Wah Hoo Wah

What have I been up to lately, you ask? (And by lately I mean the last year that I haven't been blogging?)  I have been sewing mostly.  Sewing tiny clothes for my kids.  Most of the sewing I have done closely follows the patterns which has been a great way to learn and get better.  But I am a little bored with it.  In order to up my game I have set some goals for myself.

First, I want to make clothes with style.  I have been pinning pinning pinning (!) kids clothes that catch my eye.  I plan to copy some and design original things based on styles I like.

Second, I will alter patterns I already have to make the styles I like.

Third, slow down and get all the materials I need/want before sewing.  What happens to me is I get an idea and it takes over.  It is all I can think about...all I can see.  I have no inspiration for anything else until I make what I see in my head.  Sometimes...usually...if I am being totally honest I can't wait to get everything I need and I power through with what I have.  I have a crazy collection of stuff that I have collected in order to combat this problem....have-everything-I-could-ever-possibly-need-so-I-don't-have-to-go-shopping-for-it-when-I-actually-need-it-at-some-point-in-the-future.

Here is an examples of this problem in action:

I had this idea IN MY HEAD for days.  I really wanted black bias tape. I couldn't wait.  I had pink.  I made it with pink.  It's not bad.  Whit loves it.  But it would have been much better with black.  It looks cutesy.  Blah.  It's a win if your kid wears it...right?  I win...I guess.

FOURTH, use what I have creatively.  Get creative, self!  I have so many supplies that I need to use what I have or I am going to have to get a bigger house.  Oy.

Ok.  So.  I have a bunch of clothes from friends and family members that they donated as fabric.  It's taking up so much space.  My brother worked a Lacoste and has about 30,000 polo shirts that he abandoned at our parents' house.  Now I have a few:

and I decided to cut them up:

I used the same pattern as the raindrop shirt...the First Day Dress.  The raindrop fabric is quilting cotton. Lacoste polos are not.  They have stretch.  Blah blah.  I can't even begin to explain how I altered the pattern to account for the difference in fabric.  I did what felt right.

As I was making it all I could think was Auburn Cheerleading Uniform.  That's a problem b/c we are Gators.  I can't have Whit mistaken as an Auburn fan....you know what I am saying?  I was thinking I should iron on "Wah Hoo Wah!".  The only Navy and Orange we wear in this house is UVA.  I digress.  I didn't end up looking like a cheerleading uniform but it did look plain.  Good news...Whitney loved it. I tried to add a little embellishment on the shoulder and took a family vote.  B and Sean were for the shoulder addition.  Whit was not and said, "Isn't this shirt for me and not B?"  Hello sassy and well-spoken three year old and yes...you are right...no shoulder embellishment added.  Don't stop reading b/c an embellishment was added after sassy, well-spoken three year old went to bed. I just have to include these pics of the sassy, well-spoken three year old:

First note: Doing what felt right led to a shirt that fits and is ok.  I would change it a little now that I see the finished product but...woohoo for having learned something in the last year so that I trust myself enough to take a chance and CUT THE FABRIC.  I have a lot of fabric b/c I get scared of cutting the fabric and wasting it.

This (above) is her go-to face.  Anyway.  The shirt is ok but it is boring.  I want to make more interesting clothes.  Leaving it as is would be a waste of a challenge. 

(Also...I struggled to find some bottoms to go with it.  Will have to remedy this problem.)

Ok.  Child with many opinions goes to sleep and I brainstorm and come up with this:

This orange isn't so offensive in real life.  I used my iphone and....well....sorry.

I made this..placket?...thing.  I stretched a strip of fabric as I zig zag stitched the sides to create a ruffle.  It wasn't ruffle-y enough so I gathered it.  Then I sewed the center piece on and then the buttons.  It turned out better than I anticipated.  Woot.

Now let's hope that Whit still likes it in the morning!  (Fingers crossed)

B has requested a boy shirt in these colors.  If anyone has Navy or Orange polos to donate let me know b/c I used almost every inch of both shirts I had. :)