ayashe blouse and skirt

 Over the weekend I got back to sewing and worked with a new pattern Ayashe from Figgy's. Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my sewing slump! This weekend it rained, no one had a cold and we didn't have any plans, perfect conditions for spending the hours in my sewing room. It felt great to get back to work!

 My second attempt at this top was much better than my first experience. I made the blouse in a size 2/3 but added about 2 inches to the length. Sophie can easily get swallowed up in tops that are too big for her, so I am really glad that I chose the smaller size for her.

The only problem I encountered is that her average 4 year-old sized head does not fit easily through the 2/3 neckline. When I opened it up more it gave her quite the plunging V-neck, not a look I was going for! I found a happy medium but it is still a struggle to put it on over her head. Any suggestions? Next time I may try some little ties or a button and loop.

For the skirt I went with a size 4/5. Sophie is tall for her age and I am hoping to get a lot of wear out of this skirt. I am a sucker for a little denim skirt! I love all of the pleats on this skirt and the pockets. 

 The pattern includes a nifty way to add elastic to the back of the waistband. This was essential for my little girl. The downside is that in order for it to stay on her waist I have to cinch it so much that I lose  some of the cute pleated details on the back. The elastic will be easy to let out, so I just have to wait patiently until her weight catches up to her height.

I am sure I will be making more versions of this pattern. There are several different options given for the blouse in the pattern and on the Figgy's blog they have a tutorial for making it into a dress. I am excited to be finding more great pattern lines to work with! I tend to stick with familiar favorites and not branch out too much. Have you tried any new patterns lately?

sewing slump

Hello everyone, sorry for the extended absence! Last week I had a couple of sewing mishaps which kind of zapped my spirit and put me into a little sewing slump. Has this ever happened to you? I attempted a ruffled knit skirt for Sophie and was messed up by my own miss-reading of the instructions. It wasn't really the type of "oops" that the seam ripper can repair. I was bummed out by the waste of perfectly good fabric.

I tried to get back on the horse and use a new pattern, Ayashe from Figgy's. (I'm not sure I have mentioned this, but my mom is the best in the world! She drives by Birch, the home of fabricworm, in Paso Robles almost every weekend and sometimes stops to buy me great fabric and patterns. Thanks Mom, love you!)
Okay, back to my slump...this time I used one of the husbands old work shirts so no new fabric would go to waste. Everything seemed to be going well until I tried to put the blouse over my little one's head and it didn't fit! I know it must be a mistake on my part, maybe I did something weird with the seam allowance or traced out the pattern incorrectly. Either way it was a bummer!


I think these little disappointments are part of the reason I am so excited for the beginning of Project Run and Play! I need some inspiration! I case you haven't heard about it yet, it is a play on the T.V. show Project Runway. The designers are all sewing bloggers and each week they make amazing kids clothes based on that weeks theme. Each week there is a vote and one designer is eliminated.
This is one of favorite blog series, it is so much fun! There are great tutorials for the winning outfits.You can even sew-along, post your creations to the flickr group and win great prizes. I am especially excited to see Jessica from a little gray take part in the action! Jessica will always have a special place in my heart. She was the first non-family follower of this blog. I love her style and sense of humor. I know she will do an amazing job. Project Run and Play begins April 9th!

this year's oliver + s seashore sundress

 I'm so excited for Spring! After January I am always ready for the cold to be over. Around here the all of the trees are in bloom. It makes me feel like sewing tons of sweet cotton sundresses! I have been really enjoying re-using the Oliver + S patterns I received last Spring. They were some of the first sewing patterns I ever worked with and learned so much about sewing from them.

 What a sweet little face! I can't believe how much Sophie has grown from the first time I made this dress!

 This dress is made from the Seashore Sundress pattern.  I made it in a 3T for Sophie, she is tall enough for a size 4 or 5, but the rest of her measurements put her in a 3T. I have seen a few other versions of this dress that seemed longer, but I really like where the length hits on Sophie.

The fabric is by Sandi Henderson, Farmer's Market "Apple Dot"in pink. I have liked this fabric for a while, but haven't been able to track it down. I was so lucky to find a 2 yards that someone had returned to my local fabric shop! It's such happy fabric!  Sophie loves her new "apple dress".

