dress making...part 2

Ok here's my 2nd go at dressmaking.

I scooped up this fabric remnant for a mere 88 cents at JoAnns the other day & thought it'd be a fun shirt for Tatum. I altered a 1962 Dress pattern to make it a bit shorter for a shirt. I don't have a fabric serger, so the inside edges arent's as clean as I'd like, but it turned out fine from the outside. I even put a zipper in the back, which was much easier than I'd always feared. For a bit more detail & interest, I added a pocket & used some vintage lace for the trim. All in all, a quick & super inexpensive project & a one-of-a-kind shirt for Tater.

Crochet & Knitting Class This Tuesday, March 1!

CROCHET & KNITTING CLASS

has been moved to this

Tuesday, March 1 @ 11:30

@ Tulare Community Church's Activity Center.

No cost...just show up!

Come one, come all...bring your supplies...we'll have a good time!

dress making...part 1

Sick kids= spending a lot of time at home this week, So I decided to try making a few dresses for Tatum. I have quite a large stack of fabric waiting to get used, so I got to work. The pattern from this dress is from 1968 & was one of a few great patterns that I found at a thrift store. I am not a great garment sewer, but want to improve, especially getting to know the button-hole attachment on my sewing machine. I decided to put 12 vintage pink pearl buttons all the way down the back of the dress instead of installing a zipper- zippers scare me worse than making button holes.

It turned out really easy, and took me about two hours (between wiping noses & fetching sippy cups). I love the pattern, and the vintage vibe to the cut of the dress. I don't know that I'm crazy about the print, I think the next time I might do a solid bright color....what do you think? It's fun for a two year old & got me to use the supplies I have on hand!

a peek into my sewing room...

Space is at a premium around here, not because we don't have an adequate-enough size house for our family of four, but because I am a collector (I think my mom would call it closer to hoarder). Since the arrival of child#2 my sewing room-slash-office has now turned into a sewing room-slash-office-slash-nursery. It is cozy and slightly cramped and actually I kind of like it. I like the idea that Hayes goes to bed at night surrounded by colors & textures & quite often a mess of chaos on my desk next to his crib.
Anyway, I snagged a bunch of great wool yarn from my favorite thrift store in town, Rescued Treasures on Mooney Blvd. & I knew they'd add some great color to the room. I think they fit quite well next to my Gma Alice's buttons & my Great Grandma Jo's knitting needles. What can I say, I can't get enough of vintage.
Speaking of that...if any of you readers have vintage sewing or knitting supplies, let me know & I'll be sure to take them off your hands for ya :) I'm always on the hunt for more buttons & yarn and fabric. Most girls would love a new purse or a great coat, I want vintage supplies.

The mannequin head was a great find several years ago from Visalia Emergency Aid. I picked her up for a mere 3 bucks. The frames are all thrifted, as well as the green 4 drawer dresser. Yep- as you can see from the photo, it's now used as a changing table instead of sewing space.

The hat on the mannequin belonged to my husband's Grandma Evada. I love having reminders of family around the house- especially when they are as beautiful as that hat. One of these days you'll see me wearing it to church, or perhaps I'll wear it around town the day of the royal wedding :)

let's make some noise...

I had seen somewhere some time ago that cat toys make great noise when they are put into kid's toys, so I bought a few & wanted to try them out. A while back I made these ball toys out of some fabric scraps I had lying around & stuffed them & put a cat toy inside of them. They work great. The jingle can be heard well & they are still soft enough to play catch with (or throw at eachother).

I also wanted to try my hand at crocheting some rattles using those cat toys. Additionally, I am always looking for a new good boy gift to give that is unique & that a mom wouldnt mind having sitting out all day long. From that came these little rattles. They are colorful, easy to grab, and make a wonderful sound when shaken. They just may be my new favorite thing (for the moment).

Want to learn to crochet or knit?

For any of you interested, a group of use ladies will be getting together at Tulare Community Church tomorrow after Bible study to do a little knitting & crocheting. If you want to learn, or hang out, stop on by! Very informal & casual!

Crochet away...

A couple crochet shawls for a set of cute little twins. Size 12months- these shawls are even more darling in a small size. The plus side is that the girls can wear the pieces as shawls now, and as they grow, they can wear them as neck cowls. Plus all of the flowers and bows are removable clips, so they can wear them in their hair as well. The scalloped edge at the bottom really adds sweetness, no?

I also got a custom order this week for a couple crochet headbands. I have seen these things all over the place, and haven't attempted making them until this order came in. I searched tirelessly for a pattern online, and when I couldn't find one I decided to just start crocheting & go with it. (truth is I pretty much despise following patterns- it is not "free" enough for me- or something like that) They turned out pretty cute. I finished them off with a crochet flower & a few covered buttons out of some of my favorite fabric scraps from Anna Maria Horner's line.

I did not have a very cooperative model this day, I think the sight of the sun made her uncontainable & excited to run around.

milk for three...

These little onesies were a custom order from the mom of my favorite little triplets (bet you can guess who). They're sure to look sweet with chubby little thighs sticking out of them! Everything is cuter in three's.

New boots...

These boots are a project from a month or so ago (note: the Christmas tree in some of the photos) that were a custom request by a friend for her 6 grand-daughters. I had never tried putting anything on shearling boots before, and it proved a bit of a challenge, but they were fun. I made a bunch of crochet flowers, then attached them with beads, buttons & a bit of hand-embroidery to the boots. Fun little twist on super comfy footwear.

Project Target: Before & After

I am always so inspired by Crewcuts from Jcrew, but always dissapointed that after I load 10 things in my shopping cart, my total is twice as much as it would cost to feed a small army. I spotted this little dress at Target the other day for $10 & saw potential in it- so I picked it up & go to work that afternoon.

I salvaged the sequin trim off of a too-small shirt I had made for Tatum last year, and the trim had previously been on a shirt of my mom's 6 or 7 years ago. So all-in-all, this trim has been upcycled many times. I like the tone-on-tone work that JCrew uses, so I wanted to stay in a muted color palate. I'd say (#1) it looks pretty sweet on our little Tater (#2) it was a whole lot easier than creating a whole new dress from scratch (#3) much more budget friendly than Crewcuts (#4) unique, handmade & one-of-it's-kind which this mama always loves.

Before:

After:

I removed the 3 little pieces of gathered fabric that came with it & moved them to the side. I added vintage buttons from my Grandma Alice's stash & did a little hand-sewing around the edges.





now if i could just get her to sit like a lady...

whole lotta love...

I saw a post on One Charming Party for gumball valentine necklaces & knew immediately that I wanted to try & make them myself. I just love the colors of the gumballs & the new take on a candy necklace. I think Tatum's little (& big- Auntie Jodi) friends will love wearin' these on Valentine's Day. The project was fun, I ended up getting my drill out to put holes in the gumballs so it would go a little faster. I have a few extras, so if you need one for your little valentine, let me know!

I finished the valentines off by printing out a printable valentine from that same website, put the necklaces in pink polka dot bags & tied it up with red & white baker's twine (my favorite! It has 1,000 uses- and counting!) More Valentine's Day goodness to come...

a lot of crochet-ing goin' on...

I've been working on quite a few special order hats & beanies the past few days. Here are a few I've done in the past...I'll post more photos as I finish them! Quite often, I use the flower clips to on the hats, as it allows for versatility in use. You can rearrange them on the beanie, you can wear them on other items, or you can wear them alone in your hair. Hats are one of my favorite projects. There's just something super relaxing about takng a ball of nothing & creating a something out of it.