handmade wardrobe // leafy greens

my top: Tessuti Patterns Romy top in a ‘mora slub’ linen/viscose from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

my shorts: Megan Nielsen Dawn jeans in a cotton/linen canvas from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

belt bag: Target

Penny’s outfit: Butterick 6342 in a cotton/linen fabric from my stash that I don’t remeber where it came from

Penny’s purse: self drafted

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Why I waited until August to make all my shorts for the summer, I do not know lol. I wish I would’ve made these earlier on in the summer! They’re the Megan Nielsen Dawn shorts. You know the pattern is already tried and true for me - I’ve made 2 pairs of wide leg jeans so far, but this is my first pair of the shorts view! I cut out my size straight, no grading, and they fit like a glove! The only adjustment I made was in sewing the side seams - I went from 5/8” seam allowance at the waist to 1/4” seam allowance at the hem, so I had a little but more wiggle room at my thighs. And I usually really prefer the button fly detail of the Dawn jeans, but I went with a zip fly for these ones becasue the print is already busy and I didn’t want to muddle it or distract from it at all. Only problem - I forgot to order a green or natural colored zipper. So I ended up using a contrasting black one. Doh. Oh well, Atleast you cant see the zipper from the outside!

I didn’t have much fabric left over, so the only thing I was able to make for P to match me was this little purse - she carried around her little mini Paw Patrol figurines in them, lol. I also pulled out this neutral striped fabric and made her this really quick and easy set. I love the apron style back!

handmade wardrobe // green on green x 2

my top: Simplicity 8839 in a double gauze from Mood Fabrics

my shorts: Peppermint Magazine free Spring Shorts in a tencel twill from Blackbird Fabrics

Penny’s set: Butterick 6342 in an older tencel twill

hair clips: amazon

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Ok, I feel pretty freakin good in this outfit! I just live when an outfit turns out just how I was picturing it. I already knew the Spring Shorts were my dream shorts (this is actually my third pair), but I took a chance on this Simplicity top, and gosh - THOSE SLEEVES! Sooooo much love for those sleeves. I want to make another version in a yellow seersucker before the end of August, I just love it so much. The only mod I made to the pattern is my usually no-boobs adjustment - I removed the darts. Everything else was perfect as-is.

I also wasn’t so sure it would work in the end since I was using two slighlty different shades of green. I worried they would clash. But I love hos they look together, actually! ANd I didn’t have any fabric left for a Penny version, but remembered I made this other green set for her this past spring. So I was still able to live that mommy-and-me dream haha.

handmade wardrobe // mommy and me rompers

my romper: Peppermint Magazine / In the Folds playsuit (free pattern!)

Penny’s overalls: Hello Dear Kids

fabric: rayon/linen from StoneMountain & Daughter Fabrics

Penny’s shirt: Lulu and Roo

my hair clips: Target

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Not much to say about this one, sorry guys! We recently got back from a week back home with family in farm country WNY and I am TIRED. You’d think vacation would be relaxing, but traveling and trying to see a million people and do all the things is HARD.

I used this neutral striped linen that I have been holding onto to make P and I some cute matching rompers. Mine is the Peppermint Magazine x In the Folds free playsuit, and it is soooo good. My favorite romper currently in my closet. High neck + non-fitted waist + tie straps is the recipe for my perfect garment. All my favorite things.

Penny’s overalls is the same pattern I used for her pink floral ones here, I just left off the ruffles!

handmade wardrobe // in bloom

my skirt: self drafted

Penny’s overalls: Hello Dear Kids ruffle overalls

fabric: floral cotton sateen c/o Measure Fabrics

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Have you noticed that all of my projects with Measure have been pink. I obviously have a favorite color, haha. But I just couldn’t resist this pretty pink floral sateen. I actually struggled a bit with this one. Not because I didn’t know what to make with it, but because I had so many ideas of what to do with it that I just couldn’t choose. I thought about making a romper for myself, or maybe a pretty full-skirt structured dress, or maybe a shorts and top matching set, etc. But in the end, I kept coming back to the simplest of all my ideas- a simple and basic paperbag waist skirt. It was my first original idea, and I just kept coming back to it. I think I kept trying to change my mind to one of the other ideas because a basic elastic skirt seemed, well….. too basic. But sometimes basic is sooooo good. Especially when using the perfect fabric. The print really makes the simple shape shine!

