June 30, 2014

Strawberry Shortcake Doll Dress

June 30, 2014/ Lindsay

Last year, I made my niece a Strawberry Shortcake dress for her birthday.(See it HERE!) So, this year I decided to make a matching one for her 18" doll.

American Girl Doll Strawberry Shortcake Dress

I just took the free T-shirt pattern from Liberty Jane (found HERE) and shortened it. I used an old, white T-shirt for my fabric. Then, I used freezer paper stenciling to make the Strawberry Shortcake logo on the front. Those tiny pieces were a PAIN to cut out!

I assembled the shirt, then cut a skirt from leftover fabric I used on my previous girl-sized Strawberry Shortcake dresses. I made sure the waists matched and cut the skirt in a wide, A-line shape. I left a little opening in the center of the back and hemmed it inwards so that it goes on and off easier. Then, I just sewed the skirt to the shirt. I did a narrow hem at the bottom.

It was a quick project and a nice distraction from the craziness going on around here these days. Now, I need to get back to making actual strawberry shortcake!

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...

Sew Can Do, Motivate Me Monday, Anything Goes Monday, Take a Look Tuesday, Naptime Creations, Carolyn's Homework, The Winthrop Chronicles, Handmade Tuesdays,Inspire Me Wednesday, We Did It Wednesday, Adorned From Above, Your Whims Wednesday, Not Just a Housewife, Weekly Homemaking Party,Create It Thursday, The 36th Party, Friday Favs Party, Saturday Sewing, Think Pink Sunday, and Threading Your Way.

June 23, 2014

Rag Edge Flannel Baby Blanket Tutorial

June 23, 2014/ Lindsay

These rag edge flannel blankets are my go-to baby gift. Sometimes I make bibs, burp cloths, and taggy blankets to make it a complete set. With just two layers of flannel, it is a nice weight without being too heavy. The rag edge is soft and popular with babies, too. :) This is what it looks like after just one washing, but it will get more frayed over time.

These are so simple to make. Here is a little DIY tutorial for you:

For this blanket, I used two different, yet matching flannel fabrics. I got 1 1/4 yard of each to make the blanket relatively square. You can make it larger or smaller. Whatever you want...

Tape your backing flannel to a flat surface with the right side down. I prefer to use my kitchen table and I use masking tape. Make sure to get all of the wrinkles out.

Lay the top layer over the bottom layer with the right side up. The wrong sides will be together. Smooth it out really well and use curved safety pins to baste. Start in the middle and place pins every few inches in a grid form working your way to the outside.

Remove the tape. I spread the blanket out on the floor to give me a little more room to work at this point. Trim off any selvage edges.

Square up your blanket by folding it in triangles. Check each side. Mine didn't turn out quite square. Whatever...

Trace a plate or something round on the corners. Rounded corners are a little easier later.

Use a washable marker to trace diagonal lines and lines going through the centers of each side.

Now for the sewing...

From the very center point make a few small stitches and then increase your stitch length. Sew from the center to the outside on the line you drew. Repeat for each line, starting at the center each time.

Sew around the outer edge of the quilt about 1/2" from the edge. Then, sew around the edge of the blanket again about an inch from the edge. I like to use two different colors of thread and a fancy stitch on my machine. When you are done, snip the edges of the blanket every 3/8" or so. Try not to get too close to the first stitching line.

Wash the blanket and put it in the dryer on low heat. It will make the edge fray out nicely and get rid of those washable marker lines.

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...

June 18, 2014

Vintage Modern Charm Square Star Quilt

June 18, 2014/ Lindsay

Finally! Another quilt finish! :)

These pics are a little dark since a storm was rolling in... I am gonna' call it dramatic.

I used the Storybook Stars pattern from Moda Bake Shop HERE.

I did straight line quilting on my sewing machine. It is OK. I like wavy lines like I did HERE better.

It is backed in some more Vintage Modern fabric and I used red Kona for the binding.

I don't even know what I am going to do with this quilt, but it is finished! Hooray!

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...

June 16, 2014

Vintage Baby Dress Collar Tutorial

June 16, 2014/ Lindsay

Here it is! The last Easter dress for this year!

I let the other girls have a little say (or a lot) in their dress designs. Hannah doesn't care. It is fantastic!

I wanted it to be simple. So unlike me, I know! I wanted little hints of blue and a sweet, vintage baby look.

Then, because I can't really let things be simple, I went over the top (after Easter) with a bonnet, shoes, and a diaper cover. Well, I didn't finish the diaper cover quite yet. I'm procrastinating...

The bonnet is the Peekaboo Bonnet pattern I bought

HERE

. You can see the first one I made

HERE

when she was so teeny tiny. *sniff, sniff*

It is actually reversible, too.

As you can see by these before and after pictures, she prefers not to wear the bonnet.

But, it keeps her safe from the sun, so too bad!

The shoes were made with

THIS

pattern. They went together pretty well, but this is the second time I have made baby shoes and the little buggers do not want to stay on. I guess all baby shoes are like that, but they look cute anyway. :)

So, back to the dress...

It is just a basic dress with puffy sleeves, a collar, and buttons in the back. I was a little intimidated by the collar, but it isn't hard after all.

I didn't take too many pictures as I was sewing (and it really isn't anything wildly original anyway), but I did get enough to show you how I did the collar.

So, get your dress pieces all cut out and ready to go...

Sew the shoulders seams of the front and back bodice pieces of the main fabric and lining.

Use the sewn bodice, folded in half, to draft a collar pattern. It needs to extend

out

1/4" in the center for seam allowances and shift

3/4" at the back for the button closure.

Cut two contrasting collars and two linings (they can be the same fabric, but I was making do.) Interface one side of each collar- I used a midweight interfacing.

Sew the right sides together using 1/4" seam allowance and clip the curves.

Flip and press really well, then sandwich the collars between the main fabric and lining. To hold the collar in place nicely, topstitch the edge of the bodice underneath the collars. This will hold the seam allowance in place and keep the collar from flipping up.

If you want to make trimmed, puffy sleeves like these, Jess has a great tutorial

HERE

(although mine have a little more poof at the top.) The rest of the dress was made just like my Gracie Dress shown

HERE

and I cut the skirt from the edge of the sheet (no hemming! Woohoo!)

Here are the rest of the dresses in case you missed them...

Until next year...

OK. Not really. I have a few more tutorials and fun projects in the works here. If you don't want to miss out on that you can follow my blog with GFC,

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Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...

Sew Can Do

Motivate Me Monday

Anything Goes Monday,

Take a Look Tuesday

Naptime Creations

Carolyn's Homework

The Winthrop Chronicles

Handmade Tuesdays

Inspire Me Wednesday

We Did It Wednesday

Adorned From Above

Your Whims Wednesday,

Not Just a Housewife

Weekly Homemaking Party

, and

May 19, 2014

Gracie Dress Tutorial

May 19, 2014/ Lindsay

Vintage inspired dress tutorial for self-drafted girls’ dress. It has a square neckline and full, gathered skirt. This version was made from a vintage sheet.

May 12, 2014

Lydia's Sweetheart Dress Tutorial

May 12, 2014/ Lindsay

1950s style girls’ dress tutorial with a sweetheart neckline halter and twirly circle skirt. There is even a built in petticoat trimmed in coordinating bias tape!