Welcome to my stop on the Desert Island Sew tour by with Sew 20!
The prompt on this one had me thinking! Pretend you will be spending a few weeks alone on a desert island. You will only be allowed one sewing pattern but no limits on project supplies. What pattern would you take?
I actually had a hard time with this and debated between the Love Notions Willow Wrap Dress because I love the one I made after my daughter was born in February! Using a shorter sleeve option would be nice and I love the feel of the dress!
Then I thought about going with the GreenStyle Creations Centerfield Raglan. This is my all time favorite shirt for me, used so many times! And it is something I would wear when I got back from said time on the desert island.
Plus there are some modifications that I have been wanting to try using this as the basic starting point of the pattern, that only 2 weeks away from the kids would grant to the time to attempt!
I want to crop the sleeves to make a sleeveless look and hem or bind the underarm. Or forgo the sleeves and finagle a binding thing with buttons at the back, extend the bodice and add a circle, or half circle skirt....
I love how this is all about the reality if handmade clothes and not just those behind the staged pictures. So much gets created that often does not enter the blog land, and so many times I am lucky enough to barely remember to take a picture with even just my phone of kids on the clothes! I put my kids in momma made about every day for the last several weeks and barely remembered to take pictures! It's not until going through my phone and instagram that I realized I often put them in momma made, just don't think about it! (that's so nice!)
Little man wearing some PAB Classic Chinos
We were also posed several questions to answer!
Older kiddos wearing mommy made pjs
1. What do you look for when choosing a new sewing project?
I look for simplicity when choosing new projects. Simplicity of the pattern and the speed with which it can be sewn together. Time is valuable and often, if I cannot get it done in a nap-time, then it's never going to get finished. If it's a project that has many steps and complicated directions? "Well. Then," I say to the kids and myself, "tough". There are the occassional exceptions...
I also try to shop my pattern and fabric stashes first. My budget has been cut back drastically and I have to fit it in with what I already have. Often that means that I have to modify and adjust patterns. Then they rarely get finished.
Right now I have a batman dress for the middle child to work on and it hasn't happened yet. I now have everything for it, but it's the embelishments.
2. Is there anything you would like to (or wish you could) do differently when selecting projects?
Plan my sewing better so I have time to complete an object that I know myself and my kids will love. I'm working on this one. Trying to fit it in. Goodness, school for us starts in less than a month! Little boy needs new clothes!
blanks slate vintage v-neck and his tiger tail for dress up play.
3. What is your most used/worn sewing project?
This little black drop waist dress for my little girl. I made it for Husband's Grandpa's memorial and she wears it whenever she can.
For me it is my Greenstyle Creations Jillian Tank. This thing is awesome for our super warm weather and super easy for nursing the baby. I wear it over a nursing tank. I haven't
After that I would say Halloween costumes. They come out for play all the time! Drives my husband nuts when he learns we have gone to the store/event/or anywhere in a super hero costume! I just laugh. I'd rather the costumes get wear more that one night! I've had to deal with breakdowns because of the outfits being in need of mending! I so dislike mending!
4. Do you have a project that you thought would be used/worn frequently but just did not end up working out?
My finished sewing projects...
My daughter's hooded Zanzibar shores tank. It has everything she loves: pocket, hood, no sleeves. But she wore it a couple times and that was it.
The hat that went with my son's "boys can wear pink" outfit. It is a style he always go straight to if he sees it at the store, and the pink band is removable for his dad's comfort. But the hat was never dawned after pictures. Come to think of it, I don't even know where it is...
Unfinished, I'm hoping the batman dress will be worn, but thats if i can ever finish it.
and a pair of skinnies for me. I've been trying to get the waistband right forever...
5. What is your favorite tip/quote that applies for sewing in real life?
so many ...
I think this one is cute. Doing what we are created to do...
I like this one as a reminder to myself to keep doing it. If I'm not feeling it with my heart then there I need to sit and reflect why. One of the reasons I need to start planning better. if I'm rushed then my heart isn't in it. Colossians 3:23
Craft your heart out and your soul will grow!
Do you have any examples of Real Life, Real Sewing to show off? You can play along by using the #realliferealsewing on social media.
I have grown to really love this holiday. For the last couple years Little Man has been adamant about what our theme is to be, last year was Batman. The year before was Peter Pan, but he was not as adamant and more willing to go with the flow on that one. This years theme was: Spider-Man
bottoms were a shiny pleather looking stuff from our local discount shop
The hood was the hardest part. We took a saran wrap mold of his head (puncturing holes at the nose and mouth with every wrap) and then taped the whole thing. It took lots of tries with a 'muslin' fabric (my green stuff)
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Let's face it. I am not that great when it comes to figuring out the little girl's clothes. Planning her wardrobe? I seem at a complete loss. But I have a printable version like my little boy's printable planner, but for girls.
