Silver dots.

Georgia, dear Georgia.  She is so hard to photograph lately.  

 

She tried oh so hard to get back in the house.  For some reason she can open the door to go out, but not to get back in.

Though every now and then I can manage a semi-decent shot.  (would have been a good shot if she had been looking, but she knows where the camera is and seems to avoid looking that direction). 

So she spent her time running from pot to pot trying to pick a flower.

And I caught her red-handed. 

But she's lucky she's so cute, she didn't get in trouble (plus the trailing verbena grows like a weed!  A pretty weed though).

The pants look very linty in this picture for some reason.  Hm.

Anyways, the pants.  They are the Oliver + S After-school pants size 18m lengthened to a 3T.  I added the ruffle to the pocket, but not the back of the pants.  While cute, the material was hard to gather so I didn't bother trying again. 

I cut all my pieces out then used a pencil eraser to randomly stamp silvery metallic dots on the fabric.  I'd like to say I purposefully left the yoke plain, but the truth is I misplaced my painted yokes.  Sigh.  That's okay though, I kind of like it plain. 

I managed to mess up pretty bad though.  Instead of sewing the angled piece correctly (the point towards the back) I thought I was smart enough, since I had made them a few times before (one, two, three, four times before) to not need the instructions for that step.  I realized I had messed up after sewing the seam, serging then two rows of topstitching- on both sides.  Lesson of the day, notches make a difference! I didn't bother notching since I was lengthening and didn't know if they would line up anyways.  Oh, and read your instructions;)  So because of my mistake the pants ended up narrower than they would have and only George can wear them (believe me, Izzy tried to get them on).  The yoke is a little messed up, but they are still wearable. 

I was unsure about the paint as the pieces were all laid out on my counter top, but I am happy with how they turned out.  She looks so cute running around in them. 

Modeled finally.

So last year when the Oliver + S patterns came out for the fall, I of course bought them all;) ((Curse you Liesl for making an irresistible product, ha!))  Well, I made this Secret Agent Trench Coat immediately.  Within a day or two of receiving my pattern immediately.  I had a plan and was so excited to have it all come together like it did, you see, I added ruffles on the back to make it like a coat I had seen RTW.  

 

 

I LOVE it. Love it.

She wore it to the park today and I was secretly proud to see some of the other moms pointing and over hearing them talk about the "adorable jacket". 

Abby really wants one now, and I am trying to decide if I should make another for George or go with the Sunday Brunch (or both!).  Hopefully soon I will get some sewing time!

(If you are interested, here is the tutorial I wrote for modifying the pattern)

Colorful.

 

The temperatures dropped here suddenly, making me realize I am NOT prepared, ha!  The big kids are alright for now, most of Abby's pants from last winter still fit as do a few cardigans and Jack was the recipient of some recent pant sewing and had some hoodies from last year that fit.  But the twins?  Nothing.  This cardi Izzy is wearing is an 18m, which would pass for George, but not for her.  Though it is kind of cute as a 3/4 sleeve.  

 

 

By now you all know I am drawn to bright, bold colors and patterns, right?  I have an idea that I am crazy excited about involving these mustard pants, a pair of plum ones, a couple of Puppet Show tunics and some cardigans from a yet to be determined pattern.  Because I love to coordinate the twins, not identical clothing. 

So, perhaps you are wondering which pattern I have made?  That would be the Clever Charlotte Raven Pants, size 2T which happens to be the smallest size but still too big for both the girls.  Silly big on Georgia, actually.  Too bad I already cut the purple pair out... meh. 

I chose pocket one, it has a box pleat in the middle and two (regular?) pleats on either side of the box pleat.  Super cute.  I have made this pattern twice before, only as shorts and for Abby (here and here) and she wears them all.the.time.  So there was no question in my mind I would be making the pattern again come fall.

This time though I followed the instructions to a T rather than put them together the Oliver + S way.  I kind of scratched my head for a minute (only because I couldn't visualize it, not the pattern's fault), but I rather enjoyed the way they instruct you to put them all together .  

I used some pretty scrap flower material for the waistband and pocket facings and a linen for the main pant.

I am not disappointed they are too big, it just means longer wear, right?? I am only worried about the hem getting walked on and destroyed, so maybe I will just need to roll it up until they grow a bit.

I can't even describe how happy I am about these pants.  I love the shape of them, and they look comfy and easy to move in.  Perfect for an always exploring and very mischievous toddler.

