Girl's Velvet Swing Dress

Every year I make L something for her birthday. This is actually last year's dress, but before it gets jumped in line by this years garment, I'm carving out some space for it here. This is a modified School Bus T-shirt by Oliver + S. These patterns are a sure thing for fit, and a basic t-shirt pattern can be turned into just about anything. I made it a size bigger than she needed to extend the wear. She wore it to the school Christmas party this year and it still fits great. 

I used the long sleeve option and created an A-line dress by lengthening. and widening the body of the shirt from the underarm seam down to the hem. I measured from L's shoulder to determine how long I wanted the dress to be. It's a little trial and error, but a safe bet as far as rogue sewing goes.

Of course, I made one for Maxine too (#madeformaxine). I used scraps of the valor for the dress, cut up an old pair of L's tights to make Maxine a pair, and used felt to make little bowed slip-on shoes and hair bows. I suspect this will be Maxine's last new outfit, L still plays with her, but she is less popular than she's been in the past (still holding out hope that she'll get a second life with another generation ;). I've really loved sewing for this doll, more than I would have expected. Doll sewing seems so fussy, and tiny, but the abstract nature of Waldorf dolls has given both of us the opportunity to be creative with her style. I also love saving a little piece of fabric from each thing I make for L that will never be outgrown. 

Dress Pattern: Modified School Bus T-Shirt by Oliver + S

Dress Fabric: Crushed Velvet

Doll Dress Pattern: Self-drafted

Doll Dress Fabric: Crushed Velvet Scraps

Simplicity 8723 Harry Potter Halloween Costume

Harry Potter. This costume feels inevitable. I think we have been reading HP continuously since 2015. We're reading book 7 at bedtime now, so each of us will have read the entire series individually and together. J is not a big fan of dress up (unlike his sister), and usually asks for a completely impossible costume like a black hole, or dark matter (made it, but never posted the full costume). This year I tried to steer him toward a classic like a ghost or Dracula, but Harry Potter was the only idea that resinated. The second he put on the robe and had the wand in his hand he caught the Halloween spirit enough to forget that half his costume was his catholic school uniform. :)

The robe pattern is Simplicity 8723, it's got the entire size range, and I suspect I will be sewing this pattern again in the future. I used stash buttons, and a hair tie to make the closure, and the Gryffindor patch is from Amazon. I altered the pattern to make full underlining pieces for the front and a deeper facing for the back. I know my HP would want to rush off in search of horcruxes or candy and I didn't want the 4 inch front facing giving him away as a fraud. I hand stitched the lining and the facing. If I had planned ahead I could have done more on the machine but it was late and I was flying by the seat of my pants. Next time I would deepen the arm opening. It's pretty snug for something you're supposed to wear a sweater and button-down under. I also deepened the right pocket to accommodate his 11" hand whittled wand. His is ancient and mysterious lilac from the backyard at the farm. He also peeled the bark with his pocket knife (they're not as dangerous as you might think).

The exterior fabric is gabardine suiting in solid black from Fabric.com*. I had black Kona cotton in my cart, but changed my mind at the last minute. I hate how polyester it is, but I love the weight and drape. It really feels like real clothing feel of the finished robe. I'm telling myself the polyester is authentic school uniform material. The lining is Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Crimson* from Fabric.com*. I bought and used a full 2 yards for the hood and lining. I think the color is the perfect Gryffindor shade of burgundy. 

Robe Pattern: Simplicity 8723

Robe Fabric: Gaberdine Suiting in Solid Black from Fabric.com*

Robe Lining: Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Crimson from Fabric.com*

Gryffindor Patch: Amazon

*Fabric.com links are affiliate links.

Handmade Classic Witch Halloween Costume

Halloween is the best worst holiday. Parents making themselves crazy over an outfit their kid will wear once. It's stupid, and I love it. I remember my mom at the sewing machine late into the night before trick-or-treat sewing 5 handmade fantasies. In 7th grade she made me the most amazing Captain Hook costume, it had a red 3/4 jacket, and a hook made with a coat hanger, duct tape, and the bottom of a 2 liter bottle of soda (remember those?). All pure mom imagination without the benefit of craft blogs or pinterest. I tend to go overboard on Halloween, but I just don't care. Childhood is fleeting, the image of L at 8:30 this morning walking through Target in this costume as if she were the queen of South Philadelphia will sustain me well into old age. I hope she thinks of it when she is panic buying Halloween supplies for her own kids. 

This costume is a lot of pieces. I like to make costumes that can easily adapt to another fantasy and become dress up clothes the other 364 days of the year. The top is the Janie Dress from Mouse House Creations that I converted to a hi/lo peplum and added bells sleeves. It's sewn with stretch crushed velvet from Fabric.com. L could wear the top with leggings or a more sane skirt as a slightly fabulous regular outfit too.

The skirt is an improvised tutu. I bought 15 yards of black matte tulle at Joann, divided it into 5 layers, so each layer was 3 yards around. I gathered that into a 36" waistband, then used elastic to gather it down to L's waist size. The daisy tulle is a vintage fabric from my MIL's stash that followed L home the last time she visited. It's a nice bit of detail in the sea of black.

I made L a witch hat years ago, and I share the pattern HERE. This is more or less the same process but I sized up for a big kid sized head. The whole thing is sewn from acrylic felt with black ric rac around the brim. The pointed crown is a single layer of felt that I reinforced with fusible interfacing, the brim is two layers with a circle of thick reinforcing sewn in between to keep the brim from flopping. We used left over tulle from the skirt to decorate the hat with some spiders are the spoils of past Halloweens and a vintage button from L's collection.

Lydia took charge of the accessories. She made the broom herself months ago. She cut down a little black walnut tree, scrapped most of the bark off of it with her pocket knife, and wrote "fire bolt" on the end with a sharpie. For the bristles she used the spine of the walnut leaves that she tied on with yarn. She also made the choker from a scrap of the shirt fabric. 

Top Pattern:Janie Dress/Peplum by Mouse House Creations

Top Fabric: Stretch Panne Velvet Velour in Black from Fabric.com*

Dress Pattern: Improvised

Dress Top Fabric: Vintage 

Dress Under Fabric: Black Matte Tulle from Joann Fabric

Hat Pattern: Improvised

Hat Fabric: Acrylic Felt from Joann Fabrics

*Fabric.com links are affiliate links.

Little House on the Prairie Dress-up Clothes

A long time ago (as the book begins), when I was a little girl my crew of farm cousins/neighbors/friends was absolutely obsessed with Little House on the Prairie. Egged on by the books and the TV show we would divvy up the parts and play for hours. My mom made calico dresses, aprons, and bonnets in multiple sizes (my aunt made them for her girls too), and we had a vest and peasant shirt for my brother to flesh out our fantasy. We hitched two hay bales (Pet & Patty) up to an old wagon in my uncle's shed and pretended we were headed west with all our worldly possessions, fording rivers, and evading Indians. I used to pack a metal pale with blocks wrapped in a tidy bandanna and pretend it was my one room school house lunch. We used to climb to the top of the steep pastures then run down the tall grass on the hill pretending to fall just like Carrie does in the opening credits of the TV show. My childhood didn't involve poverty, or upheaval, or prairie crossing, but I identified with the agrarian, nature loving lifestyle of the fictional Laura Ingalls (as opposed to the actual Laura Ingalls whose story would break your heart!). 

My city kids have to imagine even harder to put themselves under prairie winds and big skies, but looking the part always helps. Last summer L asked for a sunbonnet and an apron she could gather things in. For Christmas I gave her those two things, and a dress and petticoat for good measure.

The dress is heavily inspired by the beautiful garments of Taylor's Scarlet Threads. Had I waded into the weeds of this project with more time to spare, I might have just ordered an outfit. For what I spent on fabric, The Scarlet Thread dresses are beautiful and a relative bargain. But, I started with less than 48 hours to finish, and there is joy in the making. I wanted something that could be mixed and matched for pretend play, and worn alone to church. My dress is based on the Violette Field Threads Zoey dress. I bought it for the simple gathered sleeve and relaxed fit at the waist (hoping it will fit for a while). I added a button placket (rather than the snap front) and a round neck opening. I used the width of the skirt from the pattern, but modified the length, and didn't use the ruffle. I made 3 one inch growth pleats in the skirt, and 2 half inch growth pleats in the sleeve. L measured a girls size 10, but I bought the tween pattern (a little bigger in the chest only) so I could make the design again as she grows. I love that VFT offers tween sizes, I think older girls would love the designs (totally not reflected in my demure translation!). I'm perfectly pleased with the VFT line of patterns, and have a first communion dress design picked out for spring. 

The dress fabric is Robert Kaufmann Sevenberry Petit Fleurs Stems Midnight from Fabric.com. From the moment I unwrapped it, I loved it. It's exactly the scale and colors I was hoping for. Pretty but believably historic. The cotton shirting is suited to garment making, and has a very satisfying rustle that L (and I) love. 

The bonnet is from McCalls M7231 that I originally bought with the intent to modify into this dress. The bonnet is just fine, but a little too big.  I have nothing good to say about the dress pattern, so I'll keep my comments to myself. The pattern is probably better suited to someone brand new to sewing.

The bonnet fabric is also Robert Kaufmann from Fabric.com. The body is 1/8" Carolina Gingham in Chocolate, the visor lining is Sevenberry Petit Fleurs Tiny Flower Midnight. Next time I would skip the second fabric, the combination is a little busy for my taste. 

The apron and petticoat are improvised based on the final length of the dress. I will make a second apron. This one already had a run in with some hot apple cider in a togo cup. Who knew apple cider stained! 

The apron fabric is (of course!) Robert Kaufman Essex Linen, the choice for a big ol' apron. The petticoat was a late addition made from cotton eyelet, and lace trim I given to me from my mother in law's vintage stash. 

My husband got me Prairie Fires the Caroline Fraser biography of Laura Ingalls for Christmas (although he may have regretted it when we were on our way to Christmas dinner and I was weeping over Pa's death). The chapters on her childhood, and early marriage are tough to read. I read the First Four Years (and haven't let my kids read it yet, wanting to foster the magic before the reality come crashing down), I know life was hard. I knew the books weren't all facts, and any blogger knows we present ourselves in the way we want to be seen, not necessarily in the way we actually are. But, when I read how hard parts of her life were I was heart broken. I felt like a dear friend had withheld something from me. Thank God she pulled herself up by her bootstraps in the end! 

The book is fantastic, and puts the Ingalls/Wilder experience in a useful national context based on historical events and the work of other writers. It also clears up the tricky business of how much influence her daughter Rose had on the children's series. I'm not quite finished, but it's a good read!

I was a little worried the 8 y.o. mind might file dress-up clothes in the reviled clothing category of gift, the one that gets tossed aside before the lid is even fully off the box. Luckily, I was wrong. Given the choice between this costume, and the pink crushed velvet dress I made for her birthday, she's chosen this dress every day since Christmas. It saw 4 days of continuous wear from the second she unwrapped it. She wore it to grandmom's for Christmas dinner, and stuffed it into snow pants to go sledding, leaving me one very satisfied maker. 

Dress Fabric: Kaufman Sevenberry Petit Fleurs Stems Midnight from Fabric.com
Dress Pattern: Modified Zoey Dress from Violette Field Threads
Apron Fabric: Kaufman Essex Linen Blend White from Fabric.com
Apron Pattern: My Own
Bonnet Fabric: Kaufman 1/8" Carolina Gingham in Chocolate available at Fabric.com
Bonnet Lining: Kaufman Sevenberry Petit Fleurs Tiny Flower Midnight from Fabric.com
Bonnet Pattern: McCalls M7231
Petticoat Fabric & Trim: Vintage, from my Mother-in-law's vast fabric archives.

* Fabric.com links are affiliate links. I paid for all of the fabrics, and only recommend what I like.
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Seersucker Polina Dress & Sunny Day Shorts

We are spending the long weekend as the founding father's intended, road tripping to a family reunion. I feel duty bound by a time sensitive color scheme to get these outfits documented before the last charred sparkler sticks cool. This is the Polina Dress from Coffee & Thread, and the Free! Sunny Day Shorts from Oliver + S.

In the evolution of gratuitous holiday sewing ideas, the dress came first. The moment I saw Rachel's beautiful chambray dot Polina I bought the pattern. It's not the first pattern I've purchased under her influence, and I'm sure I'm not alone! I was envisioning a patriotic twirly skirt worthy of L's now discontinued Molly doll. When the skirt gets moving it could steal the show from any PA legal bottle rocket.

In the spirit of embarrassing both children equally (a principe on which this great nation was founded), I picked up a slightly thicker stripe in the same seersucker color way to make J some summer shorts. Now we have star spangled matchy matchy outfits to dazzle at picnics, unless they fall victim to a cherry popsicle along the way.

I sized up on L's measurements to be certain she had some room to grow. Otherwise, I didn't change a thing. Even the hem length is exactly as the pattern specifies. The main fabric is Robert Kaufman Classic Seersucker from Fabric.com*. I used light weight chambray for the underside of the ruffles. It's whisky light and doesn't compete with the seersucker. I also used it to bias bind the neck, armholes, and hem (the easiest way to hem a circle skirt). 

These are the Sunny Day Shorts from Oliver + S made with Robert Kaufman Breakers Seersucker from Fabric.com*. I added length, as shown in my own tutorial from a few years ago, and Pockets as shown in the Skirt as Top tutorial. For the front and back pocket I mismatched the stripes to add some detail. This is a great versatile pattern that I'm sorry J has nearly outgrown. I made him the biggest size, and he's got precious little room to grow. This may be his last pair of Sunny Day Shorts!

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Details

Dress Pattern: Polina Dress from Coffee & Thread

Dress Fabric: Classic Seersucker from Fabric.com*

Shorts Pattern: Sunny Day Shorts from Oliver + S

Shorts Fabric: Breakers Seersucker from Fabric.com*

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*Fabric.com links are affiliate links. I purchased this fabric.

One Pattern Three Ways : Girl's T-shirt

This is a project I did for Petit a Petit and Family last year, but it's an idea I'd like to revisit here. I love the versatility of a good basic kid's t-shirt sewing pattern, like the Oliver + S School Bus Tee. Any basic pattern can be so much more than what you see on the front of the envelope. Modifying a trusted design is a very satisfying way to flex your design muscles without the risk of total disaster. I'm looking forward to doing another capsule set for L this spring, and I'm a little depressed none of this one fits any more (oh, how they grow!). She still wears it all, skin tight, and scandalously short (with leggings of course) though it may be!

Pattern:
I've used the Oliver + S School Bus Tee to make a 3/4 sleeve gathered skirt dress, an A-line dress with front pocket, and a basic cardigan. The School Bus Tee is my go-to kid's t-shirt pattern, but there are plenty of others to choose from. I like this one because the sizing is always spot on, for my kids.

Construction Notes:

1. For the cardigan I cut a few inches off of the length of the front, back, and sleeves, then added knit ribbed cuffs to the waist and wrists. I cut the front piece in half along the fold line, and added a button band to each cut edge.

2. For the gathered skirt dress I shortened the body of the t-shirt to just under the arm opening. I shortened the sleeve by a few inches to make them ¾ length. The skirt is two rectangles joined at the side seams, gathered at the top, and sewn to the bottom of the t-shirt bodice. 

3. The a-line dress is the short sleeve t-shirt made longer, and wider at the bottom hem. The kangaroo pocket is drafted based on the size of my daughter’s hands.

Fabric:

I used the same 3 fabrics on all three garments so the finished pieces could be mixed and matched together. For this little collection I used the Doodles fabrics from Joann:  Navy Flock Dot Ponte Knit, Pink Butterfly Cotton Jersey, Gray Ribbed Knit.

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FOLLOW ALONG!