Friday, November 30, 2012

Cinderell-y, Cinderell-y!

The amazing Jess from The Adventures of Ella and Harry gave me a tip to size down my pics, and then I'd be able to post them.  Thanks, Jess!  You're a life-saver!

So here's a short post I've just had sitting, waiting for a picture...

Ariel... check!
Aurora... check!
Rapunzel... check!
Cinderella...

Check! :)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

I'll Tell Ya...

Bet ya wondered where I've been, huh?  Well, we have a clash of reasons. 

First, I used up all my free photo storage here on Blogger.  Seriously... maxed it out.  So I've been trying to decide whether I suck it up and pay for additional storage or if I make a switch to wordpress...  Decisions, decisions!

Second, I've been sewing like a mad woman to prepare for my holiday clothing party and to get orders filled.  The Practical Princess dresses have been popular!  I'm pretty pumped because I love making them.  (I'd also love to post pictures here, but alas...  here's my shop if you really want to see them: greensies)

So I'm hoping to be back on the blogging horse soon!  I miss posting!  And I miss my free photo storage!!!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Rapunzel Practical Princess Dress

 The latest in the Practical Princess line-- Tangled's Rapunzel dress! 

I gotta say, I think this may be my favorite so far.  See the listing here for more pictures! :)
 This was actually my second attempt.  I tried to do the pink accents out of ribbon at first, but I was NOT a fan of how they turned out.  This not only looks better, but I like that using fabric for the pink also keeps the dress 100% cotton.  Double bonus, people. :)


And just in case I don't post before then, Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm thankful for all you readers out there! 



Monday, November 19, 2012

Practical Princess

Just in time for the holidays, I just started creating a new line for my store-- the Practical Princess line.  Really, I should probably wait till all the samples are finished to tell you about it, but I'm just so excited... and I'm REALLY bad at waiting. 

Plus, until next Sunday, you can get 20% off your order with the code "practicalprincess".  How can I NOT share that news??

The Practical Princess line was created with the following things in mind:
  • lots of little ladies like to dress up
  • most storebought princess dresses aren't really fit for the park/school/grocery shopping 
  • some little ladies are very adamant that they get to be a princess in public (I've definitely brought Cinderella to Target with me).
  • it's really really nice when clothes will fit your child for more than one season
  • it's really really nice when you can find a dress that makes both Mom and Kiddo happy
  • it's even more really really nice when those dresses are wearable and washable.
So these dresses fit all those.  They're a perfect compromise for your little princess!

First, the Ariel-inspired dress...

And, second, the Aurora-inspired dress...
 Rapunzel and Cinderella are up next!  I should have the Rapunzel sample done by tomorrow!  So stay tuned. :)

They would make great Christmas/birthday/any time presents!  And for your 20% off, make sure you hit the store before November 25th! :)

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Charlie Brown Christmas

Here's another new Christmas top-- made with bright and cheerful Charlie Brown Christmas fabric!  I love how it really says Christmas cheer. :)
 And speaking of holiday cheer, look at this face:


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Winter Bubble

As I mentioned before, I'm having camera issues.  These pics aren't great, but they'll do the trick for now! 

It's actually separates-- a bubble skirt and a peasant top.  I'm thinking I'm going to add a navy bow to the skirt, just to break the plaid up a little.
 Again, the pictures aren't great, but there's one plaid panel going down the center of the top with navy on both sides. 

I like how it's just a little bit Christmas-y but not relegated to a Christmas-only outfit. 

Camera Quandary

Either my camera's memory card, my computer, or Lightroom are on the fritz.  Or it may be a combination of two or all of them.  Short story: I'm photo-less for an indeterminate amount of time.  Sigh...

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Santa is Coming...

Here's another Christmas dress I just finished!  I used the same vintage-y fabric that I used for this dress.  It's a size 5/6, but here's the thing I love about these dresses: they'll fit both the size below and above.  Riley's a 4T/5T, but with the elastic back, it fits her, too!  It's just a little longer.
 You can see how cute the capped sleeves are.  I think it's my favorite part.   By the way, like my attempt at old-timey photos?  Clearly, I'm not a great photo editor, but A for effort? ;)

 Now we just have to wait for December, I suppose! :)

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Gettin' Ready to Party!

My awesome mother-in-law is going to host a little get-together for me, so I can show off my clothing to other moms.  In light of that, I've been working on bolstering my older girl selection.  I'm not going to lie... I'm pretty stoked with how these first two turned out. :)  And they got a seal of approval from our favorite10-year-old buddy, Hannah.

But perhaps one of the most exciting parts is that 10% of every sale I make is going to Care Net, an absolutely amazing ministry that serves women facing unplanned pregnancies.  As a non-profit, they rely on people's generosity to keep the good work going!  I'm so grateful for this chance to help them serve!
 I have to say... I LOVE this style of dress/top.  The capped sleeves are so cute, and these can last for YEARS.  They have elasticized backs, so they stretch as your little lady grows.  They just go from dress to tunic to top! :)  Seriously, Hannah, who is a size 10/12, tried on one of my 7/8 dresses, and it still fit her-- it was just knee length instead of tea length. 
 For this first top, I dyed the lace to a sweet, peachy color.  It adds a classy touch to this gorgeous, modern fabric.

