Colin’s Madras Shorts

 

 

It is SOOOOOO hard to get pictures of Colin sometimes. Especially when it has to do with clothes…. LOL He just doesn’t stand still for long. I end up taking more than 20 pictures and very rarely get the “perfect” shot. LOL

I made these shorts for him the same way I always make shorts and pants. Just use the search bar on the right side if you would like a tutorial.

The only difference is in the way I did the pockets. I cut them on the bias and left the edges raw. 🙂

 

 

He LOVES them!!! They are so nice and cool! Perfect for the summer IF it ever stops raining!!!!! LOL

 

Today I will be back to skirt sewing for Skirting the Issue!!! 🙂

 

HAPPY SEWING!!!!!

 

DinoROAR

If you’ve been following my blog then you know I have been sewing along with Project Run & Play this season. It is SOOOO much fun!! I have been using up my stash and challenging myself. This outfit was by far the most challenging and I definitely made the mistakes to prove it! LOL BUT I think it still turned out well. 😉 Colin LOVES it. He never asks to keep something on after pictures but this time he did. YAY!!!!!!

I made 3 coordinating pieces – the denim shorts, the raglan tee and the vest. All 3 pieces have the dino print on them. 😉

It is SOOOO hard to get him to hold still and smile for the pictures! LOL He would rather be in motion.

I printed out a dinosaur footprint to use as a guide in cutting the applique.

This is my very first raglan tee!! I found it to be very much like making a peasant blouse.

Here are some more firsts!

First time working with denim (other than patching).

First time making inset pockets (without a pattern) and I think that next time I will cut the a bit bigger. They are functional but I think it would have looked better if more of the print was showing.

First time making a faux fly. That was soooo much easier than I thought it was going to be! LOL

I’ll be linking this up at Project Run & Play tomorrow! Be sure to go check out all of the other boy looks!! 😀

On Tuesday I will be putting up the tutorial!

I wonder if I can bribe him into letting me take more pics…. LOL

Star Wars Shorts Tutorial

 

 

I know, I know… It’s December. I should be doing more Christmasy type tutorials BUT I live below the Deep South…. LOL I live in the Bottom of the South! And it’s WARM here… Today I have windows and doors open to let the air in…. Definitely still shorts weather. Besides, these are LONG shorts. LOL  And you can always adjust the length and make yours into pants. 😉

 

What I used:

1 yard of Star Wars cotton

1/4 yard of black cotton for the pockets

1/2″ elastic

 

 

 

I took a pair of Colin’s pants and folded the legs up a few inches. I put the side of the pants on the fold of the fabric. Then I used them as a template, cutting wide around them for seam allowance.

 

 

 

Using the leg I just cut as a guide, I cut the second leg.

 

 

 

 

Fold up the fabric for the pockets into 4 layers. Cut out your front pockets. I just free style it. 😉 But this way they are all the same.

 

 

 

 

Now, while you still have 4 layers, cut out the back pockets.

 

 

 

 

Now, sew the 2 of the back pockets together, making one. Leave the top open! Turn right side out and press.  Keep going until you have 2 back and 2 front pockets.

 

 

 

 

Now, fold in the tops 1/4″ and press. Sew the tops closed.

 

 

 

Now, place your front pocket where you would like it to be.  Mine is 3″ from the top. Also, this helps to make sure both pockets are evenly placed.  Also measure the distance from the sides.

 

 

 

Now, pin your pockets in place and sew them on! 🙂

 

 

 

Now, fold one pants leg with right sides together, and pin up the inseam. Sew from the bottom of the leg up to where the curve for the crotch starts.

 

 

 

You are going to want to use a finishing stitch here. That way you won’t have threads all over the place after washing. 😉 Usually you want the finishing stitches to be closer to the edge but with my new foot, the feed dogs don’t want to work well unless there is fabric between them and the foot.

 

 

 

After you have both legs done, turn one right side out and slide it into the other leg. Pin around the crotch curve and sew your seam!

 

 

 

With the pants inside out, pin up the leg bottom by 3/4″ and press. Then fold up again by 1″ and press. Pin it and sew up the hem! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Still with the pants inside out, fold over the waist by 1/4″ and press. Then fold again by 1″ , press and pin. Now, sew along the edge, making sure to leave an opening to insert the elastic.

 

 

 

Now, pin the ends of your elastic with safety pins. You can either hold tightly to one end or pin it to the fabric or yourself.  You can also buy a handy dandy elastic inserter….. But seriously, the safety pins work very well.

Insert the elastic through the casing. Then pull out both ends.

 

 

 

 

Now, sew the elastic ends together using a zigzag stitch.

 

 

 

Sew your elastic casing closed!

