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Monday, March 31, 2014

2014 Finish-A-long: Quarter 1 Finishes {2014 FAL Q1}

Hurrah for finishing one of the quilts that have been sitting in the craft room! It's been a busy couple of months but I am loving sewing!  Here are my finishes from my 2014 Finish-A-Long: Quarter 1 Goals

1. 2012 Craftsy Block of the Month... Finished! I love it too! Read about that one here!

The Berry Bunch: 2014 Finish-A-Long Quarter 1: Finished

Linking up at the-littlest-thistle

Monday, March 24, 2014

Rabbit Rabbit Creations: Sunset Infinity Scarf Cardigan Pattern Test

This is a great idea. I've heard of infinity cardigans before, but as a cardigan? Crazy but so cool!

The Berry Bunch: Rabbit Rabbit Creations; Sunset Infinity Scarf Cardigan Pattern Test & Review

You can pick up a copy of the pattern on Rabbit Rabbit Creations Etsy shop for $7! Or you can bundle it with other patterns 2/$10 3/$14 and more!

I have to say that the sheer size of the pieces scared me (after all it is a cardigan and scarf in one) but totally worth it!

The Berry Bunch: Rabbit Rabbit Creations; Sunset Infinity Scarf Cardigan Pattern Test & Review

There are so many different ways to wear this cardigan!

The Berry Bunch: Rabbit Rabbit Creations; Sunset Infinity Scarf Cardigan Pattern Test & Review

The directions are easy to follow. It is really a simple sew! Sleeves, down the arm and side, then the front, and hemming if you decide to hem. I left mine raw.

The Berry Bunch: Rabbit Rabbit Creations; Sunset Infinity Scarf Cardigan Pattern Test & Review

I am thinking that grabbing some 4-way stretch at SAS Fabrics would go pretty awesome as this cardigan! Or try again with a solid! I love it!

And, Nikolai wanted some pictures with him and sister...

The Berry Bunch: Rabbit Rabbit Creations; Sunset Infinity Scarf Cardigan Pattern Test & Review

The Berry Bunch: Rabbit Rabbit Creations; Sunset Infinity Scarf Cardigan Pattern Test & Review

check it out and head over to etsy...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/183647546/on-sale-sunset-infinity-scarf-cardigan

Happy Selfish sewing!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

Pattern test for little man! So excited to share this with you! It is due to release today, etsy and craftsy had it up and available last night.. :)

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}


You can see/get the pattern at:
You have several options with this pattern: Short sleeves, long sleeves, flutter sleeves, shirt or dress. The sizes go from 3 months to size 8. 

I had to make two: a short sleeve and a long sleeve, but not until after I made one with the mistake of printing the pattern with the fit to page option selected. The size 3t was closer to the 18 mos. size! So make sure that you don't make my mistake and remember DO NOT select the fit to page or scaling options! This is what happens!

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

still cute, but oops...

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

It was great even shrink down, but it didn't fit my little guy... Luckily I had enough of the fabric to make the long sleeve a second time, hurrah for discount fabrics! So... for take two... So much better! (and it fit over his head, phew)

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}


The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

And short sleeve... The facing was so easy to do... I think this shirt is just awesome! It took me about an hour... Cutting out fabric, pressing, messing with the thread, pressing some more. :) It's a fast sew. 

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

The Berry Bunch: Get Your Crap Together: Seaside Summer Top Test {GYCT Patterns}

Friday, March 7, 2014

The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}

*This post contains affiliate links. All views expressed are my own.*

This month's author for the Virtual Book Club for Kids is Paul Galdone. We have read so many of his books this last month it was so hard picking one! How can you not love a good fairy tale classic retold and illustrated wonderfully?

Our library had so many of his books (some of the ones I had on hold have not been available yet)!




Nikolai seemed to really enjoy it and asks to read it every day. :) I am so glad that he loves to read.

The Berry Bunch: The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}


Because of the banana tree that Turtle finds and plants, I decided to pick up a flower plant from the store to transplant. I wanted to build on the understanding of why Monkey's half of the banana tree did not grow. We discussed this during the reading, that a plants needs roots in order to live, but it is not a topic or concept that we have really gone over before.

Learning About Plants: An Intro to Plants and their Parts

What you need:
The Berry Bunch: The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}

  • a small plant such as a flower or herb
  • a pot to replant
  • soil
  • coloring page or printable book for parts of plants
1. looking at the plant in it's container before you take it out, talk about what you see naming the parts of the plant (stem, leaves, flower). Have your child gently feel and smell the plant.

2. Before you take the plant out, make a hypothesis, encourage your child to discuss what he/she thinks is below the soil
The Berry Bunch: The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}

3. Carefully remove the plant from the pot, point out the roots talking about the child's thoughts/hypothesis. Feel the roots, look at them. Use this time to talk about how the roots work.  We drank a glass of water to help understand what roots do.

The Berry Bunch: The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}

4. replant the plant

The Berry Bunch: The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}

The Berry Bunch: The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}

The Berry Bunch: The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}

5. color the book/coloring page talking about what was seen and noticed about the plant. we used this booklet here and he just likes to keep re-reading and pointing to the parts of the plants. :)

The cool thing about this is that you have the plant to continue watering and revisiting later. :)

The Berry Bunch: The Turtle and the Monkey: Learning About Plants {Virtual Book Club for Kids}

Thanks for stopping by! Please, check out these other sites contributing to the Book Club. If you have anything you want to share too, feel free to contribute!

There are a few rules for this blog hop that we ask you to follow, so make sure to read them: 
  1. Link up only posts inspired by Paul Galdone that share children's book inspired crafts, activities, recipes, etc. Any other posts will be deleted.
  2. Visit other blog posts on the linky and comment on or share the ones you love!


see you next time,

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker {pattern test and review}

*This post contains affiliate links. All views expressed are my own*

I got to sew up some swimsuits for Samara! Yay! The Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop Aloha Burn Blocker. These are super cute, and so much better than a bikini for a baby. Yeah, I don't even really put a bikini on me, let alone put one on my baby girl.

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

How cute is this little surfer suit?

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

I have to say that sewing with swimsuit fabric... super hard! It is so slippery!

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

The directions are great and easy to follow too. She gives some suggestions with sewing the zipper onto the fabric (like not using a zipper foot) makes it so much easier!

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

I love the fabric! Hurrah for the local discount fabric shop! Swim fabric at Hancock Fabrics was 16.99/yard! The blue at the discount shop was 5.99/yard and the purple was 2.99/yard! Not UPF rated, but that's ok. I set up the umbrella and douse the sunscreen. Or you can head over to Amazon and search for UPF fabric by the yard.

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

After sewing the short sleeve one, the long sleeve one was much easier! 

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

Looking at these makes me wish we were close to a beach!

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

The Berry Bunch: Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop: Aloha Burn Blocker: Testing {peek-a-boo pattern shop}

The pattern is being released TODAY (3-6) and is on sale for today only too! 
Click here to visit Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop.