T-shirt Pillowcase Dress

My husband and I are graduates of Oklahoma State University and we love going to the football games each season.  Since having Amelia, our 18 month old, I’ve noticed a major deficiency in cute game day clothes for babies.  There are very limited options in her size.... so I took matters into my own hands for the upcoming season with this t-shirt knit pillowcase dress.  

I started with on of Zach’s old t-shirts.  I know we’ve all got a few of these around the house!  I used one of Amelia’s dresses to measure out the correct size and shape (please excuse the baby hands in all my pictures!) and I just cut it right out of the shirt.

Next, I used put the “right sides” of the t-shirt together so that it was inside-out.  I used my serger to sew the two sides together.  If you don’t have a serger, a regular sewing machine will do the trick.  

Then I serged around the arm/neck opening because t-shirt knit tends to roll up when it’s being worked with so I did this in an attempt to keep it all flat.

This is what it looked like with the sides sewn together and the arm/neck openings serged around the edge.  You should have basically a tube of knit with one skinny end.

*Now I switched to my regular sewing machine*

Once the sides are together and the opening is serged, I folded the edges to the inside around the arm opening and sewed it down to make a finished arm hole.  The serging not only kept the knit from rolling, but it also gave me a little guide for turning in the edges and sewing them down.... I just followed the serged edge!

After that was done, I made a casing along the straight edge at the top for the drawstring/straps to be threaded through.  I just folded the top down about an inch and sewed along the serged edge.  Do this twice.  Once for the front and once for the back side.

Now just string a ribbon through the casing, making a “u” shape to connect the front and back and tie on one side.  You have a dress!

But I didn’t stop here because no self-respecting Cowboy Kid would wear just a plain orange dress to the game.  I had to spice it up!  

 I had a black dress in my size with all these ruffles along the bottom.  It’s not really my style, so I cut 2 rows of ruffles off to put on Amelia’s dress. Much more fitting for a toddler than a mother.

I cut down the ruffle rows to fit around the tiny toddler hem line and just sewed them right to the pillowcase dress.  Super easy.  Way easier than making my own ruffles!

Now we have a dress!

But I didn’t stop here either, because it doesn’t exactly scream Go Pokes!  So, I added some bling.  I bought black and clear iron-on crystals at a craft store, printed out the letters OSU in a font I liked and traced the letters onto the front of the dress.  You could use a water-soluble fabric pen, but I like to live dangerously and I just used a ball-point pen!

Iron the crystals on following the pen marks. 

NOW we have a DRESS!!

No-Sew American Flag T-Shirt

 This no-sew project is so quick and easy you’ll spend more time picking out your ribbon than actually working!! Here’s what you’ll need:

 Assorted red, white, and blue ribbons
ultra hold iron-on adhesive ( I used Heat ‘N Bond, but any brand will do)
t-shirt
scissors
fray check
iron and ironing board

 First off, I need to tell you that the iron-on adhesive needs pretty high heat to adhere, so use a press cloth to prevent your ribbon from burning... I just used a tea towel. Also, if you’ve never worked with and iron-on adhesive, it is double-sided. The rough side is the side with the glue. The smooth side has glue too, but there is a liner over it. Now for the tutorial:

1) Cut the iron-on adhesive into a rectangle. Use your t-shirt to help you decide the size of your rectangle. Lay the rectangle on the ironing board, rough side up. Cut the blue ribbons all the same length, about 1/3 the length of your rectangle and arrange in the top left corner of your rectangle (rough side up.) Cut a few red/white ribbons to reach from the blue ribbons to the end. Put a little fray check on the raw edges of the ribbons to keep them from fraying when you wash the shirt.


2) Cut a few red/white ribbons to reach all the way across the rectangle and arrange them below the blue.

3) Now use your press cloth and iron the ribbons to the adhesive.

 4) Once you have your flag arranged and pressed onto the adhesive rectangle, you are ready to peel off the lining on the back. Then lay your flag onto the t-shirt, and press again-- don’t forget your press cloth. 

Happy Birthday Amelia

Happy birthday to you! Today you are you! Today you are one year old. Your birthday party is on Saturday, and I promise to post another blog after that... so for now I will give the highlights of your first year:

You first smiled at me when you were 6 weeks old.

You first rolled over when you were 4 months old.

You first sat up by yourself when you were 6 months old.

You first said mama and meant it at 6 months old.

You finally crawled at 8 months old and I haven't blogged in a while because of it.

You first said dada and meant it when you were 8 months old.

You went to your first OSU football game when you were 10 months old. Pistol Pete makes you cry right now, but I think you'll grow to love him.

You started saying baby at 11 months old.

You still don't have any teeth, but you have the cutest blonde curls and the most beautiful blue eyes.

Happy Birthday Amelia!

Miss July

I was thinking about the amount of money Americans spend on clothes. Amelia has a few dresses that are more expensive than any of my dresses. I wanted Amelia to have a really cute outfit to wear for the 4th of July, so I searched on Etsy. I saw some really cute things.... and I ripped them off! I am going to tell you how to make it, too.

