My Aubepine Dress

My husband and I just celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary this past month. It was the same day as Caspian's birthday party. Sadly my husband had to work that day (and almost every Saturday) so we were not able to go out this year but oh what a lovely surprise he had for me! He bought me some of Robert Kauffman's interweave chambray in Strawberry!  What a lucky lady I am! I knew it would be perfect for Deer and Doe's Aubepine dress pattern.

I did have to add a FBA to this dress for a great fitting bust so not only is this dress beautiful it's super comfortable too! I lined the dress with the same fabric as the outer side for a lovely feel inside and out. The dress has the perfect length too, not too long or too short. I finished the casing with 1/8" elastic for ease of dressing and added a vintage yellow velvet ribbon through the button holes. (The ribbon was given to me from my grandmother that was her mother's. It makes this dress all more special to me.) I think this dress will work very well in early fall with some dark leggings paired with some brown boots. With the cool weather we have been having lately it just might be here early this year.   

Many thanks to Nicole and her girls for introducing me to Deer and Doe patterns!!

Sharon

Oliver + S PIcnic Blouse and Shorts

With Sarah growing like a weed she needed some more summer outfits that are not dresses, as per her request. So next on the list was another pair of the Picnic shorts and one top more. She has a lovely top already from the amazing Ana Sofia that she adores wearing so I though she would love one more top to wear with this pair of shorts. (Seriously, she wears the top for her at least three times a week!)  



This top is made in a light weight pink gingham trimmed in some very special lace from the Anan Sofia herself. I have saved this trim for just a top like this one. I have had this pattern for nearly two years until Sarah grew big enough to fit into it (I bought it on sale for a very good price), well it's still a tad big but looks good now and should fit great next summer too.   

The shorts are a navy blue twill. Something sturdy for playing in. She does shorts but she still hasn't gotten used to them completely. She keeps pulling the front of her shorts up, I not really sure why though. I am assuming that it's the way they sit against her leg and she not used to that feeling from wearing all her skirts and dresses.

As always Liesl does not disappoint! The shorts and top are such a lovely sew! Both are quick to sew and are both so beautifully finished on the inside as well as the outside. Clever, clever! I can see this pattern becoming a go-to one.  

I just love it on my girl. : )

She loves it too. She had to wear this to bed to sleep in and the next day as well. As soon as it is washed she told me she wants it back again.  Which makes me think that this top would make a great night top paired with the Sunny Days shorts.  

Summer sewing is really so much fun! I love trying new patterns. If you are wanting this pattern as well right now over at Oliver + S they are on sale 50% off!! But only until the 20th of this month.

Happy sewing!!

Sharon

Ella needs new clothes too!

Remember this dress here I just sewn Sweet pea? Well you know I had to it, Ella needs a summer dress too! (the Waldorf doll I made Sweet pea at Christmas time)

I made her a wrap dress with ruffles with a matching ruffle bloomer just like the ones made Sarah years ago. The ruffles I made on serger, 3/4" wide.

Not bad with some scraps from another dress huh?!

The dress this time has real working button holes. I figure I should make it like the big ones so Sweet pea can get some practice at buttons for herself. I even made Ella a new pink cloth nappy. (Sorry no picture of this)

This wee belly button still gets me. : )

Happy Sewing!!

Sharon

Rice Bags for Rainy Days

Last week while it was raining out Sweet pea and I decided to sew up some rice bags to play tossing games with. It was super easy and quick!

We just pinned together two fabric charms with the right sides together and stitched around the outside using a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving a 1 1/2" opening for filling with the rice. Turned them, stuffed them, stitched them and enjoy! Yep that simple!

Sweet pea helped to make everyone of them too. She had more problems turning them than helping with stitching the bags. (Well except for her lead sewing foot! We need to work on that.) I help her to start turning them and she finished the corners using a pencil.

