Girl's Cold Shoulder Update

Kay has been begging me for a cold shoulder shirt all summer! She fell in love with the style and Coby was even willing to let her wear them, which was a bit of a surprise because tank tops are usually a "no-no" around here, but he made an exception for a few other shirts so why not this one?

The Girl's Cold Shoulder Tunic is not a new shirt from Ellie and Mac that I've tested, but an update of an old pattern. I didn't have the old pattern, so I don't know all the details of how the previous one fit. What I do know is that the pattern has been updated to have no-trim edges and an A0 file. Because of the switch to no-trim, the fit of the overall pattern needed to be adjusted and updated. With that, the pattern was shortened to include a shirt length, that's what Kay is wearing right now. There is also a cute ruffle that can be added to make the shirt tunic length. A pattern for the bands was also added where there was only a cut chart previously. Of course, you can choose to cut the bands however you chose, but a quick measure of the area to band and multiply by .80 is the best way to make sure your bands are the correct size.

Half of Kay's love of this shirt is the fabric it is made with. Because it was for Fall and Back to School, I chose to use this fantastic Purple Sweater print double brushed poly from a place that no longer exists called Vinegar and Honey. This was one of the few things I was able to snatch up from them before they closed their doors. The DBP is so soft on both sides. It's a favorite around here!

Kay isn't as in love with the long sleeves as she is with the rest of the shirt because they are fitted, but I think they are adorable and kind of add to the "sweater weather" feel that they print gives the shirt. Dang, she is going to look great in her new back to school wardrobe!

P.S. There is also a Women's Cold Shoulder pattern! You really should go take a look, especially if you like mamma and me matching sets. Personally, I'm putting in a request for a raglan version for the cold shoulder part can drop a little lower!

And how exactly do we make this work during the winter? Won't it be drafty?

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Emerson Tee

A few months ago, while out shopping for fabric, I noticed this one kind that I adored! It was soft, stretchy and had this texture that made me want to wrap myself up in it and sleep forever! Checking the top of the bolt I discovered that it was a crepe and cost way more then I was able to spend at the time. I had no idea, and honestly, I still don't really know, what "crepe" meant, other than a quick definition of complete love!

Fast forward to July when my Solid Mystery Subscription Box from The Fab Clique arrives and out dribbles this AMAZING Oatmeal Rayon Viscose CREPE!! OHMYGOSH!! I couldn't believe how lucky I was to get the exact same fabric I had been drooling over in the store, only this one was a much better color!! It was soft, silky and I absolutely ❤😍❤ the texture!

Then I began the very long and arduous journey of deciding what this crepe wanted to become. What pattern would be perfect for the delicious fabric?

Okay, it didn't really take me that long to figure out that the Women's Emerson Top from Petite Stitchery would be perfect. But my first encounter with this shirt left me knowing that I didn't want the low V in the back and with V-necks not being my forte, I knew I wanted to eliminate that as well.

And a hacking I would go! And I quickly did away with the V's for both front and back and I created a beautiful scooped neckline and finished it off with binding instead of the more traditional band. The original pattern uses facing, but where I wasn't needing the V anymore the facing just didn't feel quite right. Binding was for sure the correct choice.

And then the sleeves! Seriously, who doesn't love those adorable flounces?! That's why I love this pattern so much! The sleeve options are amazing! Straight, without a flounce, short bell sleeve, 3/4 bell sleeve, and triple bell sleeve. I am not sure I have loved a shirt sleeve much more then I have loved this one!

So, tell me, what is your favorite fabric? What makes you love it so much? Can you still remember the first time you encountered it? Share your story with me!

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Xanadu

Welcome to September!! I can't believe it's already September! Times certainly goes by way to quickly these days. And my baby just turned 3. So my head seems to be spinning a lot lately and it feels like all I've been doing is sewing and dishes, sewing and dishes, with the occasional batch of laundry just to mix things up.

Way back in June, so like 3 months ago (that's a lot of sewing and dishes and laundry!!) I received 2 yards of this GORGEOUS coral tri-blend from The Fab Clique in my monthly Mystery Solid Subscription box and I fell in love with it but had absolutely no idea what I was going to with it. So this beautiful fabric was just destined to sit in my stash until I found the Xanadu.

The first thing that caught my eye on the Pickle Toes Patterns Xanadu was the fact that it's a dolman. I ❤❤❤ dolmans because they are so quick to cut and sew and they always look so good! But then there is this great little ruching detail at the hip! I chose to do the tie ruching, but there is also the option to do ruching with elastic. But that's not the end of the options! You can also add bands, narrow or wide and ruched wideband! CUTE! And then there are the typical sleeve options, hemmed, short band, 3/4 length and long, but there is also a thumb hole SLEEVE option. That's right, a thumb hole SLEEVE! I didn't make them this time around, but I want to next time!!

My favorite part of this Xanadu is the sweet accent gathering right in the front. I love the way it draws the eyes up without making my huge breasts look like they are jumping up and down on my chest to get attention (sorry, but it's true!) The wide neckband has an added layer of interfacing to keep it from bunching up and it's totally worth it! I love the neckline of the Xanadu!

