A Geranium Dress for Vanilla

One of the perks of taking a three month blogging hiatus is that I actually have a few things to share with you! This whole, I'm moving soon business has been taxing to say the least, but I've managed to get a few things finished, including this super cool Geranium Dress by Made by Rae for my Vanilla Bean.

This green and white print came from my grandmother's stash, as did the gingham lining. I'm fairly confident they were purchased at the same time, and for the super high cost of eighty-six cents! I don't know when my grandma purchased these lovelies, but my daughter is rocking some sweet threads, let me tell you.

It's obvs not perfect, but I am so pleased with how it turned out. The buttonholes aren't *perfectly* spaced, but I like to think people will be so enthralled by my adorable daughter that they won't even notice the buttonholes.

Speaking of perfect, it looks as though I was totally bomb at matching those stripes and pleats from the skirt with the bodice. Between you and me, because we're friends and all, it was a TOTAL accident in cutting. But like, I'm not complaining. It looks fierce.

I also finished up these stuffed pups from the Woof Woof Panel by Stacy Iest Hsu. The little pups are done too. I was watching a friend's kidlets when we suddenly encountered a quilt store in the wild. It wasn't my neck of the city, so I kinda sorta dragged three young boys into a quilt shop. (For the record, they were extremely well behaved.) We saw these pups stitched up, and the oldest boy suggested I make the pink one for Vanilla and the blue one for his baby bro. It was a most excellent plan, so of course I agreed.

Purple Moneta Dress

I finished this dress a few weeks ago, but getting photos taken? Well, that was another matter entirely! This is the Moneta Dress by Colette. I used a purple knit fabric from Jo-Ann's to make a muslin for this pattern, but of course I hoped that it would be a wearable muslin. I think I have worn this three times since I finished it? So success! Because you see, I have some pink octopi fabric just waiting to be transformed into a super awesome dress!

The Moneta pattern was easy to follow, and the dress came together easily. The only area I struggled was the neckline. It was hard to get that to lay flat! (This is a complaint that I've heard from a couple of people, so if any of y'all have made this pattern and have any advice, help a girl out!)

Before I cut into my octopi, I think I'll try a size down. This feels a little big to me, particularly in the arms. But I do love it! And I'm excited to add more  Monetas to my closet.

Oh! And tell me! Are there any knit patterns you particularly like? I've got a few things from Patterns for Pirates on my list.

Felicity Dress in Lawn

Finish #2 from the Q2 FAL is my Felicity Dress in Lawn. I used a Cotton + Steel lawn (I believe the collection was Hatbox?) for my dress, and it was a lesson in making do, let me tell you. But now it's done, and I love my dress!

I originally finished off the neckline, but it didn't sit right, so I had to rip everything out and begin again. It was totally the right call, but ugh.

I didn't have *quite* enough fabric, so I had to use something else for my pockets. This is some sort of Kona solid that is actually a really pale blue. I had it on hand, it was the perfect amount of material, it worked.

And I finished it off with a pink waist sash using the edge of the fabric. I had intended to utilize that pink for the bottom hem, but I didn't have enough fabric to make that work, so sash it is! And really, without the sash, I think the pink at the neck and armholes would look out of place, but with the pink sash, it all comes together.

I've already worn this dress out twice--graduation event and my anniversary dinner!--and I'll get at least one more event out of it this summer alone, so I'm calling this a good finish, even if a white dress is extremely impractical in this household.

Felicity Dress, Take 3 In Progress

This is my third time making Jennifer Lauren's Felicity Dress. I absolutely LOVE the second one I made--the first one, not so much!--and of all my handmade stuff, it's probably the piece I wear the most.

I have a couple of fun events to attend this summer, and a new dress for those get togethers sounded like a lovely plan! But rather than go through the arduous task of buying one RTW, I opted to make my own, and friends, it has been the best sort of idea. I was under a bit of a time crunch though, so rather than try (and possibly fail) with a new pattern, I opted to make a third Felicity dress.

It was an easy call, especially since I am still in the process of losing baby weight. Since I can currently fit into my other Felicity dress which was made pre-Vanilla, I knew that a third would still fit me when I've lost the baby weight. Also, the pattern was already cut out and marked, and that right there was a huge time-saver.

I ordered this super yummy lawn from Cotton + Steel--the line is specifically Hatbox--but it was going to be way too shear to wear solo, so I opted to line it with a muslin. I would still consider myself a beginning apparel-sewist, and I'm not too knowledgeable about the different types of lining fabrics. Because of that, the fabric I picked out is probably too structured for this lawn, or so I worried, but after sewing it up, I actually like the body it lends to the lawn. It gives the dress a bit more oomph and polish, and while it was completely accidental, I'm thankful for the accident!

