Back to Cool

Though Clark isn't headed to school anytime soon I thought it would be fun to do some back-to-school sewing for him anyway. Fall sewing, I guess. A few weeks ago I stumbled across some men's t-shirts on clearance for $2 at Walmart so I swiftly took them home and repurposed them. For this one I used the Figgy's Banyan Tee pattern. After trying it on Clark left his new shirt on the rest of the day. I guess he likes it. He looks totally cool.

Just to note: I got new laces for the shoes. They were a thrift store find I had gotten the day before these pictures but they are fully laced now.

Pinterest Copy Cat Dress

I pinned this ivory dress I LOVED on Pinterest awhile back and scoured the internet for a dress pattern I could modify to make my own version. A few months later, Willow & Co. released the Fawn Lily Dress and it was exactly what I was looking for! I already had all the supplies on hand so I got to work modifying the pattern to what I wanted.

 I'm not a fan of modifying patterns since I'd much rather just follow a pattern and not have to think, but I'm learning to like it. For this dress, I moved the buttons from the front bodice to the back, added a bow, redrafted the skirt to have 5 1" pleats instead of 3 larger ones, and lined the whole dress. I made the dress out of a fine wale corduroy. I love how it turned out, though I wish the cap sleeves were a little more sleeve-like. I suppose they are small since I made the size 6 month size (based on her torso size) and 2T length. I should've traced the 2T sleeve as well. oh well...next time...

Let it Go

We finally saw the movie Frozen this summer and the kids love it. Lana loves the music and sings "let it go" over and over. She also loves to be dressed up in her royal robes. Watching her walk around in her "cape" is so hilarious!

Cosi Swimsuits

I follow a lot of sewers on Instagram so when I saw a lot of them making swimsuits using the Cosi pattern I decided to try my hand at swimsuit making. Being the fabric hoarder that I am I already had all the supplies! I bought 3 yards of the pink paisley at Walmart over four years ago (not really sure why?!) so I think Lana can have a suit like this every year until she's 12. That suit was so fun and fast to make that I had to make another. I love the stripes on the second one but the fit is a little off. I think I made the leg elastic slightly too snug and the top front isn't snug enough. Now that I know I can make swimsuits I foresee many future homemade swimsuits.

Of course I couldn't say no when Clark requested a picture of him too. We're glad to have a pool close by on these crazy hot summer days.

Final Memories from BC

This is my Vancouver wrap-up. Here are some more things we loved about it there: the weather (unlike the humid heat we're boiling in now!), the bridges, the hanging flower baskets everywhere, Tim Horton's donuts, Lonsdale Quay, watching the kids do "high dives" for hours on the swings, hiking around in yet again the wrong clothes, watching Clark race around to keep up with his cousins, and of course our hosts! Things we did not love: no one puts their dog on a leash, and Clark ripping his pants while scaling and sliding down rocks.