Hi,
It has been I while, since we are hardly ever here anymore I feel a little awkward talking to you about this fun pattern without telling you what is going on in my life. The last couple of months have been a little challenging but what is life without a few challenges. We had some changes that have been a bit of a challenge to our family's financial stability. I have been a stay at home mom for about 6 years and it looks like it is time for me to return at least part time if not full time to the working world. Some days I was sure the stress and the insecurity was going to swallow me hole.

One of those stresses has been looking at my wardrobe and knowing that my wardrobe is mostly "mommy clothes" of yoga pants and graphic tee shirts. I knew the Runway Skirt would be a great option for re-entering the work force. We seamstresses love when our vision is realized and everything turns out perfect but sometimes a project gives us experience and helps us be prepared for the next time we sew the pattern. I have to admit that this particular skirt fit more into the second category, it didn't turn out quite as I had imaged but I am here sharing my experience with you so that when you sew up the Runway Skirt it will be just as amazing as you imaged.

I had hoped that this skirt would have turned out a bit more business formal but my fabric choice of jersey and skirt length of midi reads a little more business casual, which will be great for some of the positions I am looking into where I would be working with children. I wasn't paying attention when I originally started cutting out my material but the godets need to be out of a light weight fabric with good drape, so keep that in mind when you are picking out your fabric.

I have been trying to deal with this stress in a more productive way that I usually do by cleaning up my eating instead of binge eating my stress numb. This has made my sizing a little different and I think that in the future I would go down a size and I would use for the main fabric one with much more recovery and spandex. It was one of those cases that using the fabric I had on hand really wasn't my best option.

I had a really hard time putting together this skirt because I kept getting back pattern pieces confused. I would line it up only to have little man (18 months old) run across them and make them into a big heap where I would have to reconfigure them once again. I am embarrassed to admit this but for you I am willing to be honest it took me probably 10 times before I realized the easiest way to keep the pattern pieces straight was to pin a number on the top of each pattern piece. Once I did that it sewed together so much faster and easier.

I must have stretched one of the outside pieces when I was putting it together wrong because the back right piece just seemed a bit longer than the rest and I know I cut it with the mirroring side. I tried to ease it in but when I put my leg up and bend just so it does show that slight pucker.

Aren't you so glad that I have troubleshooted this skirt pattern for you so that soon you can be walking the room like your own personal catwalk? The skirt is currently 20% off  through December 9th. No code needed.

If you need real inspiration here are just a few of the awesome skirts that have been made with this pattern:
Call Ajaire with a Knee Length Scuba skirt (So cute!Love the polka-dots she used for the godets)
Sew Mariefleur's with a Maxi Lace Skirt (Jawdroppingly beautiful, I want to walk down a beach looking like that)
Rebel and Malice with the Wiggle Midi Skirt (Microphone drop! This is hot!)

And don't forget to check out the other ladies on the tour:
12-5 Friends Stitched Together & Very Blissful Blog
12-6 Call Ajaire & Sew Mariefleur
12-7 Rebel And Malice & Inspinration & Shaffer Sisters
12-8 Paisley Roots & Feather Flights & Skirt Fixation
12-9 Enantiomerproject & My Sweet Sunshine & Sew Haute Blog

I want to tell you about an awesome pattern but first I think I should tell you the back story to this sewing project. A few weeks ago Al was here for a short visit and we decided to take the oldest 4 of our kids swimming at the local lake...

I guess I should rewind for a second....I have a Tankini that was gifted to me by Jo, because she didn't like it but I am cheap and that hasn't kept me from using it for the last several years. First it isn't tight enough in the waist on the top so as soon as I hit the water it floats up and then there is the part about the plunging neckline that requires that I wear a camisole so I don't expose myself in more ways than one. The redeeming quality about the tankini used to be the bottoms but since I was gifted the suit they have gotten embarrassingly thin. I thought no worries there is a detached swim skirt that can pretty well cover that up especially for swimming in an algae infested lake, no one can see anything under that water. So for our evening swim I choose the tankini bottoms with swim skirt and a sports bra, camisole and work out shirt. I knew that with taking so many little kids I couldn't navigate the halter grab.

