Raising Rey

Halloween 2015

October 29, 2016February 14, 2017 by Raising Rey

This costume may always be my favorite. (Although, this year’s is becoming a very close second.)

Amelia Earhart costume, plane and all!!

I had so much fun designing this entire costume.

The jacket was a thrift store find. I took the patch on the right off and sewed on a solid color knit around the bands.

I made the aviator cap, the goggles, pants, a scarf, and boots. (The fabulous boots pattern is from here.)

dsc_6051-edit

I was especially particular how I wanted to design the plane. I really wanted to model it after Earhart’s red Lockheed Vega plane.

file-oct-25-10-55-42-am2

Boxes, red duct tape, a wagon, red paint, and my little helper.

2016-10-31_0001

I used my Cricut Explorer to cut the letters and decals. (I LOVE this machine. I have many Cricut projects I need to share.)

The propeller was a bit of a challenge. I didn’t take in consideration the need to navigate the wagon with the handle. I had to make several adjustments and ended up making it so the propeller could be taken off if needed.

2015-10-31_1108254197196267261

Our little Lady Lindy

We went to a Halloween party and Miss Rey won best kids costume.

2016-10-31_0002

2015-11-02_1109539763896459119

Deciding on a costume for this year was tough after this costume. So, I went through our favorite books……

DSC_5599-Edit copy

I love it. More on this costume coming up next post.

Save

Father’s Day 2016

June 21, 2016June 21, 2016 by Raising Rey

“It’s not just mama bears who are fierce, devoted, and protective. It’s papa bears too.”

Watching my husband become a daddy has truly been one of the greatest joys for me. He is dedicated, loving, consistent, and present. He is the best daddy and I’m so glad our little girl has him. He has a crazy unpredictable schedule being a chef, but even with his long hours, he is still a very present dad. He wakes up with our daughter in the mornings before he gets ready for work. They have breakfast together. He reads her the news. He plays and sings her favorite song, “Baby Beluga”. I adore listening to their morning routine. Of course, it is also great because I get to stay in bed a little longer! He does it to have quality time with our daughter, and he does it for me because he knows that it’s not always rainbows and unicorns being an at home mom. Reyla’s mornings with her dad will be something she will always remember. Her and I get many special moments since I get to be home with her. Her daddy gets her mornings and I think it’s the sweetest thing ever.

2016-06-20_0002

Morning at the farmer’s market.

A gift from her daddy.

2016-06-20_0003

So much love!!

Grilled corn! She seems to be getting a little more adventurous with food.

Talking to her shadow!! I’ll never forget the first time she found her shadow. Her shadow has been her friend ever since and they have had many conversations.

2016-06-20_0001

It was very sad when she briefly left this spot, came back to the wrong spot and couldn’t find her shadow.

Our nature lover.

It was a good Father’s Day.

Save

Pattern Template Plastic

June 6, 2016June 6, 2016 by Raising Rey

One of my favorite things ever…..template plastic!! I don’t mean the small plastic sheets that are only big enough to trace one short sleeve, but LARGE template plastic. Large enough to trace not only an entire child’s size pattern, but more than one! My daughter is only 21 months old, so her clothing is still pretty small, but I could for sure use one for an adult sized pattern. The sheets are 24″ x 45″ and 2 millimeters thick. Nice, right?!

The patterns I know I will be making a lot of or want to be able to quickly sew on a whim , I trace onto template plastic. I use my rotary cutter around the plastic to cut the fabric. I do know that there are those that sew who are able to do the same with their paper patterns. I however, am not that skilled. I tried it and totally destroyed a paper pattern. Never again. (And those cans? Tuna cans. They make perfect weights. )

I will usually take a big sharpie along the edge to make it easier to see against lighter color fabrics.

I’m not very patient with some pattern curves, so I will sometimes very quickly trace curves with a pen and cut with scissors.

2016-06-06_0002

Tank tops , t-shirts, pants, shorts, pajamas are a few patterns I automatically transfer to template plastic.

My favorite pajamas, Alex & Anna PJs by Peek-A-Boo patterns, I have already transferred to template plastic up to size 5T! I love these PJ’s for my daughter. They are a really quick sew and with the plastic template, I can complete a pair from fabric cut to finish under 30 minutes!

2016-06-06_0003

I couldn’t resist sharing this sweet photo of my daughter with one of our pups. These pajamas are great for just lounging in too.

I bought the template plastic sheets from a group buy, here. The price per sheet varies depending how big the current order is. I happened to order mine when the order was at the highest number to get the best discount. I ordered 10 sheets and I have hardly made a dent in them.

A truth about sewing, the pattern cutting or tracing (if you trace your patterns to another paper), washing the fabric, ironing the fabric, cutting the fabric, etc., etc……all before even actually sewing can feel so tedious. I’m able to start sewing sooner with patterns that I transfer to template plastic. What tips do you have to get through the tedious work faster, so you can start sewing sooner?

Save

Quick Sews and Fabric

May 30, 2016 by Raising Rey

2016-05-30_0001

A little something different than what I typically sew. I recently was selected to sew up these strike-off fabrics from Peek-A-Boo fabrics. This is my first time sewing with Peek-A-Boo fabrics and I can’t get over the quality! Seriously. The fabric is thick and super soft. The difference compared to the local big chain fabric store is….well, there’s just no comparison. I have only ordered knit fabric online once before and I was very disappointed. It was very thin and the stretch was terrible. Although at the time, I didn’t truly understand the ‘weight’ of fabric. Now that I do and I have felt the difference, my fabric budget will need to be adjusted accordingly.

This panel and coordinating fabric is part of Peek-A-Boo’s back to school line. Pre-order closes June 6th, so you may want to hop on over there and place your order before it’s all gone.

The tank pattern is by Brindle & Twig. It’s perfect for summer and is a very quick and easy sew.

This skirt pattern by Bella Sunshine Design is also a very quick and easy sew. I love it! I’m not really the twirling skirt/dress type of mom, but look at that twirl! It also has attachable shorts for underneath. I’ll for sure be making a bunch more of these skirts for summer.

DSC_9166-Edit

Up next……one of my favorite things, large template plastic!

I’d Rather Sew than Buy

May 25, 2016 by Raising Rey

I might be obsessed with sewing. I’m not new to sewing, but this past year my sewing has certainly reached a new level. So much, I’d rather sew an outfit for my daughter than buy one. By no means do I plan on having a mom made only wardrobe for my daughter, but my trips to Target are greatly decreasing. The shorts below are one Target trip that didn’t happen. I planned on buying my daughter jean shorts to wear with this blouse I made for her. Instead, this happened. Mom made jean shorts.

DSC_8653-Edit

I have been sewing off and on for 20 plus years. If I count home economics in high school, even longer. One of my favorite movies in high school was Pretty in Pink. Partially because of the whole opposite social class love struggle, but mostly because Andie upcycled her prom dress and it was fabulous! I wished to be that good.

I still have and use my first sewing machine I received when I was 20 years old. Many years ago I opened an online children’s clothing boutique. I quickly learned selling handmade clothing was not for me and closed my shop about 2 years later. The time and pressure selling handmade clothing took away the enjoyment. I’ll admit I’m very flattered when friends tell me I should sell what I sew, but I have no desire to do that again. Although, if I ever got offered a job making comic con costumes, I would totally take it.

Here is our extraordinary girl wearing her mom made clothes. This makes me happy.

2016-05-23_0001