the “just like mommy” skirt

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there have been many mornings when we get em dressed for her day in practical playclothes (jeans and a t-shirt), then i get dressed for my day at the office in a skirt and jacket.  she suddenly gets very upset.  “i wanna wear a skirt like mommy!” she says.

so in a sudden burst of inspiration, i made her a skirt inspired by one that i often wear (mine is store-bought from ann taylor loft a while ago).  when i first showed it to her, she giggled.  as i dressed us in the same outfits this morning (down to our metallic ballet flats), she said “hey mommy, we match-match!  we got the same skirt on!” with the biggest smile on her face and more giggles.  someday, this may embarrass her.  but today, to my little 3-year-old, it was a dream come true to look just like mommy.

her skirt is midnight blue linen.  i drew on a grid with tailor’s chalk, figured out how to make the design by connecting diagonals, and outlined it more heavily.  then i carefully machine-stitched on the satin ribbon following my chalk-lines.  i did this all while it was still just a rectangle of fabric.  after that, i constructed the skirt as usual (a good tutorial for a simple skirt can be found here), matching up the ribbon design the best i could at the back seam.

the linen was somewhat see-through, so i lined it with another layer of linen.  i love that the lining gives it a bit more fullness.

i didn’t have much room left at the bottom after the design grew a little larger than i expected, so hemmed it with a baby hem.  i’d never done a baby hem before, but recently saw it on vivat veritas’ scallop waist skirt tutorial (which i’ve yet to try for myself, but looks beautiful).  it’s a really nice effect.

sewing, as my personal creative outlet, can be so empowering.  an idea comes, a few hours are spent to execute it, and then my little gal gets to enjoy the product.  she is made so happy by little things, and proudly says “my mommy made this for me!”  it feels so good.  i know her enthusiasm may not last forever, but i’m sure enjoying it now.

darling clementine blanket and some angst

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two of my friends asked me to make blankets for their babies a little while ago.  i was going to wait until both were done and just do one post about them together, but this evening em asked if we could go outside and take pictures, so i figured i’d just have her model the one i have finished and get it posted!  hope you don’t mind another entry about a simple blanket later.  my pint-sized model wasn’t about to be denied.

my friend rizeld has two adorable boys, with her third little one on the way…a girl!  she is due in late july.  i wanted to make the blanket super soft, but also a little lighter weight than flannel/minky (which is what i normally do) because she’s having a summertime baby.  i found this really soft cotton lawn (timeless treasures “darling clementine”), paired it with a darker pink minky cuddle, and there you go!  super snuggly and plenty girly.  i just get 1 yard of each fabric, so it ends up a good stroller/naptime blanket size.

em kind of thought it was hers, poor girl!  don’t worry about her, though, she has plenty of blankies.

after i’ve finished my “to do” list (just one more blanket!), i want to try to tackle clothing for MYSELF.  this is the next frontier for me.  i’m no longer intimidated by quilts, but clothing for me?!  major yipes.  i tried to make an elastic-waisted skirt a while ago, but it just didn’t look right.  then tonight i tried to make a gathered skirt with a zipper and fitted waistband based on an online tutorial and my favorite skirt, but it was a total flop (it somehow ended up a size 0, which i most definitely am not and never will be).  it zips, but i can’t breathe.  luckily, i made it with cheap fabric, hoping it’d be a “wearable muslin.”  it is not wearable, and will probably be salvaged into something for em.  i just need to stop winging it and follow a real pattern.  i obviously don’t know what i’m doing with adult clothes yet – they’re a whole different beast.

if anyone has any favorite skirt/dress pattern ideas, please pass them along!  i’ve seen a few examples online of the ginger from colette patterns that look really nice.  or maybe i should go with something by lisette?  oliver + s patterns basically taught me how to sew, so i know i can rely on great instruction from liesl.  i bet i’d get a lot of use out of a passport dress in a basic fabric – it looks like it’d be perfect with a jacket for work, or with sandals in the summertime.  maybe i’ll rustle up a joann coupon and give it a whirl…GULP!

commissioned for a: bucket hat

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look who can sit up by himself now!  yay, i love it when little babies can sit.  it just cracks me up.  he’s 5.5 months old.

