The hat was so straightforward to make that I took the time to video each step of the way. You can see my video of me sewing the pattern HERE.

I have lots of fun inspiration and style to follow, so without further ado, lets get started.

I think this pattern is so beginner friendly that anyone with a sewing machine and a half yard of woven fabric can follow along and make one! 

The pattern includes the options for a standard brim or narrow brim. I found that the standard brim worked great for adults while the narrow brim fits better on kids. The other option in the pattern is for a standard crown and a taller crown. I used the standard crown on all the hats I made. I would suggest starting with the standard crown, and then going to a taller crown if you need your hat to be deeper. 

Fabric

So many different types of woven fabrics work on this hat! I used denim, corduroy, a waterproof performance fabric, twill, linen, and quilting cotton! If you use a lighter fabric like quilting cotton or linen, you will need to interface your main fabric.

Style

I had the most fun looking at what outfits worked well with my hats. Hats are a HUGE part of my wardrobe. They help you out on a bad hair day, give you sun protection, and add that little bit of accessory to give your outfit that extra bit of sass!

Are you a fan of hats? Did you know that bucket hats are such a great timeless trend for ALL ages. From date night, to the pool, to the park, to a fishing boat – just pick the fabric type that goes with the look you want. 

The first way I styled my first hat is what I am going to call “fall cozy.” I think a corduroy bucket hat is the perfect fall accessory and pairs well with a chunky sweater or cardigan. For this outfit, I grabbed a favorite pair of jeans, some sneakers I just got in the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, and an Elevate overlay I made last year.

This chunky sweater is nice and cozy! I think I need a pair of dangly earrings to pull this all together. 

This sweater is open in the back! I wore a power sports bra in this photo, and when it is extra chilly outside, I will put a fitted top underneath. I blogged about this bra here. 

It is also reversible, so I like to wear it with the opening in the front sometimes as well. 

Another hat I made is for rainy days or jumping into the pool! You could make a similar hat using boardshort fabric or a polyester woven that lets rain run off of it! 

I found this fabric in the performance section at Joann. This is a North Shore Swimsuit I made two years ago!

I added ties so that I can strap it on to my neck and not worry about it blowing off! I show how to do this on the video.

I also paired my hat with a Green Tee, and it is perfect for a rainy day!

Another fun way to style a bucket hat is with a flowy dress. I feel ready for a fun date night in this one!

This dress is made from rayon challis using the Havana pattern! I wore it last summer on our beach vacation to Mexico, and it was perfect for putting on over my swimsuit to grab a bite to eat at the burger bar by the pool!

On this one, I did not attach my straps to the bottom back, instead I tie them like a halter top. 

The skirt is gathered and has pockets 🙂 Don’t you love the structure of this hat? I made this one using denim and did not interface it. 

After my daughters saw my hats, they started sorting through my fabric and showing me what they wanted to become a hat!

I used the narrow brim on all of their hats. My older daughters are wearing sizes 20 and 21, and my hats are a size 22. 

The pink hat is a quilting cotton so I interfaced it and then when it was finished, starched it. The other two kids hats were a home decorator/twill type fabric so I did not interface them. 

My youngest daughter is 2 and fits the size 19. The smallest size on the pattern is an 18.

She picked out her outfit and the fabric for her hat. She is so happy to wear it, and I think it has something to do with the joy of picking your own fabric!

Resources

• The Nantucket Bucket Hat Pattern is $8, except during the month of September you can get it FREE with any $15 purchase in the Greenstyle shop (fabric or patterns). 
• Other patterns featured: the Havana Top and Dress, Elevate Overlay, the Power Sports Bra, North Shore Swimsuit, and the Green Tee.
• Fabrics used: twill, home decorator, denim, quilting cotton, woven performance, and corduroy.
• Video to watch me sew the hat can be found here. 

Let’s Stay Connected

I hope I have inspired you! I would love to hear your thoughts and questions. I also would love to stay connected with you.

You can find me on Instagram. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

*Disclosures

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

The Evergreen Tee

The Greenstyle Evergreen tee is a standard tee shirt without feminine shaping. It is a straight cut like a standard t shirt. If you are looking for a feminine and shapely tee, check out the Greenstyle Green tee (which is also free)

The Evergreen is a great canvas to put all the HTV. My friend Aimee applied this one the last time we had a crafting day together. You can find the cut file for free HERE.

The pattern includes short and long sleeves as well as crew and v neck.

The pattern is drafted for 5’10” and is very easy to add length to since the side seams are straight. I added 1.5 inches at the bottom. My husband is 5’11” and every shirt that fits his shoulders and chest correctly is just too short. He is always frustrated when he finds the “perfect” shirt, and then sees how short it fits him. He is incredibly happy to have shirts that he can lift his arms in without showing off his stomach!!

I like the sleeve fit of the long sleeve. It is just fitted enough that he can push his sleeves up and they “stick to” his forearm.

