Tiny Bubbles

With Easter quickly approaching I needed to start working on the girl’s Easter dresses.  These have been cut out for about 2 weeks and because I have been so busy with shop orders I had not had a chance to get to them until now. 

 I used the out of print Oliver + S Bubble Dress Pattern in a size 3T for my daughter A and I am working on a 2T for M.  The word on the street is that soon this pattern will be offered for sale digitally on their web site!  That is very good news because you do not want to miss out on this pattern.  This dress is the perfect mix of sophisticated and cute.  The stitching along the sleeves and fully lined bodice and skirt make it look very expensive and the cute cap sleeves and bubble bottom give it just a sweet little touch.  It took me about 3 hours from start to finish sewing this dress.  Of course I did it over a few nights time and it would have taken me less but it is always a learning experience when I use the automatic buttonhole function on my sewing machine.  The buttonholes turned out great on the dress but there was lots of practice on scrap fabric before I had it adjusted just the way I like it. 

I used the Michael Miller Disco Dot in Bloom for the main fabric because I just love the color combination of grey and pink and used a light white batiste for the lining.  I think grey and pink is not as harsh as black and pink and just looked so charming for spring.  I decided that we are all going to coordinate for Easter so I will be wearing a grey skirt (that I have been working on for a while) as well as pink top and the hubby will be wearing his grey suit and pink tie.  We won’t be too matchy-matchy but will still look put together for pictures. 

My one question is about the ribbon for the middle.  I had envisioned in my head that I would tack the ribbon to the sides and then tie a big bow in the back but now that the dress is done I am not sure this is the right look.  I just put it up there for some pictures to see what it looked like and I still am not sure which way to go. Any suggestions or preferences?

I am still working on M’s dress but hope to have it finished soon.  It is supposed to be in the mid 80’s over the weekend so I am planning on getting some great outdoor shots of both the girls wearing them.

Cheers,

Erin

P.S. - I am entering this outfit into the Creative Me contest.
‘My entry into Creative Me is sponsored by Appliances Online and Bosch Washing Machines.'

Weekend Sewing & Eggs

Oh the weekend, I love it. At our house we get a chance to relax and forget about the hustle and bustle of the week. We get to snuggle, bake, lounge around, play outside and sometimes sleep in! The girls are at a point right now that they love being outside and if we put them in the backyard they just want to run all over. This is a great chance for them to get some exercise, vitamin D and burn off some of that never ending energy. Soon it will be too hot here for much outside play so we will take it while we can.

Right now I have a great schedule for sewing on the weekends. I usually put both my girls down for a nap after lunch and then putter around in my sewing area (i.e. our loft that is in-between both girls bedrooms). I usually try to clean up any messes in my sewing space and organize things for the next project. Once I know that both girls are down for the count I take all my fabric and cutting mat, rotary cutter and scissors downstairs and cut out whatever I plan on sewing. I bring all of the cut fabric back up and organize it into piles with each of the cut pieces and any other supplies that are needed. This allows me to be all ready when I have the chance to sew. I do most of my sewing once the girls are in bed for the night and it usually amounts to about an hour of sewing time with just a few interruptions from little girls!

I had to chance to work on some Easter shirts for a very good friend of mine who has two little girls. The age difference between the two are about the same as my little ones so we have a lot in common when it comes to parenting. She spotted something similar out there on Pinterest and loved them so much that she asked me to make her a couple. I rounded up some of my favorite springy/Easter colored fabrics and got to sewing. These Easter Egg Necklace T-Shirts are so cute. I loved the way they turned out and think that the big/little sister combination darling. The grograin ribbow bow is sewn directly on to the shirt and the necklace "string" is just sewn in a contrasting thread color. I did have to decrease the number of eggs and the size of the eggs for the onesie. The larger eggs made the proportions off and having seven eggs instead of five made it too busy. I think they were a success and can’t wait to make some more for my two…if I can get them done in time. Maybe I will just wait until next year on these.






I am almost finished with the Oliver + S Bubble dress for A. The only thing that is lacking is buttons for the back so I am counting it as a complete item. It should take me about ten minutes to get it done tonight. I still have to sew up M’s dress but it should take about a night to get it all finished and then I will post pictures of them both together. These are for Easter so I still have a little time but I don't want to push it too close.

I did work on a few orders over the weekend. Just the regular in the shop but hopefully I will get the time to work on a few new additions.

