Crafting before we go....

We head out early tomorrow morning for a full day of travel.  I thought it would be fun to share two travel accessories that I made for our trip.  First, is eye masks for myself and Kyan.  (the other two Rees family members did not want one :) They are lined with a soft green fabric and I followed this free Craftsy tutorial with some tweaks. (No quilt batting as I preferred a less bulky feel) I have my fingers crossed that this will improve my ability to sleep on the plane....

And this passport holder was a hack of this pattern.   The outside (pictured below) has a pocket for your boarding passes so all can be kept together. I think following an actual pattern would have made the overall structure slightly more refined but I'm happy with the end result and I'm sure it will be an improvement over my rubber band method from last year.

Next time I'm in this space I'll be writing from France.  Au revoir!

Updating Thrift Store Finds: Short pants for kids

Often when you are thrift shopping for your kids or even for yourself you come across outdated clothing that fits most criteria but isn't really "in style." That was the case when I found these little pants recently. They are 100% cotton which is really important for Kyan in the summer as he tends to get overheated easily. I also loved the checkered pattern but the tapered legs had to go. So the following is how I converted them to short pants/Capri pants or whatever you wish to call them.

First you need to measure them on your child and figure out how much of the bottom you want to remove. I figured 3 inches would work well making them just long enough to not be shorts but the right length for extra summer weather exposure.


Next I cut off the excess fabric, turned the pants inside out, and hemmed the edge using a zig zag stitch. You could fold under the seam I suppose but I wanted to keep them from being too bulky. Then I pinned the edge in place preparing to sew the bottom hem. You can always do this by hand but I used my machine for speed.


And here are the results. My model wasn't interested in standing still very long for a photo but you can see that they are going to look great with sandals! These pants were $2 and with a little sewing from me they are not only an economical way to shop for our little ones (or ourselves) but they make creating a spring/summer wardrobe greener for the planet as well.


Updated, loose and breathable. All ready for some fun in the sun. Now we just need some sun.