hanndmade wardrobe // family holiday robes

pattern: Simplicity 9021 , also available at your local Joann store

mint sweatshirt fleece: Cali Fabrics

grey sweatshirt fleece: Fabric Mart Fabrics

buffalo check flannel: Joann Fabrics

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Two of my favorite things are handmade gifts and matching with my mini. Even better? When we get Daddy involved!

If you’re trying to figure out what to gift someone this holiday, I’m here to tell you that everyone loves cozy pajamas and loungewear! Especially handmade cozywear. Whether you make them to gift to other people, or for you and your own family to match as you sit around the Christmas tree - can anyone really resist some matching pajamas? Even if you’re a beginner, you can find some super easy-to-sew patterns from Simplicity or McCall’s. Think - some fun basic drawstring pajama pants in a quirky holiday print- super easy and a great beginner project! Or maybe you want to step it up a notch and try some fun matching zip-up onesies. Or you could go the route I did and go for matching robes!

So about these robes. I loooooooooove how these came out. And yes, the pattern is considered an easy-to-sew pattern. It can be a bit intimidating just because it does take a lot of fabric to make a robe, especially a family of robes, but the construction is simple and easy. I would still recommend it to someone at a beginner level. And it is double layered/reversible, so you don’t have to worry about seam finishing and making the inside look pretty because everything is enclosed and hidden! The only thing i would suggest, because it is two layers of fabric, is to choose one thicker cozy fabric, and one lighter-weight fabric. I originally was going to go with two contrasting thick fuzzy fleeces, but I think that would’ve been a loooot of fabric. I’m glad I went with the sweatshirt fleece on one side and lighter flannel on the other. It’s a good balance! I cut and XS for me (my usual size), a S for Zach, and the smallest size for P, which I think is closer to a size 5. Yes, I technically could’ve graded the pattern down to a size 3. But I figured - its a robe, its supposed to be big and comfy. Plus, she’ll get a lot more wear out of it if I kept it a bit bigger. So all I did is take off a couple inches off the bottom hem so it wasn’t too long, and about an inch off the sleeve hem. It’s actually perfect! I’ve had these finished for about 5 days now, and at least one of us has been wearing ours every time we are at home lounging. I have a feeling that they will be getting a lot of wear and love this winter.

Now let’s talk about another aspect of this kind of gift - customization! While I love being matchy matchy, I also having little details to make each piece specific to each person. So for ours, I decided to embroider ‘mama’ ‘daddy’ and ‘Penny’ on each of our robes? And guess what? Even this shouldn’t be intimidating for a beginner. I have actually never hand embroidered before this - this was my first time! I decided to just go for it and try, and honestly it was a lot easier than I thought and turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. I’m pretty proud of them!

Now scroll down to see just how cute a three year old looks on her own custom bathrobe. I’m telling you, it is next level cute.

handmade wardrobe // family Hudson pants

all three sweatpants: Hudson pants, men’s Hudson pants, and mini Hudson Pants by True Bias, in a navy blue terry velour from Style Maker Fabrics

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Zach has been bugging me to make something for him for awhile now. I mean, I am always sewing for me and P, it’s about time I incuded something for him. And of course, I couldn’t make something for just him - I had to take the opportunity for all of us to match! The Hudson Pants were the perfect project for this since it comes in sizes for the whole family.

I’ve made one pair for me before, so I knew the sizing was perfect for me in the women’s. Zach fell in between sizing in the men’s, so I went with the bigger of the two sizes, thinking that it was better for sweatpants to be a a little loose rather than a little tight. He says he likes the fit, but they seem just a tad bit baggy to me, so next time I might try one size down for him. I also think I will make the pocket bags bigger for him next time. He always carries his phone in his pocket, and they are just a tad bit too small - his phone falls out in these ones. And lastly - Penny’s is pretty much perfect in the size 3! I just need to cut a smaller piece of elastic next time for her little waist. I really relied on the drawstring for these ones, tying them extra tight to keep the pants up on her. But the length and fit were perfect!

