kcw fall 2013: day 2:: skeleton suit

October 22, 2013October 22, 201316 Comments

here’s my KCW progress for today – and hey, you even get some modeled shots! spooky.

to start off Em’s skeleton fairy costume, i made a simple shirt and leggings combo out of black jersey knit with freezer paper stenciled bones (see Dana’s tutorial here – i use a foam brush and blot it on rather than brushing). as i mentioned in my last post, i’d recently gotten Em some skeleton pajamas but she wanted BLACK ones for her costume, hence the making.

i traced the pajamas, added a couple more vertebrae just to cover a bit more of the shirt, lengthened the femurs a bit so the joint hits at her knee, and added a split in the forearm bones, because i’m anal enough to need the costume to be slightly more anatomically correct than the pajamas.

ULNA AND RADIUS, YO!

i painted the bones first with white, then with two coats of glow fabric paint (affiliate link). it does really glow, but not as brightly as the pajamas. the freezer paper didn’t come off as cleanly as usual either – i think the glow paint sort of shellacked it on there. oh well.

the shirt is Rae’s flashback skinny tee in 4T. it’s unhemmed because a) i wanted her to try it on 2) i’m kinda lazy and D) i like the way the raw edges look.

the leggings were originally sunki leggings, but i long ago modified my pattern tracing to be just one piece rather than a front and back. i also added length and sewed them up like Go To Leggings (affiliate link), because the Go To waistband attachment method is totally genius and pro.

her batman mask was made by CINO and isn’t part of the costume. more on that later (i know i keep saying that!). i don’t want to spoil the entire costume reveal though, so you just get bits at a time (and with random accessories).

an unexpected sewing emergency (commission project deadline i thought was next week but got moved to NOW) popped up on me, so this is all i got done today, KCW-wise. we’ll see what tomorrow holds…

and the new baby is a…

October 15, 2013October 15, 201355 Comments

heading into my 20 week ultrasound last week, i admit i expected it to be a girl. i tried to remain neutral on the gender front, but it was hard – and here’s why: my daughter REALLLLLLY expected a girl – early on, she declared this new baby would be a sister, and no matter how many times we tried to tell her the baby could be a boy, she was certain it was a girl.

so of course, it’s a boy!

having realized more acutely each time i’m pregnant how miraculous it all to have everything fall into place to give birth to a healthy baby, just praying everything would be okay was my main thought going into the ultrasound. i know a number of gals (in “real life” and in blogland) that have had a range of heartbreaking “not okay” things be revealed during routine ultrasounds, and once that happens to you or someone you know, i think you can’t help but approach pregnancy with more caution. the baby’s health was, of course, the most important thing on my mind.

the best news is that this little fella is doing great and measuring right on track and is perfectly healthy. so wonderful. but the news that took a bit longer to process is that the little one is a BOY.

our first reaction? “POOR EM!” and no, she did not take it well when we told her that evening. she just was SOOOO certain, you know? she’s only five – she wears her emotions on her sleeve. and then it sort of triggered a reaction in me – i’m one of four girls, sisters are all i know! my mom is one of 11 kids, 8 of whom are girls, many born all in a row. my sister has three daughters. i think, deep down, i always expected another girl, like it was in my genes or something. and as a sewing mama, yes, i wanted another little gal to pass Em’s handmades down to! all that work! all those skirts and dresses she’s already grown out of! ack!

it took a bit for me to adjust to the fact that our family will have TWO boys, one girl, and that Em won’t have a sister.

after a couple days of hugs and snuggles, though, the surprise for both Em and i wore off, and the pure excitement returned. it’ll be fun to have the younger two kids be the same gender – they’ll probably play more together anyway! i love being a mama to a boy – the one i have is super fun! O is a bit clueless about it but is all smiles when we talk about baby brother. Em still kisses my belly multiple times a day and telling us she loves him and trying to feel her little brother kick any chance she gets. and when he does kick her, it seems to make her day. she announces to everyone we come across that “my mommy is having a new baby brother!” with a big grin on her face (she even told the cashier at the grocery store).

all is well and we are very happy and excited and grateful, and can’t wait to meet this little guy in a few months. i love him already. i’m gearing up to do more boy sewing, since i now know it WILL get passed down!

SO! anyone wanna help us out with some baby names?? we have a couple early thoughts but we’d love ideas, if you’ve got ’em! we like names that aren’t super popular or trendy, names that are interesting but widely recognized as masculine. care to share some of your favorites? 🙂

* * *

details on the little elephant pants above:

fabric is gray elephant fanfare flannel by Rae Hoekstra (to match his big brother’s here).
pattern is Rae’s free newborn pant pattern, lengthened 1/2″ so they’ll last longer. i made quite a few of these for O when he was little, and they were awesome. didn’t blog most of them though – they’re just so quick and basic and easy!

watercolor ruby top

September 24, 2013September 23, 2013108 Comments

a little while back i got to test out Rae’s brand new adult lady sewing pattern, the Ruby Dress & Top! it’s a flattering yet simple design that takes pretty much all of the tougher parts of adult sewing out of the equation (no darts, no zippers or buttons or closures of any kind…that stuff). it’s also a quick one to sew up. you can sew this pattern!

