Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Long Sleeve Peasant Dress

I am a little hyper when it comes to sewing. I was in the middle of sewing part of my brother's Christmas present when I saw this tutorial yesterday. During one of my favorite times of day (aka nap time), I cut up one of my super sheets from my favorite store (Target). How cute is this dress on my little princess?

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I made a few changes like skipping the elastic in the sleeves:

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And adding a sash with angled ends that can be tied in a bow:

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or a knot (which I like better):

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I think she likes it.

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And another shot, b/c I like her!

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Monday, November 8, 2010

My Favorite Flavor of Polyester

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Just a few pics of a little blanket I made for my friend's new baby. This was my first time working with this ultra soft and cuddly polyester material. It made a huge mess and was all shifty (but less shifty than minky). I think a walking foot might help. I also couldn't unpick my seams b/c they were impossible to see.

Here's a little tip for the mess:
I used the hose of my vacuum to clean up the area around and under my sewing machine. (unseen bonus of still having my sewing machine on the kitchen table- there's no carpet to trap little fuzzies). I tossed the finished blankets in the dryer with my dryer balls on no heat. It worked great.

I'm debating whether I should give the second blanket to my neighbor's dad as a lap blanket. He will be undergoing chemo soon. My husband doesn't think the blanket will be very useful. I think it'll be nice to help cover up (since hospital gowns are so modest ha) and could be a little pillow in the car. What do you think?

Monday, November 1, 2010

Three Billies (and Zero Trolls)

I'm officially OBSESSED with the Billy Cardi. Go make one right now- you won't regret it!

Here's my practice/casual one featuring some of the $5 five yard knit from Walmart:

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(Billy Cardi, top from this cool shop, skirt made by me, shoes from my friend's shop that'll hopefully be online soon)

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Church Halloween outfit (billy cardi, shade top, $2 kohl's belt, didn't realize how bright the skirt is when I ordered it online but it was free (minus shipping) from VS, shoes by crocs. I think I should stick to heels).

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Unintentional puckered sleeve close-up (LOVE it!)

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And the cutest and littlest Billy:

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(necklace made by me and a useful bribe, top from children's place clearance, pants made by me)

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Have a great day!

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Curving Cloudcover Dress

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I saw this dress this morning and think it would be fun to recreate using similar techniques as this skirt. What do you think?

A New Trick

Do you dislike the sticky residue from price tags as much as I do? I know it's important to have items clearly priced but who thought it was a good idea to put the hard to remove label on the bottom of a stainless steel pan. Anyway, after tearing up my nails and wasting a good ten minutes of my life, I remembered this little guy.

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Within seconds, little bits of the magic eraser and the rest of the label came off. It was awesome! I tried it on the plastic clock face too and it worked great. Before trying it elsewhere, I'd test it in a small spot.

Have you used a magic eraser to remove labels from other surfaces? How did it go?

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Happy Halloween!

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We're not really going anywhere or doing anything extraordinary for Halloween but I couldn't resist making Ansley a little Boo (from Monsters Inc) costume. She loves playing peekaboo would probably think Sully was funny.

Coincidentally, she's also showing off her Sully colored pants that go along with this outfit. Think the fabric is familiar? You're right- I used it to make this skirt after making her costume. I used this tutorial but should've adjusted the sleeve poofiness due to the stiffness of the fabric. I'm still figuring out how to adjust patterns.

Happy Halloween!

Linked here:


Be sure to check out the adorable costumes she made her children!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Go-To Dress

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I made these two dresses for less than two dollars. I used this tutorial and two old navy sweaters that were only 97 cents (plus an extra 30% off). One dress fits now and the other will fit when she's older. I love the little cap sleeves.

The sweater material is really thin and liked to get stuck in my machine or shred with my seam ripper, so it's not quite as pretty as I would've liked. I also had a bit of difficulty matching up the stripes, since I kept the bottom of the sweaters intact. I tried stretching the elastic as I was sewing the waist but my machine (and I) had fits. Oh well. I didn't add a waistband to the larger size b/c I like that it buttons all the way down. I'll probably add a little belt, to combat the muu muu-ness. I also really had to scrimp to get the excess cuff material to make the collar.

PS- that's the headboard I made a few years ago (minus the pillows since I didn't really want princess feet on my face). It was my first trip to a fabric store (or to the fabric section of a store) ever.