Something old...

I picked up a pair of these vintage pillowcases at my local thrift store. I just loved the yellow print and the tatting on the edge was simply divine. As I was putting them away with the rest of my vintage stash (I keep the vintage fabrics, trims, etc. separate from the modern), I noticed the bag of hand-made doilies that my husband's grandmother had made over the years. We lost Grandma Ollie 10 years ago, but I know she is smiling down on Belle and is so proud of her sweet personality and sassy intelligence. So I didn't think she would mind if I put one of her doilies to use embellishing a skirt for little miss Belle.

Other than the fact that I had to repair a bit of the tatting, the skirt came together in literally 8 minutes. I chopped off the bottom of the pillowcase (where it opens) to the appropriate length for the skirt. A quick press of the elastic casing and two speedy seams and it was finished. Attaching the doilie, on the other hand, was a bit time consuming. My kids don't wear anything that I can't throw in the washing machine and dryer, so I wanted to make sure that the doilie would stand up to the abuse of a now FOUR YEAR OLD. So I stitched and stitched and stitched it to the front of the skirt.

Belle isn't old enough to understand the significance of this particular skirt, but she adores it. And it means a lot to the rest of us who do know the history of the doilie. And the super soft, light weight vintage fabric is perfect for the steamy NC springs/summers.

Happy Easter!

One of my favorite hymns from my childhood begins with, "Up from the grave he arose..." I love Easter because it is a time of such renewal, and spring in NC is an amazing thing to witness. It is a glorious day here to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.

And regardless of your spiritual leanings, I hope that you are enjoying this fine spring day.

We've had a visit from the big bunny, visited family, and hunted more eggs. Sadly, we missed church due to a couple of unseasonable colds and some nasty little coughs:(

But, we still looked springingly cute in our new dresses:)

And just in case you're wondering...

Belle's dress was made with this tutorial from Freshly Picked. I added an underskirt, a sash, and some pretty little pleats just for fun. I also cut a slit in the back and added a button closure...the size of the heads on my little angels would amaze you! This is the first time I've used this pattern and I am in love! Assuming you leave out all the little extras that make it Easter-special, I think this would come together in less than an hour. And the inside is fully finished with no raw edges, zigzag stitches, or serged seams. It is a very professional-looking finished product and so sweet on.

Bee's outfit made use of the Sweet Pocket Pinafore pattern by Heidi and Finn. I followed the pattern directions to a tee, except that I added ric rac around all the edges. Once again, the pattern, as it is written, comes together very quickly and results in a very professional-looking finished product. Adding the ric rac makes the process a little more tedious, but it was just too cute to pass up. The bloomers are made with the Scientific Seamstress Easy Fit Pants pattern. I made a pair at shorts length, then stitched in a piece of elastic about 3/4" from the hemline on each leg. I've definitely gotten my $9.95 out of this pattern. It comes together with only two pieces and six seams and fits a WIDE range of sizes. It's also available for teens and adults and I'm seriously considering grabbing that one too. I know I've used the kids version at least 15 times already and my kids won't outgrow it for many years:)

One note about Bee's pinafore...that's a size 2T on my very tiny 19 month old. I think the pattern runs pretty short over the tummy, so I would recommend that if you want to be able to wear it with just bloomers that you make a size larger than you normally would.

Both outfits, are made with fabrics from the Flower Sugar line by Lecien. I don't normally splurge on imported fabric, but for this occasion I just couldn't resist.

So, Happy Easter and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Randomness

My children play together really nicely. I'm lucky and I know it! I think back on all the times Belle nearly popped Bee's head right off her little body trying to hug her when she was still an infant, and I'm hoping that by letting them establish their own boundaries with each other I've in some way fostered their relationship. I'm realistic enough to know that's a bunch of baloney, but I sort of like my delusions:) They love to color together, kiss each other good night, and make family beds (big piles of pillows and blankets) to share in the family room.

And who is the first person Bee asks for when she gets up from her nap??? Belle (except that, for now, she calls her "Nee-Neet," a name we will never figure out!).

And as a mom, it really makes life easier when your children will entertain each other for extended periods of time. On rare occasions, you can almost...ALMOST, have a complete thought, all at once:)

And every so often you can get a little work done. Not often, and definitely not all at once. But over time, it can add up. A hem-band here, a waistband there, and every so often an applique or two.

Though I will admit, that sometimes I wish they wanted ME to play...but I guess that's the price I pay for having such an amazing pair of sisters in my house!