I made him a size large based on his measurement. That is the same size he also fits in the Men’s Hudson Raglan and Muscle Up tank I have made him from Greenstyle, and it is also the size he wears in store bought shirts.

For fabric, I used cotton lycra from Made Whimsy for the white t shirt. I used the white from her dream solid collection, which is super soft. It reminds me of the higher quality t shirt fabrics that I love from Abercrombie and a few other stores, except this one has stretch.

For his blue shirt, I used a fabric that I found in my stash that is 100% cotton and has only two way 50% horizontal stretch.

You can see that even though I used the same pattern, the blue one isn’t as long because the fabric does not have vertical stretch.

My husband is wearing some of his favorite Iron Joggers* that I made him in these photos! It makes my heart so happy to see how much he wears them!

Ellie and Mac Kids Joggers

I also recently did a pattern test for the Ellie and Mac kids joggers* for my youngest daughter. I ended up making three pairs of joggers! I think if I had more time on my hands I would have made her a dozen! I took photos of two of the pairs, and love the fit on these!

She has discovered that she loves clothing with pockets, or as she says it “poppets.”

She is also learning all the poses required for testing to show the full garment – front, side, and back!

I used all cotton lycra on her pants, but they could also have been made in a french terry or any fabric with at least 50% stretch.

I made the relaxed version in the pattern. A slimmer version is also included as well as color blocking options.

She is not as chunky as other 2 year olds but just as tall so I made the 12-18 month width and the 18-24 month height for her.

Resources

You can find the kids joggers pattern here. In order to get the men’s tee for free, you need to join the Greenstyle Facebook group or follow on Instagram. On Facebook, the Free code is in the announcement section. On Instagram, it is in the bio.

Thanks for stopping by today! I would love to stay connected with you. Find me on Instagram! If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

*Disclosures

I received both patterns for free as part of the testing process so that I could give the designer feedback about the pattern. Also, this post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

XO

I know her answer sounds super simple and obvious, but if you have been around fashion or the sewing world very long, you know that this is far from reality. It is so easy to get caught up in what is the coolest and most exciting trend or pattern, especially when you plan to blog and share your project with the world when you finish, but here is the reality of the season in life I am in: my clothes need to feel good to wear. I need to be able to move, bend, jump around, and breastfeed in them. I also live for comfort and seriously can feel touched out by clothes that don’t feel good at the end of the day. Am I weird?

Little does my friend know, but I repeat her statement to myself almost every time I receive fabric to sew up. I look to fill holes in my closet or make something that I have seen while out and about that caught my eye and fits the bill for my lifestyle. I also love to do my research on Pinterest! My ultimate goal, though, is to spend my time making clothes that I will actually wear!

Last week I received this amazingly soft and beautiful athletic brushed polyester marble print fabric from Zenith and Quasar, and I knew exactly what I wanted it to become. I am so excited to share with you the three projects I made from it! They are three projects that are going to be well-loved too!

The Mommy and Me Cozy Sweatshirts

I absolutely love a cozy sweatshirt to pull on over my clothes when I feel chilled in the cooler months. I think cozy is my favorite blogging word, and this just makes my cozy-loving heart happy. I feel like I need a dozen more of these in my life!

The pattern I used for my top is the Greenstyle Creations Open Back Pullover*. It is a hoodie pattern that has the option for a neckband as well as options for different open (or non-open) back styles. I love to use patterns that have advanced options and basics all in one pattern.

I did not make adjustments to the pattern and sewed my normal measured size. It was a quick sew and took maybe an hour from start to finish.

Next, I made a cozy sweater for my youngest daughter. It was just as quick, and I love getting to twin with her! For hers, I used the Ellie and Mac Going Home Sweater*.

I made her the tunic length so that it will fit all winter. She seems to grow up more than grow out, so the tunic length will allow her to wear it for longer. I made her measured size and love the amount of ease in the pattern.

The Athletic Tights with Laser Cut Tricot

I had some scraps left over after our sweaters. I seriously couldn’t get over the print in this fabric so I held off writing my blogpost until I could sew every last drop of it. I love how versatile athletic brushed polyester is. It is such a great weight to use for bottoms or tops, is soft, breathes, and just comfortable to wear. Even though it is brushed, it doesn’t pil and holds up really well to my wash/dry routine. I don’t baby my clothes, and I have garments that I made out of it over 2 years ago that are not faded and still look great.

While I was thinking about what to do with my last bits of scraps, I ran across this amazing pair of tights on Pinterest this weekend and had to recreate them.

I used the Greenstyle Inspire Tights pattern for my tights. Mine are a little different than the inspiration pair because mine are a pretty purple, and my color blocking is across my thigh instead of my knee.

I also used laser cut performance tricot from Greenstyle Creations for my inserts since it holds up better than a lot of meshes. I have used mesh on tights before, and my kids grabbed and pulled at it. This laser cut fabric is much sturdier and holds up very well to their abuse!

