A Summer of Being (or Rationalizing Lazy!)

Last spring, when I was scheduling our summer and discussing options with the kids for camps and other things, my oldest told me that he didn't want to do too much this summer.  I think he specifically said, "I just want to relax."  Well, relax we did.

We also sewed, watched movies, spent time at our neighborhood pool, and hung out with friends...

Visited family, participated in a few summer camps and workshops, did more sewing, and went to a drive-in...

Made our own games, visited museums, swam, kayaked, sampled many kinds of ice cream, and slept in late...

Spent time with cousins, and more time with friends.  We had a fun-filled, but also a lazy summer.  Just the way it should be, I suppose.  Or at least that's what I told myself when I was feeling guilty for not updating the blog ALL summer.  These years of being able to really spend time with my kids are limited; I'm grateful for this time just being together.

I'm also ready for school to start again on Monday; for us all to be back on a schedule and to be able to accomplish my own tasks.  But, man, what a lovely, lazy summer!

Catching up... plus a roly-poly winner!

My kids had their last day of school on Friday, and all the craziness that goes along with the end of the school year during the preceding week(s).  Included in that craziness were a couple of parties to celebrate construction beginning on a brand new green schoolyard to replace the massive blacktop "parking lot" that functioned as a play area at our school for so long.  We are very excited about this!!  And I'm happy to now officially be on Summer Break... but I'm also waiting for that first "What can I do?" -- the equivalent in our house of "I'm bored!"  I'm trying to prepare with stacks of regular books, audio books, workbooks, and lots of crafty and outdoor activities.  And I still haven't even started to sort through the massive stack of school work that came home last week.  Oh well.  All in good time.  We've left that all behind for almost a week anyway, and have traveled to Michigan to visit my parents and my sister's family, including my new baby niece, who is just the loveliest, sweetest little thing.

I managed to fit in a little bit of sewing in the last week of school, but not much.  I stitched up this big tote bag for my daughter's Kindergarten teacher, then the class room parents filled it with summery and beachy-type things for an end of the year thank you gift.

Finally, in case you're wondering who the lucky winner of the roly poly pattern giveaway was... it was Angie, who said. "my fav side is the grey with the tiny asterisk."  Congrats to Angie!!  Rachael from Imagine Gnats will be contacting her shortly with the pattern link.  And thanks so much to everyone who commented and visited during the roly-poly blog tour!  It was so much fun to participate and to follow along and see all the amazing roly-poly creations.  If you missed any, check out Rachael's roly-poly-along wrap-up to see them all.

Roly-poly blog tour + giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Roly-poly-along Blog Tour!  If you're not already familiar with it, the roly-poly is a pinafore tunic pattern designed by the lovely, talented, and genuinely witty Rachael Gander of Imagine Gnats.  I started following Rachael's blog shortly before I met her in person last October and have to admit that I was a little intimidated to meet her.  I needn't have been, though.  She is warm, down-to-earth and perfectly friendly.  This is her first ever sewing pattern for a garment, and I am more than happy to help her promote it.  It really is a fabulous pattern.

Don't miss the roly-poly pattern giveaway at the end of this post!

I decided on an asterisk roly-poly for my second take on the pattern (my first version was done when I tested the pattern for Rachael).  I'm a little obsessed with asterisks, although I really like most typographical symbols (or glyphs); and I'm always happy to be able to use a semicolon in my writing.  Did you notice that, back there, how I slipped in a semicolon in the sentence about semicolons?!  Yes, I know I'm a nerd.

Anyway... the roly-poly.  The pattern is reversible, which is awesome for two reasons at least:  a) There are no visible seams or hems to worry about.  b) You can simply turn it the other way around if it gets dirty -- perfect for dealing with ice cream drips and other causalities of summer.  I used Essex linen in gray for the giant wonky asterisk on the outside front of the pinafore and a cotton print (Tent in rose by Brandon Mably for Rowan) for the negative space.

