Fall KCWC 2012!!!! Day 1: Sunday Brunch Skirt

 

The first day of KCWC went pretty well.  This skirt was constructed in a little bit under two hours and was a breeze to make.  The pattern is the Oliver & S Sunday Brunch.  I made this skirt in size 4, and although it fits pretty well now, I can tell that she will outgrow it soon.

I love the pockets and the slight a-line.  And what about the little kick pleat in the back? 

 

 

   The fabric is a wool tweed that I've had in my stash for years now.  Next up on my list is a matching jacket.

 

Princess Birthday Tea Party Dress

Yeah, that's S wearing a poufy, pink princess gown.  One of her best friends had a princess themed tea party and this is what I came up with.  You can't really tell from this picture, but it's pretty sparkly too.  I used the cinderella simplicity pattern to make the bodice and for the skirt, I followed this tutorial from girl. inspired.  But then I went over the top and added a sparkly trim to the neckline and little pearl flowers for the skirt.  The fabrics I used were stretch panne velvet, glitter tulle, and costume satin.

I made an identical dress for the birhday girl too.  A tiara and big princess hair added to the look.

oh hello

hey i'm back. we've had a fun and busy summer.  i'm sad to see these lazy crazy days at an end.  but then there is the lure of routines, a slower pace, and, dare i hope, time to sit at my sewing machine.

today is the first day of another year of preschool.  s has a new dress, made from the oliver & s bubble dress.  it's now available as a digital pattern.

that's a size 4 she's wearing.  a little short maybe?  the pattern only goes to size 5, but i think that if you lengthen the skirt and/or the bodice, you might be able to eke out another year or two.

 

 

 i added ready-made piping between the skirt and the bodice.  i like that the piping is subtle but defines the waistline.

 

b had to get in on the action too.   a matching dress in size 2, but with pink piping instead of white.  the fabric is by dear stella that i found at cool cottons.

 

so another dress, and a new school year.  it's only a little sad this year.  

Cutie Capris Pattern Testing

I recently had a chance to test a new pattern designed by the super-talented Jennifer of Un Petit Design.  There are a bunch of dress and skirt patterns out there, but honestly, I've had terrible luck finding a pattern for pants that fit my little girl.  Well, this pattern not only fits perfectly, but the cut and style is seriously adorable.

   

See what I mean? I love the pleats and double waist-band. 

And there are even pockets too.

The Cutie Capris pattern can be found here.  Thanks for letting me test out your pattern, Jennifer! 

Gifts for Teachers

Why do I torture myself by waiting till the last minute?  I started these totes the day before I was supposed to deliver them.  Seriously, I was up till the wee hours of the morning finishing them up.

They are part of a gift set that me and a couple of other moms put together for s's teachers as an end-of-the-year gift.  The totes were filled with summer essentials including flip-flops, sunscreen, and a bottle of wine.  The other two moms also made handmade items:  personalized cups and journals and bookmarks made from vintage books.  I wish I had taken pictures of the gifts once they were put together. They were truly amazing.

   As a former teacher, I am happy to show my gratitude to those who have dedicated their lives to nurturing other people's children.  I know from first-hand experience how hard they work.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox and let you in on the deets.  The pattern is The Jane Market Bag designed by the super-talented Alicia Paulsen of Posy Gets Cosy.  By the way, I am also happy to support our local (Portland, OR)  artists and businesses.  It's an easy and quick tote, no pattern pieces, just dimensions that you measure out yourself.  I changed a few things though.  First, I only had pockets on one side because I cut out two pocket pieces and sewed them together thinking that they were lined, then I was in too much of a hurry to pick the seam apart and decided that the bag only really needed the one pocket anyway.  I also added a double-stitched seam about two thirds of the way down from the top of the pocket; I just felt that the pocket was too deep without the seam.  Another modification that I made was to sew the handles between the lining and the top layer for a cleaner look.  The handles were ready-made nylon straps, a nice short-cut which I am sure saved me an hour of so of work.  

The lining was made from laminated cotton that I had laying around and the outside fabrics were duck cloth for the solids and outdoor canvas for the prints.  The laminated cotton was kind of a chore to deal with.  I had to pull the fabric through the feed because it kept getting stuck.  I believe that a teflon foot would have helped.  Or maybe tape under the foot?  And a word of warning on sewing with outdoor canvas.  Make sure that your iron is not too hot or you will burn a hole through the fabric.  I found this out the hard way.

The pattern's instruction in regards to the pleats on the sides of the bags was to put together the whole bag first, then sew a seam down the side, catching the lining in the seam.  Because I was using heavier fabrics than the calico that the pattern recommended, I felt that this was not feasible.  So before joining the lining and the main bag, I sewed the pleats on the outside only; the lining was left unatached except for the top. 

On a final and somewhat related note, I will leave you with pictures of S on her first and last day of preschool, wearing her Oliver and S playdate dress.

First day of school (above).  Last day of school (right).

Look how much she's grown!