I have actually sewn A LOT more than this for Roark.  However, when I went to post the pictures of his stuff, I only had these pictures of the outfits I’d appliqued.  I have made him a handful of Jon Jon’s, but for some reason, never took a  picture of any of them.  Maybe if I’m really on top of things one day, I’ll have them washed and ironed and can find a minute to snap a few pictures.  But if I’m being honest, I’m hardly ever on top of things.

I made the shorts and then appliqued the shirt.  The shorts pattern is from one of my favorite patterns from Maja’s Heirlooms called Sophie.  Yes, it’s a girl’s pattern, but it’s shorts.  So it really doesn’t matter.  I think I have made this pattern about a zillion times, but they go together so quick I find myself saying, “Oh, I’ll just whip up a pair of pants to go with that!”  I always felt like this outfit had a “Kelly’s Kids” feel, but without having to shell out a lot of $$.  I think I have about $4.00 in the whole thing, and about 90% of the expense is in the t-shirt.  I love making shorts for a two year old because he’s so small that I don’t need much fabric.  And I can normally just use something out of the scrap pile.

This outfit is the same situation with the shorts above.  They were totally made from scrap fabric left over from something I’d made Edie years ago.  Roarkie calls this his “R” shirt.  I think that sounds about right.  However, I always felt that it had a “Superman” feel…sort of.  I have a hard time trying to decide what to put on these striped t-shirts, but for some reason I still buy them.  I was pleased with how the R turned out, so he’ll probably be seeing this design again on another striped shirt.

Next up, the pirate t-shirt.  I found this applique design at Planet Applique.  You can find the website here.  It is by far my favorite applique site.  Not only are her designs super cute, they are also relatively cheap compared to other sites.  Then she also gives away free designs with your orders.  I bought these shorts at Wal-mart on the clearance table for $1.  Then I bought a matching shirt and a design from Planet Applique to make an outfit.  So there was really very little sewing in this project.

I really struggle with buying white t-shirts for Roark.  I like to applique on white shirts so much more than the colored shirts.  I don’t know why exactly.  Maybe the designs show up better?  However, Roark can stain a white t-shirt within five minutes of putting it on him.  I don’t know how he does it.  It’s one of the secret powers boys possess.  I can tell him to sit on the couch and not get dirty, and by the time I’m ready to leave he’s got something smudged across his chest.  So I really try not to by him too many white shirts because he just doesn’t get a lot of use out of them before they’re in the “Play Clothes Only” pile.  All that being said, we have somehow managed to keep this outfit out of that pile which makes me very happy because it’s definitely my favorite outfit I appliqued for him.  I bought these shorts at the same time as the ones above and purchased the dump truck from Planet Applique.

That’s all I’ve got for Roark.  Again I sewed a lot more, but just didn’t get any pictures.  I really would like to continue to post pictures of my sewing.  So I will try and do a better job on the back end with snapping some pictures.  I started gathering ideas this week for their fall/winter wardrobes.  So I will start working on those soon.  If I bored you, I’m sorry, but don’t worry.  It will be awhile before I’m posting more sewing pictures because it takes me a while to make this stuff.

I have decided that dressing a little boy isn’t near as much fun as dressing my little girl, but it doesn’t have to be a complete loss.  There are SOME cute patterns for boys out there, and maybe one day, Roark will have a wife that appreciates what I have sewn when I hand them down to her. 

Here are some of the projects I have been working on since Roark’s been born.  There is no way that I would have been able to sew all of these outfits if it wasn’t for my sweet friend, Maja, the mother of all seamstresses.  She opens up her house every week and lets me use her children as babysitters while I sew.    It is just understood that every Wednesday before church we meet in her sewing room along with several other sweet friends.  I know one day these will be memories that I will cherish.  

This white bubble was Roark’s first Easter outfit (as seen in the previous Easter post).  Truth be told, I totally copied it out of a sewing magazine. When I decided to make it, Roark was only weeks old, and I barely had the energy to sew…being creative and selecting my own patterns and fabric would have left poor Roark naked on Easter morning.  So, I found this in Australian Smocking and decided to duplicate it.

On a side note, when I got him dressed that Sunday morning, I cried a little because he was just so sweet in it.  I get great satisfaction out of seeing my children in clothes that I have made for them…especially this one because it was a booger to make.

Here is another bishop dress I made Edie last month.  Again, totally copied it out of a magazine.  I happened to notice it one day while flipping through a Creative Needle, when I thought, “Hey, I already own that fabric! I can just make that!”

I love making bishops for so many reasons.  One because I can make them in my sleep now, and two because Edie can get at least two years of wear out of them which means there is more pay off for my hard work.  And three because they are just sweet dresses on little girls, and it is impossible to smock Hannah Montana’s face  on one.  Not that we watch that in our house…it just seems she’s everywhere these days.

Anyway, here is a close up of the smocking: