monkey placket

Remember this sheet my good friend gave me because it had a hole? Well I had used some of it to make a quick size check for this tee before I pieced the entire back. I had put this brown one to the side not intending to come back to it anytime soon, if at all. However, when starting in on the placket idea I read woven fabric is easier than knit so out came the brown shirt.

As I searched for resources to make the placket I came across this tutorial and also this one. Even with these tutorials there was still quite a bit of winging it since I tend to be a visual learner and the tutorials left me with questions. I was planning on adding some kind of closure on the placket but it ended up being shorter than I imagined and so just left it open. Plus the neckline is a little big anyway so it falls nicer without buttons.

I needed to add a bit of length on the sleeves to make them long enough for Mae so added cuffs. I can thank my husband for only of of them being monkey fabric- definitely his idea but I love the look.

Mae was in rare form for pictures. Having learned the robot yesterday at school he was demonstrating his skills for the camera. The fact that I got a few shots that aren't blurry is pretty incredible!

placket

I want to make a knit shirt with a placket but have never made a placket before. After studying many of the boys tees and looking at a couple different tutorials I tried one on a woven shirt for Mae. Besides the obvious fact that the monkeys are upside down I think it looks okay.

Hoping to get the rest of the shirt done today and maybe even started on a knit shirt with a placket.
Maybe.

teeny-tiny hat

Seriously this hat is so so small! Then again I am always shocked by how teeny newborn heads are so hopefully this will fit soon after birth.

Some good friends of ours are expecting but they don't know yet what the baby is. I really wanted to make them something because its their first and we are all super excited but gender neutral is hard! So I made a hat. Grey and yellow; pretty gender neutral but leaning more toward the boy side?

Regardless they were stoked! I used an old cashmere sweater so its super soft and for an October baby  nice and warm and cozy. I even found out they are thinking grey and yellow for the nursery regardless of gender. They find out the gender in just a few weeks so we will see.

easy linen shirt

Another one.

Remember this easy linen shirt that I made months ago for our family pictures? Well this yellow one was actual made the day prior to the blue one to check the size from the pattern. I quickly realized it was much too big so scaled it down and just tossed the yellow one to the side.

When cleaning up my sewing space after the mess I created during KCWC I ran into the yellow shirt again that still needed a collar and hem. I had seen a shirt with a circle pocket on Pinterest so used the same idea to add some color to this shirt. Plus I decided to make the collar from the pattern instead of adding a hood.

Some things I realize after completing this shirt: 1) This yellow is not my thing, mustard definitely but not this shade.  2) Wish I would have added the hood.  3) Love the pocket! Will use the idea again.

radio silence

We have been on vacation. A real vacation- including my husband and everything. When we realized last month that my husband hasn't taken a single vacation in two and half years we decided it was definitely time to go!

We packed our car, dropped the dog off at the grandparents and headed east for the Balloon Stampede and to celebrate Mother's Day. The balloons were probably the highlight of my entire week. With weather in the mid 80's they were able to launch three mornings in a row and what a way to start each day!

Watching balloons with grandpa.

So many balloons!

The moon was still up!

Balloon getting ready to touch down. The best part: we got to watch them deflate the entire thing. The boys were enthralled with how huge these things are when you are standing underneath them. 

Case balloon watching in pjs getting plenty of love from his favorite uncle. 

Eating stinky hay in the field as we watched the balloons touch down. 

Baby Ahmad- love this kid!!

Swinging cousins. They are only a few months apart in age but you would never know it because Case is such a bruiser. 

Headed to the toy store with grandma. We were at the toy store each and every day of the trip and an enormous Bruder truck was requested for a birthday that is still 4 months away!

Like father...

...like son.

Feeding the mules down great grandpa and grandma's lane. 

It has been nice to be home but getting back into the routine always takes a bit of work. Have some projects to share and some that I want to get started but will see what this week holds.

Happy Monday!

color

Do you follow Project Run and Play? Super talented people making really cool stuff for kids. There is a sew along portion as well and I decided to join in.

This past week the challenge was color, definitely broad! I knew right away I wanted to do green but then wavered with my choice when I realized my stash of green fabric was significantly smaller than most other colors. As I sat and thought and looked for inspiration I kept coming back to green and nature. Trees, grass, leaves; all these organic things. I came upon a Polo shirt my dasd had given me because of a hole in the collar but it was yellow. I was so drawn to it though because it had a teeny basket weave texture. I vaguely recalled seeing something on a blog about RIT dye but had never tried it.

So went this entire challenge; I ended up doing many things I had never tried! I told my husband late last night that this single shirt had pushed me to the edge (maybe off the edge) of my sewing knowledge.

I went with green and stayed with a sketch of a pieced back to mimic the lines of a leaf. Added a hood, with more piecing, and some lining. Even added facing to finish the back and neckline- a concept brand new to my skills. Added lining to the back to hide all the seams from the piecing and loved the way it started to come together.

On the heels of KCWC this was maybe silly to take on but I finished and am loving the outcome. So fun to think, sketch, draft, sew and then finally see something come together.

Happy Friday!

love this kid!

headband

You can learn a lot from people by following them on pinterest. Its also a great way to find ideas for gifts because people often pin things they want.

Back in March my friend had her birthday. Being out of town had allowed me to get birthday gifts done but of course weeks went by and this one never got delivered. I finally remembered to bring it along and wish her a happy birthday. I had done my research on her pinterest and found this photo. No pattern just a picture.

I did some research, tried a few things, thought about it, tried a few more things and finally came up with something I liked. Added a vintage button from my grandmother's collection and called it good.

PATTERN: crochet headband

10mm hook- size P (it's huge!)

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
slst = slip stitch
dc = double crochet

Form slip knot on your hook. Chain 40.

Row 1: ch 2   sc 5   dc 18   sc 17

Row 2: slst 17   dc 18   slst 5

Row 3: ch 2   sc 1   c1   sc 3   dc 18   sc 17 (button hole will form in this row)

Row 4: slst 17   dc 18   sc 17

Row 5: ch 2   sc 5   dc 18    sc 17

Weave in ends. Add button.