Nephews

I recently completed some sewing for my nephews who live in another state.  Theo will soon be 3 so I needed to come up with a present for him.  And little Elliot was just born so he just needed some auntie made clothes! 

Even though everyone told me that a robe for a 3 year old was impractical, I just really wanted to make it!  It looked so cute in the magazine!  So I picked out the perfect fabrics, a striped cotton outer layer and a space alien flannel for the inside.  The robe was bound in bias tape so I made my own using the flannel. 

I really need one of those machines!  I used this tutorial to make the tape and it made about 4 yards! 

The robe is from Ottobre Magazine, 6/2011 # 33.  I made size 86 which seems kind of small but that is the size I usually make for him.... 

It has a cozy little hood!

The pattern didn't include belt loops or a loop to hang it up so I included both.  I could just imagine the belt getting lost in my own house so hopefully the loops help it stay where it belongs!

Cute little space aliens!

For the first time in my life I got a gift in the mail early! 

I also wanted to make the boys some matching cardigans after I saw a completed version on another message board.  I just happened to get lucky and the pattern came in both the boys size! 

The pattern is Ottobre Magazine 6/2011 #5.  It's called Grandpa's cardigan.  Size 86 and 62.

They are very adorable!  They are made out of a sweater knit from Girl Charlee that is a denim stripe.  The black stripe is not a solid black..

The pattern used buttons, but I chose to use snaps.  I also shouldn't have cut the binding the same size I always do because it is pulling too much and causing the area between the snaps to gap. 

I will have to remember that next time!



S'more baby clothes

Like what I did there!  Ha!  Now that the embroidery machine is back up and running I have been making appliques on most of the clothes I have made.  I have to catch up for lost time!! 

I made baby Avie another tunic from Ottobre 1/2012.  Since this one was to have an applique and I somehow got it in my mind that I wanted it to be tiered, nothing else would work.  I initially looked for a dress from a recent Ottobre that was already tiered.  Either it was too late at night or my mind was playing tricks on me since I couldn't seem to find the dress I knew I saw earlier.  I even remember the colors!!  Since my mind was already set on a tiered, envelope neck dress, I just modified the tunic pattern I just made her.  Which, honestly, would have been easier to do that then spend an hour searching all my old Ottobre's. 

I really love this little dress!  It is very sweet and girly and fun.  And, I even made matching leggings.  They are capri length with ruffly FOE on the bottom edge that is a perfect coordinate to the top!  Seeing how I have like 9 million yards of FOE on hand at all times, I was sure to find something to match!

Since I can't make Avie something without making TheoRama something, I kept the green out to test out the new gator alphabet applique that I got as a gift at Planet Applique.  Very cute indeed!

These little appliques are a great way to use up scraps.  For example, the green and white stripe above is from a Target baby blanket that I bought about 3 years ago.  Now, it's probably going to take 50 more years for me to use up all my scraps, but we all have to start somewhere! 

Bottom's Up!

This post is dedicated to all the bottom's I have made lately. 

A skirt for Nin.  In this shiny pink glittery denim she picked out at JoAnn's.  I even made yards and yards of bias tape for the hems!

Pattern:
Ottobre 1/2012
#36 in size 140



Fun little Farbenmix tag



Poor baby Nin. Momma made her stand outside in the cold for 5 seconds to take a picture...



Theo Rama got some shorts in a cute dino camo twill.



cargo pockets on the side for all the things toddlers like to collect. Like rocks, bugs, sticks, paper, crayons......  Many of which I have found in my washer. 



BTW- those shorts are one of my most favorite things I have made for him. I know I say that about everything! But this time I mean it!

And skirted leggings for Nin. If she would quit growing I could quit making her things and focus on other kids for awhile. I made her a pair of these last summer and she loved them. In fact, she wore a hole in the knee of the leggings the very first day. But they got a lot of use last summer. Nin likes to wear skirts but she also likes to play hard so attached leggings are great for her!

Ottobre 3/2011 #20. Making 4 takes practically the same amount of time as making 1....





That's enough talk about bottom's around here.

Theo Rama

I made Theo some new duds while he was visiting.  That way I could have him model.  Since I don't typically see him in the clothes I make him, I wanted to take some modeling shots.  Which is easier than it sounds.....  But more on that later.

I made him 2 pairs of pants out of corduroy.  Same pattern, Ottobre 4/2011 #9.  In size 86.  PS- I actually made 3 pairs of pants but I gave one away, and it was identical to the khaki cords. 