My dress was all sewn up with the exception of the bottom hem when I went to try it on. I found with both of my previous versions of the Felicity dress that I needed to gather the neckline substantially more than is called for to make it lie flat and even on my chest. I accounted for that when I was sewing this version up, but after trying on the dress, I realized I still hadn't gathered enough, and so I need to rip out the binding fabric and gather the neckline again. Hopefully that fix will finish off this dress.

(And can I just say that I'm none too excited about this bit? The awesome lining fabric plus the lawn make gathering a tricky task.)

I did hem the bottom (obviously after this photo was taken) so once the neckline is finished, this dress will be ready to go! I'm really *really* excited to see this one done, and I'm even more excited to wear it this summer.

OH! And on looking up the Felicity Dress page while writing this post, I discovered that Jennifer Lauren has released a free skirt expansion, and I'm SO excited! I've been wanting to make some skirts for awhile now, and I've been eyeing the Cleo Skirt pattern by Made by Rae because it's cute and it has POCKETS. I may still wind up buying the Cleo pattern, but first I'm going to try this, especially since it also has pockets! (I kinda feel all dresses and skirts should have pockets.)

Knit Geranium Dress

It is spring here. What this means is that I am spending every available moment outside with my kiddos because I remember last summer and how evil the humidity and heat were, and I want to soak up all of the lovely 65 degree weather while it's around. Family walk on a slightly breezy, overcast day? Yes, please!

I did take a break from outdoors-ing to sew up this Geranium Dress, pattern from Made by Rae. I love this pattern oh-so much, and I knew I wanted to sew up a version for my friend's daughter, my baby BFF. (YES, she is five now, but she'll always be my baby BFF.) But when chatting with my friend about fabric options, we settled on the fact that a knit dress would be way more practical than a woven dress. I was sad because I really wanted to sew up another Geranium, and then, the idea struck. Just how difficult would it be to sew up a version in knits? Could it be done? (Apparel sewists, forgive my ignorance. I am still quite a newbie when it comes to this stuff!)

A quick google search revealed it could be done and better yet, HAD been done. Thank you, Monica of Adirondack Inspired! You gave me the confidence to get this one done. Of course, I could only remember that I had seen a post where it had been done and not the specific details of what that dress entailed. It wasn't until I wrote this blog post that I thought to try and find that post again!

I followed the Geranium pattern and did line the bodice of mine, choosing to finish it off with snaps. Next time, I'll most likely follow Monica's example and neglect the back opening. (Because yes, you better believe there will be a next time!)

This is my first finish from my Q2 FAL list, but I am so excited about it. I went with a super short (for me) list, and knowing that I'm 25% of the way there is really thrilling!

I hope y'all are having a most lovely weekend!

Reyna Shawl Finish

I posted this in-progress blocking shot on instagram the other day. This is the Reyna Shawl by Noora Laivola, and it is a very late Christmas present for my Mama. When it was dry, I promptly unpinned it, admired it, tried it on, then packaged it up and posted it. It was supposed to arrive yesterday.

I have NO photos of it, and I am taking solace in the fact that I know I'm not the only one who has been so eager to gift something that they completely forget to snap a photo. In fact, I've done it before, and I'm 99% sure I'll do it again. Still, UGH. Nonetheless, it is finished, and it is the fourth finish off my Q1 FAL 2017 list.

We dropped off friends at the airport this morning after a lovely visit, but now, life must return to normal, and I have laundry, homeschooling, and kidlet affairs to juggle. What does your Tuesday look like?

Maxaloones for C

I am so excited to have these done and mailed before my nephew's birthday. These are from the Max and Meena Maxaloones pattern, which I have had on my to-buy list for forever. They are specifically designed for cloth diaper babies. If you've ever cloth diapered, you understand the struggle to find pants that will fit over that bum. The pattern features three sizes, and all three sizes cover a wide age range. Size 1, which is what I sewed up here, are supposed to fit from three months to three years old. With baby #4 on the way, I'm a huge fan of clothing that will actually fit the kid for more than two hours, know what I'm saying? (Added bonus, I think they are ridiculously cute.)

I used Art Gallery knits for there pants, and friends, everything you may have heard about Art Gallery knits is true. They are SO soft. I'm trying to restrain myself and not buy a huge load of more AG knits for Vanilla. (I do have some planned for her.) I think these are both from Bonnie Christine's Hello, Bear collection, but that could be totally made up.

