Ansley's Favorite Book Brought to Life

I've been enjoying the Once Upon a Thread series at one of my favorite blogs, No Big Dill.

I went to Joann's the other day to find some green fabric for an upcoming project (well, it's actually done but the recipient hasn't seen it yet) and found this perfect green corduroy. Joann's is moving to a bigger location (closer to my house) and everything in the store is marked down. All of the fabric was being sold by the bolt so I had enough to make Ansley a little dress. (and possibly enough to make something else for me. . . .)

The inverted pleat wasn't part of my original plan (I cut up the fabric while Ansley was sleeping) but it's cute over her belly and I like how it turned out. I'm also pretty excited about the topstitching on the straps. I also really like the gathers in the back. And in case you're curious, I didn't make any buttonholes; the buttons are sewed directly on to the straps.

I did take a few pictures of the creation process, which I'll post if any one is interested. :)

Check out more inspiring creations here:

Another New Favorite Skirt

Just like this one except the front and back weren't completely symmetrical so I'm wearing it the "correct" way. The brown skirt went back to its original owners. I love how flouncy the ruffles are. Hooray for free skirts.

Linked here:



and here:

Another Day, Another Dollar, Another Dress

Another day of being sick (and another night of Ansley not sleeping)/me going crazy with the unnecessary crying b/c I won't let her watch Curious George all day long.

One of the dollar dresses I bought at Walmart (yes, only a dollar!) with plans to repurpose them. I know the before picture isn't the exact dress but it's the same style, weight, etc. The one I used was a size 16 in women's.

My favorite pattern as of late. Also seen here and here. It's obviously a bit big in the arms and length but I want it to fit her for a while and I didn't measure the length on her b/c she was napping for a few minutes. The fabric is actually two layers. It would've been really thin if it wasn't. I'm not sure it'll last that long if it gets snagged on anything but it sure is comfy, lightweight, and airy- perfect for summer.

It's Spring Training Season

so spring must be coming!



I made this little pillowcase for my as seen on tv sobakawa pillow (which works alright but I think the foam beads are deflating. It's also kind of small- definitely too small to share with Ansley. Maybe I need to make a buckwheat pillow like my college roommate had. . . .) I used ideas from this tutorial, namely which way to fold the fabric, to make a border piece, and topstitching. My border piece was a bit wide b/c I wanted to use the leftovers from this blanket for the main body of the pillowcase. Doesn't Ansley look so little?

Skirt Refashion

I got this knit skirt from my piano students' mom. I cut it at my knee length. I divided the bottom part of the skirt into thirds and cut them, trimming the seams around the back slit (for "walking"- guess I take really large steps!) and the bottom hem. I sewed all of the pieces into one long strip, basted the top and gathered. After debating whether to sew it on the outside or the inside of the skirt, I sewed it on the outside with a zig zag stitch. The final step was rotating it (it was pretty much the same in the front and back) so the original back seam isn't directly in the middle of the back. I don't need any attention there. ha.

Love the collage? I just learned how via this awesome blog.

I Want This Outfit.

The end. Found here.

Trifle

I learned this recipe at a Pampered Chef Party. So good!

Layer brownies. (I used one of my college roommates/best friend, Becca's Lollie's brownies recipe. I'll share it once I find out if it's not secret. I'm a snob and don't like boxed brownies).



Top with a layer of pudding. (large box of pudding, about 2 1/2 cups of milk and about 1 cup whipping cream well beaten and chilled for five minutes or so. A lower fat alternative would be just pudding and about 3 cups of milk).



Top with Heath toffee bits. (found in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips and such).



Repeat.

Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator. It still tastes amazing the next day but the toffee bits will absorb moisture from the pudding layer and become less crunchy.

Variations:

pudding- the first time I made this I used vanilla pudding. I think I prefer it. It would also be good with banana pudding like my brother's favorite dessert at CPK.

toppings- fruit like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries would be yummy. It'd probably be great with mini chocolate chips and/or peanut butter chips too.

add a layer of whipped cream

make a little version- b/c little things are so cute!



Giveaway winner announced here.