PRnP Week 1 - Boys Popoveralls

I'm so excited to be done on time!

For this season of Project Run and Play the week one challenge is, as always, the pattern remix. This challenge is my absolute favourite especially as it tend to offer an additional challenge to those of us who don't have girl's to sew for.

I didn't start this challenge until Tuesday, the day after the challenge was anounced. I was inspired by Sewing Like Mad's 32 pattern piece dress. Wildeman's Popeveralls have 25 pattern pieces in all. This is certainly the most complicated piece I have ever sewn for Wildeman!

I started by drafting this pattern on my own and drawing out on old wrapping tissue. Pretty!

I cut the pieces out from these old button down shirts that my aunt handed down. My whole family has started funneling old clothing to the family-refashioner. No complaints here!

Then I sewed each and every little piece with Edmund, my trusty serger.

I feel like I'm finally gaining the skills as a seamstress and refashioner to take my crazy ideas to fruition and really be proud of the things I make. I've come a long way in the last few years and so much of that is due to the incredibly community of bloggers who share their passion, skills adn discoveries with each other. I'm so glad to be a part of such a friendly, creative group of talented women.

Thank you and craft on!

Pinterest Challenge #6 Pog Mobile

Hello Crafty Foxes!

The (almost) complete mobile:

Pinterest Challenge #6

Today is the deadline for the Pinterest Challenge and I am mostly done...yes, just mostly. But not for lack of trying. This was my pinspiration for Wildeman's much belated mobile.

Originally Wildeman's mobile was going to be made up of 1001 white paper cranes, each containing a message from either mom or dad. As poetic as the theory was we got to about 30 before the guilt of all the dead trees these cranes represented got to me. We decided to include the cranes we had already made in his nursery decor but find some way to use recycled products for his mobile.

When I saw the image below I loved how clever, simple and eco-friendly it was but if you've been following me for a while you'll know that floral cutouts aren't really my thing. So, what is? Pogs!

I love the pop art feel of my in-progress mobile. I ran out of pogs before I ran out of lantern space but I'll contine scouring thrift stores for this 90s fad that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

  

I started with this:

 

 

Working on it:  

 

My Pinspiration:

 

Hey, is that Easter up there?

If by up there you mean up there in the future then yes, it is.

Hubby and I are in the rather exciting position of starting family traditions this year, as we now have a little family to tradish with. Granted, Wildeman has no idea what Easter is, or what bunnies are and no way in hell is he eating chocolate this Easter but he'll appreciate all this in a couple years and by then we'll have it down pat.

So, good weather allowing we will be Easter brunching in the park with our lovely family (with brownies baked inside eggshells)  and if I recall someone started some kind of holiday challenge...what was that again? Oh, that's right:

Wildeman Holiday Challenge 2013 #4: Easter

and here is the adorable little bunny now in

 

The Shabby Bunny

Wildeman Wednesdays #4

Hello and Welcome to what is in my humble opinion the best Wildeman Wednesday yet!

Well...hopefully every Wednesday will be the best Wednesday...otherwise I'm moving backwards...

But I digress and over-use ellipses. My adorable baby boy is about 4.5 months old and currently in 9-12 month clothes. He's a big cat. We were generously gifted with so much clothing when we were pregnant, mostly 0-9 months stuff, that we had it in our heads that we'd be set until he was 9 months old. Ha! Conventions. No baby of mine will be contained by clothing sizes, apparently. And so I sew like a mad woman.

Yesterday morning I made these awesome pants (from two thrifted t-shirts) and paired them with a shirt that was twice refashioned (see the original post about the shirt formerly known as romper here).

Please give a generous (but not too loud because he's a baby) round of applause to Wildeman in:

Wildeman is a Wild Man

 

Shared on:
 

 



Pinterest Challenge # 4 Baby Play Mat

4 down, 2 to go and feeling fine!

You know what the thing about babies is? They get bigger, and smarter and cuter and...harder to entertain. I mean it's all good since that means they're developing those big human brains and all which are, you know, kinda important, kinda.

Seriously though Wildeman has been so active and so interested in the world and I needed to find some way to let him explore his sensory organs and discover the world around him. Obviously there a ton of things that fit that description on the market but most of them feel to me like I'm plopping my kid down into Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Plus my apartment is tiny (which we love, and don't intend to change) so everything we owns needs to fold up and live in a drawer. And since I'm prone to migraines toys that make sounds are a strictly control commodity.

So, in the interest of meeting all these requirements I hit up Google for some inspiration. When Google failed me I fell back on Old Faithful: Pinterest.

My Pinspiration:

 

My version:

 

 

 

 

Total cost: About 7$

Wildeman Wednesday #3

This post is brought to you by 

the number 3!

 

Okay, I know it says Wednesday up there ^ and it is decidedly not Wednesday. I transfer my pictures from my tablet to my computer via Asus web storage and the site was down yesterday so I couldn't get anything posted.

