Elsa and Anna

Hey there!  It's been a pretty busy couple of months.  I've begun and completed so many projects that I'm really having a hard time organizing my thoughts.  Trying to decide what to post: which projects deserve blog space, it's pretty tempting to just not post anything and move on with the next project.  But I'm going to persevere and try to keep up with this blog of mine.

Frozen Mania invaded our house right around Christmas, and soon after, I made these costumes for the girls.   My intention was to make each of them Elsa and Anna dresses, but I ran out of steam on that last Anna dress.  In the picture above, S is actually wearing B's Anna dress; you can tell that the waist is a trifle short on her as is the length. 

The base pattern for the Elsa dress is a Jalie leotard.  The leotard had the sweetheart bodice I was looking for.  I modified the neckline by lowering it by a few inches and making the back scoop necked.  I also omitted the bottom half of the leotard and lengthened the skirt.  The skirt is a simple A-line and below-the-knee length, which I found was a pretty good length for play purposes.

Now for the Anna Dress.  I started with this embroidery file.  The bodice was based on this dress by Fairytale Patterns.  I ended up not using the pattern's skirt due to a couple of printing mishaps, and just added a circle skirt.  By the way, if you are ever in need of circle patterns, the Scientific Seamstress has a free one that includes a pretty wide range of circle sizes. 

And then they were ready to meet the real Anna and Elsa!

The Mimi Dress!!!

My baby is turning four this week.  Here she is a couple of months ago wearing the Mimi Dress Pattern by Filles et Maman.  I love this chic little dress.  It's made entirely out of knit but is constructed as you would a woven dress.  The collar is interfaced to make it easier to sew.  And the best part, Mel shows you how to turn the button loop tube in the most clever way.

I added flat piping to the collar and sleeve cuffs to differentiate those features from the rest of the dress.  I think my favorite part of this dress is the asymmetrical peter pan collar and the keyhole opening underneath.

There is also an option for a collar-less top, or a dress, or a collared top.  Plus long-sleeves.  You can mix and match to your heart's content.

She looks very Parisian, don't you think?

shwin designs spring patterns

It occurred to me that I never did post about the Shwin Designs' Spring Collection, some of which I tested.

The Georgia Twirl Tunic/Dress is one of my favorites in this collection.  The front is a simple sleeveless boatneck with a double circle skirt that can be made shorter for a tunic length or longer for a dress length.  I chose to make the tunic length to wear with leggings or skinny jeans. 

The back has a V-neck with button closures, the skirt can be left opened, which I opted for, or sewn together if you are making the dress version.  There is also an option for color-blocking the front.  It's a fun dress to play with mixing patterns and colors.

All the fabrics were bought from LimaSews Etsy Shop. 

 

Shwin Designs' Anna Top and Lucy Tunic

Shauna of Shwin & Shwin just came out with 2 cute patterns in women's sizes.  This first one is the Anna Top/ Dress.  I made mine a top just because tops are way more practical and has the most chance of being worn.  I found this cute blue floral fabric in the red tag area of JoAnn's.  I think it's cotton lawn and there's probably a little bit of synthetic fibers in there.  It's soft and light and just lovely for a summer top.  The top portion is chiffon, leftover fabric from a dance costume.

The pattern calls for folding the bias tape to the inside so that it is hidden; I changed it up a little by letting it show.  I just love this top, it's cool and breezy for summer, and the shape is simple and classic.  I might have to make a million more.

This next one is the Lucy Top.  Another classic, but modern style, it can be made totally reversible.  The underside of this top is a lovely blue voile from free spirit.  I haven't worn the reverse side because it ended up looking too much like scrubs, haha.  But anyway, the fabric shown is birch organic quilting cotton from Lima Sews.  These pictures were taken after a full day of the top being worn.  I look like a rumpled mess.  I had a little trouble with the button-holes and they ended up being too big for the buttons.  Next time I will try adding a little bit of interfacing to the wrong side to make sure the fabric doesn't stretch.

Here I am with Queen Elsa!

The Hummingbird Dress

 

Our annual trip to Disneyland is coming up and I just happened to have this fashionable princess fabric in my stash and a really cute new dress pattern by RabbitRabbit Creations.  This is the Hummingbird Dress, Jasmine's latest release.  There are options to fancy this little dress up but I chose the simplest "everyday" version. 

I had exactly 1 yard of this fabric and knew that it had to accommodate both girls.  As it turned out, the everyday option was more than enough for both dresses.   I even cut a little off the bottom so that I could add the hem band to tie it in with the bodice fabric.

This was such a quick sew too; I probably finished both dresses in under 2 hours.  The fitted bodice gets its shape from elastic in the back.

I'm excited to make the dressed up version: chiffon, sequins, lace, the possibilities are endless.