Frocks and Cocktails

It may not be true for everyone, but I am going to generalise and say that the art of dressing for an occasion is dying. But last night, it returned in all it's glory when I went to dinner and drinks with a group of about 20 fellow Melbournian sewing enthusiasts.

Most of the group were women who sew for themselves, and almost everyone was wearing a dress that they had made. It was brilliant. All the dresses were classic designs, often with a nod to vintage style.

I'm sitting 2nd from left between Abby & Liz

A favourite moment was when a few of us were at the bar and a guy tapped Abby on the shoulder and asked "Are you girls having a Mad Men themed party?"

Blue Gingham Washi Dress

I finally made a washi dress! Yeah, I know, I'm probably the last sewing blogger alive to make one of these.

I really wasn't sure if this style would suit me, and I'll be honest, I generally baulk at any sewing pattern priced over the $10 mark.  That is why I've waited so long - I really wanted to see a whole bunch of them around blog land so I could decide if I liked it enough. The skirt is quite full in comparison to what I usually wear (I tend to go for a pencil skirt style) and because the bodice / skirt seam is quite high I worried it might make me look a bit pregnant. (Nope - no announcements here.)

Luckily I am very small in the bust which means that the fullness of the skirt is a bit less, as your sizing with this pattern is very dependent on your bust size. I was a good match for the size small. The skirt is still slightly fuller than I'd like, but it will be nice and floaty for hot summer days.

I bought the gingham fabric from the clearance table at my local chain fabric store, and at the time there was a sale on, so the price came down to a measly $2.10 per metre. WIN. My intention was to use this fabric to make a muslin, but as it turns out, I really like it. So my muslin has become a dress I will actually enjoy wearing.

There is a sleeve option but I chose to go sleeveless for this one, just because I like it. I might make one with sleeves next time. I might also omit the neckline notch next time - it's OK but I do like the clean line of a simple scoop neck. I did a fair bit of gawking through the washi dress flick group to check out styles and variations.

I might be feeling a bit smug about how well I matched my gingham stripes at the seam... ;)

 The pockets are handy but not essential for me. I might omit them next time too and make the job a super quick one  - just breeze up those side seams with my overlocker. Quick and easy. This was my first time shirring as well - one of those techniques I've avoided forever and then was shocked at how easy it is! I dropped the shirring lines by about 1 1/2 inches to match my waist better - Gemma from Pretty Bobbins  gave me that tip and it worked a treat.

I used about 2.5m of fabric for this dress and bought some shirring elastic so all up I think it cost me about $8. Bargain!

What do you think? Have you made a washi dress or do you plan to?

My Little Pony Tumble Tee + Pattern Giveaway

Anna is all about dresses. She wears a dress every single day. Actually I lie. Occasionally she'll choose a skirt. I have no say over her wardrobe choices anymore (which makes for some interesting ensembles some days!) but I knew this pattern would be perfect for her. A super comfy knit t-shirt with a pair of leggings - the proof is in the wearing - she only took it off because I insisted it needed washing!

Today I'm part of the Tumble Tee Blog Tour - this pattern was designed by Rachael of Imagine Gnats, and is available for purchase and instant download here.

I've said it before - the selection of knit fabrics in local stores here is terrible and boring really limited. I found this My Little Pony t-shirt on clearance in an adult clothing store and knew that Anna would love it. I bought another clearance tee and put them together for this tumble tee. Here are the t-shirts before I chopped into them.

I bought the largest ones they had on the rack so I could maximise the amount of fabric. I cut the inside seams and removed the sleeves so I could seperate the front and back of the t-shirts, then I cut the front piece from the My Little Pony tee, and the back piece from the purple tee. (The rest of the purple tee was used for the trim on my Prefontaine Shorts.) I cheated by preserving the factory hems to make it an even quicker sew!

I could have cut both pieces from the black pony tee but I didn't for two reasons. First, Rachael designed this pattern as a colour blocked tee. The pattern is meant to have two different panels in the front, however I just created one because I was preserving the pony motif. To stay true to her design I went ahead with colour blocking between the back and front. Secondly, I felt that having an all black tee was a bit too much for Anna - she is a colour loving kid and rarely wears such dark colours.

