A few months ago, Logan competed in his first ever Jiu Jitsu competition in Oklahoma City. He had been practicing really hard for it so I wanted to show our support for him. Immediately, I thought of team t-shirts.
A few months ago, Logan’s school was holding a Valentine’s Day concert for the 2nd graders. The theme was Love and each student was asked to wear red. Dressing up little boys is pretty easy – throw on a button up shirt, pull on some slacks, slick back hair with gel and you’re done! I thought to myself -how can I make his outfit a bit dressier? Then I remembered a neck tie I made him a few years back with an elastic neck. The elastic was a big mistake because it had to go over his head thus ruining his hair. I am going to make him another tie but this time with Velcro to the neck straps – that way it won’t mess up his hair. I will be posting the printable template for the Adjustable Neck Tie with Velcro soon so be on the lookout for that.
For his Valentine concert, I decided to make him an adjustable bow tie. The bow required very little fabric to make so you can use whatever fabric scraps you have lying around. I also inserted a piece of fleece to make the bow kind of puffy since I was using broadcloth. If you don’t have any fleece scraps, you can use felt instead or a stiffer fabric altogether.
Let’s get started…
Fleece hats with ear flaps are a perfect winter wardrobe staple. They’re so quick and easy to make for your little one and they also make great gifts. I love fleece not just because they’re so soft and warm but also because they’re easy to maintain. I turn the fleece garment inside out to reduce pilling, wash in cold water and tumble dry low.
This hat is a toddler size and because the pattern pieces are small you can use up the scraps you have. I used Blizzard fleece and sweater fleece – the ivory Blizzard fleece was leftover fabric pieces from sleepsacks I made for baby Madeline a few years ago. There is also a video tutorial available for this fleece hat.
Ok so let’s get started…
These bloomers are super easy to make and the best part is they can be made into regular shorts for both girls and boys by skipping the elastic-cinched hems. You can add pockets, cute little bows or even lace edgings. The fun is endless! 🙂
I made this pattern based on my little girl who just turned 2 on September 30! The finished garment measures 24.5″ in the waist – Madeline’s waist is 19″ and she was able to wear them all summer and they still fit her quite well. I sized these roughly 18m-24m but each child is different so take the finished garment’s measurements into consideration so that they’ll fit your little one comfortably. Are you ready to make these? By the way, I’ve included a video tutorial as well. 🙂
Let’s get started!
The Christmas tree skirt is simple to make with minimal sewing or no sewing at all depending on what fabric you use. It’s a quick and easy 30 minute project. I had to switch from fabric glue to hot glue for attaching the gold ribbon to the felt because it just got too painful for my fingers to squeeze what was left in the bottle. One thing to keep in mind is if you’re using a thin gold metallic ribbon like I did, let the hot glue cool down to warm before placing the ribbon so that the heat doesn’t make it all wrinkly. There’s also a video tutorial available to watch. Alright, are you ready to make this? Let’s get started!
For this stocking, I used the same industrial sewing technique that are used on stockings with foldover cuffs sold in stores. It is surprisingly fast and easy to make – I was able to make it with 2 swollen index fingers and a crooked pinkie! I think 10 minutes of prep time and perhaps 30 minutes tops to sew. There is a printable template available for this project as well as a video tutorial. Are you ready to make it? Let’s get started!Â
This kids’ box pleat skirt is part of the Anime Schoolgirl/Sailor costume I made for Madeline for Halloween. It was so easy to make and wear! You can use the same method to make one in an adult size as well. The skirt has 2 inch wide pleats and a sewn in elastic waist so not only is it comfy to wear but you won’t have to worry about the elastic twisting in the casing. 🙂
Let’s make this!
For this year’s Halloween, I decided to dress Madeline up as an Anime schoolgirl because her daddy loves anime and he’s also deployed. So I’m hoping to surprise him by sending some pics of Madeline in her costume. It’s getting quite chilly here so I made the sleeves long so that she could wear a long-sleeved onesie or even a sweater underneath depending on the weather. The box pleat skirt has an elastic waist and the tutorial for that will be coming soon!
Cinch waist dresses are definitely a wardrobe staple! I think it’s one of those garments you can wear in any season by simply using different fabric weight, adding sleeves, pair them with
tights and boots or some simple flip flops like me! I made this elastic waist dress using a lightweight knit fabric – the drape and hand of this fabric feels absolutely divine. This is one of my
favorite garments to wear when I have flare ups. Another thing is, as I was drafting and sewing this dress I had swollen fingers but since it didn’t require much pulling like when sewing the
elastic, it was really easy to make.
Are you ready to make this dress? Go grab your favorite t-shirt and let’s get started!
Welcome to my blog!
Firstly, thank you for stopping by! Whether you have RA like me and finding joint-friendly things for yourself or your kids to wear or making something for your loved ones to wear or for their kids or just for the love of sewing, I hope you will find a bit of something on my little blog to enjoy. It’s hard to live with RA because I never really feel 100% and each day is unpredictable – how much pain will I be in when I wake up in the morning? How long will it take for me to roll my aching body out of bed? Which joints will be swollen today? Will I have yet another fever? How much fatigue will I be in today? The same questions have been rolling around in my head at bedtime since I got in January of this year. My fingers were crooked for 3 straight months – they curled up in a matter of weeks. I was in tears everyday because I couldn’t move – my family had to help to me dress. Even pulling the tabs on my toddler’s diaper was excruciatingly painful.
It took forever to get an appointment with the rheumatologist who put me on Methotrexate and a short-term dosage of Prednisone with Plaquenil. The crooked fingers started straightening but the Methotrexate’s evil side effects were taking over. I had painful lumps under my skin near my elbows. That rheumatologist upped the dosage and insisted I continue taking all that medication. I had already ran out of the Prednisone which I felt was the only thing making me feel any better but I stopped taking the Methotrexate and the Plaquenil. I switched to another rheumatologist who put me on Arava and was told since I have a G6PD deficiency, I shouldn’t take any Plaquenil.
I know that RA is going to be around in my life forever but when my son’s at school and my toddler is napping, I love spending my good flare-up free days drafting patterns or sewing. During my crooked finger days I developed a hatred for buttons – flat buttons, snap buttons and shank buttons, anything where I have to pinch, pull, push – hate hate!
Right now I’m finding knit elastic and Velcro to be easy for me to sew and wear for myself and the kids. I hope to further explore the possibilities of comfortable clothing that are easy to fasten or just pull over for people like me who suffer from joint problems. If you have any tips or tricks on comfortable joint-friendly clothing, please feel free to share them here.