Pixie Perfect

One of the first things I learned to sew was cloth diapers.  I could go off on a tangent here about how great cloth diapers are and how fun they are to make and how much money your family will save by using them, but there are literally hundreds of blogs devoted to that, and I would be beating a dead horse.  I'll just link you to a few of my favorites: Rocket Bottoms, a really great source for paid patterns that are wonderful for beginners and well loved in the cloth diapering community, and Arfy's blog, which is great for free templates and patterns to get you started on different types and styles of cloth diaper.  You can head down the rabbit hole yourself on those.

Over the years, I have picked up TONS of the washable laminated fabric intended for the waterproof exterior of cloth diapers.  It's fantastic for it's original use, but also very useful for other applications.  Since it tends to be pretty pricey, when I see it on sale, I jump on it.  I've made a few super cute little jackets for my girls out of it, and one of this post's Stashbusters is just that.  

The fabric: For Holly- Babyville brand PUL purchased from the Red Tag section at Jo-Ann and ivory broadcloth I got at a garage sale.  For Tessa- knockoff "Donegal Irish Linen" that I bought at the same garage sale that actually ended up being polyester.  No good for traditionally linen items, but a perfectly useful jacket outer.  Also two prints from Riley Blake's "Happy Ever After" collection that I used last year to decorate the girls' bedroom.  I had about a half a yard of each of them, and I thought they would be pretty cute for the lining.  

The pattern: Pixie Hood Coat by Big Little Patterns.  I've had this one for ages and this was the first time I sewed it up.  I definitely regret that now!

Something you will notice as you follow this project is that I almost never use mainstream patterns.  I love independent designers, and I love PDF patterns.  One reason for this is that on children's patterns, the sizes are typically nested rather than overlapping. 

Because of this neat feature, I was able to cut out Holly's size 6 jacket first, then cut around the lines on the pattern to cut Tessa's size 4.  Major time saver.  I did not cut Holly's as written, because I thought that at six years old, she may be a little bit too mature for a pointed pixie hood.  I cut her hood rounded instead of with the point.  I made Tessa's exactly as written.

I made the two jackets at the same time, and it was a quick sew.  I got both done in a single afternoon with both Tessa and Declan (who is 15 months old and a VERY busy boy) hanging around.  

Its been a while since I've sewn any diapers, so I had forgotten what a total pain in the behind PUL is to sew without a teflon foot or a walking foot.  But I'm lazy, and didn't feel like rooting through the messy closet looking for my walking foot for such a quick project, especially since sewing the laminated sides of the PUL parts was such a small part of it.  After ripping out a couple of stretched, messy seams and cursing just a little (a lot), I remembered that in a pinch, you can use a zipper foot to make sewing laminated fabrics a little easier. 

aahhh....much better.

I'm a little bit obsessed with my sewing machine's embroidery functions.  I topstitched Tessa's yellow jacket with green thread using an embroidery stitch that coordinated with the princess pattern in the lining fabric.  It totally made the jacket.  

The fit of these jackets is a little on the big side.  Not to the point that they are unable to wear them by any means.  We should be able to use them with the sleeves rolled a bit for the windy, nippy days of early Spring and for wading through the crunchy fallen leaves in Autumn. 

Don't my girls look great?

Happiness is a Twirly New Dress

For my second stashbuster, I made a deliciously twirly sundress for Holly, who is six years old and in kindergarten.

The fabric: navy and white slubby cotton gingham found on the clearance table at Hancock Fabric's for a dollar a yard (a DOLLAR!).  I bought eight yards, so this one will be reappearing over the spring or summer.  Trim fabric is a blender cotton I found at a local quilt shop.  It was not a bargain, but you can't always cheap out.  I like to support local businesses any time I can, and it was fun to chat with the lovely lady who cut it for me.  It evened out with the practically nothing paid for the main fabric, anyway.

The pattern: It's a bit of a mashup.  The main dress pattern is Chloe by Violette Field Threads - available here.  The collar is from the Piper dress pattern, also by Violette Field Threads, available here, which is one of my very favorite little girl dress patterns on its own.  I've made it five times now, and have plans to make several more.  I used the size 6, which is what she wears in ready-to-wear clothing.  I did not make the Chloe dress exactly according to the directions.  The original design uses tulle, chiffon, and netting for a big, glamorous, poofy skirt and does not feature a collar.  I was going for something more casual and play-appropriate, so I made the skirt out of a single layer of cotton woven instead.  I added the collar because I wanted to tie in the teal with more than just the sash, and because I am obsessed with bias trim lately, and wanted a way to add some.  

Any time you put patterns together without enough planning, there are risks.  If I were to do this again, I would copy the neckline from the Piper dress on the Chloe bodice, rather than leaving it as-is.  The collar doesn't lay down quite as well as I wanted it to.  It's still cute, but not exactly right.  Certainly wearable, though.  I added the bow because it was still missing something when it was done.  

I made a pretty little matching hairbow, too, from this free tutorial.  To modify it for fabric instead of felt, I cut out the pattern pieces with at 1/4 inch added seam allowance.  I cut two of each, sewed right sides together, and turned and topstitched.  Then I put it together exactly as instructed and hot-glued it to a barrette.  Super cute.  Holly told me that she would have made the bow teal and the center of it gingham, but that my way was acceptable, too.  

She loves the dress.  She said it rubs a little at the armholes and the waistline, but when she said it, she had been wearing the dress for two days, including having insisted upon sleeping it it.  I think that assessment can be taken with a grain of salt.  

My twirly girly.

Stashbusters!

I am something of a bargain hunter.  When I find a fellow sewist's garage sale or a fabric store going out of business, I STOCK UP!  Four years of accumulated finds have led to my basement containing more random fabric and craft supplies than some small fabric stores.  Before I  go on any more buying sprees (and since garage sale season is right around the corner), I need to do some serious sewing.  Coincidentally, my two girls have sprouted up like crazy over the winter, and need an entirely new wardrobe for spring and summer.  (The boys are growing too, but the oldest still fits in his summer clothes from last year, and the baby has inherited a TON of hand-me-downs.  I will be sewing some for them, but the bulk of this project will be for the ladies).  Huge fabric and pattern stash plus leggy children equals summer stashbuster project!  I'll be detailing my adventure as I go here, as regularly as I'm able.

My little girlies are six and four years old.  They love to twirl and dance, and enjoy all things sparkly and fancy.  They also love to play outside, ride bikes, and bury their toes in the mud.  They're best friends, and they're a lot of fun.

So the first stashbuster was a birthday dress for Tessa, who is four years old.  She is completely obsessed with Hello Kitty.

The fabrics: A heavier stretch denim from the Red Tag section at Jo-Ann during their Coupon Commotion event.  I think once all my coupons and discounts were used, it was about $2-3 per yard.  As accent, some Hello Kitty licensed quilting fabric out of the remnant bin.  I had about 3/4 of a yard.

The pattern: Jane by Violette Field Threads - available here.  I love this pattern.  It was easy to follow, and true to off-the-rack size.

I made it for her in size 4.  It was a little bit big, as she's kind of between sizes right now, but that's ok.  It should last her into the fall, I think.

She LOVES it!  I made it a couple of weeks ago, and she has wanted to wear it straight out of the dryer every time it's been washed.  She gets tons of complements on it.  I'll definitely be using this pattern again at some point in this project.