I love the cap style sleeves - no separate pieces to cut and sew and perfect because Anna's kindergarten doesn't allow the children to wear sleeveless garments (sun smart policy). I'm really conscious about making sure anything I sew for her has sleeves.

This photo shoot would not be complete without...you guessed it. My Little Ponies. It's cool that she likes them so much - they were one of my favourite toys when I was little too.

This kid. So much attitude.

If you are a beginner, new to sewing with knits or are a keen upcycler, this pattern is a must have. I've made a dress version, but the pattern also has a regular t-shirt view, so it can be sewn up for boys and girls.

Rachael is very generously giving a copy of her Tumble Tee pattern to one of my readers - please leave a comment and I'll choose my favourite! Give me your best advice for sewing with knits and your favourite places to buy knit fabrics.

 

You can check out all the other fabulous versions of the Tumble Tee during the tour - make sure you pop over and visit Susan from Living With Punks who is also sharing her version today!

8.5 Sew Sweetness & The Crafty Kitty
8.6 One Girl Circus & luvinthemommyhood
8.7 Sew Delicious & Living with Punks
8.8 girl like the sea & Suburbia Soup
8.9 Buzzmills & Miss Matatabi

8.12 Alida Makes & Max California
8.13 Crafterhours & Kitschy Coo
8.14 La Inglesita & sew chibi
8.15 EmmylouBeeDoo & LBG Studio
8.16 Petit a Petit and Family & girl. Inspired

Anna Plays Nurse: Kids Nurse Costume

One of Anna's favourite books at the moment is a Golden Book I picked up at a thrift store last year, called Pepper Plays Nurse. It's an old one, published in the early seventies, about a little girl called Pepper who decides to set up an animal nursing home at her house.

Anna begged me for weeks to make her a costume to match Pepper. I finally relented!

 

I bet some of you are thinking "I don't remember Pepper but I do remember the Nurse Nancy books!". You are in for a treat - Suz from Sewpony has also made her daughter a nurses costume, based on Nurse Nancy. We were chatting about the coincidence, and how great old Golden Books are, and decided to put our nurses costume posts up together today so you can get two lots of vintage book costume inspiration! You can check out her Nurse Nancy costume here.

 

Anna has been taking her "amb-lee-ence" around the house and backyard for a while, with an ever changing group of plush animals having her special treatment each day. I have caught her several times trying to coax our dog into her 'ambulance' but she's had no luck so far!

Now to the sewing - this is a SUPER EASY project. I thought Pepper's swingy little outfit in the book illustration was a perfect match for a cross over pinafore, so I used the Imagine Gnats Roly Poly Pinafore, which you might remember from when I pattern tested it and made this one for Lucy.

I cut a size 4 and didn't add the front pleat in the pattern, but I forgot to fold the pattern in to omit the extra fabric for the pleat on the front piece. No matter - in some ways to has been good to have a bit more room in the pinny as it has been freezing weather here and Anna wears her costume over several layers of clothes.

I used a white cotton drill, then cut two strips of red homespun cotton and applied them with heat n bond into the cross shape. I then stitched around the cross just with a straight stitch.

For the nurse's hat, I drew a template on a piece of paper and cut two pieces of fabric. To stiffen it, I ironed a piece of heavy weight interfacing to one of the fabric pieces. To make the cross, I used the same method as I used on the pinafore, then I put the pieces right sides together with elastic in the middle. I stitched around the outside leaving a small gap, turned it right sides out and topstitched around the edge of the hat to finish it and close the opening.

It's come out really well and she wears it almost daily at the moment. I've found store bought kids costumes to be really flimsy and made with very poor quality fabric so I'm sure I'll make more.

Did you have Pepper Plays Nurse or Nurse Nancy in your bookshelf? 

Geranium Dress for Anna

The girls are at that age now - what I do for one I MUST do for the other. They copy each other, want the same toys, squabble over things that there is only one of.

Lucy got her Geranium last month, and after weeks of pleading, Anna got her version.

