giveaway winners and a challenge-within-a-challenge-within-a-challenge

October 7, 2012October 7, 201214 Comments

okay first things first – sweetheart dress giveaway winners!

grand prize: Shannon
sweetheart dress winners: Brooke and Sarah S

congratulations! we’ve emailed the winners. thanks so much for a great giveaway, Shannon!

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now onto pressing business:

for some reason, my Kids Clothes Week Challenge planning didn’t come easily this time. i had tons of half-formed ideas, but nothing that jumped out as “must make.” last spring and last fall, i no trouble prioritizing my always-overflowing mental to do list into a nice balance of wardrobe staples and new pattens i’d been wanting to try. my KCWC project always end up some of my favorites, and also tend to be worn most by my kids. you can see all of my kcwc posts here if you’re curious.

so last week, after organizing my stash and deciding i wouldn’t buy any new fabric because i have plenty (my first challenge-within-a-challenge), i waited for inspiration to strike. i looked for those perfect combinations of fabric and pattern that would cause me to create wonderful things during KCWC.

i just couldn’t figure it out, aside from a couple minor projects.

i posed the question to instagram, to see if any of my sewing buddies out there could help. i got some good suggestions, but then…THEN…Rae threw out the notion that she should just give me HER list and i could make that. at first she meant it was a joke, but then it turned into a “hey that could be really fun!” type situation. apparently her mental to do list was too long too, and she needed help paring it down. she sent me her list and i picked the ones that inspired me…and a SEW-OFF was born!

i own most of Rae’s patterns already, and they’re always some of my favorites to sew, so she was the perfect partner.

want to know what we picked? want to join us, maybe?? Here’s the Rae-Kristin Sew-Off List for KCWC Fall 2012:

Upcycle a Flashback Skinny Tee
pretty self-explanatory. find an adult tee to convert to a miniature skinny tee. i almost always use upcycled knits when i sew FBSTs, so this is a fun one. you can get Rae’s flashback skinny tee pattern here.

Mini-Washi Dress
i was SO excited to see this on Rae’s list! i’ve totally wanted to make one of these and i’m excited to give it a go. at this point it’s not available as a pattern, so i drafted it myself using the flashback skinny tee as a bodice block and my washi pattern as a reference. i’ve got no idea if it’ll work but I’m sure hoping it does!

Heather Ross Pajama Pants
sometimes i’ve been lucky enough to come across fabric by the amazing heather ross during my trips to bolt, and sometimes i’ve even bought some! i tend to hoard it, though…i’m sure lots of us do. this challenge is to make pj pants (or anything!) from my hoarded fabric!

Shirred Pierrot
i looooove Rae’s pierrot pattern and had already cut out a larger size as a “maybe” when I saw Rae’s list and her suggestion to shirr it! challenge is to use any peasant blouse-type pattern (if you don’t have the pierrot, maybe use the sweet little dress by leila & ben?). If you use Pierrot, Rae suggests to add about 1″ to the folded width of the tops of each of the sleeves to add more room around the neckline for the shirring (4″ total). she posted a shirred pierrot last week for an example.

Make a catalog-inspired item
after i saw gail’s adorable hedgehog pants on elsie marley, i started browsing the mini boden catalog myself. it’s so inspiring! i’m often pinning things by companies that i want to try to make, so that’s the challenge here – be inspired by something you see in a catalog. could be Gap, Hanna Andersson, Crewcuts, mini boden, whatever!

want to sew along within the sew along? join us! this was just a low-key* challenge designed to motivate us, so if you like any or all of these ideas, go ahead and make them along with us this week! and then let us know!! remember, the KCWC challenge is to spend 1 hour each day sewing for your kids, so these are not meant to be ridiculously intricate or time-consuming. just easy, cute items to add to your kids’ wardrobes.

and if you don’t…no worries at all! there’s loads of inspiration out there! i really can’t wait to see what starts popping up in the KCWC flickr pool.

ladies (and gentlemen??)…let’s sew! KCWC starts tomorrow!

*oh but did you know i’m sorta kinda really competitive? so of course i will crush her. 😉

sewwwwww yummy!

