Augh! . . . and a sneak preview

I am finishing up the "photo shoot" dress for baby K and I decided to cut out the complimenting dress for Lulu. Lulu's dress will feature a really lovely print that will be critical to get just so. After laying it out, I discovered it was off kilter! Thus . . . . augh!

At the folded end it was lined up at the 25 inch mark.

For it to lay flat, it was an inch off in each direction! Again . . . augh!

So I will have to think about this one. Thankfully there is enough fabric to see how it might lay if I cut it square to the pattern of the fabric rather than square to how it lays. It won't look right at all if the pattern seems to drunkenly wander off the edge of the garment! I think any compromise will have to occure on the vertical lines. With the gathering, it will be camouflaged more.

And now for a little peak of baby K's dress, but not too much. It is SOOOO cute!!

Bodice detail.

The sleeve.

The hem.

The back.

Lulu Ladybug!

I had found this batik a while back and the color, the background, and the LADYBUGS made it a "must buy". So thankful that I can indulge my desires for fabrics. It is absolutely my best creative self expression at the moment. As I design and build, it is wonderful meditation and prayer, mostly for whoever is recieving the item, although it goes well beyond that. Then I hang these little dresses up in my living room and enjoy them as the artwork that they are until being sent off to be worn by a precious little girl. This one is for the older grand daughter, little Lulu.

I used the same pattern as the pink polka dot. The skirt is a full circle, and Lulu LOVES to twirl. This one has a nice little built in slip which is less full and netting is added to add fullness to the skirt. That will also add a bit more modesty to the twirling!

I had the black ric-rac set aside with this fabric, but wasn't sure I wanted to add it, but decided to go ahead. Happy with the results.

The back of the bodice with an invisible zipper. I am getting better and better at details like this.

The black underskirt and netting. So fun and frilly.

For my little Dora fan.

I have been distracted by another silly little project. When I send the dresses for the photo shoot, I want the girls to have something they can put on right away and won't have to wait for. I will assume the photo shoot dresses will be tried on for fit, then put away to stay fresh for the shoot.

Two new skirts.

Yesterday I was messing about with ideas for the little girls dresses and because I was not quite ready to start, I went ahead and made two demim skirts for myself that I have been wanting to make. One long, one short. I have two that are really ratty, it was time to replace. I had found two shades of demim and both have the tiniest bit of stretch. So, there you go.

If I were FIVE! CASA donation.

We support our local foster care organization through the Court Appointed Special Advocates. The folks that volunteer for this are the children's voice when they can't speak for themselves. Each year we hear stories of children's whose lives are changed because someone cares enough to reach out and invest their time and energy for this amazing organization. We are not in a position to foster, but we can help by making donations to their fundraising efforts. Since sewing adorable children's clothes is one of my "things" I have fun each year coming up with something rather special to donate. I bought this pink fabric a while back just cause it made me smile. I had purchased the pattern for the same reason. And if I were five years old, this would be my FAVORITE dress! I just adore it, it is perfectly wonderfully CUTE and PERKY and FUN.

The only thing I might add is white piping at the hem. I think it will add that little extra pop that will enhance the dress. The purse has it on the flap.

Between the lining and the fabric I put some netting to help the skirt stand out a bit. So cute.

An adorable little purse to match the dress. Super fun!! I might add a special little bling thing to the front flap. There is a snap underneath.

Detail of purse with little butterfly applique.

My children have a heart for foster/adoption with the two that are married experiencing the highs and lows of this very emotional and sometimes stressful experiece. One has since been adopted and the other is hopefully very close. What a special joy and blessing these little people have been to us and the entire family and how lucky THEY were to find us. We love them so much.

My prayers have been for all the little children in foster care or in need of adoption, and for those who care for them. God bless ALL the little children. They are precious in HIS sight.

Fabric combinations

I was at the fabric store yesterday and watched out for fabrics to add to what my daughter-in-law likes. I wanted to add a darker tone of black to go with the two medium tones she chose. I put the swirl with the polka dot and the turquoise. I also found some really cute black and white ribbon that will possibly trim the dresses and definately be used for the hair bows.

I found a paisley that is black tone on tone to go with the bold motif and an additional turquiose to make sure I had enough of that for the trims and such that I want to possibly add. I will be laying this out in different combinations and wait for inspiration.

I had my 40% off and my 50% off coupon with me, so checked out the fancy fabric for a "princess" dress that I will make for my older grand daughter's b-day gift. She is sometimes SUPER girly girl and I think I found the perfect tone of pink, which is close to ballet pink, and hopefully has enough sparkle to make her happy. She drew a picture of what she wanted when I visited last time and this pattern captures her vision, so I will use it. I will add ribbons and such as I get closer to actually building the dress.

These were on sale, they are flannel, and I couldn't resist picking them up to make the girls their winter jammies, that I need to get started on shortly. The younger of the girls is facinated with Dora, so I had to pick this up. I have a Dora dress/tutu that I have planned for her birthday as well. Not enough hours in the day. Not enough energy in the body, but PLENTY of ideas in the head! Such a dreamer.

Satin blouse

Ties for Tots

This little black with white polka dots bow tie is for my two year old grandson.

This is for my six year old grandson.

Both are made out of cotton, so a bit different than what you might purchase in the stores. The fabric is to go with their mom's dress for a family photo. They took some time, but I learned a lot, which I always like. The next ones won't be so tricky and I will try different fabrics and try different weights of the iron on pellon for the lining.

More shirts for hubby

I made a hat!

Same lovely material. I found the right type of pellon to make these hats with the body that I like. Sooooo cute!


Inside.

I made a purse!

My mom gave me pattern recently when she was visiting. It was for a hat and several different types of bags. I have been wanting to make a purse, but was not inspired until I saw the pattern for one that I really liked. So I gathered some of my favorite fabric, a Michael Miller that hubby found recently. He will eventually have a shirt made from the fabric, I have a dress and now I will have a purse! My mom had given me the solids and they had been sitting and waiting until just the right time. I had the zipper hanging on the wall and the cording and such is in my stash of supplies.


This is the basic shape of the purse. I took the fabric and learned a new skill on my machine. Free quilting. I am not sure I can replicate the series of buttons I pushed, it seems I accidently did it correctly! Hmmmm. Anyway, I sandwiched some lefover batting and followed the outlines of some of the shapes. I was NOT very skillfull, but it was fun and worked OK.


It might be because it was my first attempt, but I found it very challenging and wanted to be sure I had all the details of the pockets and such BEFORE I assembled it. One pocket I was not pleased with and the next time will add elastic to the top so things I put into that pocket, which is on the outside of the purse, will be more secure.

This shows the zipper, another challenge, but I got it in.


This is a detail of the front pocket, which I had fun detailing. I used piping and embroydery thread on the flowers and leaves, just for fun.


The inside, which is lined with fabric I used on hubbies Bullwinkle quilt.


And the finished product. I will adjust the pattern the next time and make the purse bigger, as this one is just a bit too small. But it will be fun to have. I really like the fabric, makes me feel young!


I imagine this will be a fairly useful pattern. I can customize the basic shape once I get the size that I like, and using all sorts of fabrics, can dress it up or down. I won't have to carry my black purse 12 months of the year anymore!