MY LIFE ACCORDING TO MY PHONE

Here is a little update on my life from my iphone pics recently.  It finally feels like summer these days which means lots of park days and playing in water fountains.  We also have started painting and trying to really make this place our own.

Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!

ANOTHER PAIR OF BUBBLE SHORTS

I made up another pair of bubble shorts by Elegance and Elephants for my daughter the other day.  This time I made the version without buttons.  SO MUCH faster and easier.  I made them out of some vintage cotton that I bought at a garage sale awhile back.  Once again she loves the pockets and putting all sorts of treasures in them.

THE PRINCESS DILEMMA / MAKING DRESS UPS TODAY

When my daughter was just a baby I read Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein.  Although a little extreme maybe, it's a very interesting read and it opened my eyes to the current princess culture and the mass marketing campaigns that are targeting our very young daughters.  As a result we have tried to avoid the whole princess thing in our home.  When I say princess, I really mean Disney princess.  We do own Brave, but have avoided the earlier ones as I find the messages in those movies to  focus heavily on outward beauty and being saved by men.
Well, in some ways this has come back to bite me in the butt.  My daughter is three and LOVES all things princess and dress up.  I honestly don't know where she even learns about it all.  When she goes over to her friends houses she will seriously be taking her clothes off as she walks through the door so that she can put on one of their princess dresses.  And when she comes home it's all she can talk about. So I decided that we need to come to some middle ground.  When I really think about it the actual idea of a princess is not what bothers me, it's the messages that so many of the princess movies promote about females.  And to be honest I love to dress up and look nice and so I am sure that she has learned a lot of it from me.
Our compromise is that I will make her dress up clothes, even princess dresses, as long as they are not Disney princess specific.  I also refuse to pay crazy amounts of money for dress up clothes so I am going to be sewing them up from my stash of fabrics.  They will not all be pink and sparkly.  I will make them from what I have so there will be a wide range.
In the end I decided on Simplicity 9497 for the pattern and am actually making up four at the same time (we participate in babysitting swap where we often have 4 young girls over at a time.)  I am just trying to be creative with the ribbon, bias tape, beads etc... that I have.

I started them this morning and it's pretty much all that my daughter talks about.  I will make sure to show you some pics of the finished products.  In the meantime here is picture of what I have to work with.

SEWN : ANOTHER SCOUT TEE

With the end of MeMadeMay (if you are wondering where my last week post went, I kinda fell off the wagon ) and the need for loose fitting shirts to hide the post baby bump, I decided to whip up another scout tee with some of the scraps in my stash.  You may recognize the floral fabric from my archer recently.

I lowered the neckline by an inch, the sleeves by about an inch, and the hem by about 2 inches.

I love the combo and ease of this shirt.  It's such a great way to get rid of scraps too.  If you havn't made up a scout tee yet you really should.  In fact there is a sewalong going on here.

ON MY MIND : MALE SEWING PATTERNS

I've noticed a small trend popping up lately that there are more sewing options for men available.  I have only sewed a couple of garments for my husband - both were McCalls 6044 (blogged here and here).  I found it extremely satisfying to make both of these shirts.  Perhaps it's the fact that he has less curves to deal with than me, but fitting the muslin was much easier than fitting a garment for myself.  I also think that it helps that he is much less self-conscious of his body than I am and that men's fashion trends move much slower and so he seems more easily pleased than I generally might be.  In fact, he still wears both of these shirts all of the time (which brings a smile to my face every time).

I've wanted to make more things for him, but honestly havn't found any other patterns that seemed worth my time.  Recently, though, I have seen a few patterns on the internet that have perked my interest in sewing for him again.

Here are a few on my list.

Thread Theory Newcastle Cardigan - Thread Theory is a new pattern company that only creates patterns for men.  So far they have only released this one, but I am pretty excited to see what else they come up with.  Their designs seem to be pretty on trend.

Green Pepper Bicycling Jersey - I first saw this when Carolyn of Fake It While You Make It made one for her husband.  My husband is a big road biker and I think he would be thrilled with a custom jersey.

