I’ve made this dress before, the difference this time is I used the appropriate size and Elise can actually wear it more than once. Yay! These are the cutest children’s clothing patterns I have ever seen, and I cannot wait to get some of the new 2010 Spring patterns. I love the retro feel to these patterns and I fully understand that 10 years from now my child won’t want to wear handmade clothes. I’m taking full advantage now to dress her as I please.

I chose to use Alexander Henry’s de Granville fabric, with a medium floral print along with Moda Bella in Ivory. I know everyone likes Kona cotton, but true to form I am always different and much prefer Moda solids. I just think they feel like a higher quality. I purchased the Alexander Henry on Etsy awhile ago, as soon as I saw it, I thought of this pattern.  The red piping came from my mom’s sewing cabinet, which means it’s at least as old, if not older than I am. There are also red, flower shaped buttons purchased from Etsy used on the front and for the back button. They match perfectly, and couldn’t be any cuter.

Much like the first time, I had trouble with the bibbing. Instead of throwing it away and starting over, I just showed it to my mom who reminded me (again) that if I would read the directions I would have an easier time sewing. I had trouble with the piping as well, for some reason the first time was not the charm, but the second time it was easy peasy. This pattern went together quickly the second time, which is fortunate for me because I have a list about 3 years long worth of sewing projects, including quilts for both my bedroom and Elise’s. Do you think I can keep her in a toddler bed until she’s 10? I also have some Moda dobby that I think would make a cute Playdate dress. Can you have too many of these? I think not!

I’m finding that fighting my sewing machine is much easier than fighting traffic and crowds of people. I’m thinking it might be entirely possible for me to actually become a hermit. That being said, the Handmade Santa strikes again with an adorable fleece blanket. I wanted to do something more creative than the new sew, tie edges that a lot of people do with fleece. I also wanted to get much more creative with my binding than matching green, pre-made quilt binding but again, we’ve already discussed my schedule. So using some Sweet Pea fleece I purchase from Jo-Ann’s last year and 3 packages of quilt binding I made a blanket.

In an effort to be slightly more creative I did use a different thread for my bobbin, so there’s green on the top and pink on the bottom. I’m pleased with this giant blanket and it’s even mommy sized at approximately 60″ x 72″. I’m planning ahead, I assume my child will grow. Now if I can just get motivated to finish the rest of the Christmas items I’m trying to make….

I would love to believe that I could do all handmade things for Christmas, but with a toddler, a husband and a full time job let’s be honest, I’m lucky I can do handmade anything! I did, however, get one project finished so far in my efforts to create some handmade goodness. I’ve also purchased quite a bit from Etsy, so I feel like I’m sort of keepin’ it real. Last night I finished the Oliver + S Sunday Brunch jacket and skirt for Elise. I love this pattern. I’ve loved it even more since I saw this posted on Craftzine forever ago. What better time to get around to making it than Christmas?

First, I had to choose my fabrics. When I originally decided to make this pattern I wanted to use the MoMo Wonderland Twill but..ha! good luck finding it. So I opted for my second choice, Robert Kaufman corduroy as I’ve read it’s super soft. The internet doesn’t lie, it is indeed very soft. I also went for the pink/brown medallions from Flea Market Fancy. I know, crafting world, I can’t believe I cut into my FMF stash either.

I made the skirt first, and it went together fast and easy. The pattern was very simple, and I love the front pockets and back elastic waist. The skirt took about 2 hours, which includes cutting time and time to stop and watch TV as I’m prone to distractions. Also since I work nights, I’m often up late sewing and I had to wait for my daughter to wake up so I could determine the hem and if I had enough elastic.

Then it was jacket time. Note to self and everyone else, pay attention to your pattern pieces. Even if there aren’t pictures on the pattern, pay attention to the pieces themselves. Also, don’t try to sew this pattern when you’re dead tired. You’ll confuse yourself and end up becoming very close friends with your seam ripper. However, in the end I was very pleased with the incredible cuteness of this jacket. I can’t wait to put it on Elise!

I purchased some very cute fabric covered buttons from Please Eloise, even though they were slightly larger than I needed. The pattern calls for four 5/8″ buttons, but since when do I follow the rules? I used two 7/8″ buttons instead and love them just the same. Even better, I still have 3 fabric covered buttons to use on another project!

