Easter Dresses: Part Four

Since I did the dresses in ascending age order, it was now time for the oldest daughter's dress.  She did not like the blue floral print that figures largely in her sisters' dresses, so for her, I put a flower on her dress that she could remove when the photoshoot and Easter were over.

This was the hardest dress for me to create.  She had picked a pale pink cotton and wanted this pattern of McCalls.  To have the dress made in only the pink seemed too plain for me.  So, I looked at other fabrics and trims that I had, trying to get my creativity gears going.  The best I could come up with was to make the dress in the vintage style that is so popular right now.  However, the ideas would not "click" to create a picture in my mind, as it normally happens.

Finally, I found this Simplicity pattern, a tiny blue check, and a hand crocheted white trim.  I combined them with the look from the McCalls pattern and came up with this end result.

I made the flower in the same way that I made the one on this dress.  Here is the lovely herself modeling...

Easter Dresses: Part Three

Well, it was time for the third daughter in my friend's line-up.  As second oldest, and being very vocal, this daughter is the one who picked the blue floral which you see in all of their dresses.  She wanted her WHOLE dress made out of the print, so I obliged, adding a shiny pink sash to set off the dress.

The pattern is an older Simplicity pattern, which is no longer in print, with one simple addition: the belt and sash from Simplicity 2828.  In my humble opinion, this one change made the entire dress...and fit her personality very well.

And here are the youngest and the second oldest modeling for you...

Such sweet faces...and so much fun!  They came up with this pose all on their own!

Easter Dresses: Part Two

Yes...you are right.  It is past Easter.  I am behind in posting to the dear little blog, but I promise you that I did complete these dresses before Easter!

Part one was the dress for the two-year-old daughter in my friend's line of four daughters.  Here is the dress for the six-year-old...the next up in line.

We started with an idea from McCall's 6018.  But, McCall's were not on sale at JoAnn's anytime soon, so I got Simplicity 2828 when JoAnn's had a 5 for $5 sale. 

Because of the thickness of the lined bodice and the double layer belt, I had to put in a regular zipper, as opposed to the hidden zipper I typically insert in all of my sewing projects.  Funny how I have been sewing all these years and I just learned that hidden zippers do not do well with many layers of fabric...

Then, to finish it off, I made the flower.  I cut two pieces of fabric, one of the blue floral and one of the pink plaid, 2 1/2 inches by 6 inches.  I roll hemmed the two layers together, then ran a basting thread 3/4 of an inch from one edge.  I pulled the thread in tight, then wrapped the excess around the gathered part and tied it off and trimmed it.  To finish the flower, I pressed down the two layers with an iron and ran three loops of ribbon through the middle.  I sewed a safety pin to the back, so the flower can be removed when the dress is washed.

Here is second youngest modeling the dress for you...

For My Niece...

Tuesday was the baby shower for my sister-in-law and my niece-to-be.  So I can finally post the pictures of the project I have been working on for several weeks...yay!

I started out with three inglorious piles...

Those were the three colors for the quilt.  Now, there is a story behind the fabrics.  First off, I found a pattern for a baby quilt years ago that required both satin and calico fabrics.  The result was absolutely stunning and sweet.  I had decided to use this pattern for my little niece.  Then, when I went to dig in my scraps for appropriate fabrics, I found a bunch of white satin...white satin that we used to make the dress for the flower girl's dress in my brother and sister-in-law's wedding.  Then I found the pink satin-like fabric we used for our bridesmaid dresses.  Ta-da!

I pieced the top - the pattern required making nine-patch blocks in random patterns - and then sent it off to the quilters.  I put the binding on late Monday night...

...yes, the binding is pieced, too.  I love piecing!

And here is my beautiful sister-in-law with the finished product.  I love it, she loves it, don't you love it, too?

Memory Dress...Easter Dress...Birthday Dress...

