Vintage May :: Playclothes for all!

May 23, 2013 by hungie gungie

:::This post is a part of the fabulous Vintage May series hosted by Craftiness is not Optional and Skirt as Top:::

We are so glad that Kristin and Jess invited us to participate in this year’s Vintage May series- and wow, what a line-up of talented ladies!

We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!

If you are new here, Welcome! We are so happy you’re here.

Last year, we sewed along during Vintage May, using floral sheets from yesteryear- here and here. This year we got our Fraulein Maria on, repurposing bed linens into playclothes for our brood- that’s 6 kids altogether!

Okay, so we were a teensy bit excited for our FIRST GUEST POST! ::sister high-fives all around::

Some of our looks were designed around the unique beauty of vintage bedding, and some just have touches of them, as you’ll see below. Repurposing sheets and pillowcases is great since a lot of the work is already done for you in the form of seams and hems- just make sure to wash them up in some yummy-smelling detergent. You might find the aroma to be uniquely “vintage” as well.

Though our photo shoot reflects some nap-time delirium and lingering (and still lingering…) pink-eye- don’t worry, it ended with a full-on Vintage May/Gangnam-Style dance party!

It only makes sense to start with the oldest… so here’s Jet!

Caroline: Thinking about vintage looks for the boys, I kept coming back to this child actor, who was in some of our other favorite childhood movies (Swiss Family Robinson, Pollyanna, and Toby Tyler). You know him right? He’s the same in all those movies- scrappy, mischevious, and somewhat annoying. But he’s so cute in the hats and knickers and suspenders! So for Jet, I worked up a pair of HG tour pants using a plaid pillowcase for the stripe. I decided to chop the pants below the knee to encourage summertime boyish mayhem. Get it? May-hem? I love a good sewing pun. The suspenders are simply made with 1″ elastic, and upcycled leather + buttons.

Erin: I fell in love with the details and colors of this pillowcase and knew right away that it needed to be a top for Ell. I utilized the entire thing. Normally, I’d leave the existing pillowcase hem for something like this, but I wanted to use the yellow in the flutter straps and the chest band, so I ended up cutting off a good chunk of the bottom. The back closes with a big vintage button and elastic loop. The shorts are E and E’s bubble pocket sailor shorts pattern in yarn-dyed Essex Linen. I love all the buttons! You can get a better glimpse of them up in that first picture.

Caroline: Avery’s look is also reminiscent of Pollyanna. If you need a fix, watch this. I loved her drop-waisted dresses and sailor ties. Avery’s modernized version (say if Pollyanna were to take up tennis) begins with a Flashback tee (minus the sleeves) on top and vintage pillowcase on the bottom. I simply cut the pillowcase in half and pleated it to match the circumference up top. Using the same pillowcase, I made bias tape and stitched it around the collar and arm holes.

ERIN: I love the idea of little boys in vests, but it’s not a look you really see anymore. So, I decided to try one out for Grant using Lindsay’s tutorial modifying it into a racerback… and I love it! I made it with Essex linen (same as Ell’s shorts), and the pockets are cut from the hem of a pillowcase. The inside is a pretty yellow floral sheet (the most masculine one I had). Grant’s pants are based on the Parsley pants pattern, but modified a bit to make them skinnier, and of course shorter. If we had a creek out back, you bet this boy would be wading it.

Erin: For Corinne, I definitely wanted to keep it easy! I love the idea of a one-piece outfit for babies, so I made some bloomers from a sweet pillowcase I had and then attached it to a basic tank onesie- I used 1/4″ elastic to gather the leg holes, and added 3 snaps at the crotch. I thought it’d be fun to add a faux peter pan collar since, they were and are all the rage, aren’t they? I appliqued some shiny gold fabric and added a sweet ivory ribbon rosebud in the center. It’s pretty, but so practical for summer days. (note to self: make more of these.)

Caroline: Wes is wearing faux-suspenders (grosgrain ribbon, d-rings, steam-a-seam) attached to a onesie, along with pillowcase lined pants (based on A.M.H’s Quick Change Trousers). His newsboy cap is from this free online pattern/video tutorial that I found for an adult, and eventually had success with scaling it down for a small head.