In general, this was a succesful project! I still have quite a bit of this terry velour left, so I’m going to make us all matchig sweatshirts too, so we have full sweat sets haha. And I see more Hudson pants in our future. We are a lounge-y family, after all.

Handmade Wardobe // Fall Leopard

dress: McCall 7595 in a rayon challis from Style Maker Fabrics

tee: Megan Nielsen Patterns Rowan bodysuit

jacket: old Forever21

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This is a tried and true pattern for me - the third dress I’ve made in this style! I lie it because its really simple, easy to modify and hack, and doesn’t have the worry about fitting too much since its a loose fit. For this one, I made the straps long ties instead, and added a short ruffle flounce to the bottom hem (although the print kind of hides it in the photos). My favorite thing to do with this pattern, to give it the option of being fitted at the waist since it is a loose pull on style, is to add small ties at the back waist. Then you have the option to tie it and cinch it in a little more for definition!

handmade wardrobe // Mommy and Me Tania

both of our sweaters: H&M

both of our culottes (not skirts!): Megan Nielsen Tania culottes and mini Tania culottes in a rayon blend dot print from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

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Ok, I’m just going to start off by saying that I’m obsessed with this set of photos and these outfits! I mean, look at that chunky sweater on Penny, omg.

But anyway, could you guys tell that these were both culottes and not skirts? That’s my favorite thing about this pattern. Look Ma - they’re pants! And guess what, Megan is currently offering Mommy & Me bundles for both the adult and mini patterns! So now is your chance to grab them now, If you want to try some twinning, too.

handmade wardrobe .. mommy and me briar and virginia

Both our outfits: Megan Nielsen Patterns Briar tee and Virginia Leggings, mini Briar tee and mini Virginia leggings

Fabrics: rust modal rib knit from Blackbird fabrics, and black/grey athletic knit from Joann Fabrics

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I made these Virginia leggings a while back (with a yoga waisband! You can find the tutorial on Design Diary here), and while I didn’t have any fabric left over, I did have some similar fabric to finally make a pair for P too.

And while I was at it, I might as well throw in some matching Briar tees, as well! Because why not, haha. I made them both in a really drapey modal rib knit. I kept mine simple with no fancy details, and the longer length to be more comfortable worn with leggings. For Penny, I wanted to add more details so she would be more excited about it. Luckily, Meg includes multiple patch options with both patterns. So I added a contrasting heart applique and matching contrasting bands. She was so excited when I showed it to her! Although you may not be able to tell in these photos - she wasn’t acting herself when we went to take these. Usually shes pretty happy and smiley and totally into it, but not this time. Well we found out why an hour later… she threw up all over herself and her cute new outfit. She was, and has been, fine since then, but oh man! That was a rough evening. And yes, the outfit is fine too, after a go in the washing machine haha.

Megan is currently offering Mommy & Me bundles, so you can get these adult and mini patterns together at a special price!

handmade wardrobe // fall tones

my top: Friday Pattern Company Adrienne blouse in a striped knit from Blackbird Fabrics

my pants: Style Arc Tully Pants in a linen/viscose from StoneMountain and Daughter Fabrics

my shoes: Target

Penny’s shirt and turban: both self drafted in same knit fabric

Penny’s jacket: H&M

Penny’s pants: thrifted

Penny’s boots: Target

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I told you to expect another pair of Tully pants. Totally obsessed with this pattern. This time, I made it out of one of my favorite drapey, slubby linen blends. I made a pair Spring Shorts in this same fabric and love it. so much so that I’ve bought it in 2 more colors for future projects.

Another new favorite pattern, and my second version, is the Adrienne blouse. I mean, can we just take a second to appreciate those sleeves? It’s such a quick and easy make with such impact.