Nearly five years ago, I served as a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding.  That's me, on the far left.  I made the dress for the wedding, but never wore it again.  Originally, I planned to make it into another pattern, but that never happened.

Two years ago, my cousin and his wife had the most adorable little girl, Rosa.  She was born one day before my birthday.  Recently, I found the dress again and had one of those "a-ha" moments: I could make the dress into something for Rosa's birthday! 

I used Simplicity 8540 (which is out of print), a simple toddler's dress.  However, I added the belt from Simplicity 2828.  I used some sheer scraps to make the belt and overlay the sleeves and some satin scraps to make the collar.

I take it to her tomorrow...maybe I can get some pictures of her modeling it and update this post with them in a few days.

Nautically Inspired: Part Two

Well, are you ready for part two?  One of the other fabrics in my sister's stash is the one I used to trim the skirt, the trim I used to create a rope-looking effect.  She had 2 or 3 yards of this fabric and I found this cute dress pattern that I had been dying to try.

The pattern was very easy and the fabric, as a rayon mix, made fitting easy.  The neck does fit on you a little lower than it looks to be on the model on the pattern, in case you try this pattern.

My sister will tell you that when I sent her the dress and the skirt, I also sent her two pages torn from a JCP catalog and a list of ideas with ways to wear such skirt and dress. 

Personally, I think they need a pair of red peep toes and the dress would look adorable with a thin red leather belt.  Watch for the photoshoot and we'll model all sorts of ways to make these three pieces into multiple outfits.

Nautically Inspired: Part One

As I was perusing my sister's fabrics, I noticed she had a lot of navy and whites.  She just wanted to get rid of them or allow me to use them to make something for someone else.  However, my active brain did not like that idea...she needed more clothes and I would find a way to make something stylish and fitting for her.

One night, I had a brainstorm.  Why not make several nautically themed outfits out of aforesaid fabrics?  Sailor-inspired wear is in and it would be very fitting for my sister and her style.

So, the first project was to transform an old jumper in to a pleated skirt.  Yes, I forgot to take "before" pictures again, so I only have the finished product.

I used a pattern with lots of pleats in it and I added the trim.  I wanted the trim to give a sense of "rope," so I knotted it.  The trim was simply some fabric that I made into bias tape and then stitched down. 

Sorry the pictures are blurry.

Keep checking back for part two and three of this series...and for the photoshoot at the end!

Of Shawls and Spring...

My sister may laugh at me, but I have this thing for shawls.  It started a year or two ago...and has escalated in the last few months.  Here are some "shawl pictures" my brother took this winter of me...

So, when my mom was cleaning out and found two pieces of fabric she no longer had a use for, I decided to make them into shawls...  They were about a half yard each, so I just roll-hemmed the edge on my serger (after I cut them straight with my rotary cutter)...

And they were done!  So easy!  Now I have a new set of wardrobe possibilities!  Let me illustrate a few for you.

Tell me about your favorite wardrobe addition...  Maybe I'll have to try it, too!

Maternity Easter Dress

My lovely sister-in-law is expecting her first in June.  And she's been wanting maternity dresses.  So, when I started my blog, she talked me into making her Easter dress...because then I could show the world that I can sew maternity clothes.  Well, actually, she didn't have to do a lot of talking.  When it comes to anything sewing, it's not real hard to convince me...

She chose Simplicity 2647 - a dress that I have long adored and that seemed like it would work for a pregnant woman as well as a non-pregnant woman.  We went with view F and she had a soft, lilac jersey knit for the dress.  I happened to be down at their house (they live two hours south of me) two weekends in a row, so I made her dress during those two visits.  (Don't worry!  We did other things, too; we didn't just sew!)

This weekend she wore the dress and she texted me to tell me how comfortable it was.  And my brother took pictures of her and sent them to me...

Isn't she beautifully radiant?

Because of the way this dress is made, it was very easy to make it maternity.  I simply added some inches in the skirt width and in the bodice width.  That was all.  Tada!