well, i tackled the ruffle dress i’ve been wanting to make for over a year (from “carefree clothes for girls”), but it’s not quite done yet. turns out i probably should head to bed earlier then midnight when there’s a chance that my 5-month-old may decide to give me a 4:45am “i’m hungry mama!” wake up call like he did this morning. i’m getting a little blinky and i don’t want to make dumb mistakes, so i’m calling it a night. sneak peek:
to be continued tomorrow…
tonight, i made a bucket hat
with elephants on one side
and linen on the other
it’s this pattern
from this book
the fabric is tiny elephants by daiwabo, lined with natural linen. i made it in the 6-12 month size for my son, who is a december baby and HATES the sunshine. lucky for him, he hasn’t had to “deal with it” much yet this year.
a few things:
newborn me with my mom
6-month-old me with my mom (same rad couch, different living room)
to all mothers, mothers-to-be, and mothers at heart, i wish you a loving and peaceful mother’s day.
we’re all in this together, gals!
these two projects have traveled the farthest distance to meet their recipient of anything i’ve ever made. they’re for my friend nathan and his wife laura, who recently welcomed a sweet little baby girl. nathan and i worked together right out of college in 2003. we’ve been email penpals since then, only seeing each other once in the meantime, when he and laura came to portland and met me for lunch while i was pregnant with my daughter in 2008. they sent awesome gifts when em was born, including a radiohead lullaby CD, and now they have a daughter of their own! i was very excited to make something to send for their sweet little girl.
i see a lot of state/heart onesies and prints around the blogosphere and etsysphere, so i thought it’d be fun to make a “columbia, missouri” applique onesie for the little gal to wear this fall/winter.
and then something for mama. laura is nursing, which i’m a big supporter of if gals are able to, so i made her a “hooter hider.” okay, okay, “nursing cover.” the tutorial is here. i have one of these in the brand name, which i paid $30 for. i see the same so-so fabric that mine is made of at JoAnn all the time for, like, $3/yd, and then i get angry and wonder why i didn’t start sewing earlier! i don’t even like the fabric that mine came in, but it was the best they had in the store. i use mine all the time for nursing in public. this is one of those cases where homemade is much, much better than store-bought. these could not be easier to make and are so customizable. the fabric i used is again from bolt (during their sale!). it’s by sandi henderson from her meadowsweet 2 line. hey, that’s the same line as the back of em’s quilt! didn’t even realize that when i bought it. what can i say? i’m a sandi henderson fan.
i added an inner towel pocket (like my branded one has) to use as a mini burp cloth or to hold a nipple shield, pacifier, whatever is needed.
the top has boning to allow mama to check in on her baby. nursing is a visual/auditory experience too – gotta make sure the little one is doing okay in there! the adjustable neck strap keeps the thing in place, so grabby babies can’t pull down the blanket for an unexpected glimpse. here it is in mock-action with my 4.5 month old. can’t even see him!
oh, there he is!
happy nursing, laura!
next up in the series of sewing for e, a little peasant dress. i have had this fabric in my stash for probably a year with the intention of making a dress out of it. it’s a really lightweight dobby dot from JoAnn, which i think will be perfect for frolicking on hot summer days. i made it in a 3T and even added a little extra length, because i made one for my em in a 2T just a few months ago and it’s now tunic-length on her (here it is back when i made it). wanted this one to last as a dress for e through any potential spring/summer growth spurts.
i love the ease of summer dresses for toddlers. this one is an easy pick for mama, too (just throw on some sandals, maybe a sweater on a chilly morning, and go!). i bet e could even completely dress herself – my little gal can get this on and off by herself no problem – which is a bonus. i love the look of shoulder-tie dresses, but there’s something to be said for “just pull it over your head, pop the arms through, and you’re done!” the pattern is leila and ben’s sweet little dress, an e-pattern on etsy, which i just love. when i decided to size up for this dress, i just printed out the pattern again and cut right on the lines, no tracing involved! all patterns should be offered as e-patterns, don’t you think?
i added pockets with a little contrasting purple polka dot fabric at the top, to break up the floral and make sure it didn’t veer into nightgown territory. i broke out my oliver + s ice cream dress pattern for the pocket, following the instructions but omitting the v at the top. my little gal loves pockets (and really, i think all adult dresses should have pockets too!).
another side note. kim, i know i asked for color and fabric guidance based on e’s favorites, but it seems that as soon as you mentioned “i don’t love purple on her – it’s hard to find the right shade,” all my mind could think was PURPLE! it was like the purple fabric had a magnet that i could not avoid! i did the same thing with her last skirt. orange and green together! hope they work out okay, and you probably just shouldn’t tell me “i don’t like army green and doo-doo brown” because e’s next garment will undoubtedly be some kind of drab camouflage something-or-other! ha!
skirt as top 