And these are the pants as worn by my two-year-old. They're for my nephew's first birthday, but I think they'll fit him just fine too. I hadn't planned to make a pair for my two-year-old, but they look so stinkin' cute that I'm pretty sure he needs some too. And maybe my four-year-old. And maybe my six-year-old who is on the small size?? Because why not? I guess this pair of Maxaloones means my fear of knit fabrics has been conquered? They're still not my favorite to sew with, but I'm getting more comfortable with them, for sure.

This is finish #2 from my Q3 FAL list, woo!

Ms. Marvel Cosplay

This post has exactly zero to do with quilty things. It does, however, have to do with apparel sewing and some superhero nerdiness and my love for the newest Ms. Marvel.

Some of y'all may be familiar with a certain special day for comic book fans--Free Comic Book Day. Even though I've read comics for years and years and years and years, I had never attended a Free Comic Book Day event, a fact I wanted to change in 2016. It helps to know lots of other comic-reading peeps, and a handful of us decided to not only attend, but cosplay.

Friends, I'd also never cosplayed. In high school and college, I particularly doted on Sailor Moon, and man, I would have loved to cosplay as Sailor Saturn, but I had no idea how to even break into that sort of thing. If you look at some of those cosplayers, they are intense. Immaculate detail. Perfectly sewn costumes. At the time, I knew very little about sewing. And even now, for a girl like me who has only a bit of apparel sewing under her belt, the idea was a little intimidating. But I wanted to try. The worst case scenario was that I would spend a bit of money on fabric, ruin it all, and attend the event without costume. Not really a huge deal.

I sewed up my red knit top using this pattern by Nap-Time Creations. Full disclosure--I was on serious time crunch and did not finish the bottom hem or the sleeve hems. I may get around to doing that...some day. (Or not.)

Then I moved on to the blue tunic, which includes a gold lightning bolt. I used the same pattern as my red shirt for the blue tunic, but I lengthened it four inches and neglected to add the sleeves. I free handed the lightning bolt using painter's tape marks, then sewed slightly away from them. After that, I cut along the outside of the sewn lines, dabbed the seriously fraying gold fabric with fray check, and moved on. (I did finish the bottom hem on the blue tunic.)

I had intended to make red leggings as well, and I would've had an almost complete Ms. Marvel outfit. But like I said, serious time crunch, and the red leggings will have to wait, and an almost almost complete outfit worked just fine. I cut out a red scarf, and the morning of, I made a blue face mask, which was super uncomfortable, but worked. I also made a gold cuff, but I miscut fabric, and I made it too tight to wrap around my wrist, so it got left at home.

Friends, this was super fun. My pals and I went to two local comic book stores, and I was so happy every time someone recognized and appreciated my outfit. (My friends went as Darth Vader and a Jedi Knight, and they were also super cool.) Of course, there were lots of free comics, and I took the opportunity to stock up on some Ms. Marvel that I was missing. I almost caved and bought a cute Black Widow doll, but I resisted.

BUT, the best part was on Wednesday when I visited my local comic book store to check on when #7 of the latest run of Ms. Marvel will release, and the owner said, "Oh, you're here for your prize." MY PRIZE??? I had entered a costume contest, but seriously didn't expect to win. My Ms. Marvel costume was one of three winners in the adult category, and I got to take home a super cute Captain America figurine and an Iron Man issue. (I LOVE THEM BOTH, I CAN'T HELP IT.)

And that is the story of my Ms. Marvel cosplay. I'm hoping to maybe go as Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim for next year...but that costume will take a lot more planning and involve a complicated bag and potentially a giant hammer...we'll see. 

FF: Baby Geranium Dress

With about a kajillion friends/family members who are pregnant, I thought I'd try my hand at some baby pants. When I started sorting through my bits of fabric, I stumbled across this Cotton + Steel panel print that I had been saving to make some new cushion covers for my living room. And while it would make some sweet cushion covers, it would also make some awesome baby pants.

Then I had another moment to think. Forget pants--this fabric would make an even COOLER baby dress. So yes. I spent a bit of a weekend sewing up this oh-so adorable Little Geranium dress. The top bit is also a Cotton + Steel print, and I sewed up the entire thing in white Aurifil thread. This pattern was super easy, and it should have been a quick sew, except I kept thinking I knew more than the pattern did, and instead of reading directions, I would wing it, and I ALWAYS did something silly. There was more than my usual seam ripping with this bad boy.