Everything was going fine the kids were having a great time in the lake until all the sudden I realize the elastic on the skirt completely gave way. I think no big deal I will just take the dumb swim skirt off then I realize I can't do that remember embarrassingly thin fabric. So I end up having to tie the skirt tight enough that it can get me back to the car without over exposure.

I am a big proponent of going out and playing with your kids in the water no matter what your shape is or what you look like, because your kids are not going to remember what you looked like just how much fun you had together. I love this article and try and keep it in mind when it is time to have fun with my kiddos.  I realized at that moment where I didn't have a swimsuit that allowed me to be the mom I wanted to that I needed to change that and really look for my ideal "Fun Mom Swimsuit". Al and I talked about it and I told her 1 would be a longish board short with built in underwear so I could walk confidently and comfortably into any pool. It might be a kick back to my basketball days but there is something so comforting about a longer looser short.


I figured this would be the hardest thing to find because I know not everyone is me and some women really want to look sexy pool side. I couldn't believe it when days later Ajaire contacted me about being part of the Summer Swimwear Tour that was going to have Classic Maillot from Call Ajaire,  The Just Keep Swimming Rash Guard, Briefs and Shorts from The Wolf and the Tree and Swim and Surf Shorts from Gracious Threads. I was ecstatic that the Swim and Surf Shorts even came in a mom size! I knew that it was kismet and that I really needed a deadline to make sure I did this self care sewing.

I am going to be honest I had a couple small problems sewing this pattern. The problems were mine, I forgot to mark where the shorts overlap (and forgot there was an overlap mark) until I got done fretting over where that line was. I blame this on the mix of cutting out early morning so I could avoid slicing the crazy toddler that loves to sit right in the middle of the cutting mat and sewing it with 3 crazy kids around with their little friends. I also was a little confused with how to put on the bias tape but again I am pretty sure that is because of Ryder's constant stream of, "So mom.....(insert ridiculous hypothetical question)?" or looking to see what toddling Wayne has put in his mouth that I have to dig out.


I made 2 adjustments I took out the fly and replaced the waistband with a tall yoga waistband. I took out the fly because I have become too lazy too busy for details lately. I replaced the waistband with a yoga waistband for two reasons: 1. I need a junk in the trunk adjustment for my pants and shorts and I didn't have the brain power to think about this adjustment so with a tall yoga waistband my junk is going to stay un-embarressingly covered and the thought of putting in grommets sounded hard.

It was really fun to see my kids reaction when I put them on. Boston's went something like this, "Mom, I like your shorts. Their really pretty. Now we can go swimming!" and Ryder's went something like this, "So Mom, your shorts are really cool! Can we go swimming tomorrow?"

If you are a comfort queen who just wants to have some awesome board shorts to go have fun with your kids I couldn't recommend this pattern enough.

I have to apologize for no swim pictures in this post, I had my period come this week and that make swimming a total no go. But next week I am sure Fun Mom will be back and we can hit up one of the pools with Dad. And maybe when that happens I will have my perfect top done as well...here's to wishful thinking.

Life has kept me engaged in my family, but there hasn't been very many opportunities to dust off the sewing machine and make something satifying. When I heard about the Sew Yourself Some Love Series I knew I had to join. There are so many talented designers participating in this series, but the two big patterns on my homebody wish list were the Going Rogue Socks from Wolf and Tree and the Drop Pocket Cardigan from Jalie. From start to finish I had them both cut out and sewn by lunch time with three little ones destroying the house.


Since having children (or maybe it's because I rarely wear shoes) my body's circulation isn't as great and my feet are always so cold. Now when I get into bed I don't have to chase my husband out the otherside with my icy toes. The big bonus is they sew up so fast and don't require much fabric. I must add a huge collection to my everyday wardrobe.


