“quickdress”

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Suddenly, when Ellery turned about 4 years old, all that precious time I spent sewing into the night was wasted.  She stopped liking pretty much anything I made (except for this sundress that she all but slept in last Summer).

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i love this photo of her literally ripping off a Pierrot dress 1 second after she tried it on….

Why?  Oh, many reasons…. “it’s TOO BUMPY!!!!!” (i.e. made with woven cotton).  Or, “it’s just TOO short!!!” (i.e. it wasn’t a ball gown).  Or “I look like a BOY IN IT!!!!” (i.e. it wasn’t the color pink).  You can see why the dress above wasn’t her fave… hehehe.

So, I found myself buying cheap basic knit dresses from Old Navy and Target.  And no offense to those stores (i still do my fair share of shopping there), but if a dress significantly fades after 2 or 3 washes, I’m annoyed.  Especially if it cost me over $10.

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So, I started making these little dresses by attaching an existing tank top we already had to a thrifted skirt or dress, and she just gushed over them.  I’m sure she likes them because they are comfy… which means I can get away with some different colors she wouldn’t normally wear.  Actually when she first saw this dress she was concerned because there were 2 shades of brown polka dots on it, but she forgot about it once she pulled it on… Livin’ on the edge, my gal!

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 Really.  I feel like a cheater, but whatever- I’m so much happier spending about 12 minutes of my time whipping one of these up for a few bucks- as long as she’ll wear it.

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And wear it she does.

About 3 times a week.

Love my girl!

Happy Wednesday :)

-Erin

I made a hat

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…for a stuffed monkey.

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Not my intention.

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While looking around blogland for Gatsby-inspired digs (can’t wait for this movie AND Vintage May!), I stumbled upon this random free pattern and instructional video for a “flat cap”.  Thought I’d give it a try.  But I wasn’t sure about how to get the right size for printing.  What’s a dpi anyway?

Whatever I ended up with looked about right for a kid…okay maybe a baby, I’ve got one of those.

Wrong.

 I knew it as I got halfway in.  But I was having so much fun! It’s actually a great pattern!

My mother’s helper will love this for her AGDs!

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Watch out for the food police!  I love that my first rule is eat with utensils.  That’s embarrasing.

We had some major laughs around here with each kid and husband trying this thing on!

Wes gives it

TWO SNAPS UP IN A ZIG ZAG FORMATION!

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I’ll have another go at this soon, just increased it 30%, so wish me luck.

And, now I will EAT YOU MONKEY!

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~Caroline

Backyard Patchwork Quilt

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I’ve had the itch to make another quilt ever since finsihing the first one I made last year for Ellery.  This time, a quilt to hang out on when we are playing outside- which this time of year is pretty much all afternoon.

I had a few requirements that I wanted to stick to: It had to be a STASHBUSTER, Colorful (enough to hide food and grass stains), Easy, and fast.

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 I perused Pinterest, adding several beauties to my quilt board.  But, I realize I am not a “quilter” and I was putting it off because the whole process was starting to daunt me. Then, I remembered something an old Chef used to tell me in my younger days as a cook… when you get overwhelmed by what’s ahead of you, just use the K.I.S.S. system.  As in, “Keep it simple, stupid.”  And things will magically come together for you.  So I stopped pinning, and started pulling fabrics.

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 I kept going back to the idea of using lots of florals, so I pulled anything I had that jumped out at me.  Also, I had a few Anna Maria Horner prints that I felt were just staring at me everytime I opened my fabric closet.  Like, “DO SOMETHING WITH US, LADY!”.  So, I used a few that I was pretty sure wouldn’t end up into any clothing projects- Coordinates in saffron, and Bubble Burst in Turquoise.  I thought those two would break it all up and add some pizazzzzzz….

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I cut 10 1/2″ squares.  42 in all.  I used my Mom’s square ruler which made the cutting process go super quick and precise.

(Thanks Gee for owning every type of tool I could ever possibly need.  You always come through for me!)

