Bubble, Bubble

Toil and Trouble.  Some days, that's exactly what staying at home with a three year old feels like. 

 
This is the first year that my daughter is old enough to be excited about Halloween and wearing a costume.  About a month ago we started asking her what she wanted to be for Halloween, and each time it was a different answer:  Cinderella.  A cat.  Queen Elsa.  The only rule was that once I bought the fabric, she could not change her mind.  So when she finally gave the same answer for an entire week, "a witch", we finally went ahead with the costume.

I have to say, I am really, REALLY proud that I completed this project a full three weeks before Halloween, and not at 1 a.m. the night before (or, more realistically, at 3 in the afternoon before Trick or Treating).

 For the pattern I used the Chole Dress pattern from Violette Field Threads.  I used the same pattern in August to make a flower girl dress, and decided that I was going to be brave (crazy?) enough to try it again for a witch's outfit.  And fortunately for my sanity, it was sooo much easier this time around.  The pattern calls for three layers in the skirt:  a layer of chiffon, a layer of netting, and a layer of tulle.  After struggling with the chiffon in the flower girl dress, I decided not to use it for this dress.  I didn't think the chiffon added much to the shape or the look of the skirt (at least for the tea length version), and so it didn't seem worth it to mess with it this time.  So for the three layers I used netting, tulle, and then a Halloween mesh fabric from Joann's for the top layer. 

Two quick notes about this pattern:  First, the picture on the patten cover shows a much, much fuller skirt on the tea length version.   After making it twice, I have never been able to achieve that look.  So I don't know if I'm missing something, or if there were extra layers beyond what the instructions call for that were added to those dresses.  Secondly, the pattern says that a lining is "optional", but both dresses required lining so as not to be really see-through.  So if anybody else has had any experience making this dress, I'd love to hear about it. 

Here's the back of the dress:

And voila, a perfect witch's dress for a three year old who likes to be fancy!

Flower Girl Dress

For the past week my life sewing has been occupied with creating this:   a flower girl dress for a seven month old baby girl.
 

 
I consider this dress my opus, my masterpiece.  Or something like that.  But seriously, this dress was a lot of fun to make, caused only a few tears (something to do with an almost-finished dress and a large hole cut into the bodice by my serger), and turned out beautifully. 

To make the dress, I used the Chloe Dress pattern by Violette Field Threads for the skirt.  Despite having a three year old daughter, I had never before worked with tulle or made anything this fluffy, so I thought having a pattern with detailed instructions would be helpful.    I love the look of Violette Field patterns, but they are not very practical for every day wear, so I was thrilled to have an excuse to by this one.    I'm already envisioning a black version with this fabric as a witch's dress for Halloween.

The skirt has seven yards of fabric in it.  Yes, you read that correctly:  seven yards.  Two yards of chiffon, two yards of netting, two yards of tulle, and a yard of lining.   The results are a perfectly poofy skirt.
 

Rather than using the pattern bodice, I instead did a shirred satin top with decorative straps.  The flowers were made with alternating strips of satin and tulle-- I love how they turned out!  I may do a tutorial for those at some point, although I know that there are quite a few of fabric flower tutorials out there already. 

I wish I had more pictures to share, but organization and time were not on my side this morning, and the dress has already been delivered.  This project was a lot of work, but the results were worth it!

Bueller?  Bueller?  Bueller?

Starting a new blog makes me feel a little bit like Ben Stein in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off":  it's hard to know if anyone is actually out there listening.  But this is an exciting new adventure, and I can't wait to get started!

So....Kid's Clothing Week is January 27th through February 2nd, and there's no time like the present to plan, right?!  It's a good thing we started our planning (relatively) early, because I felt like it took me a looooong time to decide (it really didn't, but I was being indecisive, so it felt longer than it actually was).  Here was my problem:  There are a lot of fantastic patterns out there.  And I have a lot of wonderful fabric.  And KCW only lasts, well, a week.  So it was hard to narrow down the patterns and the fabric and be realistic about what I can actually do in a week.  But, I think I finally made up my mind (although I reserve the right to change my mind at any time, including but not limited to, the week of KCW).  Here's what I'm thinking:

Lily Knit Blazer by Peek-A-Boo Patterns

I'm planning on using some turquoise jersey knit that I picked up at a thrift store last summer.  It was $5 for three yards, it's hard to beat that price.  The yellow floral cotton was a hand-me down fabric, and I think it will make a nice contrast for the waistband and cuffs.  I'm not sure yet if I'll do the princess seams, I'm not impressed by the pictures I've seen where the piping becomes very wavy.  So that feature is TBD.

   
The Geranium Dress by Made by Rae

I love Made by Rae patterns-- but really, who doesn't?  They are quality patterns that are fairly simple, but also have the possibility of lots of variations.  The sizing is roomy, without being too large. If I make one of her patterns, I don't have to worry about my daughter outgrowing it in two weeks.   Last May I made a Geranium dress with flutter sleeves, and I think it's about time for another one.  The time I'm thinking about including the cap sleeves and the front notch, just to spice things up a bit.  I definitely live on the wild side....  I found the pink heart fabric on the clearance rack at Joann's last week, it was an additional 50% off, so only $3 a yard.  It's a nice medium weight cotton, it will be perfect for the dress.  I haven't decided yet whether I'll do the bodice in the purple background fabric or if I'll do it all in the hearts.   Another element that I appreciate about this design is that it is just as cute with a long-sleeve tee underneath.  Since we live in the Midwest and it will be cold for at least another 4-5 months, I appreciate the versatility of a pattern than can be worn year-round.


The Josephine Dress by Violette Field Threads

 I've eyed the Violette Field Threads patterns for a while now, but this will be the first one I've made.  I think many of their designs are on the frillier side, which I occasionally like (it's like a food craving, every once in a while I just want to make my daughter something really girly and frilly, even though it's not my style, and once I do, the craving is gone!)   For KCW I plan on making the long-sleeve dress with the ruffle along the button placket.  I was recently given six or seven yards of quilting-weight toile in a rose color, and it seems like it would be perfect for this classic style dress.  I am indecisive on what color to use for the belt-- a contrasting color, something similar, dark, light?  What do you think? 


 And finally,  The Lucille Top by Shwin Designs

Shwin Designs has patterns with a very contemporary feel--- not many ruffles here.  The Lucille Top is one of their newer patterns, and it's an interesting twist on the basic tee.  I really like the look of their designs, but the one pattern I made previously (the Pepper Pinafore and Cami)  had sizing issues.  So I'm a little apprehensive of their other patterns, but because I love the look, I'm going to give it a second chance.  Hopefully because this is a knit instead of a woven it will be a little more forgiving in terms of the size.  This project is going to be an upcyle/recyle project.  The bottom half will made made out of an old royal blue t-shirt, and the top will be made of of some eyelet knit that was given to me by my grandmother.  Depending on where how low the v-shape falls on her, my daughter may have to wear a cami under it. 

So those are my plans, we'll see where KCW takes me!