Being a stay at home parent to two kiddos under 4 can lead to some challenging days. Some days I deal with it gracefully and then other days I am crying to my husband over google hangouts while he is trying to work. Not a proud mommy moment but when it comes to naps I depend on them and the little bit of a break I get in a day. Today was definitely one of the crying days when naps just weren’t happening.
Living in an old farmhouse with so much charm has been really fun. Our home has crown molding throughout, amazing old wood doors, large baseboards and old windows. While the windows are really fun and add to the charm of our house they don’t bode well for keeping the house warm in the winter or cool in the summer as they are all painted shut. More and more houses in our neighbourhood are removing the old windows and putting in new more energy efficient windows. We haven’t gotten there yet but it will definitely be in our future.
You may have thought I was joking when I said in my post here that I have been testing up a storm lately. It was all true and to prove it I have two more patterns to show you that I recently tested from the amazing Kate of See Kate Sew. I have a been a huge fan of Kates ever since sewing up the Recess Raglan from the Sew Fab Bundle last fall. I was instantly hooked and made one of my favourite pieces of clothing for Sophie from that pattern, check it out here.
Fabric shopping with kids is always so much fun. Kids have a vision for fabric that I may never have had, as example Sophie picked out the fabric in this dress and the end result was so great. She still gets compliments from strangers every time she wears it. I can’t take too much credit for it since I only did the sewing.
Recently we went shopping for some swimsuit fabric and Sophie insisted on getting shiny gold fabric to make Ben a swimsuit. So when the test call went out for Peek-a-boo Patterns new pattern Monaco Swim Trunks (affiliate link), I knew Ben would rock that pattern in gold. Now all Benny needs is a gold chain and aviators and his look will be complete.
I have been very busy testing patterns: Girls dresses, boys swim shorts and women’s shirts and dresses. My favourite part of testing is when the patterns start to release and I get to share what I made with the pattern. Today I am sharing with you my version of the Sweet Simple Dress by Allison of Freshly Completed.
More and more I let Sophie pick the fabric for clothes I am making her. I would rather spend the time making something that she is likely to actually wear than have to fight her into it. When this testing pattern came along, I brought Sophie into my sewing room and let her pick the fabric. Once the dress was made it seemed like she should be in Hawaii at a Luau instead of a traffic circle in Seattle.
This weekend Sean and I went away for our first kids free weekend, as in we haven’t been away together without the kiddos for more than a date night in almost 4 years. It was long overdue thats for sure.
When I booked the trip to surprise Sean I immediately reached out to his mom, Linda, to see if she would be interested in coming down and wrangling the kids for a few days. Having had just survived a weekend with just the kids I knew it was asking a lot of someone but she jumped at the chance to have her grandkids all to herself for the weekend. I was confident that the kids wouldn’t even miss us with grandma around, we quickly learned that we missed them long before they really missed us.
Date nights are a rare thing around here. So when we actually take the effort to find a babysitter and pick a restaurant it always feels like a new shirt/skirt/dress is in order. I like any excuse to make something new for myself but a date night is the best reason. I could be completely making this up but I like to think that my husband appreciates the extra effort I went to to look nice for a date night.
Peplum tops and dresses are everywhere and while I have always loved them on other people I just never thought it was a look I could pull off. I have the body type most typically called pear shape, small on the top with larger hips and thighs. But I decided recently to embrace my shape and sew things that work for me and even try things that I normally wouldn’t try. I have been quietly stalking the Out and About Dress by Sew Caroline since it was released. I have even gone as far as to put it in a cart but never actually hit purchase, I just wasn’t sure I could pull it off.
For every holiday I have these grand plans to make the kiddos clothes. I usually go as far as to pick the patterns and buy the fabric and then all the sudden it is a couple days before and I haven’t started and I just abandon the idea all together. For Easter it wasn’t much different, I purchased the fabric a few months ago and never really settled on a pattern. Last week was spring break for the kiddos so I got even less sewing done than I normally would. Somehow I arrived at Saturday morning with a pattern for Ben picked and still no final decision for Sophie. Normally I would have scrapped the idea at this point but I was determined to make something, plus my in-laws were in town so I knew they would keep the littles occupied so I could get some sewing done.
The always amazing Amy of Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop (affiliate link) released her newest pattern today, the Seaside Scallop Shorts. I was lucky enough to test this great pattern, and you can tell Sophie was pretty happy about getting some new shorts.
These shorts have some really great details that not only give it style but also make it even more wearable for your little ones. The waistband is a flat front with an elastic back which is especially great for skinny mini’s like my kids who never seem to keep their pants up. You can add a fun accent fabric for the pocket lining as well which is a great way to add a bit of fun to the shorts.