Pattern Adjustments

For my inserts, I added 1/4 to the top and bottom of the pattern piece to make them longer. I took away this same 1/4 inch from the top and bottom of the legs. For the back of my leg, I cut the pattern at the capri line on the calf and added seam allowance on both sides of the line I had cut out to make the insert.

I also added 1/4 inch to the top of both waistband pieces and tried my waistband on before attaching it to the tights. It wasn’t as firm as a hold as I wanted, so I used a 3/4 inch seam allowance on each side of my waistband. This makes it snugger and allows me to get away with not using elastic in the top of my waistband seam. If you want more detail on the size adjustments I make to the inspire tights, see this post here.

Opacity

This athletic brushed poly is pretty opaque when not stretched. I wore a black bra underneath my sweatshirt just so I could show you how opaque it is when worn with an item that has positive ease.

For garments with negative ease like these tights, you will see everything underneath it when stretched. So, now you are wondering (or maybe not?) about how you can’t see my panty line in these white tights! I am wearing the Greenstyle No Show Brief in Mist fabric. I blogged about them here.

For more TMI, I also had that time of the month show up right before I headed out for photos. Yikes! I wore a 5 inch cloth pad that I made in my no show briefs, and I really thought it would be just good enough for a few quick photos and maybe only from the front only. BUT, I was wrong. It was held perfectly in place by these panties!! I was shocked. Just to test it out, you know, for research, I ran all around during the photo shoot and it didn’t budge. I remember when the pattern initially released someone asking me about cloth pads, and I seriously doubted that it would hold well without leg elastic. My doubts are over. It worked great! Now, I can have my cake and eat it too. 🙂

Thanks for reading today. I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram, or you may receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Resources

• The Marble Athletic Brushed Polyester is on Preorder at Zenith and Quasar Fabric.
• The sweatshirt pattern I made for myself is the Greenstyle Open Back Pullover. The sweatshirt pattern I made for my daughter is the Ellie and Mac Going Home Sweater.
• The athletic tights I made are the Greenstyle Inspire tights. I used this fabric on the inserts.

*Disclosures

I received this fabric for free to show how it looks sewn up. Also, this post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

XO

The good news is that it really was a quick sewing project. I could sit down and make one in essentially one nap time or one evening sewing time. I really am bad at estimating my time lately because this “quick sewing project” turned into a few day event. I signed up thinking I would just make her one. It would take me one evening tops, then I could move onto my queue of other things I needed to be doing. I am sure you already know where this is going…

I made her one, and then, my other daughter begged for one. I just had to make the baby one. Of course, I had to jump in on the fun too and made myself one. So, that quick one evening project turned into a several evening project and a photo session that was quite fun (toddlers don’t just sit and smile, you need to wear a sports bra to take their photo!).

Both of my daughters keep telling me to make them another because they love theirs so much so let me tell you, these rompers are like cookies. You won’t just have one!! 

I swear there is a high associated with finishing fun sewing projects that make you just do it all over again 🙂 I feel the same way about having babies, but I have definitely reached my fill and can finally say “I’m good!” without regret!!

The Pattern

The Jade Romper comes in Women’s (full bust sizes 30-51 inches), Girls (chest sizes 19-32 inches), and in babies and dollies.

During testing I made the baby size 18-24 months, and the girls sizes 1, 8, and 12. For myself I made size Pink graded to a Purple Waist with Pink bottoms for my hips. The bodice has two different styles – one with a scoop front and one that ties in the front. You also can put ties on your shoulders! The bottoms have multiple options as well from shorts to pants romper to circle skirt to tunic.

Fabric

I used bamboo cotton lycra from Knitpop for my romper. I bought it at the end of last year, and I have to say this fabric is just wonderful to work with. It is more stable like cotton lycra but has the wonderful drape of bamboo. It also does not pill like some bamboo lycras and feels a little heavier in weight. I love it and hope they stock more in the future.

For my oldest daughter’s romper, I used a burnout jersey stripe that I also got from Knitpop. This one is really opaque for a burnout because she is wearing red underwear underneath and it totally doesn’t show through!

I have to admit that I was a little nervous at how hard these stripes were going to be to match, but I think they ended up fine. Whew!

For my middle daughter, I used a double brushed polyester that I found at Wherehouse Fabrics Dallas. She wanted the pants version with shoulder ties. A word to the wise: tack the shoulder bows down or you will be making more in the future.

The baby’s pants length romper is from the girls pattern and is a size 1. The fabric I used is the same double brushed poly as my middle daughters – just a different colorway. When I was buying fabric at Wherehouse I just couldn’t decide which one I liked best so I bought both (#selfconstraintproblems?).

I also made the baby a romper using the baby pattern. She fits into the 18-24 months in the baby sizes and then the size 1 in the girl’s sizing so she has more pattern options available to her. 