After a few headaches, a million seams ripped, one episode of NFL Red Zone and a few George Lopez’s I have a finished project which I love. For the record, my husband loathes the competing patterns and keeps saying things like, “the jacket would look better with a solid skirt”. He wears jeans with either black, gray or navy blue shirts every day because he’s fashion retarded. Elise can totally rock this.

It’s no secret, Elise loves The Backyardigans. It’s just about the only tv show that will actually hold her interest. I mean, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny are cool, but they don’t even compare to Pablo’s endless hunger for fruit and yogurt or cheese and crackers. On a recent trip to Hancock’s she went crazy upon spotting a bolt of Backyardigans fleece. It was 52% off (I know, 52%…weird) and once I placed it in the cart she gave the bolt a big hug and proceeded to snuggle the fleece bolt while I finished picking up the other items I needed. How could I not buy her enough to make a good sized throw blanket. That being said, I’m really hoping that she likes these backyard friends for a few years to come, because this blanket will definitely cover her for at least 2 more years. It’s approximately 54 x 60 and that’s huge for a 31″ little girl. It also took about a pack and a half of satin blanket binding to bind the edges. Instead of finishing one and starting another, I sewed two together and made it one huge blanket binding. Overall, I think the blanket is cute, it’s even more cute being drug around my house by a toddler.

I apparently decided that blogging my creative awesomeness is too much to handle. First I’ve been trying the Oliver + S Swingset tunic. The first time I made the 6-12 month size and it barely fit over Elise’s head. I, of course, assumed that it was because I made the wrong size. So my second attempt I made the 12-18 month size, i can get it on but it’s not pretty. I’m debating whether or not I want to irritate myself and try round three. So, if you know any little babies who need a tank top…..

Here is the first attempt. The fabric is Kaye’s Kreations by Kaye England for Bernatex. I bought this off a scrap table, so I didn’t feel bad when this didn’t turn out well because I didn’t use anything expensive. If I had used some Flea Market Fancy for this, I probably would have cried! The shirt seemed to go together easy until the bodice went together with the bottom of the shirt I guess.

An up close look at the fabric. It’s a very cute, tiny dot print. I have a real thing for dots, this occurred when I was pregnant and has yet to go away. I’m probably going to start dressing my daughter like a clown soon!

I waited a few weeks before attempting the second round of the swingset tunic. This time I chose the 12-18 month size, and was convinced it was fit like a dream. Well, I can get this tunic ON but it looks like it’s about to bust at the seams and you can’t get the buttons done on the back of the shirt. It’s on, but it’s not cute! I have no idea what kind of fabric this is, but it was also purchased from a scrap table. I wish I could make myself a shirt out of one large scrap of fabric! Then I wouldn’t feel so bad when things turned out poorly.

An up close view of the fabric, which is a cute pink flower. Some days I think I might rip the shirt apart and use a pink or green broadcloth for the bodice. Who knows? If I should become ambitious some day then maybe. By that time, Elise won’t fit into it and my efforts will be in vain. That’s sad, because this shirt is really cute!

Exactly, when you can’t sleep it makes the most sense to sew some sleepwear. That’s precisely what I did last week when I was trying to get some sleep before work. I already had the pants cut out, if you remember from the crafty insanity that was taking over our guest bedroom. First I made two pairs of pajama pants for Elise, out of some cutsie animal prints that my mother in law bought at Joanns. I used to same pants pattern from Amy Butler’s Little Stitches that I used on the giraffe pants. These pants combined took only about an hour and a half to complete. The only alterations I made to the pattern was to add a little bit of extra elastic to the waist and an inch to the length, in order to make the size 12-18 months rather than 9-12 months.I also chose to hem each pant leg before I started sewing the pants together, it’s easier that way and works well if you know exactly what length you need.

Next I worked on some pajama pants for myself from Heather Ross’ Weekend Sewing. I used a size small and took about 4 inches off the length of the pants, because if you’ll remember, I have short legs. I used the delightful Matryoshka doll fabric from Heather’s West Hill line. Instead of putting elastic in the waist, I used a drawstring instead. I used the instructions from Amy Butler’s In Stitches for making the drawstring casing. Interestingly enough, when I made my wide leg lounge pants from In Stitches, I chose not to use a drawstring, but make an elastic waist instead. Go figure.