Missed some of my other capsule wardrobe posts? You can read up on them here!
This one has been a greater work in progress. Maybe because she is still little, potty training with regular accidents, and has to change her clothes 3-4 times daily. Really?!? What is up with that? She is so darn picky when it comes to her clothes! The child will pick something out and screech bloody murder to get it off with no idea why. This, of course, is when I can manage to get her into clothes in the first place.
But, aside from her strange wardrobe aversions (which I have yet to discover the specifics), I have created this bare bones idea of what a little girl needs in her closet.
I may need to change the numbers to double just to account for her accidents, carrying extra clothes and daily wardrobe changes.
After going through her clothes (so far, I'm not even close to being done!), taking away what she refuses to wear, and boxing up what doesn't fit...
Really, that's it. I could hold off on the dress and the sweater. I would like to do the blazer because it's nice to have, and she loved her old one (which she outgrew so fast!)
Honestly thought. I have 4 drawers of clothes filled (mostly shirts) with sizes 12 months to 3T, a closet filled with dresses 24 months to 5T, and a drawer that is for pajamas alone sizes 12 months to 3T. Granted some of the clothes don't fit yet and some of the 12 month stuff no longer does fit! I just need to be more diligent with taking things out that she doesn't wear and doesn't fit. So far I have removed a small diaper box of clothes... Just need to keep chipping away! :)
Share your thoughts:
Do you just shop/sew for your kids clothes? Or do you put together a plan before you start sewing/take a trip to the store?
Welcome to my stop on the Make Believe Week with GYCT Designs!
Several months ago I had a friend send me a message asking for a tiger tail. Not anything super specific, but just to play around Daniel Tiger style, an luckily at my leisure without a deadline. Then GYCT Designs came out with this neat series, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to work out the snap on (or you can use velcro) Tiger Tail! And, I made a matching set of Tiger Ears to go with the tail! Check out the other awesome Amazing projects from today over at GYCT Designs!
Such a fun set! Little man likes it. Actually, he hasn't taken it off for 2 days.
The ears a just a strip of fabric covering a headband. Large enough to slide the headband in and out of the tube.
The tail was initially going to be the only thing I made. But it seemed to need the ears. It is made from felt, poly-fil and snaps.
It's been a lot of fun for little man, running around the house and pretending to be a tiger!
I decided to make up a tutorial for the tail so you can make one for yourself!
Tiger Tail Tutorial
what you need:
Rotary cutter
2 sheets of felt (I just got the paper sized pieces from my local Joann's store) 1 orange 1 white
1-2 pipe cleaners
1 snap set
poly-fil
Cut strips off your length of your sheets of felt, 3 each color. In my case, because I had used an inche, I cut 2" by 10".
Sew the strips together, alternating in color. I used a 1/4" seam allowance here. Top stitch seam allowance down.
Cut the panel in half across the strips. In my case it was 5".
Sew the two panels together making sure to follow the alternating pattern. Top stitch seam allowance down.
Fold in half, mark seam allowance (3/8"), and using a curved piece (a camera lens cap worked perfectly), mark the end of the tail following from the seam allowance of one side to the fold on the other. As you can see, I accidentally forgot the seam allowance. That is somewhat important. :)
Sew down the length of the tail, following your traced curved line and backstitching at the fold to secure. be sure you leave the top open!
Trim the excess corners at the end.
Taking your pipe cleaners, fold in the ends so not to poke through, and zig-zag stitch them down on the seam allowance from the end of the curve to the last inch of the tail. Backstitch the ends of the pipe cleaners a couple times
turn the tail right-side out
Lightly stuff with poly-fill. Too much wont lend to the pliability of the pipe cleaners.
Stitch the opening closed 3/8"
fold the seam allowance down and pinch the ends baste 1/2" down.
Time for the snap, or velcro, pieces: Cut 2 strips, 2" x 1.5". This image is the finished tab.
Fold one end down by 1/2" and stitch in place,
fold in half long way and stitch down the edge. repeat for the other snap tab
place the non folded edge on the triangle lining up with the basting stitches.
Stitch in place. I stitched along the triangle to secure it down.
Repeat with the other snap tab.
Apply snap according to manufacturers directions. Make sure that you have the snaps facing the correct way! I may or may not have had to re-apply the snap once, or twice...
And, voila! A Tiger Tail you can attach to a belt or belt loop!