 

Turn right side out and you will have a happy little boy!! LOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, this was not one of the tutorials that I had planned… LOL It just sort of happened.  I’m also making him some more dino pants today! LOL

 

Anyway, I hope you like the tutorial!!! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boys Don’t Cry – A Rant

I was on Facebook the  other day and I saw a blogger post a question from a reader. The lady had 3 girls and the middle girl has severe middle child syndrome. The mother wanted to know how she could try to get her child beyond that.

OK. Good question. I know there are a lot of kids out there that might have that same issue and I bet a lot of other moms could help. THANKFULLY I have never had to deal with that, I’ll explain a little more about that latter. I want to stay on topic here. 😉

ANYWAY, there was A LOT of advice but I also kept seeing a recurring theme among mothers to boys…… Here is a little taste.

“I tell my middle son to suck it up and quit being a baby.”

“I always say to my boy to quit crying, I thought I only had 2 girls.”

“I tell my son to quit being a sissy.”

REALLY?????? Are you SERIOUS????? What year is it again? Did these mothers just pass through a time warp????

It hurts my heart so much to read that these women actually say these things to their sweet little boys. Telling them that boys aren’t supposed to show their emotions. That they need to, essentially, shut up and deal…. These are CHILDREN!!!! They are precious! Their feelings COUNT! They are not small adults! They are watching, listening and learning by everything you say AND do! You are molding them into the adults they will be! Do we really need more grown males that can’t/won’t express emotions except for happiness and anger???

I really wanted to let those women have it. I didn’t. I didn’t say anything. Maybe I should have. I don’t know….. I didn’t want to be “that person” that jumps into a thread simply to tell someone off. And I think even if I had done it in a calm manner, it would have escalated into much more….

I just can’t believe that this is still how some people think! Why should a child’s gender matter when it comes to emotions? Why shouldn’t little boys cry??? I do not understand this way of thinking and I have 3 boys!!!

Are they saying that men that cry are not really men?

I bet anything that most of them wish their husbands showed more emotions……

My heart hurts so much for these boys. I can only pray that their mothers wise up and stop treating them as if their feelings and emotions don’t count. How very, very sad. Keep children like this in your prayers, please.

 

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

1There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

 

Cheesehead Tutorial

 

This tutorial is for the shirt. The pants are done the way I always do pants. LOL Just click the link and it will show you how. The only difference is, when I hemmed the bottoms I then turned the hem to the outside and top stitched.

 

On to the tutorial!

What I Used:

1 1/2 yards of main

1/2 yard of contrast

1 package of bias tape

1 package of Velcro circles

1″ elastic (for the pants)

1 button-up shirt to use as a “pattern”

 

***Always remember to PRESS after doing any stitching***

 

The first thing I did was study how a button-up shirt was put together.

 

 

 

I paid special attention to the back yoke, back pleat and the curve of the bottom.

 

Here are the pieces you will need:

 

2 pieces for the back yoke in the contrasting color. You can draw out the back yoke on a piece of paper to use as a pattern, if you want.

 

 

 

2 pieces for the front out of the main fabric. You can use the button-up shirt as a guide when cutting, if you like.

 

 

 

1 piece for the back. This will be shorter than the front pieces because it will be attached to the back yoke.

 

 

2 sleeves out of the contrasting fabric.

 

 

Sewing It All Together

 

Step 1 –

 

 

Sew the back yoke pieces together, leaving the bottom open.

Fold IN the bottom by 1/4 inch and press.

 

Step 2-

 

Put the back pleat in, lining up the sides with the back yoke, pin and press. Insert the bottom of the back INSIDE the back yoke, pin and top stitch closed.  Press.

 

Step 3-

 

Part 1 0f Step 3-

Attach the back to the front at the top (shoulders). I always do a finishing stitch first and then the straight stitch.

Part 2 of Step 3-

Pin the sides together and sew up the seam.

Part 3 of Step 3-

Sew and finishing stitch along the edges of the front pieces.  Fold over 1 1/2″ and press.

 

Step 4-

 

Edge stitch and top stitch along the folded edges.

 

Step 5-

 

Part 1 of Step 5-

Hem the bottom of the sleeves by folding up 1/4″, press, fold another 1/4″ and press. Sew the hem.

Part 2 of Step 5-

Insert the sleeves into the arm holes and pin. Sew the seam.

Part 3 of Step 5-

Open the bias tape and pin into place around the neck line. Stitch the bias tape. This is not the “proper” way to do bias tape, but I have found that it is MUCH MUCH easier and works just as well, if not better. 😉

Open the bias tape and pin into place around the bottom. Stitch it on.

 

Step 6-

 

Stick your Velcro circles on the inside of one side and the outside of the other, lining them up to match the opposite side. Then you will need to put a couple of stitched into each piece.  Press.

 

You are all done!!!!

