Star Wars Fun-to-Go Kids Tote

Hey all!  Today I have an awesome little bag to show you!  My youngest son was invited to a Star Wars themed birthday party, and I just happened to come across the cutest Star Wars themed fabric at the quilt shop the last time I was there--it seemed too coincidental not to jump on it!  I really struggle with sewing for 'older' boys--the birthday boy will be 6, but eventually I settled on a simple tote bag, and figured I could add in some fun things.  The pattern I went with is The Fun-to-Go Kids Tote by Fishsticks Designs, which you can find here. It's a quick sew that has a great end product. I'm made a few of these, and every one turns out so cute!

I purchased a small lego set to include, and am hoping to find a few other things as well. Any ideas?  

A couple pics:

Happy Sewing!

Seahawks Poppy

This dress ranks right up there on the list of favorite things I've made for the kids.  It's the Poppy's Peekaboo Dress from Create Kids Couture.  It's an absolutely fantastic pattern. The instructions are not the best--I had to read, re-read, and fumble through a few parts--and I consider myself an above average sewist, but the end result is stunning. I was a bit worried about the sweetheart bodice looking too grown up on my 2 year old--but paired with a shirt under the dress, it's no concern. All the fabric for this dress is from Joann's--the Seahawks print and the chevron are in the quilting cottons section, and the navy is Kona cotton.  I added the image to the bodice using my Silhouette Cameo and heat transfer vinyl. I'm so so so in love with how it came together--and of course my model is stunning. :)  She's such a little ham these days, and so hard to photograph--she doesn't want to stand still, or listen to mom!  Yikes! The weather here in NV is gorgeous, so we were able to attempt a few outdoor pics--I did my best chasing her around with my camera!   Enjoy!

Happy sewing!

School Belle Skort by Peek a Boo Patterns

Hey everyone! I had the privilege of testing out the newest release from Peek a Boo Patterns!  It's called the School Belle Skort, and it's absolutely adorable!

I tested the size 7 for McKenna--who normal wears a 6x/7 in ready to wear sizes.  For the fabric I used khaki colored twill from Joanns.  This skort is not a quick sew, but the results are worth it. The box pleats, buttonhole elastic for the waistband, and hidden shorts make this a real winner in my book!  We just switched to a uniform school last year, so this skort will be perfect for school--I will be making a few more of these for all my girls!

McKenna is very happy with her new skort, and was more than willing to do pics--so there are a few!

She thought it was hilarious I asked her to pull the skirt up! How many times will a mama say that?

Happy Crafting!

Busy busy busy!

It's so amazing how fast every summer flies by.  I feel like school just got out, but yet here we are, a mere two weeks and a couple days away from the first day.  We've spent the last few weekends out hiking around Mt. Charleston. It's a great way to beat the heat of Las Vegas, and the scenery is just beautiful up on the mountain! 

 Our first "big" hike we chose was Mary Jane Falls--which was definitely a challenge. It's about a 3 mile out and back hike, but the kicker is the 1400 ft. elevation change.  We all got a good workout going up the dozen or so switchbacks that take you up to the falls!

The next weekend we tackled Fletcher Canyon--this trail was 4 miles out and back, but not near the elevation change (only around 1000 feet).  The canyon is beautiful, but narrow--definitely not the place to be during flash floods! The kids did amazing on both hikes--I couldn't be more proud! I definitely see lots more hiking in our future--it's a great way to get outdoors and spend some time together as a family.

The kids and I on the trail to Mary Jane Falls

Cecelia and I-Mary Jane Falls

Kids and I at Mary Jane Falls

Ashlee-Fletcher Canyon trail

Fletcher Canyon

I've been lugging Cecelia around with the Ergo, which has worked beautifully, but I knew that if we planned to do this more often I needed something a little more rugged.  I did a little googling, and found that a Kelty Kids Child Carrier was what I was after--but the price tags are a little staggering. I did a quick search on Craigslist, and found an almost new Kelty FC 3.0 for a great price! I had a little birthday money, so it worked out perfect--I can't wait to try it out on our next hike! We've taken a few shorts walks around the neighborhood, and so far Cecelia loves it!

Sleeping Cecelia-Fletcher Canyon Trail

Cecelia and I trying out my new Kelty Carrier!

