Add/Adjust an Elastic Waistband

Kids come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes and sometimes their clothes just don't fit quite right. Little miss is shaped like a string bean so I've been doing a bit of adjusting to get a better fit...

It turns out it's super easy to add an elastic waistband or adjust the existing elastic to get a perfect fit! 

We've had this little skort for over a year...

look how tiny she is! Just playing a bit of peek-a-boo :)

Anyway I finally gave up hope of her ever filling it out- she's 2 1/2 and it's an 18 mos. but was still falling down. So I decided to fix it up before it became way too short. 

Much better :)

This would also work for adjusting a waistband that is too snug

1. Unpick about 1" of stitching along the bottom edge of the waistband. You'll need to do this at each side seam if you are adding elastic. If you are just adjusting you can do it at one side seam. See the break in the stitching... 

2. If there's already elastic in there that's great! Just snug it up a bit and tack it down at the side seam... (Or sew a little extra piece of elastic on if you need a looser fit)

3. If you need to add elastic to the waistband you'll want to figure out how much you need first. Measure your kid's waist and then measure the front half of the skirt/pants/etc. Subtract the front measurement from the waist measurement and then subtract 1-2". This is your elastic length. 

Slide the elastic through the waistband with a safety pin, secure at each end, and then sew up the waistband along the stretch you unpicked in step 1.

***If your outfit has a tag in the back you might need to pick out those stitches to slide the elastic through the waistband. 

Easy peasy right? Perfect for getting those back to school wardrobes all ready to go!

Just a Peek: On the Move

Our little man learned how to roll over this week! Sure he'll be crawling around destroying the apartment before we know it :)

Forget Me Knot Clutch Giveaway

This week's giveaway is from one of my new sponsors Forget Me Knot Boutique: I'll let this mom-daughter duo introduce themselves:
"Forget Me Knot Boutique is a mother-daughter team: Andrea (daughter) and Jeanette (mother).  We both have many creative talents between the two of us including: sewing, crafting, party design, cooking, baking, drawing, painting, cookbook publishing, etc.  Over the years, we have each dabbled in our preferred creative talents.  Within the last few months, we decided we would love to work together in business doing something we both love to do.  When Andrea first came up with the idea of sewing clutch purses (one of her favorite things to buy and carry!), the idea stuck!  With Jeanette's talent for sewing and Andrea's (daughter) interest in fashion, design, social media, etc, we knew that beginning an online store selling clutch purses was the perfect fit.  We hope that you have as much passion about carrying our bags as we have about creating them!  Come check out the newly opened shop on Storenvy.com.  In stock, we have ADORABLE ready-made bags, and we are open to taking custom orders. " 
This week 1 Lucky Reader will win a clutch of her choice! (up to $30 value, free shipping included)

So many fun designs and lots of fun fabrics to choose from! You can all get 20% off your 1st purchase! just use the code "NAPTIME20"
Enter with Rafflecopter below: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Favs Party: #74

***Don't miss out on the last day of Pattern Shop Tour! Two $5 Deals and 2 Giveaways over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff and Sew Country Chick

It's Party Time!

Happy Friday and welcome to the party!

the most viewed link last week was...


First vs. Second from According to L
so funny! and I completely agree:)

And my other favs this week...


Jelly Roll skirt by Adventures of a DIY Mom
Major cuteness! And she made two for just $7!

Sling Tote Tutorial by Crazy Little Projects
how cute and fun!

Patchwork Pillow from Saltwater Quilts

Really love these! And they'd be a quick sew too



Were you featured? Go ahead, grab a button:)

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Are you Ready to Party?!


Just grab a button & display it anywhere on your blog, link up, & enjoy the party by checking out some amazing ideas!<br/><center><a href="http://naptimecrafters.com/"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b2tAhuRA2aA/T2gEyibIxMI/AAAAAAAAGlE/YzBjveagRvA/s1600/Friday+Fav.jpg"/></a></center><br/>

Mini & Me Summer PJs Tutorial

Getting tired of the heat? Whip up some comfy and cool PJs for you and your little buddy all from one pair of PJ pants!

