Class Picnic Ensemble... A Cozy Favorite

I may be the biggest fan, EVER, of the Class Picnic shorts and top by Oliver and S.

Is that still true if I don't go to great lengths to modify the pattern and add crazy details???  I do tend the keep it simple and just let the fabric stand out, but it is one of my favorite things to make Camden.  In fact, you can see ALL past versions in this 2016 blog post.  How has it been that long since I've sewn this pattern???

I became carried away with sizing on this pattern.  Camden is a solid size 8, essentially, but I decided to go with a size 10 and then lengthen the top.  It is clearly almost a tunic on her, and I may go back in and tighten the elastic on her shoulders.  I also almost want to go back and make a size 8, LOL.  I like that she'll get a good two full years out of the pattern, but the top is hilariously large at this point.  As for the shorts, they will totally fit, waist-wise, through two summers, I'd like to think, but these shorts do run.... well, short, so, who knows where we'll be in a couple of years. 

Pretending she was sad about something

Speaking of the shorts, this is one of those patterns where you think, "Awww, man, do I HAVE to???"  The sewing of them seems daunting, for some reason, though it completely isn't.  They tend to go together quickly, and it is nice that you don't need a lot of yardage for the main fabric, so, you can peep through remnants in your stash and likely find something.  I had planned to use a solid purple for the trim on the shorts, but I wasn't feeling the shade of purple I had, in comparison to the purple on the flower print of the top (which is just Joann Fabrics, by the way!), so, I made it matchy-matchy, no biggie.  A lot of the time, she throws on a camisole with the shorts, anyway.

This pattern is seriously a quick sew, and I am just enjoying the last couple of years when I can sew things like this for Camden, because soon, she'll be too grown-up to want to wear these types of patterns.  At least, that's what I worry about, aha!

Nothing crazy has been happening on the home front, and I don't have many photos of work on the new house, because I have been running Camden around, and Matt has to work, so, we aren't able to get as much done.  His parents have been super helpful - both at the house and with watching Tiberius while I ferry Camden to her sewing camp this week.  She is LOVING it, and I'll have photos of that in the next blog post!

Homeschool life can be pretty intense

Getting our planting on

Attending our last story time in Bend

I have NO idea what I'm doing, and I hope our plants don't die

Twinsies

 

Figgy's Strikes Again - the Zephyr Romper!

I do NOT know how I haven't made more of these!!!  I love this Zephyr Romper by Figgy's and wish I'd made Camden one for each of the past two years.  She has only ever had one of them, and I loved it to pieces!  

OMG!!!  May of 2013!!

Well....okay.  I DO know why I don't make them more often....it IS a bit fiddly, though not difficult, really.  And I have been putting it off in favor of quicker things to sew...especially since Tiberius arrived in our lives, aha!

The pattern is awesome, and it's another that is best to assembly line sew, in my opinion!  As with last time, I also made two dress versions, yet to be blogged (as in, I finished them last night, in the midst of having a cold, LOL).  I used a fun fabric I bought way back when I purchased the fabric for the first I'd made.

One of the fiddly bits is in making the braided straps, BUT....I made them simpler this time by NOT sewing tubes out of my knit fabric strips...I left them raw.  Smart move, I KNOW!!!  I also did NOT cut them on the bias, as I found the top dragged a bit last time I made this.  As for the button loops, I'm just plain silly and SHOULD have made tubes, but I thought I was a GENIUS and had another plan...that then involved me hand-sewing the tubes shut.....not good times, but whatever.

Also, not photographed is a defect:  I didn't realize until after I'd sewn the WHOLE OUTFIT that I didn't manage to get the end of one of the button loops caught under the original seam, so, it's dangerously exposed and could probably fall out at some point.  I could try to fix it - but maybe later, aha!  I do wish, though, I'd looked at pattern photos, as I wouldn't have moved the buttons so far over.  Another strike against me, as I did that on the dress versions last night, too.

The cuff pieces are a bit of work, but I used the knit on the outside, attached a knit interfacing, then lined the cuffs with shot cotton.  I also hand-stitched those into place after I knotted them.

Lastly, I totally took GENIUS to the next level by just not reading the pattern at all.  I attached the bodice to the shorts and completely forgot about that whole elastic casing bit....so, there was a bit of SERGED seam un-picking.....oops.

Overall, love it!!!  Just bummed about the button loop situation - and thinking it won't fit for long.  I sewed the size based on her chest measurement, but it's a bit snug getting on, so, I'm sure the same'll go with the dress versions I made.  Last time I made all of these, she got a LOT Of use out of them, so, I must have sewn based on age last time or something.  Such is life!

Days in the life.....

Best spot to read, really!

It's That Time Again! Figgy's Banyan Shorts and Tees!

When she tells me it's hard to NOT stick her tongue between her teeth when she smiles

The Banyan Shorts and Shirt outfit by Figgy's is one of those simples pleasures sorts of deals!  The shorts are NOT a quick sew, if one were to put zipper/fly installations into the "not super fast" category, but I love them, and while I'm not always super pleased with the job I've done, I think they are cute from the OUTside, aha!

The shorts went together fairly well, and I made sure to work again from stash, as I basically had to!  I used the same corduroy I used here, and thanks again to Brianne of the Cookies 'n Bees blog for that gift!  I used a fun extra button I had lying around, courtesy of the time I made the Sunnyside sweater.  For the fly facing and waistband facing, I used a bit from the Daphne Knickers I just made, too!

When I make this outfit, I like to make two tees - killing the birds and stones and making it more versatile/colorful!  I actually used the brightly colored stripes another time I made this, too (pictured in this blog post), but I had enough, so, I gave it another go!  As always, I do not hem the shirt or sleeves.....keepin' it real, y'all.  As it was, the serger was making me insane.  It preferred sewing with the bright stripes, in general, but when I attached the neckband, it was hating life, and it then preferred the pink stripes, LOL.  Also, I don't know that I'll ever get a perfect neckband, but whatever.  I'll move on with my day ;)

This pattern is honestly pretty easy - the only thing I changed, I think, was to make the waistband longer on both sides, because I think there was an error on the length of one side, so, I just made both longer, aha!  I sewed up the size 8/9, and it fits pretty well...how?!!!  Camden is not that old!  :O  So crazy, aha!

As always, days in the life....

The state of things

I go many moons between cuts...felt much better here!

High Desert Museum Time