The Easiest Dress Ever

I first discovered this designer called Dans la Lune through Elsie Marley's interviews with pattern designers in the days and weeks leading up to Kid's Clothing Week Challenge.  I bought the Tunic Dress pattern last spring.  And finally got around to making this summery dress just when fall is around the corner.

This is possibly the easiest dress I've ever made.  There are 6 pattern pieces to cut out and they came together so quickly.  I just used pre-made bias tape, the pink I had left over from B's Bonnet. 

The back is held together with the bias trim.  A very sweet and lovely detail.  There's not much more to say about this dress except that I do love the classic lines and the simplicity of it.  I think I will make one for fall, maybe with wool or corduroy....

First Day of Preschool: O & S Playdate Dress

Today was the first day of preschool for S.  It's a happy-sad occasion for me.  On the one hand, I'm so excited for all the fun and learning she will have this year.  We were careful to pick out the perfect preschool for her, and I know that she will have many fun adventures there.  But on the other hand, it is like saying good-bye to her babyhood.  She is growing up; her world is just a bit bigger and I am a little sad not to be the center of it.

I stayed up way too late last night finishing up this little dress for S's first day of preschool.

The pattern is Oliver & S Playdate Dress in size 4.  This pattern has always been on my periphery of things to make for S, but it wasn't until I saw Gail's version that I did a frantic search on the internet and found a small quilting store that still had one last copy left.  So I quickly snatched it up, even paid full price plus the shipping fee.

And then on a whim, I decided that S needed a first-day of school dress and settled on this pattern.  The fabric is Sherbet Pips and the flat piping detail is DS Quilts polka-dots.  As with all O & S patterns, the directions were very clear and easy to follow.  Sewing the placket onto the dress was a bit difficult, but then i just pinned the heck of of it and that made the sewing a lot smoother.  It's also easier if you hold the placket and the main dress as you are pinning instead of laying it flat.  Then both pieces seem to fit perfectly without too much trouble.

Here is the dress on S.  She seems to fit the size 4 really well. 



Happy First Day of School to my sweet girl and to all the other little boys and girls.

Tis the Season for Birthdays

Around here, August seems to be a hugely popular month for birthdays.  We've gone to three birthday parties in the last three weekends and there are still a couple more in the coming weeks.  So I've been pretty busy sewing up some handmade gifts.

This first gift is a retro duffel bag.  The tutorial is from Saltwater Kids and can be found here.  Inside is a fort-building kit; the instructions for the kit, also from Saltwater Kids, is here.  The duffel bag was a really quick and easy sew and the result is pretty darn cute.  My kind of sewing for sure. 

And here is another Toddler Backpack.  I'm convinced that every toddler/preschooler needs this bag.  The fabric if you're interested is Tweet Tweet by Moda.

The two bags together, and below, a view of the backback from the rear.

Off to bed now and thanks for stopping by!

B in her Bonnet

I made a teeny tiny Peekaboo Sunbonnet from a Made by Rae pattern for a friend who is due to deliver a baby girl next week.  This is the newborn size.  The cuteness factor is almost unbearable, wouldn't you say? 



Here is the reverse side.  Bitty Baby was a great model.  She looked where I wanted her to look.  She didn't try to grab the camera or scream when I wouldn't give it to her.

I made one for B too.  In size 1-2.  It fits really well, with a little growing room.  This was a quick and easy sew.  Probably under 2 hours without kids around; a bit longer if you are working around naps and such.  The polka-dots are DS Quilts by Denyse Schmidt found at JoAnn's. 



The reverse side is Kaffe Fasset Kite Tails.  I love this pattern.  I want to make more bonnets.  I'm tempted to make one for S too. 

One last look at Baby B in her bonnet.

WIP: Daisy Chain Sampler

I'm taking a little break to work on this Daisy Chain Sampler Embroidery designed by Alicia Paulsen of Rosy Little Things.  I bought this as a kit, but you can buy the PDF pattern here.  It's slow work but deeply satisfying in a different way than sewing.  I don't know exactly how to explain it, but I get the same feeling when I knit and crochet.  I think it has to do with the process, that rhythmic motion of your hands and fingers at work and the tactile experience of the yarn and needle.  For a few years in my twenties, knitting, and later crocheting, was something that I turned to for it's therapeutic powers.  Quiet, peace,  tranquility and balance: these were things that I found.  It is deeply absorbing and is taking me away momentarily from my sewing.

I love each and every letter that I've finished so far, although of course the stitches are far from perfect.  I am learning as I'm going you see.  The instructions are written  and illustrated so clearly that even a novice can pick it up pretty easily.  I did, however, have to google french knots and found a video tutorial for those tricky stitches.

In sewing news, I have two peekaboo bonnets cut out.  I will get to them before this weekend when we will finally have some sun.