Ruffled - Day 5 and 6

KCWC Day 5 started off with a whole lot of seam ripping. I was determined to turn a never-worn pair of my shorts into a cute skirt for Noelle. FAIL.

Digging around in my stash I found this:

appa's old shirt. Big rip in the sleeve. Jackpot.

I used this tutorial: the ubiquitous Shirt Dress

and this pattern: Sweet Dress

For the ruffle I just cut a double length of stripey fabric and ruffled it up using the highest tension and basting stitch. Then I tacked it on. I left the edges raw on purpose because I prefer the unfinished look 

(plus the fluffiness covers up the less than perfect sewing...ha!)

Since I did the ruffle I nixed the elastic in the sleeves to complement the style. 

I also used the original hem of the dress. Easy peasy.

Waving to her loyal fans...

It's been a gloomy few days so it's difficult to get a proper picture.

I don't know how many shirt dresses I've made but this is the first time I combined patterns and it made me much more confident that it was going to turn out right. Ellie loves her new dress! 

This is my first KCWC and I'm learning so much. The Flickr pool is full of crazy inspiration! 

I miss my yarn, though...there. I said it. Can't wait to finish my last project so I can get back to my needles and fiber. 

Morning Somewhere

I figure it's morning somewhere...weird time to post but this is the time I've got.
Day 4 of the KCWC, and here's what I made...

Wait just a minute, Ellie's coming to show you!

Peasant top, made using Leila and Ben's Sweet Little Dress pattern. 

Closeup of the very girly fabric. Ellie's old enough to decide what she likes, and apparently pink is IT.

notice the crazy bling..

 Clothes are for playing in, so by the end of our "session" this happened to her top....

tree hugging...

dirt piling...

and finally just hunkering down in the dirt.

bliss

NOT handmade. duh.

until next time! Cheerio!

The Third Day

I think I've spoken of my little problem before, but when it comes to crafting, I often can't stop working on something until I "get 'er done".
So, I finished her dress...

 pattern: Sweetheart Dress by Shannon of luvinthemommyhood

perfect for playing hide-and-go seek...

looking at the stars...

striking a pose...

and throwing a fit. ha!

I managed to wonkify the most special detail of the whole dress, so I had to "make it work".

Love the topstitching...

and looooooove that it's fully lined. No itchy seams! 

I was originally planning to make two of these dresses, but I just can't seem to bring myself to sew another one right away. That's not I rollz. 

So, the sewing plan for today is to create a simple skirt for Ellie using the leftover fabric. 

See you on on the other side!

KCWC - Days 1 and 2

Last week our little family was hit by a bug. 

I didn't really do anything craft-wise, including signing up for the KCWC (Kids Clothes Week Challenge) hosted by Elsie Marley on her cool blog. 

Whether I'm officially able to participate or not, I'm going to try to sew for at least an hour a day this week. 

Last night, I finally unpacked my sewing machine and was devastated to see that it had broken during the move! Sigh. It's still usable, but the perfectionist in me hates too see Janomey looking so beat up...

I managed to cut out this pattern:

The pattern is by dear friend Shannon Cook. As soon as I saw this pattern, even before she released it, I knew I had to make it for my girls. 

Noelle's is up first:

Main fabric: Jay McCarroll's Habitat Singing Forest

Lining: Pindot cotton from my stash.

I'm excited to be sewing again! We'll see how much I manage to get done today. 

Some yummyness for you:

Made kimchi...

 tried out my first cast-iron pan with delicious results...

and semi-yarn-bombed the playground with the littles. 

Nothing aids a cold like playing with yarn!