Sewing 4 my boy.

Free hat pattern and tutorial can be found HERE.

Honestly, I didn't think I would get this done.  It was a hard sewing week!   I worked on making a drivers cap pattern most of the week.   I had plans to make a wool winter coat, a messenger bag, a hat, slippers, a pair of jeans, a shirt and a vest.  I could have done it all if I stuck with patterns (boo hoo, boo hoo).  I ended up making 3 drivers caps (one denim, one neutral fabric, and one of leather) along with a messenger bag.


The cap pattern drove me crazy.   Trying to get a nice fitting hat takes so much time.   The good news is I finished it and once I tidy up the pattern I'll post a tutorial for it (sometime next week). 

This hat is in the fabric Travis picked. I would LOVE to embroider on it but he won't let me.

I feel bad making him model for me when he's sick (poor kid).

 

Here's the denim cap.

Here's little sis wearing it (I forgot to snap a photo before Travis left for school).

After I got my pattern worked out I moved on to a messenger bag and another hat. The messenger bag was a must because my son lost the latch for his Lands'End messenger bag this week (I think a girl who likes him took it off his bag). Do your kids loose strange things when they go off to school?

Here is my boy at 6:30AM this morning with his new bag and hat (tired and glossy eyed from a cold).

The fabric for this project came from a thrifted leather coat.  The leather is so nice and soft.

The coat I found at the thrift shop for $19.99.  I got it on 1/2 price day so it was $10.00!

I LOVE how this bag turned out.  It has two belts on the front to close the flap and a larger belt for the shoulder strap.  

I lucked out on this because my original idea was to buy some thrifted belts and a leather coat to make a bag, the shoulder strap, and front closures.  This leather coat came with one large and two small belts!   Each wrist had a small belt making it the PERFECT coat for this project.

Here's a photo of the original coat sleeve.

Another showing the large belt around the waist.

Here is a close up of how I used the small wrist belts on the messenger bag.

Late last night I was ready to call it a night after finishing the messenger bag but 24 Hour Catwalk came on TV and I felt energized.  I felt like I could stay up all night and sew with the people on the show.   Not only that but Mondo on Project Runway last night was wearing a leather driving hat!  I felt like Mondo was telling me to make another hat in leather.  He told me I could keep sewing and get it done before morning.

Last night I broke a LOT of needles.  Breaking leather needles isn't an easy thing to do on a normal sewing day. Things broke, stuck, and jammed...  I stole some of my husbands plumbing stuff out of his toolbox (I used some Teflon tape on my machine to use for a quick fix for the leather sticking problem).  I had to make some rather crude sewing tools after midnight (hubby knocked over my sewing box and I was missing a few things).  Do you know if you don't have that tool handy that lifts up your presser foot to sew over a bulky seam a small needle box will work in a pinch?

Here is a photo of my boy in his new hat.  He's on his way to school.  Did I mention he woke up with a cold?  I see he didn't dry his hair this morning after his shower.  Wet hair+winter weather= sick child?

I'm very tired.  I feel like I was in all the TV competitions I watched last night.  I was sewing when Project Runway came on at 8:00 PM (last weeks show).  I kept sewing during the new episode at 9:00 PM.  I remember seeing 24 Hour Catwalk and Dance Moms.  Then I saw both Project Runway All Stars again!  I think I turned off the machine around 2:00-3:00AM.   I'm feeling happy with what I've made but yet sad over what I couldn't get done.  Instead of sewing the rest of the things on my "sewing for my boy" list I think I'm going to turn on sesame street and curl up on the couch with this child for a little morning nap.



Please forgive the very poor writing today.  It's hard for me to think/write when I'm tired. 

I forgot to write this was part of the sew at home Project Run and Play week 2 boys week 

BTW, I love this messenger bag so much I know I will be making myself one real soon!  I plan to look for some leather more worn out and old looking to make myself a bag.

New/old skirt and more leg warmers

My MIL gave Demi a cute little school skirt. The skirt wouldn't fit her because she's so thin.  I ripped it apart added buttons and a button hole to the inside waist band.  I then ran some DIY button hole elastic inside the band and stitched it all back together.

I think it would have been faster if I made a new skirt from scratch,  I think I sew faster making my own things.  Does anyone else dislike mending store bought things?  Maybe my problem is I don't like to work on something I didn't get to make?  The up side is it is another finished project so I am a happy girl for finishing.  Please forgive my poor photos.  I have a hard time taking photos at 6:30 AM.  I'm not a morning person.   Lets pretend I didn't chop off her head in this photo.

I also made a pair of leg warmers.  I made them from a sweater.

 I'll make 2 more from the same sweater another night.  I added a lace and button bow to dress them up.