October 5, 2012October 5, 201213 Comments

i’m over at craftstorming today for laura’s sew yummy series, where she has deftly combined her two passions, baking and sewing, into a series that’s so inspiring!

she has her lovely guests either baking sweet treats inspired by sewing, or sewing fun projects inspired by baking. i sewed a pleated pillow and there’s a tutorial for you!

do you remember O’s birthday cake? i’ve always loved the bundt pan that i made it with, and it was a pretty easy choice for my inspiration.

head on over to check out my tutorial to make this pillow over at craftstorming! while you’re there, don’t miss laura’s great sewing projects – her urban duck hoodie and stripey jim jams that first grabbed my attention during KCWC this spring, and her AWESOME SAUCE tour de france yellow jersey tutorial that every mini cyclist needs!

have a happy friday!

sweetheart dress pattern and giveaway

October 2, 2012October 2, 2012107 Comments

have i got some sweet stuff for you today!

i was recently lucky enough to pattern test the newest pattern by the lovely and talented shannon of luvinthemommyhood, which was just released yesterday! it’s called the sweetheart dress, and it’s the perfect dress for a girly little gal like mine. it’s a quick, fun sew, featuring a fully lined bodice with the cutest heart cutout in the back, and a gathered skirt for twirling. it’s a dress that’s great for comfy day-to-day wear, but has tons of style!

i sewed it in sarah jane’s find the narwhal fabric from her out to sea line, and i’ve decided it’s pretty much the cutest fabric ever. Em calls the narwhals “unicorn whales,” and i’m not correcting her. they ARE unicorn whales! the fabric itself is quilting cotton, but with a really nice drape and feel.

shannon’s pattern is great, and i even learned how to line a bodice in a way that i had never tried before. it’s always fun to learn something new when i sew! it came together nicely and i was excited to make a dress that i knew Em would love.

the pattern includes sizes 2-6. though it’s a PDF pattern and i know some people aren’t so fond of those, it actually requires no taping! NONE! just print the three page pattern, cut it out, and get sewing.

i just think between the heart cutout and the pink narwhal fabric, this dress pure confection. you probably need this sweet little pattern for KCWC next week, right? well…i can help with that!

luvinthemommyhood is generously offering a fantastic pattern giveaway to skirt as top readers! here’s how you can win:

leave me a comment on this post – any comment will do. if you need an idea, i’d love to hear what part of the changing season you’re most excited about.

bonus entries:

like skirt as top on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know
like luvinthemommyood on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know
visit the luvinthemommyhood pattern shop and let me know your favorite pattern in there (man i wish i could knit)

that’s a possible FOUR separate entries!

i’ll pick THREE winners on sunday, october 7. one grand prize winner will win the sweetheart dress pattern, plus every pattern in shannon’s shop! yes, EVERY SINGLE PATTERN!! additionally, two runners up will win the sweetheart dress PDF sewing pattern! pretty great, eh?

deets:

if it’s not already linked in your profile, please leave your email address so we can contact you. the format of skirtastop(at)gmail(dot)com works well to help avoid spam.
open to US and international residents.
void where prohibited.
if you don’t want to wait to find out if you’ve won, you can buy the sweetheart dress right here right now!

have a great day, and good luck!

sew ready to play, and playing along…

September 26, 2012September 26, 201214 Comments

wow what an awesome response to film petit yesterday! thanks so much you guys, those little outfits were a major labor of love and i was so excited to share them.

today i’m over at i’m feelin’ crafty as part of her super fun “sew ready to play” series! it’s all about sewing inspired by games – board games, video games, card games, whatever you like! as a child of the ’80s, i really had no choice but to sew something super mario bros. related, right? i was inspired by the previews cherie sent me of her FMF charlie dress and had fun appliquéing a mario scene onto a flashback skinny tee!

check out my guest post and mini-tutorial HERE.

now for a fun little thing…shannon from luvinthemommyhood, pretty much one of the sweetest bloggers out there, put up a mad libs type fill in the blank on her blog today and encouraged people to play along. the idea is to fill in the bold words with your own answers, so we can all get to know each other a little better. here’s hers. i don’t play along with these types of things very often, but i thought it’d be fun to share a bit of my creative process and stuff with you today. here goes:

i’m longing to make “another washi dress and a sidekick tote“ right now.
i want to try “sewing” with some “metal zippers!”
i wish i could sew with “polka dot nani iro flannel“ fabric.
i dream of making “cozy quilts for both kids and a lap quilt for movie watching.”
i keep track of my ideas and inspiration by “sketching them in notebooks and pinning them on pinterest.”
i’m inspired by “so many creative women in blogland!”
i would love to meet “all my bloggy friends” in person. (can’t argue with shannon’s answer here!)
my favorite fiber is “linen.”
i like to sew with “good quality cotton.”
i hate to sew with “minky and satin.“ (this one’s my own addition, hehe)
my favorite color is “blue – all tones – the colors of the ocean.”
i rock at “pairing colors.”
i would like to learn how to “knit and crochet.”
i bring my “iPhone” everywhere.
my favorite thing to “sew” is “kid’s clothes.” (can’t argue with shannon here, either!)
my crafting space “was once compared to a mad scientist’s laboratory.”
if i had my dream crafting room it would be “filled with natural light, wood floors, and lots of room for organization.”
i sew with “a Brother CS6000i…but i’m almost ready for an upgrade.”
i like to draw “little dresses, geometric shapes, and glasgow roses.”
i can never get enough “time to sew…or sleep.”
i adore “seeing my kids starting to play together and having funny conversations.”
i also enjoy “getting sneak previews of my friends’ upcoming projects!”
i like to fill my shelves with “fabric and sewing patterns.”
i create the best when i’m “on a deadline.”
i am currently excited for “elsie marley’s fall kid’s clothes week challenge.”
right now i am working on “organizing my fabric stash and cleaning up my space.”
i love to watch “nothing, but i always listen to music” while creating.
my guilty pleasure when it comes to creating is “filling my stash with pretty fabric from bolt“
my current favorite music crush to listen to while creating is “billie holliday.“

care to join in? i’d love to see your answers! link up in the comments here and over at luvinthemommyhood!

