This week I want to talk about Hello Dear Kids' romper pattern (R18)! I've been following Hello Dear Kids on Instagram for the longest time and am constantly impressed with Mijeong Jeong's designs but I hesitated in purchasing an online pattern because I didn't know what to expect - especially with mixed reviews on Etsy.

After checking Joanns for a toddler boy romper pattern, and not finding what I had in mind, I decided to purchase the Hello Dear Kids' pattern (R18) a few days before Easter. A couple of months ago, I purchased a yellow and white seersucker fabric for $2.99 from the thrift store and it was perfect for this romper design! I was really excited to give it a try and I am really glad that I did!

So let's talk about pattern details, pros/cons, and those mixed Etsy reviews.

Pattern:

• The pattern is available for immediate download & is non-refundable. 
• If purchasing a bundle of patterns, you can use a shop code to receive a discount for bulk purchases. 
• Sizes 6 months - 7 years are included - yayyyerr! 
• Sizes true to commercial sizing.
• The files are divided into 2 parts: tutorial & pattern 
• The pattern pieces include a seam allowance and instructions clearly illustrate how to assemble the pieces. A measurement check is also included. Pieces do not include notches or button hole placements. 
• The tutorial offers step by step instructions with pictures prompting you as you go.  

Pros & Cons:

Pro:

• The design is adorable. I love how traditional yet trendy it is. Plus, this is a GREAT way to create a summer capsule wardrobe for your little one. 
• There are so many sizes included! The sizing was also perfect - Hugo wears a commercial size 2T and the 2-3T option was just the right size.
• I also love that the design is unisex. I just see myself getting so much use out of this pattern!
• The instant download is really convenient and pictures of the process eliminates guess work. 
• The rompers sew really quickly and can be sewn in an evening.

Con:

• The only thing that I really didn't like is the lack of button hole placement. It would have saved time if they were included and improved accuracy. 

Etsy Reviews:

• No seam allowance included: I think that Hello Dear Kids went back and modified the pattern to add a seam allowance because the seam allowance is clearly marked. 
• Complaints about spelling/English: I didn't think this was a fair comment, you can clearly understand the meaning that is being conveyed. 
• A lot of guess work/not for a beginner: If you're relatively new to patterns and sewing, this pattern may not be for you. Honestly, I didn't experience any difficulties but since notches and button hole placements aren't included, I could see how this could be a challenge for a beginner.
• Don't cut the waistband on the fold: I also saw a lot of comments in the reviews discussing whether or not to cut the waist band on the fold despite the pattern saying that it should. I followed the assembly instructions, cut on the fold, and it worked well for me.

Overall, I love this pattern and I plan to use it again soon. Hello Dear Kids has a lot of really cute patterns out there that I want to try and I can't wait to add them to my pattern collection. Now, I just have to chose which one should be next! Let me know if you have any suggestions! 

DIY Memory Quilt from Footie Pajamas

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about how I was having the hardest time letting go of Hugo bear's cute little footie pajamas and created those DIY sleeper mittens? Well, I decided to save all of his sleepers from his first year and create a little memory quilt!

DIY Car Seat Pillow & Life Update

I can't believe that it's been almost a month since I've updated the blog!

Life has been crazy. Hugo was sick for a couple of weeks and then shortly after the terrible twos found us early. Like, super early and it is exhausting. I find myself trying to sleep whenever possible which means that the majority of my sewing projects have been neglected. Eek! We are trying to find a better routine to make things a little easier on the bear (and his parents) but it's a work in progress.

If you've been following my blog, you probably remember the post that I shared about Hugo's updated car seat. Well, his car seat is officially expiring next month so we purchased a Maxi Cosi and are waiting for it to come in!

DIY Rustic Baby Shower Banner

I know I always say this... but it's been SOOO busy! We went on an Ikea trip this weekend which means there are boxes every where, old furniture on it's way out, and just stuff every where you look. It's been driving me crazy the last few days which means my upcycling has been on hold. However, I have been sewing a few things here and there over the last week. The diy evening dress is almost done (cross your fingers that I won't have to seam rip the skirt, again.), and I've been sewing a few decorations for an upcoming shower, and a few other things that will be announced soon-ish.

Transformation Tuesday: Footie Pajamas to Mittens

This week was another busy one and a lot of routine hopping for the Hugo bear which meant nap and sleepy time were all over the place. Getting anything done was a challenge. Hugo is definitely an active little boy and I am learning how to keep him engaged in activities as well as directing his energy so he doesn't become bored so easily. I think boredom could be a large fraction as to why he doesn't sleep through the night. This week we experimented with alternating an activity at home and then with an activity out of the house. My mom got him a Mickey Mouse calendar for Christmas and we write down our big or outside activities and talk about any events that are going to happen that day. I am also trying to rearrange our routine at home. We're so used to letting Hugo determine how the routine is going to be set and doing things around his nap or nighttime. Since he's getting older, I think that starting to do things while he's awake and letting him participate a little is going to be beneficial in keeping him engaged and learning. I think that I noticed he was ready for a shift in routine at home when he wanted to "help" do the dishes, got really excited to see the vacuum, and attacked the broom. haha. He's the cutest!

Transformation Tuesday: Playsuit into a Sweater!

In November we bought Hugo a playsuit from Carters that looked so warm and adorable. Since we are awful at surprises, we couldn't wait until Christmas and gave it to him early so he could start enjoying his little suit. Let me say that I loved this suit for about 2 washes and then material/interfacing began to unravel at the inner leg seam. It was an easy enough fix, albeit an irritating one. I also began noticing a good deal of wear-and-tear signs in the legs like, matted material, layers of fuzz, and noticeable differences in the knee after about 4 wears. Nope, nope, nope. I think at this point, the creative wheels started to turn. It was much too soon to get rid of. That would be such a waste of money, plus it had some issues so it would most likely not sell at a thrift store. I thought my, that would be a cute sweater though. So, I made it a sweater! Also, Hugo grows the most in his torso and tends to outgrow the lengths of his sweaters and shirts long before the sleeves so I was really pleased with how much length I was able to get from the playsuit! It's so easy that it doesn't really require much of a tutorial, to be honest. Even Scott was surprised by how quickly it went and said, "You're done?! That took you like 15 minutes!" Yup, easy.

Transformation Tuesday: 90s holiday dress to toddler romper

Oh my gosh, guys. I almost didn't make another Transformation Tuesday! This was easily the hardest upcycle that I've ever done and I was literally sewing against the clock (well, my self-imposed deadline of tonight). The concept of this transformation wasn't difficult however, I cut all of my pieces two weeks before I began sewing. Of course, during that time Mr. Hugo bear had a growth spurt and I had to scrap my original design when I was 85% finished and let out all of the seams. That didn't work. I have used the seam ripper enough this week for my husband to know that if I am sitting on the couch, seam ripping and binge watching Netflix, it's going sideways.

Now that we've talked about what a wild ride this week was trying to get this transformation to work for me, let's talk about the inspiration behind this romper!

Pattern Review - Simplicity 8098

Well, Thankful Thursday was short lived. Not that I'm lacking gratitude or thankfulness rather, there is just so much to be thankful for and I am so appreciative for a great many things in my life. I have noticed that it is a lot harder for me to talk about things that are so close to me now such as, why I am thankful for life, opportunities, possibilities, health, etc. and I was really conflicted about posting last Thursday's post. Introspection is a beautiful thing that causes pause and self growth but I don't know that there's a place for that level of intimacy on the blog, anymore. I would rather look back and see the evolution of when I started writing through actions and experiences instead of talking about the process of what it took to get there. This leads me to talk about where this blog is going!

DIY Pack and Play Sheets

One of our favorite gifts that we received when expecting Hugo was our Eddie Bauer pack and play. We spent a good deal of time trying to figure out which brand of pack and play to choose and ultimately the Eddie Bauer pack and play won us over with it's look and function. Not to mention that it is incredibly well built. However, one thing that we didn't know when we put the pack and play on our registry is that most pack and play sheets will not fit the mat. Gah! We relied on the pack and play a lot when Hugo was a newborn to about 2 months but he got tired of it quickly and preferred his crib so I never made sheets for the mat. Once he became a little older and needed to be contained, he continued to prefer other things to his pack and play. Soon enough, we started leaving the pack and play at my parent's house so Hugo had his own space when I needed to go to an appointment and leave Hugo with my parents. We thought that we would have had the opportunity to camp this summer but unfortunately timing and weather just didn't work out so we were running out of use for the pack and play.