Maddie's New Lunch Bag

I made both my girls lunch bags last year using the Love Your Lunchbox by Ginger Cake. They held up so well and were such a hit that I decided to make them again this year. This time I used the Waste Free Lunch Bag pattern by the same designer. 

My girls start school 2 weeks apart so Maddie's is up first. She loves purple, animal prints and My Little Pony. She helped pick out the fabrics and we came up with this. 

I really like the interior pockets and I think this one will be just as loved as last years if not more so. 

The outside is a specialty fabric that was in the red tag section for $3 a yard. The My little pony fabric was a remnant and the pink polka-dots is the same PUL that I used for last year's lunch bags. The only other things that you need for this pattern are interfacing and insulbrite (to keep foods cool). 

Do you make your kids lunch bags/back packs or clothes for back to school? If so leave me a link in the comments. I would love to see. :)

Knight Hoodie - Charming Doodle Pattern Tour

I was so excited to get the opportunity to be a part of the Knight Hoodie Pattern by Charming Doodle. I mean seriously, have you seen the other ladies that are participating? To say that I am a little out of my league is an understatement. :)

I originally participated in the testing of this pattern back in December. You can see that full review here. At first glance you might assume that this pattern is all boy, but you haven't met my girls. Put a couple of feisty little ladies, neon sweatshirt fleece and an amazing pattern together and this is what you get. They just look like they're conspiring don't they? 

The directions for this pattern are awesome and so easy to follow. The pictures are very clear which is great for those of us that like to throw on a movie and get sewing without all the reading. This hoodie called for a viewing of "A Knight's Tale" of course! It took me about 2 viewings of the movie or about 3 hours from start to finish. This included everything from putting the pattern together to clipping all of my loose strings. 

My girls are both very tall for their ages. Abby, my youngest, is 4 year old. Her measurements put her in a 5 but I wanted this to last so I made her a 6. Maddie, my oldest, will by 7 in May. She is sporting the size 10 which is the biggest this pattern goes. Larger sizes, including adult sizes are currently in the works. 

So 3 days ago we had over 2 feet of snow on the ground. Two straight days of rain and 40+ degree weather and you get this awesome wet mess. Oy! The day we went out for pics was nice and sunny but windy as can be. Warning: you are about to see some windblown hair and fun faces. 

They were a little bit chilly but ready for battle. The best part of this awesome neon sweatshirt fleece that I found at Joann is that I will NEVER lose them in a crown. HA! 

This pattern is full of all the fun details to make your little guy or gal the most adorable Knight around. I somehow misplaced the large buttons for Abby's hoodie so I will have to clean my craft room pick some more up on my next trip to Joann. 

 Here is my so-so big girl in her new hoodie. By the look on her face you can tell it was a hit. 

Here they are side by side. I couldn't find a ribbed knit or zipper that matched the sweatshirt fleece like I had hoped and I didn't want boring old white so I did what I love to do. I pulled out the fabric spray paint and went to town on some white knit and a zipper. If you have never painted fabric before I would highly suggest it. It's tons of fun and has a great graffiti effect. 

I leave you with this adorable face and a special coupon code just for my readers. Go here to get more details and tobuy the pattern. The pattern normally sells for $12 but if you can use code CraftyBiggers from now until the end of February to receive $2 dollars off the pattern. 

My girls have so much fun running around pretending to be Knights. Hope enjoy this pattern as much as I do. If you get a chance stop by Charming Doodle and see what all the other talented ladies came up with. 

Charming Doodle Pattern Review - Knight Hoodie

Last week I signed up to test a pattern by the adorable Elisa Clark from Charming Doodle. I recently found her blog and I can't get enough. She has some talent! Her newest pattern is the Knight Hoodie and it for sizes 2T-10 (but there are rumors that a tween/adult pattern will be released soon).

The awesome thing about this this pattern is it's not just for little boys. I made one for my 6 1/2 year old daughter Maddie. She is pretty big for her ago so I made her the size 10. I took her to Joann with me to pick out her fabric and this is the combination she came up with. At first I was curious about how it would turn out but now that it is done I couldn't be happier. Maddie's in love with it too as you can see.

This was my very first hoodie and my first time working with sweatshirt fleece. This pattern came together so easily. It took a bit to get all the different pieces cut out but once it was cut I was able to sew it together start to finish in about 2 hours. The next one I make will probably take even less time.

 

This Knight Hoodie comes with very unique detail and "armor pieces" as well as buttons for accent. I didn't change anything about the pattern but by changing the color and making contrasting pieces it has a completely different look.

 

The fit on this pattern is loose but not baggy which I really like. It zips all the way up to the chin to give the look of armor. 

Some of the testers put appliques on the back of the Hoodie and it looks great. I left my plain because I think that the color is busy enough as is. :)

Maddie was excited to get to play with Daddy's toy sword from last years Halloween costume during our photos.

Here are some up close pics of the details on the Hoodie. I could not find ribbed knit or a zipper that matched our neon fabric so I just picked up some solid white and used Fabric Spray Paint to give it a graffiti vibe and coordinate with the fabric better.

I am scared to death to paint things like furniture but I have this weird obsession with fabric paint. As you can see below I used the same Fabric Spray Paint to make Maddie's birthday shirt for her birthday earlier this year.

Just for fun, here's Maddie trying to be an 'evil knight'. My silly girl is just too sweet to pull it off.

If you love this pattern and want to pick it up, go here and use the code DECEMBERKNIGHT before Christmas to get the pattern for $3 off. I know this will be a well loved pattern in our house. My younger daughter is already bugging me to make her one.