For this romper, I used the bloomer style pants and adjusted the leg elastic to be the 6-9 month size since her legs aren’t as chubby as the 18-24 month. The pattern includes a measurement chart to tell you what length of elastic to use based on their thigh measurement.

I used a cotton lycra from Jumping June Textiles. It was a scrap that my friend Aimee Wilson gave me, and I LOVE how sweet it is as a romper!

The baby pattern has a snap placket to make diaper changes much easier.

Can you believe I still want to make more rompers? I have several more planned! I want to make a pants length in double brushed poly for myself next and wear it with a cardigan for the fall. Which version is your favorite? I forgot to tell you! This pattern also comes with skirt options if you aren’t digging the romper look. 

Thanks for reading! I would love to stay connected with you!! You can find me on Instagram, or you may receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

You can find the Women’s Jade Pattern HERE. You can find the girls pattern HERE. You can find the baby pattern HERE. You can buy a bundle of the Women’s and Girls HERE. You can buy a bundle of the Girls and Baby patterns HERE. You can buy a bundle of all of the Jade collection HERE (women, girls, baby, and dolly).

Disclosures

I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process to give the designer feedback about the fit of the pattern. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

Photos Photos Oh MY!

I took a lot of photos of our rompers and had the hardest time narrowing them down!! My baby also took her shoes off at some point, and I just didn’t have the time or energy to let it bother me! I was so happy to have these moments and memories with my daughters! For her headband I used the tie piece in the pattern and just extended the middle section to wrap the tie around her head. It moved about and looked crazy for half the photo shoot though!

Over the past few years, I’ve really changed how I think about sun exposure – a few minutes of safe sun is great (and healthy!!), but prolonged sun exposure needs a (1) hat, (2) sunscreen, and (3) protective clothing. The point of this post is not to educate you on the dangers of excessive sun exposure, but rather to encourage you to be safe and take (easy) and appropriate measures.

When I was younger, I would rarely use sunscreen. I was so uneducated about the risks of sun damage and the cancer associated with it. After the first squamous cell carcinoma was removed from my face 3 years ago, I decided I needed to make some changes for me (and for my children!).

Our family vacation to Mexico is coming up shortly so I have “make rash guards” at the top of my vacation planning list. I am so excited that I have almost crossed it off!

I’m sure you can imagine that when I saw the tester call for the Made for Mermaids Reagan rash guard that I put both hands in the air and said please pick me!! I then went on a quest to make at least one for all of my kiddos. I didn’t finish making one for everyone, but you better believe I will be finishing before our plane takes off (even if it means staying up the night before!). I’m excited to show you what I’ve finished so far.

My Thoughts on the Reagan Pattern

To say that I absolutely appreciate this pattern is an understatement. (1) It has the perfect amount of ease so that when I take a wet suit off after swimming, no one is crying. (2) It is absolutely quick to sew up. (3) It has a crop and regular top length options. (4) It can be lined if you don’t want to wear a swim top underneath. (5) The size chart covers us all between the youth and women’s pattern. (6) The youth version has the sweetest ruffle! and (7) SLEEVES (or short if that’s not a big deal to you).

Baby Rash Guard

I made the size 1/2 for my youngest daughter who is 16 months. I used the size 1 length based on her height. It is important to add the length in the armscye for kids as described in the pattern because skinnier/taller kids usually distribute their length throughout their bodies. I made her the cropped, long sleeve option, and included the ruffle. If I get a chance to make her another, I will use a solid that is the same color on both sides for the ruffle so that you don’t see the white underside when she runs around.

This was her first time to experience sand.

She rubbed it all around her hair, dove in, and showed me that she is ready for a beach vacation. It was all hands on deck watching this girl near the water.

I made her the Lainey bottoms to go with her top. I love the sweet ruffle on these and that they let her crop top show off her sweet baby belly. She loves to show me where her belly button is.

Now, if I could convince her to wear a hat…

Pre-Teen Rash Guard

My oldest daughter wanted short sleeves and full length. I made her a straight size 12 without any modifications. I also used the Lainey bottoms for her, but did not add the ruffle. These fit her SOOO much better than her store bought swim undies. The elastic is much more fitted so there is no gaping.

She was just as excited to play in the sand as her sister was.

My Suit

I made a Size Pink cropped length Reagan for my Rash Guard. For my bottoms, I made the Greenstyle North Shore mid rise bikini bottoms. I am in the middle of working on a sew along for the North Shore and am also wearing the full coverage bikini top option under my rash guard. Stay tuned to my blog for details of the North Shore sew along. I plan to announce all the info by Monday.

I LOVE the cropped option of this top. I think it would also work great as an athletic top  if you are being active outside and need some UV protection.

Resources

You can purchase the Youth Reagan Rash Guard Pattern HERE. The Women’s Reagan can be found HERE. The bundle of both the Women’s and Youth can be purchased HERE.

