Upcycled Comfy Knit Dress

Used my new-found knit fabric sewing skills to make this cute little dress for Miss Z!

This free pattern from LBG Studio, which I found via Pretty Prudent, is pretty simple to put together... I struggled a bit with connecting the shoulder straps- they kept getting gummed up in my machines (both the sewing machine and the serger), but in the end they're serviceable, if a little bit lumpier than I would like.  The topstitching also made the edges of the bodice a little bit wavy, even after pressing, but it's not the end of the world.

I upcycled fabric from the skirt of an Old Navy dress I found in my closet that I never wear and lined it with white knit from an old tank top.  It's a size 2-3T, so I'm hoping Z can wear it as a top layer over leggings and a long sleeved shirt for this fall and then by itself next summer.

Crazy Pants!

Aren't these pants delightfully crazy?  They might be my 10 year old self's dream pants with their wild, florescent-tinged pattern.... so late '80s/early '90s and so awesome.  Hopefully 2 year old Zoe shares my love for this crazy print.  She seemed to like the throw-back Hammer pants that I made her, so I'm optimistic.

These are the Lovely Rita skinnies from Shwin Designs, cute little skinny jeans with a button flap on the leg.

 I made them from some stretch bottom weight fabric from the Red Tag clearance rack at Joann's... I love how the fabric looks like it's been printed with that bubble-wrap stamping method that's been bopping around the interwebs of late.  Plus I got to use some comically large buttons I have had for a couple years now!  Woo!

I love how they came out... just hope they fit!!

Briar, Take 2

Told ya I'd be right back with another Briar t-shirt!  This one is the full length version and actually in my size, so there are better photos than my last Briar.

I made this one with some kelly green and white striped knit fabric I got from the Real Martha's stash of vintage/old fabric... it has a bit of an '80s feel to it.   It's a much more stable knit than the last fabric I used, which made it much easier to cut.  Pretty easy to sew, too, except the edges curled like a mofo.

Sewing this baby together was super simple except for a serger user-error on my part which caused my serger to eat up the neckline a bit.  So my neckline is wider than called for and the band narrower.  But in the end, I think it looks better this way! This time I included the pocket, which I cut it with the stripes running vertically (I did the same for the neckband).

Overall, I like the final result.  I am a little concerned that it is perhaps a bit too long in the back... it fully covers my butt.  Hmmm.  Also, I think next time I'll center the pocket a bit more... it's inching towards my armpit somewhat.

More Meghansl

Yep, I am nothing if not loyal to a pattern that I like.  Ten thousand Scout tees?  Don't mind if I do.  One million Meghan peasant blouses and/or dresses?  Sure.

Here are three more Sis Boom Meghan peasant blouses to add to that total, all made as gifts. 

(As an aside, a shot of me wearing one of my Meghan blouses is up over on my other bloggy blog, if you're interested.)

One Meghan in a fun, summery red/pink/orange batik from Pasar Mayestik, made for Brewster (or Bruce as we call her now, usually pronounced "Brooooooooooose!"):

One Meghan in a black and white floral batik, which I think I bought at an Indonesian handicraft fair that Tim and I went to here in Jakarta.  This one is a Meghan for Meghan, and I have a selfie she took of herself looking cute in it that she will probably kill me for posting since she took it first thing in the morning, but I cropped it so her sleepy face isn't plastered about the interwebs...

This one is for Chaz, who recently became an old lady and now must exclusively wear purple.  JK... we picked out this fabric a couple years ago at Joann's and I never got around to making something for her with it until now.  But I got to test out my new serger when making this one!  Sergers rule!

Briar Tee

After hand-carrying my new (to me, but really it's second hand, or third hand if you count the 8 months that the Real Martha used it in Springfield) serger literally across the world (Springfield --> NYC --> Frankfurt --> Singapore --> Jakarta), it was quite necessary to put it to work and make all that lugging around worthwhile.

Sergers and knits are pretty much made for one another, and both are something I have (needlessly) feared to this point.  In order to conquer those fears, I decided it was wise to start with a simple (but yet styley) pattern: Megan Nielsen's Briar t-shirt pattern.  I'd had my eye on it for a while since it's a cute and modern wardrobe staple, but was hesitant to try it before getting my serger ready to roll.  Well, no excuses now!

My first iteration was made from some up-cycled fabric, a slinky rayon knit that was the bottom half of a Target maxi-dress that I never wear anymore.  I cut the dress in half so I could still wear the top part as a tank, and cut the cropped, short-sleeved Briar out of the skirt.  This little cropped bugger will be gifted to someone skinnier than me because I couldn't fit my size (or the full-length version) on the fabric, but I squeezed myself into it for a blurry selfie nonetheless.  Future recipient, whoever you may be: don't be skerred, the cropped/hi-low top looks cute layered over a normal length shirt or dress!

Dudes: sergers + knits = awesomely simple!  While difficult to cut (see: slinky, slippery rayon), this fabric is super forgiving when sewn.  And I lurve my serger!  I just have to remember to sew confidently, because once that knife hits fabric, that's it, buddies.  No going back.

Expect more knits and serged items in the near future... it will only take me as long as it takes for my washing machine to prep the fabric before I am back with another Briar, I guarantee it.

Sambal Chicken Skewers with Pineapple Jicama Salsa

I know, I know... another sambal-centric dish.  But, in my defense, these dishes were eaten a month apart, only blogged right in a row. Furthermore, this Bon Appetit recipe made the cover of the July issue, so the juicy chicken was just staring at me constantly from the coffee table, tempting me.  It had to be made.

A simple, tasty marinade/sauce for BBQ chicken, for sure.  However, for me, like in the case of the sambal/banana/shrimp dish, my Indonesian sambal (labeled "EXTRA PEDAS") was a bit too spicy... I think the heat from the stuff I buy here is several notches higher than the sambal oelek you get in the U.S.   Tim and I had a couple coughing fits while eating this (which may also be partially due to the fact that I cooked this chicken on the cast iron grill pan inside, being too lazy to wait for the charcoal to heat up outside). We did think the flavor was nice despite the excessive heat, though.

I served the chicken with a side of cooling pineapple-jicama salsa and some lime and cilantro couscous.  I think the salsa was the big hit of the night: crunchy, fresh, a little sweet, super healthy... give this recipe a try for sure!

Strike a pose!

Some more photos of babies striking a pose in the clothes I sewed or knit them!

Baby Anna lounging in her pastel Pretty Baby Sweater:

The tiny newborn baby Mr. Ben and Erin (aka Zoey) rocking her matching Tiny Geranium dress and baby bloomers:

The OG Zoe snuggled up in her pullover hoodie during a cold spell earlier in the summer:

Zoe looking pretty in pink in her batik Ruffle Top: