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Easy Tank Dress: Finishing What Old Navy Started

Sometimes the opportunity to try something new presents itself so perfectly that it would be downright rude to deny it. Or at least that’s how I’m spinning this one.

Last month we celebrated the birthday of one of our neighbors. An adorable, happy nugget who I seriously have to contain myself from squeezing and tickling every time I see her. There was no expectation of a gift but I couldn’t help but see it as an opportunity to give this project a try. If it didn’t work, then there would be no gift. If it worked, bonus!

Enter, the tank-top-turned-dress dress. It took only a small investment in a store-made tank top (thank you, Old Navy summer sale!) and about a half-yard of coordinating fabric (less if you’re not making a double-layer skirt). And the sewing was all straight stitches and a gathering stitch. A whole lot of cute for not too much work.

I wasn’t sure how it would work to add a woven skirt to a knit tank top, since the tank fabric is much stretchier than the skirt, but so far everything is holding up. In that regard, I suggest using a zig zag stitch to attach the skirt to the knit tank, so the stitching won’t bust when pulling the dress on/off.

Tank by Old Navy; Skirt fabric Patty Young for Michael Miller Fabrics, Heaven & Helsinki collection

Of course I had to share some of this cuteness with my own nugget!
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The skirt fabric is from the Heaven & Helsinki collection by Patty Young for Michael Miller Fabrics. I adored this city block fabric when I first purchased it, but then it just sat on my shelf, half-forgotten. Boo hoo. When I saw the aqua tank at Old Navy, I instantly remembered this fabric — fate!  It makes me so happy to see it on this dress now.

I used my serger to finish the raw edges where the two skirt layers were attached to the tank, and the bulk of the serged seam gives the skirt some unintentional pouffiness. I suppose I could have taken the next step and pressed and topstitched that serged edge down to flatten it, but I think the extra fullness looks pretty cute, and the bulky seam doesn’t seem to bother my daughter when she’s wearing the dress.

“Don’t look at her, Bro. She’s got that camera pointed at us, again!!”

It’s possible I scored a few more tees and tanks at the Old Navy sale, so this look may become a summer staple in our house!

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Toilet Training the Second Time Around, Around, Around

I have no desire to pressure my daughter on toilet training, but she has recently taken more interest in what goes on in the bathroom. And by interest I mean, she yells “pee pee” every time I walk into the bathroom. At present there is very little volume control with Daisy; her volume starts at the mid-loud range and only goes up from there (perhaps she thinks that’s the only way she’ll be heard over her brother). The volume combined with her relatively low and sometimes raspy voice can make her sound like an insistent Lauren Bacall.  I don’t know, maybe she’s sneaking out for smokes during nap time.

I think maybe I waited too long with my son and missed some of the signs that he was ready to start toilet training. I suppose it also didn’t help that my daughter was born about a month or so after we started any attempts at training with Eli. That definitely put training on the back burner. As eager as I was for him to learn, it just seemed so much easier to change two sets of diapers, than to juggle a newborn while sitting by the potty with my son and trying to display the patience necessary for training. Heck, I struggle with patience under the best of conditions! He’s now comfortable with the toilet on all accounts, and even has a penchant for “watering” a certain area of the backyard, so I suppose there was no harm in waiting.

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Determined not to miss the signs of training readiness this time around, I decided to place a training potty in the bathroom today so that it would become familiar to her. No pressure, but it’s there if she’s interested. No sooner had I placed it on the floor that she toddler-ran up to it, leaned all the way over and stuck her head in the bowl and yelled “echo, echo, echo”. The girl loves herself a good echo. Well, we’ve got to start somewhere.

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Pinterest, take me away: Painted Mason Jars

Sometimes I laugh to myself thinking about how perfect life would be if it resembled my Pinterest boards. Meals would be delicious and look incredible. My wardrobe would be amazingly chic. I’d be crafty as all heck, and able to engage my children with an endless array of educational but fun activities. Motivational quotes and mantras would inspire me to great achievements. And my house would be spotless and photo-shoot ready with drool-worthy furniture and decor — and not cluttered with toys and under-furnished!

Bleh, when I stop to really think about it, I’m not sure it would be so fun after all. It’s a lot of work to keep that up.

I do enjoy the fantasy that Pinterest allows; all the “one day I’ll…”, “if money wasn’t an object,…” and “in a perfect world, I’d…” and “when the kids are older….” musings that you can pin away to your heart’s content. And no one’s keeping score to see if you actually make good on those fantasies. We all need an escape like that. It’s kind of like the Internet version of “Calgon, take me away.” Wow, I think I just really dated myself with that one.

So, I just wanted to pat myself on the back for making good on one of my pins — this fun little mason jar project from Linda at It All Started With Paint. I made the jars to grace our Mother’s Day brunch table, and for my Mom to take with her. The project was easy and affordable and quick — the trifecta of craftiness in my book!


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This project perfectly completes a hostess gift if you’re bringing flowers to a gathering, or just to dote on and cheer a friend, or say “thank you” to a teacher. They won’t have to go hunting for a vase, and will have a fun jar to use in the future. And who says you need flowers — a whole line of them on a shelf would look great by themselves. And with such a wide (and inexpensive!) variety of acrylic paint colors, you can set any kind of tone and coordinate with any existing decor — beachy for a cottage or patio, spring colors to brighten a table, maybe neons to jazz up a teen’s room, or painted to match a wedding theme and serve as a centerpiece and even a favor. Or a neat little vessel for storing pens, or supplies, or various knick knacks or saving change.

Okay, so one Pinterest-inspired project down. How many to go???

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The Early Bird: New Baby Boy & Big Sister Sewing

More baby love (and more little packages) to share!My cousin’s family welcomed a healthy baby boy to the nest two months ago.  Two months ago — where the heck does the time go?

Well, I think we were all expecting it would be more like one month ago, but the little nugget was three weeks early. No problems or issues, just excited to be part of the world, I guess. And who can blame the early bird, especially when he has a lovely big sister to hang with.

I made a pair of baggy knit pants for my new second cousin using a grey and white geometric print I found a few months ago. The print doesn’t particularly scream “baby” but knits are so comfy and easy to pull on and off a baby that it seemed appropriate. I realize we’re all expectantly awaiting summer shorts weather, so I tried to size the pants to fit for early fall. They can always be good pants for air-conditioned indoors if they fit before then.

My favorite part is the leg cuff. I am a big fan of that off-white knit; it has a nice, cushy thickness and good feel. I originally wanted to make the pants the reverse of what they ended up being — solid leg and printed cuff, and a mini printed pocket on the bum — but I finally decided that perhaps white baby pants were not the smartest idea.

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So big sis gets a fun skirt (the same as the two-timing skirts I sell in my Etsy shop) made from two layers of woven cotton. I think the bird family print is charming, and kind of fits with the new baby/family theme. Of course, the bird families on the skirt have three or four little birds sitting on the branch, and I’d like to be clear this is not my attempt to pressure my cousins to keep adding to their brood!!  🙂

I wish my cousin and family happy days with their new son, and restful nights (as if!). A big warm welcome to the early bird!