The Lainey Swimsuit Pattern can be purchased HERE. All the swim patterns are on sale at Made for Mermaids through Tuesday to celebrate the release of the Reagan.

The North Shore Swimsuit that I am wearing underneath my Reagan can be found HERE.

I purchased all the fabric for our suits from Made Whimsy. She has amazing quality swim that is great to work with. 

Disclaimers and Hey, Let’s Keep in Touch

Thanks for reading! I hope I have inspired you! You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. You can also subscribe to my blog to receive an email when I make new posts. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Disclosure 1: The North Shore Swimsuit pattern link in this post is an affiliate link, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

Disclosure 2: The fabric for Hannah’s rash guard was sent to me for free. A friend sent me tiny scraps, and I made the best use of them!

More Photos

A few weeks ago, my husband told me that he needed to stop by the dry cleaner to have them hem the sleeves of one of his suit jackets. I sarcastically responded, “That’s a good idea. I don’t know anyone else who would know how to do that.” In the gentlest voice ever, he responded, “Well, that would be like asking Van Gogh to come paint the walls of your house. You wouldn’t enjoy that.” I looked at him so tenderly and before I could tell him how much I loved him, he added “Well.. .Bob Ross, that would be like asking Bob Ross to paint your house.” Haha! Well, I guess that is a compliment because Bob Ross is one happy guy.

Of course, the next thing out of my mouth was, what can I make you!?! He has been asking for a Boba Fett top for so long, and so I showed him the strike offs that Mandy at Made Whimsy had just sent me and asked what he thought about them. Well, I guess it goes without saying, but he loved them.

I also could not resist this Princess Leia panel for my youngest and the thought of doing photos of my husband and her together. She had several toddler moments during our photo session, but I was so excited to capture a few photos of her smile.

The Patterns

I made my husband the Greenstyle Hudson Pullover in his measured size and added 1.5 inches of length to the bottom. I cut the sleeves at 6 inches below the armscye and hemmed them 1 inch.

I made my daughter the Stitched Upon a Time Artemis Top in Size 18 months. I have made this pattern for my older daughter, and she wears her top all the time, so I have had it on my list to make for the baby. Her shoulders aren’t quite wide enough for it yet, but I love that she will have plenty of growing room for the summer. Of course, that sweet baby belly fits just fine and is just adorable.

She was definitely enjoying posing for her photos in between exploring and refusing to be held!

All of the fabric that I used is cotton lycra. The background has a textured look that is printed on the fabric. I love how soft Made Whimsy cotton lycra is!

Each panel has a matching splatter coordinate.

Resources

1. The fabric that I used in this post is available HERE by preorder through April 29th.
2. The pattern I used for my husband’s shirt can be found HERE.
3. The pattern I used for my daughter’s shirt can be found HERE.

Disclosures

I received this fabric for free to give the designer feedback about it and to share it with you. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

When I was pregnant with my first baby 11 years ago, due to years of infertility, I could not believe that I was pregnant. When my sweet baby was born, I looked at her for the first time and thought “It really happened?! Pinch me! How is this true?!” I was soooo unprepared for the days that followed!!

Today’s blogpost will be all about my current motherhood musings and AHA moments, memories I don’t want to forget, and the latest pattern by Sofilantjes.  Thanks for stopping by!

Do you ever have moments in your life that you dream of, long for, and just can’t wait to happen? Then, when they do happen, it feels so surreal that you almost can’t take it all in and feel so unprepared? No, just me? I think motherhood (despite my longing for it) caught me by surprise. It finally took until my fifth child for somethings to click for me.

Keeping Memories

One of the things that clicked recently is “Take photos, write it down, and record the moments you can’t seem to take in because you will NOT remember it all!”

I did not have a smart phone when my first daughter was born and was absolutely clueless as to how to work my camera. I didn’t keep baby books and thought often “How would I ever forget XYZ adorable thing she just did?!” Sadly, one moment has toppled on the next, and I don’t remember everything I wished I did. Oh, how I wished I could tell my younger self to take a million photos and write it all down!!

I have had an Instagram account for my sewing for years, and a few weeks ago, I finally started a personal Instagram account to document my kids. Why did I not do this before?! It’s an account just for me to put a caption with a photo that shows up on Timehop every year for me to have and for the kids to have when they are older and want their memories. I don’t use that account to follow people or interact like I do on my sewing account. It is really a space for me to have memories. Do you have a better way that you collect memories with photos???? I would love to hear about it if you do.

The Advena Top and Dress Pattern by Sofilantjes

Now, let’s get into SEWING… I love when I get the opportunity to pattern test for my kids because then I get to make something fun for them and take them out for photos!

