a few of my fave handmade things

June 27, 2013June 27, 20135 Comments

today i’m posting over on Sanae Ishida’s blog as a part of her “fave handmade things” series. she gathered a few of us together and asked us to share favorite things we’ve made – i’m showing my own favorite, plus Em’s and O’s as well! those little ones…when they fall for something, they fall hard.

i always wonder what happens to things AFTER they get blogged – maybe some things sit and are never worn again (i’ve got plenty of those), maybe they’re loved and worn out to the point of major repair (like Em’s favorite)…and maybe (often) it’s a total surprise what kids end up attaching to (like O’s).

Monday :: An of StraightGrain
Tuesday :: Cherie of You & Mie
Wednesday :: Gail of Probably Actually
TODAY :: Kristin of Skirt as Top
Friday :: Robin of Nested in Stitches

i’m in fantastic company with this group – all friends of mine and an inspiring bunch of gals. Gail’s post from yesterday is the epitome of all that is right and good about mamas sewing for their kids, and brought tears to my eyes. how am i even supposed to follow that???

and if you haven’t poked around Sanae’s blog before, sit back, browse, and enjoy! she’s incredibly creative and prolific, sewing for her daughter, for herself, and posting lovely bits of randomness in between. she’s even made a couple scoop tops! yay!

you can find my post right here. thanks for having me, Sanae!

psssst….i’m working on grading the scoop top to a full range of sizes! might take a while, but i’m working on it. 😉

the obligatory “how to follow me” post

June 25, 2013June 25, 201311 Comments

i thought it wouldn’t actually happen – i thought there’d be such an outcry that google would decide to keep google reader around and figure out some way to make us pay for it, maybe…but no. doesn’t seem to be happening. google reader is going away july 1. sooooooooo it’s time for me to write this post, the “how to follow me now that google reader is going away” post.

or hey, if now you just click around to your favorite bookmarked blogs, checking to see if they happen to have a new post up, here’s your chance to try out a subscription service instead! theoretically it saves you time, since new posts just pop into your “feed” or inbox when they’re published, but in reality i find i just subscribe to MORE blogs when i have a convenient way to read them. haha.

anyway, here’s how to follow me…click on any of the big text buttons to link to them directly, or read my little spiel below each and follow the (same) link…you can also try multiple services and figure out your favorite…they’re all free.

:: bloglovin’ seems to be the preferred service of the crafty/diy/sewing blog community – it’s pretty, and easy to find new related blogs. follow skirt as top here. bloglovin’ has a “import your feeds from google reader” tool that makes it easy, so do that now! ::

:: feedly seems to be what the techy folks are using (my husband follows a lot of tech blogs). it’s pretty close to google reader, and they seem to be tinkering with it quite a bit to make it better. feedly also has a handy “how to import your feeds from google reader” tool, so do that now before google reader is gone! follow skirt as top here. ::

:: if you’re on Facebook a good amount of the day anyway, liking blogs there is a good way to be notified of new posts. i always put up links to my new posts, plus i sometimes post film petit previews, favorite links from other blogs, sales and giveaway notifications, all sorts of stuff. like skirt as top here. ::

:: if you don’t follow very many blogs and prefer you just get an email when someone publishes a new post, you can do that here. there’s also a widget on my sidebar to follow through wordpress (under my sponsor/affiliate buttons). ::

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side note: my main mode of blog-reading is actually on my iPhone through the Reeder App. rumor has it Reeder will start supporting feedly and other RSS subscription services soon, so i’m waiting not-so-patiently for that. i like Reeder way better than the feedly app, though. the bloglovin app isn’t bad.

thanks so much for following along!

have a nice day.

edelweiss dress in woodland fauna

June 20, 2013June 20, 201337 Comments

you know how sometimes a pattern comes along that makes you smile because it’s so dang adorable? that’s how i feel about the Edelweiss Dress. as i was sewing it, it just made me happy. maybe it’s my German roots or something, but i couldn’t wait to see it on Em.

