Sew Fun- Gymnastics Leo Tutorial (12M)

Once again I am a hard headed beginner and have dreams of sewing things far beyond my capabilities! For Project #2 I decided I would make Ruth a leotard (12 month.) She will be starting a gymnastics mommy and me class soon and I just had to have something for her to wear. As I researched I came to find there is simply nothing out there smaller than a size 2T for gymnastics leotards. Due to my own personal gymnastics career I'm also a bit predigest to sending her in a ballet leotard... It's just not the same. Therefore, all that was left was for me to make her one!

Thank you Pinterest!!! I found a lady's website with a vague tutorial where she made one for her daughter. Feel free to check it out here.

I decided to take pictures throughout the process for anyone else who might want to make one but is a beginner (and needs lots of pictures to look at.) Here you go:

I started out with some purple spandex (1 yard which was FAR TO MUCH, half a yard would have been plenty with room for mistakes) and some teal elastic. Mine was 4 way stretch so I didn't have to worry about which way to cut it. Be sure that if you get 2 way stretch  (test it by stretching) that you cut it with the stretch going across the belly

I made my pattern by a combo of working with a bathing suit's shape that fits Ruth and looking at the blogs pictures. If you're making one for your little girl having a bathing suit to work off of will help. Here is my first draft of my pattern. The neck was too low on this one. If you use my shape make sure not to cut it so deep or your little girl might look more like she's wearing a wrestling suit.

 Here is the fabric against her bathing suit

Next I pinned the front and back pieces together and did a zigzag stitch at all the seams. I recommend practicing this a few times on a scrap piece as it took me a little while to get the feel of working with the spandex.***note*** Make sure both pieces of fabric are going the right way! I did not have both my shinny sides facing toward each other the first time I sewed :(

 Here it is from a top view:

I then added a straight stitch next to the zigzag. Not sure why you need both but several websites said I should do this... so I did.

Here it is turned right side out:

Finally, I added fold over elastic (FOE) to cover the edges. I think this really made it come together. I tried pinning the FOE at first but my first try didn't look very good. I watched a few videos and decided that I should try to sew it with the fabric in the  middle without pins. I don't have a close up but I used the same zigzag stitch as before.

Here is Ruth showing off the final product! She loved the way the spandex felt. I loved the way she looked in it!

Front

Back

Girl's got to have her tutu!

Sew Fun- Reversible dress

Pinterest has ruined me! I have found far too many adorable crafts that I don't have time to make. This Christmas I received a sewing machine. Other than a few times borrowing a friend's, I have no real sewing experience. You can say I am a beginner with big dreams.

For my first project I decided to make cute (CHEEP) reversible dress. I had no pattern... maybe not the best way to start as a beginner but well I'm hard headed. (I wanted this to be a cheep project!) I found a pattern for a dolls dress and attempted to make it to scale for Ruth. The results turned out pretty good! It looks a bit big in the pictures, but that's just because I made it for 12-18 months. (She's still wearing 6-9 month) There are a few things I would change for my next try but It's wearable!

Let me know what you think!

Ruth 10 Months old

Ruth continues to be a social butterfly making friends wherever she goes. She is into EVERYTHING and life as we knew it is really over. She has a very sweet spirit and is quite independent. She enjoys people above all else and challenges us daily to be the best parents we can be. We are amazed that she continues to be a great sleeper and has learned to walk! She is truly a joy and blesses us daily.

Weight- 16 lbs 12 oz
Height-??
Eyes- Still blue
Hair- Sometimes it looks blond sometimes it looks brown
Teeth- 2!
Clothes size- 6m and 6-9m
Diaper size- 3
Shoe size- 2 or 3

Likes- Books!, pulling all her toys out of their bins, being chased, bananas, feeding herself, music class, watching children play, finding scraps to put in her mouth, waking daddy up, swinging, being laughed at, tickles under her chin, playing on pillows, soft blankets, her left pointer finger, her right ear, walking, yogurt, and musical toys.

Dislikes- having things taken out of her mouth, falling, being left (dropped off), pinching a finger, laying down for a nap, whole green beans, oatmeal cereal, sitting in the car-seat to long, sleeping with a poop diaper, and loud noises.

Teeth- Ruth now has her bottom two front teeth. She can eat just about anything she wants and eat about half of her food as finger foods. No signs of other teeth poking through just yet.

On the move- Ruth took the leap of faith to let go of the furniture this month. She went from taking just a few steps here and there to full on walking. We never practiced with her. It's just something she figured out on her own. She has now figured out how to go up stairs (YIKES!)

Firsts- This month Gammy came to town and we visited the Bay Area Discovery museum for the first time. She had such a great time playing and watching the other children. It is defiantly somewhere we plan on going back to every few months.

Baby Dedication- We had the oppertunity to publicly dedicate Ruth's life to God this month. We were blessed that Ruth's Grandmother was able to enjoy it with us. We ask for prayer over her life that she might come to know Jesus as her savior at an early age and live a life dedicated to serving him.

Ruth's dedication

At the discovery Museum with Gammy.

Ruth really does live in the Bay! Her first Golden Gate Bridge picture.

Ruth loves helping in the Kitchen!

Trying on Mama's first sewing project! Still too big, but a success just the same!

Playing with her friends, the Beltrans!

9 Months Old!

Forgot to post this earlier in the month. Better late than never right?

This post is a few weeks late. Our busy bee is keeping us on our toes so much it has been difficult to find time to sit and write this update. As I type Ruth is across the room pulling all of our nicely folded blankets out.

Weight- 16 lbs 4 oz
Height- 25 inches
Clothes size- 3-6 m and 6 m
Shoe size- 2
Diaper size- 3

Likes- people, mama, moving, kids, smiling at strangers, Cheerios, baby mum mum bars,  pulling up, her black velvet box, toys that make noise, being picked up, crawling, fruit mixed in her cereal, sucking her left pointer finger while holding her right ear, music, drums, cruising around the coffee table, her cell phone, pulling stuff off any surface she can reach, sucking a rag at bath time, and riding in the stroller like a big girl.

Dislikes- being held like a "wittle baby" (a horizontal hold), waiting to be taken out of the crib after sleeping, the nursery (see more below), not seeing where mom or dad is, sleeping in poop, oatmeal cereal, sitting still, the swing, loud laughing, knowing there are people over while she has to sleep, being strapped into her car seat, and waiting for her morning milk.

On the move- Ruth is all over the place, she finally decided to crawl on her knees. She is fast too! Ruth is also cruising around the coffee table and other furniture. We believe it won't be too long before she's walking!

Firsts- Ruth had her first Christmas this month. We had many fun adventures with family in Seattle including playing with her cousins, opening gifts on Christmas and even a trip to the zoo and aquarium. Ruth especially liked looking at the fish at the aquarium.

Our routine:
7:30 wake up and have milk
8:00 breakfast- cereal, eggs, fresh fruit
8:30-10 play
10-11:30 nap
11:30 wake up and have milk
12:00 lunch- veggie, meat, and fruit
12:30-2 play
2-3 nap
3:00 wake and have milk
3-5 play
5:00 dinner- meat veggie and fruit
6:00 bath
6:30 milk
7:00 night night!

Trying to get a group picture is harder than you think. This captured the moment quite well!

Nana and her girls

Thanks Mrs. Snow!

Christmas morning 2013

Getting into stuff

First ride on a horse with Aunt Kayla and Mama

Fascinated!

Ruth and Mama on Christmas

Not a fan of being eaten by a shark!