From Trash to Treasure

A few days ago I had one of those, "absolutely NOTHING is going right," days. Literally everything I touched turned to trash. Thankfully I was smart enough to stick to sewing for my own kids, so I didn't destroy any custom orders!

But, I was more than a little frustrated!

One of the projects I attempted to make was a dress for Bee for this summer. It really should have been easy. It should have taken about 20 minutes total. It should have been a lot of things that it wasn't!

The problem: I cut the arm holes too deep. In my brain I was making a pillowcase dress with a ribbon casing at the top. In real life that wasn't the case. And since arm holes cut to your belly button just aren't cute on anyone, I decided to try to fix the issue.

Another disaster! I cut off the top edge so that the arm holes were more appropriate, but then my dress was way too short. So I added a red hem band...that was way too stiff.

Can you see where this is going?

In the end, Bee has a new blouse. Roomy, breezy and lightweight. And I just love seersucker for the hot and humid NC summers!

It's cute right???

She had better love it! And wear it twice a week all summer long! Good grief!

Welcoming a New Baby

Welcoming a new baby is always fun! Those tiny toes, that sweet smell, the feathery hair....mmmmmm!

And every baby deserves a little something special, made just for them!

And a cute little cupcake on the bum can't hurt either:)

Meet Millie and Her Very Special Friends

Millie is a very special little lady with a smile that will make you flip. Not to mention her wispy wings and shining eyes. Be still my heart!

Whether playing outside, dancing to music, or reading a book, Millie can always be found with her best pals at her side. Elise is the shy, peaceful member of the bunch. She soothes her friends when they are hurt or sad, and holds their hands when they are scared. Piper, on the other hand, is the rowdy one. She's always looking for the next tree to climb, wall to scale, or refrigerator to paint:)


Like the angel and devil on Millie's shoulders, Piper and Elise push Millie to new heights. Whether it's challenging her to climb a new tree or encouraging her to slow down and smell the flowers, they bring out the best in Millie in every situation. What a lucky girl to have friends like these!

And on the rare occasions when her buddies aren't around, Millie pals around with her best human friend who even sports a coordinating dress. I hope the human Millie will love her new doll for many years to come!

A Disaster...Oh, and a Skirt too!

Ok - Look closely just to the left of the skirt. Do you see the purple pen line on my microfiber sofa? Don't ask how it got there. Let's just say it had something to do with a one and a half year old and a slightly distracted Mommy trying to have a meeting in her house.

But here's what I need to know...HOW DO YOU GET PEN OUT OF MICROFIBER WITHOUT LEAVING A BIGGER MESS THAN YOU STARTED WITH????

I've been afraid to try anything in fear of just making the mess worse. Advice??? PLEASE!

Oh yeah, and that's my new summer skirt. I used the tutorial on Anna Maria Horner's blog and her Pastry Line voile. Here are my tips:

1. You can see through the voile. I am planning to tuck a lining in once I find a fabric that is appropriate. I started to use a lightweight muslin because I had that on hand, but really...why use a gorgeous voile and then put stiff, scratchy muslin underneath it? So I left a bit of a lip on the waist band where I can tuck a lining in later. Not smart, I'm sure, but I was antsy to get the skirt finished and try it on and who knows how long it will be until I make it to a fabric store! I suppose I could always wear a slip...if I even own one!

2. The larger the width of fabric you use, the better your result will be. I had already used this piece of fabric to line an infinity scarf (wait - I don't think I've shown that to you yet! another day, I promise!), so I didn't have a full-width cut to start with. It's still cute as it is, but it just doesn't have the flounce that I was looking for. So plan for width...lots of it.

3. Um - Measure! I didn't measure or mark the elastic channels at the top because I'm a wing-it sort of gal. I ended up a little off and had to add some stitching below the elastic channels. You don't really notice it until I point it out to you, but if you're a perfectionist, go ahead and measure then you won't have to worry about that little imperfection. Me - like I said, I wing it:)

Overall, the skirt came together super fast (even including the time it took me to splice together elastice pieces so I would have enough to finish) and the result is adorable. I will definitely be making more of these...in fact, I've already started picking out fabrics.

Now somebody tell me how to get the pen mark off my couch...PLEASE!

I've Been a Busy Little Bee

REALLY! I have, I promise!

There have been LOTS of orders.

And lots of tees!

And lots of late nights!

And some really poor photos taken in the middle of the night!

I just didn't want you think that I had abandoned you. Remember me being buried alive??? Well, these are just a few of things I've been churning out recently. Don't you just love that train? It kinda makes me wish there was a little boy in the mix around here. KINDA.