She seems to approve also.

Playtime Dresses.

I made two new dresses this week for the twins, and after the last photo shoot with Elizabeth, I thought things had changed, that now I would be able to get some decent shots, hooray!  Ummmm, no.  We went back to the same spot and Elizabeth ran up the stairs calling to Georgia to follow her, but then things got crazy.  George was all.over.the.place.  Which in turn made Izzy act naughty too.  Oh well.  So bear with me on these photos, somewhat blurry and not framed well, but what can you do when you are trying to capture two two year olds?

 



 

 

 

The dresses are the new Oliver + S Playtime dress.  Both are size 2T with 3T length in the sleeves and hem.  Izzy measured in to 2T but George measured in to the 18M.  A combination of not wanting to trace two sizes (lazy, I know) and knowing by the time they get to wear them for reals there will likely be a bit of growth.  Typically mid to late October we can start wearing a little warmer clothes. 

 

These dresses were completely inspired and shamelessly copied complimented by this adorable dress.  I have never actually bought a Heather Ross fabric before (gasp! I know!), I have never really given any of it a second look but these strawberries kept popping up and I just couldn't get that dress out of my head!  So, I gave in and am so happy I did. 

 



 

 

 

Aw, these two <3.  They are so cute together. 

 

I had a fellow twin mom ask me how I manage to get them both in the same picture, I told her it is sort of like seeing a unicorn, a very rare occurrence.  I somewhat managed today, only when I asked them to hug each other.  George was totally in to hugging, but Elizabeth was still trying to be good and stand still for her pictures (there may have been a promise of candy *cough, cough*) but eventually she gave in.  I tried to get them to hold hands, but again, George had a one track mind.

 

 

 

 

Then Georgia figured out she could tackle Elizabeth, oh what fun she had!  So they wrestled around on the ground for a bit and Georgia started tickling Izzy. 

 



 

 

 

Theeeen they decided it was fun to run away from me.  Two are much harder than one!

 



 

This was pre-hugging, wrestling, tickling.   The sleeves are just about right for Elizabeth, as is the fit in the chest (duh me, that's what she measured in to for chest). 

She looks so much older with her hair pulled back.

I did topstitch both dresses, though both with white, so it shows up on this dress but not the other.

This was a pure luck shot.  The second she noticed I was taking a picture she turned and ran.

 

 

The sleeves are a little long on Georgia (she is a bit shorter) but since the dress is still big on her around the chest I am not worried about hemming them up any more. 

 



I went with snaps (I almost regretted my decision as I ((and Ben)) ripped some of them out more than once).  It makes getting the girls dressed so much easier!  Though I am finally getting closer to happy with my button holes. 

Library dress.

Do you all love the new Oliver + S patterns as much as I do?!  I just didn't know which one to pick to sew first, ha!  I chose the Library Dress as it looked like a more challenging sew, though let me tell you, it was easy!  That is why I love their patterns, so many great details that look so hard or labor intensive, but Liesl always has a clever trick to make it so easy.

 



 

I figure, pretty new dress, why not go for a real photo shoot.  And to my surprise Elizabeth was so cooperative today!  Well, aside from showing me the back of the dress, she apparently only wanted me to see the front. 

This is a size 2T with all the fun options.  Collar, 3/4 sleeves with that cute notched cuff, piping (thanks flickr friends for your opinions!).  I actually got all these options in less than the 1 1/2 yards suggested for either view.  Score. 

I LOVE the notched cuffs.  I was worried about using the print for them though because the details wouldn't show up so I opted for a solid cuff.  I kind of like it .

She was so cute, she kept telling me "pretty dress? pretty dress!".  Glad she likes it as much as I do.

This is a quilting cotton, but it is so incredibly soft and light weight!  I bought it at my local shop and the owner told me it is because it is printed on pima cotton.  He said a lot of quilters were wary of it because of how light it is, but I am so in love!  In fact, I have been back to pick up different prints. 

So, to sum things up.  Pretty fabric, pretty baby, pretty pattern, pretty dress. 

Book Report.



It's about time I made this one!  I bought it last fall and never quite got to it, though I ended up going shorter sleeved, so it technically isn't fall/winter exclusive. 

 

 

Anyways, in case you don't know what pattern I am talking about by the title, it is the Oliver +S Book Report size 7 for Abby with shortened sleeves per her request.   Though, I don't know, I think I made them hit in a weird spot- what do you think?

