Dreams of dresses

Well KCW just passed us by and I finished nothing. Turns out I misplaced my motivation and my schedule was filled with non-sewing related activities. Grrr 

I'll make up for it in the coming months. I have a lot that needs to get done ASAP. Like coats and pants for the girl hobbit. But a couple weeks ago I did make this beauty and never got around to showing it to you. (Unless you're in my beloved "Mamas Group" on Facebook) I literally dreamed about making this dress all summer. I'm currently crazy in love with ecru crochet trim. I would stitch it on to everything if I could. I got the stretch linen at Textile fabrics in Nashville early in the summer and just had to wait until the air has a faint crispness to it so I could justify making a Fall jumper. I envision this over many different shirts and even with cardigans.

She certainly approves!

KCW Day 2

Honestly I didn't think I would have a finished garment at the end of day 2 since I spent all day with the hobbits and didn't even start these until nearly 9pm but I do...well technically I didn't finish until 1am but we're just claim these as a day 2 victory!

For N's Kindy wardrobe I made these Oliver+S Sailboat capris out of a stretch twill I rescued from her mama's stash. I wish I had several more yards of that fabric to be honest, it was great. I was thinking she needed a few wardrobe staples that could be worn with different things for versatility. Practicality and versatility are not necessarily my strengths when sewing but I'm trying. In reality if M didn't talk some sense into me every once in awhile the girls would have closets for of dresses...oh wait, they do. Ooops. But in heeding her wisdom I've made some practical and still cute capris. I'm actually rather proud of these.






Ok, technically these weren't on my to do list this week but I need to wait for some button hole elastic to arrive before I make the Clever Charlotte Raven pants so I moved these up in the queue.

KCW Day 1

I must confess day one of KCW went very well for me. I was on fire! Of course I was also off work and ignoring my housework....Reggie got up at 3:45am so she fell asleep on the floor of my sewing room for several house which helped.

I finished BOTH of the Green Bee Lily dresses. Start to finish! I'm very pleased with the way they turned out. The shot cotton was beautiful to work with. I made the sleeveless version of this dress with no changes and I followed her instructions. Of course if I make it again there are some things I would change.

This one is N's dress for Kindergarten. I intended this for easy wearing by itself during the warmer months and over tights and with a cardigan for Fall. I had originally thought a long sleeve shirt could go underneath but I suspect it will be too snug.





The one I made for Reggie is intended for a weekend trip we have coming up to see Grammy. We're going to meet up in St. Louis and I thought a new dress might be nice. In all honesty she doesn't need a new dress but Grammy picked out the little houses fabric and she loves it when I sew for Reggie. Also I expect it's going to hot, hot, hot and the shot cotton seems so cool and breezy.





My well bribed model with her Trader Joe's lolly pop. She also made me pay her in lipgloss....


Not too bad at all for day 1. Today is day 2 and I have to work but I will spend the hobbits' nap time tracing and cutting and start sewing tonight when Reggie goes to bed.

Someone is stylin'!


Actually when I started sewing she informed me she didn't like any of the fabrics I was using and neither would N. She changed her mind and let's hope she was wrong about N as well.

Such a Little Mama

Oh my Reggie Girl sure loves her "babies". I think it is so sweet the way she is very in to dolly play which I know is totally common for this age but still...it is so sweet.

Reggie never took a pacifier as an infant. She just wasn't interested in that sort of thing. She wasn't a thumb/hand/fist sucker either so I find it very amusing that now at two and a half she is VERY interested by pacifiers. In fact she found an old baby bottle and took the lid off to pop the nipple out and she seriously Macgyvered herself a pacifier. Now since we aren't at all interested in having her start a pacifier habit now we had to put a stop to that but for real who starts trying to suck a pacifier if they are using the potty and speaking in complete sentences (actually this child speaks in paragraphs, I have no idea who she inherited that from)? Anyways she decided that having a baby who has a pacifier was an acceptable substitution. Personally I felt she had plenty of dolls already and was hoping she would develop a deeper relationship with her existing babies. I lost that battle. I finally caved after many months of her asking nearly daily and found a doll that has a pacifier that doesn't look too freaky. Reggie named her Jessie and she is in love.

It just tickles me pink the way she packs her around on her hip like a little mama.


This little doll is just the perfect size for her. Also you can see the new dress I made her last night since she felt she needed something new to wear to Story Time at the library today.



This doll is by Melissa and Doug and it is their 12 inch "Jenna" doll. What sold me on this baby is her size and that she has a cute face even without the pacifier. Not to be vulgar but a lot of dolls with pacifiers look too much like blow up dolls with out their binky. Way too icky. Not this one, she does have a sweet little face and smell like baby powder. So even though I was sad that Reggie doesn't just want dolls lovingly hand made by her mama at least this one is cute. For real, the doll I made her for Christmas (by hand) is completely neglected.

As I was thinking of baby dolls this week it occurred to me that all the dolls in our house are usually naked. In fact within an hour of receiving her Reggie had poor Jessie striped down to her birthday suit.