and then, when she woke up the next morning, she went right over to it. she actually asked if she could wear it that same day! i usually hang new creations somewhere visible once i’ve sewn them (to remind me to get photos), but i don’t remember the last time she has been so antsy to wear something freshly sewn like that, especially something without a bunch of pink and/or rainbows on it! it does have woodland creatures, though…

the fabric is from the “woodland tails” line by sheri berry for riley blake (you can buy it here). i got mine at mill end and had planned to make pajamas with it, but it’s quite “German” and suited to the Edelweiss, don’t you think? the ice blue straps are kona cotton, left over from mini kingsley zissou.

i sewed a 3T with a 4T skirt. it ended up a little shorter than i typically sew, but i love the length with this particular design. the proportion is perfect.

if mine looks a bit different in the bodice than others, it’s because sometimes i follow directions even when they don’t seem quite right – turns out a silly little dot got moved during the pattern-revision process and my front straps ended up a bit closer together than they’re supposed to be, but never fear, it’s been fixed! she fixed the glitch.

the back, i adore. it’s just to die for – and like Tara, i’m powerless to its cuteness. i had to go with heidi braids just to complete the effect (gotta, right??).

i really like Adrianna and her Hey June patterns – they’re great designs with just the right amount of “interestingness” to them – I’ve also sewn the Greenpoint Cardigan (here) and the Narita Dress, but haven’t blogged the Narita yet because i tested it in the dead of winter and it’s a spring/summery design. i should do that, though! it’s clearly summer!

the dress comes with a tunic option, a pieced bodice option, and even instructions on how to piece the center front on a diagonal if you want to make something like Jess’s adorableness. this dress makes Em happy too, as you can see. i already want to make another Edelweiss – so many ways to play with fabric on this one!

be sure to follow along at Crafterhours to catch the rest of the Edelweiss Dresses on tour. my partner today is the awesome and hilarious Jennifer from Parrish Platz. Jennifer and her girls actually LIVE in Bavaria, so she’s über legit. i love her spin on it!

and if you just can’t resist it any longer, get your copy of the Edelweiss pattern right here!

a princess-ish dress

June 18, 2013June 17, 201320 Comments

not sure if i should admit how long ago i made and photographed this dress, but it somehow fell by the wayside and has been bugging me because it’s just sitting in iPhoto and haven’t posted it yet…so i’m posting it!

alright, i made it sort of spur-of-the-moment for Em’s first Disney on Ice viewing last December. i realized she probably needed some sort of princess-y type dress for the event, so i sewed this during her nap the day of. i think it turned into one of those “kid looks great but mom looks a fright” situations, since i tend to prioritize sewing over getting MYSELF ready to go. meh.

it’s sort of a general cinderella/sleeping beauty type design, but i was aiming for it to be a bit more wearable in cotton. it’s based on the coraline dress tutorial from craftiness is not optional, with some mods. i started with the flashback skinny tee (sized up) for the bodice, and modified the sleeves to the puff variety, shirred at the hems. i added the overskirt thingies (anyone know what those are called?) similar to my sweet tartan. instead of pressing the ruffle collar down and enclosing it with bias, i pressed it UP and topstitched the seam allowance down.

the fabric is…oh shoot. i don’t know! Jess actually sent it to me, and i think it’s super cute, and I used it all so i don’t have the selvedge anymore, and i can’t find it online. someone help? the white is an ikea sheet, i know that. hehe.

she enjoyed the ice capades. i enjoyed calling it “ice capades,” much to my husband’s chagrin.

this might also be the last time she got a haircut! the gal that cuts it always gives her ringlets, which she adores.

we saw a bunch of other little girls in the thin satin princess dresses with sparkly plastic heels and i wasn’t sure how Em felt about her homemade dress. i do know she’s been asking me to make her a princess dress for a couple months now, and she definitely means the satin variety for dress up.

i bet she’d really dig something like this.

film petit: napoleon dynamite

June 13, 2013June 13, 201349 Comments

it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy as…

Napoleon Dynamite, GOSH!

Napoleon Dynamite came out in 2004 and its mythical creature-obsessed title character and his funny speech patterns captured the imagination of America for a few years there (haha). really – i’d never met a kid like Napoleon…but a HS teacher friend of mine from a smaller town said yes, she’s taught kids just like him – they really exist. this movie is just a fun tale of social awkwardness, fitting in or not at all, getting standing ovations for crazy dances…and it’s a joy. it feels like real kids somewhere doing random stuff rather than “fake high school” like you normally see in movies. it celebrates being different and awkward and i love it.

film petit: napoleon dynamite

so the movie tells the story of a group of high schoolers and a few adults, and in true film petit fashion, we’ve largely split them up across the three blogs. i initially chose just Deb, but once i started sewing her outfit, i realized it wasn’t quite enough to “sell” the look. so i decided to sew Uncle Rico too, and recreate the super awkward yet hilarious “Glamour Shots by Deb” scene!

