Sewing For Boys Sew Along

I was hoping to have time to join the Sewing For Boys Sew Along, apparently I had forgotten just how fast you can make the Raw Edge Raglan!  

I  was able to whip this one up while Travis was busy watching a few episodes of Avatar: the Last Airbender with Maura, James and Liam.

 I embellished this one with faux layered sleeves (is that what you call it when it looks like two layers of shirts?), then I used this rocket ship applique made from scraps of knit fabrics.  You can find a free template for the rocket ship here, thanks to Ashley of Lil Blue Boo.

I used Heat N Bond Lite for the appliques.  I just drew the shapes on the paper side, ironed it to the t-shirt scraps.  Then cut on the lines, assembled the design on the front of the shirt, then ironed.  Last I used a basic straight machine stitch around all the edges.  This is my favorite method of doing appliques.  They seem to launder very well, which is important!

This is a really versatile pattern with endless possibilities.  

I love the casual raw edge finish too.

This shirt pattern is found in the book Sewing For Boys, along with a ton of other great patterns and ideas.

Here are a few of my earlier versions of this pattern:

original post for these shirts here

and

my St. Patty's Day version is Here

Today was a two-hour delay for schools because of icy roads and I was woken up by Travis waving the rocket ship shirt in my face telling me to put it on him.  I guess it's a winner!

Check out the Flickr Group for the Sew Along!

Valentine's Day Outfit

Three posts in one week!  I'm on a roll.  

OK, I confess, I went ahead and ordered some really great knit fabric from this Ebay store.  I can never find any good knits at my local JoAnn's and though you can find great stripe/printed knits online, the price and shipping make me feel quite guilty.  So I looked for a store where I could buy multiple yards and combine shipping.  It worked out great, and I will buy again from them in the future using the same strategy to combine the shipping.  That was how I got the fabric for Travis' Stripey PJ's.

Here's an outfit I made for a friend who recently adopted a daughter.

The patterns are both from Too Sweets Patterns.  This is the Chic Chic Dress.  The colors made me think of Valentine's Day so I added the "chocolate" heart applique.  Super easy.  I  know this will be a go-to pattern for little girl gifts!

Here is the cardigan.  Pattern found here.  I really love it!  

I added a hidden heart on the lining where a tag would go.

I'm still not done sewing up baby gifts.

My husband's best friend and his wife are expecting their first baby next month.  

I'm in the planning stages for that one.

I also just heard about the Sewing For Boys Sew Along and I'd like to get in on that if time allows.

Have a great weekend!

Mr. Stripey Pajamas

When Travis was a little baby I dressed him in stripes so often he gained the nickname "Mr. Stripey".  

The very last time I sewed anything for him to wear was back in October when I was told by him he didn't want me to make him any "shirts" anymore.  Since then his attitude in general has improved and we noted just the other day, not wanting to jinx the situation, that he's been much more agreeable for the last month or so.  Let's hope it keeps up!

So I made him these striped pajamas.  He likes them so much he doesn't want to take them off!  That's a good sign.

This pattern can be found in Stitch Magazine, which I bought as a back issue. 

 I downloaded the additional add-on of larger sizes (up to 5T) from Fishsticks Designs Blog.  It was a very quick and easy pattern to work with, I highly recommend it!

Snuggling with his brother early in the morning before school.

sewing for baby - Lucy reversible dress

For what ever reason, since New Year's Day I've been sewing like mad.  I have had this urge to get to some of the projects I had in mind since Christmas-gifting mode kicked in.  So I have crossed a few things off my list, and the list keeps growing.  I also got a few new sewing books for Christmas, which helps with that!

My first project to show you is this Lucy Reversible Dress I made for the same baby who I previously made these gowns for.  The parents loved the handmade clothes so I decided to make something larger which she could grow into this spring.  I love that it's reversible, making it two dresses in one.

These fabrics were both found at JoAnn Fabrics.  I was looking for something unique and stylish, and I love the deep purple color.  Not your typical pink dress.

I hope they love it!