Not much to say about this set. Just some favorite makes in some favorite fabrics paired together. If you haven’t tried either of these patterns out, I highly suggest them!

handmade wardrobe // Witchy Vibes, mommy and me with Measure fabrics

my dress: McCalls 7946 in a tiny dot silk/cotton twill from Measure Fabrics

Penny’s jumpsuit: Hello Dear Kids harem jumpsuit, in same fabric

my shoes: Swedish Hasbeens

Penny’s hair bows: June and January

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Seriously feeling these October witchy vibes in this look.

When I received this fabric from Measure Fabrics, I knew it had to made up into a special dress. It’s a twill, but a light weight and super soft twill. And a silk blend- so special! It drapes beautifully, but isn’t so lightweight that its sheer, I really didn’t need a lining at all. Seriously, I don’t know how else to describe the feel and drape of this fabric, it’s such a dream! One if those magic fabrics that could be made into almost anything - a special evening dress, a fun jumpsuit or floaty wide legs, a pretty blouse, etc. But my favorite part of the fabric? That itty bitty dot print. I love small details in fabric. And from far away this may look like a sold black or dark grey, but then you get up close and see those little polka dots, and UGH, so cute.

So like I said, I really wanted this to be an October witchy-feeling dress. I ended up going with a pattern that I have used once before. I made another version back in June, a sleeveless one. To be more fall appropriate, I sewed up the sleeved version this time around and OMG THAT SQUARE NECKLINE IS EVERYTHING. I want all my necklines to be this shape. It’s seriously so perfect. And it’s also a pretty easy pattern. It looks detailed and possibly complicated, but its not. The casing and elastic is a bit time consuming, but super simple and beginner friendly. Especially if you use store-bought bias tape like I did- hand made bias tape would take the difficulty (and yardage amount) up a notch), so be aware of that if you want to make one yourself! But I just feel like the combination of this fabric and silhouette couldn’t be a more perfect match.

I debated what to do with the leftover yardage for P’s outfit. I originally was thinking a dress for her too. But as the weather gets colder, there is no denying that she’ll get more wear out of pants. I actually have made her one of these jumpsuits before, too, so I knew it would be perfect for her. I love how the little ruffle detail along the top edge matches the little ruffle detail of the bottom half of my dress. What do you think? Is her a jumpsuit a good match to my dress, or would you have gone with a dress for her too?

handmade wardobe // checks and apples

my overalls: Marilla Walker Roberts Collection dungarees in gingham seersucker (plus lining) from Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics

my top: Friday Pattern Company Adrienne Blouse in a cupro modal knit from Style Maker Fabrics

Penny’s: dress: Simplicity 1470 (made last year. pattern not available on website anymore)

Penny’s turban: self drafted

Penny’s Cardigan CottonOn

Both of our boots: Target

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I tend to write about how much I love my newest makes. But honestly, they’re not all winners. Some don’t turn out the greatest. I’ve been imagining black and white gingham overalls for awhile now, and was pretty excited to finally get to them. But in the end, these ones aren’t love.

I think it first started with my fabric choice. Instead of purchasing a new gingham print, I decided to use this seersucker gingham that I already had in my stash. And its sheer. So I lined the whole thing. Ok, no problem. But probably not the best coice for this type of garment. Secondly, I think I just chose the wrong pattern, too. I was actually envisioning a more fitted pant, but the Roberts Collection dungarees are a looser, relaxed fit. Not an issue with the pattern, I think I’d like the look in another fabric, just not what I was picturing for this project. I slimmed it out in the legs a bit after the fact, but it really could’ve stood to be taken in at the waist, too, to really slim it out and make it more fitted. And because I waited until the end to take out some bulk in the legs, the inside of the garment is kind of a disaster. I know this isn’t visible from the outside, but it kind of drives me crazy. And lastly, seersucker isn’t the easiest to work with when working with prints with straight lines. Seersucker is textured and bubbly, and as much as I painstakingly and carefully cut everything out to keep lines straight, the bottom edge of the bib ended up being skewed. HOW?! I’m still not sure how this happened. And I didn’t have and spare fabric to re-cut it. So I was left with an uneven line at the waist seam, making my eye twitch every time I look at it. This is probably the worst of the problems for me, because it is the most obvious. I know any one looking at this isn’t going to know that this isn’t the shape I envisioned or that the insides are messy, but you can see that uneven waist seam from a mile away.

