A Very Cotton+Steel Christmas

Posted on December 7, 2015 by oliver's fancy

I saw someone on Instagram several months ago post a picture of the new cotton+steel Tinsel Christmas collection and I knew that had to be our Christmas pjs this year. I’m trying to make yearly handmade Christmas Eve pjs a thing. I’ve been pretty good at getting the boys’ pjs made the past few years but not so good at adult versions. This is the year I’m going to do it all! 😉 So far, so good since I have the boys pjs completely finished and it’s not even mid-December. Who is this person I’m becoming? Never fear my Christmas sewing list is a mile long and I’ll be sewing well into the wee hours of Christmas eve to finish it all!

Anywho, back to the pjs. I picked up the fabric at Fabricworm a month or so ago using a gift card I’d been saving and got my favorite prints out of the line. I knew the boys had to have this snow globe fabric. I mean, it’s just too cool that several of the places they’ve been in the last year and a half (Paris, San Fransisco…) are pictured in the globes! They got to decide which color they each wanted and thankfully there was no fighting over that! Though they were complete goobers during the photo shoot and so ended up getting their heads cut out of half of the pictures because they were just ridiculous faces.

Here’s the specs on their outfits:

Eliot:

Pants: Parsley Pants. Size 4. (sized up because of cloth diaper bulk.) Quilting cotton. No mods except cuffing up the hem for length.
Shirt: Safari Raglan. Size 2. Laguna Jersey in Onyx for sleeves. Thermal Waffle Knit for main body. Both from Imagine Gnats. The reindeer head is a freezer paper stencil.

Oliver:

Pants: Parsley Pants. Size 5. Flannel. Mods- widened the waistband from 1.5″ to 1.75″ to accommodate the 1.5″ wide elastic I had in stock.
Shirt: Old Navy (Oliver had this shirt in his closet and since it matched his pjs perfectly, it didn’t make sense to make him another one. Plus I used up the rest of my waffle knit on Eliot’s tee) . Added the reindeer freezer paper stencil in silver glitter paint.

The stencil didn’t turn out exactly as I had planned but overall I think their Christmas pjs are really cute. And they’re happy so that’s really what matters. Now the hard part is to keep them put away until Christmas Eve! And of course get busy sewing mine and the hubby’s pair. But, I almost forgot, if you check out my latest Imagine Gnat’s post, you’ll see I already have my shirt finished and it uses the same waffle knit that Eliot’s has!

Halloween 2015: the Justice League Costumes

Posted on October 23, 2015 by oliver's fancy

So I would like to point out that it’s friday, the week before Halloween, and I’m done with the boys’ costumes!! Woot for early finishes! Now part of that is because there’s a party this weekend they want to attend with their costumes but hey, I’ll take credit for this early finish however I can.

I started asking the boys about a month ago what they wanted to be for Halloween this year. At first I was kind of hoping for another star wars run, but that seemed almost cliche with the movie coming out in December. And they both wanted to be superheroes this year. There was a bit of argument over who got to be Batman, but Eliot won that when Oliver landed on Green Lantern as his persona. Which is kinda funny because I know nothing of Green Lantern. A few months ago, I picked up a superhero board book for the boys and it’s kind of a dictionary of each of the Justice League members and what they do…that was our first introduction to Green Lantern. Oliver decided he wanted to be him so that he could have the ring- whatever works, I guess.

You won’t see a ring in these pics because I actually forgot to have him put it on (oops) but after lots of searching for a ring, we found one at Aldi in the Halloween section- it lights up and everything. So perfect and he’s so pumped.

Both of the boys are wearing Flashback Tees. Oliver’s tee is a 4 and Eliot’s a 3. I used Laguna jersey in Onyx and Grass. Eliot’s was a super simple all-black outfit with a freezer paper stenciled logo. Oliver’s required a bit more thought. I did a lot of google searching Green Lantern costumes and they all had this side inset of black along with the angled black lower sleeve. The triangle shirt insets took me a little more brain power than I’d like to admit, and I’m not sure they were 100% succesful- they should have been a bit bigger. But Oliver loves it so that’s really all that matters. FYI I mixed glow in the dark paint into the mix for both logos so both shirts actually glow in the dark- pretty awesome. And that will be super fun on Halloween night.

The pants I’m super in love with. I used the Fancy Pants leggings pattern in a size 2 and 4. I just love how their little legs look in fitted leggings- especially Eliot’s leg rolls… all the heart eyes. Though FYI Eliot is wearing a cloth diaper in these pics so he’s got a little more bulk down there than you would see with a disposable. I don’t like to make costumes for just one night so I’m glad these ended up super comfy so that they can be pjs once Halloween is over. Or regular clothes too… you never really know how they will end up in rotation. As long as they’re worn, I don’t care!

