Knock it Off

Guess what?  That's right!  mmmm hmmm.  You read it right.  I'm busy making something that is amazing, if I do say so myself.  I'll see you back here in a few days.  In the meantime, I'm calculating all sorts of math misery in order to get this vision to work out.

Be sure to watch Elegance & Elephants to see the great line up.

Flip This Pattern: Croquet Dress by Oliver + S

I was so surprised and amazed when I got invited to participate in this round for Flip This Pattern! This is one of my favorite series in blog land and I get to be a part of it. Thanks for letting me play along.

 Everyone knows how lovely Oliver + S patterns are and the lovely croquet dress is great on the inside and out. I love the way the insides of the garments are perfect. For my flip, I decided to make a romper with flutter sleeves.

Meet Luna Blue

I edged the front and the sleeves with lace.  The sleeve is lined with a contrasting(matching?) green fabric.

I was going to do a bubble short but I thought basic bottoms helped balance the width and structure of the top.  (I promise, I ironed these but then she played in them.)

There's a peek at that green in the sleeves.

I think the back view is my favorite.

Thanks for looking.  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with for the sew along.  Make sure you head over to Frances Suzanne and vote for your favorite Croquet Dress creation!  Don't forget to add your link to the sew along too.

Flip This Pattern at Frances Suzanne

Hey everyone!  Guess what?  I'm over at Frances Suzanne today for Flip This Pattern.  Head over and check it out.  It'll be fun.  I promise.

Fabric Stash Buster

I've had this fabric for at least two years.  Originally, I bought it for an Easter dress but I never really got around to cutting it out.  So, it sat with my fabrics for a very long time.  Occasionally, I'd pull it out for a project, but it just never seemed to be right.  Then, inspiration struck!  It was perfect for a Market Dress!

I decided to put pockets the dress this time around, and I made the skirt fuller than the previous one too.  Pockets are always a winner in my book.  They also add +10 to any outfit in the eyes of my daughter.

She likes to carry stuffed animals in her pockets.  Also rocks.  Lots of rocks.

Look at that jaunty little bunny peeking out of her pocket!

I put brown buttons down the back.  Originally, I went with silver, but they were all wrong.  I clipped them all off and replaced them with brown.  Much better.

This will be darling with a long sleeved shirt under it too.  I'm thinking of making a long sleeved ruffle blouse for this coming fall and winter.

• pattern - Amelie & Henri Market Dress
• fabric- Bunny Hill by Moda

Fourth of July is Coming!

18 months old

This photo will remain one of my favorite photos of Little Miss until the end of time.  This was her second July 4th celebration.  Every year, we head to the lake with friends.  One of our traditions that I hope will never end.

One of my favorite times of year is almost here.  Since it falls right around my birthday, I always felt like the fireworks were for me ;)  But, we have some traveling plans up ahead so we're furiously trying to get everything squared away before we go over the mountains to visit family and friends we left behind when we moved away.

4 years old

The outfit I wanted to share with you was worn and has ketchup all over the front so I have to do some fancy stain removal before I can take photos.  Since I don't have photos the only photo I have is this bad instragram shot, I'll share photos from previous years.  Nothing was sewn by me, but I'm sharing anyway.  Look away from my store bought goods!

Two years old

Same boots as the previous year.  Same top too.  Little peanut hardly grew but it worked well for me since she got to recycle all of her clothes ;)

Two years old

She absolutely loves those boots.  July 5th, we went berry picking with the family and she insisted on wearing them.

3 years old

3 years old

A couple from last year.  I swear, she grew 2 feet over the winter.  The first photo cracks me up every time I see it.  It completely reminds me of Coco Chanel "A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."

Yeah, the boots.  Because she loved them so much, I did a crazy thing and bought them in the next size up.  I made her an outfit for last year, but it was an epic failure.  If you want to make fun, go check it out here.  It's okay to laugh.  I know I did!

and one last photo before I go.  Here she is on her very first 4th celebration looking thrilled with her lot in life.

9 months old and excited to be here

Market Dress

This pattern is too sweet!  I am seriously in love.  Amelie and Henri has blown me away once again.  Previously, I'd sewn up and fallen in love with the Esmee Dress.  I may love the Market Dress more.

I was surprised at how quickly this came together, even with the pin tucks on the straps and waistband.  I actually followed the pattern on this one except that I didn't include pockets.  The fabric pattern was already so busy, I thought the pockets were just too much.

Ok, that was a bit of a fib.  I did the pin tucks different than called for in the directions.  There were supposed to be two on each strap and three on the waist band.  I switched them because I don't know how to read a pattern...  As a result, my straps are quite a bit thinner, but I still love how it turned out.

I love how the underskirt is meant to show.  It gives such nice dimension to the dress.

The dress is relatively simple pinafore but the added pin tucks and the underskirt really make it look more complicated than it actually is.  I layered it over an eyelet ruffle tank I had hiding in the bottom of a drawer somewhere.  It would be cute over a short sleeved blouse too.

It buttons all the way down the back which I think is darling, but a zipper could easily be installed.  The buttons make the fit a bit more flexible.  The straps cross in the back and button in place.  There is plenty of room to move down the buttons and let out the skirt so she should be able to wear this for a couple of years.  I LOVE that in a pattern.

I did find that concealing the raw edges on the pettiskirt was a bit tricky and not really addressed on the directions.  I was able to figure it out but if a beginner were sewing up the pattern, they might run into some difficulties.

Little Miss says it's very comfy and wants to wear it this fall with boots and a long sleeved jacket.

• Green Fabric - P & B Textiles - Wildflowers in Yellow
• Pettiskirt Fabric - Floral Eyelet in Maize from fabric.com
• Pattern - Amelie and Henri Market Dress

WINNERS!!!

The giveaway is over but congrats to the winners, Andrea Scherer and Elisabetta!  Lily Bird Studios will be emailing you so keep an eye out!

Thanks for playing along