I will be testing a girl’s dress pattern this week. I am so excited because the dress looks super cute and the designer is out of South Carolina.

Project List for the Week
Oliver + S Bubble Dress for Easter – for M 2T – Michael Miller Disco Dot Blush
Clever Charlotte Phoebe Flutter Blouse – for A 2/3T – Lisette Lawn Fabric
Oliver + S Class Picnic Tunic – for A 3T – Lisette Sateen
Pattern Review

Cheers,

Erin

Shop Additions

So I wanted to do a quick rundown of a few things that have been added to the shop. I plan on releasing a few more dresses for the summer months and a top/capri set as well. Of course I will let you know once they are up and available for sale.

The Minnie Mouse Dress is a spin off of my popular Mickey and Minnie Mouse ruffle outfits. The dress is short sleeve and is perfect for a summer trip to Disney, a birthday party or even cute enough to wear any day of the week.

The Charlotte Ruffle Neck Easter/Spring dress is the perfect dress for Easter or just a spring day. The ruffle neck on this is such a statement but does not compromise comfort either. Cute printed pockets add to the charm of this dress and allow your little girl to safely stash all of her treats from the Easter Bunny.

I dont have any boys in my house but I still get to sew for them with orders that come into the shop. The Mickey Tie T-Shirt is so cute and can match either the Mickey Ruffle Outfit or the Mickey Mouse Long Sleeve Dress. This is a little dressier than the Mickey Boy outfit with chambray pants but still just as cute.


There is a lot on the To Sew list for the weekend but I will have to play it by ear. The pollen is starting to die down and it is supposed to be great weather. Of course I plan on giving you an update of what gets done on Monday.


Hope you have a great weekend doing whatever it is that makes you happy!


Cheers,
Erin

Shorts Weather

Now that the weather is getting warmer around here I have been thinking about what types of items I am going to sew the girls. There are summer dresses, tank tops, skirts, and shorts floating around in my head and this past week I knew I just needed to get started on something. It will be HOT before we know it and I want to be ready.

Originally, when I fished these fabrics out of remnant bins at my local fabric stores, I had another garment in mind. I though the Oliver + S Hopscotch Dress would look darling in the polka dot and the aqua blue would be a perfect match for the neck binding. Once I got home I realized that I had nowhere near enough fabric for the dress and I would be stretching it with the short sleeve shirt version. I thought about what other patterns I had wanted to make and remembered the Lil Blue Boo Perfect Shorts.

Now, I love Ashely, her blog and all of the Lil Blue Boo patterns but I am still a little weary of sewing with knits. I am lucky enough to have a serger and have not had an extra difficult time sewing with them but I am still always a little nervous.

These shorts were so easy to sew it is almost embarrassing to say that I was worried. I had these cut out and finished in less than 30 minutes for each pair. There are a total of 5 pieces for these shorts and only 7 seams to sew. I cut a 24 month/2T out for my daughter M who is 22 months old and a 3T for my daughter A who is 3 years old. Both of these shorts fit the girls great and will be a staple around our house for the summer. I still have some of this fabric left over so I might be making these as gifts for a couple of little girls I know.

Cheers,


Erin

Good Combination/Bad Combination

Weather in the 80’s and 90’s
2 girls with an infinite amount of energy
Mother in Law and Sister in Law visiting from out of town

Take all of the above good things and you would see that my weekend was full of fun times outside. We played in the yard and at the water table for several hours. I also snuck in a little shoe shopping with my SIL that was so nice. We had fun just walking around pointing out all the crazy shoes that are out right now and trying on some that were to die for. We all had a great visit with our out of town guest and were very sad to see them leave on Sunday.

Add the crazy pollen storm that we are having right now with all of the outside time and that makes me a sniffling, sneezing, itchy eye mess. Even if I had the time to get some sewing done I was such a wreck that I probably would not have made it through a seam without sneezing and messing everything up.

I did finish up the Lil Blue Boo Perfect Shorts for both of the girls last night and plan to blog about them in the next couple of days.

I also have some new additions to the shop. A new boy Mickey outfit, new girls Minnie dress and the Charlotte ruffle neck dress that is perfect for Easter.