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I used Kona in Slate (i think?) for the binding and didn’t waste my nights hand-stitching it on… It was so fast using the machine and a walking foot really helped (again, thank you Mom for that!).  For the backing, I just pieced together any large pieces I had left, plus that green floral print, and also added a large piece of some eggplant-colored cotton.  When I asked my Mom if it that was okay to do, she laughed and said “I don’t think the Quilt Police will come after you”.  Hey, I don’t know these things!

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I hand-tied the quilt with mustard colored floss at each corner where the squares meet.  I like how sort of loose and soft it is without the stitching all over… In fact, I would probably go that route again- it was so fast and easy.

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I’m so happy with the result.  I am excited to throw it out on the lawn, picnic with the kiddos on it, and maybe even take a nap on it someday.  Just kidding.  That will NEVER happen.

But, I do feel like it’s very “Me”…. whatever that means!

-Erin

felt + fabric crowns

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A few weeks ago, I gave you guys a little peek of what’s been keeping me busy these days.

And I’m here today to show you more!

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I’ve been into all things floral lately for some reason.  And I love a good felt project.

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And Ellery’s birthday is this week….(our theme is garden-chic.  Okay, I just made that up)….

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So I combined all those things and came up with these sweet crowns to be given as favors at the beginning of the party so the girls can have fun wearing them together.

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They are pretty quick to make, fairly inexpensive, and something that hopefully will get worn over and over again!

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I’m really loving them (so is Ellery), and I thought you might too!

So, read on for a step-by-step tutorial:

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First you’ll need some fabric strips.  Obviously, you can use any type of print you like… I used anything in my stash that was floral, including some vintage pillowcases.  This strip below was cut from the edge of a pillowcase.  I love the subtle colors.

Anyway, your strip should be about 4 1/2 ” wide and about 18″ long.

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Cut a piece of lightweight or medium-weight interfacing and iron onto the wrong side of your fabric strip.

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Make a little crown template on a piece of paper.  Mine is 4 1/2″ wide and 9″ long… this will be cut on the fold, fyi.  See below.

Draw any type of crown shape you like.  I made my center point right on the fold, slightly taller than the other 3 points.

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Trace the shape onto your folded fabric strip.

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Cut it out.

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Lay your fabric onto your felt strip. (I’m using a wool felt blend from Ohma- it has a nice weight to it and I highly recommend that you steer clear of the acrylic stuff for this project.  It’s too flimsy for this.  This yellow felt came in a large square so I was able to get a nice long strip from it.  Oh, and the color is called ‘Butter’… It was meant for me.

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Stitch the points to the felt.  Leave the sides and bottom open for now….

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 Now, I did not get all crazy-good with my top-stitching, and that does not bother me for this project…or, any project for that matter.  I’ve realized that I’m just not a perfectionist no matter how hard I try.  ;)

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Cut the excess felt away, but leave about a 1/8″ border.  Makes everything pop!

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Play around with any trims, lace, ribbon, etc… that you like for the bottom edge.  I’d say about 1 1/2″ high of embellishment is good.  I used 1″ grosgrain ribbon, and some lace.  Just stitch it on however you like, leaving a little overhang at each edge. **i love the look of gold thread, so if you have some, use it!

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I added some skinny ivory ribbon too….

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Cut an 8″ long strip of 1/4″ elastic- that’s a good length for 3-5 year olds I’d say, but if your kid’s noggin is handy, maybe do a little measuring and adjust that by 1/2″ or so either way.  For projects that have thin elastic that is visible, like for a button and loop closure here, or on a bag or the back of a dress, I usually buy swimwear elastic from Joann becuase it’s softer than regualr elastic and it’s not stark white.  It just looks a little more natural.

But, use whatever you have.

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Fold the elastic in half and slip the raw edges into one of the sides between the felt and fabric.

**If you only have wide elastic, like 3/4 or 1″, maybe just use one 4″ long piece instead of folding it in half… and don’t use a button.  Just insert the elastic and both ends and stitch.**

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Go ahead and fold your ribbon trim edges to the underside of the felt.

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Stich the edge down, and stitch the elastic in place.  I’m leaving the fabric edge raw all over.  If you are worried about fraying, dab a little Fray Check on the edges.

