even more fall clothes!

Here is a new outfit for Travis.  The raglan t shirt is made with one of my all time favorite go-to patterns, New Look 6932.   The skateboard graphic is from my Silhouette SD machine, cut from freezer paper and painted in with tulip soft fabric paint.

So it's looks like it's for pajamas.  It's great for all kinds of comfortable clothes.

The pants are upcycled from some Land's End pants my mom gave me, I loved the stripes, but for some reason the butt was SO baggy.  Not very flattering. 

Here is one of my new favorite shirts for Travis:

Another version of the MADE 90 minute shirt which is becoming quite a staple of Travis' wardrobe all year round. This is made with one of those short sleeved colored t shirts I see on sale everywhere this fall.  I got this batch 5 for $10 at Walgreens Pharmacy!  Travis is a fan of the Aquabats because he loves them on Yo Gabba Gabba.  He looks pretty somber in this picture but earlier he was dancing and singing the Aquabats songs he knows.

I'm really enjoying sewing up fall/winter clothes for the kids since the weather has gotten a bit cooler.  I've decided to participate in Kids Clothes Week Challenge at Elsie Marley .  It is Sept. 20-26th.  I can't wait for it to start!!  I'm going to make a few shirts for my 13 year old daugther as well as a this unisex hoodie from Heidi and Finn.  Should be fun! 

on a roll for fall sewing!

Another finished back to school item!  Liam is very happy with how his hoodie came out.  We used plain white knit I had in my stash, and he tie dyed it himself.  This is my second lil blue boo hoodie Recycled T Shirt Hoodie this week.  I'm trying to see how many fall items I can make for the kids.  I've joined Penny Carnival's back to school sew along. 

If you care to join the sew along, post to the flickr group HERE.

recycled t shirt hoodie

I finished another sundress for myself, and even though it's still obscenely hot this week, I started on some fall clothes for Travis.  My favorite so far is this recycled hoodie pattern from lil blue boo.  I know I am going to make several of these.  This is completely recycled out of old t-shirts we had laying around.  Such a great use for my husband's favorite Pavement shirt, it had a bunch of holes but he still liked it, so I ordered him a new one and took scissors to the old one. 

This pattern is SO FUN to make.  I thought the instructions were so thorough and easy to understand.  I especially love how the sleeves are constructed so super easily and don't have to be set-in.  Set-in sleeves are a bummer.  I'm currently working on a tie dye version for my 9 year old.

Here is another finished sundress, Burda 8071, which I wore to our friends, Tom and Kristina's, wedding last week.  Probably the most fun wedding I've ever been to!  It was a 3 day camp out complete with swimming, boating and campfires.  They even had a sundae bar instead of the usual wedding cake.  We had a blast!

A Productive Birthday

                                                  This week was my 36th birthday!

For my birthday gift I got a Silhouette SD Machine!  I've been seeing them all over the web and it looked like a fun toy.  So I took advantage of a blog promotion on V and Co. Blog and got one for myself.

Here are a few of the things I've made in the last few days:

This is a dress that I had splattered bleach on.  I used the heat transfer to cover the bleach spots with these birds.  I have yet to wash it, so I'm holding my breath.  I'm worried this will wash off!

I made this vinyl decal by scanning a sketch I made of Totoro. 

Of course I had to do a little scrapbooking.  I have a ton of time to catch up on.  I think it will be easier now that I no longer have to buy stickers for the words and I can print them myself.  I'm setting a goal of one layout per week.  I'd rather be sewing, but my kids enjoy these albums so much!!

Sew Serendipity skirt done!

I loved the photos in this book!  I had to have it.  I needed the skirt on the cover.  I looked around in my fabric stash and found this great blue and brown combo. I'm happy with how this came out. I've already worn this skirt out twice.

I thought this was a pretty easy pattern and I was glad this book had full-size pattern pieces included.  I heeded the author's advice and bought a ruffler attachment for my machine.  I love it!  It was so easy to make the ruffles on the skirt.  I'll definitely be making more from this book in the future.



detail - I think the pocket makes the skirt!



pretending to be a catalog model

UPDATE!  I can't believe it, this skirt won skirt week 2011 for the A-Line skirt category!!  Here is my blog post about it.
I'm so excited!  I even get to be a judge for 2012.

freezer paper stenciling - I heart you

When I don't have much time, freezer paper stenciling is such a great quick craft fix.  (I learned it here: freezer paper stenciling tutorial) It also saves me money! I've been sewing more for my family this year than ever and I love it when I make things that I would normally buy for the kids. Like this Totoro shirt! Maura's been wanting one for awhile and on ebay they're like $17 + shipping . Here I've made one for about $3. This is made with one of those cheap Jersey's T-shirts that are on sale everywhere.   The greatest thing about this method of stenciling is how well they wash (using tulip soft fabric paint)!  I'm so glad to have found something that works on shirts that can stand up to repeated washings.

Don't you love Totoro?!

Right now I am also working on a skirt from the book Sew Serendipity.  I am making the skirt on the cover.  I totally did not need another sewing book, but this one I couldn't resist!!  It comes with full-sized patterns to save me time.  I'll show off the skirt when it's finished.

a few quick projects

It's been so hot here in New Hampshire in July that my sewing area has turned into a literal 'sweatshop'. I've been opting for some quick and easy projects for the kids.

bomb shirt for the T-Bomb, especially true in restaurants. This was another freezer paper stencil. I can't get enough of those.



A quick and awesome project for a 12 year old boy! The CD Pocket from the book One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric! It was quick and easy and my son is loving it. It has 12 pockets for his video games to keep them safe from the T-Bomb!