I recently got to test the Advena by Sofilantjes. I made my oldest a short sleeved shirt, and I made the youngest a short sleeved dress. The pattern comes with three neckline options, three sleeve lengths, and the option for a top, tunic, or dress. I made my oldest daughter’s top with the View C neckline, which has just one lapped shoulder. I made my youngest the neckline with both lapped shoulders so it makes getting her dressed easier. The other neckline option in the pattern is a basic round neckline.

When I asked my oldest which fabric she wanted, she immediately picked out my hoarded, precious Made Whimsy fabric. She was pretty excited that I used this fabric for her and also wanted to show me how great she is at handstands.

This is 10. I am loving 10. She is incredibly brilliant. She loves to help and can run the house just as well as I can. She is great at math and is pretty determined to learn anything she sets her heart to. She is also the photographer behind a lot of my blogposts. She makes the best chocolate chip cookies all from recipes she finds on her iPad and even brought me milk and freshly baked cookies on Saturday while I had lost track of time in my sewing room. She always asks if I need tea when she is making herself some and loves to join me for a great chat with a cup of tea. Her hugs are warm and so full of love. I pray that I can continue to raise this strong girl with wisdom and grace. When she was a defiant 2 year old, I wished I could have looked into the future to see this girl.

Now, the baby…. She is 15 months and has taken the toddler stage by storm. I got her dress out of a 12 inch piece of fabric!! I used the same navy cotton lycra from Made Whimsy on her side panels as I had for my daughters, and I love how it pulls both of their tops together.

When I was getting dressed this morning, this cutie pie found a cup of tea and poured it all over the carpet next to my night stand. Then, she found my contact case and some toothpaste and walked down the hall to my sewing room. In my sewing room, she dumped out the trash and was throwing fabric about wildly. Somehow I still made it through today (thank you JESUS!) She makes all the kids laugh and loves to show off where her eyes, nose, and belly button are. She also loves to sing.

Pattern Thoughts

I love the side panel on this pattern. It really helps to break up the dress and gives the older girls a slimmer view if they still have a bit of a baby belly.

I love that this pattern has a wide size range. I made my youngest the 12 month size and my oldest daughter size 11. I love Sofilantjes drafting. I can always trust it and don’t have to size up to make sure I don’t waste good fabric.

I will definitely be making this pattern again!!

I was amazed at just how many photos I got of her front in this photo session because most toddlers give you lots of photos of their backs as they run away….

Since I only had a 12 inch scrap for her dress, I had to get a front, back, 2 sleeves, and 2 skirt parts out of that entire strip. I had no way to pattern match and just had to go with how things were cut. I still can’t believe that the pattern matched up pretty well on the back!!

Resources

• The Advena Top and Dress Pattern can be found HERE. It is on sale right now for release and is also available in Dutch and French. Also, it is available in only baby sizes.
• The floral for my daughter’s top is cotton lycra from Made Whimsy.
• The fabric for my youngest daughter’s dress is from Jumping June Textiles.
• The solid navy cotton lycra on both girls’ side panels is from Made Whimsy.

Thanks for reading today! I hope I have inspired you! You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Disclosures: I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process to give the designer feedback about the instructions and fit of the pattern. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

Today’s post is full of baby rolls, grins, ruffles, rainbow shoes, pink, and all kinds of sweetness. I hope you enjoy all the cuteness that ensues today! It is also Wacky Wednesday! This is that crazy day of the week where Ellie and Mac marks a few patterns down to just $1. This week the Sienna Dress and Tunic is included in the sale, and I am so excited to show you the one I got to sew up for my baby.

Let’s start with a moment of truth. I am a tomboy who likes pink. I did not grow up with ruffles, make up, frilly dresses, or anything close to that. If you run into me around town, I am usually in athletic clothes because I just came from or am heading to the gym, or I am in jeans and a t shirt because its rest day. I really did not start wearing make up until well into my 30s, and I think this blog has been a really good thing for me because I own lipstick now. Haha! Pattern testing has STRETCHED me to try new things, and I have discovered that I can be comfortable and feel good in styles I would never have picked on my own.

My poor oldest daughter got dressed in leggings and t shirts as a baby. I tried to put a bow in her hair, and when she refused, I gave up. As soon as my second daughter could talk, though, she let me know she needed dresses, bows, and anything frilly she could find. Then, I had two boys. They weren’t nearly as fun to dress as my second daughter. So, after those two boys, God gave me this rainbow baby – Hannah, and she is getting all the frill I can put on her. She seems to like to put on dresses too because she smiles, poses, and squeals with delight while I run around her taking photos of her.

So, I made this adorable dress for my baby this weekend, and it just makes my heart so happy. I am so happy with how well it fits her too and how all the ruffles turned out! I had several moments in the process where I wondered if I was going too far with the ruffles, but I didn’t even do all of the ones included in the pattern! If you have a princess as a daughter, you need to make her this dress.

