the best of times

I've been a little scarce around these parts lately, but that's because I've been on the most wonderful vacation. I just got back from spending two glorious weeks with my amazing family in the Midwest. Spending time with my parents, my sisters and even friends and extended family that I haven't seen in years was just what the doctor ordered. 

Other highlights included playing in the pool, swinging at the park, attending a family wedding, visiting a farm, playing with awesome "vintage" toys, and spending lots and lots of time with the people who mean the most to us. Thank you so much, Mom and Dad, for making this trip so perfect! We love you!

easy infinity scarf

I found a pretty piece of knit jersey fabric in the remnant bin at JoAnn a few weeks ago and just had to have it! When I got home and looked at it more closely, I realized that it was a bit too see-through to make a top for my daughter - which is what I had originally been planning.

So I thought about it for a little while and decided that it would make a perfect scarf. An infinity scarf! And the fabric is super lightweight - so perfect for summer.

This was simple to make and took me less than half an hour to whip up. There are lots of tutorials online, but I based my scarf on the tutorials here and here. Basically, you are sewing the fabric into a tube and then sewing the ends of the tube together to make a loop. Easy peasy.

I've decided to give this to my sister along with then Snappy Mani Pouch I shared last week. She's a scarf wearer (I'm really not, though sometimes I consider it!), so I'm hoping it will get lots of use! :)

snappy mani pouch

I sewed up a Snappy Mani Pouch - also known as a Snappy Manicure Wallet - for my sister's upcoming birthday. The free pattern is by Noodlehead on the Robert Kaufmann website.

It's a cute fold-up wallet that can hold your nail polish and other nail accessories for a manicure on the go!

The pattern was easy to follow and easy to sew. I'm happy for the most part with how it turned out... but really hoping my sister will like the crazy color scheme. All the fabrics were from my stash, so I was just trying to work with what I have.

The only change I would make for the next time is when adding the top snap pieces, I would put nail polish in the pockets and fill up the pouch to get a better idea of correct snap placement. I added the top snap pieces where I thought they looked correct, and it turns out the that pouch gets a little tight when it is full. I should have put the snaps a bit higher but didn't realize it until it was too late.

I definitely plan to make another one of these for myself - and you should too, remember the pattern is free! :)

grey and gold nessie top

I'm back with another Nessie Top for my girlie. (Remember I made my first Nessie Top for Kid's Clothes Week back in January?)

The Nessie Top is a pattern by Jess at Craftiness is Not Optional and I just love it for its simple-to-make, breezy-to-wear, comfy-fitting goodness. Oh, and she's wearing the puppet show shorts I shared last week - double handmade clothing win!

This time I made the shirt with short sleeves (duh - Texas summer!) and upped the sizing to 18-24 months for my ever-growing child. I used the same grey and gold jersey striped knit that I used for my flop of a Plantain t-shirt a few weeks back. I'm giving the Plantain shirt to one of my sisters and she requested a matching shirt for my daughter so that the two of them could be twinsies in their matching handmade fabulousness. Photos coming soon!

Not much else to say except that this shirt goes together so quickly. Seriously, make a whole bunch. You won't regret it. 

In other news... why has no one ever warned me about the trials and tribulations of squirmy toddler diaper changes? O.M.G. The amount of kid wrangling here lately is ridiculous, and Mommy usually loses. Not so bad with the wet diapers, but the others... ugh.

more puppet show shorts

Surprise! I sewed a couple more pairs of Oliver + S Puppet Show Shorts for my daughter! I love the pattern and she has already been growing out of the 18-24 month pairs that I made her. Of course, I had to buy the pattern again since it is split into two size groups... this set goes from size 2T-5, so hopefully it will last a bit longer than the other did! 

 

I decided to be boring and make a denim pair and a navy blue pair. The denim I had in my stash from a couple of other projects, and the navy blue is a bottomweight fabric from the remnant bin at JoAnn that seemed perfect for shorts. It took everything in me to not add fancy trim and pretty colors, but I really wanted to make some shorts that could match just about anything. I might have to make her a light colored pair too! 

  

The nice thing about these colors, though, was that I was able to sew them assembly-line style by using the same color thread for both. This really made them so quick to sew - even though I sewed two pairs, it definitely did not take twice as long. I am going to keep that in mind in the future when I make multiples of things. 

 

 

Another fun thing is that I am debuting my new tags! Well, they're not that fancy, but I kind of like them. Actually, I picked up a personalized fabric stamp from the Pick Your Plum daily deal website, stamped a piece of ribbon and then just sewed it on! Makes everything feel a little more official. I do plan to order some nicer tags someday, but until I decide what I want them to say these will work just fine. 

I have a busy summer planned, but I'm going to do my best to keep posting at least weekly. I've finished some other fun projects that I will be sharing with you soon!

vintage doll clothes

A couple weeks ago we went antiquing and I found the most adorable handmade doll clothes. There were dozens - and the shop lady told me that many had already been sold - so I just had to pick out a few to hang in my craft room.

Too much work and love went into these little garments to leave them sitting in a store. I imagine a woman sewing clothing for herself and her family and then using the scraps to make a wardrobe of clothing for her daughters' dollies. Just too precious.

Some are hand sewn, some are machine sewn and some are a combination of both, but all are incredibly detailed for such small items. Judging by the fabric and styles, I am guessing these were made in the early 50s... or maybe late 40s? But I don't pretend to be an expert, so I'd love to hear your guesses!

I loved the details on this sweet blouse, especially the little pocket and the teeny mother of pearl buttons.

This dress is completely hand stitched and I love the colors and details. It is a sheer, silky material and has wrinkled quite badly... any recommendations for removing the wrinkles, at least a little bit? I've been terrified to iron any of these, especially this piece.

I imagine this one as a darling little nightshirt. The pink lambie fabric is precious and the shirt has hook and eye closures down the front.

I chose this dress for the sweet hand stitching around the peter pan collar and the fun, colorful fabric.

This rose skirt was especially pretty with the pink rickrack trim.

And this fushia-colored velvet jacket looked like it was made specifically to be worn with the rose skirt... so it had to come home with me too!

Lovely, yes?

a lulu dress

Have you seen Craftiness is Not Optional's newest pattern, the Lulu Dress & Top? From the moment she gave us a sneak peak of it on her Instagram account, I have wanted to make one for my girlie. I finally got a chance to sew one up this weekend and just have to say I love this pattern so much. 

The top part of the dress is designed to use knit fabric and the bottom can be either knit or woven fabric. Mixing knit and wovens? Imagine the possibilities! And believe me when I say this is a super quick sew. It was so straightforward and simple that I want to make a ton more. Perfect as a comfy play dress or top for a little girl.

The dress I sewed for my daughter used fabrics I already had in my stash... a red and white patterned knit from an old Gap t-shirt for the bodice and lightweight denim for the skirt. My sewing on this was a little on the sloppy side because the knit was kind of thin and slippery (so don't look too closely at the stitching, please!) but it turned out adorable just the same. I added the tie option for additional cuteness. 

I made the 18-24 month size and it fits perfectly with some room to spare. I would love to make a couple more for summer but with her not walking yet, dresses are a little hard... they get in her way when she crawls and her diaper is always showing. But I could solve that by sewing some tops instead... then she can just wear shorts underneath. Ok, I think I just talked myself into it!

If you have a little girl to sew for, make this dress! You won't regret it! The pattern goes up to size 8, so I can see this one getting a lot of use over the years.