Happy Camper - Iron On Transfer T-Shirt Design

Of course, another camping inspired post.  I doodled this little tshirt design on a piece of paper and fell in love with it... so I put it on a shirt.  Because that's what you do with things you love, right?  You wear it on your sleeve.  Or your torso, whatevs.  This was my first endeavor into Iron-On Transfers... and let me tell you, I'm obsessed!  Seriously, I want to iron-on EVERYTHING.  I even made a hoodie for Atari.. he's wearing it in this pic, but that will be another post for another time... 

My new Cricut Explore One made this little project so ridiculously easy!  All the supplies came from Michaels, of course.

This trip, we stayed at Breakneck Campground in Portersville, PA.  Check out the adorable hut we stayed in that hung over the side of a gorge.  I would live here.  Like seriously.  If you've never visited Pennsylvania.. I highly encourage you to do so and check out all the natural beauty it has to offer.  I cannot wait to explore more hidden corners of this beautiful state I live in.

Slouchy Diamond Raglan

After making the "Hug It Out" Raglan shirt for Connor, Haley needed a new sweater as well. She is like her Daddy, warm blooded and rarely cold. Many days, I will be sitting downstairs in the living room and Haley will go to her room and swap out her pants for a skirt in the middle of winter while I'm cuddled under a giant blanket with the fire on. If I had let her, she would probably be wearing a skirt in this picture as well :)

For my warm-blooded munchkin, I decided to make a short-sleeved raglan sweater, but with a looser, more relaxed fit than the "Hug It Out" raglan I made for Connor. While I was at it,  I also added a gold geometric heart on the front using Silhouette's glittery gold heat transfer material. I'm totally on a gold kick lately, and I'm sure this won't be the last thing I add gold to :)

I absolutely love this design - it's the "heart diamond filigree" from the Silhouette Design Store, and it really makes the sweater I think. I can't wait to use it on other things, maybe something for me?

If you want to make a slouchy raglan sweater, you can refer to my tutorial on how to draft your own raglan then tweak from there, or you could always modify one of your favorite raglan patterns - one of my all-time favorites, if not my very favorite pattern ever, is See Kate Sew's Recess Raglan. I love me a good unisex pattern :) Just remember - you'll want your pattern that you plan to modify to be more of a fitted one because we're going to be adding width to the neckline and sides. If your beginning pattern is too loose, you may end up with a neckline that is too wide resulting in an off-the-shoulder top. And that's cool too, just not quite what I was going for.

SUPPLIES: 3/4 yard sweatshirt knit (for a size 6, more or less depending on the size you're making), 1/4 yard ribbing for neckline, iron on heat transfer material for the design on the front (optional)

To Modify Your Bodice:


ONE: first, fold your fabric in half. Take your bodice pattern and place it 1/2-3/4 from the fold. Cut and repeat to make a front and a back.

To Modify Your Sleeves:

ONE: take your original sleeve pattern and cut it down the middle as shown.
TWO: insert a rectangle of fabric 1/2-3/4 inches wide in the middle and tape.
THREE: this is what your new sleeve should look like! Cut two.

Now refer to my raglan tutorial to assemble your shirt!

For the cuffs and hem of the shirt, I simply folded the hems to the outside, rather than the inside, to add some visual interest. You can see how much looser and more comfy this shirt is than a traditional raglan.

The perfect sweater for my girl who wants to stay warm in the winter, but not too warm :)




Here's to more warm winter days like we had 2 weeks ago! Sadly, I think that's just wishful thinking, but a girl can dream can't she?

"Hug It Out" Raglan Tutorial

Phew! I don't know about you guys, but I'm a little more than happy that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over. Don't get me wrong, I love celebrating and being with family around the holidays, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt like I wanted to pull my hair out more than once. I took a much needed blog break to get my shopping done and make what was left of my Christmas gifts, and now I'm feeling rejuvenated and ready to get back into routine again, which means more sewing for the kiddos (and maybe a little bit for me!)

High on my list of to-do's was to make Connor a sweatshirt even though the weather has been more like fall than winter around here (not complaining!) I know this warmer weather won't last though, so I decided to finally cut into the gray sweatshirt fabric that I found at an estate sale ages ago. While I was at it, I also decided to do some freezer paper stenciling ombre-style, and came up with this awesome "Hug It Out" shirt that we both love.




Holy cuteness. Er, I mean toughness.

I just love the bold graphic on the front. Since I was making the shirt already, I thought I may as well do a tutorial on how to make a raglan shirt so you can make one too! I also included the "Hug It Out" template as well if you'd like to do some freezer paper stenciling.

SUPPLIES: shirt that fits your child well, freezer paper for tracing and making template, scissors, 1/2 yard + knit fabric for size 3T (depending on the size you may need more), 1/4 yard rib knit for neckline and cuffs, fabric paint, sponge brushes, sewing machine, 'Hug It Out' template here, iron and ironing board.

