Twirl Skirt

Many years ago I came across a delightful sewing website. Stop Staring and Start Sewing.

The author had just developed her first pattern called the Edith Twirl Skirt.
I just loved the photos and her smocking which prompted me to buy her pattern.

Check out the image here to see what I'm talking about.  It's just beautiful!

Well, the pattern has been sitting on the shelf in my sewing room for a couple of years now. But since I know a little girl who just loves to twirl, I figured it was time to make it!

It took me an afternoon to make it because there was a lot of gathering. But overall, it was easy and the instructions were clear and simple.

It's difficult to photograph.  Hopefully I can get my model to try it on in the next few weeks.

I followed the embroidery design as it appeared on the pattern.  Next time I will make my own design.

In the pattern are directions to fuse fabric to a t-shirt.
But what attracted me to the pattern in the first place was the smocked top which is her design and can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonag/2738269637/    It's not included the pattern.

However, I have made my own version of this smocked top and that's next on the cutting table.  Well, sort of next.  I keep getting sidetracked!


Note to self:
Skirt made to fit size 3.
Waist is 54cm (21") ;  cut the elastic 7cm (3") shorter to 45cm (18")
DMC:760, 761, 3811 & 734

Family Reunion Dress

I've been hesitant about making this pattern from Oliver + S.  The scoop neck seems rather low and I'm not so sure my daughter will like it on her daughter.

I asked others that have made this dress wondering if they had any suggestions to make he neckline less low.

Well I figured that if I simply made it up according to the pattern, which by the way was drop dead easy, I could see for myself where and what I can do to make the neck less scoopy.

Thankfully I have a vast stash of fabric I can make up a muslin from and maybe, just maybe, the fabric I choose might not be too dated and it will get worn.

I found this daisy print on the purple background. As coincidence would have it, I was in a quilt store the other day and there was the same fabric with a blue background.

Which just goes to prove the old adage, what goes around comes around. Although that adage wasn't pertaining to fabric, but hey, it'll do.

I piped the neckline in question and didn't even notice the join in the piping that is almost in the middle of the neck. Arrgh.

Oh well, it's just a muslin.

So when I make this dress again, if my daughter likes it that is, I will cut the neck portion thicker.

However, I have seen a really good addition to the neckline here (click here) and it is absolutely stunning.


This dress is size 3.
Note to self: check where the piping joins next time.

More vintage fabric

Way back in the early 80's I was a Laura Ashely fanatic.

I had Laura Ashely dresses.

Laura Ashley home dec fabric.

Laura Ashley wallpaper.

And of course yards and yards of Laura Ashley fabric.

Here a sun dress I made today with vintage Laura Ashley cotton fabric from my stash.

It's Size 3 using the re-sized Itty Bitty Dress that can be downloaded here.

On this project, I got to use my ruffler attachment that's been sitting in a box for a year or two waiting for me to try it out. This skirt ruffle was set at 6 and I cut twice the hem circumference from the white fabric.

I still have lots of this fabric leftover so maybe I will make a sunhat and some undies.
 

FYI: Laura Ashley died in 1985 from complications after falling down stairs at her daughters country home where she had been celebrating her 60th birthday. The company is still in business but to me,  the fabrics just don't seem to be as fabulous as they were when she was the designer.

Seashore Dress

Using Oliver + S Seashore dress, I made a size 3.

I used pink seersucker and piped the front, back and pocket section with white cotton piping.

The whole dress went together really quickly despite lots of interruptions.  But if I could have just sewn without having to stop, I'm sure it would have gone together in under 2 hours.

Note to self: next time try a contrast fabric for inside the pocket.

Playdate Dress

Using Oliver + S Playdate dress, which is now sadly out of print, I made Size 3.

The fabric was a powder blue pique type of cotton which I'm fairly certain my mother bought some 30 or more years ago.  Finally, it's getting used.
I found some pink cotton that matched one of the flowers in the fabric for the bib, and again, it was cotton that must be in the neighbourhood of 30 years old.
Not sure about the buttons though. I think they were a more recent purchase.
For the bib section I used a white pique that I bought last year.

The other day I found these little shoes that match the pink cotton in the bib section perfectly. So like any good grandma, I bought them!

Note to self: When I make this dress again, put a ruffle around the bib section instead of flat piping.
In the front pleat, experiment with a contrast fabric.

Music Box Jumper

I have all of the Oliver + S patterns ever made with the exception of the Sleepover Pajamas.
But I haven't made outfits from all of the patterns yet.
That will be the next goal and hopefully use up more fabric stash.

First up is Music Box Jumper using the alternate view with a single pleat in the front.

It used just over a meter of corduroy fabric and took about and hour and a half to make. Talk about easy!
But it took me a whole day to get around to sewing the buttons on,  down the back.

Size 2.
Note to self: next time don't use a plaid fabric. It required too much thinking to line up the bodice with the skirt taking the center pleat into account.

Sewing mojo is back.

Slowly, I'm getting my sewing mojo back.  It's been gone for such a long time.

