(like the rod stewart song)
i'm an elder millennial living in the bay area who loves dark beer, the environment, and sewing for the tiny humans in my life.
for the next few days we are talking about my favorite homemade gifts for various types of occasions. yesterday i shared my favorite kid toys and accessories to give as gifts and today i'm talking about making little girl apparel as a gift.
now sewing for little girls is sort of my 'thing' so i'm breaking it down into three pieces of advice.
this is awkward but we should probably talk about how it's the holiday season. for the next few posts i am going to share my go to homemade gifts for various demographics. let's start with the obvious: kid toys and accessories.
one of my favorite gifts for new moms has become has become an infinity scarf for mom and a matching top for baby.
quick post today....
i first saw this joel dewberry print at gather here a few years ago. it was beautiful but i wasn't sure how i would find coordinating fabric so i held off.
a few months later i saw it for sale on fabric.com when i was order something else and this time i couldn't help myself.
as part of my stash busting initiative and quest to sew all the oliver + s patterns i recently made this swingset skirt for the toddler of a friend.
another baby boy another sketchbook shirt in plaid. i just can't help myself, this pattern is such a joy to sew and looks so adorable in tiny sizes. not to mention the baby lumberjack look really resonates with my demographic of friends.
if it's not incredibly obvious, i love my cat. chairman percy fitzwallace aka fitz came into our lives this january and is never leaving.
growing up with dogs i never thought I would be a cat person, but I am definitely a fitz person.
today i am going to share a tutorial for some owl shaped cat nip toys i made him.
as i said yesterday one of my sewing goals for 2016 (and the rest of 2015) is to sew more patterns i haven't made before, specifically the oliver + s patterns. specifically the oliver + s patterns.
so i've talked about the two sewing resolutions i made myself in 2015: to have less fabric and to sew more knit fabric. a third resolution i'm giving myself for the rest of 2015 and for 2016 is to sew more patterns and styles.
neela and rosie have found common ground.
meanwhile maya have continues to enjoy her dolly ergo.
yesterday i talked about my desire to have less fabric, which means i made one of my goals for 2015 to sew through all my good but not great fabric.
today i am going to talk about the other goal I set for myself in 2015: sew more knit fabric.
for 2015 i made myself two sewing resolutions. over a few posts i will share them as well as a third i'm adding for 2016.
my first resolution is to have less fabric.
crazy right?
coming off my awesome (if i do say so myself) peacock and paddington bear costumes the past two years i was a tad nervous for maya's hallowen costume this year. i mean how could i top those two gems?
well i did.
today I am going to share the things I've sewn for this sweet girl.
when sammie told me she was having a girl last September I immediately got to work on my future niece's wardrobe, because as a fellow youngest sister I didn't want her to be left out.
one snowy day back in cambridge I bundled up and headed to gather here. on the store dress form was a darling rendition of the book report dress by oliver + s. inspired i started looking for a fabric for my own version. i came across this ikat print and knew it would be perfect.
two years ago our friends joe and kathryn got married and i decided to use the occasion to make myself a new dress.
i found myself wanting something special so i went to spoonflower, a site i had read provided a lot of the fabric for the little things to sew book by oliver + s.
it was amazing. i spent hours looking at prints before ordering a few swatches. once they arrived i quickly settled on the teal serpentine and placed an order for two yards in cotton sateen.
victor comes from a family of all boys, i come from a family of all girls. which means we've had to educate each other on things. during our relationship i've learned how to properly throw a baseball and he's learned what i mean when i say something is the perfect size for molly and addy.
i've also learned that for victor the love of sports doesn't stop with baseball. yes we watch soccer, football, hockey, rugby, and if I'm being honest, ncaa softball, get watched with intense passion in our house.
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.
remember the lil' man flannel?
well it's actually a miniature version of one i first made for vic.
last summer when we were in jackson hole for a friend's wedding i decided to check out the local fabric scene (like you do).
in one of the stores i picked up some classic cobalt plaid and men's button down pattern.
when i moved to california two years ago i had grand dreams of refurbishing or making all our home furnishings.
i was going to find a vintage school map and hang it as a funky piece of art, put $75 worth of anthropologie hardware on a $50 dresser from craigslist i lovingly refinished while listening to podcasts, and of course sew any and all fabric components of the decor along the way.
these days i am a wiser woman and have come to realize just because you can make something it doesn't mean you have to. so today i am going share my thoughts on what is worth it to make vs. what is okay to just buy.
