New books and baby bump

Oh ya! I forgot to tell you all that I have acquired four new sewing books that I am currently reading cover to cover. So exciting!!! Yes, I am a nerd. So far they are GREAT and really informative. I can't wait for my body to finish "expanding" and then to "shrink" back to a stable size so I can really get down to mastering fit. Oh and just for giggles here is my current 27 week baby bump/mountain. :)

Pattern review-Simplicity 3762/View B

Pattern Description: Maternity knit and woven tops

Pattern Sizing:Size R5-14, 16, 18, 20, 22; I made size 20 (GAH! I wanted to cry, joys of pregnancy)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes, minus the inset. (Sorry for the blurry photo)

Were the instructions easy to follow?The instructions were a little more complicated than I thought they needed to be but I was able to follow them okay. It seemed like there were a few things that could have been done an easier/better way if one knew how and had the confidence. I had some ideas to make things easier but just went ahead with the instructions.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?I like that these will feel good during my pregnant summer months due to simple fabric choices, but I feel like these are a little "overly" maternity. Just because I am pregnant doesn't mean that I want my clothes to scream "maternity". Also, the casing for the elastic seems too small to get the elastic stretched evenly throughout. My fingers were raw trying to ease it all the way around. I couldn't get it right though so the elastic part is a lot tighter than I think it is supposed to be.

Fabric Used:100% cotton knit

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:Once I finished the shirt and tried it on the inset was huge and gaping so I just cut it out. Once I did this however the casing that houses the elastic kept flipping up and showing. See below for my ideas on this.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?I don't think I will make this view again because it was not very flattering for my "pregnant" arms but I will try others on this pattern. I will leave out the insets from now on and I will be using a different method on the elastic casing part and definitely making it wider.

Conclusion: Though there are much cuter maternity clothes RTW in stores I do have to say that this shirt is super comfortable. I will keep this one for around the house and try some of the others on this pattern. If you have big upper arms I would not recommend this view though because it was rather unflattering on me.

The new robe is done

So here it is! I don't think that I posted a pic of the last one or did a pattern review on it so...

Pattern Description: Toddler's robe, belt, tops and pants: Unlined robe has hood, long sleeves and self belt; tops have VELCRO closure at shoulders and long sleeves; top B has ruffle as lower edge; pull-on pants has elastic waist; pants has ruffle at lower edge.

Pattern Sizing:Sizes 1-4; I made size 4 for my three year old.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?Very easy

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?I love how quickly this goes together and it only has 5 pieces. It's not the prettiest on the inside but its unlined so that is just me being picky.

Fabric Used:US Air Force Fleece

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:No changes but I did accidentally cut both of these out upside down. Oops! I really need to stop cutting at night when my brain is frazzled.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?This is my second time sewing this. I sewed it in a size 1 originally but my little guy outgrew it. I am actually thinking about making the size 2 and 3 as well and then my new baby will be able to run through them when he becomes a toddler. I definitely recommend this pattern for an easy, quick toddler robe.

And here is the old one since I don't think I posted it here before. Yes, we are Gators fans here. :)

new robe for Taison in the works...

Okay, about my new sewing venture...its going to be another robe for my little guy who is three now. Same pattern as the last one (which was Florida Gators fleece) but three sizes bigger and this time he picked out US Air Force Fleece. Go figure since hubby is in the Navy. Ah well, the boy saw jets and wanted jets. So fabric prep is done, machine has been threaded, notions have been bought, layout, cutting, and marking are done--I am ready to sew this baby together. Here is the ridiculous part! I cut it out upside down AGAIN! I did the same thing to the last one I made. Either this thing is cursed or I need to stop cutting at night before bed. Hmmm, probably the latter. At least its just a fleece bath robe and not something uber expensive.

Mini Penne with Parmesan Chicken

Okay peeps I cooked again. Actually I have cooked a lot since I was here last but the only one that goes here is from Giada's cookbook. (Check a few posts back if you don't know what I am talking about)

This time around I made Mini Penne with Parmesan Chicken and it was a hit! This cookbook is GREAT! The downside was that this dish has altogether over 4,000 calories in it. So just beware and watch what you eat the rest of the day. I love pasta and I love when I can combine flavors I would not have thought to combine and have them turn out so good. I get all that in this dish and hubby loved it too. Can't find a pic right now, sorry.

That's all I wish to delve into right now, just know that I am sewing something new right now...