Kids Clothes Week Part Two

Another Kids Clothes Week has come and gone-phew!

I finished the weekend off with a few quick sews.

The weather is warming up so I wanted to add to my girl’s spring wardrobes with some comfy french terry Mini Hudsons.

My french terry is from Raspberry Creek Fabrics (it’s currently out of stock but new french terry arrives almost weekly!).

I did the pink pair calf length and the purple pair I cropped a couple inches higher to be bermuda length.

I think they’ll be perfect for playing come spring and summer.

I squeezed in one more Pistachio Tee from Sew Like My Mom.

I did an elbow sleeve hack with a peplum skirt.

The floral fabric was from Hancock’s ages ago and the stripe is from a Girl Charlee knitfix about a year ago. They had little stretch but worked great for this semi-fitted tee.

She loves a good peplum so much!!

I’m kicking myself for not sewing this pattern sooner. It just has so many options and is perfect for all my littles.

To finish things up, I finally sewed up the stack of undies waiting for Charlie. I use Mo’s Comfy Fit Unders. They are made for children with sensory issues which makes them super comfortable for all kids. The coverage is great and they totally stay put! I love to cut them out from scraps and sew them up in between projects.

I’ll leave you with this super cool pic my hubby edited. He’s always been the photographer in the family and I’m slowly trying to learn everything I can from him. He loves a good artsy edit and it’s always fun when I find a gem like this that he’s been playing with.

I hope your KCW was a fun and productive one! Anyone else ready for a break?! I think I better clean my house now 😉

Kids Clothes Week Part One

It’s that time of year again… Kids Clothes Week. A week of devoting one hour a day to sewing for your kiddos. And yes, around here every week is kids clothes week.

But for this one week it’s great to know that you’re sewing along with other moms all around the world.

I’ve been busy this week with more pattern tests that I’ll share with you next week. I did get in a few quick sews that I’ve been dying to try.

First up is the Pistachio Tee by Sew Like My Mom. This pattern has so, so many fun options and it’s been on my to-sew list since it came out.

I did a simple short sleeve version and used this fab Superhero fabric my cute sister sent to me. There are options in the pattern for long sleeves, multiple elbow patches, colorblocking, and a cute peplum.

This little guy was under the weather and did NOT want his picture taken. This picture just cracks me up!!

Big sis has been wanting to recreate her favorite ready-to-wear dolman top. The La Bella Top (affl. link) from Love Notions was absolutely perfect for it.

Her first version we did a simple three quarter sleeve top version and doubled the bottom band width. It’s exactly what she was hoping for and just had to wear it that night to a family gathering.

I love this girl’s style and her fabric choices and accessories! Totally how I’d wear it!

On her second version we used Raspberry Creek Fabrics Navy Club dots to compliment a jersey knit from RCF also.

I love this version so much! It’s so fun and casual.

I’m hoping to knock out a couple more things before the week ends. Any excuse to sew, right?! Are you sewing along?

Bella Sunshine Adaline

It’s Bella Sunshine’s Birthday! I’m here to celebrate with a couple takes on the Adaline dress and tunic.

The Adaline is a versatile dress pattern with multiple sleeve options and cute color blocking detail. I loved the simplicity of the pattern and my mind went crazy with all the possibilities.

The theme of the tour is pattern hacks and I couldn’t wait to put my own spin on it.

First I sewed up an all knit nightgown version in yummy Club stripes from Raspberry Creek Fabrics with a touch of Girl Charlee Knitfix floral.

I did a maxi length for drama and ultimate comfort!

I love the cute ruffly sleeve detail of this pattern.

I lined up the back pieces with my front pieces to determine width and cut on the fold instead of doing a button placket.

I skipped the lining and added a neckband.

She’s all girl and loves nightgowns and this is by far her favorite EVER!

My oldest daughter loves clean lines and fun details.

For her version, I skipped the color blocking and used a breezy polka dot gauze I got in LA.

I modified the sleeve to be a sweet cap sleeve.

We added a faux leather pre-made pocket from Jo-ann’s (I need to stock up on these because they are AWESOME!).

I did a bold exposed zipper up the back- another detail I just can’t get enough of!

The bodice is fully lined and I love the clean finishing of the pattern.

This is such a cool shirt that just suits her style so well!

This was my first Bella Sunshine pattern and I am beyond thrilled with my experience. The pattern came together well and the tutorial was well written.

I think the possibilities with this pattern are so fun. It’d make a gorgeous Easter dress out of satin or linen or a fun everyday dress in cute quilting cotton. Payton has requested another play dress in knit too!

Hope you guys had as much fun as we did on this blog tour!! Make sure to check out the other stops along the way and enter the fabulous giveaway! Head over to Bella Sunshine for more birthday fun!

Bella Sunshine Designs Birthday Blog Tour

Featured Bloggers:

Sponsors:

Prize Number 1:

Bella Sunshine Designs – 2 Patterns of Choice
Once Upon A Yard / Sew It Seams Facebook Group – Grab Bag of 7 yards of fabric

Prize Number 2 (Just for the USA):

Bella Sunshine Designs – 2 Pattern of Choice
Bethany Lane – 3 Sets of “Cute as a Button” wooden buttons (30 buttons total)

Prize Number 3:

Bella Sunshine Designs – 2 Patterns of Choice
Sofilantjes Patterns – 2 Patterns of Choice
Knot Sew Normal – 1 Pattern of Choice
Muffin Head Patterns – Any 1 pattern up to $12.00
Itch To Stitch – 1 Pattern of Choice
Rachel Rossi – Squared Fashion Wrap Sewing Pattern
FABulous Home Sewn – 1 Pattern of choice
Seaside Notions – 1 pattern of choice
Laela Jeyne Patterns – Pattern of choice (excludes bundles)
Pickle Toes Patterns – 1 Pattern of choice.

Enter the giveaway:

Hurry, the giveaway ends on Sunday, February 28th at midnight!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebration Sales:

Mabel Madison – 10% off their website with coupon code BELLABIRTHDAY until February 29th.
Sew It Seams – 15% off their website with coupon code BELLASUN until February 29th.

And of course, you can get 40% off all Bella Sunshine Designs patterns on our website until February 29th. No coupon code needed!

Ready for one more surprise? Check the Bella Sunshine Designs’s website on Friday for a new release or two!

Patterns for Pirates Me Heartie Dress

Being my kid is hard. Mom will make you new clothes all the time but then mom makes you stand outside when it’s 20 degrees and threatening to snow just to take a few pictures. Never mind that she’s dreaming of spring and makes you a short sleeve dress. You just suck it up, smile, and know there’s a treat in it for you when you’re done. And mom hopes she can edit out the goosebumps later 😉

These girls are getting so good at just smiling and pleasing their crazy mom.

And they even have a little fun while they’re at it.

The pattern I have for you today is the just released Patterns for Pirates Me Hearties Dress. I was thrilled to be able to test it and my girls just love their new dresses and top.

The first one I made was a simple short sleeve bodice with fold-over-elastic binding and a dress length circle skirt.

This was my first time using FOE to bind hems and it was just fantastic! I followed this tutorial from Made for Mermaids and it made for perfect hems every time!

I don’t do circle skirts very often and my girls loved it so much that Sophie requested her own version. They just twirled and twirled til they were dizzy!

For fabric on these I used a black and white stripe from Purpleseamstress, Club dots from Raspberry Creek and a photo floral print I picked up in LA. I love the selection of FOE at Hobby Lobby and used a couple different ones for my dresses and top.

After I did the dresses I just couldn’t stop! The sweetheart neckline option of this pattern is just too cute!

I used a knit lace I had in my stash, backed with white cotton/lycra from Raspberry Creek and Club floral from Raspberry Creek (that is unfortunately sold out). The neck and sleeves are bound with FOE.

I did the shirt with peplum option and my sleeves are an in between length as I was using every last bit of the lace I could.

I absolutely adore this top and love how sweet it looks on my girly.

There are so many options with this pattern! Check out the Pattern for Pirates Facebook group for some incredible inspiration. With the lace overlay, this simple dress becomes a stunning fancy frock. And the best part… you can make one for yourself, too! Pick up the women’s version here or grab the mommy and me bundle here.

And I saved my favorite picture for the end… Seriously, this girl is one spunky chica!

Floral Cropped Hudsons

The Hudson Pants from True Bias are one of those things I could make in my sleep. Between me and my little ones, I’ve made too many to count. I needed some quick comfy traveling pants before our trip so I instinctively grabbed my Hudson pattern.

Now, while I’m thrilled with the final pants, that fateful Friday-the day before we left, was the sewing day from down under. I usually share all my butterfly and rainbow sewing tales but this was just an awful day.

I whipped through these pants and almost two raglans all on my serger when I realized my serger tension was off. Like way off… looking great coming off the machine but a little stretch and it would unravel. In my five years of sewing with my serger I’ve rarely had tension issues. My good ol’ Brother 1034D just is that amazing!

So, instead of being done with my projects in an hour, I spent three fiddling with tension, tearing everything apart and RE-SEWING everything! AND, I was silly and didn’t interface my grommets so one came off while threading the drawstring and while I thought I could be tricky and put a grommet in with the waistband attached I managed to punch a hole clear through the other side of the waistband. Somedays are just like that… even in Australia (to quote our favorite book of the moment 😉

So these pants are fabulous though! I can’t wait for warmer spring weather to wear these ALL THE TIME! This Club french terry is so soft and delicious!

I finally fiddled with the pocket size on the Hudsons and love them! My phone fits perfectly and it’s not too bulky- win-win-win!!

Do you ever have days like that? What’s been your worst sewing disaster? I’ve had patterns not work out for me but I think this was especially bad because it felt like an old friend, my trusty serger, had turned on me. With a little work we’ve gotten back together and will have many more rainbow and butterfly stories to share with you!

Club Aztec Greenstyle Hudson Hoodie

You don’t see much of this kid on here because 1- he’s too cool for mom-made’s usually and 2- he’s super picky about his clothes, period.

He received this hoodie for Christmas and immediately wanted me to replicate it because he loved it so much. I gladly accepted his challenge!

Good thing I knew where to get some awesome Aztec french terry!

I picked up some solid charcoal french terry to go along with it- all from Raspberry Creek Fabrics.

I used Greenstyle’s Hudson Hooded T-shirt in size XS. Another reason I never sew for this kid is because he’s right in between boys and men’s sizes which makes it difficult to find patterns that fit. This pattern has a great size range (chest measurements from 34″-53″)!

I lined the hood in Aztec and added a drawstring and casing but otherwise followed the pattern. The fit is great but we’ll change a few things next time for his preferences (picky, picky kid!).

I’m loving the final coloring of the Aztec. The red is actually a deep burgundy and the colors are so vibrant.

And yes, he is wearing shorts in below freezing weather. Are all boys like that?!! I promise you he has a closet full of pants and you don’t need to send them our way 😉

Finn by Blaverry

I love a good basic, simple pattern. I’m not usually into ruffles and frills so when I had the chance to work with Christie at Blaverry I jumped at the opportunity. Her style just fits with ours perfectly!

I sewed up the Finn top but extended the peplum to make it dress length. I love the neck binding. Such a nice, clean finish.

I used gorgeous Club Feathers from Raspberry Creek.

I think she likes it, wouldn’t you say?!!!

It’s got that comfy, twirliness that she loves but the cute curve of the peplum skirt adds a hipness that I adore.

We layered it with a jacket, boots, and scarf to wear while it’s cooler. The pattern comes with a long sleeve option but I’m dreaming of Spring here.

Such a versatile dress!

I love that we can accessorize this fabric with any color to really make it pop.

It’s amazing what a little Taylor Swift can do to pump up a photo shoot! I got a ton of wiggly, blurry picks cuz’ this girl likes to shake it, shake it off!

Make sure you head on over to Blaverry to check out all the chic, adorable patterns from dresses to pants to stylish jackets- so much cuteness in one shop!

Club Sloane Sweater

I have been so excited for the new Club line buffalo check. I have a serious plaid crush right now and this new print is just perfection!

I used the french terry version with the Club dots in cotton/lycra to make me a Love Notions Sloane Sweater (affl. link).

I love the color blocking option with this pattern. I used a simple coral french terry but I have a solid version with a woven plaid contrast I can’t get out of my head!

I was inspired by this pin. What are your thoughts on the boxy sweater/sweatshirt trend? I honestly can’t decide if I like this silhouette on me. I love that it’s different from my other sweatshirts and it is beyond comfortable! I think paired with skinny jeans it’s flattering and cute but hey, I totally want to wear it with my favorite joggers and I’m afraid I’ll look like I stepped out of the retirement home in my sweatsuit.

This pattern comes with a slimmer view and high-low shirttail hem option also. It really is a versatile pattern. There are some amazing sweater knit versions out there.

This new Club french terry sews like a dream and is so soft! I can’t wait to pair this buffalo check with a floral for my girls. And those dots! Possibly my favorite fabric ever! It’s buttery and coordinates with EVERYTHING!

I’m going to leave you with my late night sassy pants pose! Make sure you pick up the new Club Line from Raspberry Creek Fabrics and the Sloane Sweater for some serious comfy perfection!

Club Line 2 for the Boys

The boys in my house have been loving the new Club line from Raspberry Creek Fabrics, too!

I seriously can’t get over how versatile these prints are!!

So far they’ve gotten things made with the Club aztec and buffalo check but I think stripes are in their future too.

Charlie was the first up. He got a comfy new pair of Mini Hudson Pants out of buffalo check french terry.

He always grabs sports pants when he dresses himself and I love that these have a bit more style.

This time he got a 3t with a 4t length for the perfect fit!

Next up, Alex requested a tee like Tanner got out of the first Club line.

I used the Jalie Men’s/Boys T-shirt again. I like the slim fit but next time I’ll need to lengthen the sleeves. Too short for his taste even if mom thinks it looks great.

I used the Club aztec in cotton lycra and solid white and charcoal cotton lycra from Raspberry Creek also.

I think it’s a win and he loves it paired with his new joggers out of this french terry. I used Gracious Threads Lazy Day Lounge Pants for him since he’s sized out of the Mini Hudsons (they both go to size 10 but the LDLP was a few inches longer). We modified the pockets to be like the Hudsons.

Finally, Charlie got another Samson Sweater from Love Notions (affl. link).

I did a simple version with a lined hood and added length. I used this french terry combined with the aztec.

This is a first round aztec strike off and the colors have changed a bit since. The red in the print now is deeper and is a great match for the burgundy in the shop.

I love, love these prints on my boys and Tanner has already requested a hoodie with the aztec. I love that they let me sew for them and have even been spending a lot of time in the sewing room with me this winter break. My big boys both made their own pj pants and love to help pair and cut fabrics.

I’m also loving any excuse to get pictures of these two together. Charlie is such a mini Alex and it’s so fun to see them together. Best friends one minute and bugging each other the next 😉

An Extraordinary Girl for me!

Raspberry Creek’s newest line is HERE!!! I was so excited to get my hands on actual yardage and I’ve been dying to make my own version of this tee.

A free afternoon and VOILA!

I used the new Club stripes and dots and this mustard from the shop- all in cotton/lycra.

I added a bands to the sleeves and bottom to bring in some more mustard.

I also had to bring the back shoulder piece down in the front a couple more inches than called for. The neckline was too wide for my preferences but otherwise it was a great sew. I did a size small graded to a medium in the waist.

It’s just the perfect pattern to showcase and mix your favorite prints. You can pick up the pattern here and pick up the gorgeous fabric at Raspberry Creek Fabrics.

Tag: Raspberry Creek Fabrics