 I made a crazy amount of leg warmers back in Nov.  I didn't make any of them to fit the school dress code (I started making them for Sat. dance class) my girls love to wear them (they are dress/skirt wearing chicks).  I think by the end of this month I might have a stack of school wearing leg warmers as big as the leg warmer collection I made in Nov.  My girls will have warm legs this winter. I'm starting to worry the dresser and closet might explode before warm weather come back.

Junebug Remix

I'm finished!  Yes, I finished adding the trim to my Junebug remix dress last night.   I enjoyed doing this weeks at home sew along contest at Project Run and Play.   I'm calling this dress the Once Upon A Junebug Dress. 

It's the Junebug dress in a fairytale. 

I didn't change much on the bodice pieces to the Junebug pattern.  I put the bodice front behind the bodice sides.  I added 1 diamond gem button to the top of each side.  I left off the other 4 buttons off because the bodice sides hold the dress in nice and snug.  I made the sleeves about 1 inch longer than the pattern.  For the skirt I made it full length and added lots of ruffles to the front.

  To finish it off I added lace down the sides

and at the bottom of every ruffle. 

I added a removable silk flower with a button center later today (that's why some photos have a flower and some don't).

The fabric is vintage and sweet perfect for a storybook princess.   This dress was made from a full size sheet (picked up for $1 at thrift store).  Yes! That's right this a $1.00 gown!  Well $1 dress with $4 of lace added to it (total cost $5.00).   My girls both love it.  Here's a photo of Demi (my 6 year old) wearing it.

 I have to make another so they don't have to share.   Zehira (my 4 year old) wore it to bed tonight.  I was going to stop her but after remembering the dress is a sheet I decided for tonight I let her wear it to bed.  I might have to make her a new dress tomorrow to get this one off her body so i can wash it.

leg warmers

I'm trying to finish up my Junebug dress remixbut I don't have it done yet (I'm adding some trim tonight to finish it up).  I hope to have photos of that tomorrow. 


I made a pair of leg warmers last night.  In this photo you can see Demi wearing them over her knee because that's how she rolls.  She also wears her knee socks over the knee. 

Nothing exciting but it is another finished project.  I was doing laundry yesterday when I found a white undershirt 2 sizes too small for my son.  After wondering how something so small could be in his dirty clothes hamper (I KNOW he didn't wear it) I got the idea to cut it up to make a pair of leg warmers for Demi.  It is VERY cold in PA right now.  Temps. are in the teens and my girl goes outside for recess.  I worry her little legs are going to freeze.  Demi's school has a strict dress code so covering them isn't that easy.  The girls have to wear blue or tan uniform skirts/dresses with blue or white knee socks/tights.   I figured white leg warmers made from knit jersey would blend in with the knee sock/tights rule.  

I made small flowers to pretty them up a bit.  I hope the extra layer on her little legs helps keep her warm. I will make some more over the next few days.  They only took about 5 minutes to make.

I made them thinking the top would have a fold down cuff and a flower at the top.  Demi decided to flip them and wear cuff at the bottom and have the flower on her ankle.  I hope the school is OK with the flowers (if she wears them the other way the flowers will hide under her skirts).

Finished projects

My first sewing project of this year is the gray dress on the left in the photo below.  I wanted it to be done before christmas but after getting the smaller dress for my youngest finished I came down with a high fever and was not able to finish the second dress (yes, I was sick Christmas Eve and Christmas day this year). I made most of this dress on Dec 31 but it wasn't finished until Jan 1 (around 1:00AM AND I was snipping the threads at 8:00Am).  have plans to make cute sweaters to go over the dresses so they can wear them without shirts under the dresses this winter but I worry if I wait until the sweaters are done I might forget to share a picture.   I wish this photo was nicer but I took it after a night with little sleep (New Years Day) and after a long day at church (we left for church at 9:45AM and didn't get back until around 2:30PM).

 Here is project #2 it is the Junebug dress free pattern over at craftiness is not optional  I wanted to try out the pattern so I can give the remix challenge over at Project Run and Play a try later this week.

 I made this dress out of an old sheet.  It can be a play dress or a nightgown.  I'm not crazy about it but Demi LOVES it.

I didn't add the elastic in the sleeves yet (Demi took off with it before I had a chance).  I hope to have photos of my remix in the next few days.

It's Jan 2 and I've shared 2 projects.  I hope to keep blogging all month!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a very HAPPY New Year!

I LOVE this photo because it shows my family keeping it real.

In this one Daddy is happy but the kids are not.  They look like tired kids who stayed up all night.

Here's a pic of Daddy teaching Zee how to use a party horn.

Here is the reason Zee is pouting in the first photo...

Her sister blew a horn very loud in her ear!  At least Travis looks awake and very happy.

May your new year be full of  joy and without any horns hurting your ears at midnight.

