a t-shirt dress

There hasn't been much sewing over here this summer. It has been a busy few months with all three kiddos at home and lots of fun in the Seattle summer sun (sometimes sun, anyways). Even though I've missed the time in front of my sewing machine, I am happy that I spent most of my summer evenings sitting on the front deck instead. After (finally) hemming Charlie's karate uniform one night, I did mess around with making a t-shirt dress for Morgan.

This t-shirt is actually a onesie that suffered the devastating effects of a horrible poop-splosion and was just never the same. I cut off the affected portion of the onesie and sewed on a skirt. My big mistake was that I didn't make the skirt full enough, which made it Miss Kicks-a-lot's least favorite outfit. It was a beneficial learning process - t-shirt dresses are cheap and easy to make and can be really cute. I'm sure I'll be making more in the future. (By the way, this photo of Morgan was taken over 6 weeks ago, which give you an idea of how long its been since I sewed anything - sniffle, sniffle).

Here she is at just about 6.5 months old, demonstrating her most recently learned trick. She's become a real chunk, right?! Did you notice those "fat sleeves"?

Morgan and I just took the boys shopping at JoAnn's for Halloween costume patterns. We have a plan, and I hope to acquire fabric and start sewing this weekend.

:) Shelly

monkey suits

Well, I haven't sewn anything since the cupcake skirt. I'm itching to get going on another project! We just got back from a 10 day family vacation on the Disney Magic cruise ship with all of Chris' family. A fun time was had by all, especially on our formal night when all of the boys wore monkey suits.

Charlie's suit pants are the only thing I've touched with a needle and thread for a few weeks. I hemmed his pants, and he looked quite dapper in his suit. The hubs is not looking bad, either! (We are in that "no smile for the camera" phase. Good times.)

Fortunately, Marcus' hand-me-down suit (from Charlie) was a perfect fit for him. He was busting some major buttons after devouring his Mickey Bar dessert, though. Those white shirts will never be the same!

A new project coming soon!

:) Shelly

cupcake skirt

I am the first to admit that I've never been super-awesome at making clothing. However, Charlie's friend, Gretchen, has her fourth birthday party tomorrow, and I was determined to make her something girlie. She is a serious skirt wearer - and especially fond of the tutu variety. When I went to the fabric store, I was totally planning to make her some kind of princess-type skirt, but my plan was diverted when I saw this fabric.

Cupcakes! Love them. And this fabric is simply adorable. It is Heidi Grace ("Sweet Treats"). The trim fabric is one I used for this superhero cape, also Heidi Grace ("Reagan's Closet").

Gretchen loves cupcakes, too. And so does her mom, who just texted me to tell me that she is making gluten-free cupcakes for the party tomorrow. That is even sweeter than this fabric! To make this skirt, I kind of used this (free) oliver + s pattern: lazy days skirt. I say "kind of" because I didn't have enough ribbon for the trim, so I used fabric instead (attached bias-tape style). And I used a different width of elastic, but it seems like it will work out just fine. Charlie tried this skirt on for me, and it looks like it will fit a similar-sized Gretchen just perfectly (a little long so she can wear it for a while). Charlie wouldn't model it for the camera, though - had to respect that. I didn't even try to bribe him this time. Good mom move, huh?

I also used this little Handy Press iron for this project. Isn't it the most darling thing you've ever seen? Check out the smiley face on the front! Thanks for this little gem, Anna!

:) Shelly

sew up seattle at the seafair parade

The Greenwood Seafair Parade was fantastic! And, Charlie wore his scrap coat the entire time, which made me so happy. He totally earned his ice cream at the end.

Charlie and his friend, Emmet, pose in front of the Sew Up Seattle truck.

The parade got off to a late start, which required us to try to entertain the little ones in the parade staging area. Check out Emmet's fish coat! I never did get to see him do his "crazy fish dance," though. I am impressed with Alex, Emmet's mom, who finished sewing Emmet's coat on the bus on the way to the parade!

While we waited for the parade to begin, we checked-out the crazy pirates.

And, we watched this very serious drill team practice.

Then, as the minutes dragged on, we observed the pirates socializing with the drill teams. This particular pirate is scratching his back with is plastic sword - a very pirate-y move.

The Seafair Clowns paid us a visit. Charlie and I went over to meet them and inquire about a balloon. We walked away with a sticker, a very cool button, and a few mildly inappropriate comments. Apparently the clowns had spent a good part of the waiting time in the bar across the street.

