Details Details!

Linking up with Andrea's Make it Wear it Thursday over at The Train to Crazy, yes I know it's Friday oh well.....

This dress is all about the details! 

 

Peter Pan collar... with piping!

Big Button,

 

and of course.....

RUFFLES!!!!

 

This dress was so fun to make!  I love the fact that she loves it and will twirl non-stop! 

The dress also has a bow sash, 3 quarter sleeves with piping trim and invisible zipper! 

 



 

Changes

As I sit here and type at the end of the day sitting in my empty classroom I  can smell shaving cream rising from the clean empty desks.  I look over at the empty cubbies and bare walls and my heart aches and races with excitement at the same time.  I have taught first grade in this same classroom for a wonderful school that gave this new graduate a chance nine years ago. 

I hear the other teachers talking in the hall and think, those are my friends.... am I sure I want to do this?????

God has given me a peace.  A peace to quit this career for a new chapter in my life....

I will be going from full time teacher to a part time children's Coordinator for my home church. 
Wow typing it makes it seem real....

I know this is a true God thing.  He will calm my nerves, He will make the transition easier, He will make our finances stretch.  I will be able to help at church at rebuilding our children's ministries, focus on my relationship with God, with my husband, and with the girls.

I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom, I mean, come on, who doesn't!?!? Have you seen my kids? Precious girls!  I will now get to spend more time with them!  I will be able to volunteer in classrooms, and parties, and stay at home 5 out of 7 days a week!! Hallelujah! 

I will be able to use my degree, and experiences more at the church.  I will be able to have fun with the kids and not worry about test scores, grades, and all the legislative "stuff".  I will be able to teach God's Word without worrying, will I get in trouble for reading a Christmas book?!?!?!


I love teaching... I am going to miss it....

But God has plans for me, and my family and I am ready for what he has in store for us!

Bowtastic!

Linking up again with Make it Wear it Thursday over at The Train to Crazy!

I am a fan for bows!  On shoes, in the girls hair, on brown paper packages, and even on their clothes!
During KCW  I whipped up a knit boat neck tank for Carleigh.  I only had enough of this knit from GirlCharlee for one, and felt like my redhead needed a new top! 

She is a keep it simple kind of kid (total opposite of her older sister)  so I knew it needed to be easy for her to get on and off, but wanted a little wow factor in the back.  How do you add wow? Just stick a BOW on it!

The top is fully lined so the neck and arm openings would look clean, yes I know knit does not fray, but I have not been brave enough to leave a shirt unfinished!  After I made the top I noticed it was a tad to short, so I added a band at the  bottom about an inch less in width than the top to kinda "squinch" it's a word, trust me, I think....

Anyhoo.  To make the bow, I just made a large tube shape and then made a small loop and slipped it on and stitched it to the back of the bow to keep things tidy.  I then used my button stitch to "tack" the bow in place.

I tried so hard to match the stripes, dang knit sure moves around when sewing!  I can just here the song in my head taunting me "SO close, yet so far away..." dang it...

I kinda really like this shirt and have a humungo order coming from GirlCharlee for some Tumbletees ( awesome pattern) by Rachael at Imagine Gnats.  I have made three but plan to make more, and two more of these sweet little bow tanks.

And by this time, the redhead was finished.  "Momma, can you put the camera up?  I want to play!"

Stay Tuned next week for a tutorial on this top, and the awesome tumbleetee pattern I am testing!

Hello Sugar!

Linking up again today with Andrea over at The Train to Crazy, and Make it wear it Thursday!


Lendee has always been my sweets eater and I would say "hey sugar baby" to her all the time.  Well I guess it kinda stuck with her (she doesn't forget a thing, plus she will repeat anything everything she hears!  I dropped her off at the babysitter one day and she spouted off "hello sugar".  Well it has become her official greeting, yes my child loves attention. 

I ordered some fabric and knew it would be perfect for a little dress for my verbal little baby!

I drafted the bodice from a shirt that fits her well.  and cut out two rectangles off a different pattern for the skirt.  I felt like the bottom of the skirt needed a bit of color so I cut 4 strips of coordinating fabric, sewed them together ( this was fabric from my boo boo order, so I only had a fat quarter square of each piece).  I had some coral ribbed knit that matched perfectly for the binding.

I was happy with the way it turned out. 

