Upcycled Sweater Toddler Dress

Upcycled Sweater Toddler Dress

Have an old turtle neck or sweater that you just don't like anymore? Or, one that just never fit right? I sure do! Matter of fact, this sweater fit into that second category. It was a bit too broad in the shoulders and left me feeling like a line backer. I think I may have worn it a handful of times but, I could not manage to get it OUT of my closet! The fabric was just too nice to part with it. So, I decided to upcycle it into a Christmas dress for my Stink Bug!



I started by finding a dress, which already fits my Sting Bug, and laying it over top of the sweater to use as a pattern. Now, some people might prefer to trace the dress onto paper to then use as a pattern but, not me! I had one nap time to make this dress as well as one for Thanksgiving. (You can check out the other dress here.)



Using the body of the dress as a guide, I cut up the sides of the sweater. I wanted to use the turtle neck part of the sweater (it was a tight fitting on me) for the Stink Bug as well. You can see it really was a very general outline. It looks a little funky on the right side but trust me, it all came out fine once I sewed it! You'll see!



I also decided to salvage the sleeves, using the cuff's to my advantage. Be sure to cut at an angle so that you don't have bunching under the arms of the sleeves.




With the dress inside out sew up the sides of the dress, being sure to leave room to add the sleeves. Once the sides are sewn, add the sleeves. You can check out how to add the sleeves on my other dress tutorial here.


Try your dress on your little one, and make any changes accordingly! (The Stink Bug was trying her dress on over the clothes that she was wearing that day. The dress looks a bit bulky because of this.) You can bunch the turtle neck up if you like that look, or you can fold it over. (It is folded in the next picture.) If your turtle neck is way to big for your tot then, fold it like a cowl neck!




Here she is standing up in her dress so you can get an idea of what the whole length of the sweater looks like. You can very easily hem the dress shorter, or just take the length into account when you trance the dress initially. I really like the length of the dress for the winter, and it does not trip the Stink Bug up!




I bet you can make one in a nap time too! If you do, I would LOVE to see what you come up with!

Check out another toddler sweater dress that I sewed here!

Santa are you for REAL?

Santa. Father Christmas. Mr. Claus. No matter what you decide to call him, you have to make the decision of what role he will play in your childs life.

This time last year I was beginning to explore who Santa would be in the Stink Bugs life. This is an excerpt from that blog:

"As for telling the Stink Bug who Santa is, that is where I am torn. On one hand I want her to experience the whole "Santa" mysticism but, I also want her to understand that we are really celebrating the biblical Christmas story first and foremost.

Awhile back, I picked up a book at a library sale called "Santa are you for Real?" I dug it out the other day and it really helped to lead me in the "Santa" direction that I think I want to go. Here is a brief description of the book from www.christianbook.com.

"In this book children will discover that there really was a Saint Nicholas. Through colorful illustrations and a heartwarming story, children and parents will learn who the real Saint Nick was, when he lived, and why he gave gifts. Most importantly, you'll see how the original Saint Nick set an example for us today by keeping Christ at the heart of Christmas. Written by Harold Myra, President of Christianity Today, Inc., this trustworthy story is accompanied with fun, whimsical illustrations."

The book is heavy on the idea of giving during the holidays, with Jesus' gift to us being the model for our giving. I like that idea. The part of the book that I think I like best is that last page. It concludes with one of the children staring out of the window on Christmas eve, wondering if she just saw Santa in the moonlight. I like this idea because the book never really squashed the idea of Santa. It still leaves the parents to say, "I don't know about Santa, what do you think?" You can leave the mystery as just that, a mystery. Letting your child try to figure it out for them self. I think this is the direction I will go with Juliet. I have a feeling that this book will become an important part of our Christmas traditions."

What Christmas traditions do you remember?
Which traditions do you celebrate with your child/children?
How do you blend the idea of Santa with Christianity?

Wordless Wednesday: Small Spaces

Christmas in the Making: Slippers

Here is another Christmas gift in the making!

Keep an eye out for these on the Stink Bugs feet in her upcoming tot school pictures! Just a little trial run of a Christmas gift that I sewed for her. Good thing she wont remember having seen them come Christmas. Or, if she does, she really wont mind! ;-)



Are you making anything for your little one for Christmas? I would love to hear what you have been up to!

Yogurt Cheese

I know that I don't typically post on food types of things but, I just couldn't help but to share this yummyness! This is DEFINITELY a toddler friendly snack and it spreads easily on crackers, or just about anything!

Yogurt Cheese




Are you a yogurt fan? Have you made something like this before? If you haven't then you should try it! The possible flavor additions are limitless! Sweet or savory!


You can check out how to make it here. It is REALLY easy!

Tot School: 16 Months

~16 Months~

This week the Stink Bug turned 16 months old! Boy the time sure is flying by! I can't believe how fast babies grow up!

In tot school this week we worked with a very versatile (and free) activity. I saved the cups from laundry detergent containers, and painted the inside of each cup with some paint. One for each color of the rainbow. I have left out a few more that I made (purple, pink, white, etc.) for simplicity's sake this week. Really, you could use just about any small, clear container for this.

I have the cups turned upside down so that you can see the colors more easily as well as for the first activity we worked on.



The first activity that we worked on was talking about the different colors in each cup. Yes, this is MANY colors to introduce to your child all at once. By all means, I did not expect her to remember, or learn, her colors from this activity. This was more about exposure for us. I also took five craft pom-poms, one that corresponded to each of the cups, and showed her those as well. As I talked, I would places a pom-pom on (or in) each of the cups.



She had a blast putting the pom-poms in and out of the cups.



The Stink Bug also enjoyed stacking the cups. (Never putting down the pom-pom's!)



Another activity that we used the cups for was working on sorting two colors. When you work on this activity, be sure to use highly contrasting colors so that your little one can easily distinguish between them. Blue and purple can be very close in color and could make the activity too difficult. Shades of the same color are also difficult for tot's. I happened to pick red and yellow (blue and yellow would be the best now that I have thought about it) to work with. I gave her pom-pom's that matched and helped show her how to sort them.



The Stink Bugs grandma was over on this particular day. (Yes, that is grandma helping out in the background. Sorry, for the not flattering picture grandma!) I held one cup, and grandma held the other cup while the Stink Bug sorted the pom-pom's back and forth between us. This was VERY difficult for her but, with lots of cheering on, she thought it was a fun game to run between us! I will definitely repeat this activity again in a few months.



Have any ideas of how we could use these fun cups next week? I would love to hear what your creative mind can come up with!?

Wordless Wednesday: Piggy Love