The masks are made from two layers of felt cut out with a layer of craft fuse in between for durability. It’s my first mask-making experience so they’re not perfect, but the boys actually wanted to keep them on for most of the photo shoot so I consider that a win. Maybe they’ll actually be worn for trick or treating. Plus it just makes this outfit tie in so well with the Kid’s Clothes Week disguise theme. Eliot’s mask is a template that I got here. Oliver’s I just winged from some pics I found.

I totally cheated when I realized Eliot could just use Oliver’s Darth Vader cape from last year (blogged here) Score for not needing to make another cape!! I know this is a picture heavy post but I just couldn’t resist all of these shots… Sometimes I find them too cute. And this last one, yeah Oliver lay down and posed all by himself. I could not resist taking a picture as I died laughing.

Hope your Kid’s Clothes Week and Halloween sewing is going well! I am actually making costumes for both me and the husband this year so I’ve got to get busy on them now…Cannot wait to show them all to you! I’m so excited we have a Halloween party to attend this year so I can finally justify family costumes. We’re gonna be adorable. 😉 and cheesy.

kcw spring 2015: stormtrooper birthday tee

Posted on April 26, 2015 by oliver's fancy

Oliver turned 4 today….sigh. On the one hand, it feels like I’ve been a mom forever, but on the other hand, it feels like just yesterday he was a teeny little baby. Four is just such a big kid age! And while I really am excited to get to enjoy all the fun that comes with the big kid stage, I’m mourning just a bit the loss of my little toddler. Okay, enough sentimentality, on to some crazy cute pictures of this kid. Can you tell Daddy was around to take pictures today? Yeah, maybe one day I’ll have his photog skills.

The birthday shirt is a tradition around here. And like all good traditions, it’s always made the night before the birth day itself. 😉 In the past, I’ve done mostly traditional number shirts. You can see my previous ones here (three, two, one), but this year I wanted to do something different. Something that would mesh into his every day wardrobe a little easier. So I consulted Oliver, of course. He picked out this navy and red striped knit from my stash for the fabric. (bought on a recent trip to Charleston where I stopped in at Five-Eigths Seams and raided their knit stash. Unknown substrate info except it’s a lightweight jersey knit that feels like mostly cotton with maybe a little bit of spandex).

I searched the internets for birthday number tee ideas until I came up with several options for O to choose from. He, of course, wanted all the options so we decided to combine the superhero shirt with the stormtrooper. I used a free stormtrooper printable (found here) and added Superman’s logo to the chest along with the 4. It might not be super obvious that it is a Superman logo, but Oliver gets a kick out it so that’s what counts.

The stormtrooper is freezer paper stenciled onto the shirt. Cutting out all those pieces was a bit tedious but I really like the end result. Note on freezer paper stenciling: less is more. I put my paint on a little too thick and the stencil didn’t come off very neatly, so I had to go back with a small brush and touch up a bunch of spots. Ended up being fixable but wouldn’t have been an issue if I had used thinner layers to begin with.

Pattern is the flashback tee in a modified size 4. I wanted it to be a little looser fit so I added about 1/4″ to the width on both sides when I was cutting it out. I wasn’t thinking and cut off some of the bottom hem to even out the stripes and ended up cutting off too much and making it too short. So I used the same rib knit that I bound the neckline and armholes with and made a binding for the bottom hem. It’s not my fave hem but at least it’s not too short! I must admit to being pretty happy with how well the stripes matched up on the sides and the sleeves!

The entire shirt was sewn with my serger so it was a pretty quick sew- made up for the time-consuming stencil. And that wraps up a pretty successful Kid’s Clothes Week. I don’t always get to whole heartedly participate anymore, but I really enjoyed getting into my sewing groove this week and cranking out a bunch of stuff. I’ve got a few more things to show you next week after I put the finishing touches on them.

kcw spring 2015: rhino jammies

Posted on April 23, 2015 by oliver's fancy

I’m back with another pair of pjs for Oliver. This pair is basically the exact same at the previous pair except for different fabric and the rhino addition. I bought this jersey knit from Imagine Gnats at the same time I bought the deer fabric. She has a great selection of stripes, and I had Oliver look through and decide which stripes were his favorite. I would not have picked the red and grey for him but he loves it.

Again, flashback skinny tee in a 4T for the top. Coordinating grey ribbing for the neck and sleeve bands. I have yet to hem this version either. My husband just asked me why I never hem the knit tees….ummm, because I’m lazy? lol.

