nordika sally dress and giveaway {closed}

October 1, 2013October 3, 2013119 Comments

sometimes, it’s impossible for the weather not to influence my fabric choices. last weekend we were hit with a decent little rain/windstorm that knocked out power around town and didn’t let up for days. at the beginning of that storm, i pulled fabrics for my stop on the sally dress tour!

the sally dress is the newest pattern from Shannon of luvinthemommyhood / very shannon. she actually debuted this sweet design as my guest on vintage may this year, so it was a no brainer for me to help her promote the pattern now that it’s been released!

i’m so happy with how this little dress turned out!

the pattern comes in sizes 2T – 8, has three sleeve options, and actually pulls on with no closures, which could be a bit scary, but the fit is great! the design of the dress is smart in that it doesn’t slip down in any kind of noticeable way. see that little point at the shoulder? i can’t be sure, but i suspect that helps.

the stormy fabrics i chose for this dress make me happily fallish. i’d been wanting to use Nordika by Jeni Baker ever since i saw it debuted at Quilt Market this year! Jeni is such a sweet gal and i really admire her work, so it was fun to showcase her fabric here. this print is called Whimsicöl Mist and it’s part of a panel that’s really stunning. i only had a fat quarter and it was just barely enough! i got it at Bolt of course.

the skirt is a wonderfully drapey charcoal gray baby wale corduroy from fabric depot, and the pockets are lined with scraps of gray shot cotton. for a storm-inspired dress, it sure is soft and light!

i added flat piping between the bodice and lining but sewed it a bit out of order and had to fold the piping up and stitch it down to make it work. kind of a nice effect in the end.

this is a 3T bodice with a 5T skirt to fit my little beanpole. the pockets a tiny bit low because of that two size discrepancy, but just barely. i never know when i sew non pink/rainbow dresses whether she’ll actually like them, but she loves this dress! woo!

i’ve got one tip when sewing the bodice and its lining, since Shannon’s method differs from other patternmakers a bit. if you’re going sleeveless like i did, sew a 1/2″ basting stitch around all armholes before sewing anything together. this will guide your pressing later and help everything match when you join the shoulders and topstitch. i always have trouble pressing evenly along a tight curve, personally, but this helps me. 🙂

be sure to check out the versions my co-pattern-tour-stoppers Tara and Sabra made today, too! the sally dress is such a great little dress for customization, and i love seeing what those ladies came up with.

nordika sally dress

okay! miss sassy pants wants to know if you’d like to WIN a copy of the sally dress pattern!

:: Giveaway details ::

~~> giveaway is open until Thursday, October 3 at 9pm Pacific Standard Time~~ Giveaway is now closed.

> winners will be chosen at random and will be contacted by email and announced on the blog

> open to US and international residents

> void where prohibited

:: Here’s how to enter ::

> leave a comment telling me your favorite warm drink to curl up with in a storm. my current addiction is a homemade decaf salted caramel latte – mmmmm so good.

additional entries – PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH:

> follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you do so (Bloglovin, email, feedly, your pick).

> like skirt as top on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you do so.

> like luvinthemommyhood on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you do so.

that’s four maximum entries!

good luck and thanks for entering! hugs.

* i received the sally dress pattern in exchange for this review, and was not compensated for the giveaway. my opinions are entirely my own.

reglisse in white

September 27, 2013September 27, 20134 Comments

now i realize it’s after Labor Day and wearing white is no longer “allowed,” but today i’m reposting my guest post for the Bolt blog from August, in case you missed it. i was about 12 weeks pregnant here, and fretted the whole time I sewed that this dress wouldn’t fit or flatter when i was done! somehow, though, the waistline hit just high enough to hide my already-poppin’ belly (with the help of a little sucking in and some spanx).

aaaaanyway…here’s the post.

>> > :: < <<

Hi, I’m Kristin from skirt as top and i’m happy to be sharing a project here today on the Bolt blog! It was a really neat experience for me bringing this dress to life with the help of the fine ladies at Bolt, and creating a sample for the store I love so much.

The pattern is the Réglisse Dress by Deer and Doe. Deer and Doe is a French company that I’ve started seeing pop up more and more in blogland lately, and I love their classic, pretty style. The instructions come in both French and English, so no guesswork is involved. Bolt carries a great selection of their patterns and after sewing one, I’m looking forward to trying more in the future!

The Réglisse is an unlined dress with a sweet bow collar, cap sleeves, and a circle skirt. There’s an elasticized waistband which is cleverly inserted, and, aside from turning the thin bow tubes which was a bit of a pain, the construction was really nice. The pattern is rated Intermediate, which I agree with. It’s not a first project type pattern, but it’s not difficult either.

I made a size 42 based on my measurements. I think the bodice might be a tad big on me and would probably size down next time, but it’s the type of dress that is meant to have a bit of ease, so it works.

The fabric is Robert Kaufman Seersucker, which Bolt carries in the shop in a few colors (I chose white on white). I love how fresh and clean and summery it is. The fabric is 57″ wide, which is a requirement of the skirt (it’s two half circles pieced at the sides) unless you want seams down the front and back. Typical 45″ wide quilting cotton is a bit too narrow – we checked!

The front and back bodices are cut on the bias, and I love the subtle chevron effect from the pieced seersucker.