Now...BACK TO WORK! There's a mostly-finished football jersey calling to me from the table:)

Pips in Action

Coordinating Christmas Eve outfits from the yet-to-be-released Sherbet Pips.


I only wish my models would have cooperated enough for me to get a shot of both of them together with no one crying...oh well!

I love these skirts because they were perfect for a holiday family gathering, but the "not red and green" color palette will last them through the winter too.

More pips to come, I promise!

Making Do Monday - Cover Those Stains

Somehow with all the holiday hullabaloo, I just forgot about Making Do Mondays. I promise to at least try to do better:)

We're a messy house...clementine juice running down our arms, paint splattering across our chests, garden soil ground into the knees of our pants. It just happens. We seem to have no control over it. So we make do:)


Both of these shirts featured lovely stains on the front (strawberry and chili if I'm not mistaken).

A quick sketch, a light iron to fuse, and a few rounds through the sewing machine and they were good as new...actually, better than new!

All you need are a few scraps of fabric and some of this.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

It's interesting to be on the other side of the Christmas rush...I always used to get a little freaked out when I started to see Christmas decorations in stores before Halloween was even over. Especially since I've moved to the South, we often start to see Santa Claus while we're still wearing shorts.

But now that I'm on the seller/blogger side of things, it starts even earlier! I took my first Christmas order in early October. And I know that moms are starting to shop for the perfect little outfits for holiday card photo sessions...I know, because I'm a mom doing that very thing.

So this year, I had to give in and start the Christmas madness before Halloween. I'm really hoping that by getting a jump start, I might actually have some down time to enjoy the holidays this year, but I'm realistic enough to know that will NEVER happen.

Belle + Bee is going with a MODERN HOLIDAY theme this year. Fresh takes on traditional colors and symbols. I'm having a lot of fun with this collection! The bright colors and bold prints make me smile:)

So here's a sneak peek at some of the first pieces. What do you think???

As close to Paris as I can get...

I'd love to see France one day, but in all honesty it's not really at the top of my list. Venice, Scotland, and Alaska all easily trump the Eiffel Tower. And with all the great places that are geographically a whole lot closer, this is probably as close as I will ever get to Paris.

A sweet little Parisian blouse.

I've been rereading this series at Oliver & S and tried to use their principles as inspiration for this top.

The fabrics are definitely understated and proud members of the supporting cast. I definitely mixed collections, the prints are tonal, and there are no juvenile prints to be found. And I think the back looks a bit sophisticated...maybe???

I'm not one to create skirts with hundreds of loud, bright, bold prints all mixed together. I don't often make use of juvenile prints...especially for Belle. And I hope that you see the child first in the clothes that I make. BUT, I can't say that I have mastered the minimalistic art of Oliver & S. This is definitely a new look for me!

But clearly, Belle wears it joyfully...and you definitely notice HER! How could you not? She's the loudest thing in a 10 mile radius:)

What do you all think??? Do you love the understated, un-juvenile fabric choices? Or should I go back to bright florals and more kid-friendly prints?

Making Do Monday - TREASURE PANTS

AKA - Lots of Pockets Pants, Pocket Pants, Mountain Pants, Who Needs a Bag? Pants, and my personal favorite Acorn Pants (because that's what Belle always fills her pockets with:).

I used this pattern from here. It's unisex and couldn't be easier to put together...it's only TWO pieces! But, you could use any comfortable pants pattern that you have.




For the pockets, I used every pocket tutorial, design and/or pattern I could think of and went a little crazy. There are 8 pockets on the finished pants. I originally cut out 12, but 2 covered too much of the flower print, and 2 others seemed to be too far away from little hands to really be of much use.

And why is this a Making Do Monday project? Well, for me...it's because everything I used came from my stash. You might not have a yard of luscious, soft, velvety, baby-wale corduroy in your stash, but you can find it here. Mine is "Lipstick," but there are tons to choose from. The pockets are definitely stash raiders! Find some random scraps and start cutting:)

I even had to "make do" with my elastic! I didn't have any 1/2" elastic and really wanted these pants finished in time for Belle to wear to the mountains, so I stitched two long pieces of 1/4" elastic together...I do NOT recommend that you make do quite this much, but I was desperate!

Plenty of space to stuff with acorns, flowers, leaves, rocks etc.

Maybe I should have made the elastic tighter so the treasures don't pull the pants right off the kid!

The Inmate Pinafore:)

On a mission to find fabrics for our newly decorated family room, I found this gorgeous yumminess at Ikea.