But lets face it - it didn’t matter what I made for myself, because Penny’s overalls are the real star of the show anyway. I mean, those ruffles, those little pockets, the cuteness. All the heart eyes.

But seriously - get this fabric! It is seriously the most perfect fabric for so many projects. Cotton sateen has a nice medium weight and it completely opaque. No need for a lining, so its perfect for bottoms like pants, shorts, skirts, jumpsuits, etc. But would also make a really pretty voluminous dress or even button down shirt. Options are endless with this one.

Handmade wardrobe // lena horne

Dress: Tabitha Sewer Lena Horne dress

Penny’s dress: McCall’s 7739

fabric: bubble crepe from Cali Fabrics (interfaced and lined for body and stability)

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GUYS, I’m SO excited about how this dress turned out! When Tabitha Sewer first released her Lena Horne pattern, I immediately pictured it in this mustard-y medallion fabric I’ve been hoarding in my stash. Problem was, this fabric is a crepe. A lightweight and drapey crepe. Something suited more for a flowy dress or blouse, and I really wanted the ruffles on my Lean Horne to have body and weight. But I was determined, so I interfaced the ruffles to give them stability so they stood up more and didn’t drape, and I lined the bodice in a cotton for more added stability. and as a quick add-on, I attached a ruffled flounce along the bottom hem. It just made sense to me with the whole vibe of the fabric/dress combo. Kind of like a 70’s boho vibe, I think. Yes?

I did have a few set backs with this make. I had to completely remove the bust darts, but thats my issue, not the pattern’s (no boobs problem. Like literally, no boobs. I can get away with no bust darts at all). I also struggled with the fact that the interfaced underside of the ruffle was visible. I really wanted to double layer/line the ruffles, but didn’t have enough fabric since I was determined to make a dress for Penny too. And speaking of Penny’s, I also kind of struggled with hers, too. The pattern seemed like a perfect match. But because I was working with limited leftover fabric and I was in a rush to finish it, it didn’t turn out quite as much of a match as I was picturing. The dress itself was huge, even though I cut out her size. I ended up having to add a little pleat in the front to help keep it on her shoulders. And the shape of the ruffle is much wider and drapy-er than the Lena Horne ruffle. If I would’ve been paying more attention and slowed down when making it, I would’ve modified her ruffle to be less wide, longer and more gathered. So that it looked similar to mine. But c’est la vie. It’s still a really cute dress once I get past the fact that its not a perfect match for mine. She looked freakin adorable twirling around in it. And since its so big, she’ll be able to wear it for years, ha.

But seriously - my dress? OBSESSED. I need some place to wear this baby more often.

Handmade Wardrobe // matching bees, and sewing for kids

My tank: Megan Nielsen Patterns Eucalypt tank in crepe de chine from Fabric.com

my jeans: Megan Nielsen Dawn jeans in denim from Style Maker Fabrics

Penny’s top: mashed up/self drafted top in cotton from Fabric.com

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No new makes again! We’ve been re-wearing a lot of handmade items already in our closets. especially Penny. She actually originally wore this top over a year and half ago for our family photos, and it still fits!

Its funny, when she was really little, I barely made any clothes for her at all. I didn’t see the point in spending so much time and effort on garments that she would just grow out of in a couple months. Kids grow so fast! But then some where along the way, I realized that making clothes for her meant I could control how they were made. Meaning, I could make them grow with her. I can add a really wide hem that can be let down later as she grows taller. I can use larger seam allowances that can be let out as she gets older. I can purposefully make a garment just a tad big to start with. Not too big, just enough that it still fits, but also will fit her for awhile.

I can’t stop making clothes for her now!

Mommy and Me // matching dots

my dress: Megan Nielsen Darling Ranges dress, lengthened to maxi length

my shoes, Penny’s shoes, Penny’s dress : Old Navy

Both our jackets: H&M (mine is old, here is Penny’s)

Penny’s fanny pack: Target (girls, not toddler. I had to alter the waist strap. And I cut off the glittery bunny ears)

So this is not a new handmade mommy an me post. In fact, almost everything is RTW, except for my Darling Ranges maxi dress which I made years ago. You can see my past posts about it here and here. But Our matching polka dots were way too good to not share them here, too!

Snapshots // magic kingdom and animal kingdom, 2019

Magic Kingdom outfits:

my top: thrifted Madewell

my pants: handmade Named Clothing Ninni Culottes in a light chambray

my ears: Target party section

Penny’s overalls: Pepper Kids

Penny’s tee and sneakers: June and January

Penny’s fanny pack: Target (girls, not toddler. I had to alter the waist strap. And I cut off the glittery bunny ears)

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Long, photo heavy post alert!

