Gingercake

Make it Work

When I made my tunic that I wrote about in the last post, I first made a quick version in thrifted fabric to make sure that it would fit and I would like how it looked on me before I cut into my nice fabric.  Last week I made this top for Anne without any trial runs and quickly regretted that hasty decision!  

Hopefully you are thinking- what is she talking about??  It looks fine!  And it did turn out fine but I had to think of Tim Gunn telling me "make it worrrk!"  since I made some silly errors at first.  I used the Dearmykids pattern that I used to make this shirt about 18 months ago.  I knew the size 4T wouldn't be big enough for Anne now so I enlarged the top piece and added more width to the bottom.  Well it turned out HUGE!  Like she wouldn't be able to wear this for about 3 years.  I should have printed out the correct pattern size and gone from there but I didn't want to bother with having to get new ink for my printer!  The pattern is awesome but it prints on like 20 sheets of paper.

This beautiful AMH voile does not like to be seam ripped.  Especially after you happily serged all the seams so proudly thinking you are making the cutest tunic for your daughter ever.  After I put it aside for a few days and felt bad about ruining this expensive fabric, I had the idea to add ruching to the arm pits.  Yeah!!  This was a great- although not perfect, solution since the top parts still gapes open on her a bit.

In the picture of the back above, you can see the ruching a bit better. It looks nice her and hopefully I'll post a picture of her in it later this spring/ summer.  Lessons learned: don't just wing it on expensive fabric AND if you ignore that first lesson, set it aside until you come up with a solution to fix up your errors of overconfidence!  Maybe someday you will make a shirt way to big for your child and remember this trick and it will be a help!  Do you have a fix it trick that has helped you out of a similar mistake?  I need all the help I can get :)

 

Easy Knit Dress- Last day of KCWC

I made this dress on Saturday morning.  It was FREEZING here!  I actually wore long underwear that afternoon to the girls soccer games and I was still cold!  So this summery dress seemed a bit out of place, but yesterday afternoon it warmed up enough to take a few good outside pictures.

I basically followed the warhol dress pattern from MADE.  Super dooper easy and a great way to build your confidence with knits.  Just use your iron, ball point needle and beginners can easily accomplish this.

I bought this fabric to make a skirt for myself.  It's from Joann's- in the back of the store red tag section.  Not much of a deal at about $9 a yard but it was the nicest knit I could find there.  The skirt for me may still happen but it will have to be a lot shorter now!

I knew my almost 8 year old would like the tie at the shoulder and it is a clever and easy way to finish the dress.  I think maybe I made it a bit too long- any thoughts about that?  She doesn't seem to mind and seems happy.  She did not like this fabric at all untilI I made it into a dress and then suddenly she decided it was pretty and she could wear it.  Sometimes we have to take risks to sew for our kids, right??

She had no serious modeling bones in her body for this photoshoot and that is why her face is cropped in the above pictures.  Here is one where you can see how she really was acting as her sister danced around like crazy behind me.  

A great FREE pattern to try if you want to attempt a cute summery knit dress!  

Tee Shirt Nightgowns- KCWC day 2

My Father in Law gave my husband a bag full of XL undershirts.  He said "just toss them if you don't need them!"  I wanted to pass them on to the goodwill but my husband wanted to keep them "just in case".  Hmmm.  A year later the bag was still untouched and I finally looked at them- nice quality lands end white undershirts surely could have some use, right?  I washed them and bleached them and finally dyed them tangerine orange and sunshine yellow.  Now, THAT was something I could use.  

Super soft peachy tee shirt material makes a pretty cute nightgown.  I used the existing hems for the sleeves and bottom hem and since I haven't tried to make necklines with knits (yet!), I made an easy peasant dress collar.  Finally,  I cut out a heart for some other scrap knit and zig zag stiched it on to give some extra cuteness.  I used my serger (thanks again Mom!) for the sewing up the sides.  This was a fast project!  Certainly under an hour.

We took these pictures this morning at about 7:30 AM.  Isn't the light pretty?  She slept in the nightgown last night and loved it.  Here is one last shot for you of the nightgown in jumping on the bed action.  My daughter wanted to make sure I included this one.  This is how all our photo shoots end these day with requests for "action shots".