But even with all of the seam ripping, I would totally make this dress again. You know, if I HAD GIRLS and needed baby girl dresses. While the infant version of the Geranium dress is a free download, if I ever need a big girl dress, I know what my first choice will be.

Best of all...I still have plenty of the feature print left to make cushion covers. Woo!

March Stuff.

Friends, my time at the sewing machine has been extremely limited of late. Combine that with a secret sewing project I've been working on behind the scenes (full pics next week!), I have little to show for March.

Pixie basket from hoarded Lizzie House scraps.

March Stash Bee Block for Jane. I felt almost like I was playing with paper dolls as I was picking out my cowboy's outfit. (As you can see, he has NOT been wearing sunscreen.)

First knits ever project. It was stressful, but this is now the most comfortable shirt I own. The top collar is a little wonky, but the fabric felt tissue paper thin, and I'm just happy I turned out something wearable. Next time, use a thicker knit, Audrey!

I'll be back next week with my fun reveal. Until then, I hope y'all are well!

Q1 FAL List 2016

Can I add about twelve exclamation points to this post's title! O to the M to the G, I am so excited to be starting off 2016 with another delicious FAL list into which to sink my teeth. Can you feel my excitement? Better yet, do you share it?

1. Frozen Watermelon Quilt
Top done, needs to be basted, quilted, bound
DONE

2. Dad's Star Quilt
DONE
Top done, needs to be basted, quilted, bound

3. Negroni shirt for husband
THIS IS SHAMEFUL. I have done NOTHING. (Mostly because I'm terrified.)

4. Hot Pink Socks
One sock is knitted; need to start and complete the second

5. Midnight Mystery Quilt

Blocks are done; need to finish assembling top, baste, quilt, bind

6. 241 Tote for Kim

Pieces are cut
DONE

7. 241 Tote for Me
Planning to use some C+S and other prints; materials gathered

8. Dress for Me
By Hand London's Anna pattern; delicious yummy voile from Fancy Tiger Crafts

I'm linking up! Are you? 

Felicity Dress, Take 2.

Hi, Friends. Maybe this me-making-apparel business isn't *completely* hopeless. After sewing up a Felicity dress that made me feel like a marshmallow, I was a bit defeated. (There were tears.) The end product was okay, but I kept thinking, I can do better.

And I totally did.

While I desperately wanted to move on in my crusade to find the perfect dress, I knew I should make another version of this one and see if I could make it fit better. For Felicity #2, I did a number of things differently, but none of them were crazy. I used a voile instead of a linen. The pattern mentioned linen would be okay to use, but the linen I used was much too heavy. I cut a size down. I raised the waist line. And all of those small, simple changes transformed this dress into a much more exciting affair.

The lapped zip is not perfect. It's my one big problem with this dress. But you know what? I can totally deal with that.

I'm not sure the Felicity Dress is my perfect dress, but I'll definitely wear this one again. Do you have a perfect dress pattern? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

This is Finish #2 from my Q3 FAL list.

A Finished Felicity Dress

I finished my Felicity Dress by Jennifer Lauren this weekend. I slipped it on for these photos and then promptly took it off because in this household, a white linen dress is a luxury item. The entire ten minutes I wore it, I was sure the baby was going to throw up on me or one of the big boys would grab onto my skirt with peanut butter (or worse) on their hands. I escaped, but needless to say, this won't be my go-to mom outfit.

But a girl needs a little handmade luxury, right?

I've had this white linen for a very long time. Like before I started sewing and even had a machine long time.

I'm not gonna lie, friends. This dress was a struggle. Not because the pattern was bad--nope. The pattern was clear and easy to understand. It was a struggle because it didn't fit my body perfectly the way the pattern was written, and I don't have a ton of apparel experience to know what to adjust. The kajillion tutorials on altering garments were also kind of useless because I didn't know what didn't fit, just that it didn't. Cue some extremely frustrated evenings spent staring at this dress and begging it to cough up the information and let me know what to fix.

I started with coming to terms with the fact that the bodice was much too large. At least one size, possibly two, though I went with the size my measurements suggested. I made a muslin of the bodice, but I struggled with knowing how much space would disappear when the zip was added. Apparently I just need to make a practice dress with each pattern. Next time, I'll make a size down. I'll also try raising the waistline an inch, and today I discovered Jennifer Lauren has posted a bunch of alteration tutorials for this dress, which is all sorts of awesome. (And I already have the fabric for the next one, woo!)