In the end, it’s wearable, sure. It looked pretty cute from afar at the apple orchard, and standing next to P in her matching check print. But it’s not love. And when it’s not love and has too many issues, it probabaly won’t survive my closet. I have a feeling it will eventually end up in the scrap bin to try and repurpose the fabric. C’est la vie. Maybe I’’ll attempt the same look again some other time, with a different pattern and fabric weight.

On a brighter note, I also made this buttery soft Adrienne Blouse at the same time and it definitly IS love. Love this pattern. Super easy and quick make, and fits like a glove. I’ll be making more of these!

I also made Penny’s dress….. last year. When I made it, I purposely added a very wide hem. It’s wide and has a loose fit, so I knew if I was able to just unpick the hem and lengthen it later on, we would get extended wear out of it. And that’s what I did! A year and half and still going strong with this dress. It actually has some sweet little ruffles that are hidden under the cardigan.

Handmade Wardrobe // Esme and Tully

cardigan: Named Clothing Esme cardigan (simplified hack) in a brushed sweater knit from StyleMaker Fabrics

pants: Style Arc Tully pants in a lightweight bleached denim from Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics

tank top and shoes: Target

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I have two new handmade makes in this outfit, both of which I had very different experiences making!

First - these Tully pants. Remeber my obsession with the Spring Shorts over the summer, and how I made 5 different verisons of them. Yeah, these are the fall verison of that for me. They are peeeeeeerfect. And I’ll probably make another couple of pairs before fall is over. I had to make no alterations and the fit is perfect straight from the pattern. I really like it made up in this lightweight 6.5 oz bleached denim, but now I’m kind of curious what it would be like made up in a slightly heavier denim to more like a pair of fancy jeans.

And then there was this cardigan. Oh man, this cardigan. It took me three days to finish this thing up because it just was not going well. I wanted to make an Esme cardigan but cut short just below the pockets. Literally nothing went right in the process. And I realize now that It’s not anything to do with the pattern, but with my fabric selection. The pattern calls for a medium to heavier weight fabric with very little stretch, and I chose this very lightweight, very stretchy and drapey and droopy sweater knit. As a result, the pockets drooped, the placket was all twisted and funky, and the whole thing just drooped and was sad looking. I ended up cutting off the placket and cuffs, and just turned under the raw edge with a little knit hem tape for stability. I also stitched the pocket bags to the front of the cardigan, so that the stitching is visible from the front. This helps the pockets not droop quite so much. In the end, It doesn’t really look like an Esme, more like a much more simplified version of it. But for all the issues, I still think it turned out pretty good in the end!

handmade wardrobe // mommy and me leopard

my dress: True Bias Roscoe dress in a silky faille from Spoonflower (designer is Michelle Aitchison)

my boots: Target

Penny’s skirt: self drafted

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Remember the leopard print from my last post? The sublt pink leopard print? This is the same one, just in bolder colors! It’s from the same designer, bought on Spoonflower (link is above). Except this one I got in the silky faille fabric. It’s a tad bit thicker than the crepe de chine I got the other colorway in. Its not at all sheer and really silky to the touch. I really like this one!

I’ve been on a True Bias patterns kick lately, between Ogden, Calvin, Hudson, and now Roscoe. My first Roscoe! And I’m in love. I went with the shorter dress/tunic length of the bodice, but used the longer/wider ruffle hem of the midi dress view for my perfect length.

I only had a strip of fabric left over in the end - not close enough to squeeze out a dress for P, too. So I went with my go-to, super quick and easy make for P to match me - an elastic waist gathered skirt. One rectangular piece of fabric, one seam, a quick casing, and some elastic. Voila - a skirt. I have a tutorial on Megan Nielsen Design Diary if you need help with this simple sewing project! I added some buttonholes and a black drawstring on this one too for just a bit extra.