The CrumbCatcher Dress Tutorial

Today I was lucky enough to share my Crumbcatcher dress made out of cloth napkins over at House of Estrella.  And here is the full tutorial for all of you!!!!  This has a forgiving size due to the elastic, so I think it can fit 12-24 as a dress, and up to a size 3 as a Top.
*** If any of you make it, I'd LOVE to know and see pictures!!!

First, you need 3 cloth napkins or rectangles of fabric approximately 19x20
*One can be in a contrasting color for the bodice lining and sash
You will also need: 3/8 elastic (1/2 inch will work too)

Take two of your napkins and lay them with the shortest side on top

-Cut a four inch band off the top of both pieces.  These 4 inch bands are your straps, the remainder is the body of the dress.

- take your straps and cut a 1.5 inch section off the end of each (these are your sash loops)

-Take your third napkin (this would be the contrast) and cut 5x 4inch strips (if your napkin is smaller than 20 inches, cut 2x 4inch bands and then divide the remainder by three)

*Two of these bands will be the bodice lining, the other three will become the sash.

Construction: (Seam allowance is 1/4)
-Sew the side seams of the body of the dress

-Sew the side seams of the two 4inch contrasting lining segments

- Use the two 4 inch strips with a finished edge or Turn the bottom edge up 1/4 and press

-Pin the bodice and lining together right sides together (RST) matching up the side seams.
-Sew with a 1/4 seam allowance along the top edge.
-Flip the lining to the inside and press the top edge.

-Pin the lining so that it lays flat against the inside of the dress
-Top stitch along the folded/finished edge of the lining, leaving a 2 inch opening to thread your elastic.

- Measure up 3/4 of an inch from the bottom of the lining and mark all the way around.
-Measure  3/4 of an inch up from your line and draw another line
*I like disappearing pens for marking, but chalk pencils would work well too, or mark with pins
-Stitch along both of these lines leaving a 2 inch opening on the first line that lines up with the first two inch gap (this is how you will thread in your elastic).  The top line of stitching should be all the way around with no opening
-You will now have two casings for your elastic

-Measure your elastic 2 inches shorter than your child's chest measurement.  My daughter is barrel chested at 21inches - so I cut 2 pieces of elastic at 19inches.
-Attach a safety pin to your first piece of elastic and thread it through the top casing
-Pull the elastic through and sew the ends together
-Repeat with the lower casing
-Stitch the two 2inch openings closed

-Take your two strap pieces.  Fold in half RST and sew along the edge in an 'L' one short side and one long side.
-Clip your corners, turn right side out and press

-Turn the dress inside out
-Attach the straps 4 inches apart (2 inches off of center on each side).  Turn the unfinished edge under and pin the strap so that the turned edge overlaps the middle casing line by 1/8 of an inch.
-Stitch the strap in place along the middle stitching and top stitching lines (this way your strap stitching should blend in with the existing stitching from the casings)
-Repeat with second strap

-The Sash loops are optional, but I like that they keep the sash exactly where it should be without the sash having to be sewn onto the dress.
-Take the two small pieces you cut off the straps earlier (1.5 x 4) and press them as bias tape
        -Turn the outer edges to meet in the middle and press
        - Press the whole length in half
        - Top stitch 1/8 from each edge
        -now cut them in half so you have 4x 2inch pieces

-Attach  the front two belt loops 4 inches apart.
-Turn the edges under and stitch along the very top and the very bottom casing stitching lines.
-Repeat for the back loops, or leave them off - up to you!

-Take your three sash sections - stitch together along the short ends (RST) so that you have one long strip.
-Fold in half RST and stitch along the 'L'
-Clip your corners, turn right side out and press
-On the open edge, turn the raw edges in 1/4 and press
-Top Stitch around the entire rectangle

Thread the sash through the belt loops, and ...
YOU"RE DONE!!!

Now go make one and tell me all about it!!!

Eye Opening: Our family Vacation

So I feel like having children is this MASSIVE magnifying glass on your flaws and shortcomings.  Three years ago, I would have said that I didn't really have a vice/major sin issue (HA!!!).  Today I can look you in the eye (or not, since I'm typing at a computer screen), and admit that I truly struggle with coveting.  I have huge jealousy issues when it comes to things that others have that I think make their life easier.  I go into the mode of 'oh if I only had X, obliviously my life would be sparkly and happy and oh so wonderful'.  I find myself wanting the open space in someone else's home, wanting a little extra income for more date nights,  or even wishing that I could have experienced life with only one baby at a time.  Yep, it runs deep.

source

So how does this tie into our family vacation???  Well, I think I've been quite a sourpuss the last few years on various vacations because instead of enjoying the moment, I get caught up inside myself thinking 'if only...'    And for that I apologize to all of my family and the people who put up with me on a daily basis ;op  So this time, I put my best friend to work praying for me and stepped forward into vacation mode with the mantra of 'enjoy THIS moment'.  When my coveting tenancies reared their ugly heads, instead of going into my jealous state, I starting make a mental list of what I could change when I got home - or if it was something beyond my power, I let it go.

I ended up having the best vacation I have had in YEARS... and it wasn't because it was some exotic destination, or a change from the daily grind of caring for three toddlers, it was simply because I changed my attitude.  *i'm actually working on a post about making 'visiting family' the BEST VACATION EVER!

date night in DC - you can't see the Washington Monument behind us ;op

Pool Time!!!

Baking with the kids - My sister and I have made this Flag cake every 4th of July for years!!!

Monkey Joes - bouncing insanity!

and of course some matching PJs (PJ's are the ONLY thing you will ever see me go all 'character' on - but come on it is GABBA!!!!)

