Wall Collage

This wall collage has been a long time coming! I know it's not strictly sewing-related, but since I did make almost everything (is some sort of way) on this wall, I feel somewhat justified showing off the wall above her vanity.  I love the way it turned out! I worked hard for a long time, making and gathering items to display. I wanted white frames since her vanity is white and so is the trim around her room. It was harder than I thought to find white frames.  Half of these frames I had to spray paint white. It was a big project, but I think it was worth the time and effort, because I love it!  

Purple Sparkle Dress + White Faux Fur Jacket

Now here is a dress that I just LOVE! I wish I had better pictures than what's posted here, because this dress is so, SO pretty!
It's a simple, basic dress, but it doesn't need to be much more than that because it is so sparkly! I used Violette Field Thread's Pepper pattern, just the bodice. I added a little sewn-in sash in front just to break up the mass amount of sparkle.  It would have been a quick sew since it's a very straightforward pattern, but it wasn't since I had to pick out the sequins on every. single. seam.  And yes, there were sequins EVERYWHERE! The good thing was that the sequins themselves were big and dangly, so a single flick of my seam ripper was enough to take one out. I'm worried that they'll fall off, but so far they've stayed in well. I bought the fabric at Joann's.  It's not cheap fabric, but since I had a gift card and a 60% off coupon, I didn't pay hardly anything for this dress.
   
I also picked up a remnant of white faux fur, so a short while later I made girlie an adorable jacket, that she would wear with this dress since it was the middle of January.  I used Violette Field Thread's Molly Jacket pattern.  I originally wanted to have it lined in the fur too, but I didn't have enough fabric for that, but I was able to line the sleeves in the fur, and Eesa loves it because it is so soft! I used a single white snap for the enclosure, and sewed on a big, blingy button/bead that used to be part of an old headband that fell apart.

I love both dress and jacket.  They go perfect together.  I hope girlie doesn't grow out of this ensemble for a long, long time!

 So sparkly!

She wore this to her daddy/daughter dance in February 2018

LOVE

Don't mind her hat and mask--but I posted this to show that she sometimes wears this jacket without the dress.

Valentines Day 2018 Dress

Here is Eesa's dress for Valentine's day.  She picked out the chocolate-dipped strawberry fabric at Joanns.  This dress was a quick sew.  I used Violette Field Thread's Hattie pattern for the bodice.

I like this dress, but I don't love it.  The side ties are too long and I feel like the bodice needs....something else.  Maybe different buttons.  It's cute enough though. I hope she still fits in this dress next Valentines day!

Here are some not-that-great pictures of the dress:

Christmas Dress 2017

 Here is Girlie's Christmas dress from last year.  I was heavily inspired by a dress I saw at Kohls.  I found the crushed velvet at Hobby Lobby, and the white fluffy trim I found at Goodwill--a couple of bucks for a whole spool of it.
The dress came together okay and it turned out okay, but when all's said and done, I wish I had just bought the dress I saw at Kohls.  Or at least, used a different trim that was stretchy because the opening on the wrists are a little bit too tight.  Even so, the price to make the dress was roughly equal to the amount I would have paid for one already made at Kohls.  Alas, 'tis the dilemma of sewing, sometimes.  Most of the time sewing is far better (better=less expensive, the product is higher quality, and totally unique!) than making a purchase, but in this case....I would have been better off just buying the dress, but in the end girlie really liked the dress so all's well that ends well, right?  Her cousin came down for Christmas and they wore their coordinating dresses, this time I was smart and just bought the dress from Kohls!

It took lots of clips to put the trim on!

Kohl's (green) version on the left, mine on the right. 

Boy's "I Heart Phoenix" Shirt

 Hurray, something that isn't a girls dress, haha! Here are some bad pictures with poor lighting of my little dude wearing a shirt that I didn't make.  I did, however, design and make the graphics on his shirt, so I will give myself a pat on the back for that.  Seriously though, I am proud of my design. I made it using the computer, freezer paper, and fabric paint. It has faded a bit since several washings, but he won't be able to wear it this coming winter anyway because this kid grows like a weed.  A very cute weed:

My Little Pony Dress

 I made this dress two years ago and never posted it! My sister came over to visit and bought this fabric, but her visit was short and she couldn't decide what she wanted me to do with it, so she told me to just keep it.  After a few weeks I finally decided what I wanted to do with it--make Eesa a dress, what else? For awhile there, Foo Foo Thread's Josephine was my go-to pattern, and that was the pattern I used for this here dress. It features a shirred back and I like that.  The shirred back is created using elastic thread in the bobbin and it is easy. I like that it creates a stretch to the fabric, as if it wear knit. I used left over purple broadcloth for the bodice and trim, but I thought it would be too plain with just a purple bodice, so I cut out a circle and made sure to enclose some ponies inside that circle, and then I just appliqued it on using a tight zig-zag stitch. So, this dress costed me zero dollars, but my sister $8.  I sold it a few months back, although thinking about it now, I think I low-balled the price but Eesa did wear this dress quite a bit.

The shirred back.  