I have fallen just a little bit in love with the Xanadu and have one more planned up! Well, nearly planned. I really want to put some lace on the next one, but I don't want to use the lace as an overlay, more like an accent, but I'm not quite sure how to go about it. Please let me know, in the comments, what you would do to the PTP Xanadu with lace so I can get some ideas!

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It's a BBQ Party!

The Baby Mess Maker recently had a birthday! The great big 3! I can't believe how big my little boy is getting. All potty trained and cooking up a storm with his brand new barbecue grill! Of course, I had to make something fun to go with the grill! This perfect BBQ sauce fabric came from Joann's and the pattern for the apron and oven mitt came from Peek-A-Boo pattern shop and is one of their free patterns when you join the Peek-A-Boo Facebook page and is called the Tiny Chef Apron and Toy Oven Mitt. I designed the hot pads myself and they were so quick and easy!! I plan on making some real ones for my kitchen!!

Lighting the grill and prepping the food. This little grill is so awesome! It came with a little clicking lighter and has an on/off switch that makes the coals glow and make cooking noises.

Of course, you have to cut the corn before you cook it. Be careful and use a good knife and a cutting board.

A good set of tongs are used to make sure the corn cooks properly. And be sure to use an oven mitt so you don't burn yourself while turning the corn!

When you finally grill the perfect burger and get it all put together, it's probably going to be hot, so use your oven mitts to eat it. This is a difficult process, so take it easy! 🤣🤣🤣

Oly sure knows how to make a great burger! And he knows the best part of pretending is to really enjoy the things you make!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Olyver! Mamma sure loves you and all your great personality and fun sense of humor! You were the perfect addition to this family to make it complete! We love you! And can't wait to see what kind of adventures we will have in the coming years! I love you baby!!

Man, do I ever love the faces he makes!

What gifts have you given your little ones that have been your/their favorites?

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BBQ Cupcakes

Oly is 3! I can't believe he's been part of our lives for this long! He is such a blessing! He is getting a BBQ grill for his birthday (more on that tomorrow)! We decided a BBQ was a great theme for his big day, but I didn't want to actually grill anything and he needed cupcakes, so I turned the cupcakes into the grills and make a bunch of fun "grilled" food to go on top!

Here is a round-up of the fun grilled foods for the cupcakes. Sponge-bob Kraby Patties for hamburgers, gummy soda bottles, Swedish fish, Mike and Ike's for hot dogs, cream-filled caramels for steaks, and, my favorite, chopped up gummy bears for kabobs! I used a black food coloring marker to make the grill marks.

I then made my favorite frosting recipe (click here) and dyed it red, orange and yellow and just squirted on in any old way. The only thing I was interested in was making sure it would kind of go everywhere when the chocolate melt grill was placed on top. I made some homemade pop rocks to go under the grills, but I wasn't very thrilled with the recipe. The pop rocks didn't pop, they were just super sour. It was good, just not what I was looking for, so I won't share the recipe, sorry!

I was so pleased with how these turned out! And they tasted great too!!  Happy Birthday little Oly! This next year is going to be so much fun watching you grow! Happy Birthday!

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Boy's Triple Play

I love that my boys like to wear matching clothes! They have done this, thanks to Riven, from the moment we found out he was getting a baby brother. And Oly looks up to Riven like he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, so if Riven is wearing it, he wants to wear it. It's cute! And I make them clothes to feed off their desire to look the same.

This summer we introduced tank tops into the boys' wardrobes, and they have worn them almost every single day! When a testing call when out from Pickle Toes Patterns to make this adorable color-blocked tank, I jumped at the chance to sew it up! Usually, testing is a lot of work and hard to get more version then just the one asked done, but Coby was home and the boys were excited and I was determined to make sure they had matching tank tops! Plus I had this ridiculously adorable fabric that was burning a hole through my stash asking to be made into something cute and these tanks fit the bill!

And here we have the Boy's Triple Play Tank! It's a great pattern with easy to follow instructions! Bound to be another classic from Pickle Toes. And there are options! Lots of options!! But that's kind of a given for most Pickle Toes patterns.

You have a solid front or color-blocked front. Arm and neckbands or binding, like I did. There is a non-pocketed option as well as two different pockets, a simple square or a pointed bottom pocket. AND, I know, there is more, AND there are three different backs!! A full tank back (vest), a mid coverage back (athletic) and a racer-back style back. How much more could you ask for in a single pattern?? I chose to do the racer-back! The boys loved it!

And to make things even more adorable!! They have a matching Men's Triple Play Tank as well. I didn't make that one, Coby doesn't wear many tanks, and I missed that testing call. Oh well, maybe next time!

For the fabric, I picked up the gray and black fabrics at Joann's. The gray is covered with cubes and I found in the remnant bin, but its usually in the costume fabric and something I've had my eye on for a long time and was super excited to find!! The black is a thin wicking athletic fabric that I also found in the remnant bin. Pretty sure remnants are my favorite fabric ever!

The bright green is one of those rare finds in the Wal-Mart Value Fabric section that is just amazing. It feels slick and thick like a swim, but because there is no content information on the value fabric, I don't dare use it as swim, so the boys got tanks instead, along with a whole host of other things yet to come.

My question, which back on the tank do you think you would like best? Give me some opinions!

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