I had 2 yards of each in my cart in an instant. I love the heavy canvas-like feel of the fabric for fall. It seems more substantial and therefore warmer. Even though it is often still in the 80's for most of the month of October here, it still seems important that our Halloween clothes be warm. So I just knew this would be perfect for October/Halloween outfits, but I wasn't totally sure what I would do with it.

I scrolled through all of my new patterns (oh, there are so many that I can't wait to share!) and decided a sweet little pinafore would be perfect for Bee. Short sleeves, long sleeves, no sleeves underneath...just right for the up and down temps we often have at this time of year in NC.

I used this pattern from...you guessed, it Heidi and Finn. I omitted the pocket because I didn't want it to interfere with the fantastic bird print. It's totally reversible...if Bee wants to dress up as a sweet little white collar criminal:)

Scary Skull Skirt

A while back I made a mountain of skirts for Belle. I had the worst trouble keeping this one secret! Luv it, luv it, luv it:)

Find the how-to details here Basic Skirt Tutorial.

KCWC - Project #3

Wait! What happened to Project #2???

No you haven't missed anything, but a second Pintuck Sweatshirt in a lovely shade of orchid just didn't seem worthy of its own post, no matter how sweet the fabric color. So, we've moved on...

Remember those stacks of colorful squares that opened KCWC for me??? Well, here they are!

This was a total experiment! There are so many things here that I've never tried before.

1. Quilt as you go: I joined up with other quilters over here alamodefabric.blogspot.com for the second round of Quilt As You Go Challenge. Never have I ever, but it looked like fun. And since we have absolutely NO need for yet another quilt in this house I really wanted to do something that would be more practical.

2. Quilted Clothing: When I started quilting in the 80's, quilted clothing was not so lovely:) And for the last 20+ years it has left a bad taste in my mouth. But since Belle prefers to wear skirts every single day, I figured I had better start figuring out some warmer versions.

3. Machine Quilting: I'm a purist! Quilts are pieced by hand, quilted by hand, and bound by hand. Now don't get me wrong, I have occassionally pieced on the machine when I was working on a time-sensitive project....but QUILT on the machine...NEVER! But since this isn't actually a quilt, I don't feel as much guilt about breaking with tradition here.

So how'd I do it???

1. Quilt as you go blocks: I created a stack of blocks using the method described here http://sewtakeahike.typepad.com/sewtakeahike/my-patterns-and-tutorials.html

2. Then I stitched them all together to form the main panel of the skirt.

3. Quilt it - The skirt was already round, so this was a bit trickier, but still not too bad.

4. Bind the bottom edge - just like you bind a quilt.

5. Create a waistband - I made the wasitband separately then stitched it on...afterwards, I wished that I had done the extra seam allowance math to put in a French seam...then the skirt would have been totally reversible, but alas, I didn't, so I couldn't, so it isn't.

DONE!

Definitely NOT a project I would ever undertake again, but fun and interesting and worth the effort ONCE:) Will I ever "quilt as I go" again??? Probably! It's a great technique for small projects or a speedy method for large projects, as long as I can get past the machine-made aspect of the whole thing:)

Two days of KCWC still to come...lots of ideas, lots of new fabric choices, not enough hours in the day:) Wish me luck!

KCWC - Project #1

I started the Kids' Clothing Week Challenge with a doosy of a project. After my first night's hour of work, I had...well...a stack of colorful squares:( More on that later...

So for day 2 I decided to tackle something that could actually be finished in an hour.

A while back I purchased several patterns from heidiandfinn.etsy.com including this pintuck sweater pattern http://www.etsy.com/listing/56948458/pintuck-sweater-tunic-pattern-and. I have been collecting fleece sweatshirt material ever since, but had yet to manage to even get one cut out. So for KCWC Day 2 I pulled it all out and decided to make a winter top for Belle (we're headed to Niagra in November, so warm clothes are much more crucial to us than normal at this time of year).

Let me say that I LOVE Heidi and Finn patterns. They are typically fairly simple for someone with basic sewing knowledge, but the results have that little something extra that makes them stand out in your child's wardrobe. And this pattern definitely lived up to my expectations and then some:)

In just under and hour I was able to put this cutey together...and plan for about a gazillion more!!!

Oh, and hopefully I'll actually get that first project finished this week too:)

Making Do Mondays - Basic School Skirts

I spent an entire afternoon, a couple of weeks ago, taking inventory of the girls' closets and drawers. I pulled out all the hand-me-downs and last fall's clearance purchases for Bee and dug out all the spring clothes that I thought might still fit Belle. I laid them out all over each respective child's floor (I should have taken a picture of THAT!) and made a list of what was missing. Here's my list:

Bee: NOTHING! Between Belle's hand-me-downs and the super amazing deals I found at the end of the season last year she has pretty much everything she is going to need this fall. I'm sure she'll get a few new appliqued long-sleeve onesies too, since there just happen to be several in her size waiting in my stash, but all in all, she's set:):):)

Belle: Long-sleeve tees, leggings in basic colors, warm "comfy" pants in basic colors, and heavier "comfy" skirts. We don't even bother to buy this kid jeans anymore because she flat-out refuses to put them on...I'm still wondering whose kid this really is!

