The 5 Minute Tu-Tu

My daughter has a couple of cousins that are just 3 years older, and also the only girls in their families full of boys.  Therefore, they are the perfect source for great hand-me-down clothes.  Both of the cousins really love the "princess" type dresses.  You know the ones, lots of frills and ruffles and chiffon.  We love these dresses too, but every so often we'll get one where the frills just don't hold up to the active life of a two-year-old.  We just so happened to have had one of these dresses hanging out in her closet for a few months now.  My previous attempts at mending these types of dresses (especially this particular type of wear) has been less that satisfying, and I was afraid I was either going to have to cut the offending organza over skirt, or just pass on the dress completely.

Sorry I don't have pictures of all of this.  Sometime my brain fails to remind me that I do own a camera.

Anyway, to continue on with this incredibly long story...I ended up cutting of the over-skirt, and the dress is adorable and much more functional now.  I hated to see all that pretty organza go to waste though, so after trimming of some of the raw edges (where it was pulling away from the seams of the dress) I ran it through the serger, cased in a waistband and...Ta Da!  A perfect dress-up skirt that didn't cost me a thing. 

It looks especially good when paired with the Tinkerbell swimsuit. ; )

Diaper Clutch

So you haven't heard from us in a while...Sorry about that.  Life sometimes gets in the way of crafting.  But there will be more great stuff to see on here soon.

In the meantime:

A diaper clutch I made for a friend of mine.  Tutorial found Here.

Drop Waist Skirt

I kind of just came up with this one.  I had the idea in my head, and it came out close - but not quite right.  I think it's cute still, but I'll probably keep tweaking until I feel better about it.

I started out by cutting the bottom tier (about double her waist measurement) and the ruffle (3x the bottom tier).  I serged a rolled hem on the tier, and along both edges of the ruffle, then ran a gathering stitch down the middle of the ruffle.

 I gathered the ruffle and attached it to the bottom tier of the skirt.  I'd recommend lots of measuring and pinning here - the ruffle can slip easily (not that I'm speaking from experience or anything ;) ).

 I gathered the top of the bottom tier and attached it to the top tier (her waist measurement + a few inches), then sewed the whole thing into a tube, made a casing and added an elastic waist band.
 

Yeah, tucked in isn't the most flattering look for her cute little root-beer belly.  Still like it though.

Candy Cane Skirt

I wasn't sure about this one when I started putting it together.  The idea came from a friend of mine, while we were looking through my fabric stash.  I had these cute coordinating fabrics, and she told me about a skirt she found on etsy that was made by sewing strips of fabric together and then making a simple tube skirt out of them.  I still wasn't sure, but I wanted to use the fabric so I gave it a try.

Honestly, I think this is one of my favorite skirts now.  It just came together really well, and she looks so cute in it.

I started by cutting strips (more like rectangles) of the fabrics that were 4" by (the length + 1" for waistband.)  I serged the strips together until I had around 45" then turned my big strip into a tube. I added a casing for an elastic waistband, and a small ruffle on the bottom, and that was it!  It was much easier than it looks.

Another Tiered Skirt

I've been in skirt mode lately...If you couldn't tell.  My girlie needs spring clothes, and skirts are easy (and comfy).  It's as simple as that.  (Plus, I think she looks too cute in a little skirt with tights or leggings).

 

This one is a variation on the tiered skirts that I've posted previously.  The tutorial and formula that I used are from "Crap I've Made" and can be found here.

Ava Tie Top Dress (part 2) - The Easter Dress

When I originally planned this dress it was just going to be another dress in The Girlie's collection. But as I started putting it together I fell in love with it and the hand-me-down that was going to be her Easter dress got moved to the back of the closet so this could take it's place.

And of course, no Easter dress is complete without a matching hair clip.

Yep, I'm happy with it.  

The dress fabric is Alexander Henry (I believe) From JoAnn's, and the pattern is the "Ava Tie Top Dress" by Izzy & Ivy Designs. (More info in my other post Here) The clip is made from some matching yellow satin, and red mini grosgrain ribbon.  The Center of the flower is from Stampin' Up! (Antique Brads).

Argyle Tiered Skirt

This Skirt is a kid sized version of the skirt that I made here.  I haven't yet perfected the magic numbers to make each tier work out, I get a rough idea, and the eye it until it looks right (sorry I can't be more specific).

The fabric is a printed corduroy from JoAnn's, I got it as a remnant piece for like $4, and it just screamed "preppy little tiered skirt".    