Have a great week!

KCW Days 3 & 4

Hey all!  My Kids Clothes Week challenge is not going as well as I had hoped, but I've still managed to get a little sewing done! Day 2 I made a nightgown for Kenna (no pics, it's in the wash already!), and Days 3 & 4 I worked on a fall outfit for Cecelia--even though it's 110 degrees out today!  :)

I'm sharing pics of that outfit today.  The patterns are from Ottobre 01/2009.  If you haven't heard of Ottobre, you are missing out. It is a wonderful magazine chock full of kids patterns.  It's european based, so the sizing is a bit different, and tracing the patterns can be a bit confusing, but the fit is always great, and the end results are always beautiful.  I used patterns #6 and #8 for this outfit, and the fabric is all from Joann's. The jumper is fine cord, and quilter's cotton for the back lining, and the undershirt is cotton interlock with white ribbing for the trim.  I appliquéd a big flower design onto the jumper for a little bit of added fun.  Overall, I'm super happy with how this turned out! I made a size 92cm, and it's a smidge big on Cecelia yet, but that's probably a good thing since she won't wear it for a few months!  

Happy Sewing!

Kids Clothing Week Day 1

Hey all!  This week I'm participating in the Kids Clothes Week (KCW) challenge! The challenge is to sew one hour a day for your kids.  This week is crazy busy with swimming lessons, kindergarten prep for my youngest son, tumbling for the girls, doctors appointments, and just the regular chaos of life.  But I'm hoping to get my hour in each day--maybe more if time allows!

Yesterday I eeked out my hour. I chose a quickie pattern, as I knew my time was really limited--the Rio Racerback from Peek-a-Boo patterns--one of my go-to's for this summer.  I know many of the KCW participants are working on fall sewing, but since we live in the desert we have quite a bit of summer left!  So I'm still in tank and shorts mode. :)

I made a size 8 for Ashlee, using a thrifted ladies tee as the main fabric.  I used purple interlock from my stash for the trim, and for the mountain appliqué.  The Rio is a super fast sew, and the results are so cute! Couple pics from our super fast photo session last night--we barely made it before dark!

Happy Sewing this week!

Minnie Mouse Feliz Dress

This might just be my favorite sewing project to date.  I usually stray away from characters in my sewing, especially for my kiddos. We don't encourage characters at home, and certainly not in clothing...but I made an exception for this dress.  My 22 month old LOVES Minnie Mouse, and I love to appease her. :)  

I wanted something that screamed Minnie, but wasn't over the top, so I decided to go with a small appliqué.  I used my all time favorite dress pattern, the Farbenmix Feliz (single pattern has been discontinued, but you can still get the pattern as part of the book "Sewing Clothes Kids Love" found here.)  I used three different polka dot fabrics, in three different sizes--yellow being the smallest, then black, followed by the red.  I added 4 rows of 3" ruffles to the back of the Feliz for that extra "wow" factor.  I was able to use all three of my machines for this project--sewing matchine, serger (for seams and rolled hems on the ruffles), and my coverstitch (hems). I also used my ruffler foot for the ruffles.  The Feliz is such a fun dress to sew--I've made so many now, I could probably do them in my sleep!  This is the size 18/24 months with seam allowance added. Normally Cecelia wears a 3T in RTW (ready to wear) clothing, so I debated doing the 3T/4T, but I'm glad I went with the smaller size, as she has plenty of room to grow in it! My favorite part about this dress is that once they outgrow it as a dress, it fits as a tunic, and still looks great! One Feliz lasts us 2-3 seasons!

Once I finished the dress, I just couldn't stop. I made a matching dress for her American Girl Bitty Baby with my scraps, and then set after making a hair bow.  My friend Kristen told me about an little tool called the Bowdabra, and let me tell you--you need one!  I bought the mini-bowdabra, and it is perfect for making all sorts of bow--including hair bows! I found a yellow pair of flip flops at Old Navy, and added bows to them as well.  Now, onto the pics!

Cecelia and her Bitty Baby

Close-up of the applique--simple but cute!

Back of the dress with all the ruffles!

My sweet girl.

Old Navy sandals with bows attatched.

Until next time!