Big Butt Pants

I finally made a pair of Big Butt Pants from Made By Rae. I love this pattern. It's designed to fit cloth diapers which is such a bonus. finally a pant that I don't need to alter. 

I just need to figure out the back panel. It actually is more puckered than the photo shows. They are still totally wearable so I'm happy. Since I've been in a bit of a sewing slump it's nice to have something completed.

Winner winner chicken dinner

Thank you all for playing. And the winners are...

The scooter Handy Harness goes to

Yay! Looks like I'm sending a package to Holland (where my parents are from by the way).

The Heather Ross harness goes to...

I'll email you two later today to get your shipping info.

Bats

*Don't forget to enter to win one of two Handy Harnesses. The giveaway ends Sunday evening and your chances of winning are really good (there aren't many entrants!)*

I usually don't do Halloween decorations but Dana from MADE changed all that...

I love the simplicity of this look. These bats were quick and fun for the kids to make. I actually didn't need to cut out one bat! Yay Luca. Since our front door is glass we also taped a bat on the inside matching up the bats. Luca likes it because she thinks it looks like the bats are kissing. These bats are way better than the other kind that hang around our house.

Handy Harness Tips (and a giveaway)

When I was designing the Pea Pod baby carrier I made about four carriers. They all turned out great with little changes made to each one until I settled on the final design. 

When I made the Handy Harness I ran into two little issues I thought I'd share with you. I was planning on doing a giveaway with this cute little harness below...

...but that's what protoypes are for. Working out the kinks. I didn't realize that the strap adjusters were on backward until it was finished. Argh. Also, the cotton webbing slides right through the buckle adjusters. When I used nylon webbing on the other sample harnesses it holds perfectly. If you use cotton webbing when making a Handy Harness it can still work (the colors are nicer in cotton). All you need to do is tie a little knot near the buckle when it's adjusted on the shopping cart, high chair or dining chair. The slipping problem doesn't matter when using the cotton webbing as a "leash". Since I folded and topstitched the end after threading it through the buckle it has a built in stop.

Now on to the giveaway...

* The orange and green Heather Ross harness is my version of a more gilrly look, but can easily be used for a boy too. The Echino Scooters is just so cool. For your chance to win one of these harnesses all you have to do is leave me a comment. If you have a blog go ahead and leave me a link. I love to see what all of you are up to. Please leave your email address in the comment form so I can reach you if you are one of the lucky winners! Giveaway open to residents of planet Earth. Giveaway closes Sunday night at 9 p.m. p.s.t.

*These carriers were made without the strap adjusters and may be a little long for smaller babies (6-12 mo's) but it still will work as a shopping cart harness. The length of the shoulder straps probably fits the 16-24 month range. They are about 1/2" too long on Vinny. He's 14 months old.

Of course you can always just make your own... download pattern here.

Winner

...and the Scooter carrier goes to

Sharon said...

The Heather Ross orange and green carrier goes to

I really got a kick out of your comment Cami. 

Congratulations to the both of you! I'll email both of you today to get your shipping info.

May the force be with me

Reminder: Tonight 9 p.s.t. the giveaway closes, so if you haven't already, go on over to this post and enter to win one of my Pea Pod Baby Carriers! 

Giveaway Closed

 I don't sew Halloween costumes. My kids always wear store bought. I know, the horror! Apparently the cat is out of the bag that I know how to sew. The one person in the world that I would not turn down asked me to make her a Yoda robe for her son. It's for Rocco's school aide. Well not for her to wear, for her son. Sorry for the bad grammar. I need to go back to school!

She is such an important part of our life I could never turn her down. I know it was the hardest thing for her to even ask me to do it. I hate sewing under pressure. I want this thing to turn out perfect. The rough linen fabric I have on hand is the perfect weight for the robe. The color is a little light so I'll probably tea dye it. 

The strangest thing about this robe is the pattern I used to make it. I used Lil Blue Boo's Recycled T-Shirt Hoodie pattern. I just lengthened and flared the sleeves. I also lengthened the body significantly and added a flare. I made the front open with a V neck. I've left all the edges unfinished so she can try it on her son and send it back to me to be hemmed.

I'm not totally happy with it so I may make another one with a more kimono sleeve/shoulder. The one problem is that the shoulder is a little tight because I didn't make it bigger and the pattern is intended for knit. I think he's going to wear layers underneath and there may not be room. Bummer.