More about how to take jumping pictures here.  Not the most exciting sewing project ever but I liked using some of the hand me down undershirts (and I have plenty more of this "fabric" now too!) and it was fun to experiment with using RIT and all that.  Have you been making clothes for your kids this week?  I am finding myself wanting to sew other things but I am trying to stay on task!

Gingham Dress : KCWC day 1

We'll see if I make it through the whole week but I did start off on the right foot!  I started Sunday since it was rainy and cold here and the kids wanted to watch Harry Potter again.  I couldn't pass up 2 unexpected hours to myslef- right?  When making this, I was inspired by this dress and this dress.  I love how you can make gingham and plaid prints play around when on the bias.

 I decided to build on an existing pattern that I had.  A simple peasant dress from ManiMina.  It turned out to be pretty blousy for Anne- 2 of her could have fit in the size 5!  So I did ruching around the waist (with 1/4" elastic) which made all the difference and was such an easy fix.

In order to use the fun diagonal pattern that is created by putting the gingham on the bias, I made bias tape binding for the sleeves and neckline.  I also made ties at the sleeves for an extra detail and the pockets on the bias too.  I used the extra neck bias tape as a loop for an oversized button in the back.

She put some leggings on after out pictures and I liked the outfit even better!  Looking forward to seeing her wear this all summer.  Are you doing Kids Clothing Week Challenge?   

Almost Spring Dress

Anne has grown out of all her dresses.  Growing like a little freckled weed!  Yesterday I made her one to celebrate day light savings time!  She loves it except all the trying on she had to do.  "I have to put it on AGAIN??"  

I based the dress on this one from the mini boden catalog.  I knew it would be simple to do the pleat in front and A-line shape.  That cute bib was so simple too.  

The fabric is a vintage 60s that was given to me by a 90 year old friend.  It is pretty and light weight.  I fully lined the dress which made everything come together.

If I were to do it again, I woud probably make a zipper in the back.  The keyhole is kinda big but it was easy and I didn't have a good zipper to use.

I was thinking easter dress for this one but she is not sold.  She says her easter dress needs to be MUCH fancier.  We'll see about that!  But, she will consider it as one of her options :)

Doily Skirt

Last night when instead of making dinner I made this skirt for Anne.  Yes, they got dinner- just kinda late!  The lovely Kelle Boyd of AnnKelle sent me this pretty corduroy 1/2 yard back when I did the handmade holidays series with her.  I realized that it is February and I needed to use the fabric before spring!

I used this website makeagif to make this GIF.  Sorry if it is making you kinda ill to look at it but I thought it was fun and super duper easy if you want to try.  The kids are crazy for it!  

The pocket on Anne's skirt is a thrifted doily that I got for $.25.  I sewed it on and left the top unsewn.  It gaped naturally so I folded it down and tied a ribbon bow to finish it off.  Cute I think.

This skirt is made the super simple way- take a 1/2 yard of fabric and make a tube.  Hem the bottom, cut to the length you want on your girl plus 2" for the elastic casing.  Make the casing and add elastic.  Voila!

Thank you Kelle for such cute fabric!  

The Last Hurrah

We just got back from the beach last night.  I am happy to be home- back to our lazy summer routine and relaxed schedule.  Oh wait- school starts the day after tomorrow!!!!  I feel happy and sad about it like most mom's do- more time to yourself but back to the rush of school, preschool, after school sports, etc.  No more swinging on the back porch and playing uno all afternoon.

I made the girls a couple of last minute summery/ beachy items before I left.  

I used the indie tutes peasant blouse tutorial.  The sleeves are left open and shortened almost to the arm hole seam.  I added a few inches in length to make it a bathing suit cover up.  I also used a fabric from the garment fabric section at Joanns.  Remember my pledge not to use my quilting cottons for clothing anymore?  This type of cotton just flows so much better.

The girls knew this was a "photo shoot".  I asked Elsie to go down toward the water and run toward me.  She makes that cute smile and always looks so well arranged.  Here is the picture i got when i asked Anne to do the same thing...

