Summer KCW: Origami Skirt and Nelle Dress

The last day of  the first ever summer KCW snuck up on me.  There's big changes with this season's KCW, a new interactive website, which I tried out for the first time today, and 2 additional seasonal challenges.  I'm not really sure if the old Elsie Marley flickr pool is still in use or not, but I kinda miss the blog links on people's projects.  Hopefully this feature will be added with the next challeng.

So anyway, I was pretty busy with a couple of selfish sewing projects, but I did manage to complete 2 items for S.  First up is the Origami Skirt by a new designer, Rabbit Rabbit Creations.

 

I absolutely love this skirt, so much so that I made the adult version for myself, in exactly the same fabric and everything, but more on that later.   It's a pretty simple A-line skirt with a flat front and elasticized back.  The peek-a-boo pleats just off center, though, is what makes this skirt truly unique.

 

So onto my next project: the Nelle Dress by Brownie-Goose.  This was my first Brownie-Goose pattern, and let me tell you, it will not be my last.  I loved the simplicity of this little dress. 

 

So that's it for Summer 2013 KCW!  Now to explore the website some more and see what other people have posted.

Some Midnight Sewing and Go To Carousel Shirt

Most of my sewing happens after 8pm at night, when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet.  I love those hours to myself, and they often last after midnight so that I can complete a project and leave it on the stairwell next to the girls' room for them to find the next morning.  It's a nice surprise for them to discover something new.  

Sometimes though, the late hours result in silly mistakes that I don't discover till the next day.  Take the shirts pictured above.  The pattern is the Go To Carousel Shirt, part of the Pattern Anthology bundle that was released in the spring.  When I went to try on the shirts on the girls the next morning, I noticed that S's shirt seemed to be almost the same size as B's.  I chalked it up as the fault of the pattern because, in my experience, a lot of patterns seem to run short on the torso.  But as the day wore on, it became more puzzling to me that a size 5 would look exactly the same as the size 3.  I was pretty sure that I had cut the right sizes and not the same size twice.  Then I checked both shirts against the pattern just to make sure and they seemed fine.  As I mulled over the situation, it occurred to me that I must have sewn the size 5 front onto the size 3 back and vise-versa, and this was the reason why both shirts seemed to be the same size. 

So because S's shirt is so short, I decided to make a peplum that didn't turn out so well.  I might have to cut it off and start over with a new peplum, or she might have to tuck her shirt in.  I do love these little shirts though, especially the high neck and the gathers, and the keyhole in the back is a really cute detail. 

The shorts are from a Ruby Jeans Closet on Etsy called the Simply Sweet Shorts.  It's a really simple basic pair of shorts that have an optional ruffle and a couple of buttons. 

 

KCW  is coming up next week and both girls will be in dance camp everyday.  So excited to get some sewing time in the daylight hours.

Figgy's Scirrocco Dress

I've had this dress cut out for at least 2 months now and finally got around to sewing it up yesterday.  This is Figgy's Scirocco Dress made in rayon challis.  If you've never had the chance to work with challis before, it has a dreamy silky hand and a lovely, light weight.  More solid and resilient than silk,  this really is the perfect fabric for all those layers of flounces on the skirt. 

When this pattern first came on the scene, I was hesitant about the cutout on the back.  Remember my rant on modesty?  I even contemplated somehow covering up that little triangle of exposed skin.

 

 

But because I couldn't really come up with a decision, I decided to make the dress as-is and worry about it later.  Turns out, I really love that cut-out.  The twist on the back is a unique and lovely feature of this dress and that little triangle shows it off perfectly.   

S is looking like a big girl with her new haircut.  We are working on her angry, bored child-model expressions.  I hope to get her on this pinterest board someday.  Go check it out for a good laugh.

Teacher Gifts: Noodlehead Divided Baskets

 When I came across Noodlehead's Divided Basket, I knew they would make perfect teacher gifts.  

 


I used fabrics that I already had.  This one is a particular favorite, Sketchbook from Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room line of home dec prints.  I bought a whole bunch of yardage a few years ago, most of it lives on as curtains in the girls' room.  I had bought extra intending to make pillows.


   

S has four teachers, so that's how many baskets I made.  Unlike last year, I didn't leave it till the last minute.  It took me a couple of days to complete all four.  The hardest, most tedious part was cutting all the layers of fabrics and interfacing, but once that was done, all the pieces came together pretty fast.

I added the large ric-rac to a couple of the handles, just for fun. 

Also embroidered names on the back.  I love how they turned out. 

 

 

After these pictures were taken, I added a bottle of wine and some cookies.  These baskets can hold a surprisingly huge amount of stuff.

 

 

And finally, here is S on her first day of preschool wearing her Oliver & S Bubble Dress.

 

 

 

Last day of preschool, and the dress is now a tunic. 



Pattern Test: Aivilo Charlotte's Shirred Maxi Dress

 

 

I recently tested the Shirred Maxi Dress Pattern designed by Aivilo Charlotte.  I have to admit I've been intimidated by elastic thread and shirring, so when Lisa, the designer, posted a tester call, I jumped at the chance to try out this (for me)  new  technique.  As it turns out, it was so easy and the result is just fabulous. 





I made this dress in under 2 hours.  The fabric is a madras shirting from JoAnn's, again purchased during a red tag clearance sale.  I love that the straps have elastic in them so they won't slip off her shoulders, and that the skirt and ruffles are just wide enough.

This one is another classic and simple style, girly, but not fussy.   The top and dress versions can be found here.  I will update once the maxi version, which is the version that I tested, is released.