I wanted to have some fun with the “wild things” theme for kid’s clothes week so Oliver and I brainstormed different animals until we decided upon a rhino for his shirt. I decided to keep the rhino understated so I just freezer paper stenciled the outline in black fabric paint. I can always go back and fill in the outline if I decide it needs more substance. What do you think? Is it good as-is?

Pants are the fancy pants leggings, yet again. 4t. I used 1.25″ elastic in the waistband this time, and it fit perfectly and gives the waistband some nice structure. For added fun, I rotated the stripes in the bum panel.

Oliver’s first comment when trying these pjs on was “these are so cozy”. Score! I think the extra cozy factor is due to the rayon in the jersey. I normally just use cotton/spandex blend jersey but went out on a limb to try the rayon blend this time. It’s a little more slippery to sew with and quite drapey, but once sewn together I was pretty happy with it.

In case you haven’t noticed, we are going super simple on the photo shoots this week. KCW is all about sewing, and that means less time for shoots, so hope the less-than-stellar photography doesn’t bother anyone. Plus, photo shoot with pjs need to involve comfy couches and doggie pillows, right?

Hope your kcw sewing is going well. I’m loving all the “wild things” I’ve seen so far and am excited we still have 3 more days to go. Next up on my list are some more pjs- but this time summer versions with tank tops and woven shorts…so I am switching things up just a bit. 😉 Can’t wait to show you the fun fabric the boys picked out for these!

Washi XP Easter Dress in Cotton + Steel

Posted on April 11, 2015 by oliver's fancy

I’m back to share with you my Easter dress! I don’t know how the rest of you are, but at times half my “sewing” time is spent searching for inspiration. I’m a visual person, and normally I have to see an idea of something before I get inspired and create something of my own. I was searching for weeks for the perfect pattern for an Easter dress and just couldn’t nail down something that I liked that would also be flattering on me.

While I was searching for patterns, Pink Castle ran a 40% off apparel fabric sale, (seriously, how awesome is that and why did I not buy more? 😉 ) and I picked up several Cotton+Steel prints that I’d been admiring: some Ephemera double gauze and Mochi floral lawn. I had intended for the double gauze to be my Easter dress, but changed my mind after I saw the lawn in person. This lawn is my new favorite fabric. It is so lightweight, airy, and silky-smooth without feeling sticky or clingy.

I only bought two yards of the lawn so that narrowed down my dress options immensely. I decided to try out the Washi dress again, this time using the extension pack options. I have loved my previous washis (blogged here, here, and here) but they didn’t get much use during the pregnancy/nursing stages that I’ve been going through the past few years. Now that I’m not nursing anymore and my *ahem* bust is back to a normal size, I have been excited to add them back into my rotation.

I’ve been meaning to try out that Peter Pan collar option with the Washi XP ever since Rae released it but never managed to get around to it. Now was the perfect time to try some fun options! I made size M of version C from the expansion pack: sleeveless, fully lined bodice, pleated front, the elastic casing in the back, and the pointed collar. The one change I made was to piece the front bodice (similar to view A) in order to squeeze this dress out of my 2 yards. I also added some length to the back elastic due to being wide waisted.

I love, love, love how this turned out. It is so very comfy and perfect for hot summer days- did I mention pockets?! The collar is made from some Essex linen in Aqua that I picked up several years back from Pink Castle fabrics (she’s out of that color but has several other colors in stock still.) Such a happy accident that it matched my dress so well!

Because the lawn is fairly sheer, I ended up lining the entire dress with a lightweight cotton batiste. The bodice lining instructions are included in the washi xp pattern, and I just gathered a rectangle of fabric and attached it to the bodice/elastic casing seams for the skirt lining. Quite easy but it does take some of the give out of the elastic so you have to take a little more time getting the dress off and on. I loved making the lined bodice- so much nicer looking than facings in my opinion. And Rae is so good about walking you through techniques like this. Another reason to love Made by Rae patterns!

As I mentioned earlier, I had to piece the front bodice due to limited fabric, and it ended up being a little too noticeable for my taste- you can see how it made some pulling across the bust. So I decided to add some buttons to the bodice, and I’m so glad I did because it totally completed the look of the dress. You can also see some wrinkling at the bottom of the bodice that showed up after I attached the lining. Sooo…. guess I still need to work on my lining skills a bit still. All little imperfections aside, I really do love this dress and foresee it getting lots of wear this summer as it is so easy to throw on and so crazy comfy to wear! Lawn is definitely going to be my go-to summer sewing fabric from now on- might even beat out my love of double gauze for a bit!

spring kcw wrap-up

Posted on April 15, 2014 by oliver's fancy

I’m back for my final wrap-up for spring 2014 Kids Clothes Week. I made a little collage to show off my total clothing counts. Click on the collage to go to a list of all my kcw blog posts.

