My little Ladybug

I made this dress last month.  I loved the fabric.  The dress came together so easily, too.

Corinne has worn it about 4 times already.  It’s also big enough that she can wear it next year.

I added little ladybug buttons as the finishing touch.

Twirly Skirt – DONE

Yay!  Remember this post?  I finally got around to doing this twirly skirt tutorial, from Erin.  It was so easy, and it came out very cute.  It was a winner in this household.

I finished this last week, but today was the first day it was worn, so I finally got a picture.  It’s at the end of the day, so don’t mind the strawberry on the shirt, or the fact that a seam is on the front…do you know how hard it is to photograph kids????

She told me she wanted to wear it to school so she could show all her friends her skirt that I made.  Sure enough, her teacher told her right away how much she liked her skirt, and Corinne’s answer “My mommy made it!”

The skirt passes the twirl test, big time. 

 

I love the look on her face on this one.

If you have a daughter, you should really try this tutorial.  It was so easy.  I will probably make another.   Maybe one for me…

Stash Busting for a Summer Wardrobe

The spring weather we had last weekend got me in the mood to not only garden, but make some more handmade clothing for Corinne.

Poor Nathan, I still have yet to make him some clothing…it’s on the list.  Girl clothes are just so darn much CUTER than boy clothes!

I am pretty sure I can make a few items without having to buy more fabric or patterns :)

A new skirt :)

  Another new skirt.  I have been wanting to attempt this Twirly Skirt Tutorial for over a year.  I love this fabric, perfect for twirling.

I’d like to also get a new dress or two for her in.

And I am still making progress on Nathan’s quilt.  I ran out of white for the sashing, otherwise, the top would be done.  I need to get this done soon.  The poor guy is about to climb out of his crib.  He really could if he tried hard enough. 

A baby gift – Onsies and burb cloths

My friend Julianne is about to pop with her second baby girl.  She loves handmade things as much as the rest of us, so I thought I’d make her a gift for her new little one. 

What infant doesn’t need need onsies and burb cloths? 

These were a great, quick gift to give.  She loved them.

I love the way the owl came out.

First Day of School

There she goes again, on to school again. She had so much fun last year that it was easy to take her again this year. I am so glad that she is learning so much, and has fun doing it. It sure makes it easier on me when I drop her off!

The best part of school is that every day is a new adventure. Some new activity, or new story, or new friend. We have enjoyed seeing her flourish in a school-like environment.

She is now in "Pre-K", but I think the curriculum is about the same as last year. ABC's, 1, 2, 3's, etc.

This picture was taken in our front garden, what she calls "Mommy's garden". I was going to take it by the light pole with the black eyed susan's still in bloom and the sedum Autum Joy starting out its fall show. But, nope, she wanted the picture to be RIGHT THERE. And, of course, Morgan got right on in the action!

Another year, many more adventures to come!

The dress she is wearing was made by my sister, Stephanie, using the Oliver and S Tea Party Sundress pattern. The dress was a gift. I have not been convinced that I like this pattern, until, of course, I saw the final product in person, and on it's even better! This is a very flattering dress, with a cute flair at the hips. It's perfect for Corinne, who I think has a long torso. She likes it, so that's what really matters.

I may attempt a winter dress of this pattern in Corduroy. I think it will be really cute with a matching long sleeve shirt and tights. And with Mary Janes, of course....

McCall's 5369

I made a special dress for a certain someone who had a birthday party recently. It took me almost every night for one week straight, but it got done in time for the party, which was my goal.

I loved how it came out.

I realized, though, at the cutting stage of this dress, that I am not good at critiquing the patterns I choose to sew. I need to improve here. Had I realized that each ruffle would need to be hemmed, and then sewn on, I am not sure I would have chosen this pattern. It took a lot of time.

In the end, it was worth it. She loved the dress. She wore it with no problems, and I was ready to hear the "I don't want to wear that" argument. Nope, it was her party dress, and she knew it, and she loved it!

She posed so great, too, for my pictures! Wow, it's amazing that she has become such a sweet little person.

I had to add two buttons to the bag, rather than the one it called for. The dress, size 4, was WIDE at the top. The two buttons I added enabled the bodice of the dress to fit better. I think it came out looking just fine.

This dress, size 4 came out a little short on her, so she wore some small shorts underneath. If I did it again (which I won't - nope, this was a lot of time), I'd add one more ruffle for length. I ran out of fabric for that.

A summer dress

I made this dress for Corinne in late spring, but have been holding on showing it to the blog until I had nothing else to show! So, here you go.

These aren't the best of pictures, but sometimes you take the shot when you get the chance.

The dress is actually a halter top. She is wearing her bathing suit underneath, hence the white criss cross straps. (Yes, in the background, that's Nathan, he's turning up the radio!)
Now that the music is louder, we could all dance :)

I was so happy with the way this dress turned out. I still love it, and it's been warn several, several times this summer so far. It was also very easy to put together. I was surprised by how quickly it came together.

This was also the first time I used Amy Butler fabric. I was inspired by this one - Coriander. I am itching to get some more, especially from her new line. I purchased two others with the intent of making myself a new dress...they are still waiting for me ;)

This was the first time I tried a blind hem. I learned a lot from that experience, and have since done more on clothing I have bought and made. I like the blind hem a lot, although it does take some patience to keep it "blind".

The very best part about this dress - when people tell Corinne they like her dress, she smiles a big smile and says proudly "My mommy made it!".

Spring gardening AND Mother's Day 2008, Version 2

Last weekend was a super busy weekend. Not only did we go Strawberry picking, but I got a chance to play in the garden. After picking the berries, I planted about 19 plants! Yes, 19! They are all summer blooming, so the fruits of my labor will be enjoyed throughout the summer.

Can you believe this is my garden? I am in awe. We planted this patch when I was pregant with Nathan. It is turning out so well. The grey small plantings are lamb's ear from our dear friend, Connie's garden. The flowers are various peonies. They are nothing but pure enjoyment for the eyes and nose. They are so fragrant. I only wish they bloomed year round! The tree in the back is a pink Japanese Dogwood. They bloom later than the normal American Dogwood, but they are worth the wait.

The plants that I planted will bloom in the summer, so this garden will have year round interest now. The show starts in the spring with the Azaleas, to the peonies, to the Astillbe, the Stella D'Oro day lillies, the Black Eyed Susans, and the grasses will show all year long (not shown in this picture). I am very proud of this patch (can you tell?)

Closeup of the pink dogwood.

Here is a picture of my lovelies in front of the garden. Corinne is wearing the ladybug dress that I referenced a few posts back. It came out great. It was a pre-shirred fabric that was sold by the yard. In most cases, all you have to do is zip up a seam, hem the bottom, and the item is done. However, in this case the fabric had a strip of ladybugs at the bottom that I didn't want to loose in the hem. Instead, I took up the fabric right underneath the pre-shirred fabric. I added the red strip at the waist and I added ties to the top for straps. I think it came out very cute, and Corinne enjoys wearing it.

The same day we went to the patch, and planted 19 plants throughout the yard, Corinne and I made a cake to take to Mother's Day #2. We were inspired by a kids cookbook given to her as a gift. I think the cake came out very much like the picture in the book. It was a lemon cake, and it was GREAT!