The Flower Girl Dress

I actually made three of them, but I don't feel comfortable posting other people's kids'  pictures on my website, so I only have pictures of the one that my daughter wore. As with any sewing project, there is more to the story. My niece asked my daughter to be a flower girl and also asked if I would sew the dresses. I love sewing pretty little girl dresses- especially matching ones- so I was excited about this project! Except, I procrastinated. Yes, I use that "P" word an awful lot here on the blog. Part of my excuse was waiting for a swatch, part of it was waiting for our difficult summer vacation to end, and part of it was other commitments that had earlier deadlines. But, really, most of the problem is my indecision.

I overthink just about every decision. I make things entirely more difficult than they need to be. Finally, when I have no time left to change my mind yet again, I just get it done. (Project Run and Play was a great exercise in this area!) So, after much debating, I went back to my original plan and sewed like the wind a few days before the wedding.

Not everyone has such confidence in my procrastinatory sewing. The bride herself, was amazingly cool about it. A few other people close to me expressed their doubts, if only in the realm of "what if you fall down the stairs and break both arms and can't sew." (Duh! That is why I teach my kids to sew!) For some reason, I was not AT ALL stressed about it. I was completely cool and confident. (A certain someone called me cocky.) Anyway, they really ticked me off!

I know that I am rude and inconsiderate for stressing other people out who may not understand who they are dealing with here, and for that, I am sorry.

But everything went FINE! I only made one, tiny, easily fixable mistake in the entire process. All three dresses were the same size, so I did them assembly line style. All of the tops were finished in about 4 hours Wednesday evening. I leisurely completed the skirts Thursday. I even threw in a bonus mother-of-the-bride dress hem. All of them fit perfectly. So... :p to those who doubted!

My rant went a little long there.

I loosely followed the Cairo dress pattern from Violette Field Threads. I own the tween pattern so I sized it down to a 3T on my own. I also wanted these to be simple, flowy, and short to complement the boots and bridesmaid dresses. So, the skirt is a layer of lining and a layer of gathered eggnog tulle.

The top is made of a satin remnant and lining fabric. I handstitched the linings closed so the elastic back is only sewn to the inside. The lace straps are from packaged hem facing. Finally, I glued a flower from the scrapbook section to felt circles and pinned it to the dress to coordinate with the wedding theme even more.

Congratulations to my niece and her new husband! Thank you for having confidence in me and letting me make these adorable dresses!!!

The Last Easter Dress

Vote for the final round of Project Run and Play Season 13 HERE!

When I found out that I was having my first daughter I went out and bought the sweetest little pink dress I have ever seen! I was so excited to get to dress her up in adorable little girl clothes! When her first Easter came a few months later, although I know that has nothing to do with the true meaning of Easter, I was super excited to go out and buy another pretty new dress- this time in yellow. My life has been overflowingly full of sweet little girly things for the last 13 years!

By the time her second Easter came, I was ready to try something different! My mother-in-law sewed coordinating Easter dresses for her girls and I thought that was a nice tradition. I was adjusting to being a stay at home mom and sewing was a good mental challenge for me, too. I went to Walmart and bought a pattern and some pretty purple and blue butterfly fabric that matched the basket I had made for her first Easter. I struggled so much with that pattern and I called my sister-in-law to ask a lot of questions. (Google wasn't much help back then because craft blogs hadn't taken off and we had dial-up so it was faster to use the telephone.) She showed me how to cut a pattern out and how to do gathering stitches. I really had NO idea what I was doing! When I put the cap sleeve in, I was confused because the directions had me sew the end that was going into the arm hole. No, I just put it in backwards! I hemmed the sleeves by hand because I didn't figure out what I did wrong until years later. The zipper is awful and I didn't finish the waist inside, but that dress has been worn by five girls and has lasted 12 years. I was so proud of myself when she wore that first dress, and the sizing was terrible so she was able to wear it for a few years, too!

(The really sad part about all of this is that I do not have a single picture of my daughter wearing that dress! It was in the days of 35mm film so either I didn't take one or it didn't turn out. I am certain to do full "photo shoots" when I make dresses for my girls now. I am so thankful for digital cameras!!!!)

Now my oldest daughter is 13. She has outgrown the cute little girl styles and hates pink. My little girl who played in the mud wearing a Cinderella dress is now equal parts fabulous and sporty. She rocks a fashionable ensemble and a soccer uniform. She loves high heels and muck boots. She has reached an age where I don't know that she would want her mom to sew her an Easter dress next year, and she could actually sew her own if she wanted to. I really think this will be the last one I make for her, so I wanted to make it special. Instead of scrambling to make five Easter dresses in a week like I usually do, I decided to concentrate on this one.

She chose this beautiful aqua/teal ombre chiffon from Joann's and the lining is a soft aqua rayon. She requested a high-low hem, but she didn't want a circle skirt. This dress felt like a final exam because it combined so many sewing skills. The top is a combination of several of my own tutorials- HERE, HERE, and HERE.  The pleated chiffon overlay was really tricky, but it softens the look of the bodice. The rhinestone ribbon was hand-stitched over the waistband to break things up a bit and match the bracelet (more on that later). Since the top was pleated, I decided to pleat the skirt, too. I used a french seam on one side and even french seamed the lining for bonus points. I actually didn't use my serger at all on this project. Everything was done the hard way, but if you see how smooth and neat the inside is, it is definitely worth it! The overlay has a narrow hem that took forever, but everything had to be done right to keep this chiffon light and flowy. I even redid my french seam to make it 1/8" finished and that piece I trimmed off became a pretty flower hair clip.

Finally, because I am sappy and sentimental, I got out the scraps from every Easter dress I have made for her and created a charm bracelet. There is a trick to it, so I will try to do a tutorial later. I used glass domes on most of them, but a few were too thick so I just coated them a glaze. I was really sneaky, so I was able to surprise her with the bracelet during the photo shoot! Also, I have just enabled fabric hoarders everywhere because this is another great idea for tiny scrap pieces. You are welcome!

I am a little sad to see my girl so grown up. It is bittersweet. We have both changed a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clcNB_EUao8

Put away the tissues and go vote HERE for the Project Run and Play Season 13 final round!!!

I am overwhelmed with the amount of support I have received from family and friends during this competition! Thank you so much!!! You are all amazing!!!

Sweet Caroline

My great-grandmother, Caroline, was Bohemian; so "boho" means a little something different to me because I think of her.  I remember her fierce hugs and the stories of her spunk and determination. Widowed, with three young children, she moved from the city to rural PA and married a bachelor farmer.  I have always thought she was brave, and I wouldn't be here if she hadn't taken a chance. Characteristic of her generation, she was very resourceful.  My baby quilt is pieced from flour sacks and her quilt templates were cut from old cereal boxes. One Christmas, we all got stuffed pigs made from polyester scraps.  She also worked hard and never gave up. She had to quit school to help at home, but got her GED in her 80s because it was something that she had always wanted to do. I still remember her showing us the certificate hanging proudly in the frame on her living room wall. She made the best out of any situation with creativity and determination. That is a bit of what I tried to do this week. We had 2 feet of snow and 3 snow days, so I had to "make do" with what I had on hand, although it meant a lot more work. In the end, both outfits cost less than $5 to make and all that I had to purchase when I finally was able to leave the house was some thread, embroidery floss, and buttons.

I still tried to incorporate the modern "boho" style in my designs. First, I made a tunic from an old shirt that was given to me. I loved the color (with a slightly uneven dye effect) and it was a thin, flowy fabric perfect for what I had in mind. I removed the bottom ruffle (the open part was badly torn) and the bottoms of the sleeves. Then, I carefully cut the rest of my pieces from what was left of the shirt. I drafted a bodice with a curved front and trimmed the front of the bottom skirt portion a bit to create a high-low effect. The original ruffle was resized and sewed onto the bottom of the tunic. I embroidered the neckline with some simple flowers and vines. It took awhile, but it was definitely worth it to add some lovely detail. The top is lined with remnants of a really soft sheet I used to line THIS dress and I understitched along the inside neckline. I reshaped the sleeves to create a loose, flutter sleeve with a bit of gathering at the top. Then, I sewed it to the bottom and added buttons on the back. I also made a pair of leggings from some olive green knit fabric that I found in a tote after digging a path to my storage shed.