The cardigan is perfect and oh so cozy. plus the huge fully lined pockets are perfect. When my three year-old saw it he said, "Mom, you have purse pockets?! ... I can even put my hands in here too." The instructions are amazing for a beautifuly constructed sweater with so many great seams finishes. I was so amazed that I had my husband take a look, but unfortunately he doesn't know how to appreciate those finer things in life. From start to finish I had both pieces cut out and sewn by lunch time with three little ones destroying the house.

Gwen Neckband option, I like a neckband that lays flatter so I later folded it over and hand stitched it down.

I am a hoarder of really cool knit fabrics. Okay, maybe not quite a hoarder, but a collector and when I can find them for a really good price like maybe $4/yard or less then I get a few yards and save them for an ambitious day. The projects I'm sharing today all come from the hoarded fabric box.

At the beach with the kids in Gwen Dress

Three months ago our little family moved from Utah to southern California. Now I am just a couple of hours away from the LA fashion district! Scary and I have plotted many times over the last couple of years to go there and now I find myself just a hop, skip, and a jump away. The only problem I face now is the fabric stash. How can I convince Samson to let me go on a mini trip exclusively for fabric shopping when I have enough fabric already? The solution is simple, I need to stop daydreaming of using those fabrics and start sewing with them. I haven't been fabric shopping for almost 6 months.

Gwen Skirt option with performance knit

It may not be common knowledge in the blogging world, but I love dresses. 90% of my wardrobe is a spit of either workout clothes or dresses.

Gwen Dress with neckband option using lightweight cotton/jersey knit

Uptown/Downtown Dress with modified neckband, Sally is in her Otium Shirt

In coping with the new adjustments of family far away and trying to adorn the part of homemaker that has it together, I've been doing some self care sewing. It has made getting ready for date nights (that are too few and far between) and church a lot less stressful and emotional. I also recently started homeschooling and I think it's important to approach it professionally. Each day we get dressed up for the day. I find that it helps me get more mentally geared to teach.

Gwen Skirt option is perfect for school

To start off my fall wardrobe I turned to the Gwen; I love this dress! I can honestly say that because I've sewn up every version of this dress out of completely different fabrics, and each time I have loved the outcome. If you are pear shaped (not much on top with plenty of curves on bottom) this dress could be great for you as well. It's a great way to cast aside the workout clothes of the mom world and not lose the comfort.

Gwen Dress with placket option using interlock knit; super comfy!

The length is perfect! As a kid I remember going to a school presentation where a writer came and told us that a well writ story needs to be like a skirt. Long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to make it interesting. I feel like the Gwen fits this description. Each time I sewed it I did the half length sleeve because I won't have much need for long sleeves here and don't love any sleeve shorter than that.

Gwen Dress with placket option and nautical buttons made using puffy paint

In addition to the various Gwen dresses, I have also pulled out the Willow Wrap dress from this last winter. It is still a great dress and the extra flowyness is great on the days where fitted isn't necessarily best.

Willow Wrap Dress has been waiting to be pulled out for fall

To cap off my fall wardrobe I decided I needed one classically romantic style dress. The Uptown/Downtown Maxi Dress was the perfect pattern to turn to.

Uptown/Downtown Dress Maxi option using burnout jersey knit

You may be thinking that this fabric looks a little bit familiar, and you would be right. When we found this fabric almost a year and a half ago we fell in love with it, bought 8 yards, cut it down the middle, and saved it for the perfect project. When the Uptown/Downtown pattern came out I knew I finally had found the perfect pattern for this highly hoarded fabric.

My favorite accessory is my kids. They make me feel full of joy and complete. My smiles are always bigger with them around.

As far a blogging goes, life is no longer going to step aside for the blog. I'm going to sneak in pictures with my kids in the last few minutes of light in the comfort of my backyard; put my full energy of heart into trying to master the crazy hard job of home-school teacher, and focus on my family. When I share, it will be raw feelings, learning experiences, and things that can make others feel empowered instead of inadequate. Because the reality is that life is hard; there need to be more opportunities to be lifted and find joy in the simple things.