Here's the back, elasticized for a nice fit.
 

And I adore this little tunic top.  The floral print is to die for, and who doesn't love a good pleat trim? :)

For this one, I also added a tie in the back, so it will be sure to fit perfectly.

I'll keep posting what I'm up to, but since I'm really trying to make as much as possible for this party, the tutorials will probably be a little slim over the next month.  If you see something you like and are interested in purchasing, let me know!  That 10% will still definitely go to Care Net! :)

Sunday, November 4, 2012

I've Got the Christmas Bug...

I know!  I know!  It's only the first week in November... but I just couldn't help myself.  I had this adorable fabric, and, well... I had to dive in.  So let me introduce you to my first Christmas dress of the season; I call it the Vintage-y Modern Big Bow Santa Dress.  Just rolls off the tongue, huh?  (Is anyone else as bad at naming things as I am!?)
 True to its name, the fabric has a slightly vintage feel.  
And, clearly, there's a big bow involved. 
 I really like it.  Indeed, I do.  This one's a size 7/8, but I may need to use this fabric for dresses for my girls, too.  I like it that much.  Oh, and the bodice is lined with flannel, so it's a little cozier. 

But now for the big question... Is anyone else already feeling Christmas-y??

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Firehouse Raglan Tee for Little Man-- tutorial

Oh, man... have I missed posting tutorials!  I'm serious, folks.  I really have.
Have Fall illnesses been kicking anyone else's butts?  Or is it just our little clan.
But speaking of Fall, here's a great little number for your little guy (or girl, really... it's gender-neutral) that's soft and comfy for those brisk days!

Materials:
shirt that fits your tyke
knit fabric
double needle (though it's not necessary!)
sewing gear

Instructions:
Grab a shirt that fits your little one and fold it in half.  Place it on the fold of your main fabric, making sure that it stretches from side-to-side.


You're going to cut a straight line from about halfway to the neckline to the armpit.  Use your shirt for the width measurement.  Also follow your shirt's collar as a template.  Cut two of these.
**FYI-- I cut my neckline way too high... I thought about fixing it here, but I wanted to show you how forgiving this shirt is.  So if you're looks like the neckhole is going to be too small, don't sweat it for now.

For the sleeves, you want that same angle that you had for your main piece.  However, cut them (again, on the fold) slightly skinnier and angle them in a little to where the cuff will be.  Use your shirt to determine the length of sleeve.  Cut two.

Here are your pieces, shown on the fold and opened up.

Place one body piece right sides together to the sleeve pieces and sew up.  Then sew the other body piece to one sleeve, but leave one seam open.  Here you can see how small my head hole would be.  If you have a pinhead baby, cool.  But if you have a child with a human head, you'll want to adjust this.

I just fold in half like this and trim away.  It's really that simple.

Whew.  That's better! :)

Cut a 2-inch wide piece of stretchy knit fabric (I used the same that I had for the sleeves... ribbed knit is good for this, too!).  You want it slightly shorter than the measurement of your neckhole.  Eyeballing mine, it was about 12 inches, so I cut my strip 10.5 inches by 2 inches.   (Sorry... not super detailed...  Again, this is pretty forgiving!)

Fold the strip in half and press.

Find the halfway mark of that strip and pin it halfway in between your two open edges, lining up the raw edge of the strip with the neckline edge.  You'll also want to pin the ends of the strip to the edges of the openings (not shown).

Using a stitch that stretches (zig-zag works), stretch your strip as you sew it to the neckline.  When you finish, it should start rounding out on its own, like this:

Pin that last seam together and, making sure your new collar strip is UP, sew up that side.

Here's what you've got!

If you have a double needle, here's a nice place to use it.  (A tip on threading a double needle that I haven't really seen many places: If you don't have a separate thread holder, make sure your two spools have the thread coming off of them in opposite directions; it keeps them from getting as wound up).  Sew the collar down, with one line of stitches on each side of the seam.  You can also zig-zag or just do nothing.

Since I have my double needle on, I press the sleeves over and hem them.  Again, you can use a zig-zag stitch.

Now fold your shirt in half, right sides together, and sew up the sides and under the sleeves. 

To hem, I pressed my seams out (you could finish them with a zig-zag, but with three small kids, I have to use my time wisely and "make it work").  Then I pressed my hem up and, again, used my double needle to stitch it.

I used red and blue thread for that because, well, I'm crazy like that.  I kind of wish I had used the red on the sleeves and neckline, too!

Last but not least, I like to press my seams of the collar strip and sleeves open and secure them with two straight stitches, like so...

There you have it!  A nice little raglan tee for Little Man!  He'll be thrilled... see? ;)