This is all but one of Reggie's babies. The back row is Molly, Creepy and Ally (her Christmas doll) and the front row is Baby Moses and Jessie. Creepy is only wearing a dress because Reggie snitched this dress from her friend's house and Ally's sweater was hand made by my best friend so every time I come across her laying naked in the floor I at least put her sweater on. She actually has a lovely handmade wardrobe somewhere... I'm told this is perfectly normal and that she may or may not out grow this "naked baby" phase. I guess time will tell. It is rather funny.

Her dress is the PortabellaPixie Claire Knot dress made out of an assortment of Riley Blake fabrics. I suspect I love this pattern too much and need to pass it on since I've made it lots and lots.

A Sassy Summer Outfit

This little outfit I dreamed up specifically to go with Reggie's red chucks. We're shoe people around here. I modified the Miss Olivia Paige from The Handmade Dress. I made it tunic length and eliminated the ties. Instead I used snaps and hook and eyes. I love the ties but wanted something a little simpler. I made the Ceci shorts by the Petite Kids Boutique and think they are completely adorable. I rescued the fabric for the shorts from my best friend Margaret's stash and the fabric for the top is some beloved Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey.

Reggie was in the mood to model (which is so rare) so I took way too many pictures of my adorable little hobbit in this very cute little outfit.









Add to the ensemble another chunky necklace and a felt hair bow and you are set to rock the playground!

It needed some love...

I made this little Amelia by Olabelhe several years ago...as in before I was even expecting a child. I was a slow (and easily distracted) seamstress and this dress didn't get completed in time to fit the child I had intended it for. I passed it along to my best friend's little girl but it wasn't worn by her either. In M's defense it did lack the needed button holes which neither of us enjoy doing. So when I was in Wisconsin a few weeks back I pillaged through M's stash for fabric (because I need more NOT) and rescued this dress. Turns out it fits Reggie perfectly! As if it was intended for her all along.





We added a sweet little necklace and now we have a perfect summer outfit.


I'm slightly addicted to making these chunky necklaces.

Kids Clothes Week Part 2

This second little outfit was part of the way assembled before KCW but I thought I would use the motivation to go ahead and finish it up. In all honesty, I am in love with this fabric and the yellow/grey color combo. Actually I have a skirt from this same fabric and Reggie has a dress out of it already. But I love it and had several yards plus I found these adorable shoes
at Old Navy to coordinate with it.



In classic 2yo style she has loaded herself down with numerous treasures to leave the house. Apparently she need both a backpack and a purse.



These are the shoes the outfit was made to coordinate with however as you can see she made an executive decision NOT to wear them. Instead she felt more like a ballerina hence the ballet slippers.



And what better way to model a new grey/yellow outfit than with some lovely lemon ice cream!

*Details*

Both top and bottoms are from the Oliver+S Sailboat pattern (it also includes an adorable skirt). I made this using an Amy Butler print quilting cotton and solid grey Kona cotton. Oh an yellow buttons, man, I love buttons.

The fit is pretty spot on although the pants are a little too baggy now that a certain someone is rocking the panties instead of a diaper. I will fix that little fit issue but scooting over the buttons on the britches.

Kids Clothes Week Challenge

A couple times a year I attempt to sew along with Meg for Kids Clothes Week (aka KCW). I've loved Meg's blog many years now and I can always use the motivation to get cracking on the girly's clothes. I did manage to finish a few items this year in spite of feeling like I spent more time with my seam ripper than with my sewing machine. An added bonus is that I've finally started using some of the Oliver + S patterns I pay so much money for just to have sit on my shelf looking pretty.

The first things I completed was the Oliver+S Sailboat top which is actually a rather easy top if you aren't attempting to make it while utterly exhausted and sleep deprived. If, like me, you are trying to make it at 11:00pm after spending 10 hours with the hobbits then you may find it mind boggling....

For me, once I realized that the front and back are the same (with the buttons always being on the wearer's left shoulder when in the front) it was easier to wrap my head around. I have the After School pants cut out but they will have to wait until another day. I paired this top with a Goodwill skirt and some leggings we got super cheap at The Children's Place. I love pink polka dots. Reggie felt the outfit called for tall brown boots. That girl has a lot of opinions regarding shoes.



It was such a gorgeous day we walked by our sweet Neighbors' fish pond to see if the fish had woken up in time for Spring.



She found herself a rock.


Back view.

The fabric I used is by Aneela Hoey (LOVE HER) and is from the Sherbet Pips line. You can't tell too well in these pictures but the fabric has little puppies and mice running across it.

I will note that this pattern runs short and somewhat wide in my opinion. You need a little width to get it on and off since woven fabric doesn't stretch much but next time I make it I may go down a size but add several inches of length to the bottom since when Reggie lifts her hands you get a full on tummy view. Yes, teeny tiny toddler tummies are so squishy and cute but perhaps a little more coverage would be nice.