 

 

I apologize that this tutorial isn’t as detailed as they usually are… I wasn’t quite sure if I would be doing a tutorial for it and I kept forgetting to take the pictures. LOL

Anyway, I hope it is clear enough to help you!!!

I will be working on Cailey’s Packers skirt and t-shirt today! Hopefully I will have a tutorial for you by Saturday! Tomorrow is my busy day, grocery shopping and bill paying… such fun.

 

Wouldn’t You Like to Be a Cheesehead, Too??

YAY!!! I finished Colin’s Packers outfit! And by Wednesday! Of course, I had meant to have BOTH Packers outfits done today….. But… umm…. yeah…. Didn’t happen. That’s OK, though. There’s always tomorrow! 😉

I will be putting up a bit of a tutorial for this tomorrow. 😉 And then hopefully I will have the tutorial for Cailey’s Packers outfit for you by Friday or Saturday. 🙂

Here a couple of pictures from our week so far.

Cailey on our first day of school. All of the other kids decided to be camera shy. SIGH…….

I have to tell you all about our science experiments. So, the first day of school we put ice in a glass and measure it. Then we were supposed to wait until it melted and measure again. The Cs stared at that glass ALLLLL day long waiting for all the ice to melt. At the end of the day the went out play. That’s when I noticed that all the ice had finally melted. I was going to wait until they came back in to tell them. Well…. along comes Deanna… She DRINKS THE GLASS OF WATER!!! Good grief… So, we put more ice in, we measure that ice, too… We wait…. Guess what happened next… A little bit of the ice melted and Jacob comes in and DRINKS THE WATER!!!! GOOD GRIEF!! SIGH…. So, we get more ice, we measure it, I announce the entire household that VERY. BAD. THINGS. would happen to the next person that touched that glass! LOL Finally yesterday morning we were able to measure the water. My goodness!!! LOL

Yesterday we were supposed to put peat moss pellets into 1/2 cup of water and in 10 minutes we would be able to plant our bean and wheat seeds…. HA HA HA HA. Yeah, it didn’t happen. Those peat moss pellets we still as hard as rocks when we went to bed last night. This afternoon I was finally able to get the bean and wheat seeds into the peat moss. BUT we were missing one bean seed. Joshua says he thinks Jacob ate it. I swear, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried….

OH!! I have some exciting news!! I have just signed on to test my first pattern!! I will be testing for Squiggly Twigs Designs!! YAY!!!  Check out her site!! She has a TON of great tutorials!! 🙂

Have you all ever heard of Bzz Agents? Well, I am a member. It’s a site where you sign up to receive free or discounted products in return for spreading the word about the products you like. In return you get points for My Points. I have just recently gotten on board of 2 great campaigns! One for CoverGirl and Olay make-up and another for Glade Expressions. I haven’t used my coupons for the Glade yet but I am LOVING the CoverGirl and Olay foundation and powder. Let me tell you why. 😉 It is incredibly light on my face. It actually feels nice! It also helps to hide those teeeeeny, tiny lines that I have been noticing lately. SIGH…..  Their tag line reads, “Luminous coverage for ageless, radiant looking skin.” And I have to actually agree. I like it MUCH better than the stuff I was using…. I won’t name names, though. 😉

<img src=”https://img.bzzagent.com/image/covergirlOlay.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=1058041311&Campaign=3550050590&Uid=85143&token=99abeb6ddf3181361d24e3dc583ce8aa&#8221; alt=””/>

 

 

Anyway, I can’t wait to try out my free Glade Expressions! I love Glade anyway. LOL I usually buy their candles when I can’t get Yankee Candles, ’cause let’s face it, those things are EXPENSIVE! But they smell soooooooooo good. SIGH… I have found that I can usually get Glade pretty cheap at Walmart or Kroger.

So, how is YOUR week going???

Dinosaur Shirt and Pants Tutorial

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t he a cutie?? LOL

This is a tutorial to make the dinosaur shirt and matching pants. I begged him to let me make shorts but nope…. he wanted pants. LOL  If you want to use the same dinosaur print I got it at Joann’s. 😉

 

This is what I used-

1 yard for the pants

1/2 yard of knit for the shirt

1 package of coordinating bias tape

1/2″ elastic

a ball point needle (for the knit)

A pair of pants that fit your child

A t-shirt that fits your child

 

 

Step 1 –

 

 

Fold the fabric over and place the pants on top with the crotch pulled out as far as it will go.

Cut around the pants leaving room for the seam allowance.

 

Step 2 –

 

 

Flip over the pants leg you just made and place it a fold of the fabric. Cut the second leg using the first as a guide.

 

 

Step 3 –

 

 

 

 

 

Cut out a dinosaur picture.

Remove the cat from the fabric!!! Good grief!!