I really enjoyed the push to make as much of Oliver’s spring wardrobe as possible within a week. I was actually sad to not get more sewing time because I kept getting more tee and short variation ideas.
My main takeaway from this week was how much easier and quicker my serger made things. Don’t know why I waited so long to learn to use it. I even re-threaded it twice! (pats self on back). I also think it took my sewing to the next level and made my clothes look more store-bought. And lest you think I’m a sewing machine (see what I did there? 😉 ) by Monday afternoon, my kcw adrenaline rush had worn off and I collapsed on the couch during the boys’ naptime! I have got quite a busy sewing/blogging schedule the next month though so I am glad to have gotten my energy back today and gotten back into things! I’ll be back on Friday with something fun to share.

spring kcw: triangle tee and number shorts

Posted on April 12, 2014 by oliver's fancy

Y’all I am in love with these shorts. I know they are just a wee bit crazy, but seriously, soooo cute! Right? Please just answer if you agree with me, ok? 😉 Shorts are made from this fun Citrus Numbers quilting cotton print I got from Tactile Fabrics after winning a giveaway from Sew, Mama, Sew. I wanted to make a few pairs of easy, lightweight play shorts for O, and this fabric just jumped out at me begging me to be shorts. 🙂

I used Dana’s kid shorts pattern again (3T) but this time just did a full elastic waist since they are meant to be play shorts and not dressy. I also happened to have this orange bias tape in my stash, and I think it adds the perfect touch to the shorts. Easy, fun, done. (Boba Fett shirt blogged here)

Shirt is the flashback skinny tee but tweaked just a bit to be color-blocked. Guess I’m kinda into that now, huh? I also added the aqua pocket for just a pop of color. Thanks to all those who weighed in on my IG post asking for advice on this one! Really happy with how it turned out. Triangles are the infamous Girl Charlee triangles- made quite popular after winter kcw and the Bimaa hoodie. Black fabric is from an old dress of mine in the upcycle bin. (Hey, I’m really using this mini me theme, aren’t I?!)

When making the shorts this afternoon, I was really hoping they would match with the tee because I wanted to take pictures of them together, but even O couldn’t pull off this duo! So separate photo-shoots it was. Thankfully he was a good sport about it. And I tried to majorly cull the number of pics I put here so you don’t have complete photo overload of the two outfits. You know, I am actually kinda sad that kcw is over after tomorrow because I keep getting more shorts and tee ideas to make. However, my husband and my house will be very happy when Monday rolls around to be sure!

spring kcw: the mini accountants

Posted on April 11, 2014 by oliver's fancy

Well today I had my first sewing casualty- cut off the end of my finger with the rotary cutter. Not cool. 😦 Thankfully I already had these shirts finished before that happened so I did manage to get my hour in today. Sure hope it heals quickly because it seriously cuts into my sewing mojo. It is also surprisingly hard to type with a bandaged index finger.

My husband recently starting working for a really cool group called The Iron Yard as their bookkeeper/accountant guru. This is a casual/somewhat hipster environment so everyone wears tshirts and jeans. Ian was able to get some extra-large shirts, and he thought it would be fun if I made shirts for the boys from them. I immediately thought how perfect would this be for our mini-me kcw theme- especially if I could get some photos taken of the boys “working” in daddy’s new space. kcw spring 2014= fb tees

I used the trusty Flashback Skinny Tee for the tees. Oliver’s is a 4T and Eliot’s is 18 months. I lengthened E’s by an inch but otherwise they are as-is. Btw did you forget I had another son? I know he’s gotten sadly neglected this week but as the curse of the younger brother, he has so many clothes while O had none. Enter one shirt made for the little brother= mother guilt assuaged for now. Also please ignore E’s blotchy face. My sensitive skinned child is having a reaction to the pollen flying around outside.

Whew, I’m exhausted now. Photoshoots with two kids- not so easy as those with just one! Still two more days of kcw left to go and I’ve got two shirts for sure to show you and I’m hoping for another pair of shorts! We will see. Don’t give up over the weekend- find that hour somewhere!

spring kcw: boba fett and green shorts

Posted on April 10, 2014 by oliver's fancy

the dinosaurs came along for our photo shoot today. I think they had fun. 😉

You tired of seeing shorts and tees yet? Well I hope not because that’s what I’ve got for you again today. Far from being bored myself, I actually keep coming up with more and more tee ideas! Which is good because what I get done this week composes a good deal of Oliver’s spring/summer wardrobe.

