Purple Passion

 We had our family pictures scheduled in November, and I spent some time trying to figure out what everyone was going to wear.  I wanted us to match, but not be "matchy- matchy."

So, I found a beautiful purple heather sweater knit and made myself this wrap style dress.

Close up of the top part.  One of the best things about a wrap style dress is that it's nursing friendly =)

And then I found an adorable pattern for a little girl's kimono style jacket.  It's still a bit big on Sweet Pea, but she'll grow into it =)

Then I decided I liked the style so much that I wanted one for Girly- girl as well.  But, the pattern wasn't sized for her.  My first attempt at sizing up/ drafting a pattern.  I think it turned out pretty good =)

I wanted it to be slightly different, so I added some flower trim around the edges.  (And it's hanging crooked on the hanger.  The one side really doesn't hang that much lower).

Girly- girl seems happy with it =)

And here we are.  See, we all match, but aren't "matchy- matchy."

The Throw Down

What started out as some innocent joking around, turned into a challenge, a throw down if you will.  

For the last few months, my running buddies and I have been giving Agent J a hard time about his running apparel.  It was all in good fun, until he innocently said "If you build it, I will wear it."  And then said something to the fact that I had been talking about it for too long without any action for him to take me seriously.

So, Agent J, if you're reading this, here is your lovely new running kilt.  And since you did say you would wear it...

I'm really pleased with the shape the pleating on the back gives.  I think I'm going to have to try it out on a dress for Girly- girl and some of my skirts.

Double Take

Sometimes I love a challenging project and other times, well...  Not so much.  This is one of those projects.  When I pictured it in my head, it came out perfect (of course!) but when I actually tried to put it into practice.  Well, needless to say there was lots of seam ripping, broken needles and hair pulling.

While I'm not 100% happy with the design, I'm happy enough that I will continue to tweak it until it is perfect.  If I wasn't happy with it, the whole project would have ended up in the "I will fix this later" pile.

The idea behind this wrap is to give the wearer more options.  The panel in the center is interchangeable.  And that's where the design flaws come in =)  I have to figure out a better "framing" system for the panel and a better way to attach the panels.  Once it's perfect, the wrap will offer a lot more color options for the wearer.

The main panel that cannot be removed.

The optional panel.

After working on this one for awhile, I came up with a design that offers only two different panels (instead of unlimited like the original design).  So, for now this is the design that is available.  

The first side.

The second side.

You'll notice that it's "missing" the black border around the panel.  

If you're interested in the second design, please let me know what colors you would prefer- for the wrap part and for the panels.  Depending on the fabric, prices start at $40.

An Easter Dress

Yes, I know it's been months and I know Easter was awhile ago.  But, this is what I made for my Easter dress... Back when I still had a belly to fill it out lol!

It's a simple tank style dress made with a knit jersey.  The shrug has a twisted "knot" on the front and is made from a tissue weight knit fabric.

One of these days, I may get around to posting about Girly- girl's dress.  Or maybe not.  I have a few wraps in the works that I hope to have posted soon as well.

Little Bear

As the weather turns cooler, my thoughts turn to ways to stay warm.  I’ve had this pink knit fabric in my stash for a while now and just never knew what to do with it.  Then I ran across a pattern for a hat with bear ears.  It was a perfect match =)

Super easy to make and super cute as well.

 

Unfortunately this one was just a bit too small for my Girly- girl.   But that hasn’t stopped her for wanting to wear it everywhere lol!

Flowers for Girly- Girl

I seem to have a hard time remembering to take before pictures. This was a plain women's t- shirt. I like the idea of t-shirt dresses for Girly- girl. They're easy for her to put on herself and easily washable for me.

The dress part was cut to take advantage of the hem on the shirt. It's gathered in the front and the back of the bodice. The sleeves were also cut to take advantage of the hem. They're gathered on the top of the sleeve.

The flowers are iron- on appliques that I found at a local store. I was surprised at how well they matched the dress because I didn't have this in mind when I bought them =)

From Blah to Bling

I've been seeing this tutorial pop up on a lot of the blogs I follow, so I figured it was time for me to try my hand at it =) Jessica at Happy Together has a lot of creative ideas. Next I plan on trying her toddler t-shirt dress.

And of course I didn't take a picture of the shirt I started with. But I'm sure you can imagine a plain long sleeve knit jersey shirt.

With just a few cuts with the scissors and a few sewn seams, I ended up with this shirt. Now I just have to decide which way I want to wear it.

I love how versatile this shirt is turning out to be. With just a change of accessories and how the front is tied, I can use this shirt for work and for play =)

Sandles and Sangria

Ahh... The smell of lavender warmed by the sun...

Or lilies in full bloom (well, at least until the goat got out and ate them).

The perfect place to kick back with a glass of homemade sangria and relax with some friends. But, in such a beautiful garden, you would need a beautiful dress to match...

A simple a- line dress with the skirt gathered under the bust. The fabric was cut on the bias to give the skirt some extra swing.

The fabric is a soft knit jersey which is fast becoming one of my favorite fabrics. It's easy to work with and so easy to wear.

All Tied Up

I've always admired tie front shirts. I just never dreamed they were this easy lol! Six seams and it was done. Took me all of about 20 minutes to cut the fabric and sew it together. I was able to wear it to a party that night. And looked fabulous =)