 

I won't be winning any styling awards in this post - the dress came straight out of the washing basket and wasn't ironed - I've barely had a chance to take photos since I finished it as it has been on the wear-wash-wear-wash cycle from the minute I snipped the last stray thread.

Which honestly, I consider a bigger success than a fancy photo. She adores it and that makes me very happy.

The love heart print fabric is a Belleboo cotton I bought at Rathdowne Remnants. I felt that it might be a bit too much to make the entire dress from the print, so I went with a magenta solid for the bodice. If you are with me on facebook you might remember my button crisis - the decision between grey or pink buttons created much debate and over 70 comments (!!), but in the end I asked Anna. She chose pink - no surprises. They are a set of pretty vintage buttons from my immense thrifted button collection. The grey would have worked equally well but I like giving her input into the things I make her.

You can just get a peek at the seam that the interior of the bodice is made from a pale pink solid.

Like Lucy's dress, I used the capped sleeves and pleated skirt options from the pattern. Lucy's neckline had the little notch, but I left Anna's with a rounded neckline. Toni-Maree from Sew Jereli recently made a gorgeous sleeveless version with a gathered skirt - that is why I love this pattern - so many variations!

There was a lot of mucking around during our little photo session!

The weather is cooling down and summer seems to be almost gone. Summer dresses are still de rigeur around here though, and to combat the cool mornings and evenings Anna wears leggings underneath. I think she'll want to wear her dresses well into winter, so I think I better start looking for a good cardigan pattern! Any suggestions?

Pinafore Pattern Testing

A couple of weeks ago Rachael emailed the test version of her pattern the Roly-Poly Pinafore for me to try. I thought it would be a great chance to start adding to Lucy's wardrobe for winter, as I find pinnies great for going over the top of long sleeved tees and leggings.

I've made this crossover style of pinafore before but only in baby sizes.  Rachael's version also has a cute pleat detail in the neckline.

The style of the pinafore, combined with the fabrics I've chosen and Lucy's latest hair cut kind of gives a bit of a 70s/80s retro vibe, which I love!

I used a navy blue corduroy with a yellow solid cotton for the lining. The pinafore has no exposed seams so it could easily be made as a reversible garment.

The pockets were not part of the pattern but I added them for some extra detail seeing as the blue cord was very plain. I used a lovely tree print which is part of a new organic cotton range at Spotlight. I just bought a fat quarter. I also used a self cover button kit to make the matching buttons from the same fabric.

Very serious business this modelling caper.

The photo shoot was a bit of a disaster - Lucy ran around like a crazy thing, attempted to bolt out onto the road and then sat in a puddle. She is pretty cheeky at the moment!

This pattern will be available as a PDF in a few weeks once Rachael has it all sorted out. Sizes go from 1-8. I definitely recommend it - it's a great garment for kid's casual wear, it can be worn all year around and it sews up quickly. All winning attributes. Keep your eye on Rachael's blog for the pattern release date.

Geranium Dress for Lucy

You've probably seen pictures of the Geranium Dress already - it's another of Rae's great patterns and I knew it would be perfect for my girls once I noticed a few popping up around sewing blog land. There are several different options you can choose with this pattern, and for my first attempt I went with the notched neckline and pleated skirt with pockets.

 I've recently bought a bunch of new fabric but I settled on a simple grey with pink polka dots. I've made quite a few dresses for the girls with loud prints so I was keen to try something a bit more understated. I'm glad I did, I really love the polka dots for this dress.

I auditioned pink buttons which just didn't fit, grey didn't pop and I couldn't find a contrasting colour that worked, so when I found these wooden ones in my huge tin of thrifted buttons I felt they worked the best. I think it gives the dress a kind of Scandinavian feel? Maybe? I'm not really sure what Scandinavian style is (apart from Ikea!) but understated and wooden tones seem to fit the bill.

I had huge trouble getting my little model to do this photo shoot - she would not cooperate until I allowed Baby (the care bear) into all the photos!

The pattern was great and extremely detailed. It took me a while to prepare and sew but I find sewing a pattern for the first time always does because I am careful to follow the instructions and make sure everything is right before I cut the fabric, and then again before I sew each step. The only thing I wasn't 100% happy about was the back - the back seam is so lovely with the stitching up the middle, but the line of it then overlaps at the top once you fasten the buttons. Perhaps next time I will sew in a zipper like Rachael did with her awesome Cowgirl Geranium.