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Your crown shold look like this.  Minus the baby-photobomb!

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Next, find a medium to large button that you like.

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Sew it onto the other edge of your crown, so it sits just slightly above the ribbon.

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Almost done!  You can stop there or you can add a cute little ribbon rosebud right to the center.  Or a little bow.  Or whatever strikes your fancy.

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Try it on your kid!  Ellery would not look at me for these photos.  She loves to play hard-to-get.

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Grant wanted in on the action…. I’ve got to make him a boy version ASAP.

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Here’s Ellery “organzing” the crowns and choosing which ones her friends should have.  SUCH a first-born!

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This girl will be FIVE in a week!  No one is more excited than her.  She asks me at least 20 times a day who is younger than her… and squeals with delight when she gets to a kid who has a May or June or July birthday.  Seriously, I’ll be in the other room and I’ll hear her say, “Mommy?” and I’ll start mouthing the words she’s about to say:  “Am I turning 5 before _______ ?”

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“YES, ELLERY.  YOU ARE TURNING FIVE BEFORE ______.”

“heheheeeee yyyeeeeesssss!!  weeeeeee!!!”  :::happy dance::::

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Let me know if you decide to make one- don’t let my long tutorial fool you… they are so fast to make if you have everything on hand!

And I hope all of you KCW -sewing Mamas have fun this week and don’t putter out before the week is over!  I simply cannot get my act together to participate this time around…I am here cheering you on though and can’t wait to see what everyone makes!

Ciao!

-Erin

It HAD to have the piping

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I would have been finished with this Oliver + S “Music Box Jumper” days ago, but after I sewed the yoke to the skirt, I knew something was missing.  Piping!  It had to have piping.  I just couldn’t leave well enough alone.  So I made a date with my seam ripper, instead of my husband.  Boo.  He understood.  And he agreed, it needed piping.

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I constructed the yoke out of a white linen skirt that my older sister never wore, and passed on to me.  The skirt was pretty see-through, so I never wore it either, but like a good up-cycler, I threw it in my stash and knew I’d at least use the buttons from it.  These are those buttons!  Avery patiently waited as “almost done…” turned into “frrmmshmerrdurr…” and then ” *bleeping bleeeeep!* ” and then finally…
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“Praise the Lord, its finished!”  And we LOVE IT!  Seriously, I’m pretty obsessed with this dress.  Skirt fabric is from Anna Maria Horner’s “Loulouthi” collection, and is called Coreopsis in lime.  The Music Box jumper (view B) was an impeccable pattern.  I had to buy it after I saw it sewn up at Les Fabriques by the talented Jamie (shout out if you’re reading!).  I took it slowly and even made french seams, learning a ton the whole way.

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The white linen was tricky to work with, so soft and delicate.  It did not appreciate all the seam ripping!  But, it feels like buttah, and gives the dress an old-timey vibe.  Like out of a Dick and Jane book.

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I’m not really sure when I will let her wear this dress.  Maybe a certain garden party coming up ;) ?  I hope I don’t hover nearby with a wash cloth when its time for cake.  After all I went through in the construction process, I will probably insist she vacuum seal it in archival tissue paper, and pass it down to her first-born daughter!   I told you I was obsessed!  Anyhoo, here are some pics of our photo shoot.  Avery is very into making me weed bouquets!

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Love the dress, LOVE the girl.

~Caroline

long-distance, Geranium-style

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Earlier this month, we had a heavy wet snowstorm that knocked out our power and water for 4 days.  To keep the kids happy + entertained, we had ”practice” easter egg hunts, bacon fried on a little propane burner, couch naps, s’mores a la fireplace…you know, power outage stuff.  Do all Moms suck at building forts, or is it just me?

Anyway.  Sounds fun for a while, right?

We stuck it out at home for about 24 hours before the novelty of of it all wore off and we high-tailed it to my parent’s hotel house for the rest of the weekend.  I love a good flushing toilet.  TMI?