 

On that same note, these pictures are awful. I really need to get one of the two cameras sitting on my desk fixed. Anyone know what causes a "lens error"? Both seem to have fallen victim to this strange camera illness within weeks of each other. Perhaps it's contagious?

 

Speaking of which Wildeman has been super sick (so have dad and mom but we're much better at breathing through our mouths than he is) which has been unpleasant. And the little munchkin's teeth decided that now would be a great time to work their way into the world. Awesome.

 

So, here is an uncomfortable but still trying to be cooperative little man in

 

Baby It's Cold Outside

BTW this isn't an attempt to be artsy (although my kid's pretty cute in black and white). The tablet was messing with the colour and Wildeman ended up looking purple in almost every shot. The warm uh...coveralls? Sleeper? Anyway, it's grey. You can see the colour in the tutorial. Just keep on scrolling.

There Is No Success Quite Like Failure

Hey folks,

I'm being brave today. I know that I was scheduled to post my Spring Romper on the the 11th. I had finished and everything. It was finished and sitting on the table next to my sewing machine looking sad. It's the first complete bomb I've had in a while. But, it turns out, that's a good thing. I learned things from this failure that turn it into a success. A success as a growing seamstress, but certainly not a Wildeman Holiday Challenge success.

So, I present to you my failed attempt at a gender-bending ,unisex, spring-coloured romper...

My Other Pants are a Kilt - Part 3

It's the beginning of the end!
(but in a good way)


 If you have no idea what I'm talking about and you have never seen this picture before you want to be over here, not here.

If you are in the right place then: It's the beginning of the end! Congratulations to making it this far in the project and/or clicking on some links and reading some stuff!

By now I'm sure you're very familiar with this cutie.

My Other Pants are a Kilt Part 3

The Jacket and Sporran

This is part 3 of the tutorial for the Wildeman Holiday Challenge 2013: St. Patrick's day as well as my Sew-vivor audition this season.This formal Irish suit is made up of 6 different pieces. A button-down onesie, vest, jacket, bow tie, kilt and sporran.

No idea what challenge I'm talking about?
No idea what Sew-vivor is?
Haven't seen Part 1?

Caught up now? Good, on we go...

Part 1 -
Kilt and Vest

Part 2 -
Button down onesie

Part 3-
Jacket and sporran (You are here!)

I made the bow tie using this tutorial.

Baby Boy Formal Irish Jacket Tutorial

Wildeman Wednesdays #2

That's right! Twice in one day.

This week's Wildeman Wednesday bears a remarkable similarity to last week's (there's a tutorial through there). They're just bigger and shinier. I made pants for myself (and a man-thong for a friend of mine) and still had enough fabric for the front of Wildeman's new pants. The back is more scrap in a navy blue knit:

Can't wait until he's big enough to wear them!

Rock n' Roll Fever - Spring Fever Remix

Good morning Starshine, the Earth says hello.

Quoting bad movies...it's a bit of a hobby.

So Project Run and Play is having a quiet period of inbetweeness as they're gearing up for the all stars season which means yay for us because it's pattern remix time! I was completely stumped looking at this pattern as my baby is not so much a girl and I was having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to make this pattern look in anyway masculine and still make use of the great details:

 

 

That being said I had already fallen in love with that bib detail and there was no way I was letting it slip past me. And so I thought and thought and thought and I'm not sure what inspired me. I am really into fashion as art and costume design and in my own wardrobe I like to take risks and include a lot of pieces that most people wouldn't consider wearable like lime green and silver zebra-striped pants or hats made entirely of sequins.

 

Up until now I've been pretty safe with Wildeman's wardrobe. I have to stop that business or I'm at risk of stagnating. Once I had the conventions of baby clothing and boy clothing out of my head the creative block fell away and I had it! And that is why I love prompts especially ones that seem tailor made to trip me up.

 

Introducing Wildeman in

 

Rock n' Roll Fever

 

 

I down-sized the bodice considerably to fit my 4 month-old, added sleeves, and elongated it to become a romper. I interpreted the bib back as epaulettes, which are by far my favourite aspect of the outfit, Then I added an accent zipper in purple.

 



 

My Other Pants are a Kilt - Part 2

Hello Tutorial Readers,
(there is a tutorial down there)

Introducing Wildeman in:

My Other Pants are a Kilt Part 2

The Button Down Onesie

This is part 2 of the tutorial for the Wildeman Holiday Challenge 2013: St. Patrick's Day as well as my Sew-vivor audition this season.This formal Irish suit is made up of 6 different pieces. A button-down onesie, vest, jacket, bow tie, kilt and sporran.

No idea what challenge I'm talking about?
No idea what Sew-vivor is?
Haven't seen Part 1?

Caught up now? Good, on we go...

Sew-viving and My Other Pants are a Kilt Part 1

Hello Crafty Crafterson's

and also people who like to read about sewing/crafting and not do it. No judgment, just didn't want to leave you out of the greeting.

