Knockoff Baby Booties with Snaps

I have always had summer babies (I guess one was early fall) but it's always pretty warm. This new baby coming in January requires warmer footwear. 

I had seen these baby booties on a friend's child and LOVED that they stayed on her feet so well. I found them on Amazon, but I couldn't imagine paying that much for one pair. 

After some research, I found a pattern that was suitable for making the same thing! I will say that they aren't completely the same (mine might be a little more round) but they seem like they will stay on baby feet better than socks alone! 

There is some elastic at the back to help keep them snug. 

I have no idea what size they are for as it was not marked, but hopefully they will cinch up enough to stay on many sizes. 

Footed Newborn Pants, Bandana Bibs, Baby Leggings

I used the tutorial from here to make these newborn sized baby pants (from an old t-shirt). And I had to make a matching bandana bib, too! Our new baby will need new bibs, some were completely worn out and terribly stained!

Baby Hats

I love making baby hats. (You can search for "hats" on this site to see others I have made.) 

I made this in case the baby is a girl. I love bow hats. 

Tons of Baby Hats.

I go through phases. Sometimes I sew. Sometimes I crochet. Sometimes I do both. Or neither. 

I'm going through a crocheting phase. I made a ton of hats for our church to donate to the newborns at the hospital. 31 total. So far. 

I did sew a few of them. Someone had given me a lot of yarn. And I just started crocheting. 

Projects Lately.

I haven't felt like doing much lately! I have been sewing on and off. 

We're expecting a new baby end of January/early February (hopefully not that late). I have done a few projects over the course of the past few months, but most of my time has been devoted to homeschooling my boys (we are on WEEK 9 already, the year is flying), stuff around the house (does the laundry never end?), and just trying to keep up with everyday stuff. 

I did make two new pillow covers for our couch. I don't know that the men in my house appreciate them. The front two longer pillows are new. I covered two pillows my mom had given me. My husband knows not to comment on how the fabrics don't match. I'm not sure I like them. But for now, they are fine. 

Two Little Baby Outfits.

I really love making handmade baby clothing. I used two patterns, one is free, for this outfit. The shirt was made using the Varsity Cowl Neck from Peek a Boo Pattern Shop (affiliate link). The leggings are the free baby Go-To Leggings Pattern from Go To Patterns. 

I purchased the deer print fabric from Peek A Boo pattern's fabric shop as well. It is Birch Organic. 

Self-Drafted 'Drapey' Gathered-Front Top with Curved Hem

I ordered the July KnitFix from Girl Charlee. I received six fun fabrics, several of which I like very much and can't settle on what to do with. (Guess I should show a photo.) I was happy with the assortment and they sent me two fabrics I had requested specifically, based on their promo photos! 

This was one of the surprise fabrics that wasn't my absolute favorite--it isn't something I would have ever chosen for myself. But that made it easy to cut into and make a self-drafted shirt that actually fits! 

Yoked Day Camp T-Shirt

I made this shirt for my 5 year-old's birthday. I had ordered this Organic Birch Bear Fabric from Peek-A-Boo pattern shop, but I only ordered 1/2 yard. It wasn't quite enough to make the front of the shirt. So I hacked the free Day Camp T-Shirt pattern to add a yoked front. 

I also made the pattern longer. The yoked front just involved slicing the pattern at the point I wanted and adding 1/2" of seam allowance to both pieces. The back is solid navy from Girl Charlee fabrics.

Sunglasses Case

I made this fun sunglasses case for a friend's birthday. She loves yellow! So it is yellow inside and out. This is the pattern from Thread Riding Hood.

Fire Truck PJs

I started making these PJs for my newly-turned-seven year-old son in anticipation he could wear them in the fall. Well, this summer he's pretty much stopped wearing PJs at all. I'm hoping he will make an exception when it gets chillier. 

Matching Baby Bib and Onesie

A good friend is having a baby in several weeks. I attended her shower and had fun making this set for her new arrival. 

I made these in size 9 months so they would fit the baby during "short sleeve season". I used the same pattern I used previously here. 

Baby Onesie and Baby Leggings Gift

A good friend of mine is having her first baby in a few weeks. Her shower was recent and I made these two items for her back in May. I was so excited to finally give them to her!

I made this set using two free patterns. 

 

I used the Go To Patterns Baby Leggings for the pants (I made the 9-12 month size). I used the Shwin and Shwin bodysuit pattern, size 9 months. 

I stuck with 9 month sizes because I figured she would get a lot of tiny sized clothing for her shower and I also thought my kids wore size 9 months longer than 3 or 6 month sizes. The bodysuit pattern's largest size is 9 months. I've made this pattern before.

Welcome Home and Baby Hats

My husband came back from his 3 week trip to China, so I made him a little sign:

Short Sleeved Lane Raglan and Double Needle Discussion

I am still finishing up a few Lane Raglan shirts. I have mentioned before that I really love this pattern. 