have a great day!

film petit: fantastic mr. and mrs. fox

September 25, 2012March 22, 201467 Comments

time for the next installment of film petit! this month, we were itching to do another wes anderson movie. they’re just full of inspiration! we considered a few, but decided that the month of september, with its golden light and cooler weather, was the perfect month for fantastic mr. fox. so that’s what we did!

fantastic mr. fox, based on a book by roald dahl, is about human (fox) nature, love, and family. mr. fox has promised his wife he will never steal from farmers again, but he simply can’t help himself…he decides to secretly do one last big job before he retires forever. he will steal from Boggis, Bunce and Bean – the meanest farmers in the land! the movie is done in stop-motion animation and is one that our whole family never tires of watching. my partners jessica and cherie both sum up the movie better than i do, so check them out if you haven’t already…i’ve got lots of sewing to talk about today!

since i have the oldest girl of the three sewing this month, i got to sew mrs. fox! and because of that, i also sewed mr. fox! i think it is only the second time i’ve ever sewed for both kids and photographed them together, can you believe it? i was worried the photoshoot would be a disaster, but they both played along! yay!

here are some movie stills showing my inspiration for both outfits.

as soon as i looked closely at her dress, i knew the oliver + s school photo dress would be the PERFECT pattern for it. for mr. fox, i sewed the melly sews basic blazer (affiliate link) along with oliver + s sailboat pants. there’s a hidden surprise in his jacket…keep reading!

they both got fox masks, totally overboard on my part but worth it. i made them out of felt and just sketched them out while looking at a photo from the movie. i layered the felt together and topstitched, sandwiching elastic in between.

okay let’s talk more about their actual sewn costumes. ladies first, shall we?

Em was so excited to be “mrs. fantastic mr. fox” and seemed to love this photoshoot more than any other! i used michael miller cotton couture in mango as the base of her dress. knowing there was no way i’d find the perfect apple print to match the movie, i stamped it myself!

i carved a wine cork with an x-acto knife to make the apple (a heart with a flat bottom), then a pencil eraser cut into a teardrop shape to do a green leaf, then a pencil tip to add a stem. i really love creating my own fabric, as time-consuming as it is. it’s totally theraputic and satisfying.

the pocket of the dress was perfect for her paintbrushes! mrs. fox is an avid painter.

she also has a tail (made out of minky and felt and pinned onto her dress).

for O, i sewed a mr. fox jacket and pants in a burnt orange thin whale corduroy (all fabrics are from fabric depot).

rather than welt pockets in the basic blazer pattern, i used jessica’s tutorial to add flap pockets. i used leather buttons and lengthened the 18-24 month size sailboat pants to 2T for a full-length pant. his shirt is store bought.

i decided to make mr. fox AFTER he lost his tail. a felt bandaid masks his injury.

the jacket also has a special surprise! mr. bean has a secret cider cellar full of apples he created himself. they look like this:

so the lining of O’s jacket naturally looks like this:

i painted the suns and dots onto kona poppy with metallic gold fabric paint! don’t you love a hidden surprise? i sure do!

while these costumes were so much work, they were so fun to make too! here’s the part where my little foxes say goodbye, but there’s LOADS more foxsperation for you to see!

film petit: fantastic mr. fox

head on over to a little gray to find out what a fox is doing in a grocery store, and to learn the rules of whack bat!

and skedaddle over to check out the adorable outfit our fantastic guest, you & mie, put together for her little gal. it’s truly inspired!!! it was also ~~cherie’s idea~~ (nevermind, it was jessica’s) for all of the kids to wear masks/fox ears – so fun to coordinate that little detail! thanks so much for playing along this month, cherie!!

we hope you’re enjoying film petit, because we’re sure having lots of fun!

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here are the guidelines for film petit:

every month or so, Jessica and i (plus a guest blogger) will sew an outfit (or outfits) for our kid (or kids) inspired by a movie we love. jess from running with scissors is joining us in October!
if you’d like to play along, please feel free to add any movie-inspired sewing to the film petit flickr group. if you sew along with our film petit choices, we’d love to see that too. we’ll do a round up soon!
if we really like your stuff, we may ask you to join us for a future film!
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