Doing all kinds of stuff I shouldn't be doing

So, we leave for NYC in less than 12 hours.  What should I be doing?  Packing, preparing my presentation for work, doing laundry, and cleaning the house. What *am* I doing? Finishing up some sewing projects.  I am all about the priorities.

I just bought the adorable Square Neck Dress pattern from Dandy Jane.  Love. It.  The simple design, and cute little flutter sleeves are perfect for the warmer weather.  The pattern itself is really, really well-written, and the diagrams are perfect.  It was easy to sew, but there were a lot of detailed steps and gathering which took a lot of time. 

Well worth it, though.  I really like how the inside of the armholes are finished (bias binding) to prevent exposed seams.  I have material for two more dresses, and the girls are already clamoring for me to make them.  Guess what I’ll be doing when we get back from NY?

I also wanted to make a stroller blanket for Thea.  The weather is iffy right now so she may not need it, but if it’s cold and windy then I wanted something that would fit on her stroller without dragging on the ground.  I searched for patterns and tutorials, and the closest I came was this from the Sew, Mama, Sew blog. 

Instead of making something completely new, I took an old blanket I’d made years ago, and just added some straps and snaps down the sides.  I sewed about a 3.5” loop to the top of each corner, so it’s wide enough to slide onto the stroller handles without being too loose.  I measured up 12” from the bottom of the blanket and added a snap there, and another one 6” down.  I put the blanket on the stroller and pinned to make sure everything would be placed well without dragging or hanging down, and then assembled it in about 10 minutes.

The blanket is probably a little wide, but it fits fine on the stroller and won’t drag on the ground, which is the most important part.  Also, Thea loves it.  When I put in on the stroller (with her in it) to triple-check the fit, she wouldn’t get back out.  I think it’s cute that it makes a little pocket for her feet.  Neato burrito.

Okay, now I really have to get my ass off the computer and work on my presentation, and finish packing.  Wish me luck.  I have to talk for 20+ minutes in front of a group of people I barely know, which is a pleasant addition to the already crushing stress of preparing to leave my kids for a week and traveling to NYC. Again. Hooray!

Mei tai pattern from Sew Liberated

I’ve been eyeing the Mei Tai pattern from Sew Liberated for awhile now, and they were having a sale so I pounced.  The pattern came on Friday, so I spent Saturday cutting and sewing, and the mei tai was done in no time.  Seriously fast.

Now.  It needs to be stated that I’m a die-hard pouch sling gal, and I always will be.  But there’s something to be said for a one-size carrier that mom and dad can both use, and one that distributes the baby’s weight over both shoulders.  Not an issue for little babies, but older and heavier kids can be harder to wear on my old bones.

I have a moby wrap, and I hate it.  I mean, I love that it’s so incredibly comfortable, like wearing a t-shirt, and Thea is so secure, but hello. It has something like 5 yards of material.  FIVE. YARDS.  I cannot wrap my brain around hopping out of the car and asking 3 squirmy kids to sit still while I swaddle myself.  I wear it occasionally around the house, but it’s not practical when we’re out and about.  Plus it takes up SO much room in the diaper bag.  The less bulk and gear the husband has to carry around, the better.  That’s another reason I love my pouch sling.

The mei tai as a carrier seems like a good compromise.  The straps are pretty dang long still, but I think it’s easier to manipulate and get tied. I like that you can easily wear it in the front or in the back.  Pouches aren’t as easily worn on the back in my opinion — they’re better for front or hip carries.

The pattern itself makes sewing the carrier really very easy.  No lie.  There’s the outer and inner body piece, an optional pocket and the straps.  That’s it.  The thing that took the longest was the straps, obviously just because they’re super long.  The pocket on the front is used to fold the carrier up in on itself, which makes it portable and way more compact.

The pattern has you sew the pocket, sew the body (leaving holes where the straps will go), sew and reinforce the straps, and then topstitch.  I didn’t time it, but it took me a few hours or so in the afternoon to complete it, what with taking breaks to chase children down.  I thought it would be a multi-day project, so I was surprised at how quickly it came together.

I will never give up my pouch sling, but I’m definitely liking the mei tai.  I wanted to finish it in time for our NY trip, so the husband and I can bring one carrier and take turns wearing her.  I haven’t tried it in the back carry yet, so I am worried about bewb-smooshage, but we’ll see. 

I would love to make several more for gifts since there’s no need to fuss with sizing and sewing it up was a snap, but even if I don’t it was worth the cost of the pattern to have one carrier.  Win!

 

Thrifted sheets upcycled into pajamas. Hollah!

