I Heart Heather Ross

I started this bag a couple of weeks ago and just finished it last night.  The pattern is the messenger bag from LIttle Things to Sew.  It's really not my style to let something remain unfinished for so long.  Once I start on something, I tend to obsess about it until it's done.  Not so with this bag.  This was a leisurely sew, an hour or two here and there.  I had time for other things, like going to bed early and hanging out with the husband in front of the TV.

I used the same fabric combination as the bear carrier, Heather Ross Far Far Away 2.  The bias trim, lining, and straps were made from Liz Scott Sugar Pop.  It's a cute little bag, with an empasis on little.  But it fits S perfectly.  She can probably pack her extra clothes for preschool and a couple of smallish books in there.

So after finishing this bag last night at around 11pm, I saw that I still had quite a bit of bias tape left over.  Of course bias tape should never be wasted.  And so I has to make this:

With a real waist band and button closure.  Almost like a grown up skirt.  It was 1:30 am when my head finally hit the pillow.  So much for leisurely sewing.

B is for Bitty Baby

Each week at preschool, the kids are asked to bring something from home that begins with the letter of the week.  This week's letter was "B."  S wanted to bring Bitty Baby, her baby doll that we gave her to take care of when B first came into our family.   To bring her safely to school, I made Bitty Baby a front carrier of her own.

The Bear Carrier pattern is from my current favorite sewing book Little Things to Sew by Liesl of Oliver & S.  The design is simple but ingenious.  Bitty Baby already had a baby carrier, but she was always really floppy in it and the straps were way too big and long on S.  And so a new carrier was definitely needed.

I used Heather Ross Far Far Away II fabric for the main panel and pocket.  There's Rapunzel in the front pocket looking a bit annoyed.

And here is Bitty Baby looking happy and contented in her new carrier. 

I'll leave you with one last image of Bitty Baby and Baby B as a 2 month infant.

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!