A Retro-Funky Alder Skirt

Several weeks ago, I got an email from Rachael from Imagine Gnats asking if I was available to test her newest pattern, the Alder Skirt.

Of course I was!  I had seen pictures of it on Instagram, so I already knew how cute it was.

Since I live on the edge, I let the 4 year old pick the fabric.  She  chose a very funky cotton from Jenean Morrison's Grand Hotel line:

Funky, right?

I had three colors of interlock knit to make a top - I had a light peach, an orange, and yellow.  I voted for the peach, my husband voted for the orange, but Julia chose yellow.  As it turned out, a good choice!

First of all, the Alder Skirt - it's a really cute design.  The pockets lie slightly away from the skirt which is a detail the kid really likes.  There's a flat front, which I prefer, and an elasticized back.  Since taking these photos, Julia has worn this outfit 3 times already, so a definite success.  As far as the sewing, for some reason, I had to get my head around the pocket construction, but the directions are really clear, so just follow them, and they work perfectly.  Once I figured them out, they lined up perfectly when I attached the waistband.  I have another cut out from a plain fabric which I'm hoping to make soon, so the details of this adorable skirt will show better.  Oh, and the sizing is spot on - this is a size 4, and I actually hemmed it a bit shorter than the pattern called for (which is unusual for me as Julia's on the tall side) because I thought the shorter length went better with the retro vibe of the pattern/fabric combo.

And, the shirt - it's my second Oliver + S School Bus T-Shirt.  I added the absolute perfect and simple embroidery design from Urban Threads - really, adding this little touch of embroidery really makes the outfit, in my opinion.  Urban Threads is a seriously dangerous site, if you have an embroidery machine....

A cute outfit, eh? 

Thanks much to Rachael for asking me to test!!

Perfect Pattern Parcel #2 - The Caroline Party Dress

So this is the last day to purchase from Perfect Pattern Parcel #2.

Here's the scoop on The Caroline Party Dress.  Now, this is a dress pattern that I had never seen before.  When I received the patterns, I knew it was one that my kid would like.  She's definitely a girly-girl in spite of my best efforts to make her less girly-girly.

I had a great border print in the shop from the Grand Hotel line from Jenean Morrison.  Check out her art sometime - very cool stuff!  I knew the border print would work well for this dress, but I didn't want to use up a ton of fabric, so I cut carefully.  I made sure to line up my pattern pieces so that the horizontal patterns would line up. 

The pattern has several options, and I opted for the easiest version.  There are options for a fully lined dress with a tulle underlay, and although my kid would have loved that, I went with the simpler version as this was my first go with the pattern.  There's also an invisible zip in the back, and I wasn't really confident with my ability to insert that in a fully lined dress.

I made the dress up really quickly.  The zipper instructions were great, and the pattern went together beautifully.  I had left the hem/border very long, and tried it on the child.  Big mistake.  She then got crazy attached to the dress that was almost down to the ground.

So, here's the dress-drama....

I ran out to the store.  When I got back, the kid was in tears.  My husband said there had been a problem....apparently, Julia was running around the house in delight wearing the dress.  As it was a 90 degree day, she got sweaty.  Well, she doesn't like to be sweaty.  So, apparently, she actually tried to remove the dress by tearing at the neckline, and she tore a 5" hole in the dress.  The poor kid - she realized what she had done, and melted down in tears.

I of course told the kid that I'd fix it - not a problem.  So, there's the story of the neckline cutout added to the Caroline Party Dress....not a design feature at all!

I'll be making this pattern again for sure!  This is a size 4 on my 4 year old - the fit was perfect!

We even have color coordinated finger nails courtesy of Julia's big sister....

Kids Clothes Week - The Beginning....

So I kicked off my Kids Clothes Week yesterday.  But, the planning began a while ago....

Really, my kid doesn't need any clothes for summer.  But, what little girl doesn't need a green blazer?  Really?

I used a pattern from Blank Slate Patterns - the Basic Blazer.  It's a boy's pattern, but no reason that a girl can't wear it - I would!  The sizing goes from 18 months to 8 (how cute would a 18 month size blazer be?!) so the pattern is well worth it.  I never made a pattern from this site before, but after making this blazer, certainly would buy another....