I held a small funnel in the opening so she could place the rice in the bags. We filled ours half full and I did machine stich the openings closed. I was afraid if she did he rice might fall out everywhere....maybe in another year. ; )

It really was  a great way to add fun to a rainy day. T(hese should even work as heat packs in the winter too.) Her and the boys had a blast tossing these around. I did try to get the boys to help make them too but they were having to much fun playing video games instead, oh well we still had fun. : )

Sharon

The Pink Lemonade Dress, Sweet pea's dream dress come true!

Don't you just love it when you something on your little princess wish list and it comes out even better than she hoped for? This fabric is so dreamy! It feels so soft and silky even though it's a cotton. This fabric was a very special gift from my wonderful friend Tamara how lives all the way in Australia. When it first arrived (with two other prints as well!) Sweet pea was smitten at first sight! She couldn't stop petting the fabric giving me all her requests for each print.  The pink print, this one, was to be a beautiful fairy dress for dancing in the sun light she told me.

At first I wasn't really sure exactly what pattern to use of if I should make mods to one. I was thinking of making the same dress as I did with the blue print (wait till you this dress too!!) only in pink but I wasn't sure if that's the way I wanted to go. After I made Sweet pea the Sail Away dress I started to think about this  the fabulous Nicole made her youngest daughter with these gorgeous ruffles on the sleeves and inserted in the princess seams, BINGO! I could use my pattern with the Fairy tale and get something similar.

I am very sure you could even modify the Fairy tale dress for the very same look too, all you would really have to do is take off the darts then make the bodice with princess seams and add ruffles into them and also onto the sleeve opening.  I did make the sash a full one to go all the way around the waist. I so adore the sash on the Fairy tale dress, it's perfect for my little girl!

The skirt is a full 88 inches full, the lining skirt is as well, so she can dance and twirl to her hearts content and danced she did!

She had to wear her white gloves and take her purse along as well. She was on her way to ball. Then then told me that was to be her birthday dress......her birthday that is not until January. Well at least her dress ready! The Sail Away dress is not a very fitted bodice so it should fit just fine then still too. : )

I love this dress just as much as she does! We have it hanging up in her room so we can see it all the time. It's much too pretty to put into her closet we decided.

This dress was so much fun sewing for me. It's everything girly. : )

Heck, I had a ton of fun taking Sweet pea's picture in his dress too! She was just so delighted with this dress that she couldn't help but smile.

Thank you SO very much Tamara!!

Well that's my sassy girl for you!

Sharon

She finally Wants Shorts!

My Sweet pea only wants to wear dresses. All winter long she could not figure out why on earth I would not let her out to play in the snow in just a dress and stockings. She thinks they are so much cooler to wear in the hot weather as well....that is until she realized in the hot, humid air that you just can't slide down the slide in just a skirt or dress with out getting stuck on the slide the whole way down. (If you can picture this in your head it was extremely funny!) So she finally requested some shorts for play ground wear! 

I decided to make the Picnic shorts from Oliver + S since I have not sewn them once yet. I had bought the pattern about two years ago on sale over half off but it was the bigger sizes, she can always grow into them right?! These are a size 5 in pink twill, a bit big but not bad looking at all. She loves the construction of the front, it lets her run and climb as easily as the dresses and skirts does. I love the constructions on these inside and out! Such a clever sew, I should not have been so surprised.

The top is Oliver + S free Ruffle halter top, yep it's a free pattern! This top went together super quick. I did finish the edges of the ruffles on the serger with a rolled hem but it really didn't take much longer to make it. The fabric is a seersucker that I have had on hand for a few years now. Sweet pea loves this top too as much as her shorts.

Besides the top having these beautiful cascading ruffles it has this breezy open back, I think this is the part of the top that Sweet pea likes so well.

I did top stitch the shorts in a coordinating thread, I got this idea from MC in the flicker group at Oliver +S. I adore all of her sewing!

These shorts are play ground approved personally by Sweet pea herself. : )

Happy Sewing!!

Sharon

Anchors Away Romper!