It is still winter in my part of the world, so I think the dress also looks great layered over the Greenstyle Creations Bella Bubble Sleeve Tee. The Bella is such a cute basic tee for girls with a bubble sleeve. I made her the 12-18 month size, and it fits her really well. This particular Bella Bubble Sleeve Tee will be on the Minerva Crafts blog on March 4th, so be on the lookout to see the whole tee! I will update with a link once it is posted.

My daughter is 13.5 months, and I made her a size 12-18 months in the Sienna as well. Her chest, waist, and hips actually measured into the 6-12 month size and her height was 12-18, but I knew that I wanted to be able to layer the dress during the remaining cold months so I just made the straight size 12-18 months. I am glad I did because she needed that extra room to help it to be easier to take on and off.

Resources

1. The Ellie and Mac Sienna Dress Pattern can be found HERE.
2. The Fabric I used for the Dress is Ailson Glass Book Plate in Lavender.
3. The Greenstyle Bella Bubble Sleeve Pattern can be found HERE.
4. The fabric I used for the T shirt Cotton and Steel from Minerva Crafts. I got the Orchid colorway.

For my daughter’s dress, I used the Sofilantjes Foras dress pattern. It starts at 12 months (the size I made) and goes up to size 12 years. I made my oldest daughter a dress from this pattern last year (you can read that post here) and have been waiting until the baby fit on the size chart so that I could make her one too! She is finally on it!

Even though I am dreaming of Spring, the weather still has not caught up to my dreams. It was a rather chilly winter day out so I made my daughters dress in the 3/4 length sleeve and put some leg warmers on her so that she wasn’t miserable during photos. I am glad she had them on too because she tripped a few times, and they saved her knees.

The fabric that I used for both of our dresses is a cotton lycra with 92% cotton and 8% lycra. It is super soft and soo adorable. I had to throw in a splash of my dress fabric on the pockets to give her a pop of pink. The yellows in my dress fabric also were the same yellows in the honeycomb so I thought they worked well together. Aren’t those bees adorable!?

The pocket on the dress is a functional pocket. She does not understand yet just how great pockets are, but I still took the time to do the pocket because I absolutely love the colorblocking it adds to the dress.

The Foras has an optional gathered skirt or a full circle skirt. I did not have enough coordinate to do the full circle, but I had just enough for the gathered skirt. All those little gathers were worth it because she is so cute in this skirt!

This little princess has my heart! She brings so much joy to our entire family, and I just cannot imagine life without her. She is in that fun stage where she loves to see cause and effect. She dumps, investigates, rearranges, throws out, and has the busiest hands. I never can get over the curiosity and determination of a person entering toddlerhood! It’s nice to have her brothers and sisters around to help me keep up with her!

For my dress, I used the Sofilantjes Vallis dress. I tested the dress this summer (You can read that blogpost here), and I have wanted to make another one ever since. The fit was just perfect, and it has been my favorite dress that gets the most wear. I immediately knew it was the dress that I wanted to make again when I saw this floral.

The Vallis has a low back that makes Texas summers bearable and that I find very stunning! Most garments with low backs have a higher front neckline, but this one has a low enough neckline in the front that I can still easily pull it down and breastfeed in it without modifying it.

I picked my bodice size based off of my upper bust and picked my skirt size based on my waist measurement. I did not grade for my hips since the skirt is full. The only change I have to make to this pattern is to do an FBA (Full Bust Adjustment), which is really easy because there is a bust line and instructions on how to get an accurate front piece. My bust has decreased slightly since I made the dress this summer so I just pivoted my FBA piece in slightly based on the measurements I am now. I made the natural waist bodice with skirt A (the half circle). The pattern also includes an asymmetrical handkerchief and handkerchief hem for the natural waist bodice. If you are pregnant, the pattern has an empire bodice with a gathered skirt also included.

Pockets! Do you see how cold I am in this photo too? Ha. It still is not spring, but a girl can dream (and quickly put her coat back on when photos are over!)

I feel like we are ready for a vacation in these photos. Or to go to a wedding? I am not sure where we will be going yet, but I do know that if someone invites me to a fun event, I will not be up until 1 am the night before making a last minute dress!

Resources

1. The fabric for my dress and my sweet princess’s dress came from Made Whimsy. Both fabrics are currently open for preorder through March 5. You can order them here.
2. The pattern for my dress is the Sofilantjes Vallis dress. You can purchase the dress here. You can read my previous blogpost on the dress here.

3. The pattern for my daughter’s dress is the Sofilantjes Foras dress. You can purchase the dress here. You can read my previous blostpost on the dress here.

Thanks for reading! I hope I have inspired you. You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Disclosures: I received both patterns for free as part of the testing process to give the designer feedback about the instructions and fit of the pattern. I received this fabric for free so that I could sew it up and provide modeled photos of it. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. There is no cost to you. Any and all opinions expressed are my own.