Do you remember this part in the Sound of Music?

Captain Von Trapp: “Do you mean to tell me that my children have been roaming about Salzburg dressed up in nothing but some old DRAPES?”

Fraulein Maria: ”Mmm-hmmm. And having a MARVELOUS time!”

Duh!

Thank you all for stopping by! Come back tomorrow for a tutorial on Corinne’s pillowcase romper- it’s an easy one!

And if you know what’s good for you, check out today’s other Vintage May post by Jessica of Happy Together. Thanks again Kristin and Jess for letting us in on the fun!

So long, farewell….

Erin + Caroline

best. skirt. EVER.

May 20, 2013 by hungie gungie

Have you seen the movie Tangled? It’s a favorite around here.

We love to sing the songs and I often quote from it- “Take it from your Mumsie” and “Mother knows best…” and “I’m making your faaaavoriiite!!” are ones I frequently belt out throughout the day. I’m pretty sure Mother Gothel has one of the greatest singing voices in the history of Disney movies.

Anyway, there’s a part in the movie when Rapunzel is frolicking in the open grass for the first time in ages, after she repels down from her castle, yelling,

“BEST. DAY. EVER!”

Ellery likes to use that line when she really likes something. “Best swing/toast/piggyback EVER!”

Or in this case, SKIRT.

We declare this the best skirt ever.

Ever!

I used the reversible circle skirt tutorial by You and Mie, and guys…it’s a good one. I don’t know why I’ve never tried a circle skirt before- it was so fun to make and just way easier than I thought.

I drafted this little pattern up for a 5T, it was VERY quick to sew- with no hemming required- just bias tape around the botton. And wouldn’t you know it… It used exactly one package of bias tape- with like, 2″ to spare.

::patting myself on the back for that one:::

The outer fabric is Amy Butler water bouquet in mint, and the inside is blue Chambray from Joann’s.

Anyway, you can see why Ell loves it!

Best skirt ever.

My new go-to for sure.

Go make one!

-Erin

“quickdress”

May 15, 2013 by hungie gungie

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).

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.

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!

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.

And wear it she does.

About 3 times a week.

Love my girl!

Happy Wednesday

-Erin

felt + fabric crowns

April 22, 2013 by hungie gungie

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!

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

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

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.

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

2013-4-April

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

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

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.

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

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.

Trace the shape onto your folded fabric strip.

Cut it out.

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.

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

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.

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

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!

I added some skinny ivory ribbon too….

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.

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.**

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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 _______ ?”

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

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

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

April 15, 2013 by hungie gungie

Don’t you think?

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.

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…

“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.

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.

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!

Love the dress, LOVE the girl.

~Caroline

long-distance, Geranium-style

March 27, 2013 by hungie gungie

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?

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.

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

I say fresh.

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

Soon, things would be just fine and dandy!

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

Having some girly fun.

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

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.

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.

In Spanish-mode.

We laughed our heads off.

I’m pretty sure Friend Caroline would have too.

-Erin

Pattern Testing :: Bubble Dress!

March 19, 2013 by hungie gungie

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:

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.

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!

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.

The back closes simply with a button and loop.

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.

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

Someone’s ready for Easter….

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

vintage floral crowns

March 14, 2013 by hungie gungie

Hey y’all!

Just popping in to share with you what’s been consuming my evening sewing sessions lately….I’m not sure what inspired these crowns, but once the idea came to me there was no stopping the production!

vintage floral pillowcases + wool felt = soft, sweet, and subtle crowns perfect for Spring.

(side note- no matter how much you wash a vintage sheet, it still smells OLD. or, seasoned as i like to say….)

The above fabric is from the same pillowcase that this dress was made from.

These are going to be for a certain special girl’s 5th birthday party coming up in April. I am making one for each of her little guests. Hence the production line! We’ll be having a little girl’s luncheon in our backyard garden and I’m excited to plan for it- I’m usually not big on birthday hoopla for little kiddos (a ton of work/stress/money- plus all three of my babies have birthdays within a month of each other!) but, now that Ellery is old enough to help me with ideas and planning, it’s actually something I’m looking forward to! Except that every day she tells me EXACTLY what she’d like her cake to look like… different every day of course!

I like that these crowns (which they can wear for the party AND take home…) don’t cost a lot, but are made with a lot of love.

More to come!

-Erin

Geranium in Voile

February 22, 2013 by hungie gungie

I sewed up a Geranium tunic for Corinne last week and finally cut into some much-loved AMH little folks voile.

I love how my last Geranium turned out for Ellery, and I love how different this one is. This fabric is so nice and light, i thought it would make a nice breezy top. I’m happy that she can wear this now right on into the Springtime.

(Seriously, Spring. Get a move on it!)

So, I added long sleeves here - not an option in the pattern, but I figured it would just look super cute and couldn’t be too hard.

For the sleeves, I used a pattern piece that I already had handy- from the baby in the hood jacket (from this book) that I made a couple of years ago for Grant. I added an elastic casing at the cuffs. I did trim my sleeve pattern piece down a little bit along the sides, but I wish I had left it as wide it was- I think this shirt would be perfection if the sleeves were just a teensy bit roomier. But, it’s totally wearable, and I’m loving it on her, so no biggie. Next time, next time….

Here’s “Coco” (as she is affectionately known around here) and her bribery snack of choice: baby Mum Mum crackers.

Anyway, to attach the sleeves, I didn’t really have a plan of attack since I’ve never sewn sleeves to a lined bodice. But, I remembered Rae’s tutorial and video for adding sleeves to a Washi dress, so I followed that… I’m sure there are other ways to add sleeves to a lined bodice, but the girl knows what she’s talking about, so I let her guide me through it. And it went very well… even though it looks all kinds of crazy when you’re sewing it up! No really… check out that video to see what I mean.

That’s what I love about sewing- sometimes you just have to trust the instructions in front of you and forego your own thought processes.

I always learn something. Always.

I made the 12-18 month size for my almost 11 month old! 11 months already?? what??

Instead of using 3 buttons as the pattern suggests, I decided to use 2 here just because I liked how it looked. I’m really digging this pattern and have seen so many great variations in the flickr pool.

Action shot!

Corinne has been walking since just after her 9 month birthday, and I really feel like she’s in the mix with the other *big* kids because of that.. but it’s funny because she still looks like such a baby to me… I took her to an open-gym today with tons of other kids and she had no problem leaving my side to cruise around after balls, crawl through tunnels, and at one point even walking up to some random boy on a bike and planting the biggest slobbery open-mouthed kiss on his face.

He liked it.

C’mon, wouldn’t you?

-Erin

Geranium Dress

February 2, 2013 by hungie gungie

Happy February!

To celebrate the arrival of my least favorite month (bleak/blah/brrrrrr!!!), I made a Geranium dress for Ellery.

This a new pattern from Rae a.k.a. our sewing guru…. And just as I knew it would be, the pattern is clear and concise with many photos and plenty of options.

Really, if you’re looking for a great basic dress pattern, get this!

The fabric is sort of an odd choice, but i was feeling pressured to use a (soon to expire) gift certificate at my local shop and I was drawn to this… It’s Field Study Glimmer by Kristine Baerlin for Free Spirit. I think it’s suitable for February actually. Grayish/Green cattails with bits of pink and orangey-gold…. a little prelude to Spring. I didn’t have much else in enough yardage, so I kind of took the risk of her rejecting it but soldiered on….

Ellery seemed to like it right away, but told me (she loves to say this) “I’ll wear it to school when I’m 5!”

I made a 5T for my almost 5 year old girl- there is a little room for her to grow into it.

I lengthened the skirt by an inch and a half and I also added in the pockets from view B to my skirt piece (view A).

I intended to use snaps to close the back, just for ease of getting dressed in the busy mornings, but I forgot I had these cute purple oval buttons- I liked the look so I went with it.