Lots of tags on these!



Helicopters!



More on the pocket in the back



An action shot?



Blue cords that were made to match a super cool new shirt! I even topstitched in lime green!





back pocket with a cool rocket tag!



Another action shot?



2 Ottobre shirts! Super fab watch fabric from Girl Charlee!



At this point modeling was getting harder and harder. I resorted to bribery. It went something like this:

Me- Theo please stand here so I can take your pretty picture.
Theo- No.
Me- Pretty pleaaaaasssseeee, you look so handsome.
Theo- No, dont want to.
Me- Pppppplllleeeeaaaasssseeee!
Theo- No, Kewwwy, don't want to.
Me- Please, I will give you a piece of candy!
Theo- Ok.

I win!





And that's all I got!

Christmas for Theo!

I made Theo Leo a few things for Christmas!  I figured since he is only 2 he wouldn't remember that I only got him clothes.  But then I felt guilty about only sending clothes so I let my girlies pick out 2 other presents. 

Here are the gifts that I made for him recently.  3 shirts!  I figure messy little boys can never have too many shirts right!  Same pattern as I used before, Ottobre Design 1/2010 #6 size 86.

(And all of these fabrics are from my recent order from Girl Charlee! Love her stuff!!!)





For some reason, anytime I look at this shirt I immediately think of Snakes on a Plane....



Look at these tags! Aren't they cool! I bought them from this etsy shop! She has such cool tags! My favorite is the cassette tape that says, handcrafted old skool.



And finally, I made him some more pants like the ones I sent back in October. I love the pattern and I love the cuffs at the hem. That way they grow with him and they keep his little ankles warm!

Pattern: Ottobre Design 4/2010 #11 in size 86. The brown cord is from my stash but the green cord is from a pair of children's European cord pants I bought at Goodwill for like $1.   Another cotton lycra waistband with elastic in it. 



Look at these pockets on the back! I hope they aren't a hazard or anything! But I think they look cool!

Upcycles

I love to shop at Goodwill for unique t-shirts and such.  I go to Goodwill to find clothes that I can cut up and turn into other clothes!  Here are a few shirts I made for Theo Leo out of Goodwill finds!

Pattern:  Ottobre Design 1/2010 #6 size 86.

First up is the Mystery Machine!  This was an adult size L t-shirt and I used part of the front and back, and the tag from the original shirt.



Next is a Halloween shirt. This was an adult XL t-shirt.



And a motorcycle shirt. I really just love the colors of this one! It was originally a baby romper. I picked off the pocket from the front and added it to the shirt. Then I used part of the front to create the stripes on the sleeves.



I really liked the romper and almost didn't cut into it. But I don't know of any babies who are that size..



And finally, this is not an upcycle as I had this fabric in my stash since Theo Leo was a small baby!

Lots o' pants!

Since Nin won't stop growing, I made her some more pants.  On a side note, she has grown a little over an inch since May of this year.  In 4 months!  Since both girls are now so tall, I can't get a pair out of 1 yard anymore.  So the only corduroy that I had that was longer than 1 yard so was olive green and a brown floral.  I showed them to her and she liked them.  At first. 

So I spend several hours (until 2 am) making these super slim cords.  Once complete, I showed them to her and she immediately turned up her nose and said that she didn't like the fabric anymore.  So I used a little reverse pyschology and told her that I would give them to her sister (since they wear the same size) and she said "oh ok, I will take them now."  Roughly translated, that means that she will wear them, so that her sister can't have them.  Girls!

Pattern:  Ottobre Design 4/2009 #31.  These are a size 134.  With a big hem at the bottom so I can let it out as she grows.



What's not to like about plain ol' cords with a rainbow waistband and fun zippers!



The brown floral is a little much, but she picked out the material!





I found a pattern in one of my Ottobre magazines for a pair of cords and they were super cute. So I traced those out for TheoLeo. I saw an idea for flipping the pattern piece on the corduroy that the wales are going different directions for a little visual interest.

Pattern: Ottobre Design 4/2010 #11 in size 86. The waistband and cuffs on the pants are made out of cotton lycra, with a piece of elastic in the waist to help keep them up!



The knee pieces



pockets lined with baseballs!



a little helicopter tag under the pocket



Although there are only 3 pairs, they were a lot of work!