 

 

Yay? 
Nay?

She wanted it shorter sleeve so she could wear it NOW (still pretty warm in our neck of the woods), though I made her put on leggings for the photos because it is a leeetle short when she lifts her arms- oops. 

 

 

I used a light weight chambray, and was worried at first about using it since I thought I needed something heavier, but my some of my sweet sewing friends who have made this one before assured me it would be just lovely in a chambray.  I think it is. 

 

 

She thought the pockets were pretty cool.  Oh, and she totally posed herself the whole time:)

 



Not a whole lot of exciting things to say here... great pattern, great instructions, yada yada, ya'll know how much I love Oliver + S.  Except for one thing, I *hate* narrow hems.  Hate them.  I need to unpick this one in a few spots and fix it before it gets worn for reals. 

Earlier in the week I was actually working on a Family Reunion dress, but then my serger jammed and I couldn't get it to work :/ so I decided to cut this and go Justine style with some pretty bound seam allowances.  It was fun... at first... Then my awesome husband fixed my machine and showed me I have been threading it wrong for like, a year (seriously), so I kind of cheated around the sleeves and serged them.  

So now my question is, go back to the Family Reunion because I hate having UFO's, or set it aside and play with my new patterns that just arrived today.... Hm....

Dolls for a birthday.

Nearing the end of what has been a big birthday season for us over here, I just finished up some gifts for two cousins of ours, B + A.  One is turning 7 and one 3, both seemed to like playing with Abby's 18" doll, so I thought to myself, why not get them each a doll and sew a few dresses for them?  Brilliant, right? 

 

 

First up, I made a Sofia Blazer intending for it to go to B, but then I realized I would have to make bottoms and a shirt to go with it... so I ended up letting Abby have it as she beeegged me for one just like it.  (Also, there was a mistake or two)

 

Cah-ute, right?  The whole time I was thinking to myself, I wish Oliver and S would just come out with a blazer already!!

You're supposed to be able to add a button to the front, but this particular doll has hair that "grows" so she has a knob on her back that makes it impossible to close the blazer. 

I made the pants a while ago, the deets can be found here.

 

I love making doll clothes because they use those "too big to throw away" kind of scraps.  Like this gray?  From Jack's pants, and the lining is from Abby's maxi dress.

 

Funny story about the blazer.  So, I was all excited to get it finished, right?  I was sewing waaay to late at night, nearly midnight, knowing I only had a few more steps.  You see those teensy tiny sleeves?  Well, you turn them under and are instructed to sew them in the machine if you can- I accepted that challenge.  The first sleeve went off without a hitch, perfect in fact, the second... not so much.  I got a little too confident and stitched a leeeeettle too fast and ended up stitching through my finger tip, ha!! Never fear, dear friends, I managed not to get any blood on the fabric, bandaged up and soldiered on.  The fact that I literally had only a half inch left to sew helped my decision to finish that night.  So my finger tip is still in a bit of pain and is missing a chunk of skin, but on the plus side this time I didn't break the needle off in my finger! 

 

So I pressed it one last time since the iron was still hot and Abby woke me up the next morning with a "IS THAT BLAZER FOR ME?!", I would call that success. 

 



This one is the same pattern I drafted here for a knock-off Roller Skate dress (can't believe I never blogged that dress! hm!) If you follow that link, there is a picture of the back.  It is constructed identical to the kid sized dress, aside from the elastic casing.  For the elastic I just stitched it directly on the inside of the dress after it was completed since I wasn't worried about the doll's comfort, ha!

This yellow is left over from Abby's geranium, which was left over originally from 4 skirts I made for  a wedding reception.

This dress is the Oliver + S popover sundress (free pattern) made from scraps left from this skirt.

I actually made three of the sundresses, two of the roller skate dresses and some headbands to go along.  Abby is keeping the pink one, she thought it would be fun to have "best friend" dresses.

Abby made her doll and B's doll a keychain using charms found on the jewelry aisle.

Our local Wal-Mart has a big selection of doll shoes, jewelry, backpacks, hats, etc (so much fun stuff!) most for $2-3 so we threw in a few pairs of shoes to go with.  In fact, I bought a stockpile and that is now how Abby is rewarded for doing her chores for the week. 


One doll all ready to be packaged and gifted to her new owner, hope she loves hers as much as Abby does!