Dress for the Beach!

We are heading to the beach next month to see lots of family, so I had to make a beach dress! my mother-in-law sent Zerah this cute fabric a couple of months ago that she picked up in Mobile. Isn't it cute?

This is the Lucy Pattern by Children's Corner in a size 1. It is the perfect little A-line dress that is so easy to put together. It is also fully lined which is nice because you don't see any of the seams.

I picked up these buttons from Joanne's. They aren't the exact shade of green, but I loved the pink and orange dots across the center. I also topstitched all the way around the bodice and the bottom of the skirt.


Of course, I had to add a ruffle. I am on a ruffle kick! I have enough fabric leftover to make one more, so there is a custom one available in my shop.

More Pillowcase Pants and an etsy shop!

I picked up another vintage sheet the other day and started making pants! I also opened up an etsy shop where I put all these pants for sale! I had been wanting to open one up for a while, but I just didn't have the time. I finally decided to build some stock and see what happens. Eventually, I will have some baby quilts listed in there, too.

I made a total of five pairs ranging from 6-12 monts to 2T. They are perfect for the summer because they aren't as hot as the knit pants, yet they are still really comfortable. I have been using them on Zerah when we go for walks to cover her legs from the sun, yet they still let the breeze through.

It was a lot of fun deciding what to use for the back pockets and for the ruffle along the bottom.

Some of the pants and the same fabric for the back pockets and some have two different fabrics because I like using lots of different fabrics. It reminds me more of a quilt, I think.

I also had to use ruffles and rickrack! So there is rickrack across the back pockets...
...and along the bottom of the pants on top of the ruffle.

These were really fun to make, and if they don't sell, my little girl will have plenty of fun pants!

Go check out my new etsy shop and tell me what you think! I also listed one of the Auburn tiger dresses that I made a couple of weeks ago.

Analise Dress

I finished this Analise dress today, and it was a bigger project than I anticipated. The pattern is Portabella Pixie's Analise, and it is a 6-12 month size. I wanted to make this dress so I went searching through my scraps to see what I could combine. It ended up being pretty bright, but it reminds me of something Snow White would wear, so I like it.:)

This dress takes a lot of fabric. It has almost three yards of fabric with the majority in the skirt. I like that the skirt is so full. I love patchwork, so that is something that definitely drew me to this pattern. It states on the package that it is for and intermediate to advance sewer or an experienced quilter. It took me a long time to assemble all those squares for the skirt!

The back has an elastic piece that is inset into the bodice with straps that cross and tie at the back. I love the back of this dress!

I took some in process pictures, and this is the skirt before the bottom ruffle. It fit around me easily which is amazing since it is for a 6-12 month old.

The bottom ruffle took a long, long time. I used my narrow hem foot for the first time. It definitely takes practice to get it to work right, but I definitely had practice with this strip of fabric.
Isn't that a crazy looking foot? The bottom ruffle was 21 feet long! I could not believe it, and I had to measure it twice. That is a lot of ruffle! I like the way it did turn out, but it will be a while before I make another one. This is not a quick dress by any means!

Lucky, lucky, lucky!

I have been very lucky lately in numerous ways! A while back, I won Handmade Beginnings by Anna Marie Horner from the blogtour while it was at Handmade by Alissa's. It came in the mail today, and I have been perusing it while plotting what to make first. It looks like such a great book.

Isn't this little jacket fabulous? It is so cute! I have some Lizzy House Duck fabric that I have been saving for a jacket, and it may end up being this one.


I really love the patchwork sleeper, but I do wonder if it is too late for Zerah to really use it. I also love the little booties, and I am making her some for the fall.


The sixth times a charm quilt top is awesome! I am definitely putting that on my list of quilts to make.Thank you, Alissa, for such a great prize! If aren't familiar with Alissa's blog, you should definitely check it out; she makes absolutely beautiful quilts.

In addition, SewMamaSew had a huge blog giveaway day a couple weeks ago, and I won a package from Foziewisp.


I was actually the third name that she drew, and she sent me a package! There is all kinds of goodies in here. I love the dresden plate patchwork pieces and the fabric scraps.

There was also a pattern, lace, trim, buttons, metallic thread, a flamingo applique, and pom-poms! I am going to have fun adding little bits and pieces to different projects. Wasn't that generous of her? Thank you foziewisp!

IN ADDITION, I also won a yard of fabric from Twiddletails, during Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival! I entered this quilt and actually won a prize! I think I will be redeeming my prize for a yard of this owl fabric by Alexander Henry. Thank you to both Amy and Twiddletails for the great prize! If you haven't checked out her store, she has some great fabric with a section specifically for dots.:)

Pillowcase Pants

It was so hot here in Colorado at the beginning of the week, and we don't have air conditioning. Well, we have a swamp cooler, but it is at the other end of the house from the bedrooms so it isn't very effective at night. So, Zerah needed something light to sleep in. I think they will also be good for when we go for strolls to keep the sun off of her legs, yet still let the breeze in-unlike all of her knit pants.

I went through my fabric to find something soft and comfortable and remembered all these vintage pillowcases and sheets I had picked up to make a quilt. Well, I have plenty, so I made some into little lounge pants.

It turns out you can easily make a pair of pants from one pillowcase. I had some yellow gingham sheeting which I used for the pockets on the back, and I had to add a ruffle to the bottom because ruffles are just cute!
I like the way they turned out. The one on the left is a little shorter because I rolled the waistband over to make it a wee bit shorter for Zerah to wear. The fabric on the right reminds me of Holly Hobby. Does anyone else remember her? Maybe these were Holly Hobby sheets originally. I like the way the yellow diamonds form that pattern on the front; that was sheer luck!

Tiger Sundress

I recently finished a crossover back sundress for Zerah. I went to Auburn University so Zerah has to have some Auburn inspired clothes! This little dress has tiger faces all over to be like Aubie! It is a 12 month pattern, and she is a small almost 9 month, so it is a little big right now. It should be about perfect when football season starts.
One of my favorite design elements of this dress is the crossover back. Isn't it cute? I added ruffles all along the edge using my ruffler foot which is such an awesome tool. If you don't have one and want to make ruffles, I highly encourage you to pick one up. It makes it so easy!

I topstitched around the bodice and skirt as well.


I have played with the idea of opening an etsy shop and selling dresses. I am going to open one up soon, as soon as I can build up some inventory. It wouldn't be much of a shop if it only had one dress.:)


I will be offering these dresses for sale in my shop when it opens, or you can contact me to set up a custom order beforehand. I can currently make these in Size 1 or 2 in this fabric. If you would prefer a different fabric, let me know and we can set something up.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Accuquilt Giveaway!

Amy's blog is one of my favorite's, and today she is giving away an accuquilt go cutter!


Go check it out!

Claire Dress with Amy Butler's Love Fabric

I finished the Claire dress from Portabellopixie this morning. I traced out the pattern Thursday night, cut the fabric Friday morning, and sewed it all together this morning while Zerah slept for 3 1/2 hours! I found this dress very easy to put together. The pattern is very clear with tons of color pictures illustrating each step. This version is the Petal Knot Apron Dress. I do want to try some of the other versions as well. I am extremely happy I picked up this pattern because it was so easy and I love the way it turned out. The only change I made was using one fabric for the skirt instead of two prints.


This version is made from Amy Butler's Love line. I love this fabric and wish I had ordered more. I do have a little bit left, but not as much as I would like! It is a 12 month size.

One really neat thing about this pattern is she allows for you to sell versions of this pattern without having to pay extra. I wonder if I could sell some, if I made a few extra? I need to do something to produce some extra money so I can buy more fabric. :)

Blue and White Gingham Dress and the beginning of summer...

Since I had some trouble with the Iva Leigh Pattern before, I decided I would go ahead and make another one so I would remember how to do it. It is made from teeny tiny check blue and white gingham, which has a name but I don't remember what it is called. 1/8th check? This one is a 12 month size which she should be able to wear at the end of summer and into fall. It will look cute with a little white cardigan for when it is cooler.


Instead of the sleeveless version, I made the one with puffed sleeves. This dress has a lot of firsts for me. This is the first time I have made puffed sleeves, piping between the yoke and skirt, and the first collar ever. I even put piping around it. I am very happy I was able to figure this part out! It isn't perfect, but I like the way it turned out. I love all of the buttons down the back, too.



I really enjoyed making this dress, and I actually did a lot of hand stitching with this one. I usually rush through that part and try to do it by machine, but I slowed down and actually tacked the binding on the armbands on by hand and tacked the yoke exterior to the lining yoke. It was nice to sit and think about why I was making this dress and why I enjoy making dresses for my daughter. She won't want to wear handmade dresses forever so I am going to make them for as long as I can. Plus, it is a way to show her my love in a different way. It is neat to see her in something that I made for her.

I love the classic look of this dress. My first thought when it was finished was that this is something that Scout Finch would wear. I can see Aunt Alexandra making her wear something like this to church, and Scout complaining that it itches. This one shouldn't itch because it is lined with cotton-no tulle here!




Summer is here and I am looking forward to going for long walks everyday! I would like to do a three mile walk every afternoon, and I am really lucky to live in an area with lots of parks.


These pictures are from the walk Zerah and I went on yesterday. We saw geese and little goslings. One of Zerah's favorite books is Gossie by Olivea Dunrea. I think I almost have it memorized from all the times I have read it to her, "This is Gossie. Gossie is a gosling. A small yellow gosling who likes to wear bright red boots-everyday." We love these books.


On our walk we pass a marsh area and a lake...


...and a farm where we see sheep...



... and cows and chickens, too.

I also love all the flowers that are popping up everywhere. These are some of my favorites.

I am looking forward to playing with Zerah, long walks exploring the neighborhood, and having extra time to sew! Happy summer to all of you!