Uptown/Downtown Dress with modified neckband and pockets

With love,
Al

You know those clothing items that it doesn't matter what time of the month that as soon as you slip into them you instantly feel like a million bucks? This is the single most favorite item in my wardrobe. Often time in the sewing blogging world we sew something up and almost simultaneously post about it. We try our best to objectively review but it is hard to know really how something will hold up to everyday use, week after week.

I originally sewed the Everyday Day Maxi for See Kate Sew as part of her testing team. I am just short of 6' with all of the height being in my legs. I usually add 4" to the skirt of any dress that I sew, but with this one I really wanted it to be truly maxi so I laid on the ground on top of my fabric and marked from my under bust line where the heel of my foot landed.
I like the way the neckline is designed, where initially match the raw edges of the neckline and neckband from the inside. Then folded over to the seam allowance enclose the raw edge and have a clean finish inside and out. The directions instructed that you top stitch the neckline with but with the unique texture of the fabric I decided to hand stitch this using a blind stitch binding method. I also hand stitched the hem with a blind hem. 

I had purchased 4 yards of this peach fabric when I found it. I didn't know what I would make with it but I knew that I wanted to have enough to give me the flexibility to sew want ever it was. This ended up being a heaven send for this project, because maxi dresses require such large cuts of fabric (I only ended up using 3 of the 4 yards for this project). 
From the time that I sewed this dress has been my go to dress. I sewed it right before I got pregnant and wore it through the whole pregnancy. For my pear shape the amount of gather in the skirt has been the perfect amount to skim over my bumps without looking frumpy.  I usually show quite early but because of the silhouette of this dress I had people in my congregation that didn't know I was pregnant (because I wore this dress every week) until one week when I decided to change it up with a dress made from Motherhood Maternity.
When Slim Jim broke his foot their was several weeks where I had to wrangle those crazy kids fairly pregnant. Though I had to worry about keeping up with them; I didn't have to worry about whether my dress was riding up or if I was exposed in some way.

I have cared for this fabric by hand washing it or throwing it in a lingerie bag and hanging it to dry. After a year it is showing some wear but it still is the item that I know that always has my back. There is something so important in a Mom-inform about having the thing that makes you feel the part of lady. I love how this dress makes me feel like I am in a knit version of a Jane Austin Era dress.

I would love to hear about your favorite pattern that you have ever sewn for yourself? If you had one fantasy about who you are and what you are doing in that pattern who would you be?

Now how would you like to win some prizes?
 

---

 
 

---

 


Now for a special announcement: Obviously the pictures for this post was taken a year ago and this isn't as ground breaking as many of the other posts that are part of this series (Lauren seriously put together a great group of ladies and please go check out their posts because they are amazing). Life has been a little crazy around these parts and I have really only tried to participate in blog tours I feel strongly passionate about to contain the craziness a bit. But this cutting down hasn't been enough, for the time being I need to cut out all blogging deadlines out of my life. My kids and my husband need me to be me the mom and wife who is all in emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally. Blogging doesn't leave me with enough in my reservoir to be who they need me to be.

When our baby was born he had to spend a week in the NICU due to several complications. One of these complications was with his oxygen saturation. One day while I was there I went to fed him from a bottle and the nurse had given me the regular flow instead of the slower flow that we usually used for him. The milk came to fast and he began to choke on it. His saturation level went down to the 73% almost instantly and in my hands I had a purple baby. It was the most scary moment of my life. Instantly everything in my life was in perfect clarity the things that mattered (my husband, my kids, our extended family, our families goals) and the things that didn't. Luckily, I few seconds later I  was able to get his oxygen levels to get back up by startling him awake and since he has been home he has been very healthy.

I wrote later that week about that experience so that I could remember what I had decided and have my thoughts prepared to you about why I was doing this, but I didn't finish it. In fact I put it away and thought someday it will be the right day to share this or maybe it won't. I so love the supportiveness and sisterhood that is in the sewing blogging world that it has really been hard for me to admit defeat. This last deadline was the nail in the coffin that sewing blogging isn't working in my life right now and it will be healthier for my family for me to say goodbye. I will share with you an excerpt of what I wrote several months ago because they might provide further clarity as to the year long journey of letting go.