One of the key areas that hit me was the cleanliness of my Sister-in-law's house - I was in awe.  She has and keeps a GORGEOUS house WITH A TODDLER.  It made me realize how much I miss the 10 months after we had the boys that we hired a cleaning service - it made a huge difference in being able to keep up with everything.  We can't afford that at this point, but instead of just wishing I could have that again, there are things I can do to try to keep things more manageable.  A clean house just makes me feel less frazzled, it makes me more desirous of having people over, and it honestly seems to foster better play in the kids!  My house will never be spotless, and most likely it wont ever all be clean at one time, but it can function with better organization and a plan.

A PLAN????

Well yes, I pinned THIS on pinterest about a year ago - hahahahahahah!  And THIS.  Both are easy breakdowns of how to clean your home in about 20 minutes a day.... now even 20 minutes feels like a lot to add onto my already chaotic day.  So here is my plan:  in order to get into the habit, I will take the first 10 minutes of nap time to do one thing on the list on the MAIN floor of the house each day.  Once I am in the habit, I can adapt and expand to make sure that I eventually cover the whole house, but at least this will be a starting place for me.


What do you think???  How do you keep your home clean with a house full of kids???

Hugs, and remember to enjoy THIS moment!!!

Guest Posting At the Mouse House!!!

Hello lovely ladies!!!  Today I am guest posting over at Welcome to the Mouse House, and sharing what I think is one of the BEST kid friendly gifts EVER!!!  

The BIG Hooded towel.

 Head on over for a full tutorial of how to make your own - so quick, so easy, so fun!!!

The Bubble Poccket Top and Spin Skirt

Elegance and Elephants is releasing their newest pattern TODAY - and guess what that pattern is for an ENTIRE OUTFIT!!!  How cool is that, a top and skirt all in one.  Today is the Release of the Bubble Pocket Top and the Spin Skirt.

ok-  that should say 'SPIN Skirt... gah I edited the image and then left for vacation, and now have no way of changing the image... hopefully you will all forgive me ;o)

If you love the bubble pocket shorts (like I do) - then you are going to love the new Bubble Pocket Top.  It is an easy fit garment that just screams summer.  I love the bubble pockets and the clean lines of the V neck. The top is fully lined and can be made form any light to medium weight woven - I'm thinking it could be done in a knit too... ideas ideas ;o)

My favorite part of the skirt is the waist band - it is an elastic waist with a functioning drawstring - the instructions include making your own, but I chose to go with a ribbon for mine.

I also did a double layer skirt because my main fabric is see through.

She absolutely loved wearing it, and I loved making it!

Dizzy little girl was taking her Spin skirt literally - good thing Dada's hands are always there to catch...

Pirate Playtime Pants!!!

When Heather (of Feather's Flights) contacted me and asked if I would be willing to be a part of her blog-tour of her newly released first two patterns, I JUMPED at the opportunity.  I love sewing for my boys, and her Playtime  Pants fit the bill perfectly. And if you love sewing for the littles in your life, this unisex pattern can be yours - just enter the giveaway below!!!
 First I thought I wanted to do super comfy knit pants - my boys love playing in knit pants, they are so stretchy and soft, and easy to move in, and forgiving in the fit (which with twins who are built almost nothing alike is a big deal to me!)  But I looked through my knits and was uninspired.  ;o(
I then though - ok, how about super fun PJ pants out of lightweight flannel... I looked once again through my stash and fell in love with some adorable robots... but there wasn't enough ;o(
I sat down again and tried to think of the perfect thing to showcase this fun a versatile pattern - and I remembered my winnings from PR&P, my mostly untouched fabrics from fabric.com and specifically the coordinating Riley Blake Pirate Mateys fabric that I had picked out for the boys.  I pulled out the fabrics and immediately had a plan. ;o)

I made these clam digger length and added the little tab as one more way to draw in the coordinating fabrics (the bit of orange is left over from when I made A the blazer out of a bed sheet).  To make clam diggers, just follow the pattern and leave off the cuff.  Hem to your desired length (I turned 1/4 and then 1/2 inch).  My boys grow like weeds, so I have learned to hem things a bit longer than I want and within a couple weeks they will be the perfect length ;op

I love these little pants - I love how easy they are to customize, and I love that I can make them with knit or wovens.  The pockets are quite fun - and my first time doing a front pants pocket on a pair of pants with no side seam - I was worried it might look like this strange floating pocket - but it doesn't, it looks ADORABLE!!!  To get the contrasting trim, I lined the pocket with contrasting fabric and then just shifted everything and pressed so that it peeks out, then top stitched so it would stay in place.

If you are looking for a great staple pants for your boys to play in - this is a great pattern for you!

(my baby boy is in a 3T (Heather actually mentions in her pattern that these are cut slim, so I sized up since I was going with cotton - I would do a 2T in knit and add length for my tall boy!)

With an elastic waist and two main pieces  - these are a breeze to whip up (well you know, if you don't decide to get all complicated with pockets and tabs and double top stitching....) but even with all those extra features, I quickly put these together, and I am sure there will be more to follow!

More of my cute little 'not so pirate-y' pirate:

Aye-Aye Captin' I've found provisions

Always watch yer back, lest someone steal yer gold doubloons!

See - perfect for playtime!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't miss a single stop of the tour!!!!
July 1: Suzanne from Winter Wonderings, Wanderings, & Whatnot July 2: Rachel from Once Upon a Sewing Machine July 3: RaeAnna from Sewing Mama RaeAnna July 4: Heather from Feathers Flights July 5: Stacey from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts July 8: Ari from Max California July 9: Magda from House of Estrela July 10: Sophie from The Sisters 4 July 11: Toni from Sugar Tart Crafts July 12: Celina from Petit a Petit