Our Family Photos! (Scientific Seamstress Ethan/Marco & CKC Cora's)

Hi!  Do you all remember when I did my intro post and didn't have a current family photo?  Well turns out if I would've waited actually just a few hours a would've had a handful of them! Miss Jenny from Jenny Steven Photography came though! Don't you love when your able to trade talents, I made her a couple dresses for her beautiful little ladies and she helped me out with some family photography!  I got so excited, because I did sew it all, that I had to go ahead and do a post about the clothes!

I made them all for Easter, it was my first sew for my husband...he likes to grunt a lot...doesn't he look like that type of guy, I never can tell if he likes what I make or not, lol, but he wore it for the photos anyway. 

The guys were all wearing Scientific Seamstress/Sis Boom Marco and Ethan and Gracie and I were wearing Create Kids Couture Cora's Girls Tiered Dress and Cora's Women's Tiered Dress.  I just love that I got us all to match EXACTLY, I'm pretty sure those days are limited and I know to some of you it might seem cheesy, but I like it and pretty much, I've decided that's all that matters!

The guy's shirts...wow...this was actually the first pattern aside from CKC that I ever tried.  I bought it at Christmas and ended up just chickening out until March.  CKC patterns taught me to sew clothing!  I knew the basics of my sewing machine and how to put together a simple pillowcase dress, but not much more...I tried the free Pinterest patterns...I was actually excited and said "Look, I can sew only free things and never buy a pattern".  And it was cute, but whoever drafted it, ofcourse, drafted only the size to fit their kiddo and for a beginner resizing was a little hard!  Which led to an Etsy search where CKC was one of the first to catch my eye (And BTW if you check out CKC blog, I think they have around 100 free things and tuts for US..skirts, shorts, a dress...worth a look). I stayed loyally there for a year and learned ALOT, I learned enough that I call myself a confident seamstress.  When I decided that it was time to make something for these boys I turned to the ladies in CKC pattern group and this was the first shirt suggested and with rave reviews! When I bought and downloaded the pattern it was overwhelming because of the amount of pages, I was NOT used to that, but upon looking, that was just because each size has it's own section of pattern pieces and they take the time to tell you exactly what pages you will find what you need on.  Then came the taping...I will admit...I had decided after the taping ordeal that trying new pattern designers was not for me, BUT THEN, I made the shirt.  It has to all have it's own piece to work...it can't be a lot of rectangles, that's just how it is and now I am ok with that. Proof being, that I then purchased the Marco and made the 2XL...piecing a 12 had nothing on that one, let me assure you ;) And I still loved the outcome!

And look at this guy...he can take a cute picture when he wants.  This was my first effort at the SS Ethan.  I made it for his birthday!  I think I used the size 12 with one of the shortest lengths and instead of buttons (I hate trying to make button holes with this Singer I have) I used pearl snaps...the guys all seem to like those around here anyway! The length option is one of the things I LOVE about this pattern...there are several options for sleeve and shirt length on each size.  Aiden here is 8 years old, I MAY have made this one a little bit short, but for the most part, when I buy shirts from the store for him, because of his shoulders and what not we go to the 12/14 and they are generally just too long.  I can customize that here so it fits through the shoulders and buttons nicely and he doesn't look as if he's in a dress and he doesn't have to stay tucked in!

You see, none of them tuck in!  The biggest issue I have when making these shirts are the plackets, I asked for help in the Scientific Seamstress pattern group when I started on the matching ones and was directed to their albums! That was incredibly exciting for me...they seem to have an album with photos of each step for each pattern so that if the words and the pattern photos aren't enough you can go there and get even more detailed help.  These still were not completely perfect, but for my very OWN boys it's ok, I'm sure the next time they will be even better.  Daddy here decided that this shirt was to be tailor made to fit him on my very first attempt ever.  I think it fit rather good, it didn't have the issues most of his store bought shirts have, but I put it on him before I sewed the side seams to pin and adjust and much to his surprise, because he just KNEW the tummy was gonna be huge we just didn't have to do any adjusting!  He also thinks Mr. Remington's shirt is too BIG, it is NOT if he would just learn to use another button, lol.  You see Remington is a Daddy's boy and makes him do for him when he is home...woo-hoo...I just LOVE it...so he helps him get dressed!

All of the Sceintific Seamstress/SisBoom patterns get rave reviews from me.  After these I went on and gave some of their dresses a go, and LOVE LOVE LOVE them just as much!  Easy to understand and I learned a lot of new things...gluing down tiny hems with a glue stick, I love that!

And now on to CKC's Cora's, doesn't she just look like she is floating!  She really is in a size 3, but I made a 4 in length for her.  She's been growing so fast that things weren't lasting and she is wearing a 4T in store bought clothing, she is 2 years old, what's the deal with all that!?! Anyway what I discovered is a 2 year old probably shouldn't have a maxi dress that is this long, I WANT mine like that, but she has a hard time getting around. I also discovered that for us CKC is right on the money for sizes, she wears a 3T, I have stopped doing the 3 width 4 length, she didn't need it! It's ok though, she can wear this dress for a while. She was so pretty in it.  It can be made in 3 different lengths, the top, just a dress, or the maxi dress like I chose.  You see Cora's in women's was the first adult dress pattern I ever bought, I feared it too for some reason, I think because I thought frumpy old me would never do it justice, but I just LOVED the look of it, I kept it for way over a year before I decided to make it and ofcourse Miss Prissy needed the match. Do you know how much fabric it took to make the 2, I ordered 9 yards from The Fabric Outlet and got it for less the $50 shipped!!!  Can't beat that with pretty, good quality fabric like this!

I think that if my husband ever marries me again that the CKC Cora's might be the dress that I make for myself! What I learned is that a dress like this that takes so much fabric should definitely be made in an apparel weight!  I wish I had a good quality photo to show you all of the way mine fits me!  But it's just the same as the fit on my girl!  Wouldn't it be an AMAZING wedding dress! I really and truly think I may ask him to marry me again just so I can make this dress for myself, lol!!! I ended up adding a little more shirring in the bust area because I am on the smaller side up there and I think I possibly could've gone for a size small atleast in the top area, but all in all I love the dress.  And our necklaces, aren't they cute, I have to give a shout out to Miss Farrah from It's All About The Beads for working with me to help me match this print!  She makes such pretty necklaces, good quality as well!!!

I'm was happy with these outfits and I love these designers so much, Cora's big and little didn't give me a bit of trouble, it was a lot of ruffling, but since, I have learned a little trick that helps me a lot!  I think it was from one of Tiffany's CKC pattern's where I first noticed it...you pull both ends of the string at the same time and DOUBLE the ruffling power...I had been pulling one end/one string...you have no idea the joy that overwhelmed me when I read the directions closely enough that I figured that out...sadly these were ruffled pulling only one string, lol!!!  And Ethan's and Marco's...these were a big step out of my comfort zone and I was absolutely amazed that I was able to make them with such ease!  The help over at Scientific Seamstress as amazing...never think you can't do something...I bet you can...did you know I made the shirts, cutting and all, in 3 days time...that was a pretty awesome feat for me!

There's a few more photos for you all, I just love them! Thanks Jenny Steven's Photography.  I hope you all have a blessed day, this Momma Duck has a few little Duck's to tend to.