This last week I had an experience that cemented so firmly a decision that I have been mulling over for months. It all happened in one split scary second everything was clear and I knew what I needed to do.
Since we competed in PR&P and my legs swelled and bruised from foot to mid calf I began to we question whether this blogging thing was best for me (both for my health and my ability to be a good mother). I rested and came back to it several weeks later feeling renewed and ready to sew.
I committed to myself that I would only be working on sewing projects that excited me and that I believed in (like the dressage outfit for Boston's birthday, the brother/sister outfit from sew a tune, girls bundle up, the extraordinary girl, boys wear pink outfit and finally the top stitchers). For each of these projects right around the each deadline either me and/or the kids got very sick.
Some of them hit durning our cold apocalypse, others had stomach bugs but each one had something big enough for me to need exceptions and/or additional help from family (I really hate doing both of these). I wasn't keeping my head above water and I knew I was putting out people right and left. All this was my mellow version of blogging where I was only taking on commitments I was passionate about.

I will probably stop by every once in a while to show you something I have sewn for kicks and giggles. Pictures of the kids. Or maybe share a new favorite recipe. To be honest I don't know how often or how amazing it will be. I love you and I so apperciate each and everyone of our readers we know many of you by name.

This is only my journey and I trust that my sisters will make their own paths through life.

Today, we are continuing our sewing of the Women's Bundle Up patterns (sale goes through May 8th). In full disclosure, we were given a complimentary the Real Deal Jeans pattern (review here) & Mykonos Tankini pattern for our review. But that didn't stop us from putting our money where our mouth is. We purchased the bundle so we could feature just a few more of these great patterns. We get no compensation from you purchasing the bundle. We honestly believe you would be hard pressed to find a better selection of patterns & with awesome size ranges! Especially at $4.50/pattern folks. Alright, alright enough with the pitch on to the mash up.
Eeekkk! I am so excited to share this self care sew with you. I've been badly in need of a swim suit ever since I entered motherhood and jumped at the chance to customize the perfect look for myself. The the main inspiration and foundation came from the Mykonos Tankini. I loved the design of the triangle tank option, but ended up going with the peplum version because I knew that accentuating my waistline would look best with my pear shaped body. I also opted for the boy shorts because then I don't even have to wonder if I need to add a layer of shorts over the suit when I go out in public. I guess I just always feel self conscious of my bare legs in moments like that.
I attempted to make the tankini exclusively using the Mykonos pattern, but it just didn't work for my shape as well as I would've liked. In the last month I have stopped nursing and now there's just not a lot of shape on top to work with. To be honest though, when I first saw the patterns for the Bundle Up I felt a crazy desire to have the tankini and then borrow the neat crisscross design of the Jillian Top. The finished look will be 100% functional for young kids, climbing and pulling on my suit.  I know that uni-boobs are taboo in the fashion world, but I've always seen myself as an athlete with 8+ years of doing sports year round so I actually prefer that athletic look.
As far as construction modifications goes, the biggest things were that I extended the waistline of the boy shorts about 5 inches so that if I was swimming when the peplum floated up that I wouldn't have to deal with my squishy, stretch-mark covered tummy being exposed to the world. I love my body and the joys in my life that came from it, but it's personal and I just want to keep it that way. Because I'm about 1" above average height I added 1" to the bottom of the peplum. I cut the Jillian Tank at the middle of the lengthen/shorten line so that could have it hit me at my natural waistline. I also used swim bra cups so that I didn't have to worry about nipping on cold days because most of my swimming is outside in fresh mountain water.
I was a little nervous to put myself out there with a swimsuit and I had came up with a plan to work out everyday, twice a day, for the next 2 weeks so that I was more toned. Ha, that didn't happen. I only ended up getting through 70% of 1 Jillian Micheal's workout routine. As I looked at the pictures, I found myself surprised by how I look in this swimsuit.

