Her First Christmas Dress - What Was I Thinking?

This is another one of those things where I should have taken a before and after photo.  The red stretch velvet bodice of this dress was cut from one of my favorite shirts.  A shirt that I've had for a very very long time and it looked as great as the day I bought it.  I decided to make something for Carolina out of this dress in a pouty huff.  I was throwing a fit over having baby weight and looking for something comfortable to breastfeed in.  I snatched this shirt out of the drawer and tossed it onto the top of my scrap fabric heap.  I started imagining a dress.  Too bad it's too big for her this year.  It's the "newborn" sized dress in the McCalls M6103 pattern.  I added the sash and bow around the waist and made a matching head band.  It's really pretty.  Kai wants a matching dress.  Maybe I'll make hers to fit her next year too. 

Thanksgiving Outfits For The Girls

These were actually supposed to be fall outfits that they could have worn in October, but I'm just now getting them done.  In fact, I still need to make booties and a headband or hat for Carolina Jane's outfit, today.  I hope.  I'd love to make something for Delsin.  Oh!  A vest out of the crushed brown velvet, perhaps?    Wow!  I need to get moving.  Just a quick post. 

 I am so stinking terrible about taking before pictures!!! I really wish I wasn't.  The above dress was made from an old button up Maternity shirt from Old Navy.  I wore it when I was pregnant with all three of our children, but it only looked decently in style back in 2004.  Determined not to wear it again I knew the only way I could be sure was to get rid of it or make something new out of it.  Kai loves her new dress & pants outfit.  Here's some pattern information:  NEW LOOK 6664  (Can't find a link to it on their website.) The dress is item B, but without the bottom ruffle.  I was able to keep the bottom of the shirt hem in tact and the sides came together perfectly, so I kept that.  The pants are item E, except I shortened them.  For the flower appliques I used a cookie cutter that I keep in the kitchen.  I traced inside for one flower and I traced the outside of the cookie cutter for the other flower.  This makes them 2 different sizes and slightly different looking petals.  The whole outfit and fabric selections were inspired by Matilda Jane Clothing.  I really can't afford to buy her clothing for my girls, nor can I afford the expensive print fabric that she uses, but I can afford to buy small enough pieces to use for trim and appliques.  I think that helps to make outfits look more interesting on a budget. You can't see it, but there's a little applique of a brown beetle on her right shoulder.  I accidentally nicked the dress with my scissors & had to patch it up.  Oops. (giggle)

Carolina Jane's outfit was made using Butterick pattern 5001. 

Nana gave me this pattern.  She used it to make something for one or more of my sisters.

I made dress B, but with long sleeves instead of short sleeves.  Well, I must have done something wrong 'cause the sleeves were WAY too long.   So I measured and cut them off and hemmed and now they're 3/4 sleeves, by accident.  Should have just made the short sleeves I guess.  Oh well.

I didn't use any trim. 

It doesn't need it.

I did change the collar a little, taking out the pleat and adding her monogram. 

Fancy. (giggle)

I'm planning to make her some booties and a hat to match today.  If I get it done I'll post a picture and some pattern information on those things too.

I hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving week.  Don't forget to count your blessings!

Christmas Attire

These are old outfits I made a while back.

Costumes!

I had fun making some costumes this year. 
First of all, Claire had taken a trip and spent some time in Amish country so she wanted an Amish costume.  I told her what I had in the way of fabric and she worked out the rest.
I made her a bonnet and an apron.  She loved her costume.

I didn't use a pattern for the apron. 

For the bonnet I used this craft project tutorial.  I just used fabric instead of paper, and hemmed the edges before I got started.

I almost didn't want to dress up for Halloween, this year. It was more that I was so busy with the baby and hadn't even had time to think up a costume. 
Day before Halloween came and we headed over to Walmart to let the kids pick something out.  The kids had already picked out some costumes when I saw a Red Riding Hood costume and had an idea.
"Hey!  How about Kai, you be Red Riding Hood & Delsin, you be the wolf...."

Daniel said, "I can be the lumber jack!"

"And I'll be Grandma!" I said.

But Delsin and Kai wanted to be their own things. (Wolverine and Cinderella)  So, we went ahead and bought their store bought costumes and drove around the city looking for a wolf mask for Daniel.  We decided to make him the wolf, me Red Ridding Hood, and Carolina Jane the basket of goodies.  We didn't find any wolf items within budget, so we came home.  I had a pattern for a lion costume I used with some grey fur fabric I had left over from the year we went as the three blind mice, and within 24 hours we had us a wolf costume, a Red Ridding Hood costume, and a Chocolate Eclair costume.

For the Wolf costume I used McCall's Costumes EASY TO SEW pattern.  MP349.

For the Red Riding Hood cape I used McCall's Costumes Medieval Magic 6775.  I can't find a link to the pattern information on their website, so I'm attaching a photo.

For Carolina Jane's Chocolate Eclair costume I only used a pattern for the hat.  McCall's M6103.  It was way too big, so I had to add a piece of elastic to the back before we rushed out the door.

I didn't use a pattern at all for the dress.  I just cut two long pieces of rectangle from some brown crushed velvet I had on hand.  I sewed the sides leaving an opening large enough to comfortably get her arms through.  Then I sewed the top on the left and right, leaving a hole large enough for her head to get through

comfortably.  Then I finished all the edges.  Easy as pie.    I put a long sleeve t -shirt on her with her booties I made from the same pattern as the hat.    I wore a dress that has my sister handed down to me, with a wig that's seen many a Halloween.  Daniel wore his wire framed glasses and his bathrobe to be the big bad wolf pretending to be Grandma.  It was so much fun.