She's hilarious.  I just kinda winged this skirt with fabric that i had left over from this shirt.  I was inspired though by MADE's cute skirt.  I Love how the doily pocket and crocheted lace trim look together on the yellow.  The shirt is just a cute hand me down from Old Navy!

Here they are together.  As soon as this picture was over they tore off these clothes (bathing suits were underneath!), and trampled them into the sand on their way down to the water.

We had a great time at the beach.  We went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the week was full of lazy beachy days, playing with cousins, reading, and some nature walks mixed in.  Travis and I took Anne on a short walk early one morning.

The light was so beautiful and she was happy to be alone with both of us.

The live oaks were so beautiful on this walk over to the bay side of the islands.

We found a cicada shell and Anne brought it back to the house to show her cousins.  

Ewww.  But cool too.

We also took a guided trip up to the north end of the islands to see the wild horses.  WE have come to this beach for several years, and I always see the ATV tours heading up the road to the off road beaches.  It was fun to finally go up there ourselves to see these horses.

I know you are missing seeing Cal in all his beachy glory so here is one last picture.  I didn't make him anything cute to take to the beach but he was still happy and as usual, doesn't seem to notice the dis proportionate amount of things I sew for his sisters compared to him.  

I did buy him a $3 toy gun and a bucket at the dollar store and he was very happily entertained all week!  Hope you are enjoying your last few days before school starts too!  

Summer Skirts

I made a new skirt for me today and a new skirt for my big girl yesterday.  Skirts are so fun and easy!  

I bought this fabric at walmart about three years ago.  Yes- walmart.  In the remnant clearance section.  I have all this nice fabric and I am such a baby about cutting into it - just in case I mess up, right?  My hopes are that since this skirt turned out well, i will cut into that Anna Maria Voile and make another just like it!  

This fabric is cheap but cute.  Perfect for this the last month of summer and our trip to the beach in a few weeks.  My favorite part is the yoga pants waist!!  I measured my hips and how long I wanted the skirt to be.  Then I cut into the fabric to make a skirt that size- slightly A-line.  Then I took a brown T-shirt and cut 8" tube off the bottom so I could get the hem.  I made the t-shirt tube smaller so it had to stretch around my belly.  Then I attached the t-shirt tube to the skirt. 

A few days ago I made this skirt for Elsie- really, she needs pajama shorts but since I was in a skirt mood, a skirt will have to do until I get into a shorts mood!

I used fabric my friend Rose gave me and I did a circle skirt.  I didn't follow a tutorial but this tutorial is similar.  The vintage plaid is light and has a pretty drape. We choose a contrasting waistband in some turquoise which Elsie likes.  This type of skirt is fun since it twirls so well and there isn't as much bulk at the waist.  It's pretty on a girl a little older since it's still childish but has a little more style.

These pictures are kinda wild since it's so humid outside my camera lens got all foggy after a couple shots.  I like how old timey they look though- like an aged photograph that matches the skirt style and the fabric.

If I get my courage up to cut into that Anna Maria, maybe I can give a tutorial for my yoga waist skirt.  It is so comfortable!  I want to share the love :)

Playsuit and Bubbles

Now that I am done with the Hobo Style Lunch Sak (whew!) I wanted to make something fun today.  I love this Playsuit from Mini-Boden.  I have been eying it up for months.  I found this romper tutorial on Crafter Hours and made one up for Anne today.  I followed the tutorial but it is nice and loose so I kinda just did my own thing.  Such a simple project and she loves it.

This is the first time I have ever made shorts!  They were so easy.  The fabric is from JoAnns.  I have a recent commitment to no more clothes from quilting cottons!  I just don't like the weight on clothing.   This was from the apparel section (which I admit I used to never visit).  It was really a sweet print and I thought it would be perfect for this type outfit.  She wanted it to tie in the back.

I usually get the girls to act natural by asking them to tell jokes to me.  Here she is saying "Knock Knock!"  "who's there?"  "Peach."  (she doesn't like oranges) "Peach who?"  "Oranga glad I didn't say bananna?"

Then we went over to blow some bubbles.

Elsie wanted pictures of herself blowing bubbles too.

Suddenly the bubbles became the main event...

Hoping to make more clothes tomorrow!