Creating Your Pattern:

ONE: first, take your existing shirt and fold it in half with the sleeves tucked in. Lay the shirt on some freezer paper (or paper of your choice), and trace around it, adding 1/2 inch all around for seam allowance, and 1 inch on the bottom for hemming.
TWO: draw a line from the bottom of the armhole to the top of the shirt, slightly into the neckline (see picture above.)
THREE: draw a dotted line slightly lower than your neckline to indicate where your front neckline should lay, then cut out your bodice piece.

FOUR: lay your shirt sleeve on the paper and trace around it adding 1/2 inch for seam allowance, except for at the bottom edge of your sleeve since we will be adding cuffs later. Trace the bottom edge of your sleeve 3 inches shorter than your RTW shirt.
FIVE: here is what your sleeve should look like so far.
SIX: using the bodice piece you just drew as a guide, adjust the arm hole of your sleeve to be angled like a raglan sleeve. The top of the armhole should be curved to follow the neckline of your shirt.
SEVEN: here is your finished raglan sleeve.
EIGHT: I laid my sleeve on top of my shirt to make sure the fit was good and adjusted as necessary. Note: I ended up going back and cutting my sleeve shorter than what is shown in the picture.

Cut out the following pattern pieces: 2 bodice pieces on the fold - 1 front and one back, 2 raglan sleeves cut on the fold, 2 cuff pieces from your accent fabric or ribbing (cut the width of your sleeve and 6 1/2 inches long.

Adding Wording:

ONE: you can use my free template provided here, or make your own. I cut my wording out with my Silhouette Cameo, but if you don't have a cutting machine, simply trace your wording onto the back of a piece of freezer paper (make sure to mirror your wording!), then use an X-Acto knife to cut out the lettering and iron it onto the front of your shirt.
TWO: I started out with a light color of turquoise for the word "out", and kept adding more green to give it an ombre effect as I moved upwards.
THREE: use your foam brush to carefully paint from the outside edge in to prevent pain bleeding.
FOUR: let dry according to the instructions on your paint bottle.

Shirt Construction:

ONE: after your paint has dried completely, place your sleeves right sides together (RST) on top of the front of your shirt and pin the edges. Sew the edges of your sleeves on.
TWO: when you unfold your sleeves, your shirt will look like this.
THREE: lay the back of your shirt on top of the front, RST, and pin the other edge of your sleeves to the back of your shirt with RST. Sew.
FOUR: This is how your shirt should look when you open it up. At this point, I would suggest trying your shirt on your child to make sure the neck hole is big enough. Adjust as necessary.

FIVE: measure your neck hole and subtract 1 1/2 inches. cut a piece of ribbing 2 inches wide by that number long, and place the short ends together. Sew.
SIX: fold your ribbing in half long ways to create your neck binding.
SEVEN: pin the raw edges of your binding to the raw edges of your shirt all around, stretching as needed. sew using a zig-zag stitch.
EIGHT: top stitch around your neckline to secure your ribbing to your neckline and to make sure it lays properly.
NINE: fold your shirt inside out with RST and sew from your sleeve to the bottom of your shirt on each side.

TEN: now to make your cuffs, measure the diameter of your sleeve hole and cut out two pieces of ribbing 6 inches long, and as wide as your sleeve diameter. Pin the short sides together and sew using a zig-zag stitch.
ELEVEN: fold your sleeve in half, concealing the sewn edge inside.
TWELVE: pin the raw edge of your cuff to the raw edge of your sleeve and use a zig-zag stitch to sew all around. Hem the bottom of your shirt and you're done!

And there you go, a cool shirt for a cool kid.

A Pretty Party Dress

Long time no see! It may seem like I've been sitting on my hands, but it's actually been quite the opposite. Between starting a new job and sewing for a wedding, Halloween, winter, my daughter's first piano recital, and making gifts for Christmas (yep, that's happening already) I've had my hands full! I have so many posts that are partially started, so hopefully one day very soon I'll be able to catch my breath and share all that I've been making with you.

One thing that I actually got a head start on, is making this beautiful lace holiday dress by Peek-a-Boo Patterns (affiliate) for my daughter

This is the Gloria Party Dress, and it's a versatile pattern that can be both a dressy party dress or a comfy play dress, depending on what material you want to use. I opted to make the fancy version, which has a sheer stretch lace overlay with knit underneath, so it's still a super comfortable dress compared to a lot of the stiff holiday dresses you see out there.

I love the peek-a-boo back!

The gorgeous stretch lace is from Girl Charlee, but it looks like this particular one is no longer in stock. You can find other colors here though. The lining is a navy knit from Jo-Ann Fabrics, and the navy ribbon is from there as well. The gray and navy together give the dress a more sophisticated look that I love. 