I feel like I look courageous, confident, and strong. Although I have 30+ lbs of extra baby weight around the midsection, it doesn't mean that I'm not beautiful and I can't take on the world. Lately I've had some eye opening experiences about my health that didn't keep me motivated more than a few days to be super healthy and end the end left me searching for the oreos. When I see these pictures, I realize that I am still strong and although I'm a mother of 3 young kids, I haven't lost my identity and it's not too deep to be able to find it further. Love yourself for what you are because that's pretty dang amazing!
With Love,
Al
PS. Don't forget to check out the other bloggers on the tour they are making some great stuff!

Today we are part of the Women's Bundle Up Tour. The Real Deal Jeans by Winter Wear Designs are the first pattern we have to show you and we have a couple more looks coming to you tomorrow. We have stated our love of all things Bundle Up in the past and these 11 patterns are perfect for women of all shapes and sizes (most of them go to at least XXL). The variety of patterns and styles has you set for every occasion.

9 months after having my sweet little Sally, I find myself dreaming of the day I can have my body back just for me. A good place to start seems to just be ditching the shapeless basketball shorts and t-shirt and dawning something that shows the curve. Now I feel like I am well on my way thanks to the Women's Bundle Up that is currently going on.
These are the first pair of jeans that I've ever made and although it took quite a bit of time, it was awesome to get that fit just perfectly as I was constructing them. The size was pretty on and the instructions were clear and easy to make the pants turn out looking better than if they were bought at the store. I love that the instructions tell you when to top stitch so they can be so much better than homemade jeans.
To treasure my handi-work I left my autograph on one of my back pockets. Cursive makes for some great clothing art.
And yes, if you were wondering, they are functional, I can easily bend over and pick up my sweet little one.
Now I'm ready for a date or chasing my 3 kids at the park. I truly love this pattern and it has multiple cut lengths (Full Length, Capris, Board Shorts, Shorts with 5 inch inseam, & Shorts with 3 inch inseam). I ended chose the capri for this pair of pants.
If you are looking for more inspiration, there are some really talented bloggers of all shapes and sizes on the blog tour. The variety of styles of this bundle is sure to blow you away so go check them out.
With Love,
Al

When I signed up I had planned for it to just be a Ty and I look, but I ended up doing the over ambitious thing and adding baby Sally to the mix. But I'm really glad I did. I blog for the pictures and so I'm glad to have these portraits and relationships to treasure and once again the awesome photography skills of Scary. If you can't tell we're all pretty crazy about each other.
I was able to size down the 12 month a little to fit my 6 month old. Luckily I was able use the original sleeves to make new sleeves. I also dissected the front pattern piece horizontally and added seam allowances to get a color blocked look and add an extra flash of color.  The bottom part I nearly doubled the width so that it would gather nicely. Sally didn't have any pants that would work with the outfit so I whipped up a pair of the Haven Acres riding pants that are currently in testing. I also made a headband using a soft 1/4" elastic and some knit scraps.
The first thing Ty did when she put it on her Otium Sweater was to stuff her cousins' toy Giraffe and Babbit (rabbit) in the pocket together and pretended to be a mama kangaroo. We're just catching a pretty bad cold and she has also used this cozy sweater to combat the chills.
I decided to pick my colors to give it an almost fancy baseball tee styled top. I wish I would've sewn the next size up, but I probably wont always feel like that as I continue to tighten up that tummy and hopefully lose some of that extra baby weight. I'm not super busty so I measured a Medium, but no one has a stomach measurement on sizing chart which probably would of put me in a large. I moved the location of the bow and took out some of the width so that it made the back show a little less for my personal preference. I really love this shirt. It's so interesting to look at.
This was such a fun pattern to sew up for each of this because it was easy to modify for individual preferences. Ty wasn't a fan of the hole in the back with the bow, but was in love the front pocket. I loved the bow, but didn't find the pocket ideal for me. I chose the bow for Sally because I know it's essential to have easy on and off tops. There's also the option of just a simple top.
Yep, I'm pretty sure this pattern is worth dancing for, but be sure you check it out for yourself and see what the other talented seamstresses came up with and maybe take a few moments to enter the giveaway.