Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Rainbow Dress

I just realized I never blogged one of my favorite things I've ever made for my Madeline. And in honor of her turning 5 (FIVE!) yesterday, I thought today would be a good day.

It's just a simple peasant bodice - I'm telling you guys, once you understand the construction of a peasant bodice, it takes under 30 minutes to construct one. Then you get to be creative with the skirt!



 I wanted Madeline's to be super twirly, so each tier is approx. 50% longer than the tier above it.



See? Super twirly. She LOVES this dress.


A customer asked me to recreate it for her daughters birthday and together we came up with this color combination:

I really, really love this one too! Such happy, fun colors!

Ok, that's all! Just a quick fly-by so I don't break my self-imposed rule of going more than a month without blogging!

Molly

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Easter Dress Pattern Round-up

Every year about this time, I start on my quest to find the perfect Easter dress pattern for Maddie. I thought it might be fun (and helpful for someone, maybe?) to show you my favorite new patterns that I've discovered this year. Maddie's dress is going to end up as a big mash-up of a few of them, but they are all darling on their own! (You can see past Easter dresses I've made here, here and here.)

Argyle Party Dress Pattern  $8
I looove the collar on this one.
The Clara Dress by Olabelhe
If you are into old-fashioned, darling dresses for little girls, you must check out the amazing patterns on this website. The "Clara" is one of my favorites, and it would be perfect for a chilly Easter that lands in March!


The little scalloped bib really transforms a simple dress into something special. This won't be Maddie's Easter dress, but I definitely see a dress like this in her future.


I.love.this.dress. I'm thinking about adding sleeves to make it a little warmer for Easter...

Adorable. 

Love the bib and the pick up skirt. LOVE this blog, by the way. Tons of great clothing tutorials.

I think a pattern is emerging here...I'm all about the details. This one has it all. Oversized pockets, contrasting patterns, and a bib (with buttons!). I used a modkid pattern for Maddie's dress last year, so I'm obviously already a fan of their work. 


The possiblities with this one are endless. 


As always, my go-to pattern for bodice and sleeve pieces is The Precious Dress.


I'm also working on Maddie's dress for her 5th birthday party, so some of these elements are going to work their way into that dress as well. 

What's your go-to dress pattern? What are you loving right now?

Molly

Friday, January 25, 2013

Tap, tap...anyone there?

Hello, bloggy land! Did you miss me? Wait, don't answer that.

Although I haven't blogged in 6 months (!!!), that doesn't mean I haven't been busy crafting, sewing and crocheting. In fact, quite to the contrary. The good news is that I always photograph everything I make with the intention of sharing it here, so I now have enough blog material for rest of the year. ;)

Let's dive right into it, shall we? How about a crafty Christmas wrap-up?

First up, a queen anne's lace scarf.  It's a little messy looking if you don't block it, but some light blocking worked wonders! I know I always say this, but I want one for me now!

 Queen Anne's lace scarf 
I made two of these doll sets for my sister and niece's American Girl dolls. Apparently the fit is not great, though. Guess I need to pay attention to gauge when I'm crocheting clothes!

 Doll Set 

This Christmas runner was for my mother-in-law. I made another one in a different print my my mom, but forgot to take a picture.

 Pinwheel Christmas Runner 
This bag was for my sister Katie. I actually bought a pattern for this one, which I rarely do, but in this case it was totally worth it. Terrible picture, but I'll definitely be making another one like this for me. I scaled the pattern down for Katie's purse, but the original pattern, the two zip hipster, can be found here

Katie's bag 
Some wool wrist warmers for my sister Hannah: 

Wool wrist warmers 
This was my first time experimenting with crocheted cables and it couldn't have been easier. This was for my sister and her almost-fiance, a quote from Song of Solomon: 

"I have found the one" embroidery 
And a framed hymn for said almost-fiance (his favorite): 

Framed Hymn 

An reversible apron and matching hot pad for my sister Rosie: 

Vintage Inspired Apron
(Tutorial is here. The end result was fantastic, but it was a pain.in.the.butt.)

 Modern pinwheel pot holder 

I didn't really do much homemade for the kids this year, but I did refinish a little table for Maddie to use as a vanity. She looooves it and uses it every day, so that was a win!

 Maddie's vanity 

I was pretty crafty this year with my home decor this year and finally made new stockings for the four of us. But I'll wait until Christmas time to share those - no one feels very Christmassy in January! Alrighty! Signing off for what I hope is not another 6 months...

Molly