On the reverse side, I used the Essex linen again with a simple tiny little asterisk applique in the print fabric.  For the back of both sides, I used the same cotton print.  Don't you just love the criss-cross in the back?  And the cute little pleat in the front?  Plus, you can make the pinafore with or without pockets -- I chose to add pockets to the front side, but not the reverse.  These are the perfect little details that make this pattern unique.

And, although I could have constructed the big asterisk as a huge applique, I chose instead to piece it... partly because I was frugally trying to conserve fabric... but also, why not challenge myself with piecing curves and points when I had never done it before and it could easily end in an epic fail?!  Somehow, with a little seam ripping, lots and lots and lots of pins (!), much pressing with the iron, and shear luck, I managed to make it work.  Whew!

At the end of our photo shoot, my daughter took the roly-poly for a "roll" (sorry!) on her scooter.  It worked well -- I think the photos speak for themselves!

If you'd like to make your own version of the roly-poly, you can purchase the pattern here.  Or, even better, Rachael has allowed me to give one free pattern away here!

To win a copy of the roly-poly pinafore tunic pattern, simply leave a comment below before 6pm EST on Thursday, May 30.  Please make sure your email is included in your comment, especially if it's not connected to your blogger profile.

Here's the entire roly-poly blog tour schedule, so you can check out any posts you may have missed, as well as the ones coming up the rest of this week and next:

5.13 Jill Made with Moxie / Stephanie The Crafty Kitty

5.14 Stephanie NeurosesGalore / Cherie you & mie

5.15 Ari Max California / Caila Caila Made

5.16 Veronica SewVery / Tara Girl like the sea

5.17 Nancy owen's olivia / Adrianna Crafterhours

5.20 Ajaire Call ajaire / Sarah EmmylouBeeDoo

5.21 Laura Craftstorming / Jessica a little gray

5.22 Frances Miss Matatabi / Nicke kiss kiss quilt

5.23 Amy formwork design / Kat Sew Chibi

5.24 Joanne Rose & Dahlia / Amanda Kitschy Coo

5.27 Celina Petit a Petit and family / Delia Delia Creates

5.28 Christy a.Amelia handmade / Carolyn Fake It While You Make It

5.29 Bonnie Fishsticks Designs / Maria La Inglesita

5.30 Jane Buzzmills / Kate Things for Charlie

5.31 Polly Jack & GeeGee / Molly Rose & Odin

Press, cut, sew, press, sew {repeat}

I've been busy, busy, busy following the steps above, but wanted to pop in here for just a moment.  I'm stitching up as much as possible for an art fair that I'm participating in this weekend.  And crossing my fingers for lovely weather (the forecast says possible rain) and lots of sales (pretty please?).

This shoulder bag is one of the things I've been making.  (Forgive the cluttered background and bad lighting -- I don't have time to stage a proper photo right now!!)  I designed the bag around this amazing architecturally graphic fabric I found at IKEA recently.  It's called Bjornloka Figur.  Cool, huh?

{image from ikea.com}

It was screaming out to me, "I want to be a bag!!"  Don't you see it?!  The colored "Y"s on one side, and the white "Y" on the other?  Plus the fabric has just enough of the black field in the middle to cut the shoulder straps from.  I managed to find solids fabrics from my local Joann's to match the mustard and blue for lining the bags and straps.  Here are some bags with the blue lining on my cutting table (aka dining room table).

I'm fortunate to have my sewing machine in our sunny back room and so have been enjoying the sun and warm breezes of this beautiful almost-summer while I work.  Speaking of my sewing desk, I'd better get back to the process of pressing, cutting, sewing, etc. before I run out of time, but I wanted to share this last image, because I love it for so many reasons.

This was taken last weekend.  My 9 year old son is in our backyard fort with the laptop, working on a research project for school.  I like the view of him, concentrating, through the "window" of the missing board.  It's a cool-ish, but sunny, spring day, and our Prairiefire Crabapple is in full bloom.

