Toddler Art Party

It's been a little quiet on my blog lately as I have been working so hard on getting ready for Sister's fifth birthday party. My sweet girl had had a very specific party theme in mind: Fancy Nancy Art Party. She based this on the book Fancy Nancy Aspiring Artist (affiliate link), which is her current favorite book. Who is ready for some pictures?!?!

The original plan was to have one main party on Sunday, but she came down with a flu bug. So on Sunday only the grandparents and aunts came over to love on her and enjoy the food we had catered. Then on Wednesday, her best friends came over for an art party!

Last year for my birthday I received the Oliver + S book, Little Things to Sew (affiliate link) from a dear friend. Sister and I simply love looking at the projects and dreaming how the projects will turn out! The art smock is one of her personal favorites and she had been asking me to make one for her for months.

For Sister and Brother's art smocks, I used the pocket pattern from The Cottage Mama Sew Classic Clothes for Girls (affiliate) book. Sister simply adores the large pocket and having a pocket to hold all her supplies.

When the Michael Miller Color Me fabric was released, I just knew it would be simply perfect for art smocks! I purchase almost all of my fabric from Whimsical Fabric and solid fabrics are simply top notch from this shop. The Riley Blake and Art Gallery solid fabrics are superb to work with and the colors are amazing!

My original plans included a darling shirt and capri set for her birthday, but I ran out of time to get those completed. However, my favorite bow designer, Little Bow Pat made me this simply adorable bow that matches the theme of the party perfectly!

Her bows also come with a coordinating accent clips, but I just couldn't figure out where to sneak it onto this busy hairstyle! The coordinating clips are perfect for girls growing out bangs or girls with toddler hair that requires a second clippie to help hold fly-aways.

Now onto the pictures!

The art smocks also came in handy when it was time to color Easter eggs! I found a really neat low mess egg coloring tutorial that I think will for sure be our new tradition for the next few years. Set up took about a minute and clean up took 3 minutes at the very most.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day and I knew my kiddos needed something fun to wear to celebrate. I found puppy dog fabric that I thought would be cute for both of the kids even though it's not completely my style. Sister insisted on a long skirt and Brother still is young enough that he doesn't care what I make for him.

Before I showcase this year's outfits, I want to do a little throwback moment to Sister's first Valentine's Day. It was one of the first items I sewed after getting a sewing machine. I learned how to sew in elementary school in the 4-H program, and a cousin helped me sew a quilt in college, but this is one of my first projects that helped jumpstart my current sewing passion. This was in 2012:

On to this year's outfits!

I purchased the dog print fabric from JoAnn's. Over the past 2+ years I have been introduced to the world of designer fabric (Art Gallery, Riley Blake, etc...) and whenever I buy cheaper fabric, I usually regret it. This was true this time. The quality isn't nearly as soft and even with Color Catchers, the dogs have a pink tint to them. Other than that, the fabric was adorable and worked fine for today.

The solid fabric, however, is Riley Blake Solid Basics and is simply FANTASTIC! I love working with the Riley Blake solid prints because they feel great and the look great over multiple wears and washings!

For Sister, I mashed up two Pink Fig patterns. This year one of my goal's is to think outside the box a little on fabric pairings, and Pink Fig is the perfect designer to encourage that! For her skirt, I used the waistband from Sugar and Spice Skirt. I loved how I could use fabric scraps from other Valentine's Day prints to add a little fun. I then used the skirt and sash from the Mimi's Maxi Skirt. I simply love how it turned out!

There were a few modifications that I made. One modification is that I shifted the panel over so it started at her side and then went to about center front instead of having it perfectly centered. We then tied the sash to the side over the black panel to add a little pop of color!

Also, I had the sash come around from more in the back than the side seams. Just for fun.

Okay, now get a load of these bows. I mean, seriously, aren't they darling?!?! The very talented owner of Little Bow Pat made these based on a picture of my fabric. Her work and attention to detail is amazing! Oh, and she is simply charming to work with. If you don't currently have a favorite shop to get hairbows, head on over to her Facebook page and let her know I sent you!

My sweet little Valentine is rocking yet another Oliver + S Art Museum Vest. This is my fourth time making a vest  (3 for him and one as a gift) and I am simply in love with the fit and style of this vest! This time around I left off the welt pockets for a change of pace, but that was the only modification.

