Make it Work

Sabra from Sew a Straight Line issued the kind of challenge I like best: take something old and unfashionable and make it wearable. Or, if you are feeling really adventurous, take an old, ugly pattern and use it to make something wearable. The trick is, in both cases, you have to keep elements of the original. Fun! She has a Flickr group so you can see what everyone else is making, and there are super excellent prizes!

Here is what I started with. This was my dress when I was 4 and yes, I use the term 'dress' loosely. I know every toddler girl was flaunting her booty that year, but the thought makes me shudder.

Here is the finished product.  It is now a tunic rather than a dress. I didn't actually take anything off the length, I just hemmed it where the hem had fallen out. I know. Can you believe my mother let me walk around in that?

It had some redeeming qualities, though. I really love the smocking. It's real smocking, not elasticized. And while I am not crazy about those ruffle wings, ruffles are back in style.

I cut off the ghastly polyester sleeves, collar and bow, then squared and bound the neckline, which was nowhere as easy as I thought it should be. When I cut off the sleeves, I left an inch or so of the red dots, turned them up twice and hand stitched it in place. It's not perfect, but no one will notice. Oh, I also folded over and blind stitched about 2 inches of the ruffle wings so they won't whack her in the face when she's running.

When it was all done, I thought it looked a little plain, so I made this little gossamer ribbon dragonfly from this tutorial and tacked it on. It instantly bounded up the popularity scale.

The only thing I am unhappy with is the fact that I should have gathered the neck just a little bit when I bound it. Can you tell that it gapes a little? It's not so bothersome that I'll rip out the binding from hell that took me 3 hours to sew, though. Besides, the kids has so many clothes I wouldn't be surprised if she only wears it on Independence Day. Because I make her.

I wasn't going to do any more, but I got this pattern at the thrift store today. Something for me. Maybe I can eeek it out before the deadline. We'll see.

I'll leave you with a picture in which my older sister says Ivy looks just like I did when I was a kid. Honestly? I still have that expression on my face quite a bit.

KCWC Day 1

I'm trying to figure out mobile blogging, and managed to lose most of
my last post. I hope I can figure it out. I love the idea of blogging
but the effort it requires is more than I have to give. Downloading,
uploading, writing. I feel like it shouldn't be so convoluted, and
maybe this will be my answer.

Now. Kids Clothing Week Challenge. I still haven't figured out how to
embed a link. I'm sure you all know elsie marley anyway, so I'll just
push on.

Here is my first creation. I've had the pieces cut out for about a
year. Finally assembled last night, and the girl is quite happy with
it. The hoodie pattern is from Lil Blue Boo. What makes me happy about
this shirt is the fact that the sleeves are made from her favorite
pants from when she was four years old.

Oh how embarassing

Well, because it is September sewing month, and Katy over at No Big Dill is has been having a big party (which I was quite late to, but her blog is great,  and her girls - oy, the pictures of her girls, and their names? I swoon. I wanted to name Ivy 'Olive', but Jason hates olives, so he said... no.) and because I can write one hell of a run-on sentence...

Anyway, she wanted people to try something new. And, even though I didn't know that, I did try something new. Remember the free-motion quilt along? Yeah. I have yet to make anything pretty, for sure. But did I try it? Hell, yah. So there you have it. It is still September (by one hour and 47 minutes) and here is a picture of my sad first attempt at free motion quilting. I must say, though, Christina at A Few Scraps is very encouraging.She even showed us pictures of her first free-motion quilt, and I dare say it was almost as bad as mine. Well, nearly almost.

 

Oh let me make that picture nice and big for you. Did you see the chain o' hearts at the bottom there? Fancy, no? I learned to do that in 5th grade.

Jump Roping

Ah, here we are at the end of the jump rope dress sew along. The dress is adorable, but Blue will never be adorable in this dress again. Hm. Actually, she looks ready to hurl - or bolt. Or smack me.

I had to bribe her (with vintage buttons!) to put this dress on for a picture. Yeeeeas, she picked out the fabric. And yes, I hate the fabric. I hated making it. I hated feeling like I was always behind in the sew-along. And now? She hates the dress. My own fault, though. Honestly, I am pretty impressed that she put it on for a picture, even. She's come a long way in the past three years. This child only wears knits. Knits that are just loose enough and not too loose. Knits that are just the right length and not one smidgen longer or, heaven forbid, shorter. Granted, she started flailing around in it when she first put it on, but she did some calming down and managed to do the pictures. Yay! It seemed appropriate to take some jump roping action shots.

The girl gives it her all, doesn't she? You should see her hula-hoop.