Haloween Dress

 Whoops, this dress slipped through the (many) cracks of my brain because I made this two years ago and never posted it.  She's worn it the past two Octobers.  She'll probably be able to wear it again this next October because I made it HUGE, although I have to admit I'm sorta itching to make her a new Halloween dress and perhaps maybe sell this one? My lazy streak will probably win, though lol. Anyway, here it is.  I think the necklace brings the whole dress together. I made it with leftover of fabric I've had in my stash from previous Halloween outfits, so I didn't pay much. Okay, I'll admit--I can't remember how much I paid or where I even bought this fabric.  Walmart, maybe?  Anyway, here she is (pic from last year):

Peach & Floral Bib Dress

Here is a dress that the girlie likes as much as mommie! I made this dress a year ago (I know, always so behind on my blogging).  This dress was a quick-sew, because the bodice is store-bought: a tank-top from Walmart.  I paid around $10 to make this dress.  The skirt and bib are made from Hobby Lobby fabric. No too bad for how cute it turned out, plus I have some extra.  I love these bib-shirt dresses they are just so cute! It was a fairly quick sew.  She still wears it often, and I'm sure when she outgrows it, it will sell easily enough. 

Navy Paris City Dress

Here's a cute dress I made about a year ago, for the upcoming cool weather.  I found the fabric at Walmart, I think I paid around $8-$10 total, I'm pretty sure the trim on the skirt was from Walmart as well.  The trim on the bodice I already had in my stash, most likely thrifted. The bodice is knit and I used Violette Field Thread's Tallulah pattern.  The skirt is woven.  It turned out just like I wanted it to-super cute! It's comfy and she likes it okay.  Most of the time I like her dresses more than she does, haha! I hope this dress still fits her for this winter.

 The dress in action!

Tribal Print Shirt

 I bought a yard of this black-and-white tribal print knit fabric from Hobby Lobby for $4 last year.  I made girlie a cute shirt using a mash-up of Violette Field Thread's Masie and Harlow.  I think it turned out perfectly adorable.  Too made she hardly ever wore it.  I don't understand why, because it is a knit (stretchy) top and looks like something you could buy at the store.  I hope she wears it more often this year (provided it still fits) because I really like it!

Dress with Jean Skirt and Pockets

Another day, another adorable dress!  I made this back in October 2017 and finally sold it last month.  All materials from this dress were thrifted, so I paid very little for this dress (I'd say no more than $2!).  I used jean material for the skirt.  Jean material is not ideal for a dress skirt, but it does have its charms.  I added pockets and I think it makes the dress really sweet.  Eesa got a ton of compliments in this dress.  Unfortunately, when I washed it a part of the front decal came undone and the skirt and trim were horribly wrinkled.  It sat in my sewing room until I finally fixed the front with fabric glue.  Its not very visible in the pictures or from far away, but hey someone bought it (not full-price of course) anyway.

Miss Eesa modeling her new dress

Fixed and ironed.  Good as new and ready to be shipped out!

Disney Shirts

Disneyland is a great place to show off those cute hand-made clothes! Here are some matching outfits I made for Eesa and little brother, from about a year ago.  I had some left-over red and white polka-dot fabric from forever ago.  I used Peek-a-Boo Pattern shop's Boys oxford shirt pattern for little brother's shirt.  I wasn't intending to make Eesa a shirt initially, but I had a teenie tiny bit of red and white polka-dot fabric leftover, so I managed to squeeze out a Minnie-Mouse inspired shirt the night before we left for Disneyland. Their outfits were a big hit! 

How cute are these kids?!?

Shorties

 Here are some shorty-shorts I made for Eesa last year.  Despite the fact I made 4 of them, I'm not a huge fan of the pattern.  I cut a size 5 and they're just too darn short.  I mean booty short! Haha! They sewed up quick and didn't take a whole lot of fabric, but when she'd put a T-shirt on, they disappeared! And if they weren't completely covered by a T-shirt, they looked like her undies! My official review of this pattern (Violette Field Thread's Lily shorts): PASS.

Reversible Sequin Heart Raglan Shirt

 Its a very satisfying sew when I make something that my daughter just LOVES.  This was her favorite shirt of 1st grade.  She was always trying to wear this shirt, even if it was in the dirty clothes hamper!
I love this shirt not only because she loves it, but also because it was an easy, quick sew! I used a medium weight quality knit (I found it at Goodwill, of all places) so it was a dream to work with.  I used reversible sequin fabric I found at Joann's (I saw it and just had to have it!). Oh, and the pattern was FREE! I found it here. I originally did an applique stitch to put the heart on the front, but it looked sloppy and it was too low anyway.  So I unpicked the applique stitch, picked out the sequins around the edge, and did a looser zig-zag stitch along the edges.  It looked a ton better, except there were tiny little holes where I had originally sewn the heart on.  Yikes.  It is impossible to see from far away, but it bothers me.  Girly doesn't notice though, so its all good.

 My first attempt at putting the heart on.  It was all wonky and wavy.

Fixed it!

Sparkle Dress

Now here's a dress I really love! There can never be too much sparkle, in my opinion, especially when you're only 6 years old! Here is a dress I made girly about a year ago, in August 2017.  I bought the fabric at Joann's.  $30 a yard is a bit steep for me, but between coupons and gift cards, I didn't pay much. The pattern I used is Violette Field Threads' Pepper with cap sleeves (my own modification).  I covered the snaps with the sparkly fabric and I think it really makes it pop! I was pleasantly surprised to see that my cheap-o Singer sewing machine didn't have any trouble at all getting through the sequins. Oh, how I love this dress!