Itty bitty baby clothes

My new baby niece is scheduled to arrive in this world tomorrow!!  I'm so excited to have a teeny tiny baby in the family again for many reasons, but top among them is the excuse to sew adorable little clothes.  Of course I'm also completely excited for my sister's expanding family and all that other awesome stuff, including the idea of getting to know a brand new person, and smelling the sweet baby smell on the top of her little head.  But, well, sewing tiny clothes is pretty fun, too, right?!

My daughter and I found this cute infant-sized embroidered and smocked top on sale, but we couldn't find any bottoms to go with it.  So I made these little bitty blue jeans.  Okay, they're not really technically jeans.  I used denim-colored linen/cotton (not actual denim) and I didn't add pockets or any type of "jean" detailing.  They kind of look like jeans, though, because of the color and texture, so that's what I'm calling them.  I designed the appliqued knee patches to go with the embroidery motif of the top, but I also wanted it to be simple and graphic, 'cause that's kind of my sewing style.  Hopefully the knee patches are where her actual knees will be -- hard to tell without her here to try them on!

Fabric:  Essex yarn dyed linen/cotton in Denim
Pattern:  Basic newborn pant pattern and tutorial from Made by Rae.

And I made this dress.  I had been toying with different fabrics from my stash for the dress, then I found this orange print from Denyse Schmidt's DS Quilts collection at Joann's.  I like the retro feel and the soft orange color of the print.  It just blows me away that there will soon be this tiny, fragile and amazing person who will (hopefully) be able to fit into this dress.  (I can't quite seem to remember when my kids where that small anymore!)  It has an applique of an asterisk because I like that symbol... and it's part of my business name... and, well, I couldn't really think of anything else except a bird or a butterfly, and those just didn't seem quite right to me.

Fabric:  an orange print from the DS Quilts collection (There's no specific print name on the selvage and I couldn't even find an image on Google in order to identify it.)
Pattern:  Infant peasant dress pattern and tutorial from Sew Much Ado.

I'll be sending these off later this week.  Welcome to the world, little girl!  I can't wait to meet you.

Upcycled summer top

For my daughter, who loves bright colors and patterns, although she recently claimed her favorite color is black.  This top incorporates both!!  I found a brightly colored t-shirt at Goodwill, then two solid t-shirts (the green and black) to match.  The new cross-over style top is made entirely from the original three tees.  At $2.99 per shirt, the total cost was about $9.00.  Not bad, right?!

I had an idea in my head of what I wanted the top to look like and, using a t-shirt with a similar silhouette, I made a pattern and figured out the details as I went along.  Luckily, knit fabric is pretty forgiving!  I read a bit about sewing on a knit binding, including this tutorial, then cut strips from the black t-shirt to bind the neckline and arms.  The horizontal black band is simply a folded strip of fabric sewn into the seam between the bodice and bottom part of the shirt.  And I cut the original shirts carefully so as to re-use the bottom hems, since I knew my stitches wouldn't look quite as neat and tidy as the original ones.

I made this to enter in Goodwill's Ultimate Upcycling Contest, but then found it so difficult to navigate their contest page -- I had difficulty even finding my own project at first -- that I didn't have the heart to ask others to try to find my project and vote for me.  Anyway, it inspired me to make Ellie a new summer top, and to grow my confidence in sewing knits.  So, definitely worth the effort, I'd say.  It looks comfy doesn't it?  Wonder if I could manage to make one for myself...

Roly-Poly Pinafore: pattern test

When Rachael from Imagine Gnats asked me to test this new pattern she's developing -- called the Roly-Poly Pinafore -- I happily agreed.  I'd never tested a pattern before, but last year I made Rachael's madeleine bag (from the free tutorial on her blog).  I found the instructions to be well written and easy to follow; plus, I love the bag and use it daily!  I've also now written more than half a dozen patterns myself for Stitch magazine and Martingale Press, and, although none are garments, I thought I might, possibly, be able to offer feedback from that angle.