Cut out another dinosaur picture (I did that so I can make a second shirt to go with a pair of shorts I made a little while ago)

 

Step 4 –

 

 

Pin up the side of one leg from the bottom to the crotch. Now, when I sew a seam first I do a finishing stitch along the edges and THEN I go back and sew either a straight stitch or another finishing stitch. I realize this is backwards (LOL) but it’s just the way I prefer to do it. 😉

Do the other leg the same way.

 

Step 5 –

 

Turn one leg right side out and slip it into the other leg

 

Step 6 –

 

 

 

 

Remove the cat from the fabric, AGAIN!!!! SIGH….

Pin up the sides and sew it up, reinforcing the crotch.

 

 

Step 7 –

 

Fold over the top 3/4″ inch and press. Fold over 1″ and press creating the elastic casing.

 

Step 8 –

 

 

Cut your elastic 1 to 2″ smaller than your child’s waist measurement. 2 if it’s VERY stretchy!

Pin both ends with safety pins and insert one end into the elastic casing while holding tightly or pinning the other end.

 

Step 9 –

 

Sew the 2 ends of the elastic together using a zigzag stitch.

 

Step 10 –

 

Sew the elastic casing closed.

 

Step 11 –

 

 

Turn up the bottom of the legs 1/2″ and press. Then turn up 3/4″ and press. Sew the hem.

 

Now the pants are done!! YAY!!!

 

On to the shirt!

 

Step 1 –

 

 

Fold the shirt in half with the sleeves tucked under and place on the fold. Using the shirt as a guide cut around leaving room for the seam allowance.

 

Step 2 –

 

Place the piece you just cut on the fold and cut the 2nd piece.

 

Step 3 –

 

Place your bodice piece over the fabric with the fold at the top. Use the armhole as a guide to cut your sleeves.

They will look like the picture below.

 

 

 

Step 4 –

 

 

Pin the dinosaur piece to the front of the shirt and sew a straight stitch around the edges. You can zigzag around the edges if you want to, I just like the look it gets when it frays a bit. 😉

 

 

Step 5 –

 

Pin the tops of the sleeves together and sew. 🙂 Right sides touching if your fabric has a right and wrong side. 😉

 

Step 6 –

 

Pin the sides together and sew the seam.

 

Step 7 –

 

 

Pin the sleeves together at the seam allowance and sew the seam.

 

Always make sure to press your seams open or to the side. 😉 I should have been saying that all along……

 

Step 8 –

 

 

Turn the shirt inside out and turn the sleeve right side out. Insert sleeve into armhole, pin and sew the seam.

 

But be careful not to do this……. LOL

 

 

ROFLOL!! I was getting a little tired yesterday….. LOL

 

Step 9 –

 

Take your bias tape and pin it around the neckline. Sew it on. 🙂

 

Now, I seem to have lost or forgotten to take the pictures for the next steps but they are simple so I will just type them out.

 

 

Step 10 –

Pin the bias tape around each sleeve and sew in place.

 

Step 11 –

Fold over the bottom of the shirt 3/4″ and press. Fold over an 1/2 and press. Sew the hem. Press!

 

Turn right side out! You are DONE!! YAY!!!

 

 

 

As always let me know what you think about the tutorial. Is it easy to follow?? And definitely let me know if you try it out!!!! 🙂

 

 

J2 said to me today that my fabric stash resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa! ROFLOL!!!!

 

Shorts for Charity, New Fabric and a Rainbow

I have 3 pairs of shorts for charity all finished and one pair for c2. 🙂 YAY!! I will be finishing up 1 more pair for charity and one more pair for c2 tonight! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a trip to Hancock’s today since I was in the area… This is what I picked up for $20! 😉

 

I got 3 yards of this red jacquard! 🙂 I used the yellow for the Retro Butterick  ’56 5603.

 

 

 

I got a 1/2 yard of this AWESOME Steelers cotton to make a purse for FOOTBALL SEASON!! YAY!! Yes, I am a HUGE football fan! LOL And there was a purse that I was longing for last season. Now I can make my own and not pay $65! LOL

 

 

 

I ❤ toile!! So when I saw this on sale I knew I had to grab a yard to make a purse or tote. 🙂 Love yellow and blue together!

 

 

 

I found this in the remnants bin. It looked like just the thing to make d another bag. I got just over 1 1/2 yards for $2!

 

So that’s the haul I got for $20. Not too shabby! 😉

 

And here is a picture of a rainbow we saw from our front yard this evening.

 

 

 

After I get the shorts finished up I am going to start cutting out the patter for this –

 

McCall’s M6362. I think I’m still leaning toward madras.

 

Then after that I am planning to take on this –

 

Here is the fabric that I plan to use –

 

With a eyelet for the bolero! 🙂 What do you think???