15 years ago I thought I would never have children. Oh how my heart changed!! After the first year of being married to my husband, I found a sweet doctor who listened, knew his stuff, and was able to help me, and God changed my heart to realize that I did want to be a mother. Within the year, I was pregnant with our first child. My life changed drastically, and I never imagined it would look like what it does now! It seemed like that was just yesterday, and now I have 5 kids!!

Sewing is that hobby that I need, and I love how blogging allows me to document it all. My kids are so sweet about my sewing too. They will tell a complete stranger that their mom made their shirt while smiling from ear to ear. It has been too long since I have sewn each of them a shirt, so last week, I signed up to test the new Lee raglan pattern by Made for Mermaids and was able to make each of them (and even myself!!) a shirt!! I guess when you are homeschooled and your mom likes to sew, it becomes school picture day. I am so glad how sewing pushes me to get photos of my kids.

Today’s blogpost will be about my thoughts on the pattern and what sizes I made for each of us.

The Lee raglan has the option of a normal neckband (which I used on all the tops I made) or a placket. I love the placket look but knew I would be pressed for time with making so many tops. There is also a men’s pattern available that I have not made (sorry hubby, I needed to sleep too!) There is a straight or curved hem option, and for the women’s, there is also a tunic length.

Let’s start with some sweet photos of my youngest in her top. She just turned 1 (you can see that post here). I initially made her the size 1/2, and it fit but was a bit hard to get over her head. So, on her final raglan, I made a size 1/2 width with a size 1 length. The fit was perfect for her in this size!

She is wearing the free Bonny Leggings pattern to go with her top.

For my 4 year old Aaron, I made a size 4 width with a size 5 height.

He really loves to pose for photos and always makes me laugh (when I am not telling him to get down from something)

The fabric I used for his shirt was a gift from my friend Aimee. When he was two, she made him a tank top with this fabric, and it was his favorite shirt. He wore it ALL. THE. TIME. Almost all of his photos from 2 to maybe a few months ago have him wearing that shirt. I felt like I needed to tell people that he did have other clothes, and I had to wash it sooo much. I finally hid it from him because it was becoming a crop top and was stained beyond my ability to fix. I knew it was time to make him another shirt form his favorite fabric.

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”

My 6 year old is his best friend. These two boys are pretty inseparable. I made the 6 year old a size 6 with 7 length.

The 4 year old is the active, full of energy kid. My 6 year old is the calmest and sweetest boy I have ever met. I can’t tell you enough about what a sweetheart this kid is!

I love that this pattern looks so great on boys and girls. The sleeves are NOT cut on the fold, which is necessary on a raglan, since the front and back should have different necklines. I mention this because the first raglan pattern I ever tried for my kids had sleeves that were cut on the fold. It just didn’t look quite right. This pattern has the perfect ease and yet is not baggy on the kids. I think it will be my go to staple pattern when I need to make a quick shirt for one of my kids or have some scraps to use up on them.

My 8 year old wanted the curved hem option on her Lee raglan. I made her a straight size 7 based on her measurements. She asked for the same fabric as her baby sister, and since I was working with scraps, I only had enough for her front. I paired the pandas on her top with some yarn dyed stripes from Made Whimsy on her sleeves and a Made Whimsy solid for her back.

For my 10 year old, I made a size 10 and graded the bottom to a 12 to accommodate her hips. I noticed on both of my older girls, the height for their size was perfect; while I graded to a taller height for both boys. This sweet 10 year old loves the simple raglan style. She usually says no when I ask to make her anything too frilly or girly! She is also the photographer behind many of my blog photos!

Now for my top….. I made a size Pink for bust and hips and graded to Purple for my waist. My overbust fit in a size Grey, but I struggled with the FBA and knew that a straight Pink would fit just fine. I used cotton lycra on all the kids tops and used rayon spandex for mine. I love how the neckline looks on this top. I am always a fan of a lower neckline, and this one was super easy to pull down and nurse in.

I still really love the floral with stripes trend and hope it is not going away anytime soon because I plan to wear this top soo much!

Resources

1. The Women’s Lee Pattern can be found here.

2. The Kid’s Lee Pattern can be found here.

3. The Women’s and Kids Lee bundle can be found here.

4. The rayon spandex for my top came from a Sincerely Rylee mystery box. She usually has stockings of amazing deals every Friday. If  you are quick, you can grab a box too at an insanely good price.

5. The solids and striped cotton lycra for my kids’ tops came from Made Whimsy. Her solids are always my favorite, and I try to keep each color on hand at all times – especially black!

6. The cotton lycra grey screw/nail print and pink panda prints came from Jumping June Textiles. The black/white stars came from TKB Prints. The Suess print came from Wonderground.

7. My pants are the Patterns for Pirates SOS pants.

Thanks for reading! I hope I have inspired you. You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Disclosures: I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process to give the designer feedback about the instructions and fit of the pattern. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. There is no cost to you.  Any and all opinions expressed are my own.