I was so happy with how this turned out!  I'm also grateful to have a willing model who's not the least bit camera-shy.  Ellie chose the outer fabric from my stash, then she and I went fabric-shopping for a lining fabric to match.  After choosing the lining fabric pretty quickly, Ellie spent at least 20 minutes at the wall 'o fat quarters, desperately trying to choose one print to take home for herself.  In the end, I put her out of her decision-making-misery, and let her pick two!

The Roly-Poly pinafore has a wonderfully wide size range (sizes 1 through 8), which I think is fabulous.  I made a size 6 for Ellie and it fits her well.  She adores it and, after convincing her (it didn't take much!) to do a photo shoot this morning, she asked if she could please wear it to school, which she did.  Other pluses to the pattern are that it's reversible, it has an adorable box pleat at the neckline, and -- my favorite feature -- it can be made with pockets!

The pattern provides instruction to make it with integral pockets (cut as part of the main pattern pieces), with separately cut pockets, or with no pockets at all.  I chose the variation with the separately cut pockets so I could add the surprise element of a third fabric print.  See the cute little pink grid fabric peeking out?!  Honestly, I think just about every garment should have pockets -- especially ones made for little girls (or boys!) who find treasures everywhere.  Where else will they put that feather, or bottle cap, or precious penny?

Rachael has a call out for more pattern testers; go here to see the details if you're interested.  And, if you're not already following Rachael's blog, Imagine Gnats, you should be!  If you're more the facebook type, you can find Imagine Gnats there, too.  You may also want to check out her craftsy pattern shop and this shop (where she sells her embroidery kits).

In other news, I'm auditioning for Family Ever After's Sew-vivor sewing competition.  You may have noticed the button in my sidebar.  The rules are that you can enter only one project for the initial audition, so I chose this appliqued messenger bag from the past.  I thought it showed technical and design skill more obviously than some of my other projects.  It seems a far stretch to actually be selected, but if it does happen, the challenges need to be done quickly!  So I've been sketching an idea for an Easter dress for Ellie to meet the first challenge requirements.  And if I'm not selected... Ellie might still end up with a kick-ass dress!

Emerson tunic

I finished up Ellie's new tunic last week and I'm happy to say, she loves it!  I followed the Emerson tunic dress tutorial, but re-drafted the pattern for about a size 6, kept it short-ish (so it's more of a top than a dress), and divided the back into two sections like the front, so I could use this awesome Essex yarn dyed linen/cotton in denim for the yoke.  The patterned fabric is something I bought at Hobby Lobby years ago.

I  didn't add the decorative buttons, bird applique, or the strip in the back that the tutorial calls for.  I didn't think it needed those extras, plus Ellie and I thought the buttons down the back might make it uncomfortable for sitting.  The sleeve/shoulder/side seam construction is a bit unusual:  you turn under and hem the sleeves and side seams first, then stitch the side seams together.  I would never have thought of constructing a garment this way, but it ends up making a pretty nice silhouette.

I really like how it turned out overall, but I'm most proud of the inside.  Every single seam is finished!  I repeat:  there are no raw edges anywhere on this garment.  I used a flat-felled seam to join the yoke to the patterned fabric, and french seams at the top of the sleeves.  The side seam construction called for in the tutorial results in a finished side seam, and the extra fabric strip at the inside of the neck line hides the raw edges there.  Can you tell I'm feeling kinda accomplished here?

Here's a happy girl (with her silly you're-taking-a-photo-of-me smile) in her finished top.  It works well for fort playing, too!  Although Ellie and I both like the shape of the shoulders/sleeves, big brother wasn't so convinced.  His comment:  "Mom, you're like that guy on Project Runway who always made the shoulders too big."  I think he was referring to Elena Slivnyak from Season 10...

DIY: 10 minute heart appliqué

With Valentine's Day just two days away, I thought I'd post this quick and easy idea for embellishing a t-shirt with a delightful raw-edge appliquéd heart.

You really can do this in about 10 minutes.  In fact, I embellished the shirt above for my son one Valentine's Day morning when he requested a heart shirt about 20 minutes before he needed to be at school.  In that case, I only had about five minutes to spare, so I ironed the heart to the shirt and waited until later to stitch it on.