The Weekend Sewing pajama pants took about the same amount of time that it took to sew two pairs of pajama pants for Elise, but I suppose that’s because my legs are about twice as long.

I love all of the Oliver + S patterns. They are the most adorable patterns for children on the planet! I figured the Playdate dress would be a litte challenging due to it’s difficulty rating, however I think making the 6-12 month size adds to it. I omitted the optional piping because honestly, I was just using some cheap fabric from Joanns to get a feel for how these patterns are written. I have some nice Alexander Henry Fleur De Granville fabric picked out for this dress and I wasn’t about to risk messing that up! I also omitted the pockets.

I picked this fabric up from the clearance section when Joann’s was having a 50% off sale, so it was only $1.50. I figured worst case scenario, I ruin cheap fabric. Best case, I thought it was cute and Elise looks good in purple. It was truely a win win. I also bought some cheap white broadcloth for the bibbing.

Speaking of bibbing, I messed the first one up, threw it away and started over..only to have the same problem again! I called in my mom for reinforcement, and she was quick to point out that I would have better luck if I actually read the directions. That mom of mine, she’s one smart cookie.

I also omitted the ruffles from the bibbing, but that was mainly because I am lazy. I had them cut out, and all it takes is basically gathering them and sewing them onto the bibbing but again, I omitted them because I am lazy. I did add some super cute heart buttons that I also bought at Joanns.

Overall, I did enjoy making this dress. I do think that when I make it again it will be in a bigger size, and also I think that I will make a few changes in how I hem the sleeves. The Easy Empire Waist Top had a much better idea of hemming the sleeves before you sew the side seams. I should’ve done that here. Instead, I used the machine to hem one sleeve, which was a disaster, and hand stitched the other hem, which my hand sewing could use some work.

I started this shirt 4 months ago. I found it so completely obnoxious to make that I just now finished it. To be perfectly honest, it’s not really finished, but it’s as far as I’m willing to go with it. It’s the Easy Empire Waist Top from Amy’s Butler’s Little Stitches for Little Ones. For my fabrics I chose was Feathered Friends by Wendy Slotboom. I should’ve known this project was doomed from the start when I didn’t even really like the fabrics that I chose. I chose them because I couldn’t find anything else at The Fabric Shack that I thought coordinated well enough for this shirt.

So I come home and I cut out my fabrics and I’m all set to make an adorable shirt for my little girl. Ok, first the pattern difficulty is 4. This makes no sense because it is titled the EASY Empire Waist top, but I digress. I’ve heard this same thought echoed on other blogs as well, so I know I’m not alone in this thinking. It was all fun and games until I tried to add in the lining..and tried again..and then again..and then got tired of trying to make it look nice and went with bias tape to finish my edges instead. I don’t have time to be aggrevated. The rest of the shirt came together easily, but that lining issue was enough to sour me for the whole shirt. This is the first Amy Butler pattern I haven’t been able to finish in a couple of hours. I didn’t add the elastic, and there’s no button on this shirt but I don’t really intend to add these things (well, maybe a snap closure). Overall, I didn’t enjoy making this shirt. I can’t wait to start on some Oliver + S stuff for her summer wardrobe!

By the way, no one sleeve is not longer than the other, it’s just the way the shirt is hanging.

Her nickname was Sweet Pea from the second my husband found out we were having a baby. If it was a girl, her nickname was going to be Sweet Pea, the end. So of course when I saw this Sweet Pea flannel at Jo-Ann’s I had to buy it. Along with 2 yards of embroidered Sweet Pea fleece that I have no clue what I’m going to do with yet.

I considered using the flannel for the car seat cover, but changed my mind and decided that it was too thin for winter and made a blanket instead with this chenile I had in my stash.

A close up of the incredible cuteness that is the Sweet Pea flannel.

I really wanted to use satin blanket binding on this, but for some reason it wasn’t in the cards. After ripping the binding out three times I decided that it wasn’t worth the annoyance and that top stitching would be just as fine.

And look, my little sweet pea doesn’t even care.