For the tee, I used the raw-edged raglan in a size 4/5 from Sewing for Boys again. I like the pattern pieces of this tee, but, as a side note, I follow a lot of the instructions of the Flashback tee in the construction of this shirt. After this week I think I will be able to sew tees in my sleep! Oliver has two long-sleeve Star Wars shirts and would be happy to wear one or the other every day, so in planning his summer shirts, I knew that I would need at least one Star Wars one. Boba Fett happens to be my little brother’s favorite character so he was an easy choice (Oliver loves to be like Uncle Alex). My second time freezer paper stenciling was even easier than the first! This could get addicting. LOL. The white fabric is a jersey knit from Hobby Lobby of all places. They actually sell 100% cotton jersey, and I was really happy with it in my maternity tee last year, so I got some more to try out with Oliver. The sleeve fabric is from an upcycled tee- yay for using existing hems!

The shorts are my third pair of Dana’s Kid Shorts this week. This time I used some green denim I found in the remnant bin at Joann. There was a 1/2 yard bundle, and it was exactly what I needed to make these shorts. Flat front/elastic back again. I wanted to make some cargo pockets so I took the box pleat pocket piece from Rae’s Parsley pants pattern and sewed it to the bottom of the shorts. The denim was thicker than I had anticipated, so it was a bit tricky sewing all those layers of pleats in the pockets, but I’m really happy with how they turned out. Oliver is at the age where he loves pockets, and it’s fun to give him some to put his treasures in.

So that’s it for day 4. I have a fun photoshoot planned for tomorrow afternoon for my mini-me entry. If all goes well, you’ll get to see both boys and their daddy in some pictures. Fingers crossed for good naps and happy pictures!

What about you? How is your list going this week? Are you burnt out yet from sewing like crazy? I’m trying to pace myself so I’m not an exhausted, cranky mess by Sunday night! Oh and by the way, yesterday’s outfit is featured on the KCW blog today so go check it out and see all the other cool boy outfits she rounded up!

KCW Spring 2014 Day 1: A Mini-Me- The husband version

Posted on April 7, 2014 by oliver's fancy

Ok y’all I am getting really pumped about this Spring’s KCW because I am having so much fun coming up with ideas for O’s summer wardrobe. Today I tried out Dana’s shorts pattern and give it two thumbs up. Seriously, it makes short-making a breeze. I love a good basic pattern with multiple variations where you can make quite a few pairs and they will all look different. Also I am using my serger on clothing for the first time this week, and it has changed my life! Why did I wait so long to learn how to use it? The first thing I did when husband came home was show him the inside of O’s shorts because they look so stinking profesh! I must say he was suitably impressed- or pretended to be at least to make me happy. 😉For the shorts, I used an orange seersucker from Joann. I made Oliver a 3T (without measuring him- living dangerously, I know) and ended up cutting off about 1/2″ off the bottom. Other than that, they fit perfectly. This pair is made with a flat front and lined patch pockets cut on the bias. They really are the cutest shorts. My husband wasn’t so hot on the fabric when I brought it home, but he gave the completed shorts two thumbs up. I’m just pumped you can’t tell they are handmade. These were so easy to make that I may never buy another pair of kid shorts again! It’s gonna be #makealltheshorts. KCW Spring 2014

KCW Spring 2014 In keeping with our mini-me theme, the shirt is an old t-shirt of Ian’s that had gotten too small for him after many washings. Mini-me in my case will most likely equal mini-husband (that’s ok, right?). I sized up my trusty Flashback Tee pattern into a 4T because this fabric does not have much stretch in it. It definitely gives him some room to grow, but that’s good since I want this to fit all summer. However if I use some stretchier knit for his next shirt, I think I will go back down to the 3T. In addition to using my serger to finish off the seams, I also took Rae’s advice and bought some stretch thread for the hems. It was very easy to use, and I love the look of the straight stitch on the neckline instead of the stretch stitch that I’ve used before. KCW Spring 2014

I really wanted to get some pics of Ian and Oliver together with their coordinating converse tennies and graphic tees to cement the mini-me theme, but, alas, tax season is finishing strong over here, and I doubt he’ll have time to get in on any photo shoots. 😦 I’ve got a few more mini-me items up my sleeve though so I’m hoping for at least one group shot of all my boys before the week is out! KCW Spring 2014 How about you? How has your week begun? Any completed projects to show or still tracing patterns and cutting out fabric? Can’t wait to finish up this post and go peruse the KCW site and IG pool!