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One great thing about having no electicity, is that you are forced to do the stuff you normally don’t like to do, like organizing all the crap that no one ever uses under the bathroom sink, making Goodwill donation clothing piles (i’m talking to you and your t-shirts, husband), and cutting out pattern and fabric pieces.

Prepping up a couple of Geraniums with Ellery delightfully helped to pass the time.

I snagged up this fun fabric (Summersault by Erin McMorris for FreeSpirit) when it was on sale for a few dollars/yard online… I actually bought it in 3 colorways- we also have orange, because I knew Ellery would lo-lo-love it.  It just exudes Spring.  And jelly bean-colored raindrops?  Love at first sight for my girl…

She and I decided to make one for her, and one for “Friend Caroline”- her bff that moved to Colorado last year.  I showed her the options in the pattern, and she did a fabulous job of telling me EXACTLY how she wanted them to look, down to the flutter sleeves on both, and the green one having the U cut-out but not the pink one.  ;)

Our photo shoot went a lot like one of Ellery and Caroline’s many playdates:

It started off a little slow.

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Maybe even a little sassy….as Caroline’s midewestern mom would say.

I say fresh.

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But after some nagging from us Moms, and a little moping from the girls…

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Soon, things would be just fine and dandy!

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…and they were off playing princesses or fashion show, trading dresses, tiaras, and shoes….

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Having some girly fun.

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And of course, getting bugged by Grant… seen here, trying to eat the pink dress.

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I let Ellery decide in the end which dress she would send to Caroline, and which one she’d chose for herself.  Can you guess which one she kept?

It *might* surprise you.

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Green!  Now THAT is a good 4 year-old friend…

We miss Caroline and her Mom (a.k.a. my “sisterwife”) TONS, but we are getting used to Facetime- Ellery gets very shy when she sees C on the ipad and pretty much goes mute.  So her!

I’m sure eventually they’ll be able to channel all that laughter and silliness that would ensue during those playdates.

Like here, when just after I took this shot, she walked backward and fell off the bookshelf, landed on one of Corinne’s baby toys, and kicked it on.

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In Spanish-mode.

We laughed our heads off.

I’m pretty sure Friend Caroline would have too.

-Erin

Pattern Testing :: Bubble Dress!

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of testing a new sewing pattern by An of StraightGrain.

The Bubble Dress!

An makes some really sweet clothing for her little girl, and has now put her skills towards creating this great little pattern for girls ages 1-6.  It is for sale now, and you can buy it here.  If you have never made a bubble-anything before (like me), give it a shot- it comes together pretty quickly and it’s fun to see the bubble take shape!

Anyway, without further ado…

Here’s Corinne enjoying her new frock:

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I tested the 1 year size for my Coco-girl who is turning 1 next week.  WHA??  Crazy.  I mean, I just had her, didn’t I?

Anyway, it fits great… she’s lean, so this will fit her right on through the Summer I’m sure.

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I’ve had this fabric (Jessica Levitt, Timber collection) since I first started sewing 3 years ago.  I never was quite sure about what to use it for, but I’m so happy I finally cut into it.  Pretty perfect for Spring!  I’m not  usually drawn to geometric prints, but i love the combo of geometric and organic shapes here.  Such cute little bird’s nests they are!

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Check out that bubble!

The peter pan collar is an option in this pattern, and is a fun way to use a contrasting fabric.

I figured if I was going to learn how to make a bubble skirt, I might as well learn to make a collar too.  That was the hardest part for me, but it turned out just fine- i took those steps pretty slow, especially when attaching it between the outer bodice and the lining.

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The back closes simply with a button and loop.

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I used 1/8″ elastic, though you could use ribbon too.  Anytime I can get out of making a buttonhole, I’m gonna take it!  I think the elastic is nice for a squiggly toddler too.  Easy on, easy off.

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We had fun during this photo shoot.  Her cuteness was bubbling all over the place.  Sorry…but  you knew the pun was coming…

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Someone’s ready for Easter….

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So, hop on over to An’s blog and look around… She’s from Belgium and is hosting a great series called Kid’s Clothes Belgian Style - Lots of awesome sewing happening over there!

Thanks for stopping by  :)

-Erin