my little guy’s new skill is all the more helpful to model a bucket hat that i made for our little 9-month-old friend, A.  she has beautiful blue eyes, so i chose fabric in shades of blue to complement them.  the pattern is the bucket hat from liesl gibson’s “little things to sew,” my second time making one.  it’s a great pattern and has a really nice, finished result.

this side is a little white floral on a blue background, a fat quarter i got at joann fabrics.

it’s reversible, too.  the other side is a sevenberry (japanese) print, a heavier cotton/canvas-y feel.  i like how the print sort of looks like a john lennon sketch.

i made it in the 6-12 month size, because i tried O’s hat on A when we saw her recently and it fit with just a little growing room.  that was great, because i didn’t need to retrace the pattern!

it does NOT fit on a large-noggined 3 year old…

…but she tried anyway.

the fox and the photographer

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our friends, paul and maureen, recently had a baby boy.  maureen is a professional photographer, so a quick etsy search for “camera onesie” led me to this perfect screenprinted one via sueCdesigns (currently on vacation).  i love that it’s a 35mm camera, and actually looks a lot like the pentax that my folks had when i was growing up.  digital cameras are great, but i do have nostalgia for film too.

also wanting to give him something handmade by me, i made him a bib.  i went on a bib spree for my son during dana and rae’s “celebrate the boy” month using my own template and backing them with a towel.  they work really well absorbency-wise, so after modifying my template slightly, i whipped this one up.  i was so excited to cut into my joel dewberry woodgrain fabric (from aviary 2).  i’m kind of a big fan of woodgrain and had dashed to bolt to get some of this the same week it came out.  then, because i can’t not applique boy stuff, i added a little red fox.  i read somewhere that foxes are the new owls in the crafting world, so here’s me jumping on the bandwagon.

now, if i could think of more uses to put that woodgrain fabric into action ASAP…anyone have any?  baby pants might be a little ridiculous…maybe another hat?  more bibs?  something to teethe on?  hm…
UPDATE: if you’d like to make a bib like this, my bib and applique templates are available for free download along with a tutorial here

mug rug one

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isn’t that fun to say?  mug rug.

i think mug rugs are one of those sewing blogger sensations that most of the world doesn’t know about yet.  once starbucks figures out how awesome they are, you know they’ll be selling them at every location for $20 a pop.  but for now, they seem to be a niche blogger thing, which is kinda cool.

the first time i heard about a mug rug, i immediately thought of my good friend kim.  that girl is an avid tea drinker and a prolific baker.  when i’d hang out with her at her parents’ house in high school, i was always offered tea and a snack.  always.  whenever i visit kim now at her own home, i get the same offer.  so to give myself a break from kid clothes sewing and get a mini quilt fix, i made kim a mug rug.

here’s the thing about being friends with someone for half of your life – you know random things about each other like what the design for their stained glass class project in high school was.  mine was a hummingbird from a disney coloring book (lame).  kim sketched her own design, a girl in a purple dress reaching up to a rainbow sky (totally cool).

when i presented the mug rug to her, i held it up in the same orientation as her stained glass and asked her if she knew where my inspiration came from.  she laughed and guessed it right away.  best reaction ever (except maybe for em calling her quilt “stupendous”).  🙂

if you’re still a little unclear on what a mug rug is, here’s an action shot.  because i’m NOT a prolific baker and had to get out the door to meet up with kim and her kids for a playdate at the park, all i had in the house for the photo was stale mini nilla wafers.  plenty of coffee around, though.

the design is also inspired by noodlehead’s sunburst pillow tutorial, which is on my “to make” list.  for anyone interested in the fabrics, here’s the rundown of designer and collection from the top down: kona solid red, sandi henderson meadowsweet, erin mcmorris weekends, kona solid mustard, amy butler lotus, pillow & maxfield whimsy, patricia bravo bazaar style, kona solid purple.  most were from my scrap pile.  the back was a fat quarter and i didn’t get the selvedge side, so i don’t know that one.  the binding method is from “a practical guide to patchwork” by elizabeth hartman, the same method i used for em’s quilt.  SUCH a good explanation.  i feel even better about my mitered corners this time, too.

it was such a fun and quick project, i’m already planning my next mug rug – maybe a chevron pattern to bring to work?  sewing for myself?!  shocker.