Do you have any favorite sewing patterns you've been saving for Spring?

game of tag

Pam at threading my way tagged me for this fun blog game. Pam has a wonderful blog with an amazing  ongoing link-up. It is a great place to find inspiration! I love reading about other bloggers and getting to know them beyond their amazing sewing projects, so I was very excited to be part of the game of "tag"!

RULES:

• You must post the rules.
• Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you and then create 11 questions to ask the people you've tagged.
• Tag 11 people and link them in your post.
• Let them know you have tagged them.

Here are my questions from Pam:

1. What housework task do you try to avoid?
 Folding the laundry! I would probably live out of the dryer if it wasn't for the rest of my family!

2. What's your favourite piece of clothing?
I have a super long cashmere scarf, its a rust color with stripes of orange and burgundy on the ends. I loved wearing it all Fall/Winter long. I'm so sad to be putting it away during the warm months


3. What couldn't you live without?
My faith and my family :)

4. What's your favourite form of relaxation?
Good music, a diet pepsi, a sewing machine and no little hands pulling me away!

5. What's your favourite way to exercise?
Anything that doesn't seem like exercise: yard work, playing with my kids, exploring somewhere new on foot.

6. What is your favourite reading matter?
 I love flipping through magazines and sewing books. I would love to read more substantial literature but with two little ones there aren't many opportunities

7. What is your pet hate? 
Rude people and those who critical/judgmental of others.  I'm with Thumper, if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.

8. What would you do if you lost access to your blog?
It would be a little traumatic, but my house would probably be cleaner! 


9. What is your favourite type of holiday: relaxing or doing...?
I like to relax for maybe a day and then I get antsy, so I would rather be doing

10. What food do you least like?
I like just about everything! I am not a fan of "fake" food, you know...food with strange ingredients that is trying to taste like something else.

11. What do you dream of doing one day?
Traveling more, I loved art history in college and would really love to see all the things I learned about.

Here are the people I am tagging:

Andrea at Mulholland Homestead
Cindy at Siestas and Sewing
Rachel at imagine gnats
Jessica at a little gray
Heidi at Grizz 'n' Dove
Grandma G at A Photo's Worth
Tanya at Second Chance Tan
Rachel at nest full of eggs

This just for fun! So don't feel obligated to participate.

My questions:
1. When you were little,what did you want to be when you grew up?
2. What skill would you like to learn?
3. What is your favorite season?
4. What is your favorite t.v. series (past or current)?
5. If calories didn't exists what food would you eat all the time?
6. What was the first book you remember really liking?
7. What is your favorite time of day?
8. What  was your first job?
9. What was your favorite birthday?
10. What was your worst cooking disaster?
11. What is your favorite color?

If you would like to answer any of these questions feel free to answer in the comments. I would love to see your responses!

Sewing Book Spotlight: February Giveaway Winner!

I've been looking forward to this day all month! The winner of this month's giveaway is... 

Via the nifty random number generator.... Comment #36

 Cindy! She wrote, "Ha, I thought I'd already left a comment on here but I see I didn't! With 3 girls, I'm sure I'd get a lot of use out of the book.:)"

Congratulations Cindy! I'll be emailing you soon! I can't wait to see what you make for your sweet girls!

I had so much fun sewing this month and my Sophie got quite the boost to her wardrobe. I think Girl's World such is a wonderful book! I can see using it over and over again. I really think the book is a great deal, on amazon you can buy a copy for about $16, that's the same price as buying individual pattern! Out of the projects I made this moth the Tallulah Halter Dress and the Josie dress were definitely my favorites. Thanks for reading and for all of your great comments this month!

Okay... slight change of plans for month two of the Sewing Book Spotlight. I have really been wanting to give sewing with knits a try, so I am switching to the book Sew U: Home Stretch.

I've had this book on my shelf for over a year, I bought it on sale when the Borders bookstore near me went out of business. Other than using it to help me figure out how to thread my serger I haven't really spent much time with it.  Finding my walking foot the other day, combined with great series at Made by Rae about sewing with knits has made me antsy to get over my fear of knits! The projects in the book are all for women, so I will be using some of the great online tutorials out there for some kids knit projects to try as well.  I can't wait to get started and to hear about your experiences sewing with knits!

There will be another giveaway this month! No book this time, instead I thought sewing supplies would be fun for everyone! Check back soon for the giveaway post!