Deb, played by Tina Majorino, is a shy girl with a very strong sense of style and ambition – she’s always dressed in the height of 80s/90s fashion, she sells homemade handicrafts for college money, makes her own puffy sleeves for the school dance, runs a glamour shots studio out of her bedroom…she’s basically every sewing blogger’s former self. 😉

Just imagine you’re weightless. You’re in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by tiny seahorses.

so Em is Deb. i designed the shawl collar shirt with french sleeves which i sewed out of a thrifted pillowcase (major score!), and made her leggings out of peachy interlock knit using my Go To Leggings pattern. i realized you very rarely see Deb’s legs in the movie so i just had to guess her pant selection…but i remember my little sister wore tons of leggings all through the ’90s, so i figured that was a good bet.

the shirt was pretty funny to sew in that awful polyester, and the hot pink fanny pack was a must. i just kind of made it up on the fly, and it goes around her waist with thick elastic. and of course she rocks the side pony and multiple bracelets. here she is ensuring that her photo backdrop is perfectly set.

and who is it set for…? why, uncle rico of course!

Rico (played by Jon Gries) is the crazy uncle that comes to stay with Napoleon and his brother, Kip, while their grandma recovers from a sand dune accident. he tries all sorts of “get rich quick” schemes during his stay, and decides that he needs an official photo to put on his official name badge. he goes to Deb.

i knew this outfit would be soooo fun to sew for O, and he was totally cracking me up with his mustache (which he loved, and totally cried when i wiped it off) and chambray outfit and big ol’ brown shirt underneath and daddy’s watch (again). i mean come on!

the vest was self-designed starting with the flashback skinny tee as a basic pattern block. i was proud of figuring out how to put a fully lined vest together cleanly with no bindings, and definitely see making more of these for this little guy. the shirt underneath is blank slate patterns’ perfect polo, with the collar extended 1/2″ to add to Rico’s “stuck in the 70s” look. my mom saw a photo of the polo and thought i bought it, which is a testament to Melissa’s design!

his pants are the parsley pants i blogged here, and in his full chambray and brown outfit, he coulda been state champ.

the kids loved pretending to have a photoshoot with my Holga (which they thought was digital, as you can see above) and then Rico even turned the photoshoot around on Deb!

okay! now that our photoshoot-within-a-photoshoot is over, you MUST go check out what my partners sewed!

our guest Delia from Delia Creates went way above and beyond, sewing TWO versions of Napoleon, one Pedro Sanchez, and a different Uncle Rico too! AAAAAND she took photos at actual filming locations! AAAAAAAAAAND she designed and photographed our food plate titles at the top of this post! she’s a rockstar. visit her blog and bring chapstick, ‘cuz her lips hurt real bad! thanks so much for joining us, Delia!

my partner Jessica from a little gray picked some hilarious inspiration when she chose to sew Rex Kwon Do dojo duds for her little guy, and make her little GAL a Napoleon shirt and shorts! friggin SWEET. go check it out!

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here are the guidelines for film petit:

every month or so, Jessica and i (plus a guest blogger) sew an outfit (or outfits) for our kid (or kids) inspired by a movie we love.
please add any of your movie-inspired kid sewing to the film petit flickr group. if you sew along with our film petit choices, we’d love to see that too!
this is a pretty relaxed series, really the only rule is to make outfits for kids based on films you love. if you have any questions, please let either of us know.
film petit archives: the life aquatic with steve zissou, amélie, fantastic mr. fox, psycho, moonrise kingdom, ferris bueller’s day off, the big lebowski, back to the future

P.S. This post contains affiliate links which means i receive a small commission if you click through to Amazon or Go To Patterns, and I received the Perfect Polo from my lovely sponsor Blank Slate Patterns for free.

P.P.S. EAT THE FOOD!