Well, it was originally a Claire

This dress started out its life as a Portabellopixie Claire, size 8.  But it did not fit well so it got taken apart and taken in and now it fits nicely and looks more like the dress I made for little sister, in a blog post below.  I think it turned out very pretty!  At least the colors look great on my daughter.  But, dang, was this a lot of work.  I could never be a professional seamstress!

Some finishing touches

I got some great advice from some other mamas who sew to add a finishing touch to this dress.  I found some lace and then some ribbon and Voila!  Finishing touches make the dress, don't you think?

Quick Ottobre Hoodie

My oldest has only one fleece hoodie and as they are the perfect winter coat for our area, I decided to whip out another one for her.  I used some fleece I bought a while ago at Joann's Fabric Store for 50% off.  I used the Montparnasse pattern, #28, from Ottobre Autumn 2010 (Issue 4/2010).  It is an easy pattern to make.  I will probably make another one for summer if I can find some lightweight sweatshirt material I like.

Here is the finished product:

And here is a picture that shows how much she loves the hood.  She wanted the elastic but apparently the end result is not pleasing. Oh well!  She's stuck with it now! LOL! 

Spring sewing, in Winter

Well, we had snow on the ground when I started this project. Now, all we have is mud and rain.  Gotta love the Pacific Northwest Winters. They keep you busy!

This project helped me really understand the beauty of owning a fabric and pattern stash. I bought the pattern, McCalls 5835, two years ago and had not gotten around to using it yet.  I bought the fabric, Weekends by Erin McMorris, at a local fabric store last summer. A pure whim based on my immediate love for it.  Then, Matilda Jane Clothing came out with a design for this Spring called The Flutter.  I realized I had this pattern laying around and, due to my youngest height, this would be the last time I could use it! She is already a size 4 at age three and a half.

This was a labor of love.  I altered the width a bit because it was too wide, the first go round, for my tall but skinny girl.  Then, I decided to make the ruffle a bit differently from the pattern.  I used my serger to finish both sides of each ruffle with a rolled edge.  I attached the wider ruffle first, right side to right side of the dress, as the pattern instructed.  The thinner ruffle I attached in the middle of the fabric, so it sticks up on either side.  Gives it a bit of drama, I think.  I might copy Matilda Jane entirely and look for some ribbon to go down the middle of the ruffle.  My girl likes it the way it is so I am also happy just leaving it alone.

Here is the inspiration, the Matilda Jane Clothing Company's Polly Wolly Flutter. 

It is a cute and versatile pattern!  McCalls 5835.  

And here is my Eliza Rosie Flutter!

The kitty slippers make the outfit, right?  Hee hee

Dolly Dresses

My girlies got new dollies for Christmas so of course that means new dolly dresses.  The first doll is named Amy and she is made by the Madame Alexander Company.   She's a Favorite Friends 18" doll.  She belongs to my 7 year old who wanted a colonial-style dress for her.  So, using a McCalls Pattern, #2609, I made this lovely dress and shawl.   The dress is not really too long.  It is just how she is sitting on the bed.  This is an easy pattern.  I will be making Amy more clothing from it very soon. The shawl, well I winged it on that one!  It is a lovely piece of lace that was finished on both edges, about 6 inches wide.  I sewed ribbon to either end so we could wrap it around her and tie it in the back. 

She needs a cap, doesn't she!  Colonial women always wore headwear. 

I also made a dress for my younger daughter's Ariel doll.  Ariel's head is much wider than her shoulders so she is hard to sew for.  I used the dress she came with to make a pattern for her.  I found some older material in my stash to use in case it did not turn out well.  It looks cute, I think!  Next up, Ariel needs a ball gown.  So, I am going to make a dress for her similar to the one above, but I have to customize it for her narrow shoulders and smaller stature. 

I am gearing up, too, for spring sewing! I have so much fun fabric to make dresses for my girls.  

I just love to look at it all!  Here's a sneak peek.  Love!