Strike off
Serape in the Sun
When I was a kid, we had this old Serape woven blanket that my dad picked up in Mexico on his travels. The colors were incredibly vivid, and despite heavy use, the blanket never seemed to show it’s wear. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of laying on this blanket at the beach, resting…
Read MoreAlways Be a Mermaid….
When I was a little girl, I was often home sick from school (chronic ear infections….plus a little lollygagging), and while I was “recovering”, my favorite thing to do was watch Peter Pan on VHS (am I dating myself a bit here?). The best part was when Peter is visiting the Mermaids in…
Read MoreMother of Dragons
We’ve really been feeling the Dragon theme around here, but last time I got left out of all the fun! I knew I could make it up to myself with the new round of fabrics up for pre-order from Pink Zeppelin that feature All. The. Scales. (Seriously, everything from lizard to alligator are represented, including…
Read MoreBaby got Back! Strappy Top Hack!
A few months ago, Becky Nohava (see her Instagram here) posted a photo of a top in Knitpop that she had hacked to have the most amazing back- like no pattern I had ever seen (and I’ve seen a few!). It was quite popular, but I was too intimidated to try it myself without a little…
Read MoreKindergarten: Rocked it!
Can I have a proud, gushy parent moment for a minute? School is almost over, and I’m incredibly proud of how well my boys have done. We homeschooled for preschool and Transitional Kindergarten, and the decision to attend public school for K was not one we took lightly. It was a HUGE transition…
Read MoreThere Be Dragons Here…
I’ve mentioned before that my son Oliver LOVES fencing. And at twice per week, its pretty ingrained in the rest of us too (even the baby knows a few moves!). So when the “knights and dragons” round 13 at Beanpop Fabrics came up for strike offs, I jumped on it, knowing I would have to…
Read MoreTutorial: Gathered Back Lago Tank
The whole time I was testing the Lago tank (here), I knew I wanted to hack it, and had a specific style I wanted to recreate based off a favorite ready to wear top that has a knit front and back yoke with a gathered woven lower back. While testing isn’t the best time for…
Read MoreFlat Piping Tutorial and Shark Bait!
I had the opportunity to sew up a few more of the prints up for preorder from Max and Meena Fabric this weekend, and I just love how they turned out! The minute I received the fabric I knew it would be a big hit with my boys, but that I also wanted to…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreTutorial: Adding a hood to a tank top
Hooded tank tops are so fun, and when I sewed up a hooded tank for my son, I decided that I needed one as well! Its pretty easy to do, and saves me all that tedious neckband measuring and quartering (which I can do in my sleep, but somehow dread anyway). Want to make your own…
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