And even if she never wears it again, it was completely worth it for this one picture, which is her in a nutshell. My girl.

A busy, busy Sunday

I'm taking part in Badskirt's Jump Rope Dress Sew Along. Although I don't know if intention is enough to be called participating. Finally, though, I have the pattern traced and the pieces cut out. But what's this? I'm not happy with any of my choices for placket fabric? True. What else is there to do but take a trip to the fabric store. I think I've mentioned my fabric store before: it's a surplus store. Not only can I get out-of-date CocoPuffs to keep the kids happy in the cart, I can also drop my entire weekly cash allowance on fabric. Seriously.

It doesn't look all that impressive, does it? But let me show you. Because, in all honesty, I am giddy like it is Christmas, but my husband and kids? Couldn't care less. And I need to share with someone, even virtual you. So even if you have never left a comment before, leave one now. Please do, so I can bask in the glory of my newest finds.

Did I mention I went in for a half yard of white with a touch of red? Found it.

The musical notes was just a goofy indulgence. I'll make a bag for Blue's piano book and use it for the lining. And I picked up a yard of Katie Jump Rope. It's not my favorite shade of brown so only a yard. Not like the three yards of green I got a few weeks ago. And yes, there is the white with red. Nothing particularly special.

I chose this duo for my second jump rope dress - view B for my favorite niece. (Don't get your panties in a bunch - I only have one niece to date.) Two yards of the patterned corduroy and one of the pink.

And then, my brain just went crazy and bought three yards of soft, soft linen, and a yard and a half of that... shirting? The lines are small bumps.

This was an picture to take, but it is three yards each of pearl colored smallish cord and cream baby cord that is incredibly soft.

And lastly, I got two yards of each of these. The black is something velvety and the brown is velveteen, which will become a pair of pants like these from Olive Juice. Cute, no? I have just been introduced to Olive Juice and I have spent many hours over there, sketching and drooling.

At $3/yard for most everything except the velveteen (which was $5), I couldn't leave with any less than that. The thing about my fabric store is - next time you go in, they won't have the same thing you saw this time. They had oodles of garment fabric today, which is not always the case. I had to pass by some interlock knit because I just couldn't pass up the corduroy.

Now I'm just twiddling my thumbs waiting for the washing machine to finish its act so I can get crackin'.

I'm not a very good -alonger. For the most part, my intentions and desires are good, and my follow-through is poor. I'm proud if occasionally I can link up to something on time. But I'm determined to -along with this free-motion-quilt-along. I've always been curious about free motion quilting. When I made Ivy's quilt, I just used my walking foot which was a pain in the kishka. And then I bought a free motion foot, but I have never really done anything worthwhile with it. So to prove my - what... intent? desire? Heck, I always have those. Anyway, I actually went and made the quilt top so I could free-motion-along. And here it is.

It is intentionally simple - I followed the instructions provided. (Amazing, I know.) But since I didn't have an entire bolt width of a third fabric I liked, I pieced those two brown fat quarters. And I really, really like it. It's crib size, and I do happen to know someone having a baby boy in December. So it if turns out well, it will be a gift. If not, it will just be.

Christmas crafting

For weeks now, I've had the best of intentions to start working on my Christmas projects for Deb's Present-a-Week {till Christmas}-along. Seeing as how she is now in week 5, and I have finally gotten off my duff to get something done, I am feeling rather smug. After all - isn't that just one gift I don't have to worry about later? I also read something on Indie House that struck a chord within me. She said (and I hope she doesn't mind I'm quoting her here, but I'll link it for you)

I think Christmas has become to much about impressing people and less about giving gifts people would use and oh say actually need.

Impressing people. Yeah that. It is a battle I wage with myself every year. I either feel too cheap, or I feel ostentatious. But if I somehow managed to make something that someone would love - well that is neither cheap nor ostentatious. So I'm all about the handmade holidays this year. Seriously. So here is present #1:

I had a hard time with this pattern. It wasn't difficult, or complicated, but somehow I managed to knit the two halves (that I then grafted together in the center) so that no matter what I did, the points did not align in the center. It was also kind of a panic fest because I was left with approximately 4 inches of yarn after all was said and done. Talk about cutting it close. And while I am griping, I will also say that I don't like how floppy the cowl is. I added one repeat to make up for my smaller-than-called-for yarn, but to me it is just too floppy. That said, I will also add that some people like floppy, no one will ever notice the issue with the points, the color is absolutely gorgeous, and it is smooshy as all get-out. So while not a personal triumph, I give it an A giftwise. Here is it Raveled.