we have a new addition to the family! meet charlotte, maya's new doll.
Read Morewelcome charlotte
music box
ribbon
more sewing for skills today as we talk about my favorite trim: ribbon!
Read Morepatterns to bust your stash with
like many in the sewing world, i am on a constant quest to sew my stash. i've even gone so far as to proclaimed my desire to have less fabric all together, and consider myself am midway through a major two year fabric diet.
so today i'm going to share some of my favorite patterns for busting my stash.
Read Moreneela banana peela
in baby apparel
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.
Read Morea 'very nice' holiday dress
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.
Read Morethankful for polka dots & music box dress
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.
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happy first birthday maya!
the only drawback to having four awesome nieces (split into two sets of sisters) is that i am almost always sewing the same pattern multiple times in a row. i mean giving one girl a twirly polka dot dress and not having one for her sister? only a monster would do that. so pretty much the only time i make just one of something is for each girls birthday.
this began when maya turned one. my sister was having some working mom guilt at the time for feeling like she wasn't throwing her daughter a 'pinterest perfect' birthday party.
being an amazingly thoughtful and awesome little sister i offered to make the birthday girl a special outfit for the day to go with the balloon theme of the party. (bubbles, balloons, and any other floating spherical objects were far and away maya's favorite things at the time.)
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