The fabric is corduroy, made by Westminster/Free Spirit from my shop.  The color is really like the photo above - the color is a bit off in the modeled photos.  The chevron is Riley Blake, also from my shop.  This is a size 3T on my 3 year old...

I was really pleased with how this went together.  The instructions were great.  I tried to girly it up a bit and added a faux belt thing in the back, and the wrist strap thingys....

If/when I make this again, I would maybe put some interfacing in the front facing area and collar.  I didn't think about it at the time, but in the photos, the front looks a bit floppy for my liking.  The corduroy is very soft, so maybe if it was made in denim, or another stiffer fabric, it may lie better.  But, overall, I really, really liked the pattern.  It will definitely go in my pattern rotation....

This took maybe 3-4 hours total....not a bad start to Kids Clothes Week!

Cold Weather in SoCal....

At the beginning of the past week, the temperatures plunged....well, plunged as far as they go in Southern California.  When I left for work at 5:30 in the morning, the temperature was 45 degrees.  People were freaking out....wearing scarves, gloves, etc.  The Easterner in me knows that this was hardly cold....

My daughter doesn't have a winter coat, because "winter" is so fleeting around here.  I decided to try a pattern from Figgy's that I had always liked, but never tried - the Nituna jacket.

The pattern gives two options - a single layer such as wool coating or fleece, or a lined version.  I opted for the lined version and decided to use a blue corduroy and some quilting cotton designed by Liesl Gibson from her Ladies Stitching Club line.  The minute I saw this fabric, I knew that I was going to use some and coordinate with the beautiful shade of blue in the fabric.

I started this jacket at the beginning of the week, working on a teeny bit every night after work.  First tracing the pattern, then cutting/marking, and finally by Friday was able to sew it together.

Of course, by that time, the temperature was about 75 degrees during the day.....

I really like the finished jacket.  I made it in a size 2/3 with the length of a 4/5.  Typically, my daughter, a tall skinny 3 year old, wears between a 4 and a 5 in ready to wear, and I typically sew a size 3 with 4 length in patterns.  The sizing on this is generous to say the least.....

This is the first time I'd used one of Figgy's patterns.  It went together very well.  If I were to make this again, I think I'd actually use the smallest size (18 month) and length somewhere between the 2/3 and 4/5 for the sleeves.  I believe that perhaps it's sized so generously to accommodate most people's winter clothing underneath like heavy sweaters, but we don't typically have need for those here.

Corduroy plus quilting cotton make a great weight for our purposes.  Paired with a turtleneck jersey, I'm sure that this jacket will be quite warm enough for my kid to play in the sandbox at school on our coldest "winter" day.

Apple Picking Dress for the birthday girl!

So my daughter turned 3 this week.  It's seriously hard to believe that she's been on the planet 3 years.  Since she's the 4th (and for sure final) kid, I'm savoring every single minute with her.

I made her this dress last weekend from an Oliver + S pattern - the apple-picking dress in a size 3T with 4T length:

The fabric is corduroy, from Westminster fabric, from my shop.  It's really soft, and a nice shade of pink.

I really wanted it to be something that she liked - girly, spinning, pink, soft fabric.  So, I chose carefully.   I chose buttons carefully, and embellished with some variegated thread using my machine's decorative stitches.

Then, the weather turned 95 degrees....

So, she didn't wear the dress on her birthday, as planned.  We had a small family party.  Her brothers and sister chose gifts for her - her architect student brother bought her Legos, her gymnast sister bought her a Gymnast Dora doll, and her athlete, cool kid brother bought her jewelry and clothes.  Very appropriate gifts from her siblings, and she loved them all.  She also got an easel, Peppa Pig characters, and these boots and umbrella combo.

We managed to take some pictures this morning to send to the grandparents of the newly 3 year old girl....

She's not a big fan of the tie at the neck....for some reason, she is bothered by certain details and says they're scratchy, or uncomfortable.  I may have to think of some way to modify the neck closure on this, because it really is a beautifully put together pattern.  The placket is wonderful really.

So, more sewing for cooler weather this long weekend.....and, more walks at the lagoon for sure....