I’m looking forward to making this dress again in a printed voile, maybe switching up the sleeves or collar for a different look…lots of options! Check out the Réglisse Sew Along on the Deer and Doe blog for construction tips and more inspiration, stop by Bolt to check this dress out in person, and maybe grab some seersucker while you’re at it too!

watercolor ruby top

September 24, 2013September 23, 2013108 Comments

a little while back i got to test out Rae’s brand new adult lady sewing pattern, the Ruby Dress & Top! it’s a flattering yet simple design that takes pretty much all of the tougher parts of adult sewing out of the equation (no darts, no zippers or buttons or closures of any kind…that stuff). it’s also a quick one to sew up. you can sew this pattern!

and you should.

because even though my face is a bit like 😐 in the photo above, i think this top is great…and the tweaks Rae made with the feedback from testing made it even better in the final version. that girl really takes her time to get the fit just right, something i really appreciate with her patterns.

it’s a SUPER fun (and maybe even a little overwhelming?) pattern to pick fabrics for. you can really go a million different directions with it. i used a semi-sheer lightweight rayon/poly type blend from the back of an Old Navy shirt I bought for the other side (eyelet). it moves around a lot which made the skinny bias binding way harder to apply, but the drape is nice.

the bottom fabric, which i ADORE, is from Skylights by Rosewood Organics. i got it at Bolt (I think?). such a cool watercolor design. i made this summery top when it was still 90 degrees out and it’s definitely fall here now, which just means i’ve got a whole new color palette to choose from when i make Ruby 2!

i usually sew a medium in Rae’s patterns but here I made a size large, because do you know what else the Ruby Top is great for…?

…hiding an early baby bump!

yep yep, 18 weeks along with baby number 3 over here, and so excited! i know at least one observant blog friend guessed it based on my posting slowdown this summer, but seriously guys, little #3 really kicked my butt in the first trimester. so tired and most food just made me feel sick. i’m glad to have some energy back now so i can sew in the evenings if i want, or in the daytime for that matter (i was pretty much napping when my kids did – good for the baby but frustrating for me, since i ACTUALLY ENJOY DOING THINGS)!

i’m due in late February and we can’t wait to find out gender in a couple weeks, though Em is CONVINCED it’s a girl and has even told us what we should name “her.” in the meantime, she nicknamed the baby “Avocado” based on the size i told her the baby was at the time, and loves to give her little “sister” kisses, bring me blankets and Mommy Elephant to snuggle with when i’m tired, hold the doppler machine and listen to the heartbeat at the midwife…she’s a loving little mama and it’s the cutest. it’s really fun to have her understand what’s going on.

O seems happy about it sometimes, and sometimes indifferent. because he’s 2. 😉

and there ya go – my secret is out! i’d never announced a pregnancy to blogland before…hope i did okay. 😉

> > > :: < < <

thanks for the great announcement project, Ruby Top! check out Rae’s highlight reel of my fellow pattern testers here, video tutorials on how to line the yoke here, and Rae’s supercool arrow dress that started it all here.

tutu for a two year old

September 20, 2013September 19, 201321 Comments

just as divided baskets are my go to gift for baby showers and new babies, dress up clothes are my go to for two/three/four year olds. i love giving personalized superhero capes (my simple tutorial is here), especially to boys. but tutus for little gals are so sweet and fun, and for new 2 year old K, daughter of longtime family friends and daycare buddy of my son, i felt that one was really necessary.

i love this tutu pattern – easy and painless to sew, and it feels so elegant. it’s from the book Little Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson (affiliate link) and if it looks slightly familiar, it’s because i used the same pattern for Em’s Angelina Ballerina halloween costume a couple years back! Em and her friends still wear it as dress up, which is the beauty of this tutu – it ties in the back and is highly adjustable as the child grows! i like to make it a little on the long side so it lasts.

i took Em shopping with me at Fabric Depot to pick out the colors of tulle and ribbon – i nudged her away from a few super bright/clashy colors, but in the end these colors are pretty much all her choices and i love it! the fun part of this pattern is picking out the layers of color. we started with a deep magenta, then a couple lighter pinks, ending in a pretty gold color. i think it looks a bit like a sunset.

the ribbon is satin but the less-expensive stuff – i should’ve upgraded to a double sided satin, but didn’t think about it until i was back home sewing. you see both sides of the ribbon, just be aware of that. they both need to be pretty.

the color is bright and fun and K had her mama help put the tutu on right after she opened the gift, so I hope that was a good sign that it’ll be in solid dress up rotation for a few years to come. 🙂

striped divided basket

September 18, 2013September 17, 201317 Comments

one trick pony over here. someone’s got a baby comin’? time to make another divided basket!

this one was for my sister-in-law’s baby, her fourth boy! a family friend was so thoughtful as to throw a baby shower for her, which i love – fourth babies need new special stuff of their own too, ya know?

i sewed this basket up before the shower, which was held when my SIL was around 36.5 weeks pregnant. just four days later, little W made his grand appearance!

mmmmm baby toes.

anyway…i got the 2am call to come stay with the sleeping older three boys while husband and laboring wife headed to the hospital, a dream come true for me – i love the excitement of labor, even if i’m just back at the house trying to sleep but having too much fun getting 4am text messages. 🙂

i made this basket to coordinate with little W’s nursery, which has a slightly nautical feel – it’s blue and white with red accents and some natural wood too. i chose striped ikea canvas with a robert kaufman red canvas binding on the outer pocket, and natural linen handles. the inside is denyse schmidt for joann.

here are a few shots of little W’s nursery. i think my SIL decorated it so nicely – it’s a really peaceful room to be in and gets beautiful light, too!

you’d relax there if you were a little one, wouldn’t ya? i like the idea of the daybed in the nursery for those inevitable rough nights.

have you made a divided basket yet? if not, you should! such an enjoyable sew, so fast, and so fun to personalize, stuff with goodies, and give as a gift. i’ve now made three to give away (the other two are here and here), and i love making them every time.

oh and nope – still haven’t made one to keep yet!