By the time I'd come to all of these conclusions, I'd put in the lapped zip and finished off my exposed seams with bias tape, and there was no way I was ripping out that zip to make more complicated fixes that might not actually fix anything. I did go back and sew in the side seams about a half an inch on each side to bring the bodice in closer. I threw in some additional gathers to the neckline. I also shortened the hemline because I'm on the short side.
All together, those minor fixes made the garment look less marshmallow and more dress. And with a cardigan on top, I rather like it. (Since I adore cardigans and try to wear them every moment of every day, that's not really an inconvenience.)

This is finish 4 of 14 for my Q2 FAL list.

Rainbow pajama pants

My linen dress and I are having a bit of a standoff. I require a more precise fit, and she is remaining mum and refusing to tell me how to best execute that. (What a jerkface, amiright?) Then, I caught sight of my fabulous new rainbow pajama pants waiting to be photographed. Game. On.

I was hunting through my sewing closet a few weeks ago for who can remember what, when I stumbled across a ziploc bag from the far away past. (Or, like ten years ago.) It was the fabric for BFF pajama pants.

I met my BFF in freshman French, and we quickly became tight pals. At this point, we've spent most of our friendship living in different cities--and even different continents at one point--but we've remained close friends, and she is my bestie. And when she was living in England, and I was in the US, I had this great idea that we would make pajama pants on one of her visits home so that way, even if we lived far apart, we'd remember each other because of our fabulous pajama pants.

I knew almost nothing about sewing. We went to Wal-Mart to pick out fabric, bought quilting cotton and a pattern that was probably for beginners, bought some fabulous trim, and cut up our fabric. I severely underestimated how much time it would take us to finish even one pair, so when she left to go back to England, I promised to finish the pairs and mail hers. I finished hers. And mine sat. For TEN YEARS.

Of course, the fabric got separated from the pattern, and I'd already cut the pattern pieces. Thankfully, pajama pants are forgiving, and my body shape hasn't changed too dramatically from college. I started assembling, guessing at the instructions. When I initially tried them on, I realized the waist band hit me extremely high. So I cut off some of the fabric. And then I cut more because they were still high waisted. And then I cut even MORE because they were still practically at my shoulders. Except that time, it was a bit too much, and now they are ultra low waist pajama pants.

Did I mention that I'm not sure we prewashed the fabric? So the first wash of these babies might be disastrous. One leg is about 1/8" shorter than the other, but you would never know if I didn't tell you, so I'm calling it golden.

Best part of the story? I called my BFF to tell her I finally had my pajama pants, and she was delighted. She still has hers. Still wears hers. Apparently they are covered in holes and about to disintegrate, but she has them. She says I can wear mine for the next ten years of our friendship, and maybe in 2025, we'll make two new pairs and wear them together. I love that we can talk about 2025 and know that we will still be besties.

This is finish 2 of 14 from my Q2 FAL list. 

A Happy Green Mini Quilt and Some Other Stuff

In the last week or so, I've had three small finishes from my Q2 FAL list. Since my list is about a bajillion items long, that still leaves me with a bajillion minus three to complete, but I've started, and this mini is the first I get to share with you.

A friend of mine is moving into a new place soon, and I thought she needed a small mini quilt to liven up her walls. That green is her favorite color, and I used some of the LV EPP flowers I've been making. It's not fussy. I didn't do much quilting--I left the appliqued flower lines to do that business for me--and the backing is the same green fabric as the front--a Moda grunge fabric that converted me to Moda grunge fabrics--but I like it, and I hope my friend will too. This is finish #1 of 14.

Also on the table for this week were suck pads. (Isn't that the most horrible name? But there it is.) For funsies, I told my husband I made suck pads, and he grimaced and looked at me as though I'd lost it. It was fun. Poor man.


(Suck pads are made to protect my Ergo baby carrier straps from the inevitable baby slime.)

I have been enlisted to make an additional four sets for other babywearing mamas in my life. But they take about five minutes to make*, so it's not that big of a deal.

*That may be a slight exaggeration.

Finally, I made my husband a bow tie. The plan was that I would make myself a pretty new dress, and I'd make him a bow tie, and I'd dress our three kidlets in matching shirts and we'd all look adorable for the family photos we were supposed to take this evening at a lovely park. The weather is not cooperating for an outdoor shoot, and my dress isn't done, but my husband loves his bow tie, and he proudly wore it to work today, and he was so adorable, and it made my heart so happy to know that I had made him something that he really really loved.

And now he wants a whole set of them. (Of course he does.)