I have two pair of pajama pants made from old sheets, and they’re my favorites.  So comfortable.  I think I first saw the idea when someone posted about Amy Butler’s In Stitches.  I had some old sheets lying around and used a pattern I already had, and the result was fantastic.

We went into town the other day and I made the husband swing by the Goodwill to look for more sheets, and lo and behold! I found some.  Funny — the yellow rose pattern on the one sheet matches the pink rose pattern I already have on my other pants.  Must’ve been a popular pattern.

The sheets went into the wash immediately, and then I made quick work of sewing up my pants.  I finished both pair with lots of material left over, and it was just enough to eek out a kimono top and kid-pants for each of the middles.  I love that I was able to make 3 jammie pants and 2 kimono wrap shirts for $4 total. They love that they match mommy. <3

My pants are modified New Look Easy 6160.  Their pants are modified KS 3149.  Their kimono tops are the pattern/tutorial from Habitual.  I made my own bias binding, and I should’ve used red or pink for Phoebe’s shirt, but she got yellow, because that’s what I had.  I didn’t feel like having the project take longer to make more bias binding.  It’s not hard to make, just tedious.  There’s a great tutorial here if you want to make your own.

I have one more sheet, and I promised Belle that I’d make her a pair of pants from it.  There will, I’m sure, be enough left over for another set of jammies, which I may or may not make: if they don’t each have the same number of a thing, then there will be fighting.  Because that’s the way these girls roll.

More pants. You know how I do.

I remade the pleat bottom pants by Heidi and Finn, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the waistband on the pants is fine. Great, even. If you don’t try to add those silly ass pockets.

So I drafted up some on-seam pockets and it makes a world of difference.  You can’t even see them unless you stick your hand in there, or pull open the pocket on the side.

I lengthened these 2 inches for Phoebe, and they *just* fit her lengthwise.  The pattern goes up to 5T, so I knew they’d at least fit her in the waist.

 I’ll definitely make another pair, same pockets, and lengthen them a little more to give her room to grow.  And another pair for Charlie, with the new pockets as well, since it just looks so much better.

I also found this pattern from Dans la Lune on Etsy, and I had to make these. Just adorable. Comfy knit pants, with that big gusset I love so much for cloth diapers.  I ordered the 12-24 months size, and it fits perfectly — the legs are a smidge long, so they’ll fit her for a little while.

I used the rest of this horsey knit to make another cowl-neck dress for Charlie, which she wore immediately and got marker all over. Totally my fault — when I see anything light-colored I should know better than to make it for her. She’s a little stain-magnet.

Mama-made goodness

I made outfits for both Charlie and Thea yesterday.  I have more to do, and I hope I’ll have time to finish everything today.  I try to cram as much sewing as I can into my days off of work, because it’s the only time I can sew, really.  My crap takes up too much room to have it out during the week.  *sad face*

Anyway, two more Tee for Two shirts.  Thea’s is some teal interlock I’ve had in my stash for awhile.  I didn’t realize how boyish it was until I put it on her. Oh well.

I love this little gnome hat.  It’s getting small on her, so I’ll have to knit her another soon.

Pants are Big Butt Baby Pants by Made by Rae.  Rae posted some pants she had made with pintuck detailing down the front.  So, naturally I copied her.  First time ever doing pintucks, and I really like the look.  I think they turned out well, and are a little dressier than plain pants.  Thea’s a very well dressed little man, isn’t she?

I took apart one of Bryan’s old shirts and made it into another tee for Charlie.  The knit wasn’t stretchy enough to use self-binding for the neckband, so I used FOE.  Next time I’ll cut the FOE shorter — I cut it a little long and it gapes in the back.  I’m too lazy to unpick it though, so we’ll pretend I did that on purpose.

Pants are Pleat Bottom pants by Heidi & Finn.  First time ever doing pleats, they were pretty easy.  The hardest part was matching them up on the side seams.

If I’m being honest, I didn’t love the pattern.  It wasn’t clear how the designer intended the hems to be finished, or what size elastic to use.  I feel the waistband is too tall and adds too much bulk, and the hips are a little wide for my skinny-minnie.  But I do really really love the pleats and the flared bottom, so I’m going to try lengthening the 5T size to make a pair for Phoebe.  They’re really easy to put together.

The biggest reason I’m not happy with the pants themselves are the pockets that I added.  They’re too wide and not deep enough, and it’s the wrong kind of pocket to add if you’re using elastic at the waist — it bunches up unflatteringly.  I’m going to try on-seam pockets instead next time.  The pants aren’t unwearable, but I could’ve done a better job.

Now I must away to make an outfit for Phoebe.  Heaven forbid I make a pair of pants for one of them, and not the other, you know.