Yup pretty cute:)

My older sister looked everywhere for some summer PJs and couldn't find anything the right length so she picked up a pair in a print she liked from Value Village and we went to work! And then I got a bit carried away and made a matching pair for the little miss. And then... I couldn't resist and made a matching top too. Best part is the whole project (2 pairs of PJ bottoms and a tank) still only took about 2 hours total.

1. For the adult pair just chop them off and hem. Our pair hits just below the knee for a comfy, modest pair of shorts. You might want to see how much fabric you need for your kiddo before deciding on a length

2. For the toddler pair I used the bottom half of the pants that we had cut off. Line up the side seam of some pants that fit well with the existing side seam in the adult PJs. Leave an extra 1" at the top for the waistband and a 1/2" seam allowance along the inseam and crotch curve. I left a little extra room because I wanted a baggier fit than the princess jammies. You don't need to add any length on the bottom because you can use the existing hem

To finish up the bottoms follow the basic shorts tutorial and just skip step 5 (hemming the shorts)

Now for the tank...

1. Use an existing tee or tank as a guide to cutting out your pieces from some knit fabric. I made the scoop in the neckline a bit deeper in the front than the back. Don't forget seam allowances at the shoulders and side seams and you'll need 1/2" extra for the hem. 

2. If you want to embellish the tank now is the easiest time. I used a start cookie cutter as a guide and cut out 2 stars from my pj pant scraps. Then I just sewed them on using a narrow zig-zag stitch. You might find it helpful to add some interfacing to the back of the tank- I didn't use it and had no trouble but some knits are finnicky and need some extra support

3. With right sides together sew up one shoulder seam. Then cut a length of your knit fabric about 1" shorter than the neckline and 1.5" wide. With right sides together sew the neck binding to the neckline- you will need to stretch it slightly as you sew to get it fit. Make sure you only stretch the binding and not the tank.

 4. Flip the binding over to the wrong side of the fabric and topstitch along the bottom edge of the binding to finish the neckline. Trim away any excess binding fabric. I used contrasting thread for an extra pop of color (don't mind my wonky stitching- I was in a rush)

5. Sew up the 2nd shoulder seam and then bind the armholes using the same method as the neck. With right sides together sew up the side seams.

6. For a bit of fun I did a lettuce hem. And.. since I was too lazy to switch my serger settings I used  my regular machine and it worked wonderfully! Just turn the bottom edge of your fabric under 1/4" or so and then sew right along the fold using a narrow zig-zag stitch. To get the lettuce edge effect stretch the fabric as you sew. Trim away the excess fabric from the wrong side of the tank (I still haven't gotten around to this and it still looks fine) This was seriously super easy and I'll definitely use this technique again! 

Happy Sewing :)

ABC Flash Cards Printable

***Make sure you swing by Shwin & Shwin today for the next stop on the pattern shop tour

 There's another giveaway and the Natalie Dress is on sale for $5 today only***
Little miss is starting to learn her ABC's so I made her some fun flash cards.

With all of her favorite things:)

Clean, bright and fun

and since I already made them I figured I may as well share them with all of you!

Have fun learning the alphabet!Download the PDF

Just a Peek: Pretty Pretty...

Princess One of my favorite games as a child and now little miss is thoroughly enjoying it- check out those earrings! Sweet, simple, and fun :)
and good news- I just checked and they do still make this game in case you have a princess of your own at home

Mikarose $50 Giveaway & Review

Have you heard of Mikarose? They have a huge collection of adorable, modest dresses! And they're all super affordable! Many of them even come with cute belts, which is awesome! And if you happen to be on the lookout for a dress you can wear while nursing you've definitely come to the right place! I found at least 5 that would work just great. I decided to try out the Kristy and I love it! Super soft and comfortable but still dressy and cute. And little man enjoyed the easy access:) I realized you can't see the super cute flowers- my long unruly hair is in the way so here's how cute it looks on their model. 

This week 1 Lucky Winner is going to win a $50 gift certificate!

enter with rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway