Ana White Farmhouse Twin Beds

We are just about finished with the girls' new bedroom and I am so excited to show you what my husband made!!!

Beds! Aren't they awesome? He made custom beds for the girls using free plans from Ana White. He used the farmhouse bed plans in a twin size. Everything went pretty well (besides our paint sprayer acting up- but that is not her fault).

There was one change that he made for me. The collage wall was hung before the beds were made and he cut 7" off of each piece to shrink them down so that I wouldn't have to move everything up. I love him! 

They are really heavy and sturdy! Oh, the comforters were from Target HERE- we got them on clearance for under $10.

Oh, and this is the doll bunk bed he made for one of the girls for Christmas. It was made using THIS free plan, also from Ana White.  I am still working on the quilts, but the sheets match the room great! (My daughter picked the fabric.)

Now, I just need to decide whether to paint the door and closet doors white, light gray (like the walls), or dark gray (like the trim). What do you think?

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...

Sew Can Do, Motivate Me Monday, Inspiration Monday, Take a Look Tuesday, Naptime Creations, Carolyn's Homework, The Winthrop Chronicles, Handmade Tuesdays,Your Whims Wednesday,  Weekly Homemaking Party,Create It Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Wildly Original, Thriving on Thursday, Grace at Home, The 36th Party, Freedom Fridays, Feathered Nest Friday, Simple and Sweet Fridays, Craft Frenzy Friday, Think Pink Sunday, and Threading Your Way

You can see more of the collage wall (with free printables) HERE:

Flower Quilted Rag Edge Flannel Baby Blanket

I finally dusted off my sewing machine after a month-long break and I am definitely out of practice!

One of the things I made was this flannel baby blanket for part of a shower gift. I am pretty sure I have seen a little saying about using your "good fabric" for your favorite people. I had been hoarding this pretty purple stuff because I couldn't bear to part with it unless I deemed the recipient worthy. 

I used my own tutorial to make it, but I tired something a little different this time. Instead of doing diagonal lines, I decided to create a giant flower motif that matched the front pattern. It is pretty hard to see...

I really love the print on this!!!

I did a decorative stitch around the edge that matched the ferns, but was too lazy to change my presser foot. I spent A LOT of time seam ripping the one full side I sewed before I realized it didn't look right. But, I like to pray for the recipient as I sew/seam-rip, so this little girl got a lot of extra prayers!

I hope that the baby girl who uses it will love it as much as I do!

If you want to make your own, just click on the picture below for the tutorial!

Upcycled Bridesmaid Dress ~ An Uptown/Downtown Dress Pattern Hack

The next Easter dress I made cost me absolutely NOTHING to make! Sweet!

Does anyone else save old bridesmaid dresses? I am pretty sure I am not the only one. I mean, you spend a ridiculous amount of money on them so it seems a shame to throw them in the donation bin. Even if you HATED the dress! (Sorry, Sis!) It wasn't an UGLY dress. It just wasn't flattering on me. (I have wide ribs.) Then, they ordered the wrong size and my other sister and I got in a big fight when she made a joke about mine not fitting. I really just hated everything about this dress. So, naturally, I hung it in my closet for 6+ years where I could see it every day.

Well, now it is not in my closet. Now, it looks like this:

The rest of it has been transformed to create several of this years' Easter dresses including this one.

The bottom of the dress is made from the top two layers of the bottom of the bridesmaid dress. The sash is made using the strap from one side. The hardest part of making this dress was cutting the slippery, chiffon fabric to make it straight. The full skirt with lightweight fabrics makes for lovely twirling, though. The twirl factor is always appreciated by the girls.

Isabelle drew me a picture of the dress she wanted. The sleeves were such an issue of contention between us. I didn't want to make long, 3/4 length sleeves from sheer lace. I really don't like to do sleeves. I ended up making the top out of some stretch lace from a friend and an old white T shirt. 

I used the

Uptown Downtown dress pattern

 to create the bodice.

It was actually very easy!

 The pattern is on sale right now. I know, I usually talk about how I hate patterns, but

this one

has so many variations and it is so versatile that it is worth it. I am not being compensated in any way for this endorsement.

Directions were included for a lace overlay version, which is mostly what I used. I just altered it to let the sleeves unlined. I hemmed the sleeves by hand sewing them. 

There was no hemming required around the neckline because of the lining.

The trick to this dress was attaching the bodice to the skirt. I wanted to maintain the stretch of the fabrics so that it would easily slip over her head. So, I got some 1" elastic from my stash, sewed it in a loop and made Isabelle try the loop on to be sure the elastic would stretch enough to get the dress on. Then, I sewed each piece -top and bottom- to the elastic. Here is what the inside of the dress looks like.

One of the shoulder straps from the bridesmaid dress was converted to a sash to tie around the waist. 

Now I have one less bridesmaid dress in my closet and my daughter has a lovely dress! Win win! 

I used more of the bridesmaid dress on the next Easter dress I made, but we haven't had a "real" photo shoot yet. Right now I am super busy canning tomatoes and chasing the last bit of summer. So, when I get around to it I will show you that one, too. :)