And for such a long time, I've been trying to get at this pattern designed by my friend Judith. It's new on the market and she gave me a copy to try it out.

 Just after my grandson was born, I cut out pants from a lightweight brown wool that had a light green fleck in the pattern, along with a fleece top in the same light green.  It looks rather grey in these photos, but it's a light minty green.

I didn't make the shirt in the pattern. Instead I took a Onesie and using steam-a-seam, cut a bow tie shape using the pants fabric and fused it in place.

Also using the pants fabric, made piping for the jacket.

The whole outfit went together really quickly. I especially like the way the pants turned out with the little faux fly front.

The pattern was easy to follow and Judith has included TONS of sewing tips, ideas, how-to's in the pattern. I made the whole outfit in just a few hours.

Trouble is,  I cut the fabric out awhile ago and used pattern size 11 lbs. My grandson has grown like a weed ... correction ... like a tank,  and he's now 20 lbs and climbing fast.  So this outfit won't fit.

But I got lots of ideas in the process.  

And I'm sure I got my sewing mojo back too!

Request

The other day my daughter called to say Caitlin was watching the movie Snow White and then noted that she didn't have a Snow White dress.
"Call Grandma and tell her to make a Snow White dress for me" was the request.

As good luck would have it, there was 50% off sale at Fabricland.  So off I drove to the nearest town with an F'store all the while trying to recall what Snow White's dress looked like. 
Looking through the pattern books, I found a picture and promptly bought some quilting cotton to match what I saw because I knew I didn't have the correct colours of cotton in my stash.

Using my own basic bodice style pattern the only modification was creating a V in the front bodice section and subsequent front skirt section plus adding red to the sleeves.  There is an excellent tutorial (here) showing the sleeve technique.

Oh, and instead of having the collar pieces meet at the front, they meet at the back with a large gap at the front.
I didn't use any interfacing because I suspect a standing collar would be uncomfortable.

So here's the finished dress.  It's size 4 and plenty big enough to wear over regular clothes.

On a trip down to the city to visit my mother, I stopped in to see Caitlin and give her the dress. She loved it.  And as good luck would have it, her daddy bought her a Snow White tiara to match.

(I over-adjusted the red-eye and gave Caitlin a big blue eye in the process .... ooops.)

And it twirls perfectly too!    The dress is large enough to fit over a coat, so if she wants to wear it to the playground, she's good to go. 

I have to say, I'd rather be making a smocked dress or something similar in the little girl dress category as opposed to a cartoon character outfit.  But when I heard a little voice on the phone say to me "can you make me Snow White dress, Grandma" I melted.

Caitlin is only 2 1/2 years old and I just can't recall any of my 3 children at that age asking for something specific to wear.
Well, like any Grandmother worth her salt, I'm going to assume she is just plain brilliant!

New Years Eve Dress

I can whip out an Oliver + S Bubble dress in no time.  From cutting out the fabric to hand stitching the bodice on the inside takes me about 2 hours.  Even modifying the Bubble Dress using McCall 5964 for the bodice and sleeves.  (Although I'm not completely happy with the sleeves.)

I've also got a love affair going with corsages.  It just seems to finish off a little girls dress.

I love how the lining floats with the outer fabric where the dress "bubbles".

At any rate, I'm sure my granddaughter will not be up at midnight with her parents on New Years Eve.  But I know who will be.....my grandson......for his 11 o'clock feeding.

Isn't he just the cutest little fellow ever?

I've got a huge container full of corduroy and his mom say's he needs overalls. Yeah! More stash bustin' projects for 2012!!

Christmas gift sewing

My 2 1/2 year old granddaughter just loves the Wizard of Oz. 

When I was her age, well, actually older than her age, that movie scared the beejeebers out of me.  The witch, her monkeys even the Wizard frightened me so much so that I hid behind the chesterfield when they appeared on the tv screen, which back in those days was black and white.

At any rate, Caitlin is not even fazed by the images in bold colour and on a huge tv screen.  She is brave like Dorothy. 
Since she loves the movie so much, for a Christmas gift I made her a dress like Dorothy's complete with (store bought) ruby slippers and a basket containing with Toto. (Yeah for on-line ordering!)

I made the dress large enough to fit over her regular clothes.

Here she is on Christmas Day wearing the Oliver + S Bubble Dress and velvet shrug I made earlier. She is opening the Wizard of Oz dress-up outfit.

Well, it was a hit and off came the Christmas bubble dress on on went the Dorothy dress!

And there she goes ..... off to see the Wizard .... or at least wade through the quagmire of wrapping.

She wore the dress all day long and through Christmas dinner.

And as for the ruby slippers, she clicked her heels together many times..........

'cuz there's no place like home!

I used the Basic Bodice dress by Collars Etc. for the Dorothy dress pattern adding longer sleeves, a zipper opening at the back and a separate waistband sash with straps.  For the collar I simply cut a strip of fabric on the bias and added ric rac. Size 2.

