Proud as a peacock

I'm done! It's officially my summer. Physics and Anatomy finals are complete and I am super proud to report that I kicked major ass. I got A's in both classes, too! Not just the 89.9% rounded up kind, the almost perfect scores kind. Plus, I still have what little is left of my sanity, and both kids are alive and healthy. My house could use a good cleaning since any free time was spent sewing to release stress, but my mother and mother in law aren't visiting for a while, so it's all good, right?



Now that I have cleared the finish line for school, it means I can focus on one thing: HAWAII! My husband and I got married two and a half years ago, but delayed taking a honeymoon because Jane was only one and I was pregnant with Jimmy. (Long story there. Some other day though.)

Tomorrow we're flying the kids to my in laws and then we're off! We couldn't have planned this trip at a better time. Seriously. We both need it. Between my trying to do school work all day with the kids (and maybe some sewing) then school at night and on weekends while my husband plays the single dad at night has been a handful. I miss my husband. I look forward to adventuring with him, plus getting to be newlyweds!



To celebrate my freedom from school, I had to make something selfish. I've been bogged down memorizing muscles and calculating the period of waves too much. Faaaaaaaabric! Pretty faaabric! Luckily I had pre-washed this stretch shirting I bought in California months ago and I could just Washi it right up!

You'll probably notice that the sleeves are different. Here's how I made peasant sleeves. Print out the Washi sleeve pattern piece, cut the length off so that it is about 3" long under the armpit. When you pin the pattern piece to your fabric, pin it so it is 1/2" away from the fold. This adds enough extra for a bit of pouf. Then gather and attach the sleeve the way Rae tells you to.

I'm seriously in love with this pattern. When I get home I need to buckle down and sew myself a bunch of these dresses so I can be comfortable in our metro DC heat and humidity. Right after I prepare the release of the Prefontaine Shorts pattern, of course! I won't leave you hanging. And yeah, I will be working on the pattern on my honeymoon, but this is what I love to do so it never feels like work. Plus, I couldn't figure out a sewing project to bring with me.



While I am living it up in the Aloha state, some buddies of mine are going to be here sharing some of their sweet tutorials with you; everything from quilting to kid crafts. Enjoy and try not to think of me chilling on the beach and browsing the flea markets of Hawaii. (I'm seriously going to have to ship things home!)

Thank you all for being here. I always love your comments. They make my day. It's good to know I'm not the only nutter out there. :)

Pattern Review: Imaginegnats' Roly-poly Pinafore

I had the pleasure of testing and reviewing the Roly-Poly Pinafore sewing pattern by imageine gnats. While I should disclose that Rachael did give this pattern to me for free, the opinions of the pattern here are only my own and 100% truth. Y'all couldn't pay me to lie for you, so don't even try, okay?

Now, on to this beautiful pinafore pattern!



As you can see the Roly-Poly Pinafore is not only stinking cute, but reversible, too! It's sizes run from 6 months on up to a girl's size 10, and the pattern is PDF which I love because it means not waiting for patterns to come through snail mail. (Have I mentioned my lack of patience?)



I made extra appliqued dots for each side of my Roly-Poly with my scraps. Fuse some Pellon Wonder Under to your scraps and zigzag away! Just make sure to applique before you sew your interior and exterior pieces together.



The pattern is super easy to piece together, so there will be no cursing with your tape and paper scissors. I made a size 4 for Jane, which is a size larger than the pattern measurements suggested, but I often go up a size a little bit when I sew her things so she can get more wear out of it. The Roly-Poly Pinafore come with an option for side seam pockets that also reverse, but I chose not to put them. You can make this pinafore in a size 4 and smaller with only 3/4 yard of fabric for each side.

I also used snaps on the shoulder straps instead of buttons a) out of laziness, and b) because Jane is in that "let me do it myself" stage of life and it is easier for her to do snaps herself. Overall, it was less insanity for me. Win-win.




As you can see, it fits beautifully, and Jane will be able to wear it for months to come. This is an added bonus because Jane *loves* her Roly-Poly Pinafore. Seriously. I love that is it reversible, too, because this mom may just flip it to the other side for her to wear two days in a row. I've only had this sewn together for a week and Jane has already worn it four days. I am going to have to make a few more for her otherwise this one is going to die from all the love it gets.



Overall, the Roly-Poly Pinafore by imagine gnats is a killer pattern. From start to finish (with applique) I had this Roly-Poly done within an hour.



Roly-Poly Pinafore pattern by imagine gnats: Easy to put together PDF pattern pieces
Well written, clear instructions
Adorable design that fits well
Kiddo approved comfort
Easy to sew
Customizable
Easy like Sunday Morning



And wait! There's more! The lovely Rachael has offered a free copy of the Roly-Poly Pinafore to one of my readers. Sweet, I know! Make sure to leave a comment here and tell me who you would make a Roly-Poly Pinafore for. I'll (randomly) pick a winner later this week! You can check out the imagine gnats flickR group for other Roly-Poly Pinafore customizations!

A Bloglovin' Update and Covert Robin Winners

***If you follow my blog on Bloglovin', this is important! My blog following button on the left there was wrong. Please click it again, or click this link here to make sure you are following Made with Moxie. Sorry for the mix up, dudes! Carry on. ***


I'm exciting to be announcing the prize winners the covert robin! I had so much fun looking through all of the great projects that were linked up!


Without further ado, the lucky winners are...

