When the Shaffer Sisters invited me to participate in their Family Photo Stitched with Love series I knew right away my answer was YES! There are many reasons I was excited to be invited but the main reason was that I had not had pictures done of all my kids together in (cough) two (ehem) and (ehem) a half (cough) years. I know!...I am such a bad mom! ;)
I took a little bit of a different approach in that I used a local photographer to take our pictures. Let me tell you I am so happy I did. Here is a few reasons I made the decision to take the plunge. First of all, as you may have detected, I am not the most diligent of mothers in the family portrait area. Yes, I take pictures of my kids all the time, but honestly I rarely capture them all together AND the pictures I take are not likely to leave the digital arena. I must have hundreds, or even thousands, of of digital pictures that have never been printed. Its a first world problem, and I am guilty of it.
Secondly, having someone else take the pictures is wonderfully stress free. I was able to work on other sewing projects while the photos were being sifted through, and edited, and processed. Ah, like a breath of fresh air!
Also, by choosing this route I am supporting a local mommy run business. Erica was super fun and easy to work with. She kept the photo shoot totally relaxed and enjoyable. The last time we went to one of those retail store portraits studios Keilana was traumatized. I vowed never again, and that is why it has taken me so long to get new family pictures done.
And lastly, I wanted to show that family photos can still be affordable for those who don't have photo-ability (whether it is due to equipment, or photography knowledge, or you name it). Yep, I said it. I ordered prints for my whole family and even a big one for myself and all in all I spent less than i have in the past at certain unnamed retail store.
Okay, okay, on with the sewing!
We were asked to pick a color palette for this series and for some reason I was drawn to this floral print in Keilana's dress and the navy houndstooth worn by the boys. I know they are not your typical "fall colors" but I am a rebel like that. ;) I quickly gathered up all my inspiration fabrics and realized they were earth colors, so it didn't matter if they weren't the typical fall colors. Take that Pantone Fall colors!
The first thing I made was the vests. I used a navy houndstooth fabric that I had received for free! They were both made using the BBC Vest pattern from Shwin & Shwin, which I already owned. Then I made this fantastic Fedora Hat using the pattern from Elegance & Elephants.
Next, I worked on the dress. It was also made using fabric from my stash, which was bought on sale. The dress is a mash of different patterns. I wanted to have fun with this one! The bodice is from the Nova Top and Dress by Popolok Design. The Sleeves are from the Nelia Dress (I was a tester for this one so it was completely free!), also Popolok Design, but I added a cuff to the bottom instead of elastic. Admittedly, I did purchase the tulle fabric, but at only $1/yard who's counting!
And lastly, the houndstooth pants Ethan is wearing was made from an Ottobre pattern (4/2012).
Jonas is wearing jeans he already owned. I did however, buy the button up shirts. It is the only thing I really spent money on to clothe my kids for these pics so I feel pretty good about it.
They all three even wore their everyday shoes. I bet you didn't even notice that none of their shoes coordinate!
The contemporary photography with the casual feel of the photo shoot really allowed their individual personalities to come out.
But just because I didn't take these photos myself doesn't mean I didn't do some research on photographing children; after all, it is required when you blog about sewing kids clothes! ;) i recently came across this great article from Vanessa of LBG Studio on Kids Clothes Week. I also liked the tips about capturing smiles in this article. And then there is The Coffee Shop blog which has tons of free Photoshop actions and tutorials; to help everyone look like a star!
Thank you Shaffer Sisters for letting me play along! I have had so much fun!
