Edesigns Activewear Raglan Leotard PDF Pattern

Hey guys!

I know it has been absolutely forever since I’ve updated, but I know a few of you are still hanging around, so I thought I would swing by and let you know that I’ve just released my first PDF sewing pattern.

This is the first leotard that I released for my activewear company, and it’s absolutely killer for aerial arts.  The raglan sleeves make it so your arms have total mobility, but you don’t have to worry about horrible silk/rope burns in your armpits.  I expect it would also be incredible for colder days in the dance studio, or even just as a “body suit” to get that “super tucked in” shirt look.

These are a quick sew, and only take around a yard of fabric.  If you’re interested in sewing one up, you can find the pattern here: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/sewing/other/edesigns-activewear-raglan-leotard/174322

Weekly Portraits from August

Apologies, as I seem to have fallen asleep at the wheel this month.  We’ve been making the most of our August and it hasn’t left much time for the computer.

There has been ice cream to share, swimming and plenty of hours at the park.

Their shoes are filthy and their knees are scraped and I’m not sure either of them has any clothing that will fit once the cold rolls in.

 

We’re ignoring those first few trees that are already starting to change color and milking August for every last drop of summer sunshine.

 

I hope you’re enjoying the end of your summer as much as we’re enjoying ours!

 

 

My New “Baby”

Things have been awful quiet around here, I know.  I hope you all know that it’s not because I’ve forgotten you!  I’ve simply been immersed, well over my head, in getting my new business off the ground.

The sewing and pattern making portion of the business is, of course, rather old hat.  But that doesn’t mean that testing the patterns, grading them to fit people other than me and making sure they can hold up to the rigors of heavy use isn’t a time intensive process.  And things like appropriately pricing my work, figuring out how to distribute and market it and which task should be prioritized are all brand new to me.  Plus, my assistants are always wanting to take hammock breaks.

The Facebook page for the company is waking up and filling out and I’ve just launched a company blog for those who are curious about the how and why of each garment’s design.  I’d love it if you’d stop by, check them out and say hi!

I miss posting here regularly!  I finally finished the fancy fabric version of M6442 and owe you guys a post about it…but as you might guess with finishing a wool coat in high summer, I haven’t exactly been itching to put it on to take photos.  Lots of other projects have been dropped by the wayside, or have gone undocumented in the wake of the budding spandex empire, but, hopefully, once things get underway and I have a better idea of what’s required to make the machine go (heh…yes, I realize I’M the machine) I’ll be able to get back to my crafty ways!

Weekly Portraits-The Last Week of July

Just one portrait this week, after last week’s deluge.

Weekly Portraits- The Fourth Week of July- SO Many Brothers Pictures

I wound up with more great pictures of the boys than I know what to do with this session.  Grandparents, get ready, you’ve hit the mother-load this week.  The light in my bedroom in the afternoons tends to be wonderful for photographs, so I dragged the boys upstairs, tossed them on my bed, and shot while they played.  They had both just gotten up from naps and were in a very loving mood, which resulted in lots of extremely sweet shots.  Shots I plan on clinging to when they knock each other down and steal each other’s toys and are generally being horrible little monsters to each other.

G helped me get my settings right for the light before we started:

Then it was time to play!

If these all look pretty sedate, there’s a reason.  These kiddos move FAST, and me, being silly, I didn’t change over to sport mode.  So, most of the “action” shots are blurred streaks of hair and teeth.  The ones that are in focus are almost all from resting in between bursts of activity.  Ah well.  Some day I’ll learn better!

Weekly Portraits- The Third Week of July

This is what I see when I spend too long sewing or working on the blog.  Two sweet little faces, hanging out together, patiently waiting for Mama to come play with them.

 

  Little by little they’re entertaining each other more.  G still gets frustrated by his little brother, and typically prefers playing with me or the Mr, but every once in a while I hear him yelling for R to play with him.  R, for his part, will play with anyone or anything that moves.  He has started doing pullups on gates and the drawer pulls on our island.  My brain is running on overdrive trying to predict what he’s going to get into next.

 

Sewing that Stretches- A Prototype for Leggings

Edesigns Activewear is slowly but surely getting off the ground, and leggings are next on the list of items to be added.  Most of the spandex items I’ve designed so far have wound up being too large for me on the first try, and I’ve had to take the patterns in to accomplish a true extra small.  The leggings?  Not so much.

…for whatever reason, these barely fit me, so I’ll need to add a half inch or so to the pattern width to make them more comfortable.  Not sure if I simply overcompensated because the other pieces have all been too big or what, but lets just say that it’s a good thing I don’t breathe through my knees!  I’ll be testing these out at class tonight and making any further modifications to the pattern I find I need when I get home.

If you’re a gymnast, an aerialist, an acrobat, a yogi or a dancer who is interested in any of the spandex pieces I’ve been making lately, you’re in luck.  I’m planning to list some on eBay before too terribly long to get a gauge of what kind of interest there is online, so you’ll have an opportunity to purchase them.  If you have a specific request for fabrics or sizing, please don’t hesitate to hop over to the Facebook page and send me a message!

Weekly Portraits- The Second Week of July (Extra-Handsome Faces Edition)

OH I’m such a good mom, capturing my boys at their absolute most striking and documenting it for posterity!  *snickers*

Don’t feed these monsters after midnight folks.

 

…and yes, that IS the face R has been making that I mentioned last week.  I get it at least a dozen times a day.  It’s kind of my most favorite thing at the moment.

Weekly Portraits- The First Week of July- Playing “Favorites”

Only one of the boys gets a portrait this week.  Title aside, I’m not actually playing favorites.  G is out of town with my parents and I forgot to get pictures of him (beyond the ones for the shorts I made him) before he left.  R stuck with us though, so he gets his picture:

He has started making this hilarious “I disapprove” face, and I really want to capture it on “film”…but so far he has been too quick for me.  Perhaps next week.

Summer Clothing- “So THAT’S why there has been so much laundry lately.”

G’s wardrobe was seeming a little thin this summer.  Once we hit the stretches of consistent heat, it seemed like he never had enough shorts to make it more than a few days.  As a result, I sewed him up a couple of new pairs.

That second pair was made for a performance we went to at the aerial gym that was “Midsummer” themed, and that impish grin is awful appropriate, since, after I finished the shorts, I found that he had MORE than enough shorts, and the reason he never seemed to have any was because he was changing 3-4 times a day…every time he so much as dripped a bit of water on himself.  Oy.

R also got an outfit for the performance:

I used the same basic idea I did with the tshirt for G’s Batman pajamas and clipped out some images from a sample of Spoonflower’s new microsuede before stitching around the edges.

G’s shorts were both made with the basic sleep short pattern, but I added patch pockets, trimmed with bias tape made from leftover Batman fabric, to the blue pair after he expressed disappointment the green shorts were pocket free.

He’s a tyrant, that G.