Next time I will also do a line of top stitching just above the bodice-skirt seam rather than stitching in the ditch - I wasn't overly happy with my stitch in the ditch effort! But I love how all the seams in the bodice are enclosed and the interior of the dress is so neat and tidy.

I like that this design lends itself to a casual dress or something more dressy for a special occasion - it's all in the fabric choice. There are a lot of variation options so I'll be able to make quite a few different dresses from the one pattern.

Other gorgeous Geraniums I've seen are this one by Kristin from Skirt As Top for the Kids Clothes Belgian Style series over on StraightGrain and this cute apple print version by Suz from Sewpony. Suz has been giving me lots of inspiration lately!

And on a personal note - how gorgeous are these pictures of my girl? So glad blogging makes me get the camera out more often, I've got so many lovely shots of my two as a result! Better print a bunch of copies for the Grandparents and Great Grandparents :)

Ariel the Mermaid Dress

It's been ages since I made a dress for one of the girls.  I did want to have more of a handmade Christmas last year...my intentions were good but unfortunately this is as far as I got!

Last year I was in desperate need of a particular fabric and I rang what seemed like every patchwork shop in Melbourne. One shop had it, so the girls and I jumped in the car and headed out to Gail B's Patchwork in Bayswater. It is a HUGE shop and while I was browsing I heard a loud and excited squeal from the next aisle.

"MUMMY! Can you buy this for me PLEEEEEAASSE!"

Anna had found a bolt of Ariel the Mermaid fabric. Oh dear. It is no secret that I am not a fan of licensed / character items and clothing. She was so thrilled with it I just couldn't say no. So a metre was purchased along with half a metre of a coordinating Moda aqua polka dot. And a fat quarter of an awesome Kokka frog fabric that I had never seen before. And the fabric that I needed that they had in stock. Then I left quickly - otherwise my credit card would have taken a beating.

I used the Tye Dye Diva Fair & Square dress pattern. Easy instructions and it was a fairly quick project. I definitely recommend it. When I was making the bodice I freaked out a bit that it was too small, but it is perfect - the bodice on this dress is really just a neckline piece.

All these photos were taken when we went to the Melbourne Zoo last week - we go often as we have a yearly membership and it is fairly close to where we live. We met my friend and fellow blogger Abby from Things for Boys and Anna and Lucy had a great time with her little boy Roman. Abby was wearing an amazing maternity dress she had made herself!

Some of you might remember I had a decision making crisis with the button choice so I took a photo of my two options and asked my facebook friends to help me choose. The choices were between this blue and a pearly white button - blue was the overwhelming favourite so I went with that. Glad I did - it is perfect and it finishes the dress nicely.

We had our most successful visit to the Butterfly House yet - this butterfly stayed on Anna's hand for a good 3 minutes - exciting stuff!

The Ariel Dress has been a huge success but I think I've created a monster. When my parents-in-law gave Anna some new pajamas for her birthday, the first thing she asked was "Grandma, did you make these on your sewing machine or did you buy them at the shops?"

Lucy in her new Blue Pinafore

My baby is growing up! So fast. I can't believe how quickly she has changed from a baby to a toddler.

The cuteness!!! Lucy is much taller than Anna was at the same age (18m), so I've been sewing a few new things for her as she is in almost the same size as her older sister.

This one is a simple pinafore  - the pattern is New Look 6578 - and I used a pretty Joel Dewberry fabric I had in my stash. I'm a big fan of dressing my girls in blue, but it's hard to buy blue girls clothes. The fabric is Dogwood Bloom in Pond from the Modern Meadow range.

How cute is that little pony tail? She only tolerates it for about 10 minutes at a time. Neither of my girls like me doing their hair.. yet. I hope that changes soon!

I love pinnies because they are so versatile - in winter they are cute over a long sleeved tee and leggings, and in summer they can be worn just on their own or over a short sleeved tee or onesie.