I tend to sew mostly with O+S patterns but this time I tried a Peek-a-boo pattern shop Anchors Away Romper. I have been on the look out for a vintage sailor suit pattern when I stumbled acrossed this one. It's not a real vintage pattern but it was what I was looking for and it only cost my $4 so what would I be out if I didn't care for it? (It was on sale a few weeks back)

It's a fairly easy pattern to sew, the hardest part was trying to cut button holes through the elastic in waist band. It took a few tries before it worked out. (here is a great hint, make sure your seam ripper is very shard. ;) ) I did make one mistake and sewn the collar with a 1/2" seam allowance instead of the 1/4" it called for. I will have to make him up one more just to try it again.

I did make a few wee mods to this pattern. I sewn the sleeves more like that of a vintage baby boy dress shirt, as in I turned the sleeves up instead of to the inside, to make a "cuff" and did the same with the button placket to give it more a Sketchbook shirt look to it. I did also sew the collar on different too. I sewn the collar main and lining on at the same time and finished the raw seam allowance with a bias and hand stitched it on. I just love the way this finish looks.

I did make my own bias for the white strips too, next time I think I will make them thinner....or I will use ribbon.

I do love the look of this on Caspian. I adore the vintage look on him.

You know I had to get a picture of him and Sweet pea together, I think I will frame this picture. My they are growing so fast!

This is one of my favorites photos, lately C had been really looking up Jacob. He had to have big brother hold his hand while walking back to the house, I couldn't resist and took this photograph. It sure makes me smile. : )

Happy Sewing!

Sharon

Happy 4th of July

From our family to yours, Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Sharon

Camp Out Birthday Party!

Caspian had the best party ever this year! Well, almost the best. Most our family was here to celebrate the day with us.

Here is the dessert table. I made both banners out of a Riley Blake panel. The name of it slips my mind now, but it did work out perfectly I think. I used a fabric to make both table clothes , fabric courtesy of my grandma, (thanks grandma!) She always sends me the best fabrics. : )  I did try to keep everything simple since it was an out doors party too.

We had a trail mix bar and we roasted hot dogs on a open fire. Yummy! It's one of our kids favorite things to eat.

I made "camp fire" cup cakes. I used honey pretzels for the "wood" under the fire frosting. These were super easy to make.  I seen the idea on Pintrest somewhere but I can't tell you where, sorry.

A forest of sugar cookies anyone? There are a few leaning trees due to a two year old boy trying to sneak a few.....not that Caspian could tell you who. ; )

And of course I did make s'more cookies too. These were super easy to make too. I just followed the recipe for chocolate chip cookies but added a half a bag of the chocolate chips, a 1/2 cup of the Jet-Puffed Mallowbits and about 4 crumbled lightly gram crackers. This was the biggest hit with my kids.

Lastly for the decorations is the canvas table runners I made I use left over fabric from the Puppet Theater I made at Christmas time to make both of them. I cut them then added a decorative stitch that my sewing machine does, an oak leaf, and just did a narrow hem to finish them.  Super simple again just time consuming. I never thought I was going to finish sewing those leaves on! I used mason jars with rocks in the bottom with water to make candle holders for the floating candles as well. These are very pretty in the dark, sadly I forgot to light any of them. Oh well, we can still use them on another night. 

Now the wee ones favorite part of the day! Grandpa/great-grandpa was  giving out "tractor" rides. Caspian and his small cousin couldn't get enough of these!

My brother was glad to help out with riding in the back with the small ones. (there was four generations here for the party too, my dad, my brother, his son my nephew and his two boys. I wish I had thought of taking their picture altogether!)

Caspian and his cousin were fast friends too. They both are around the same age and got along very well. It was so cute to see them playing together.

Are they not just the cutest?!? 

All in all it was a very good day for the most part. My husband had to work last minute. Which was really a bummer seeing it was also our 12th wedding anniversary too. The other was that my nephew's oldest son was hurt and broke his leg, yah that was beyond super sticky as the kids would say. We are praying for a quick recovery for him.

We did have a wonderful visit with family and I think everyone had a good time. I hope we can do it again!

Happy Birthday my son!!

Sharon!