I hope to blog more in 2012...

I'm going to try real hard to find the time to do it.

Rapunzel

I know it's a week after Halloween but I can't move on without sharing my youngest child's costume.  

Zee was Rapunzel.  The purple satin dress I made her for her birthday last month.  I often go over the top with embellishing our princess dresses.  This one chose to keep simple.   The reason I did that is because I know she is going to want to wear this dress to church or to the store sometime soon (we don't agree on what Sunday best is).

I made her a bouquet of flowers to hold and 2 simple yarn wigs (just in case someone chops off her yarn hair).  The shoes are the ones I glittered up a couple weeks ago.  At the last minute,

I made her a princess hat.  She was a very happy princess!

I love the photo above.  She is bending over to let down her hair. How cute is that?

I have to admit, it felt so good to have 3 happy children loving mama made costumes.

Here she is out with her daddy.

Crusader (Halloween costume #2)

My son chose to be a crusader for Halloween.   I have to confess I was up until 2:30 AM (might have been later than that) Sun. night so I could finish this costume. 

I didn't plan to wait until the last minute to finish this but I've spent many   days in bed over the last week (fighting off a cold). His costume was a tunic, cloak, belt, and scabbard. My husband bought him a helmet and sword.  He chose not to wear the helmet (I think he looks better without it anyway). 

I love the beautiful fabric hubby bought for me to make this.  It is a very heavy bottom weight fabric and it's very soft.  I didn't need a pattern its a very simple tunic with a cloak.  The tunic is half the width of the fabric (it's a wide fabric) and the cloak it the full width of the fabric.  I measured down how long Travis wanted his cloak then added a drawstring to gather at the neck.  I then closed up the sides on the top to form the hood. I finished it off with a simple belt and scabbard using some foe leather.  The scabbard was simple I just traced around the sword to make my pattern and added ties to attach it to the belt.

Isn't he one good looking crusader?

 

I love how serious he looks (crusaders can't go around wearing a big silly smile).  The smile on his face when I showed him the costume made my day (he doesn't like mama made things most of the time).  When he got home Monday night he said I'm going to go hang up my costume!!!  My son hardly ever hangs up anything so I'm guessing he really likes it.  Two weeks ago I didn't even know what a scabbard was (silly mama).  I am happy he decided to dress up this year. 

Happy Halloween!

I got to make costumes for all 3 kids this year.  Most years I have at least one child who wants a cheap store bought thing. I'm happy to say all 3 children loved what I made them (I'll enjoy this day because I don't think it will ever happen again).    My middle child asked to be a peacock.  Our name is Peacock so I couldn't say no. 

The body of the costume is an adult skirt.  The skirt had 2 layers so I used the underskirt for her arms/wings.  I used fringe yarn for the blue front.  I added green fabric pieces to create feathers.

The back lower tail (she's a 2 tail peacock) was made from layers of tulle.  I added some peacock feathers to it and some more fringe yarn.    The top tail was made from a fan.  Finding a way to attach the fan took some time.  I ended up making an elastic belt to hold it on.  To fasten the elastic belt I added a button to the belt and cut a hole in the elastic to use for the button hole.  I also added a button at the top back of her dress and I added an elastic loop on the fan to loop on the button.  That kept her proud feathers from flopping down.  The blue ribbon bow was to dress it up and to make sure my elastic didn't show.

I got her 2 different feather masks and she loved them both. She talked for weeks about how she couldn't decide which one to wear.  At the last minute she completely changed her mind.  Just before we left the house she decided she didn't want to wear either mask.  I've had a bad cold for the last 2 weeks so trying to make 3 costumes in time was very difficult.  I ended up finishing them 15 minutes before we left the house.  I will try to take some pics of the tiny details (loops to hold it up and the belt) tomorrow.   If anyone wants to see them just let me know (I doubt many people want to be a peacock but it could happen).

I hope you all had a very safe and happy night!
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DIY princess shoes

My youngest is going to be Rapunzel for Halloween.   She needed princess shoes to finish off her costume.  I have a lot of sewing to finish up three costumes.  I knew I wouldn't have time to sew up princess slippers.   To save time I decided to upcycle an old, scuffed up, summer shoes that she already had.

Here are the old shoes.

After a little bit of Mod Poge, Martha Stewart glitter, ribbon, buttons, and spray sealer...

Ta-da!  One pair of glittery, pink, princess shoes!

At first Zee said Rapunzel wears purple shoes but after I let her pick from my large collection of glitter she changed her mind to pink.

She is very happy!

My other daughter is very green with envy.  I promised her that I would make her some glitter shoes after I finish all 3 Halloween costumes.

I have to rush off I've got some cosumes to finish!  Halloween in in just a couple days.

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