Before...

After...

My other daughter wanted a maxi dress and I found a dusty coral sheet I had purchased years ago on clearance at Target and stuffed under my fabric table. I only used about half of the sheet to make this dress. I drafted the pattern to have a drop waist and long, gathered tiers. I was careful in my cutting and able to use the original sheet hem, too! Yay! This time, I put the buttons in the front and hand embroidered the button placket in the same intricate flowers and vines. Oh, and those buttons? My husband made them from a dowel rod! He sanded them on the belt sander to make them round and carefully sliced them off of the dowel. I sanded them by hand to smooth and even them out. After a last-minute trip for 1/16th inch drill bits, he drilled holes in them for me. The straps are made from braided strips folded like bias tape and sewn together. They cross in the back and I added an elastic casing so that it would fit well and not gap in the back.

Some more before pictures...

     

After...

We tried to do a farm themed photo shoot, but it is hard because our options right now are: a) snow or b) mud. At the end, I decided to try to take some pictures with our new chicks, but it was clearly a bad idea. Let's just say that this was the second week in a row that an outfit had to be washed right after the pictures. Ew!!!

You can vote for your favorite "boho" look HERE over at Project Run and Play!

Thank you again to all of those who have voted and shared and supported me!!! Thank you to Aunt Karen for the purple shirt. A very special thank you to my sisters this week! Loni, you did an awesome job as my hairstylist and ironer. (Also, thank you for returning my vintage crimping iron.) Thank you to my husband for those awesome buttons and for carrying girls over the mud for pictures! Thank you most of all to my grandmother and other family members who pass down stories and leave a legacy to inspire future generations.

Notre Dame Dreams

I am so excited to be a part of Project Run and Play! You can vote HERE. When we found out the themes for this season, I knew the first challenge would be the hardest for me. We don't travel, so I don't even think about places I would like to visit one day. My Plan A was something safe and simple, but I knew that I wasn't really pushing my sewing skills or my creativity. Eventually, I changed my mind and started over. I stepped totally out of my comfort zone and tried something original, knowing that no matter the outcome of the competition, I put forth my best effort.

The challenge said, "Show us where you would like to travel to, with this destination-inspired outfit for your child." Since I was finally being honest with myself, the first thing that had popped into my mind when I thought about travel, if I allow myself to dream, is that I would love to visit Europe to see the beautiful architecture. My brother has been travelling recently and I am a little jealous of his tourist photos. I studied cathedrals for an art history paper in college and I especially love the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

The daughter I chose to model loves to dress up, so there is nothing too fancy for her. She wears a fabulous outfit and coordinating headband nearly every day. Trust me. There are a lot of arguments over fashion in our house.

I started by making a circle skirt inspired by the rose window of the Notre Dame cathedral. After cutting my skirt piece, I designed a template and then stitched 60 pieces onto the fabric. I wanted a raw edge applique and I didn't want to make the skirt too stiff by using an iron-on adhesive. I tried quilt basting spray and glue stick, but resorted to just holding the pieces down with straight pins because the worked the best. It took FOR.EV.ER. I also made a lining with a gathered tulle layer at the hem. It reminds me of the light radiating from the windows.

For the bodice of the dress, I wanted to mimic some of the architectural details. I added piping to the front inspired by the arc of the flying buttresses that support the cathedral walls.

In the back, I made a Gothic, pointed arch cut-out and added soft, ruffle elastic, criss-crossing straps inside that mirror the beams in the vaulted ceilings. It closes with coordinating gray buttons, and I even hand-stitched the buttonholes because the fabric was thick and I had broken almost all of my needles earlier.

Since the applique took so long, I missed the warm spell we had a few weeks ago and it was again freezing outside when it was time to take pictures. To try to keep my little girl warm, I made a reversible cape out of a gray velour remnant and some metallic finish blue lace.

Finally, because she loves to have matching headbands, I made a blue satin flower to coordinate with the dress. Originally I was going to make something much more elaborate, but I thought there was enough going on with the dress already, so simple was best.

My daughter loves the outfit and she was such a trooper taking these pictures on such a cold day!

A big thank you goes out to Rita for letting us take pictures with your gargoyles and stone wall! Thank you to Bruce for letting me use your tourist pictures. Thank you to all of the friends and family who let me bounce ideas off of them and ramble on about sewing things that they don't understand. The past few weeks were especially stressful and busy, so I felt like I was scrambling to finish, but I have a lot of support and it really means a lot to me. 

You can vote for your favorite design over at Project Run and Play.

Women's Ruffle Shirt to Toddler Dress

I ran out of steam and went with something simple for the last dress.  I turned a sleeveless, women's turtleneck made of ruffle fabric into a toddler dress. This project was fairly easy and, most importantly, quick. I was tired of procrastinating!

I used the Uptown/Downtown dress pattern again. This time, however, I removed the foldover elastic from the arm holes of the original shirt and reapplied them. It wasn't as clean as the sparkly top dress, but the ruffle fabric was harder to use. The lining is made from the rest of the t shirt I used for the sparkly top dress lining.

I can check another one off of my list of goals for the 3rd quarter of the Finish-A-Long. Woohoo!

Here are all of the dresses...

 

Thrifted Sheet to 1950s Retro Dress

 Sparkly Women's Tank to Girls' Dress Top

Strapless Women's Dress to Girls' Halter Dress 

Men's Shirt to Girls' Vintage Style Dress

Women's Ruffle Shirt to Toddler Dress

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out…

Sew Can Do, Motivate Me Monday, Inspiration Monday, Take a Look Tuesday, Naptime Creations, The Gathering Spot, Carolyn’s Homework, Your Whims Wednesday, ,Create It Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Wildly Original, Thriving on Thursday, Grace at Home, The 36th Party, Freedom Fridays, Simple and Sweet Fridays, Craft Frenzy Friday, and Threading Your Way

Men's Dress Shirt to Girls' Vintage Style Dress

Ever since THESE dresses, I just can't seem to get over that whole retro, vintage style. I love the 1940s/1950s era of fashion! I wanted to do a "shirt dress" style, but decided to upcycle/refashion one out of a men's dress shirt. (There are also a few aqua polka dot details just for fun!) It even has a built in pettiskirt to make the full skirt pouf out.

I don't have a full tutorial for you, but I did take some pictures to show how I used the shirt as an effective fabric source. First, I used a seam ripper to remove the pocket and cut off the collar and sleeves.

This dress was made differently from other tutorials I have seen. I didn't like the way the men's shirt collar fit on her neckline- it was made to fit a large man, after all! So, I constructed a new collar out of fabric from one of the sleeves.

I cut the back bodice I drafted from the center back of the shirt so that I could maintain the little loop and pleats from the original shirt.

Being mindful of the buttonholes, I cut one front bodice piece out of one half of the shirt front...

...and, lining the buttonholes up, cut the other half from the other side of the shirt front. Now, I ended up messing something up and having to make new buttonholes, but this would work if you don't make my airhead mistakes.

From the remaining sleeve, I cut both sleeves for the dress. I wanted to make longer sleeves, but she wanted shorter puffy ones. She was VERY specific about the sleeve length.

Finally, the skirt came from the bottom of the shirt. I also had small scraps to make the belt loops at the waist.

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out…

Sew Can Do, Motivate Me Monday, Inspiration Monday, Take a Look Tuesday, Naptime Creations, The Gathering Spot, Carolyn’s Homework, Your Whims Wednesday, ,Create It Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Wildly Original, Thriving on Thursday, Grace at Home, The 36th Party, Freedom Fridays, Simple and Sweet Fridays, Craft Frenzy Friday, and Threading Your Way