Disney, year 2! It was so fun this year, with Penny being a year older. While there were still plenty of rides she couldn’t ride, she was more aware of what we wee doing and how much fun it was. She kept yelling “that was so much fun!” or “I like that!” after the rides. Especially the Barnstormer rollercoaster and teacups. It appears we a little thrill seeker on our hands. And dare I say, I may have finally started a liking in her for a Disney Princess! She lists the Little Mermaid ride as one of her other favorites, and she even got a Little Mermaid toy as a prize. You have no idea how happy this makes me! I love that she loves Cars and Mickey, but I was such a Little Mermaid fan when I was little.

At Magic Kingdom, we literally spent all day there. Got there right at rope drop at 9am, and stayed for the fireworks spectacular at 9pm. And surprisingly, we still didn’t hit all the rides that we could’ve, ha. Granted, we did ride some of Penny’s favorites multiple times, and we also stopped and sat down for her to take a 45 minute nap. But we spent most of our time in Fantasyland, hitting up every ride we could there. Also got a good spot for the parade, spent a bit of time on Main street picking out some prizes, managed to squeeze in a few rides in Tomorrowland, and then very quickly ran through Adventureland at the end. We love Magic Kingdom so much! If we only ever went to one theme park ever again, we would have no problem picking this one. Now if only it wasn’t so freakin expensive so we could do it all the time haha.

Scroll down for Animal Kingdom!

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Animal Kingdom outfits -

Mickey tees: Target

my skirt: handmade Megan Nielsen Wattle skirt (see original post)

Penny’s shorts: handmade by shortening a Hello Dear Kids pants pattern

Penny’s ears: DIY here

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This was Penny’s first time at Animal Kingdom, since we didn’t do it last year. Even though it doesn’t have nearly as many rides for her to ride, I still think she had fun! We discovered she reaaaaaally loves flamingos (had no idea!). She stood there and stared at them forever, and this girl never stands still. But she she just watched them and watched them, and cried every time we tried to leave them.

She also saw lots of animals on the safari (including a giraffe that walked right next to the jeep!), danced like crazy at the lion king show, helped played the drums with the street performers, met Mickey and Minnie (!!!), and had a blast in the dino dig yard. We did also spend a little bit of time in Pandora, which was pretty cool! I realize now I never took any pictures in that area.

handmade wardrobe // Floreat, and a mini, and a tote bag too

top : Megan Nielsen Floreat top in Cloud 9 double gauze from Fabric.com

penny’s top: Butterick 3642 in same fabric

jeans: Urban Outfitters

tote: handmade using this Megan Nielsen tutorial

slides: Target (last year)

Penny’s shoes: Old Navy

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I recently worked on updating some old tutorials for Megan Nielsen Design Diary, including this DIY canvas tote! It’s nothing fancy, just a basic oversized tote bag. But a perfect carry-all when you need to take a small collection of toddler toys and snacks with you everywhere, haha. I actually didn’t use a traditional canvas, but instead a nice weight cotton/linen blend in a subtle stripe. I added a small macrame feather I made one night while crafting (search Pinterest for “macrame feather” to find a few different DIYS).

I actually made this brown Floreat top back in the fall, but it was already too cold to wear it without layering. So I’m happy to finally have some warmer weather to wear it alone and let it shine! And of course, I made sure I had just enough left to make a matching top for P. I love this double gauze - I actually bought it in two colors and used the blue one to make the jumpsuits a few posts back!

handmade wardrobe // not mellow yellow

my top: Megan Nielsen Patterns Floreat top (knotted) in a yellow rib knit from Fabric.com (no longer available)

Penny’s top (in same fabric) and dress: Simplicity 8706

my jeans: Megan Nielsen Dawn jeans in cream denim from Style Maker Fabrics

My shoes: Swedish Hasbeens

Penny’s shoes: Old Navy

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Not as many photos to choose from for this outfit set, because someone was a bit cranky and not in the mood for photos. So we cut it short after a few snaps. She still cute tho.

This isn’t a new handmade outfit. You’ve seen both of these garments before. I wore the Floreat top before here, and in this outfit I just knotted the angled hem for a different look.  Read about these Dawn jeans here. And I also posted about just Penny’s outfit when I first made it (here), if you want to see it closer up and see her happier to be wearing it HA.