I purchased both the striped and the gold dot fabric at Hobby Lobby. I had a small amount of the gold dot fabric left after making this Lane Raglan. 

Travel Phase

A lot of Instagram posts have been about #memademay this month. The goal is to wear handmade clothing every day of May. The past years, I've not had enough handmade clothing to begin to wear one piece every day. I've also not really liked what I've made.

This year is different. I've worn a handmade item every day! I can't believe it. They've all been the recent Lane Raglan shirts I've shared, plus two that haven't been photographed yet. I'm still fooling with the neckline on one of them.

In the meantime, here is a striped long sleeve version I made at the beginning of the month. I didn't think I'd get a chance to wear it much till fall, but it's been cold and I've worn it frequently. I've been attending baseball or t-ball games and practices many evenings.

Fire Truck Print PJ Shorts and Shirt

My kids don't wear clothing that I pick out for them. They prefer hand me downs from friends who are older. However, I still like to make them PJ's because I know they will wear them. I usually make pjs for the oldest child and then they are handed down, but I decided to make some for the middle son a few weeks ago. I got this fabric at Hobby Lobby and knew it would be perfect for my boys! 

This is the pattern called Coastal Craze Baggies, which is one of my favorites. I have made it often! See here, here and here. 

Anchor Print Lane Raglan

I apparently can't stop making Lane Raglan shirts right now. I got out my summer-isn clothing a few days ago and I opted to get rid of some clothing that I am not loving (usually because of the fit) and have plans to make a few other clothing items for my summer wardrobe. 

I purchased this anchor print fabric from Girl Charlee. If you purchase fabric using that link, I will receive a store credit. So please, use my link. 

Gold Dot Hooded Lane Raglan. And Meet the Chickens.

So I purchased this gold dot fabric at Hobby Lobby awhile back. And I wanted to make something fun for myself. 

I made another Hey June Handmade Lane Raglan top. I decided to make the hooded version so I could use a fun quilting cotton print I purchased (also from Hobby Lobby) that has gold dots as well. I used this quilting cotton for the hood's lining. 

Lane Raglan: An Upcycled Dress.

I wear mostly thrifted clothing. I also often use thrifted clothing to cut apart and make into something new. This dress was a $2 or $4 thrift store purchase (I can't remember). I wish I had a before photo, it is an Old Navy XL dress. I cut it apart and used the Lane Raglan pattern to make it into a dress that fit me. 

 

The best thing is that I was able to use the existing hems!

Lane Raglan with Curved Hem.

I love the Lane Raglan Pattern. I made the XS without any modifications on this (I wish I would have added one inch to the length, though, I forgot). 

I used fabric from Girl Charlee. I had never ordered from them before. I was hesitant to order fabric without touching it first, but I looked at the weight, % stretch, and fabric content. I stuck with mostly medium weight fabrics with 30-40% stretch made of cotton/lycra blends. I dislike working with rayon.

I really loved all the fabrics I purchased! They don't seem to curl while sewing, don't get stuck in my feed dog (the teeth on the sewing machine), and are very soft. 

Recess Raglan PJ Shirts with Camping Theme Stencils

For Easter, I made my oldest son some PJ shirts to go with his up cycled PJ shorts I made awhile back. The problem my very tall son is having with PJs is that the shirts become too short very fast. It's probably a combination of shrinking fabric and a growing boy. Because of this, I wanted to make him some. 

I used the Recess Raglan shirt pattern (I've used it in the past for several other projects) with longish short sleeves and a banded sleeve. I made the size 5 but added several inches to the bottom. Normally, I would buy a size 8 in ready to wear clothing for him but this shirt seems to fit him with the added length. 

Making a bib, "For me?"

I made this bib for my littlest guy. He saw me making a few bibs as gifts, and he asked, "Doing?" in his cute little voice. I told him I was making bibs. And he asked, "For me?" So I figured I should make one for him, too! 

I made bread today, too. And I just got this great pan (just from Amazon, not an affiliate link, though). It says it has no chemicals coating it, made of ceramic, yet not heavy, and the bread practically fell out of it. I did put butter in the bottom, but I don't think I need to again. Amazing. I am slowly replacing my nonstick pans we've had now for nearly 12 years. Eating teflon is probably not healthy. 

And after making this cute little bib ~using my new walking foot attachment for my machine, which is AMAZING~...my little 2.5 year old guy won't wear it. 

"Nothing personal, mommy, I'm just too old for bibs."

Baby Girl Onesies

I mentioned the other day that I purchased Kam snaps and pliers. I had to do another project to make use of my snaps. 

I used the free pattern found at Shwin and Shwin for the ringer onesie. I made these size 3-6 months. 

They are all upcycled or from scrap fabric. 

Baby Bibs

We're on spring break from homeschooling, so I've finally had time to update my blog and share a few projects I've made. 