Project List for the Week

Easter Egg Necklace T-Shirts
Clever Charlotte Phoebe Flutter Blouse – for A 2/3T – Lisette Lawn Fabric
Oliver + S Bubble Dress for Easter – for M 2T – Michael Miller Disco Dot Blush
Oliver + S Bubble Dress for Easter – for A 3T – Michael Miller Disco Dot Blush
Oliver + S Class Picnic Tunic – for A 3T – Lisette Sateen

Cheers,
Erin

Testing Testing - The Red Kitchen Panties Pattern

I was so excited when Katie at The Red Kitchen picked me to help test her Girl’s Panties Pattern. If you don’t know about Katie and The Red Kitchen you are really missing out. Her blog always has great ideas about sewing, crafting, kids, preschool, parenting and so much more and to make things even better her daughter Olivia is just darling.

This project has been floating around in my mind for a while now. I have one little that is fully potty trained and my other little is about ready to start the process. I’ve seen others sew panties and thought that it was a great project, especially to use up all of your old t-shirts. But, the problem was sewing with knits. I was a little nervous but I jumped right in and starting cutting shirts left and right knowing that they were headed for the donation pile anyways if things did not work out. I used some old onesies that both of the girls had grown out of, a long sleeve polo of mine that had a stain on the front and some shirts of mine that somehow shrunk after I was pregnant. ***Small tangent: any Mom's out there have this same problem that most of your shirts are now too short even though your body is mostly back to normal?***

Ok, so back to the pattern review. Kaite’s pattern is perfect for the whole spectrum of sewists..sewers…people who sew! Beginners, intermediate, advanced, knit phobic or knit lovers this pattern can be sewn by all. I read through the directions one time and then started sewing. I think the first pair took me about 30 minutes because I wanted to make sure I was reading and sewing everything correctly. For my first pair I used a cherry print onesie and the polo shirt for the leg binding. The second pair I used one of my old shirts and then added some elastic lace trim for the leg openings. I just stretched the elastic as I was sewing and then sewed up as normal. Both pairs fit great and my older daughter actually picked a pair out to wear the next day. It's always marked a success when the girls actually pick it themselves!

Watch out these are so easy that they might become a little addicting. I have about 10 more pairs cut out and ready for me to sew when I get some extra time.

This is a comparison of store bought panties vs. handmade with Kaite's pattern.

Go check out Katie, The Red Kitchen and her fantastic Girl's Panties Pattern.

Weekend Sewing

My plan is to put a post together every Monday that recaps what projects I worked on/completed over the weekend. I have high hopes that this will help motivate me to get orders from the shop done a little quicker and get a chance to work on some of the fun projects that I have in my head!

So, what did I work on this weekend? Several pending orders for the shop. Nothing super exciting but at least I was sewing.

Right now the most popular item in my shop is the Mickey Mouse Ruffle Outfit.
This outfit is so cute and can be worn for a Mickey or Minnie Mouse Birthday and would be perfect for a trip to Disney.

I have several new spring and summer items that I am getting ready to list in my shop. I promise to not make this blog all about my Etsy shop but I will let you know when new things get listed.

Project List for the Week

Secret Pattern Review!!!
Little Blue Boo Perfect Shorts – for A 3T
Clever Charlotte Phoebe Flutter Blouse – for A 2/3T – Lisette Lawn Fabric
Class Picnic Tunic – for A 3T – Lisette Sateen
Girly Pom Pom Garland

We will have to see what gets done this week.

My MIL and SIL will get here on Thursday evening and stay through the weekend. I know that I could slip away for a while to sew but it is nice to visit with them while they are here.

Cheers,

Erin

Let's Get This Party Started

I guess that this blog should start off by giving you an intro to who I am. I am definitely not the best writer but I do love making lists for everything. Short lists of the chores, projects and orders that I need to get done today. Lists of what I need to get done over the weekend while I am out of work and have the time. Longer lists of what items I would like to add to my Etsy store, clothes that I would like to make for my girls and myself for the next season, long term projects around the house and so many more that it could make your head spin.

So, you get me in a nutshell through a couple of lists.

Who I Am:
Wife
Mother to 2 beautiful girls
Daughter
Sister
Etsy Shop Owner
Pinterest Junkie

What I Love To Do:
Spend time with my girls
Sew
Crochet
Craft
Cook
Read

What I Would Like To Do More Of:
Exercise/Run
Garden
Sew more for myself

Goals For The Next Year:
Learn how to use my DSLR camera on manual!!!
Learn how to put in an invisible zipper
Continue to grow my Etsy store

I hope this gives you just a little insight on who I am and what types of things interest me. I plan to post about a lot of the things that I enjoy and I hope you pop in occasionally to see what I am up to.

Cheers.
Erin