and you should.

because even though my face is a bit like 😐 in the photo above, i think this top is great…and the tweaks Rae made with the feedback from testing made it even better in the final version. that girl really takes her time to get the fit just right, something i really appreciate with her patterns.

it’s a SUPER fun (and maybe even a little overwhelming?) pattern to pick fabrics for. you can really go a million different directions with it. i used a semi-sheer lightweight rayon/poly type blend from the back of an Old Navy shirt I bought for the other side (eyelet). it moves around a lot which made the skinny bias binding way harder to apply, but the drape is nice.

the bottom fabric, which i ADORE, is from Skylights by Rosewood Organics. i got it at Bolt (I think?). such a cool watercolor design. i made this summery top when it was still 90 degrees out and it’s definitely fall here now, which just means i’ve got a whole new color palette to choose from when i make Ruby 2!

i usually sew a medium in Rae’s patterns but here I made a size large, because do you know what else the Ruby Top is great for…?

…hiding an early baby bump!

yep yep, 18 weeks along with baby number 3 over here, and so excited! i know at least one observant blog friend guessed it based on my posting slowdown this summer, but seriously guys, little #3 really kicked my butt in the first trimester. so tired and most food just made me feel sick. i’m glad to have some energy back now so i can sew in the evenings if i want, or in the daytime for that matter (i was pretty much napping when my kids did – good for the baby but frustrating for me, since i ACTUALLY ENJOY DOING THINGS)!

i’m due in late February and we can’t wait to find out gender in a couple weeks, though Em is CONVINCED it’s a girl and has even told us what we should name “her.” in the meantime, she nicknamed the baby “Avocado” based on the size i told her the baby was at the time, and loves to give her little “sister” kisses, bring me blankets and Mommy Elephant to snuggle with when i’m tired, hold the doppler machine and listen to the heartbeat at the midwife…she’s a loving little mama and it’s the cutest. it’s really fun to have her understand what’s going on.

O seems happy about it sometimes, and sometimes indifferent. because he’s 2. 😉

and there ya go – my secret is out! i’d never announced a pregnancy to blogland before…hope i did okay. 😉

> > > :: < < <

thanks for the great announcement project, Ruby Top! check out Rae’s highlight reel of my fellow pattern testers here, video tutorials on how to line the yoke here, and Rae’s supercool arrow dress that started it all here.

floral pocket nightgown

August 22, 2013August 22, 201315 Comments

when i made my first two t-shirt nightgown (and tutorial!), the goal was to recreate Em’s favorite nightie and give her more options to choose from (slash allow us to be lazier about doing laundry). and as the temperature rose and she grew, an upsized, shorter sleeved version was required.

observe the girl in her natural habitat…

nose in a book about a ballerina mouse celebrating a birthday, perched on a chair in her pink room, the girl is cozy in her floral and purple summer nightgown.

her hair is braided before bed so it’s “curly” the next day, per her request…

and she is surrounded by (and wearing) flowers of pink and purple and red.

she displays her nightgown with pride.

i actually cut the bodice for this one quite a while ago, but didn’t finish it until a recent “finish up those UFOs” spree. i wasn’t sure the floral made sense with anything, but once i added pockets, it all tied together nicely. the floral rib knit was a sale rack camisole from old navy, and the purple shirt was a men’s deep v-neck (ALSO sale rack old navy, NOT poached from the husband, hehe).

as with the original two t-shirt nightgown, the bodice and sleeves are based on Rae’s flashback skinny tee. i preserved the existing hems on both the sleeves and skirt for quick and non-wonky knit finishes. the purple shirt is really lightweight and “vintage-y” soft. this nightgown is in constant rotation.

girl is happy.

>> FOOTNOTES >>

– here’s where you can get her white wallflowers (affiliate link).

– lovely wall art is by sarah jane wright (purchased pre-elephant obsession).

– paint color is devine water lily.

– you can get her book here (affiliate link).

kcw summer 2013 :: ampersandwich tee

July 17, 2013July 17, 201320 Comments

kid’s clothes week project two is approximately my 543rd flashback skinny tee. it’s just kind of the perfect pattern for so many things that i want to make. little guy grows faster than his sister and is messier too, so today’s necessity project is for him.

this shirt used to be mine. my husband got it for me a few years ago and it’s really cool, buuuuut….it’s an american apparel shirt, which means it’s TINY. like uncomfortably small even though the size fits me in every other brand. so finally, rather than sitting in my drawer unworn, this very soft (feels vintage but it’s not) tee turned into a comfy little shirt for O.

it’s an ampersandwich. get it?

he calls it a “hangaburger.”

i sewed it in a 3T, a size up from his normal, because i made it short sleeved and wanted it to fit more loosely. i saved the factory hems on the sleeves (tips on that here) but hemmed the bottom with my twin needle/walking foot. something skipped while i sewed and it got slightly wonky, but probably not too noticeable.