Her feet don't quite make it to the pedals, but it won't be long. I took her swimming this week and she wore floaties for the first time. She jumped straight in...and swam across the pool, turned around and laughed at me! WHAT?! When did she learn to swim? Obviously she has picked up a lot from our weekly trips to the local pool. They learn so much from play.

And while I'm mourning a little bit that the baby years are over for us, it's exciting that our girls are more independent now and that life is more flexible. Fun times ahead!

Dress A Girl Around The World

The April project over at Hopeful Threads is to sew dresses for the Dress A Girl Around The World organisation. I haven't made a dress in a while and it's been bugging me, so this was a perfect project!

A while ago a lovely relative of mine who has given up sewing gave me an enormous packing box full of fabric. Another reason to do this project is that I need to do some serious stash busting! I pulled out a bright and colourful floral tropical type print and used the gorgeous infant peasant dress pattern and tutorial from Sew Much Ado to make two of these little dresses -

 

There is still plenty of time left in April to make a dress for this project - the aim is to get to 100 dresses and I'm sure Hopeful Threads will easily make this target! If you have a spare hour and a pillowcase or maybe you need to do some stash busting too, make sure you pop over to Hopeful Threads and check out the details of the April project. Kristy has also put together this great list of free dress tutorials, which is a handy resource to pin or bookmark!

If you do make one, I'd love to see it! Post a link in my comments or on my Facebook page!

Free Patterns Round Up

I have to admit - I've given up on commercial patterns. The fragile tissue paper, the sometimes bizarre instructions, and the lack of diagrams. It is just an exercise in frustration for me. These days when I need a pattern, I go directly to my favourite sewing blogs or Etsy. Most of the online / PDF patterns come with a detailed photographic tutorial, and being a visual learner, that style of pattern is a winner for me.

Today I thought I'd share some fantastic FREE patterns I've used. You will remember these projects from older posts, but some of you who are new followers may not have seen them.

Remember these cuties? They are the super popular Crossover Pinafore by Maggie from Smashed Peas and Carrots. You can get the full tutorial and free pattern HERE. It is a really great beginners project and versatile too - it can be a dress, then as your little one gets older it makes a lovely top. Maggie recently posted here about her daughter who was the original cute model for the dress now wearing it as a top. Got to love an item of kid's clothing that lasts more than one season!

 Next, the Buttercup Bag by Rae from Made by Rae. You can get the pattern HERE. A lovely project that can be made from just a fat quarter of fabric. This picture is the first time I attempted it, and the results were great! Rae has a lot of fantastic patterns. Some are free, and others are not, but I think it is extremely generous to offer any of the patterns for free given the work that goes into creating them.

Finally for today's little round up, is the Snappy Toddler Top from Prudent Baby.

I made this as a Christmas outfit for Lucy and I was thrilled with it. You can get the pattern and tutorial HERE. Prudent Baby has lots of other great stuff on their website.

Hope you've got some inspiration for a new project here today! Have you got a favourite free pattern or tutorial? Comment and tell me about it and give us the link!

Crossover Pinafore for JJ

My lovely friend Jodi from Art By Wiley welcomed a new addition to her family recently with the arrival of her new baby girl. I just love sewing for baby girls!! I find boys a bit trickier, maybe because I don't have one?

Here is what I made for this new sweet girl:

You may know this pattern, I have blogged about it before, it is the Crossover Pinafore Pattern from Smashed Peas and Carrots. I love it for a couple of reasons - the sewing project itself is simple, quick and great for beginners. The dress is very versatile - in summer they can wear it as it is, in winter it is great over a long sleeved tee and leggings, and as they grow they can wear it as a little top.

I took a departure from the traditional pink and went for a teal theme instead. This pinafore is reversible, so the outer fabric is Zoology in Sea by Michael Miller and I embellished it with some gorgeous big pearly buttons.

Inside I went for a simple teal with white polka dots and some grey buttons.

Love a reversible dress - if you are out and they spill food on themselves just flip it and you have a clean outfit!

Here it is from the back view, the crossover straps are very cute when the dress is on.

Love those hippos! Enjoy baby JJ!

Any suggestions or links for sewing for new baby boys?