Pretty Pleats

I can't believe it's been a month since I've had a chance to write a post. Hopefully, I haven't had anyone on the edge of their seat (I doubt it, but, hey, who knows!). In the time I haven't posted, I've been practicing my pattern making skills and crafting toddler clothes patterns from basic sloper patterns. Of course, I've had a little help from a couple of fantastically insightful books (thanks to the public library!):

1: Make your own patterns : a primer in patternmaking for those who like to sew by Adele Margolis
2: The complete guide to pattern-making by Barbara K. Nordquist

Both the books have step by step instructions on how to change and draft pattern pieces from basic sloper pieces in order to create a whole piece. After three or four days of working with a child-size bodice sloper, I finally drafted a pattern to make a precious little pleated dress for Miss Katie.

This little girl LOVES to wear dresses - a lot more than I did when I was a kid - so she really enjoys modeling the clothes I make. But I only have a good time taking pictures if I can get her to hold still for a few minutes, haha. I usually have to bribe her with candy or juice.

You may recognize the fabric from an earlier post. I had some leftover cotton, so I thought I'd go ahead and use it to test my pattern. 

The pleated dress turned out pretty good, except that it's probably a little too short, which just means I'll have to make some bloomers (Ah, darn. Yet another sewing project to tackle.) to cover K's little panties when she reaches up or bends over. I also had to add that little yellow faux button panel in the center of the dress since I added an invisible zipper in the center back. This was the first time I've worked with pleats, so it was a whole new experience and a lot of fun. This was also the first invisible zipper I've installed - and it went in flawlessly. 

If you're interested in making your patterns, I definitely suggest picking up or borrowing a copy of these books I mentioned. Good luck in all your sewing endeavors and don't forget to check out my Etsy site for new items!

Doggy Days!

Meet Tucker, the newest addition to our little family. He's not too fond of the camera - he gets all squinty at the flash.

Last week, our family adopted a dog from the local animal shelter. He's super sweet and a lovable little rascal. We adopted him on a whim and weren't really prepared for a dog, especially a small one. So I got busy this weekend and made a fleece doggy jacket and a little doggy bed.

Here's the new dog paraphernalia:


He really loves his double layer fleece jacket. It was about 30 degrees out today, so I'm sure he'll appreciate it even more on those 2 degree days.

He's not super fond of the fleece and jersey bed I made, but I am guessing he's just not used to having a bed. He'll snuggle into sometimes, but it's not a fixture in his mind yet. Right now, "BED" seems to be the red Lay-Z-Boy. Hopefully that will change. At least he doesn't shed! You can see in the lower right that my two-year-old likes the dog bed - she was using it for her monkeys and dolls to nap in. :o)

A Colorful Opportunity

I found some beautiful absolutely-must-not-leave-this-store-without-some-of-this knit fabric at the store the other night when I managed to get out of the house all by myself (amazingly relaxing!). We're on a budget so I decided that even though I couldn't live without it, I could live with only one yard convincing myself I would figure out something to make out of it.

On my way home, I had a Eureka moment. I would turn that fabric into a scarf. Or three.

So I did. I discovered a tiny hole in the fabric and decided I would make a 10" scarf to keep for myself, and open an Etsy shop to see if I could sell the other two 15"x58" scarves.

**My two year old couldn't wait to wear the 10" scarf. She's going to be such a diva! LOVE IT!