 A simple pearl button to close the back.... buttonholes on ribbed knit, grrrrr.  it took a little finagling.

Perfect for twirling.  The skirt is gathered enough to twirl, but not show of her "bloomers".

 

 

 

a boo boo order into woo hoo! ruffle tanks!

Have you ever ordered fabric and out of sheer excitement and really didn't look at the yardage description!?!?!  Well I did.  I ordered some beautiful fabric from Fabricworm (LOVE) and did not look at the yardage and got fat quarter squares!!!! I was a little bummed at myself at first, but like all of us fabric hoarders, I knew that I could do something with it!

BTW, Fabricworm was awesome, some of the material was out of stock and after a few emails back and forth they had replacements ready and shipped out!  Great customer service!

So after I was finished pouting, I said out loud "ruffle-tanks!"  trust me I got a few stares from the offspring, but they are used to their crazy mama and went right along with their coloring. 

So I let the girls paruse through the fabric, and with a little mama persuasion,  they picked out two pieces to make their tops. 

At nap time I drafted a pattern from a tee that fits Graceanne well, for the length, and shoulder height.

I didn't take any pictures of the process of making her shirt, dang it.  But have no fear, I made two more!

I traced the pattern on both fabrics, I ended up making the back and front neck line the same, I did not keep the back neck line higher.  I used one fabric for the front, and a different coordinating fabric for the back and front ruffle.  When tracing the back fabric I only folded over the fabric half way to leave enough fabric for the ruffle.

I cut the ruffle the length of the fat quarter, and made it 3 inches wide.  I ended up cutting each end off to match up with the curve of the armhole. 

I then ran the ruffle strip through my serger to finish the edge with a rolled hem.  Next I ran a gathering stitch along the opposite edge.

Pull on the gathering stitch to create the ruffle around the neck of the top front piece, pin in place and stitch it down.

I made bias tape with a coral ribbed knit, it is hard to find pretty ribbed knit fabric!  I made 4 pieces, 1 for the front ruffle, back neck opening, and 2 for each arm hole.  I made those 10 inches longer than the armhole to create a bow tied on each shoulder. 



 before pinning the bias tape down I cut the edge of the ruffle around the arm hole.

I love how easy these were!  They will be worn a lot this summer!

These were a perfect match for my ordering boo boo!  I still have 8 squares left!  But I am ready for the challenge of thinking of something to make! 

Just a little Doli tank... or three... okay 7

When you have three little girls, you can't get away with sewing just one new pattern, you MUST sew three.  The only advantage is that by the third (or forth) one you are REALLY good at it.
This pattern is by the uber talented Sarah . 

Her pattern is very well written and is easy to put together, minus a paper cut, but that was not her fault.... just my own excitement for the pattern!  So the pattern does not call for a knit for the main fabric, but I thought that I would try it, it does drape nicely, and I am trying to get out my quilting cotton comfort zone.  

 

 

So I started with some beige knit with gold dots, (from Girl Charlee, looks sold out now) so soft, and cut up a ribbed black tank for the bindings.  Graceanne is a VERY small 7 year old, so I made her a size 5 in the top but a size 6 for the length.  I know that the top would be "open and flowy" but I did not want it too open on her small frame.

With if being a knit, I did not do a french hem which is called for in the pattern, I had never done one before so I just stayed with my trusty serger!

 

 

The pattern does not call for top stitching, but even after I pressed it I went ahead and top stitched with a double needle, two colors of thread, fancy shmancy, just to polish it off.  Plus the knit was just not very heavy and would not stay put!

I love the tank, so does Graceanne, it was a little big and she will put a tank under it but it is a great pattern and perfect for our hot Arkansas summer.  So after this one, I made three more.

 

Yes folks, I'm that crazy mom that makes her girls match as often as I can!

 

I love the way the tank lays on their back and shoulders!  Perfection.  The slightly different hems lengths is so fun, and perfect with leggings.

 

Well I just couldn't stop.  I got in some more fabric a fuchsia peach skin (never used before)  and chartreuse ribbed knit both from here.  Oh My they have the BEST sales!   They were a match made in heave for this pattern.  I even top stitched in the chartreuse thread color on the fuchsia for a pop!  I have the Hosh pant pattern, but I think I am going to wait until I get the right fabric, and wait for this fall.  Who knows the girls might actually grow some this summer!



 

 



 Lendee doing her happy dance!  Success!!!!