the long awaited Rapunzel dresses

Do you remember the fabric I bought back in March for Easter dresses? Well, if not you can see it HERE for a close up. I made the dresses and, of course, I did not get a picture of my family Easter morning like I had intended. But have no fear, some long awaited pictures are here!

An attempt to get a beautiful picture of my precious kids on the beach at sunset at my sister's beautiful wedding (which I will be posting pics on my other blog very soon). Obviously a no go here. However they are still so cute!

 

I went back and forth trying to decide on a pattern. When I saw this fabric, I saw this style of dress.

 

I love the ties in the front. It was a easy pattern by Simplicity 2171.

 

This is what my handsome Berit wore for Easter. The Bear in his bowtie! (minus these shorts, add khaki pants).

 

a beautiful yellow bowtie with honey bees on it. He wanted to complement his sisters. He's so sweet.

 

Faux Chenille Blanky

I saw this cool blanket on one of my favorite blogs not too long ago. You can find the tutorial HERE at MADE
With all the sewing I have to do I decided to put it aside and try it. Layers of cotton fabrics are sewn into rows and rows of diagonal lines and then cut and washed to create a faux chenille look. It's a time-consuming project but really cool to see the finished results.

 

So here we go:
I picked out my colors. For the back I picked out this fun and bright circle print. And for the chenille fabrics I used 3 solid colors. You lay your back fabric face down first. Then layer your other colors on top face up. You want to use 100% cotton or flannel. This time I used cotton, but next one I will definitely use flannel. I think it would be even softer. I also decided to make a blanky instead of a blanket.

 

Then you start sewing. Keep in mind this blanket takes a while to make, like quilting. It's not as time-consuming as true quilting. But be prepared for hours of sewing line after line and cutting, cutting, cutting. This is a time consuming project! You sew on the diagonal 1/2 inch apart.

 

I set my needle to the right so that I could follow the lines to keep it straight and even.

 

Sewing diagonals done.

 

 

Then you begin cutting.

 

Remember to cut all but the bottom layer.

 

 

Here is the nice blister I got after cutting and cutting and cutting.

 

Then you trim your edges. The fabrics may shift some during all that sewing.

 

 

I originally decided to use this soft fabric for the edge but it was giving me a fit to sew and I did not really like how it looked.

 

So I went with this instead. I purchased this quilt binding which was much easier.

 

After it was complete 5 or 6 hours later (which was not in one sitting, by the way- more like over a 5 days) I washed it once and here you go-

 

I am not totally satisfied with it, however. I wish I had used the blue on top instead of the orange. And I wish I had used wider bias strip around the outside. But for my first one, I think it is pretty cute. And with my blanket-lovin' kiddos, I am sure there will be no complaints. Looking forward to making more.

reuse and recycle

A friend of mine was getting rid of some clothes so I asked if I could go through them. I am always looking for ways to "recycle" clothes and what is better than FREE! I grab several items of clothing with Karis in mind. She has to wear dresses and skirts (knee length or longer) to school. So here you go- a reduce, reuse, recycle item.

Take a great shirt-


A pillow case from a set of sheets I got for $10-


And you get a skirt for Karis!

Sunday

Most of you may not know this, but our sweet Piper has an obsession with babies, particularly dark-skinned babies. She loves babies in general, but when she sees a dark-skinned baby or kid she is just taken with them. Another thing most of you may not know is that I love a good deal. I shop a season ahead for my kids' clothes. I love adding up what I spent and how much I saved. Silly, but it's true. So what does that have to do with this post, you ask?? Well, it is a good deal for Piper! I got this doll for Piper at one of my favorite stores Land of Nod. I got some amazing deals that day and this was one of them. I thought this doll would be perfect for Piper's birthday. She has a kitty that is from Land of Nod that she sleeps with. What I love about this type of doll is that you can throw it in the wash. Yesterday, I spent the entire day cleaning our bedroom (if that tells you how messy it was). I came across this doll and decided to make some clothes for her. So I went to my stash of fabrics and favorite old clothing for recycling. Here you go:

Meet Sunday. She may end up staying in her bloomers (that is how Piper is most of the day).


A old shirt of Piper's from last summer that I pulled out this season. It did not fit, I decided to recycle it.


With a little hemming here and a little hemming there, I made a dress for Sunday.


What do you do with strips of purple gingham fabric??


You make a purple dress for Sunday!

So there you go, one of Piper's birthday presents and it is only March! (Her bday is in June)

the bowtie

I found this great tutorial on making bowties for my boy! If you are interested in making one (which was VERY easy) click HERE. I found it on A Lemon Squeezy Home, one of the many blogs I check out.
I found this fabric, believe it or not, of all places, at Walmart. Cute, huh??

 

Berit was not a big fan at first of the bowtie, as you can see by the expression on his face.

 

So I bribed him. I made this blanky for him today and he agreed to wear the bowtie to church on Sunday. A mama has to do what a mama has to do.

 

His monkey liked it!

 

If monkey likes it, then Berit likes it too.

 

I guess I should mention that I also said I would make one for my husband too. And yes, Dave said he would wear it too! Do not worry, I will have more pics to follow up!

a big (but had to) splurge

I HAD to buy this fabric! When I first laid eyes on it, it was love at first sight. I tried to forget about it, but could not let it go. So today I went to look at it again at one of my favorite websites http://www.pinkchalkfabrics.com and it was low in stock and most out of stock. At first I panicked very briefly, but after some time searching,I found it. This is more than I have ever spent on fabric, even smocking. I am all about deals, but sometimes you just have to splurge. It still is not a bad deal, it will come out around $25 a dress, which I know is still a steal! But I have never spent $17.95 a yard on fabric before. looking forward to posting pictures of the finished product.

Alewives Fabrics: Fabrics: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"



Heather Ross - Far Far Away II - Roses in Natural: "Fabric on Sale Tiered Pricing Fast Shipping Blog - Behind the Seams

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

flowers and polka dots

Just before Christmas, I was on a sewing frenzy. So, I squeezed these dresses in for the girls. My oldest daughter has to wear dresses and skirts knee-length or below to school. She has gone through a growth spurt recently and a lot of things were getting too short. I found this pattern at one of my favorite places to shop http://www.pinkchalkfabrics.com/. It was a downloadable pattern. The neat thing about this store and one of the reasons why I love it so is because it's on Bainbridge Island, WA. And also on Bainbridge Island is my brother-n-law and his family. It was a neat connection when made, and why I continue to buy from her.
These dresses took 45 minutes to make! Easy. This is Piper's dress.

 

This is Karis' dress. I love this pattern because it is so functional. Wear it with a cardigan, with a shirt under it, leggings, tights or jeans!

 

fairy dress

Last year (2010) I was looking at fabric and patterns online. I came across this fabric and with a few patterns in mind, came up with my own. These 2 dresses are my first to make up. I call it...well, I never named the pattern, but maybe one day I will. It was so easy to make.
This was Piper's dress.

 

My favorite part of this dress is the braiding on the straps.

 

 

Here are my beautiful daughters, Karis and Piper, in the dresses (with Berit in the background).

 

The pattern

 

Maybe I should call the pattern "the fairy" since that is how I have it labeled here.