Today I bring you

Wildeman Holday Challenge 2013 #2

St. Patrick's Day

and also

My Sew-vivor Audition!

 

No bird killing on my blog but if I were the bird killing type I'd be knocking them out all over the place with one well-thrown stone.

 

Let me just remind everyone of the very first rule for the Wildeman Holiday Challenge 2013:

1. Make a complete, themed, ***non-traditional outfit*** for my baby boy for every major, and some minor, holidays...
 

Ok seriously, what the crap Mikelina? A non-traditional St. patty's day outfit? If it's green it's traditional and if it's not green it's not St. Patty's Day! I had a hell of a time with this one until I remembered that it isn't only Scots who have a history of kilt-wearing. Bingo. Plus baby kilts are just so damn cute. It was impossible to resist.

 

Introducing Wildeman in:

My Other Pants are a Kilt Part 1

The Kilt and Vest

 

Pinterst Challenge #2 - Baby Harem Pants

Hello dear readers!

Don't worry I'm not going to make a habit of adressing you as "Dear", it's weird. Anyway...I'm feeling pretty damn good this morning because I am on schedule, which is kind of a big deal for me. I am so damn excited in fact that I'm getting straight down to business:

Week #2 of the Pinterest Challenge

and also

 

Wildeman Wednesdays #1

Okay, I'm starting a new thing. I know I said schedules make me uncomfortable and yes my palms may be sweating a litttle bit right now but I don't even care. If I'm going to "stare scheduled sewing in the face and laugh at it's puny attempts to scare the crap out of me" may as well go big or go home.

 

So, Wednesday's have become Wildeman Wednesdays, on which I post a new piece I've made for Wildeman (my baby boy new people). 52 new pieces a year sounds reasonable for a growing boy. I won't be posting full outfits most of the time but there will be a baby boy tutorial/post every week!

 

For full outfits keep tabs on the Wildeman Holiday Challenge 2013

 

Clearly I am all about the challenges this year. Speaking of which:

 

My pinspiration for this week was these ridiculously cool little man harem pants. Not sure why a dropped crotch makes little boy clothes so much cooler but it really does!

 



 

My version:

 

 

Pinterest Challenge #1 - Baby Rompers from Adult T-shirts

Hello crafty foxes and foxy crafters!

Welcome to Week #1 of my Pinterest Challenge.
(ps - check back every week to see the rest)

My pinspiration for this week combined three of my favourite things: refashioning, awesome baby stuff and graphic Ts:

My Version:

The Exhibitionist - Baby Flannel Shirt with Cotton Panels Tutorial

Hello Everyone!

This is Part 2 of a tutorial for my Project Run and Play Sew-Along. This week was Week 6: Signature Style. Part 1 is over here (the hoodie and pants). The tutorial is after the jump.

My Signature Style:

 



Wildeman's version:

 

The Exhibitionist



He was getting grumpy fast, that flannel shirt was warm even with the cotton jersey panels for venting. My little man is a bit of a whiner when it comes to temperature.



The Exhibitionist - Alien Skull Hoodie Tutorial

Hey folks :)

Over at Project Run and Play this weeks theme is "Signature Style" and I had no problem at all identifying mine. My husband describes me as someone who "talks like a textbook and dresses like they are out of a music video". Couldn't have put it better myself. I like obnoxiously bright colours, bold prints, mixed textures and unexpected pairings. I have a mohawk and bold glasses, I don't think I'll ever switch to contacts. I like every aspect of my outfit to shout with personality.

But above all my number one factor will always be comfort. I have had fibromyalgia for over 4 years now and I avoid anything starchy, stiff or elastic, I wouldn't last a half hour. Luckily, the day I found out about this week's theme I was wearing an outfit that I though perfectly represented my signature style:

For mom:

 



I made every part of this outfit too! Skull T. Flannel. Pants.

 

For Wildeman:

 



The Ehibitionist

 



 

Baby Trench - PR+P Men's Shirt Refashion

Hello everyone!

I'm so sorry that took so long, I didn't end up getting a new charger until this afternoon but I am finally back and with a lovely tutorial (if I do say so myself). I was having the hardest time thinking of something unique to for this week's Project Run and Play sew along. Men's shirt refashion is a pretty well-loved theme for refashioners the world over and though it is a very versatile piece it seemed that I had seen everything.

To make matters slightly more challeneing my only little model is a baby boy, adorable though he is, I'm not sure of he could rock a girlier (therefore easier) men's shirt refashion. Thankfully hubby came to the rescue with a brilliant idea: a baby trench. A classic for a reason. So, a little internet hopping and I discovered this adorable Burberry trench for 4 years old and upward for 350$:

Yes, that's right: 350$ for a children's coat. Seems a little unnecesary to me. Especially when this little peice of adorableness cost

2.50$

 

 

Want to see that again?