(like the rod stewart song)
i'm a millennial living in the bay area who loves dark beer, the environment, and sewing for the tiny humans in my life.
All in little girl apparel
as previously mentioned nora and etta are quite girly. i, however, am not. so finding fabric that appeases them yet i can stand is often a challenge.
when i came across this rose and coral abstract print at gather here a few years back i knew immediately they would love it and bought a few yards.
last summer while in jackson hole for a friend's wedding i visited a local fabric store and picked up materials to make victor a flannel shirt, the scraps of which became the lil' man flannel.
at the same time i came across some pretty awesome snowflake flannel. so i got a few yards with every intention of making holiday pj pants for the girls. however a month before the holidays my sister abby informed me that her girls (nora and etta) didn't like to wear pants to bed, preferring nightgowns.
so like any good liberal arts graduate i had some iced coffee and came up with a plan b.
quick post today.
i had never heard of, let alone made, a bubble hem until i made my first bubble dress from oliver + s.
then suddenly this poofy hem was everywhere and i knew it would only be a matter of time before i came across another pattern with it that i simply had to try.
as previously mentioned my hippie parents didn't enforce a lot of rules.
however there were guidelines they, well really my mom, believed everyone should follow: always drive slower and more carefully than you feel is necessary (especially in bad weather), perform at least one random act of kindness each and every day, don't leave candles or anything that burns unattended (better yet just don't burn anything inside), and always say thank you.
a few years ago when i was just discovering the glory that is oliver + s patterns i went to visit vic's family in pennsylvania for the weekend. now i've already talked about how i find hand sewing to be a great way to bring your sewing when you travel. but another thing is pattern tracing.
when done right pattern tracing is time consuming, especially if the pattern has a lot of pieces. add into that doing the same pattern for multiple sizes and you're looking at hours and hours of work. fun work, but work. so i brought along the croquet dress pattern and traced both versions for all three girls that weekend. not a small task.
my third oliver + s style was the music box jumper, making all three girls grey polka dot versions for thanksgivng.
the fabric is a quilting cotton from gather here. at the time I didn't know it was quilt backing (and thus 120 inches wide, more than double what normal fabric is) so i had a lot of it!
i probably should have started with this style, it's simple (a one scissor pattern) but most importantly, easy to get good results with, which is essential for beginners.
i would also recommend using snaps for this dress if you are just starting out. button holes are really tricky (i was never able to get the hang of them on my old machine). however i found snaps to be a great alternative during my first year of sewing.
nora and etta are active little girls. very active little girls. but they are also quite girly and like to wear dresses and skirts.
so a few years back i decided the badminton skort from oliver + s would be the perfect style for them and with some polka dot cotton i picked up on sale from gather here i gave it a try.
fresh off my awesome introductory experience with the duggar dresses i was itching to try another style.
after consulting the internet and reading this queen of the flies post and this probably actually post i decided on a pattern for my second oliver + s adventure: the sunday brunch jacket.
so armed with green canvas-esq fabric from gather here, some purple polka dot fabric from when I had gone to meet month old maya in north carolina, and a harpoon ginger wheat beer i set to work.
for the past two months all but one of my blog posts have been about old projects. (i guess is the blog version of stash busting?)
while I still have a fair amount of posts lined up i wanted to end the month by sharing more recent pictures. some updates of things you've seen before and some previews of projects i've been working on.
oh man i love the class picnic tunic from oliver + s. more specifically, maya loves the class picnic tunic. it's perfect for her casual and comfortable style. i've made it for her second birthday, her third birthday, and her winter wardrobe. but this top came before all of those.
fall 2013: after seeing gail's version here i had to try this style. so one friday night in boston armed with a dogfish head pumpkin beer and stash fabric from nora and etta's dolly's ergos, i dove in.
i know what i like and i like what i know.
after my first rendition of the playdate pattern from oliver + s i was smitten. since it only goes up to a size five if i wanted to make it again it had to be for miss etta.
so make it for etta i did.
have i mentioned nora and etta are quite girly? well they are. i however am not. so it's a constant struggle to find fabrics that are sweet enough for them but not too saccharine for me.
when i saw this amy butler lark print at stonemountain & daughter i instantly knew two things: a) nora and etta would love wearing it and b) i wouldn't mind sewing it. so i picked up a few yards and waited for the right inspiration.
the birthday tradition continued in 2015!
recap: for maya's first birthday the theme was balloons and i made her a dress from this great balloon fabric. for her second birthday the theme was farm animals and i made a tunic with a pig embellishment.
for her third birthday the theme was the lorax. not to brag but this was the direct result of a certain fun aunt (who works in the solar industry) buying her the book years ago to encourage environmentalism and reading it to her on many occasions:
also know as polka dots for maya part 3
i picked up the playdate pattern from oliver + s on sale at stonemountain & daughter while visiting victor a while back. then it just sat in my stash for months. i have no idea why, but for some reason i just wasn't drawn to the picture on the front.
however as soon as i saw gail's version i suddenly had to make it. so one friday night with a nitro milk stout and some polka dot fabric i picked up from gather here that was in my stash i set to work.
also known as polka dots for maya part 2
as previously mentioned, when i first saw the library dress from oliver + s i was smitten. i mean a wrap dress fit for a little girl?! how could you not love that?
the only issue was the back. it was all buttons and i knew nora and etta would not be down for a dress that required assistance. so with plans to eventually make an zippered version in the back of my head (see those versions here and here) i decided to get the hang of the pattern by making a standard rendition for maya.
i found this purple and yellow polka dot print and coordinating solid at stonemountain & daughter. it was a bit higher quality (and thus a bit more expensive) than the standard quilting cottons but i had just nailed a job interview so i treated myself.
a few days ago i texted my sister and mom asking if they had any picture of maya in a few outfits so i could blog about them. it went something like this:
me: do you have any pictures of maya in that red polka dot dress?
me: what about that orange and purple [polka dot] long sleeved dress?
me: or that orange and white polka dot skirt?
me: also the green [polka dot] top with the purple accent and that purple and white [polka dot] top?
it was around this time i realized i should probably examine my relationship with polka dots.
about a year ago i was searching for the perfect wool for maya's paddington coat. a few options online caught my eye but having never bought wool before and seeing a wide range of prices (and presumably quality) it was apparent i would need to see it in person before making a decision.
after exhausting my east bay brick and motar options, stonemountain & daughter and a verb for keeping warm, i knew a trip to the city was necessary. armed with an iPhone full of taylor swift and iced coffee from the hip local shop (exposed brick, menu written on the chalkboard wall, and light fixtures made from old bicycle parts...am i painting a mental picture for you?) i set off one saturday for my quest.
i have to admit, i wasn't in love with the hide & seek dress (available for older children here) when it first came out. (i'm willing to bet it had something to do with my deep rooted fear of making 'frumpy' dresses, caused by my sister referring to my first creations as the 'duggar dresses' and the relaxed fit of the dress.)
but then it started showing up on the blogosphere. first i saw gail's version, then this one, then this one, and i knew i had to try it.
beginners luck. that's what i had the first time i made the roller skate dress by oliver + s.
i got this chevron print at the fabric depot in portland oregon when i took nora to pick out materials for thefairy sisters dresses. i had originally planned to just dresses for nora and etta, but realized pretty quickly i couldn't exclude maya. so i planned my cutting and was able to squeeze out an additional dress from my limited fabric.
let me tell you getting the chevrons to match up was not easy, but somehow (let's give credit to the watermelon beer i was drinking and my critical thinking skills, but mostly the beer) it all came together perfectly.
