Thing 1 & Thing 2 Tanks…and a Thing 3

Posted on May 20, 2016 by oliver's fancy

things 1 and 2 tanks (7 of 9)

Soooo, there’s a reason my sewing has been sporadic lately. Which you may not have noticed but I have felt the lack of quite sorely. There’s another Crook baby coming late November 2016. Yay…and yikes. 🙂

things 1 and 2 tanks (2 of 9)

We are all very excited, and I am very excited to be exiting first trimester next week. Time to get some energy back around here! Obviously a new baby means some reveal sewing was in order! I have wanted to make the boys Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts forever and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that…and throw a little thing 3 in the mix. 🙂

things 1 and 2 tanks (6 of 9)

I used the Twisted Tank pattern from Titchy Threads- non twisted version obviously. Love this pattern for perfect summer tanks! Eliot’s is a size 3 and Oliver’s is a 4 with a 1/2″ added in length and a little extra width as well (I didn’t have the 5 traced and couldn’t find my pattern pieces to trace it out so we improvised).

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I found a template online for the logos and did some freezer paper stenciling to make them. I haven’t perfected doing two different paint colors on a stencil yet, but these turned out pretty good overall. I had to remind myself no one will see all the little imperfections in the paint. things 1 and 2 tanks (1 of 9)

Tank fabric is Laguna knit in red (what else did you expect? 🙂 )from Rachael’s shop– currently on vacation but will re-open the end of the month.

The baby onesie is also freezer paper stenciled…onesie is courtesy of carters. Hehe, I don’t sew everything!

things 1 and 2 tanks (5 of 9)

Boys shorts are also handmade Sunny Day shorts from last summer…so glad they still fit because I just love how cute they are.

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And for inquiring minds, yes I will find out what it is! Who knows whether there will be girl sewing in my future or not… Oliver is convinced it’s a girl but we will be happy either way. I mean, I’ve got the boy sewing thing going for me already so I’m ok with another cute boy. 🙂 And if it is a girl, I’ll be needing all the girl sewing patterns you can throw my way! things 1 and 2 tanks (4 of 9)

kcw summer 2015: superhero shorts

Posted on June 26, 2015 by oliver's fancy

I’m back with another pair of sketchbook shorts to share with you. I know, I’m totally a broken record sometimes, but when you find a good pattern, you gotta squeeze the life out of it. I have been seeing superhero shorts around the internets for the last few weeks (check out these from Jane and then Tara’s got a great pair unblogged but you can find them on her instagram- @girllikethesea) and just knew the boys would love a pair for themselves. I took them to our local Joann and let them pick out the fabric they wanted and then I got to work.
I used the same mods as the last version- blogged here. To recap: Oliver’s wearing a 3T and Eliot a 2T- with about an inch cut off his length.
When I finished the shorts, Oliver decided he HAD to have a matching shirt. I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant until I realized he wanted something similar to the superhero pajamas I made him a while back. Because I’m a super nice mom 😉 , I decided to humor his request. We decided upon a white tank with a superhero pocket- he was very specific about the need for the pocket. The white (PDF to be specific) is more Kaufman laguna jersey. It’s the only color I have left actually so I’ve got to stock up on some more! I had this red ribbing that coordinated nicely with the superhero fabric so I used that to bind the arm and neck holes. I used the Titchy Threads Twisted Tank again for the tank top. Can’t say enough good things about how awesome that tank pattern is. Very highly recommend it. And I still have yet to try the twisted version but it’s on my to-do list!
Eliot did not get a tank because I ran out of time…and that’s totally unfair, I know, but being the less verbal child does have its drawbacks… His tee is an old up-cycle I made for Oliver way back during a long time ago Kid’s Clothes Week.
My next KCW project is not shorts- imagine that 😉 but the week’s end is coming so quickly I’m afraid I won’t get to it! I’m going to start plugging away at it during nap time today though so we will see how much I can get done!
Oh and I totally forgot about Rachael’s Shorts on the Line sew along going on, but head on over to Kollabora to view all the awesome shorts being made and link up your own if you have some. Quite serendipitous that I just happened to be in a shorts mood during all that! Don’t forget the Kid’s Clothes Week project pool either!

Imagine Gnats Sewing: Summer Shorts and Tanks

Posted on June 9, 2015 by oliver's fancy

I’m over on the Imagine Gnats blog today sharing my favorite summer outfit for the boys. I knew that I wouldn’t have a ton of time to complete this project after we got back from our trip, so I actually sewed this up before we left…That’s over a month early on a project!! For procrastinator me, that’s like crazy-talk. Here’s a sneak peek of Eliot’s outfit, but you’ll have to go to Rachael’s blog to see the pics I got of the boys together in their somewhat matching outfits (yes, I’m that mom 🙂 )

Anyway, it’s been so hard to sit on it for a month and not share it with you, but today is the day! Head on over here to see all the pictures and read about all the details of the outfits. Hope you love it as much as the boys and I do!

A Tank Top for a Two-Year-Old

Posted on June 6, 2015 by oliver's fancy

Well we are back from our epic adventure (check out #CrooksEuropeanHoliday on IG) and just in time for Eliot to turn two. We were all having a bit of a rough re-entry this week between some digestion issues and general travel fatigue and I felt bad that Eliot’s birthday was going to pass without much notice. Thankfully, I got some energy back just in time to make him his birthday tee!

I used the Titchy Threads Twisted Tank pattern (except in the non-twisted version) in a size 2T for this tank. The fabric is some Girl Charlee knit that I’ve had in my stash for a while. It’s super thin and not the best quality but it works for an easy summer tank top. I free-handed the TWO onto the tank with some fabric paint. At first, I felt bad that it wasn’t a more imaginative stencil but now that it’s done, I think it’s pretty cute.

I’ve made some other tanks for the boys where I just hacked an exciting t-shirt pattern and I have to say this is so much easier! It’s so nice to have all the arm and neck hole pieces sized for you and not have to do any math or finagling about how much neck to scoop out. I only made the non-twisted version of the tank this time but I’m looking forward to trying the twisted version sometime soon.

I made the shirt during Eliot’s nap time and when he woke up, he kept saying “my shirt, Ah-ver (Oliver), my shirt.” Poor kid isn’t used to being the recipient of the handmades. Curse of the second child. Anyway, he was so happy to have his own shirt and had to try it on right away.

We had a very laid back birthday today but it was full of all the things that a two-year-old could want- touch a truck at the downtown market, a visit to the train set at the toy store, ice cream at chick-fil-a…and his own bicycle! So excited to try out a balance bike and see if it lives up to its hype.

two twisted tank (1 of 7) Happy Birthday to my sweet little boy. Can’t believe you’re two already. The past two years with you have been so much fun and I’m so excited to see what this year holds!