Pattern: Ottobre 3/2012 Happy Madras Shirt #19 & Papa Joe Pants #20 Shirt Fabric: Joel Dewberry "Modern Meadow" JD37 Honeycomb Pink quilting cotton; buttons taken from one of my husbands old shirts Pants: Fabric: JoAnn Fabrics, poly-cotton linen-look blend Fabric Price: ~$8.00; $6.40 zipper $0.50  Belt: Re-purposed gift wrap ribbon from the Gap Shoes:  Driving shoes, Gap Size: 96 cm Child's Age: 4 (slim and small) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I made this outfit (that sounds girly.  Ensemble?) for my four-year-old's preschool graduation.  He participated in a state-funded, pilot online preschool program last year.  He got to go in to test and receive his diploma and treat bag.   I started making it, of course, three days before the event.  I finished the night before.  No surprise.  Well, a little surprise that...

Pattern:  Ottobre 3/2009  Seamus Swim Trunks #40 Fabric:  Blue & white striped lycra with burnt orange trim plus white swim lining Fabric Price: ~$6.00 Size: 92 cm Child's Age: 2 1/2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Here is #3, the youngest.  We'll call him "Chuck" or "Chucky" because he looks like a "Chuck" but of course that's not his name at all.  He has a very traditional and sophisticated name, that his slow-to-speak-for-his-age little self likes to pronounce with a very strong English accent.  It was the Fourth of July and the first time wearing these I think.  I hadn't had a chance to take any pictures of the trunks for the purpose of the blog. Plus, he's a terrible model: makes awful scrunched up faces at the camera, is constantly moving, and usually runs off before long.  So, I figured I might as well attempt some photos he...

Pattern: Burda 3/2012 #108 Fabric:  Riley & Blake medium chevron stripe quilting cotton Size: 38 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally!  This was the sewing project that kicked off the summer sewing spree and I just finished it last night.  My goal was to make the first of a few casual summer dresses to break up the capri/t-shirt uniform.  I don't have anything against dresses, but I find that I don't really have any anymore unless it's one I had to buy for some special occasion. So, this whole dress thing was a bit out of my normal repertoire.  And really out of my normal repertoire are sleeveless dresses.  For some reason, I'm not fond of my arms and at some point decided, nothing good would come out of exposing their shoulders.  But I took a chance on this dress because I like it so much and now I might never wear sleeves again. I've realized a few other interesting things about ...

It's true.  They really can fly. Is it lame to call this a Velma skirt preview?  It was just a fun impromptu picture.

Yes, it was swim class day today.  That means the children had to suffer through another stop at my *favorite store* JoAnn.  I needed yet more invisible zippers.  I was armed with three 50% off coupons.  Plans?  Maybe a blouse, a boy's buttoned up shirt, pants?  I think I need more Ottobre magazines.

One thing I don't enjoy about project making is going to the store to get that one missing item.  And then going again to get that other item.  And then again, because I got the wrong item.  I just want to pick up and get sewing whenever the mood and opportunity for free time strikes. I have to drive to the "city" twice a week for swim class for the kids, so I've been taking advantage of that to stop by the fabric store and pick up fabrics and supplies.  I really don't want to spend ten dollars in gas just to go buy a zipper or a matching spool of thread.  I also found a new (for me) online fabric store, BanberryPlace.com , with a lot of great sale fabrics.  Here are the some of the goods. I was a little overzealous about opening the package. Actually, the box had a hole in it and I started opening it from there because I could see the fabric wasn't enclosed in a bag and I was afraid there might be damage.  I got lucky this time, but I ...

Pattern: Ottobre 3/2009 Audrey Capri Pants #17 Fabric:  Stretch Linen, less than a yard Fabric Price: ~$4.60 Size: 110cm graded to 96cm waist and 122cm length Child's Age: 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I made these to go with the " Hollywood Cerise ". They were too small.  A total fail due to (1) my inept attempt to grade the pattern to Monkey Pants'   exact measurements, (2) the patterns rise is just too short.  Also, I forgot (3), I decided to ignore the call for an invisible zipper.  I didn't have one.  I figured a regular zipper would do.  She's not going to strut down the runway with them or anything.  I was painfully wrong. So here are Monkey Pants'   measurements. Yeah.  What am I supposed to do with that? She is only the size of a disproportionate Finnish toddler. I thought I was being cl...