New Recycled Outfits

I spent yesterday in the sewing room under a stack of clothes the girls have semi outgrown. By this I mean that the pants on the craft table still fit but with all the bean eating and surprisingly low amount of sunshine and it's benefits of vitamin D this winter, it appears both girls have miraculously grown about 6 feet each. Perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration since I'm six feet tall and the little ankle biters are have only sprouted to knee biter status. Nevertheless, I simply cannot justify new winter jeans in March when we are only 4-6 weeks from short shorts and tank tops. Oh, could one only hope?

Armed with my small arsenal of clearance rack tee shirts, flood water jeans and enough scraps of material to clothe half of Nigeria, I set to work. Liv wanted flowers and Ava wanted their outfits to match. (I think it is simply adorable that my ultra independent and high minded 7 year old still wants her outfit to match her 3 year old sister's. But don't tell her I told you that.)

Here they are, three dollar tee shirts transformed into tri-layered flowers with flower buttons from secret stash button jar sewn in the middle.


To make those jeans last another few months; ruffles. More and more ruffles. This is the easiest thing to do, really. Simply cut strips of fun material about double the width of the circumference of the pant leg and whatever length you need to extend the pants. I cut my strips about 4" wide. Hem one long edge. Run one super long stitch with the longest baste stitch your machine has along the other. Pull the end top string to gather that basted edge into the exact width of the pant leg opening. Place right sides together with the gathered edge running along the bottom outside edge of the pant leg. Sew in place. Fold down to expose the pretty side of the ruffle. Press. All done, awesome girly ruffles.























Moving Onto To Why Ruffles May Not Be Cool For Too Much Longer

This little girl told me that she found a drawing of a tooth fairy in my desk this weekend. The drawing matched perfectly to the little drawing of the tooth fairy that she received on her most recent letter from the tooth fairy. Therefore, I have been found out. I think her exact words were "I'm onto you, Mom." And this is the exact face I stood dumbfounded looking into.

To which my only reply was a stumbling, "Hey, those who believe receive cold hard cash in payment for little girl teeth. Do you want the cash?" "Yeah, I want the cash, make it green", she eagerly replied giggling and skipping away.

All Smiles

Liv's at that stage where when you tell her to smile, she seems to transform her face into a contortion resembling what 70 year old men look like when having colonoscopys. It must be a developmental thing, as I remember Ava having a 6 month period where she absolutely would not smile for a camera. Only, sadly enough, Livi's has lasted 2 years. God, maybe she's channeling American Gothic.






















Evidence that she does in fact smile on a daily basis. She has to be poked in the tummy by her sister, but she does smile.




And finally, silly diffused picture when they were tired of me snapping with the camera to prove no small children were harmed while sewing ruffles and flowers.



Post Script...sewing ruffles and appliqueing flowers and butterflies made me ridiculously happy yesterday. I'm tossing the idea around in my head of offering these for other children at ye old online store, http://www.pinkevita.com..but don't go there now silly...it's just an idea. Always thinking. Hmmmm.