Here's what you need:


I got all of this at Hobby Lobby for about $50. These supplies made two outfits, and there was enough tulle left over for a third tutu. There was also plenty of ribbon left and I bought about twice as many iron on crystals as what I needed.

For the tutu:

I took two little girls stretchy headbands and cut them at the seam to make one long strip. Then I used my serger to sew the two strips together into one big loop with two seams. I used three colors of tulle (it comes on a spool). Decide how long you want your tutu to be and double it. This measurement will be the length you'll want your tulle strips. Cut the tulle into strips of your decided length. I just kept cutting until I ran out. After cutting the tulle into strips, I used a rotary cutter and cut each strip in half lengthwise, but you don't have to do that. You be the judge of how wide the strips should be.

Once all of the tulle strips are cut, start tying them on. Loop the ends through the holes in the headband/ waistband and tie them in a knot. Repeat this step alternating your colors until your tutu has reached the desired fullness. Once I had finished tying on all my tulle, I made a big ribbon bow and fixed it to the waistband, but this is optional, of course.

So easy, right?

For the onesie:

I bought ready-to-wear white onesies and one pre-made iron on decal of USA. I also bought loose iron-on crystals. I applied the USA decal to one of the onesies, following the instructions on the package. For the "Miss July" onesie, I wrote the words on the top using a water-soluble fabric marking pen. This pen washes out. Then I ironed on the loose crystals according to package directions, using the pen markings as a guide.

Voila!! Two 4th of July outfits!!


P.S. These outfits sell for $45 on etsy.com. I made two for less than that.... technically I spent more, but I had a LOT of materials left over.

June 5, 2011

Today our family participated in the Baby Dedication Ceremony at our church. Amelia is almost seven months old, and she babbled and chattered through almost the entire service. We are very lucky to have so many wonderful friends at FBC Chandler, and we were lucky to have our parents and Z's grandparents with us this morning. After church, everyone came back to our house for lunch. I always enjoy hosting get togethers and feeding people. If you are ever hungry near Chandler, stop on by! I feel that it is my calling in life to host and feed people. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. It makes me very happy.

Adventures in Breastfeeding

Amelia is now 4 1/2 months old, and until yesterday, she had never had anything but breast milk. Yesterday, she tried rice cereal for the first time. As a working, nursing mom, I have faced some breastfeeding challenges, and I would like to share a little of what I have learned.
1. The baby is now out of my body, but I still have to closely watch what I eat. Of course we all know that nursing moms shouldn't drink alcohol. Easy peasy. What I have learned about this is that every baby body is different. Different foods have different affects on babies. For instance, when I have milk, yogurt, or ice cream, Amelia gets an upset tummy and she spits up profusely. When I have a diet coke, Amelia gets painful gas.

2. To be successful, you can't embarrass easily. I have accidentally flashed my dad, my father-in-law, and probably a couple friends. It just comes with the territory. You can cover baby with a blanket, but sometimes baby pulls that blanket off! My mother-in-law found me a neat little nursing apron. It has an adjustable neck strap and a flexible, but stiff band on the front. This makes baby visible to me and my goods hidden from the world.

3. Ask for help. Let other people know what you need. I have to travel quite a bit with my job. Last week, I drove to Miami on Tuesday and Enid on Wednesday. When I need to pump, I need to pump. I have had to ask my colleagues to help me find a private place. Many have given up their offices for 20 minutes at a time to help me out. Others have found alternative rooms for me to use.

4. Be resourceful. On long car trips, it is sometimes impossible to find a comfy chair or a room with a door. I have a great breast pump with a car-adapter and a battery pack. I have pumped in my car before. The nursing apron mentioned in #2 has been useful when pumping as well. On more than one occasion, I have even pulled my car to the side of the road, got all hooked up, turned on the breast pump, and driven on down the road while pumping. Then I pull over again to undo everything!

5. Drink plenty of water. Nuff said.

6. Cuddle that baby whenever possible. Skin to skin contact is so good for milk production. When I have to go to work, being away from Amelia can be a little hard on me. Breast pumps don't extract the milk like my baby can. I cuddle and nurse her whenever I can at home, at the mall, in restaurants......wherever we are!

I am by no means an expert. I hope that this blog post may help other new moms who are dealing with working and pumping. It can be a challenge, but it is so worth it!

4 months.....

Amelia went in for her 4-month check up today. She weighs 12 pounds, 10 ounces and is 23 inches long. Yes, she is a shorty! She also had to get two shots and it was sad. She's been asleep for two hours now, poor little thing! I took advantage of her extra long nap to organize her clothing for Spring. Man oh man, does she have a lot of clothes! We have been blessed to receive hand-downs from Amelia's older cousins. They are enough ahead of her that they will not miss the clothes, but close enough that the clothes are still in style. Thanks Lacey, Cami, and Lily!!

Here are the clothes that no longer fit Miss Amelia:

These are still hanging around:



And these I can't wait to put on her!

Developmentally, she's right on track. She smiles when I talk to her and she "talks" all the time. I swear she was even singing along with the car radio on Saturday night! She is not rolling over yet, but I can tell she is seriously thinking about it. She loves her grab ball and her stuffed lamb doll. She also loves to shake her little rattle. It is so much fun to see her play, learn, and grow!