Feeling the Love

Oh my! That's all I can say right now. Thanks for all the love. When Sewmamasew contacted me about doing a tutorial I was all "wha? Me? Um yea right". Good thing the theme was baby shower because I have a few pregnant friends right now and I have been brainstorming. The "Handy Harness" on the other hand was born out of sheer frustration. My Mini-Houdini is a shopping terror.

Also... in case you didn't notice, my site looks a little different. It's not totally complete yet, but I'm thrilled. It's very "me".

And if you haven't already entered the fantabulous giveaway please go and leave me a comment here to enter to win one of two fantabulous baby carriers.

I've listed a few carriers in my shop and I'm working on a more plus a couple of harnesses, but if you can sew even a bit, give the pattern a try. It's really not that hard at all.  I'm always here if you have any questions.

A Tutorial and a Giveaway!

Giveaway Closed
Hello everyone who has come over from Sewmamasew. Everyone else, of course a great welcome to you too! I hope you enjoy the tutorial I have for this great baby carrier, the Pea Pod, posted on the sewmamasew blog!

(I'm giving away the two carriers pictured above! There's more info on the giveaway below)

I also have a great companion tutorial to go along with the baby carrier. Introducing...

About two months ago I spied a woman in the grocery store with her 12 month old wearing one of these in the shopping cart. I stalked her for a few isles and finally decided I better get a closer look at that thing. It looked like something she made herself but she looked at me like I was smoking crack when I suggested such a thing. I sometimes forget that not everyone sews. I wanted to know where such a magical thing could be purchased. Confused we both looked for a tag. Couldn't find one but who cares 'cause ya know what? I can sew beotch! So here's the scoop.

"This baby harness can be used as a more reliable safety belt in shopping carts. It is also great for use in restaurant high chairs or when no high chair is available you can use it on a regular chair. It also converts to a leash for those times that your little one is just itching to make a run for it." 


So that's the lingo I used for the pattern because you never know who will download this pattern in the future and they may not really get my humor (or lack of).

Here are the links to the downloads for the instructions and the pattern pieces (please let me know if these links don''t work. I'm trying something new).

I hope you enjoy both of my new designs. They took a lot of work to perfect, which drove me crazy, but you benefit from the craziness. My very first giveaway! You can win one of the two carriers pictured on the Pea Pod Carrier pattern cover. Next week I'll be doing a giveaway on the Handy Harness.

Two chances per person... First, just leave me a comment.  Say "Hi", leave me a personal comment, or let me know something about you! The second way to enter is to become a follower. Just leave a comment letting me know you are following. If you are already a follower just leave a comment telling me that you already follow. If you mess up an want to change any of your comments just delete the first and leave a new one. Easy peasy. The giveaway ends on Sunday, October 17th (my half birthday, yes I used to celebrate this when I was younger), at 9 p.m. p.s.t.  Open to the entire World!


For those of you that don't win or just like instant gratification I have some of these beauties available in my shop. Lucky you.


Most of all, thank you for your continued support. I'm so glad to have you guys come and visit my little piece of the web.

Getting Nowhere Fast

I know why I like sewing so much. It's because after spending time and money on a project you have something that will last (hopefully for at least a month, right?). I have come to the conclusion that the reason I hate cleaning my house is because it doesn't last. I clean the kitchen every morning after the big kids get on the bus. A mere 10 hours later as dinner is prepared the kitchen is a disaster again. Rinse. Repeat. Don't get me started about the rest of the house. Laundry? I mean it rarely gets to see the inside of a closet or drawer. Chef makes jokes about the laundry baskets being modular, stackable dressers. As much as I would love to have a housekeeper I just couldn't stand the thought of all that money going down the drain the moment anyone in my family set foot in the house. 

I feel the same way about eating out. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind getting tacos at my favorite taco joint (I do this at least three times per week). What I don't get is the real eating out. You know, the kind of places where what you wear matters. My taco guy doesn't care if I waltz in there in my slippers. Chef on the other hand feels the same about eating out as I do about buying fabric. He thinks it's totally acceptable to spend unreasonable amounts of money on single meals. On our honeymoon in Italy we went to ONE dinner that cost $800. For TWO people!

So now that I'm done getting all that out I can get to the reason for this post. I am still hardly sewing. I am working on a tutorial that I'll hopefully be putting up on the same day as a tutorial I made for another sewing blog. They kind of go together all matchy-matchy. I may not get it done on time, but at least I finished the tute for the other (more important) blog. There will also be a great giveaway on that day! I'm excited. 

I better get back to not sewing... or cleaning for that matter. Guess I'll just have to head out for some tacos.