Fleece Top and Leggings

When Rex was born I flew up to Tennessee to take care of Clinton and Heidi Sage and help Courtney out for a week.  As I would get the kids dressed each morning I couldn't help but notice that Heidi Sage didn't really have play clothes.  All she had were outfits.  School outfits.  Church outfits.  And social function outfits.  No real play clothes to speak of.

During the warmer months this doesn't matter so much because Courtney lets her kids run around in just their diapers, underwear, or swimsuits.  I'm sure she's the talk of the 'burbs.  :-)  But when it's freezing cold, something warm and cozy is a definite must.

I purchased Heidi Sage a pair of leggings.  Have you noticed I purchased a BUNCH of leggings this year?  And why not?  They're cheap to buy, they come in every color and it leaves you more time to focus on the top.  

I found some purple fleece in my scrap box along with the pink and turquoise knit.  For the top, it needed to be simple because fleece is a little bulky.  When digging through my old patterns I found a very simple shirt pattern.  It was a short sleeve shirt pattern so I laid a long sleeve pattern over the top to lengthen the sleeve.  When doing this you need to not change the shape of the top of the sleeve of your original pattern so it will sew nicely into the arm opening.  

Next, I lengthened the top and added a little fullnes for her hips (diaper) because the pattern was made to just come to the waist.  I wish I had lengthened it a little more so it was more like dress length.  Maybe next time...I'm sure her mother will allow me plenty more opportunities.  

I used a bias strip around the neck and a button for the neck closure.  I added a knit flower applique and Heidi Sage is ready to go.  After each washing Courtney said the top gets softer and softer.

Courtney said Heidi Sage is losing interest in her photo shoots.  :-)  So these were the best pictures we could get.  Not great...but you get the idea!

Making life cute and cozy,

Cold Weather Bows

A girl has to sport a fabulous bow, even in cold weather.

I was standing in line at JoAnn's one day and found this great toddler headband and mitten set in the dollar bin.  I decided with a roll of ribbon I could make this pretty cute.

First I created a place to clip a hairbow  on the headband.  I didn't want to sew the bow to the headband because I wanted Heidi to be able to wear it later without the headband.  To create the loop for the bow matched the two edge of the headband and sewed along the edges for about 3/4".  Make sure to match your thread to your headband so that your stitches don't show.

The loop is sewn and ready to slide the bow into the slot.

I then used Deborah's hairbow tutorial to create this bow and clipped into the loop.

To create the matching gloves I cut two 8" pieces of ribbon and used fray-check to seal the ends.  My ribbon is 1 1/2" wide.

I then made the bows for the gloves.  To start the bow I took an 8" piece of ribbon and made it into a loop slightly overlapping the ends.

Then I sewed the loop closed.

Then flattened the loop in half and sewed a running stitch through the center of the loop through both layers of ribbon all the way across.

I then pulled the running stitch and gathered the bow in the center.   Then I secured the shape by stitching the gathered section into place.

Both bows gathered in the center.  Now all I need is a center ribbon.

I used a short 1/4" piece of black ribbon for the center of the bows. To get my measurement I wrapped the black ribbon around the center of the bow and then added a little extra so that the ribbon would overlap on the back.  Once the length was determined I fray-checked the ends of the ribbon to prevent fraying.  I then stitched one end of the ribbon to the back side of the bow.

I then wrapped the ribbon around center of the bow and stitched it in place on the back of the bow.

The finished bows.

Then I stitched the bows to the mittens.

The finished mittens.

The complete matching set!!!

Love these?  Click over here to read about our contest where you can win a finished set for your little one!

Stay warm,


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A Little Real-Life Inspiration

Heidi Sage is the proud owner of her very own scottie dog named Gracie...

...so when I saw this cute sweater, I knew she had to have it. The adorable scottie sweater can be found at Target. In case you haven't noticed a trend, I love Target. Anyway, I bought the sweater and took it home and I found the perfect fabric to match it in my fabric stash. The preppy plaid is the perfect way to winterize the easy-peasy rectangle skirt! Check out the rectangle skirt tutorial to learn how to make this adorable design for yourself.

Can't you just see this with some knee socks and mary janes?

(Don't forget about our Christmas Hair Bow Giveaway!)

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How to be Stylish, Even in a Sweatsuit

We do our best to make sure Heidi Sage is always dressed adorably. But like every girl, she needs some comfy clothes. There's no reason, however, that her comfy clothes can't also be stinking cute. I started with a cute pair of OshKosh Genuine Kids sweatpants that I found at Target. I didn't like the tops that went with the pants so I looked around and found a cute Cherokee t-shirt that kind of matched and I schemed up an idea to make it fabulous.

The pants and shirt I bought from Target.  Make sure to wash and dry the shirt before adding embellishment.

I started with a cute lace flower that I found in my trim box.  I used the flower to make a stencil on the dull side of a piece of freezer paper.  Notice that I drew the stencil about 3/8" larger than the lace on all sides.

I cut out the center of the stencil and ironed the shiny side to the t-shirt.  Then I painted inside the stencil with blue fabric paint to match the blue strip from the sweatpants.


The blue paint with the stencil removed.

I then stitched around the outline with brown embroidery floss to match the brown stripe in the pants.

Painted and stitched.

Next, I pinned the lace flower in place.

Then I stitched the flower to the shirt using thread that matched the flower.

The flower is stitched down.

I then started embellishing the flower with simple handstitching in colors that matched with the stripes in the pants.  The decorative stitching in the center with green embroidery floss.  After green I added more embellishment stitching with pink and brown.

A close-up of the flower after I finished all of the decorative stitching.

The finished sweatsuit.

Heidi Sage will look fabulous and be comfy in this adorable little sweatsuit.  This is one of her Christmas presents from me.

It's amazing how simple it is to personalize something and make it into a cute little gift!

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Sugar and Spice