This is one I made for him a few years prior.  I think we realized that it no longer fit that frantic morning when I quickly made a new one!  My daughter now wears this brown one.

Yesterday, I decided that I needed one, too!  Here's the result.  And I can honestly say that once I chose a t-shirt and the fabric, it really did only take 10 minutes -- maybe less.

What you need:

One t-shirt
A fabric scrap
Card stock or plain copy paper
Paper-backed fusible web (I like Pellon's Wonder Under)

What you do:

1.  Fold the card stock or paper in half and cut out half of a heart shape along the fold.  Unfold for a perfectly symmetrical heart shaped template.

2.  Using a pencil or permanent marker, trace your template onto the paper side of the fusible web.  Cut the shape out of the fusible web, leaving roughly a 1/4" border on all sides.

3.  Following the manufacturer's instructions, iron the fusible web to the wrong side of the fabric scrap.  Allow to cool for a minute.

4.  Cut out the heart, following the lines you drew on the paper backing, then peel off the backing.

5.  Place the heart on your t-shirt and (again following the manufacturer's instructions) iron it to the shirt.

6.  Finally, stitch close to the edge of the heart to securely attach it to your shirt.  Use a straight stitch, a zigzag, or another fancy stitch you like.  Or hand stitch with colorful embroidery floss.  Or simply forget this step if you're not concerned with the heart eventually coming detached in the wash -- it'll probably hold up through several washings, although I can't guarantee that!

Here I am in my new shirt.  Look, I even managed to match my lipstick to the color of the heart!  How did that happen?!

I'd love to hear about it if you make your own heart shirt.  Post in the comments, or email a photo or photo link to me!

Happy Hearts Day!

Handmade Halloween

I can't remember ever wearing a store-bought costume as a kid, although I probably did at some point.  And, except for my son's first birthday when I couldn't resist buying him an adorable fuzzy giraffe costume, my kid's have always had (at least partially) handmade costumes, too.  Not that there's anything wrong with a store bought costume.  I've seen some really great commercial costumes, including some today at my kids' school.  It's just that it's really fun to make a costume, whether it involves finding just the right pieces at a thrift store, using spray paint and a hot glue gun, or stitching one up from scratch.  (I'm also cheap, and don't like paying full price!)

This year my son asked to be one of the Gogo Crazy Bones he collects and plays with constantly.  He wanted to be Targy, the one pictured above.  It's pretty specific and obscure -- most people had to ask what he was -- but people loved the costume anyway.  I used plastic tubing and wire to shape the head piece and then attached it to a bicycle helmet with strapping tape.  I covered it in red pleather with white pleather stripes.  I mostly sewed the red pleather (I used some red duct tape, too), but I ended up attaching the white stripes with clear tape.  And the white pleather circle is glued to the red sweatshirt with fabric glue.  The red pleather pants, though, are completely sewn.  Hint:  laying tissue paper over the shiny side of the pleather makes it so much easier to sew!  The mask it pleather over a cardboard form -- this part was very last minute and not as successful as the rest of the costume.  Apparently, it was kind of uncomfortable and made it hard for him to see, so he ended up not wearing it most of the time.

My daughter's costume was easier,  She's wanted to be a werewolf since last Halloween, so I've had time to think about it too.  I used faux fur and stitched up a pair of straight tube arm warmers with thumb holes and leg warmers with an extra flap to rest over her shoes.  I roughly followed the pattern I used last year to sew her bat hat, to make this year's hat/hood.  The tail and neck piece are my own design.  The shirt and jeans were thrifted.



Here's a not-so-scary photo of my sweet werewolf, and the three of us together, out trick-or-treating.  Did I mention that I whipped up a quick Amelia Earhart costume for myself last Halloween?  No?  Well, here it is, recycled and reused again this year.  Handmade felt hat with ear flaps, sunglasses-made-aviator-goggles with a bit 'o felt, and a white scarf made by sewing together strips of a chopped up t-shirt.  The jacket, khaki pants, and tall boots are from my wardrobe.