Winner of a vintage sheet fat quarter pack from Cassie (elegantitus) is: Shannon of Sweet Puddles

Winner of a gift certificate from Clara (Clover & Violet) is: Ruth of ruth plus two

Winner of a lotta scrap bag from Courtney (mon petit lyons) is: Bobbie of From This to That

Winner of a handmade market tote from Jane (buzzmills) is: Wendi of Sew Cat Sew Creations

Winner of a fat quarter bundle from Jill (Made with Moxie) is: Samantha of At Home with Mrs. H.

Winner of pdf patterns from Karen (Sew Well Maide) is: Melissa of a happy stitch

Winner of a gift certificate from Kelley (casa crafty) is: Lilly of Lilly Hillage Urban Textile Art

Winner of a creativity pack from Melissa (a happy stitch) is: Nissa of Nissa Made

Winner of an embroidery kit from Rachael (imagine gnats) is: Lisa of In The Boon Docks

Winner of organic zippers from Stephanie (The Crafty Kitty) is: Kelley of Casa Crafty

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway: Prefontaine Shorts Pattern

Photo credit:Jane of Buzzmills
A digital (PDF) copy of my first sewing pattern, the Prefontaine Shorts for kids. Sized 18mo - 7/8 kids. (Note: pattern is still in the testing stage, but all testers have given rave reviews and no test kiddo has wanted to take theirs off without a fight.)

How to enter: Leave one comment in this post for each of the following:

1. Become a Follower of Made with Moxie (or be a current one) either via RSS, email or Bloglovin'.

2. Follow me on Instagram.

3. Follow me on Facebook.

4. Tell my which of my Tutorials you would like to try.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaways today! Drawing will be pulled Friday May 10th at 11pm EST.

Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway: Hand Stamped Flour Sack Bar Towels

Three Hand Stamped Seabee Flour Sack Bar Towels. A Team Dorsey original collaboration!

How to enter: Leave one comment in this post for each of the following:

1. Become a Follower of Made with Moxie (or be a current one) either via RSS, email or Bloglovin'.

2. Follow me on Instagram.

3. Follow me on Facebook.

4. Tell my which of my Tutorials you would like to try.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaways today! Drawing will be pulled Friday May 10th at 11pm EST.

Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway: Moxie Fat Quarter Pack

The Moxie Fat Quarter Pack: One fat quarter of each of my favorite skull fabrics from my personal collection.

How to enter: Leave one comment in this post for each of the following:

1. Become a Follower of Made with Moxie (or be a current one) either via RSS, email or Bloglovin'.

2. Follow me on Instagram.

3. Follow me on Facebook.

4. Tell my which of my Tutorials you would like to try.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaways today! Drawing will be pulled Friday May 10th at 11pm EST.

May the 4th be with you.

Princess Leia: Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

[Pause]  [Look left.]   [Look right.]  [Leia turns off R2D2.]




Team Dorsey is celebrating Star Wars Day today. Let's be honest; it's a great excuse for the kids to wear their homemade costumes aside from Halloween. (We really need more costuming holidays.) Plus, this year Jane is old enough to tell people "May the fourth be with you."

This year Jimmy perfectly fits into last year's R2D2 costume. Jane's costume I whipped up this morning and the light sabers I made from the pool noodle that kept Jane from rolling out of bed. (Another vote for Mom of the Year. I know.)






I realize I have committed a foul and given light sabers to two characters who should not have them. To be honest, I was always pissed as a kid that Leia wasn't a secret Jedi. That is just a bunch of sexist bullshit on George Lucas' part. Plus, I suppose if she had her brains, her slave bikini and a light saber, Leia would have just defeated the damn Empire herself.


She's a natural with a light saber.



The best part of the photo shoot was that my kids have never had light sabers before. I had to pose them and show them how to hold them crossed so it looked like they were battling. After I got a few good shots I told them they could hit each other with them. Hit each other with light sabers? It was on.









I'm super stoked that the baby Yoda hat I crocheted for Jimmy is still making the rounds with my nephews and Link is rocking it with full Start Wars pride!




Yoda: Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?

So have yourselves a great Star Wars Day and May the Fourth be with you.


(She's got a bit of the dark side in her, too!)

After years of making everyone else costumes, I've realized I *still* don't even have a Star Wars t-shirt to wear today. Sigh. And hey, I'm taking my final anatomy lab practical this morning. I'm hoping The Force is with me, too.

[End Scene.]

Crafting with kids

The other weekend we went out to a street sale slash handmade extravaganza. We met up with Jane from Buzzmills who was hosting an adorable tent for kids to come and make crafts.



The kids made butterflies and flowers that they are still cherishing weeks later.



The whole experience left me thinking that maybe I could try a bit harder to encourage my kids to be creative makers too. Jane is always doing such awesome crafts with her kids and clearly all I need is some pipe cleaners, tissue paper and paper clips. In the past I've been more of a "fine you can sit on my lap while I sew" crafting mom. You are more likely to hear me say "No! You can't use the rotary cutter" or "That's is *my* fabric." Hangs head. I can do better.

So yesterday when the kids were driving me bonkers because it was raining and I was trying to study, I just gave up. I herded them to the kitchen table, got out the scraps of elastic cord I keep from the shoes we buy at Target (yeah, I keep those. Call Hoarders on me.) and a box of ditalini. (They're little sliced tubes of noodle. Know your pasta, people!)







Turns out scrap elastic and uncooked pasta is a kid craft made in heaven. Jimmy could even thread noodles on his elastic. Today we had to go to Wegman's for more kinds of "beads".



It was fun and I had a nice happy time with me kids that they loved and made me feel like less of a crap mom for putting them off while I sew or study. Of course, it all came to an end did after Jimmy mixed all the different kinds of noodles together (which make the voices mad) and then made a game of flicking zitis across the table and all over the floor. Sigh.

But I know you are jealous of my new Ditialini bracelet. ;)