The Avocado Hoodie by Disparate Dispatches - This is a new indie pattern company that seems to focus on practical, everyday wear.  The best detail about this hoodie is that it has an extra pocket on the lower back so that your partner can have a warm hand while having their arm around you.  I could totally see myself making his and hers versions for an anniversary or valentines day.

So what do you think?
Do you often sew men's patterns?
Would you give any of these a try?
Do you know of some awesome men's patterns that I have missed?

TRIED AND TRUE WITH KRISTA OF LAZY SATURDAYS

(Tried and True is a series that I am starting where I feature one sewer/blogger at a time who will share one of their "tried and true" patterns.  You know, that pattern that just sews up like a dream, is so versatile, (although maybe even boring), so you end up sewing it up over and over in different ways.  I know that I have patterns like that and I consider them gems so I can't wait to find out what the sewing community's tried and true patterns are.)

Hello lovely True Bias readers! I'm Krista of Lazy Saturdays. I started my blog as a way to document my trashion designs, and it ended up spiraling out of control. But in a very good way. I blog now about sewing, refashioning, diy, and style. I'm married to a talkative, nerd named Mason and we have a crazy-haired little boy named Max that has a personality to match his hair. We're both California grown and are now living in and loving Idaho. 

I was really excited when Kelli invited me to talk about my Tried and True pattern! As I was thinking of the things I sewed the most, it wasn't a pattern that kept coming to my mind. I LOVE refashioning old clothing into something new and the thing I kept thinking of was a men's dress shirt. They come in some great colors and patterns! I love working with the fabric they are made from, which is usually cotton or a cotton/poly blend. It is such an easy fabric to play with, so if you're wanting to start refashioning clothing, I think men's shirts are a great thing to start with. Plus, if you get them at thrift stores or garage sales, they are super cheap so you don't have to feel bad if you mess up! 

There are so many great things to do with a men's shirt! Here are a few of my favorite refashions so far: 

This skirt was made from a men's shirt. This is a great beginner refashion! It's surprisingly easy and has a great impact. I've had a lot of new sewers email me pictures of skirts they made from men's shirts and it makes my day every time! You must try making one! They also make great gifts! (There it a tutorial on my blog here, if you'd like to see how I made it.) 

I also love simply altering the shirt to fit my body. By taking in the side seams, bringing up the hem and adjusting the sleeves, you can have a great button up top for yourself! On the shirt on the left, I added a cuffed sleeve and the one on the right, I removed the collar. Easy and cute! 

Men's shirts also saved me during my pregnancy. I gained a lot of weight at the end of it and was carrying a large babe (a nine and a half pounder!) so I ran out of clothing. I found a few extra EXTRA large men's shirts that fit around my belly and just altered the top and sleeves of the shirt. Having something that I felt cute in made a huge difference during that rough third trimester. 

One of my favorite things I've made so far is this dress from two men's shirts. I made this dress before I started blogging, so I don't have a tutorial for it yet. But I plan on making one over the summer! You can make a dress with two shirts that match color or two that have different colors and patterns. So much fun and a great summer item! 

Thank you for letting me tell you about my Tried and True refashionable item! Have you made anything from men's dress shirts? Are you inspired to make anything? I'd love to hear about it! 

Isn't Krista adorable?  I love her style and love her blog.  I was so excited when she suggested this alternate idea for a "tried and true" feature.  Not only are her creations absolutely adorable, but they are also very eco friendly.  It makes me want to go through my husband's closet and see what shirts I can find to upcycle.

MEMADEMAY WEEK 4

"I, Kelli of True Bias blog sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear one sewn or upcycled item at least 5 days a week during the month of May 2013.  I will take pictures of my outfits and post them all every Friday."

Images above : Day 1 - Tie-Dye Mission Maxi  |  Day 2 - Polka Dot Scout Tee  |  Day 3 - Kelly Skirt  |  Day 4 - Black Mission Maxi (and a me made baby :)  |  Day 5 - White Jean Jenny Skirt (never blogged)