This year I'm aiming for a really laidback 2015, rediscovering my creativity and originality and just going with my muse! However when a tester call pops up on my facebook and it's for a super cute pattern... well I'm not going to say no am I?! I'm a sucker for cute patterns!

I was able to test the Liv Skirt for Annemieke of Sofilantjes which is already a free pattern in Dutch on her site, but she needed a hand testing it out in English! It's a multi-sized pattern, a little stretchknit mini skirt with cute pockets! Also. It's FREE!

I used some scraps that I got from the op-shop last year, these crazy 80s fluro beach prints. There wasn't really a lot of them, but I had enough for this skirt, the top and some scraps left over for little pockets or cuffs. I don't know, when i fall in love with a fabric I fall hard and i need to use every tiny little skerrick! The fluro rainbow fabric is my absolute favourite!


I sewed up the 2T, however Eddie is tiny for her age (although she is chunky, she does not fit size 2! Also she is short as)  so it's a little longer on her and the waistband is not as snug as you may see on the other Liv Skirts. Which is fine, because obviously it's a perfect size 2 and she will grow into it!


The back and the pocket linings are from a contrast fabric, equally as bright and equally as 80s. I don't know what it is about this outfit but the whole combination of colours and the patterns make my heart so happy to see them! We're heading to the beach in a week or two for a bit of a frolic and you can be sure she'll be wearing this on the sand!


The pockets are shallow, which is good because her arms are short! Go check out the free pattern on her site, but also check out her shop because have you seen THIS?? Yes please.


I used the Skipper Top pattern by Sew Much Ado, which I have previously stitched up here! I didn't hem the sleeves or the neckline, just left it all raw and beachy. I stitched on a little square pocket to match the rainbow fabric of the skirt. When I cut the fabric out, I made the shirt shorter by a few centimeters, then once it was all sewn up I cut the bottom into 1.5cm wide strips. If you tug on the fabric (hold the top in case you tug the strip off lol) and then let it spring back, you should get the curling effect. I'm pretty sure it will curl even more into strips when this baby gets washed (the shirt, not the child).


Tim is always really hesitant about cropped tops on his little girl, but I really love seeing her little fat belly poking out!

   

 It's okay, I mowed the grass like the next day!

I haven't sewn anything for Vin in a little while, save for whipping him up about 10 pairs of basic elastic-waist shorts. He's so picky with his clothes, he doesn't mind modelling and get photos but he complains about every little thing. It's way easier to cater to his baby sister's vanity these days! Plus, he has like 3 years of sewing on her so I do indulge the bebe a little.

Instead of doing just a straight forward little long-sleeved tee, I knew I wanted my first sewing of the year to be something pretty epic. It didn't take me long to realise that thumbholes, although super rockstar and sort of reminiscent of my teenage year (Tim has a HUGE thing for thumbholes omg, he was SO EXCITED over this pattern it cracked me up!), also seemed a bit superhero!


So I stitched an R onto the front of the tee, using reverse applique because it's a nice lazy way of appliquing and it was late and I didn't want to get my stencilling supplies out. Still looks legit though! The Upper sleeves I used a slinky green knit, which was originally the same I was using for the cuffs. It's thinner than the red and the yellow and I feel this is why the original cuffs were a bit fail since it kept slipping everywhere. All good though, the yellow pops & rocks!


Not actually a face palm, apparently he just rubs his face dramatically :,)







They've released the pattern and you can get it right here! You can get it for $5 with the code THUMBSUP until midnight Sunday. Which is different for most of you to what midnight Sunday is for me. So, you have like a day. Or something. Don't take my word on that because i think we are all well aware of my timezone-deficiency :,)

Woah it has been a really long time since I did some good ol-fashioned t-shirt surgery! It's so strange since that was where i first started to really pick up sewing when I was a teenager. The other day I grabbed some tees from my stash and made a handful of little dresses for Eddie from a raglan t-shirt pattern that I drafted myself.

You can find plenty of tutorials for making raglan-sleeve t-shirt patterns on the internet, and I promise it isn't as difficult as you would think!

If you'd like to try and draft your own, check out some of these tutorials:

• Always Autumn
• Craftiness is Not Optional
• Shwin & Shwin
• Once Upon a Sewing Machine

If you'd like an existing raglan-sleeve t-shirt pattern, check out these free versions:

• Naptime Crafters in 18m-6y
• Shwin & Shwin in 12-18m

If you'd prefer a paid-for pattern, you can find some here:

• Recess Raglan by See Kate Sew
• Lucille Top by Shwin Designs

I used three shirts for this. An adults Super Mario Bros shirt featuring a Bob-Omb! (Which always makes me think of this band :,) ) which I'm pretty sure came from JayJays originally but I picked it up at the op shop for a few buck. The yellow and the green are scraps of other t-shirts. I don't know wh but red, yellow & green knit fabric are as rare as hens teeth in my fabric stash, I scavenge for every little bit that I need. I should invest in a bolt of each! Because I mean, think of all those Robin tees I could be making *-*


It's just a basic raglan-sleeved t-shirt, the skirt being two rectangles, one taller than the other. I didn't gather it properly, just tucked rando chunks of fabric to guerrilla-pleat it! The top tier of the skirt has the hem of the original shirt, the bottom tier I just overlocked and left it.


I showed her the dress and she was pretty excited to put it on, which makes me so happy because sewing for the boy now isn't as -free- as it used to be (everything must pass his skinny-leg test, even if they are shorts. He hates pants, only wants shorts, hates long-sleeves, only wants short sleeves)(my only saving grace is to add a nifty feature to it and he'll contemplate wearing it!). I told her that there was a bob-omb on the front, to which she replied, "I LUV BOB-OMBS!" Which made me giggle because she has no idea what they are ^_^

I stitched up the size 2 for Eddie, taking the curve out of the front bodice and making it just a straight line. I did the same for the bottom of the romper, you can see an excellent tutorial here that Jess has written for converting the romper to SEVERAL types of dresses! While the size 2 romper was a bit on the large side for her, making it in woven is quite a snug fit!


Also, here's another WORD TO THE WISE: Add seam allowance to the back omg. Seriously. I went to bed after cutting it out and sewing the shoulders wrong about 4 times. That's not exaggerating, I just couldn't get it together but fortunately today I was much smarter (sort of). HOWEVER, since the back is usually on a fold, you really do need to add seam allowance for the zip. That's probably my entire problem right there in a nutshell.

Can we not look at that dumb zip too? Nice from far, but far from nice! Eddie busted the zip with her she-hulk strength when we headed to the playground after. I don't blame the zip though, I mean it was an old plastic one and it was straining to keep Eddie inside the dress.


Despite my issues, which are obviously MY issues and not the pattern!, I really love this dress! I love the fabric, it's a cotton duck, and I love the scoop at the back. I love the little gathered skirt and I love my little girl.


 So take my crib notes, sew one of these up for yourself, and ADD THE SEAM ALLOWANCE OMG.