Upcycled Fashion: Little Girls Sweater Dress from an old OLD NAVY Men's Sweater

This one was fun...

First, I laid out the sweater and used a tunic she already had as a makeshift pattern.  (I traced around it with a marker, then cut it out)

I used the little extra piece of material at the top as the ruffle sleeve, I just flipped it around so that the flat side was in towards the sleeve hole, allowing the rounded side to ruffle.

Then I just sewed up both sides along the marker line, hemmed the outside edge of the sleeves (I think that's easier to do before you put them on) and then I put the ruffle sleeves on.

IT WAS THAT EASY! The sweater was headed to the Goodwill anyway...so it doesn't even matter if you screw it up.  That's the beauty of up-cycling, it allows you to experiment without spending a lot on fabric.

(Ignore the chocolate pudding on her face...)

What the DUCK did I get myself into?!?!

Seriously.

These guys are smelly, messy, loud...and totally adorable.

When people said they poop a lot, they meant it.  They poop everywhere, all the time.  On their food, in their water (then they eat it)...and still, despite all of that, they are still so very cute.

Meet Daffy, Quacky Quackers and Louie. (only Laurel can tell them apart)

They've been able to swim from day 1.

It's only day 3 right now and look at these guys go!

Skirts don't hurt...usually.

Three.

Three is the number of times,

the seams got ripped out.

Ten is the number of times,

I tried this skirt on hoping it would look right this time.

One is the number of times,

I will make a skirt for myself!!!

 No animals were hurt in the making of this skirt.  

(You can see that this banana is smiling at you, right?)

Upcycled Fashion Sunday

While sorting through clothes to donate  I found a bunch of stuff that could pretty easily be converted to little girls clothes...

Maternity shirt into...little girls skirt

This couldn't have been easier, I just chopped it and sewed the casing for the elastic and put the elastic in.  I used all the original hems, so this one was minimal work. (maybe 10 minutes)

Maternity shirt into...a little girls shirt

This one took even LESS work, I just took up the side seams and shortened the straps.  Instant tunic. (less than 10 minutes)

I did cut out the Motherhood Maternity tag, because frankly, it's a little creepy to have your 7 year old wearing clothes from a maternity store.


Old undershirt into...a little girls t-shirt

Laurel has this t-shirt that she loves (and I like the way it fits), so I laid it down on top of the old shirt and and used it like a pattern.  I cut 1/4" around the whole shirt.  I used the scraps to make the new neck-hole, then I just sewed the front to the back, hemmed the sleeves and put elastic in the shoulders and bottom hem for some shaping.  (I used the original bottom hem of the t-shirt, so I didn't even have to hem it!) (30+ minutes)

I have a one happy girl.

I feel like Maria from The Sound of Music, making play clothes out of curtains...and there is nothing wrong with that.

Homeschooling at its best, outdoors and from the experts

 

The National Forest Service was running a special program for school-aged kids this week at one of our very close and very incredible parks.  It focused on orienteering, local wildlife, local fish and insects and local plants. Living in Southeast Alaska we spend LOTS of time indoors in the winter.  So when opportunities like this arise...and it's good weather...it's like the planets have aligned just for us.

Everything was hands on and outside.  The experts (park rangers, fish & wildlife biologists, etc) ran the classes.  The homeschooling moms mostly just watched (and learned). 

This is where I love to watch Laurel grow up and become her own person.  There are those adults out there with the special gift of treating children like small adults with fully valid points of view.  It is these few adults that really help kids shine and begin their own path to discovery and passionate exploration. Ms. Leslie Swada of the Forest Service is one of those people.  She seems to bring the best out of the kids that are ready to make that leap into learning something new.

There was so much to see and do and learn.  It was an exciting, fun and tiring day for us.  But it was WELL worth it.

Thanks to our local Forest Service crew!!    

Seriously...this is what it's like to homeschool in Southeast Alaska.  (at least when it's not raining)

The world I want my children to live in

Inspiration comes from so many places.  A book, a movie, a friend.  I read a lot of books and articles about being a better mom, better homeschooler, being more present in my life.  I read so much that sometimes I just have to put down whatever I'm reading and let my head rest.

And then---sometimes---you just have to touch the cover of a children's book to be inspired.

Then open up the pages and get lost in the amazing world that someone else has created.

And then realize that this is what you want for your children.

I want my children's lives to be like a Doris Burn illustration.

It's that simple.  

And what I find disturbing is that publishers seem to think that old is bad, and so they replace amazing with something that is brightly colored but completely devoid of passion and depth.  No offense to Joe Cepeda, but come on...I think even he can see the difference.  Doris Burn created a wonderland for children to live in for hours, a place for the imagination to roam even after the book is closed.  Why would any publisher think that some bright colors could replace that.  

 Ugh, what a shame.