I have had several friends who have had babies this past month! Three have had little girls, so I've sort of depleted my stash of gifts for girls. One of my friends had her third little girl, so she has enough clothes and blankets...but I think bibs are a great gift for any baby. Our kids' bibs were always destroyed, so babies need new ones, right? 

Baby Quilts

We're taking a spring break from homeschooling this week, so I've had a few minutes to photograph and blog some projects I've completed lately. 

I made these little baby quilts from flannel scraps. 

Our church collects baby hats and quilts or blankets for the hospital in the area. 

I'm not much of a quilter, but I did quilt these and then did a self-bound backing. (Same thing I did here. I showed a step-by step to make a quilt with a self-binding.)

Boys' Ties.

I made ties for my boys. I used the free pattern and tutorial found at Fishsticks Designs. I modified the neckband a bit, but making it half the width that is specified and then using a snap instead of velcro. I also would modify the width of the tie to  make it narrower next time.

I made three of these, hoping they would wear them for Easter. They probably will. I am probably the only mom in the world who doesn't buy new clothing for my boys at Easter. 

How I shop for Easter clothing: 

1. Open their closets.

2. See what fits. 

3. Look in bins of hand-me-downs. 

4. Iron.

Do they all match? No. But that's ok. 

But this year, they do have matching ties.

I made them from a thrifted men's chambray shirt. They have so many plaid shirts and few plain ties. My middle child, who is four and a half, LOVES wearing ties. 

Fun Flannel Fox PJ's

I love foxes. I had purchased this fox flannel to make a baby blanket as a gift. But I just couldn't part with it. At first, I thought it would be too 'girly' for any of my boys to wear. But paired with a plain navy handmade shirt (recess raglan with sleeves and lengthened torso), it made a great pair of PJ pants. 

I made them big so he can wear them next year, too. 

I am a little envious of these PJs. I may have to make myself some fox PJ pants, too. 

Books for Boys

I have given some lists of our favorite books in the past. My boys were younger. See here for a few posts. 

But if you have a son who is learning to read and ready to move past the easy Dr. Seuss-like books, I highly recommend a series of books about Billy and Blaze by C.W. Anderson. These are the first books my 6.5 year old son has been excited to read on his own. 

Striped Shorts....Made from Polo Shirts!

These shorts started out as thrift store polo shirts. They were in great shape (men's size XL) and only $2 each. They are the perfect size to turn into size 6 or 7 boys' Coastal Craze Baggies. (affiliate link)

I had purchased the polo shirts last year with the intention of making more PJ shorts (I made a bunch last summer, see here, here, here, here, and even made them into pants here). 

I completed these several months ago, but hadn't gotten a photo. I made the waist a little larger since using the pre-existing seams on the shirt eliminates the seam allowance. I used the existing hems on the polo shirts which left cute little vents at the leg openings. It also made them a little longer for my long-legged boys. 

Only one pair has pockets. It was simple to eliminate the pockets from the pattern. I recommend this pattern if you are looking for a fun and easy pattern for kids' shorts. I also highly recommend using existing knit t-shirts or polo shirts as a fabric source! They are less expensive and available in so many fun colors.

Lane Raglan Colorblock Shirt

I made another Lane Raglan shirt this past week! I had been given a Hobby Lobby gift card for my birthday, which I used to purchase ivory knit fabric with tiny gold triangles.

Lane Raglan Hoodie

 I purchased the Lane Raglan Pattern from Adrianna over at Hey June Handmade a few months ago (maybe a year ago?) and it took me awhile to sew it up for myself. I normally don't use ready-made patterns, but I decided if I am going to sew for myself, I should start using actual patterns, since some of my attempts with self-drafted patterns haven't turned out so well.

Zoo Animal PJ's

I made two pairs of zoo animal PJs for my older two boys. The fabric is from fabric.com and I haven't washed it more than once yet, but it is soft and thick. I'll have to weigh in on pilling after a few more washes, and I did have to wash it once to soften it up, but it was good for a cheap-er knit. They are not compensating me in any way, I just thought it was a good deal and was nice to sew with. I used Robert Kaufmann Laguna knits for the cuffs and neck.

Baby Hats!

I had a bunch of hats to donate recently.

Little Varsity Cowl Neck

I made another Varsity Cowl Neck pullover (pattern by Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop). I am an affiliate with Peek-A-Boo patterns and I truly love them.

 

New Baby Hats {to Donate}

I love making hats for our church to donate to a hospital nearby. Here and here are links to other hats I have made. 

This time, the hats were both crocheted and sewn. 

New Year, New PJ's!

I've been making a few things for my boys lately. Quality over quantity, right? I purchased a yard of this gator flannel and made pants...then we needed a shirt, so that came together out of thrifted t-shirts. I've been loving the raglan style t-shirts!