I love the movement on it, and the beauty of the tiered skirt is that it is extremely forgiving (My sewing skills are far from perfect ; ) ).

The basic Idea is a top tier (slightly wider than waist size) and then two additional tiers each getting larger, depending on the amount of fullness you want.  The width of each strip is the desired length of the skirt/3.  Make sure to add an extra inch to the top tier (to account for the casing for the waistband).

Start from the bottom up.  Hem the bottom then gather the top of the lowest tier then attach it to the bottom of the next tier.  Repeat the gathering with tier 2 and attach it to the bottom of the top tier.  Make a casing for the elastic waistband, add the elastic - and viola! (Sorry I don't have pictures.  I'm working on being better about taking pictures while I sew...)

the "Sophie" Skirt and the Grown-up Tiered Skirt

So, we did family pictures a few weeks back. Here is me and my cute girlie:

It wasn't intended, but we both ended up wearing skirts that I made.  It still feels a little funny (clothes are something that I put off sewing for years because they scared me so much.)

First, hers:

This seriously was the result of walking around the fabric store with Melissa until something screamed at me.  What that something ended up being was this kind of polka-dotted tulle.  I matched it with a lining fabric, and was first going to do a take on the tired skirt you'll see in a minute.  That evolved from a few different ideas into this ruffled skirt.  I made a tube, slightly bigger than my girlie's waist, added a rolled hem to the bottom and then sewed the ruffles (strips of gathered tulle - as ruffly as you want) right on to the lining.  In this case I ended the ruffles right below where the waistband would sit, then added a casing and elastic.  I'm not super happy with the waistband, but I know how to make it better for next time.

Now the tiered skirt that I'm wearing :

My initial Dimensions were created using the formula found here.  That was a little too full for my taste though, so I cut down the 2nd and 3rd tiers to make them a little bit more modern and grown-up.  This is one of my favorite skirts now, and is the go-to in my closet (it also looks great with my brown boots ; ) )

And just one more of me and my cute crazies (and another good view of the skirts):

**Thanks to Alexis Merritt (http://alexismerrittphotography.com/) for the great family pictures.  (Go check her out!)

Ava Tie Top Dress (part 1)

The pattern used for this project is the "Ava Tie Top Dress" by Izzy and Ivy Designs.  More info can be found here.

My mom picked this pattern up a while back, and never got around to making it.  So-she passed it on to me, and I sat on it for a while, and finally decided to get up the courage to give it a try.  It incorporates two techniques that I wasn't super comfortable with (shirring, and rolled hem edges), so this is my first "tester" dress.  I had to try it out on some inexpensive fabric before I make it on the expensive stuff (am I the only one who does this?)  Anyway, my tester actually turned out pretty cute, so I have to share.

 

 

My resident supermodel was not interested in cooperating yesterday, so you get just the picture of the dress, but I think it comes across okay, even on the hanger.  I altered the design from the original by omitting the pin-tucks at the hem, and adding the ruffle instead (just to tie-in the tie fabric, because they are both pretty bold prints).  

The fabric is from wal-mart (I got it for about $1/yd on a 75% clearance sale).  I had half a yard of each, and have plenty of the stripe left over. That is for a 24 month size, which fits my average sized 2 year old - but not for long.  My next dress will be the size 3-4.

Stay tuned for more, and thanks for stopping by!

Ribbon Skirt

This is seriously the easiest skirt to make!

Measure your child's waist.  

Cut the elastic plus 1 inch to fit.  

Cut your fabric (2) pieces the width of waist measurement and the length you'd like it plus 2 inches. 

Knot the Ribbons.  

Stitch Ribbon pieces on, however many you'd like.  

Sew the ends of the skirt together, to make a tube.  

Roll the top and insert the elastic.  

Then it's just a simple hem and you're all done.  

 

 

Happy Creating!

Melissa

Fleece Backed Baby Blanket

Perfect gift for a mom having twins, one boy, one girl.

Find miscellaneous fabric scraps that are the colors you would like to use.

Cut them to 4-5 inch squares.

Lay them out in a pattern you like.

Sew them together line by line, then row by row.

Cut your fleece* to match the the size of your blanket top.

Stitch right sides together.

Turn right side out and top stitch.

You could quilt it too if you wanted, I didn't.

Happy Creating!

Melissa

**I buy the blankets from Walmart when they're cheap.  It's cheaper then buying fleece by the yard.