Thanks to a neighbor who "drug" me out to the outlets at 9pm on tax-free weekend (she really had to twist my arm!), the tees, leggings, and pants were taken care of in less than an hour...primarily because the stores closed at 10:) But there was still the issue of the skirts that are Belle's preferred daily attire.

So I MADE DO!

I raided the fabric stash and cut out a gazillion skirts. I was amazed at all the fun fabric combinations I was able to come up with. And because a size 3T skirt takes less than half a yard, I could have kept cutting for days. But since, I actually had to sew all of them I decided that 10 was my limit...yeah, I know that's a little ridiculous, but she LOVES skirts and I LOATHE doing laundry.

So here's the basic tutorial for the skirts.

1. Measure the length that you want the skirts to be. In our case, 11 inches from waist to the middle of the Belle's knee.

2. Add 3 inches (1.5" for hem and 1.5" for elastic casing). This is the total length of fabric that you will need for the skirt. In our case 14". Commit that number to memory and you can start playing.

3. Basic skirt:

a. For a basic skirt, cut a piece of fabric that is 14" long and the width of the fabric. Be sure that you have trimmed the selvage off.

b. Fold the fabric hamburger-style with right-sides together. Sew using 3/8" seam allowance down the short side.

c. Turn right side out and press in hem and elastic casing. To do this, along both the top and bottom edges, first fold in 1/2" and press. Then fold in another 1" and press.

d. Hem the skirt on the bottom edge. I like to add two rows of stitching just because it looks a little more professional.

e. Stitch the bottom edge of the elastic casing, leaving a 1" gap to insert elastic.

f. Use a safety pin to thread elastic through the casing. Elastic should be 1-2" smaller than your child's waist.

g. Sew ends of elastic together and tuck into casing.

h. Finish stitching last 1" of casing closed.

DONE!

4. For Hem-Band Skirt (see Cow example):

a. Cut main skirt piece that is length minus 3 (in our case 14-3=11) inches by the width of the fabric.

b. Cut hem band that is 7 inches by width of the fabric.

*** At this point, be sure that your hem band and skirt pieces are EXACTLY the same width. You may need to trim one a little.

c. Fold hem band in half hot dog style (or lengthwise) and press fold well.

d. Make skirt using Basic skirt directions, but omit hem.

e. Open fold of hem band and refold hamburger style with right sides together.

f. Stitch short sides together to form a large cylinder. Be sure to use the same seam allowance that you used in making the body of the skirt. Refold hot dog style with wrong sides together.

g. Slip skirt into hem band with raw edges matched and folded edge up toward top of skirt.

h. Sew around skirt 1/2" above raw edges. Finish raw edges with tight zigzag stitch or serger.

i. Fold hem band down into place and press well.

j. Top stitch just above hem band, all the way around the skirt.

DONE!

5. For Skirt with Pockets:

a. Make skirt using Basic Skirt Directions.

b. For EACH pocket - cut 2 rectangles 1" bigger than your desired pocket size (you can make the pockets any size you want). If you are making 2 pockets, then you need 4 rectangles.

c. For each pocket, put the 2 pieces right sides together and stitch all the way around the 4 sides, leaving about 2" open for turning.

d. Turn each pocket ride side out and press.

e. Pin pockets in place on skirt. PIN WELL!!!! Be sure that the opening in the seam is on any side of the pocket EXCEPT the top. It will get stitched closed when you attach the pocket.

f. Sew around the two sides and bottom of the pocket. I like to backstitch a few times on both of the top corners so they are less likely to pull away from the skirt when little hands and shoved down in there.

DONE!

You can continue making variations...patchwork, stripes, pocket styles, etc. until your stash is destashed or your machine is kaput:) Just stick to the length measurement that you committed to memory at the beginning of the process and have fun!


Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: The artwork on the pocket skirt is NOT my original creation. I borrowed the design from hola.etsy.com which sells adorable hand-carved stamps. I fell in love with this Super Girl, but preferred embroidery to stamped design for this particular project. I never intended to display her, sell her, advertise her etc. and only shared her today to illustrate the pocket design.