Christmas Dress #3

Using the Oliver + S Bubble Dress pattern for the skirt and McCalls 5964 for the bodice , here is Christmas dress number 3.

The devil made me buy this red party fabric.  It was on sale, I was convinced, for exactly the amount of spare change I had in my pocket.  And besides, it was sparkly and Christmassy looking, even my better judgement couldn't resist.

However I used black cotton for lining and black velvet for the bodice all from my stash.  Therefore, I feel somewhat redeemed.

I made a little rosette from the fabric.  I cut a strip about 30cm long (12 inches) and 5cm wide (2 inches) folded the fabric in half and ran a basting stitch using strong quilting thread along the raw edge.
Then slowly, pull on the thread at one end to gather and roll until the fabric looks like a rose.  Then stitch in the middle to hold everything together.  I put a button in the centre as well and then stitched it to the bodice.

The dress is size 2.
I only needed a small amount of the red fabric for the skirt. But all the black cotton and black velvet got used up and has made way for the red fabric that's now left over!

Christmas dress #2

My daughter came with me to Fabricland and she picked out the fabric for a Christmas dress.
Using Oliver + S pattern, Bubble dress, here's the dress.  I'm pleased with the results.

And it looks good on Caitlin.  It's size 2.
Because it has a capped sleeve, I ordered some sage green velvet from On-line fabric  to make a shrug.

The order was sent right away and I will certainly use them again if I need to get something that isn't in my stash.
Using McCalls 5964 in size 2, I whipped up the shrug.  It's a little small, so next time I'll make size 3.

The velvet is stretchy so for the lining,  I used a stretchy fabric I found in the 'slinky' bin at Fabricland.

Mom likes the dress. Caitlin likes the dress.  Grandma loves the fabric.

Christmas Dress #1

At least 8 years ago, I pleated and smocked the front section for a dress that  I got the idea from in either Sew Beautiful, Creative Needle or AS&E.  It was so long ago, I just can't recall.

When my daughter suggested a smocked Christmas dress size 3, for Caitlin I jumped into action, rooted through the UFO box and pulled out the smocked front section and uncut plaid cotton fabric and velvet for the collar and cuff.

Using a basic bodice style pattern, using size 3, here's the completed dress.

It's windy outside so it looks a little askew.

I even had the foresight back then to include in the UFO bag the tiny little black buttons that appeared on the dress in the magazine.

I piped the velvet collar in the same plaid fabric, but used black cotton to pipe the smocked section to the front yoke.

While out shopping I came across these dear little black velvet ballet style shoes in size 7 and made 2 little bows using the plaid fabric.  They are just stitched in place over top of the existing bow.  They can be removed easily.

Cutting out the back bodice section required at little fussy cutting to match the plaid as did cutting the back skirt section so the the sides matched.

The sleeves match the front section and that was truly a fluke!  I had cut them out before realizing they needed to match but thought, oh what the heck, it'll be fine if they don't.  Go figure!

The tucked hem was a snap because I could follow the plaid lines with the iron to get the fold exact.

I am really pleased with the outcome and think my daughter and granddaughter will be too.

Home Dec on Deck

The weather is beginning to turn, albeit in a roller coaster fashion going from mild to chilly and back again, but this morning there was a very light dusting of snow on the railing.  Once the sun rises, it'll be gone.  However this change in weather hearld's a new season .......  sewing season!

First up on deck is a home dec project.
My daughter bought a quilt and sham from Pottery Barn Kids for Caitlin's 'big girl bed'.  She asked if I could make two pillows to match.  I think they turned out well.

With leftover fabric I made Polly Dolly.  She is basically a stick figure; triangular dress in fashion fabric, head, arms and legs in muslin.  I made the pattern myself, it was very easy.

Polly Dolly is a sister to Molly Dolly.  I made Molly years ago. She was the prototype and a favourite doll for Caitlin when she comes to visit.

And if you ever want a friend to join you at a Tea Party in Grandma's Gazebo (a.k.a. Zee-gee-bo), then Molly Dolly is your gal!

Sewing room makeover

My sewing room was taking on a life of it's own.  Despite trying to use up my stash I felt like was becoming a hoarder.

There was crib in the room too, and it was a nightmare cleaning up making sure there were no pins on the floor. 

When it wasn't being used as a nursery, it was truly a messy place.  Time for a complete make over!

The crib got moved to the Treehouse (guest cottage) and a single bed put in it's place.  I made some red plaid drapes, headboard and bedskirt. Trimmed a side table with red plaid inserts and bought new lamp.
 

I put some funky Canadiana folk art object in the window.  Our whole cottage has the lodge look, so this room fits in well with the rest of the decor.

Then I installed a long drapery rod and hung black drapes to hide the unsightly shelves holding the bins of fabric, notions, patterns and book.  But I can pull them back and leave them open when I'm sewing the room.

I have a card table with a large cutting board that I can set up along with an ironing board when working on a project. 
But if the bed has to be used for an overnight guest, it can all be easily put away and become a cozy room!

Now to find the time for serious sewing!