The Sew Up Seattle crew was composed of some very fun, crafty folks. I can't remember this sewer's name, but she was marvelous. Charlie rode on her shoulders at the beginning of the parade.

Then he did some marching.

From left to right: Chris, Marcus (in stroller), Charlie, Alex, Emmet, Shawn

The kids rode in the back of the truck for part of the parade, too. Chris asked Charlie if he could wear the cape, and Charlie refused him the privilege! Can you see them sewing in the back of the truck? During the parade they were making the banners that the rest of us were holding on to!

This was my favorite coat, made by Clare (who was driving the truck). Love it!

We exited the parade about three blocks before the end due to extreme fatigue of the little ones. It was exciting to see some of the parade go by before we headed home. This group was my favorite of all!

And the clowns were more fun to watch from afar.

But, that Sponge Bob clown still totally freaked me out, even at a safe distance.

By the way, Sew Up Seattle placed third in the "Community Novelty" category! Hooray! Thank you, Sew Up Seattle! We had a great time!

scrap coat = parade ready!

With twenty hours to spare, I finished the scrap coat for Sew Up Seattle's Great Scrap Coat Challenge! Charlie, Marcus, and I are ready to strut our stuff tomorrow in the Greenwood Seafair Parade!

I am delighted with how the cape turned out! My original idea was to make buttonholes on the top of the cape so that it can be attached to buttons on the back of the coat. However, when I showed the work in progress to Charlie yesterday, he wanted desperately to wear the cape solo. So, I ripped the shorter top band off of the cape and replaced it with a longer band that fastens with velcro.

I still needed to use the buttons, so I stitched them onto the front of the strap. Not only did this add a little bit of flare, but it also cleverly disguised the messy zipper installation and hem job I did at the top of the coat (ooops!). I also opted for some simple patch pockets, rather than the large front pocket I previously had on the coat - these pockets are perfect for a certain superhero's Matchbox cars (that travel with him everywhere he goes!).

Now I just have to hope that Charlie will wear his coat in the parade tomorrow! After the parade, I'll post some pictures of the three of us and the superhero coat in action.

my great scrap coat challenge

My friend, Alex, roped me into participating in this sewing contest with her. I'm pretty excited about it, but I must admit that I am equally daunted by the task. Sewing clothing is definitely not my strong suit (ha!).

(The Challenge: Pick up a kit of scrap fabrics from Sew Up Seattle headquarters, make a coat, show up at the Greenwood Seafair Parade on July 28 wearing your coat, and strut your stuff.)

Alex even picked up a kit for me from Sew Up Seattle - check out the scraps I was given in which to create a coat in about 3 weeks:

Yikes! I was at a loss when I saw the materials I had to work with, but I was immediately certain that this would definitely be a *scrap* coat.

So, my only successful experiences sewing clothing have been Halloween costume related. Sewing a Halloween costume is awesome because it never really has to fit perfectly, you know - after all, it is only a costume! I decided that I needed some serious help with this project. I found this Burda pattern for a simple boys' hooded zipper coat, and an idea sprung into my mind. I would make a coat for Charlie, and he would wear it in the Greenwood Seafair Parade (in which all Scrap Challenge coats are displayed). What fun it would be for him to be in a parade! Plus, Charlie could grow into this coat if (when) I sew it the wrong size.

So then I got started. The biggest problem is that all of my scrap pieces were truly scraps; I couldn't make even the vest portion of the coat out of all the same material. So the back features this ridiculous fleece houndstooth (is that what that pattern is called?). The hood and sleeves are made from the striped jersey material. The hood came out quite nice, I do think.

Whoa. The front is a little bit too wacky, though. I used the pinstripe suiting for the front, then attached some of the fleece as pockets. They are totally ugly. I took this photo, then ripped them right off! I plan to replace the pockets with the soft grey velveteen fabric pictured in the photo of my fabric kit.

So, after I fix the pockets, I just need to hem the bottom and sleeves, tidy up the seams inside (maybe with some bias tape), and add the zipper.

But, wait! Sew Up Seattle instructs participants in their challenge directions:

Feel free to add scraps and embellishments from your own stash, but please use the kit for most of your creation. We know that's a challenge, but this IS a challenge!

So, what about the gold satin and shimmery blue material? Well, I plan to use that to make a superhero cape to attach (with funky buttons that were included with the kit) to the back of the coat. I'm going for a Clark-Kent-Showing-His-Superman look (basically, a costume).

Wish me luck. And, yes, Alex... I ditched the shoulder pads. Don't tell.