I also made him a little tie using the Boy's Tie pattern from Fuddie Duddies. It's darling and is super quick to sew together! Thankfully it was able to be cut on the grain, because I was squeezing every last bit of my solid black fabric to get it made. Not joking.

And here is one quick snapshot of our family. I am so thankful for our little family and the fun and love that we have not just on Valentine's Day, but everyday.

Doll Diaper Bag (Stash Sewing)

Confession time: I love sewing doll items. After mastering the ruffle bum onesie for my daughter, my next sewing project had been a doll dress. That is how I re-taught myself to sew. Dolls aren't picky about what their outfit looks like, if you completely mess up, and not that much fabric is wasted. But I digress.....

Two Christmas's ago, I made a Very Hungry Caterpillar diaper bag set for my daughter for Christmas using this pattern by Petite Nola Boutique. It is simply darling and wonderful! She took this with her everywhere and it was a part of almost every game she played for 2 years.

Last year, I made another one just for fun and was planning on selling it......Sister found it and claimed it as her own. This one uses a now out of print fabric that I purchased from Whimsical Fabric for my daughter's 4th birthday outfit. Since this was my second one, I made a few modifications on the diaper bag (mainly just off centered the inner pocket seam so there was one bigger pocket and one smaller pocket). I also only used fusible fleece on the outer layers of the diaper bag and left the lining fabric fleece-free to reduce bulk.

I traced part of the scene onto white fabric and did hand embroidery for the front pocket on the diaper bag. I just love how the large pocket is perfect for fun details such as this.


Oh, did I mention this is a super quick project to sew?!?! Not kidding, it goes so quickly. This week I made a diaper bag set for an upcoming birthday party. I pulled out all the stops and even made a bib. Turning the bib was a beast because of those little straps, but that was my only issue overall.

Just to get an idea of how much fits in this bag, here is an inside shot:

I put the changing pad in the front pocket, then the diapers in the main pocket. The wipes case and bib go in the inner pockets. There is still plenty of room for other baby doll necessities.

Two years ago I made the birthday girl's birthday dress and happened to still have some left over. As a sweet surprise, I made a diaper out of some of the leftover fabric I had on hand.

I had originally only planned on two diapers, but Sister came over and informed me that doll diaper bags are much better with 3 diapers AND that every little girl simply NEEDS a button diaper. She is so sweet and thoughtful about dolls.

Finally, I made one last partial set for a friend just because I thought it would be a fun surprise for her daughter. This time I mainly used prints from Whimsical Fabric that I simply adore. The Color Me fabric has quickly become a favorite print in our home and I am frequently finding fun uses for it! The diaper prints were also from Whimsical Fabric but are now out of print.

Overall I simply love this pattern and it is quickly becoming my go to pattern. After my first time making it, I started to modify the steps to my personal preference which speeds up the process.

The pattern pieces are hand drawn or measurements (for the diaper bag, changing pad, and wipes case), but all are spot on and a great fit!

If you have any doll loving little ones in your life, be sure to head over toPetite Nola Boutique and pick up your own copy of the doll diaper bag and accessories pattern.

Color Me Fabric

Whimsical Fabric and Me is hosting their first ever Mini Make It Mine Challenge! The exciting thing about this challenge is that it is geared towards getting kids sewing! Grown ups can help, but kids need to be very involved in the process. This challenge runs now through December 14, 2015 and the details can be found in this blog post.

The challenge is based around using the Color Me fabric which can be purchased at Whimsical Fabric. Since it's release earlier this year, I have made several projects with it and have quite a few more in mind! There is also a GREAT Pinterest board with a ton of ideas that can be found here. Click on over and check it out.....seriously.

A quilt for the kids to share using the Easy Peasy Rag Quilt pattern from A Vision to Remember.

A super hero cape for my friend's son using the cape pattern from Fuddie Duddies. This cape is a little more work than the free tutorials and most patterns I have seen for capes, but I love the contrasting neckband and the gathers at the top. It is also reversible! Double win!

I was recently invited to a friend's baby shower. She was pregnant with her third son and mentioned that after having two boys and being pregnant with another boy, she didn't really "need" anything. So I used some Color Me fabric to make one of the stuffed animals from Ruby Jean's Closet. This elephant was seriously a naptime sew. It is my second time making an elephant from this pattern and they go together so quickly!

To get ready for the challenge, I volunteered to let my four year old daughter sew the sample project and take pictures during the process. It is really amazing at what kids can do when we give them the opportunity. Here are some pictures of Sister making a sleeping bag for her doll.