This girl loves her dresses, so she was thrilled with this one and with how comfortable it was, and demanded to wear it all day. I'm a mean mommy and made her take it off at dinner though so she wouldn't get spaghetti all over her new dress :)

You can snag your copy of the Gloria Party Dress in the shop today for 15% off (today only)! Go get a head start on your holiday dress making!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!

Fix Tight Pants by Adding a Tuxedo Stripe

This post was previously featured on The Sewing Rabbit, and I'm bringing it home today. Enjoy!

My sister-in-law recently gave my daughter a pair of the cutest strawberry printed skinny pants from Gymboree. The only problem was that they were squeezing the circulation out of my daughter's already tiny buns. I was able to get them on her, but it wasn't without lots of tugging and pulling and uncomfortable pressure on her belly. I couldn't bear to see the pants go without being worn, so I decided to utilize the tuxedo stripe trend and let the pants out by adding a stripe of material to either side side of the pants. It worked like a charm!

Trendy and useful? Check and check.

It's relatively easy to take in a pair of pants that are too big, but usually much more difficult  to let out a pair of pants that are too tight without going to a tailor. This method  got me the results I wanted while also following a trend at the same time. I call that a win in my book!

Let's get refashioning!

SUPPLIES: 1 pair of tight pants in need of adjusting, coordinating material to use for the stripe (use bottom weight fabric like twill, denim, corduroy, etc.), seam ripper, heavy duty or denim needle, sewing machine and basic sewing supplies.

Here is the pair of pants I started with. I didn't get a picture of my daughter in them beforehand, but let me tell you, they were tiiiiiiight!

I chose to go with denim that I had in my stash because it matched perfectly with my pants. There are a lot of great color choices in bottom weight fabrics out there though. You could also go with a contrasting fabric, but I didn't want to go too crazy since the pants already had a busy pattern to them.

Deconstructing Your Pants:

ONE: using your handy dandy seam ripper, carefully rip the stitches on each side of your pants from below the waistband to the bottom of the pant leg.

TWO: now, if your pants have an adjustable waistband like mine did, make sure to unbutton the elastic and push it back into the waistband away from the side seam so you don't cut it accidentally in the next step.



THREE: now I know this part can be a little scary but you're now going to cut your waistband on each side, being sure to avoid cutting the elastic from your adjustable waistband if you have one. Just make a straight cut following your side seam.
FOUR: open your pants up and wonder what you just did to your poor pants. Just kidding, stick with me! :)

Adding The Tuxedo Stripe:

ONE: measure the full length of your pants from right below your waistband to the bottom and add 1 inch for seam allowance. You'll also need to include the length of your waistband (you'll see why in the next few steps), so measure from the top to the bottom of your waistband and multiply x2 (to include the length of both the front and back.) Mine was 1 1/2 inches from top to bottom x 2, so 3 inches total. Add that to your other total length measurement.
TWO: decide how much total width you want to add to your pants depending on how tight they are and divide by 2, then add 1/2 inch for seam allowance. I decided to add a total of 3 inches to the pants, so each stripe would need to be 1 1/2 inches wide plus 1/2 inch, so 2 inches each. Cut 2 from the lengths and widths you determined above, making sure the stretch of the fabric, if there is any, is going sideways.
THREE: next, unpick your waistband by about 1 1/2 inches.
FOUR: open your waistband so it lays flat. Extend one of your tuxedo stripes 1/2 inch over the edge of the waistband and line the raw edge of one of your tuxedo stripes up with the raw edge of your pants, right sides (or pattern sides) together (see picture below.)

FIVE: pin your stripe along the raw edges and sew with your heavy duty needle.
SIX: unfold your tuxedo stripe and press.
SEVEN: Fold your pants so the raw edge of the remaining side of your tuxedo stripe matches up with the other side of your pant leg, right sides together, and pin all along the edge. Sew. Zig-zag or serge the long edges. Repeat steps 1-7 to attach the other tuxedo stripe.

Finishing:

ONE: fold your waistband down.
TWO: if you have an adjustable waistband, reinsert your adjustable elastic back into the hole where it was before.
THREE: turn the raw edge of your tuxedo stripe under, and stitch along the bottom of the waistband, following the original lines of the waistband.
FOUR: you should now have a nice, finished waistband!

FIVE: now to finish the cuff of the pants, just fold the raw edge a couple of times so the raw edge is contained (like you did with the waistband above.)
SIX: stitch along the bottom following the original hemline.

Now you have a pair of pants that won't cut off your circulation anymore with the added bonus of being trendy :) I'm a little jealous that my daughter has a pair of tuxedo striped pants and I don't. I'll have to change that soon!

While this method would certainly work for most pants, remember that you're adding width all over the pants, including the leg area, so the skinny jeans I added the stripe to are now roomier, straight leg pants. If you have pants that already have a wide leg, you may need to take the inseam in a bit after adding the stripe unless you don't mind the extra width. Make sense?

I hope this little trick helps to save some pants that were destined for the trash!