The Family that wears Sketchy Essentials Together….

When people find out I sew, they often ask me if I “save money” with my hobby. Which always provokes a laugh from me because no, I don’t really save money by sewing my own clothing, a la Laura Ingalls Wilder. Making my own clothes could be economical, if one chose to do it that way (and I probably should try to stick to a budget one of these days) but the real reason I sew is for my own enjoyment, to see myself and my family wearing things that I’ve made and taking pride in the ability to create things that fit just right (example here), or to improve on ready to wear styles (example here). I also buy higher quality fabric than chain stores use, which increases my cost, but also the longevity and aesthetic value of the item I sew.

However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to see how far I can stretch a cut of fabric, or that I don’t take great pleasure in using up every last scrap in a fun way. That is part of why I enjoy sewing strike offs- you are often given a very limited amount of fabric to use,a nd are expected to get creative with it to inspire others. When I was sent the #sketchyessentials bundle of 5 fat halves of coordinates from Stardust and Moonbeam Textiles, I knew this was a perfect opportunity to test my color blocking skills, and see just how far 2.5 yards could go! At just $35 per pack, these bundles actually CAN save money, and I’m excited to show you what I came up with!

From my 5 fat halves, I was able to create outfits for the whole family, including a hooded tank for me, two tanks (one with a hood) and two pairs of shorts for my twins, and a dress for my daughter. Part of my job in sewing these fabrics was to show how well they can mix and match, and I was impressed by how versatile they were in matching many other fabrics in my stash, as well as coordinating with each other.

First up, because I’m obsessed with this pattern, was another Halla Stardust tank, this time with a hood (hack here). The sides, bands, and hood were all in Mesh from Joanns fabrics, while the front and back is the sketchy essentials stars print.

Next, I made Princess a Peekaboo Little Miss Sunshine dress (used before here), using several of the printed fabrics and alternating them with some stretch knit denim and rayon spandex stripes from So Sew English.

 

For the boys, I sewed up the Hampton Shorts from Greenstyle Creations, again using the knit denim as a coordinate, with some striped ponte from my stash for the pockets. I was really impressed with how well they came together, and how quick they were to sew. As a bonus, the drawstring in the front inspired my son N to learn to tie- a welcome relief considering he has almost sized out of velcro shoes!

The boys also each got a tank from the new Sideswipe pattern by Duck Butt Designs, in two views. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how this tank was going to go together with just two pieces before I purchased it, but now that I have- its genius! I added a mesh lined hood to one of the tanks, per my sons request.

Both boys thought they were pretty hot stuff in these outfits, and I loved seeing them pose together and apart!

Unfortunately, while we were concentrating on getting shots of the twins, Princess took it upon herself to sample escargot out of our garden planter- let me tell you, that was DISGUSTING! I’ve been though alot of things as a mom, but if I ever have to clean up snail slime again, I’m going to need a vacation. Fortunately, we had already gotten her pictures, but YUCK! I can’t get her to eat macaroni and cheese, but snails, yes please!

Snail disaster aside, it was fun to sew up these outfits, and see how far my fabrics could go. I even have a few scraps left I could turn into something in the future, if the right pattern comes along, and I encourage you go check out the sketchy essentials and 80s magic fabrics on preorder from Stardust and Moonbeam Textiles until 5/21!
           

 

Get notified of new posts via email


2 Comments

  1. […] No, they aren’t identical. Clearly.) I used the Duck Butt Designs Sideswipe tank (used before here). I’m really coming to love this simple pattern, and this time around I changed it up a bit […]

  2. […] used the Duck Butt Designs Sideswipe pattern again (sewn before here and here), with the hood add on, and the Greenstyle Creations Hampton Shorts ( made before […]

Leave a Comment