This will depend on how big the sweater is to start with. This one is a crop-length sweater, so it’s going to make a smaller pillow.

2. Cut your sweater to fit the pillow form, keeping the buttons buttoned. My sweater was the perfect width, so I only had to make one cut, underneath the armpits. [If you cut unevenly like *ahem* I did, you can easily fix that when you're sewing. Plus, no one will really notice, as sweaters are stretchy and forgiving of mistakes!]

3. Turn the sweater inside out [keeping it buttoned]. Sew across the top and the bottom. Note: in the picture above, the sweater is not inside out. If your sweater is too wide, you will also have to sew up the other sides.

4. Turn the sweater right side out, unbutton, insert your pillow form, and re-button. Now cozy up with some kind of hot drink and a good book. Or maybe clean the house first. Maybe.

Handmade Costume Series – an Upcycled Elephant Tutorial!

Last year, I had the privilege of being part of Andrea’s Handmade Costume series. It was so much fun [you can see my tutorial from last year here].

I’m so happy to be over there again this year, sharing another costume tutorial!

So come on over to The Train to Crazy and check out my tutorial, so you can have your own handmade elephant in your house. And while you’re there, be sure to check out all the other awesome costume tutorials!

Dress to Skirt Refashion! [A little tutorial]

Refashion. Upcycle. Thrifting.

These could quite possibly be some of my favorite words ever. EVAH.

So when I walk through a thrift store, I tend to look with a “what could I do with this?” kind of eye.

Awhile back, I found this lovely green sundress:

But as lovely as it was, it didn’t fit. Not. Even. Close. Let’s just say, I’m pretty sure Taylor Swift doesn’t make clothes for nursing mamas… [and p.s. who even knew she had a clothing line?]

Simple fix: cut off the bottom and make it a skirt instead!

I found some no-roll elastic in my supplies [it's either 1.5 or 2inches wide]. I wrapped it around my waist to get the length I wanted. I sewed the elastic into a circle an then pinned the skirt around it, gathering as I went along.

I could’ve dyed the elastic but well, that wouldn’t have been quite as simple of a refashion and I’m not a tuck-your-shirt-into-your-skirt kinda girl anyway.

It has pockets! Yay!

[Photo courtesy of my four-year-old photographer]