By the way, I end up spending much of the time before Halloween frantically finishing these costumes that I always start a bit later than I wished.  We're lucky if we get a few decorations up and the pumpkins carved... but at least we've got the costumes!

Hope you had a great Halloween!  Did you make any costumes this year?

robot love!

Many of the students at my kids school have my screenprinted t-shirts, and I love seeing them on various kids at school events or on the playground after school.  It's incredibly gratifying to realize that someone picked out a shirt with my design to wear... because they like it.  But this really made my day!  When my son's friend Maggie was given the assignment of drawing her self portrait in Art class, she drew herself in her robot shirt!  And look at the detail with which she drew it.  I just can't stop smiling.  I... love... this!  Thanks, Maggie.

I'm also loving this book that I found by accident at my local library yesterday.  Love the freeform, beautifully hand stitched and upcycled projects.  I seriously want to make them all.  When I'm done drooling over the library copy, I think I'm gonna need to buy my own.  My sincere apologies to those who check out the book after me!

Oh, and I can't seem to stop sewing things for Sewing Summit.  More finished projects to be posted soon!

Tutorial: Stripey Skirt from a Tee

Up until about three months ago, one of the last things I thought I'd be posting is a tutorial for a girl's skirt.  Before that, I really had no one to sew a skirt for... except myself, of course.  Then, surprisingly, my previously anti-princess, anti-skirt, and anti-dress daughter decided she's okay with certain types of skirts and dresses.  Still, no ruffles, bows, or anything too frilly -- and I'm just fine with that.  It started when she said she might want a jean skirt like the one I was wearing.  Then, when my mother-in-law took her shopping for a few new fall outfits, she not only picked out two dresses, but came home wearing one.  I took this as an opportunity, and quickly stitched up a (not-too-girly) skirt from an old t-shirt of mine that I'd been saving.  And she likes it!  She's still anti-princess, though.  Thank goodness, or I think all this change would be too much for me!

So, without further ado, here are the easy peasy instructions for sewing your own girl's skirt from a tee.

MATERIALS:
Adult size t-shirt  (I used a women's size large)
3/4" wide non-roll elastic
Matching thread

1.  Decide on the length you want the skirt to be -- from waist to hem -- and add about 1-1/2".

2.  Lay your t-shirt out flat, straightening the side seams and aligning the bottom hem.  The bottom hem will be the hem of your skirt, and you'll keep the side seams intact, too.  Mark the length from the bottom hem, and cut straight across.  I used a quilting ruler, rotary cutter and a mat, but scissors would work fine, too.

3.  You'll end up with a tube, like this.

4.  Turn the tube of fabric inside out, and, at the top (cut edge), fold 1/2" to the wrong side, and pin.  The stripes on my shirt just happened to be 1/2", so I just used them as a guide.  Stitch about 1/4" from the folded edge, stretching the knit fabric ever so slightly as you go.

5.  Turn the same edge another 1" to the wrong side, and pin.  This time stitch just to the left of your first line of stitching (see photo above).  Start near the center of the back of the skirt, stopping about 1-1/2" before the point where you started, in order to leave an opening for the elastic.

6.  Cut a length of elastic 1" longer than the desired waist size (or several inches longer, if you'd like to wait to try it on the recipient before you commit, as I did).  Using a safety pin, feed the elastic through the casing.  Making sure the elastic is not twisted, overlap the ends 1/2" and stitch closed.  (Or -- if you're not quite sure of the waist size -- try the skirt on it's recipient, pin the elastic, stitch closed, and then trim.)

7.  Sew the opening in the casing closed, being careful not to catch the elastic in the stitching.  Then distribute the fabric evenly around the waistband.

8.  If desired, stitch the elastic in place along each side seam to secure.

9.  And that's it! You've upcycled an old t-shirt into a fun new skirt!

I was happy to have such an eager model for my skirt!  Doesn't she look like she's having fun?  

If you decide to make a skirt from this tutorial, I'd love to hear about it -- and even see photos!

Happy stitching!