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! 

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! :)

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! :)

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??

Rockstar client and a cool camera strap cover

One of my favorite things in the whole wide-y world is when someone says to me, "Hey, do you think you could make (______) for me?"  My answer is always, "YES!"  Or, more often, "Oh, heck, YES!!"  I love love love projects. 

So that's why Erin is my rockstar, uh, client.  She's also one of my closest friends, but let's be business-like and professional, shall we? 

Here's her latest commissioned work (oooo!  more professional-sounding language!): a padded camera strap cover, now named lovingly after her. :)

I love these colors together.  And the backing is flannel, so it's nice and soft, perfect for-- say-- lugging your camera with you while hiking in Chile.  Yes.  That's what Erin is about to do.  She's awesome.  Oh, and in case you're worried about getting that gorgeous strap dirty, it's totally washable.

Erin was also the recipient of this cow dress.  Betcha can hardly tell which one Erin is, huh? 

And she commissioned a few onesies (and a pair of pants) for her friend's new baby.  Here are a couple of 'em.  

 Erin, you should know this already, but you are a rockstar.  Keep the projects comin', pretty please!

Vintage-y Modern Striped "Tennis Dress"

Riley's taking tennis lessons, which I'm pretty thrilled about.  I'm not going to pressure her into a life of tennis, but I really really really do hope she loves it.  :)

She has one tennis outfit that Nana and Granddad bought for her, but-- you know me-- I'm always looking for a project, so I decided I'd make her a couple tennis dresses.  The first one I made is in the wash, but here's the second one, which she wore to class yesterday.

 Okay, so she actually could wear it as a regular dress, too, but it works pretty darn well for tennis. 
It's made from (I think) dancewear fabric-- the slick, super stretchy stuff.

 I'm calling it a vintage-y dress because, clearly, tennis players these days do not wear skirts this long.  But she's four, and she has a tendency to bounce around and sit on the ground and not worry about her underwear showing, so we went with a longer skirt.  And then there's the high neckline.

 But the stripes are nice and modern (I'm a sucker for stripes).  I switched up their directionality on the front and back of the bodice, and I LOVE how a circle skirt makes the stripes look.  So fun!

 So there she is, a tennis dress for my little tennis star!  Keep your eyes peeled for the other one soon (which you got a sneak peek, if you recall...).

Whoooo's Surprise Birthday Dress

I've spent the last couple days in the hospital with sweet Brooksy-boy.  He woke up on Sunday morning, wheezing and generally inconsolable.  He's home now and fine, and I'll fill you in more later, but whew...  It was quite a ride.  Glad to be home.

And I'm glad to be able to share this little dress that I made for my niece, Hannah, who just turned THREE!

When I first decided to make Hannah a dress, I actually thought to myself, Well, Heather... I guess you're THAT aunt-- the weird one who only gives clothes, and handmade clothes at that.  Sorry, kids, my sister-in-law will say, just smile and say 'thank you.'   However, when I brought this dress upstairs, BOTH my girls jumped up and asked, "Is that for me!?!"  So, YES!  This gift is a winner.

It starts off like this: just a navy and white polka dot dress with a random tree appliqued on it and a pocket...

... but then, out of said pockets pops a little owl to take along!

He can either stay hidden safely away in his pocket or he can journey over to his hole in the tree to rest and look out on the world.

"Hey, guys!"  

And he's attached to a ribbon, so he's a take-along toy that can't get lost.

Hannah wore her dress to church on Sunday and loved it.  See!  THIS aunt's not weird!
(Quiet, peanut gallery!)

:)

Pink Elephants on Parade Dress Tutorial

Don't forget to enter the giveaway here!  It closes Sunday night!

I got this elephant fabric for $.50/yard at Walmart!  Fifty cents a yard, people!  Nice!  The only thing is that it's very baby, y'know?  And the only baby I have is a boy, and he's not going to be sporting pink and purple elephants. As luck would have it, though, we were getting together with some good friends today, and one of those friends is a 7-ish month-old little lady.  Thanks for posing for me, Addie! Obviously, this dress looks much better with you in it. :)

Materials:
Pattern

Main fabric, about 1/2 yard
Underskirt fabric, 10"x selvage to selvage
1/4-inch elastic
coordinating trim
fabric marker
basic sewing stuff

Instructions:
**Use 1/2-inch seam allowance throughout.**

First, cut out your pieces.  Use the pattern for the bodice, and the straps will be 2.5" x 6.5" (mine in the picture are too long... don't get confused).

For the skirt portion, cut from selvage to selvage.  Your main fabric will be 8 inches long.  The longer layer will be 10 inches.

We'll start with the bodice.  Fold your straps in half, sew up the long side.  Press with the seam in the center.

Cut your trim to 6.5".

Center the trim on the strap and sew on.  My trim is a velvet and organza ribbon.  I ran a line of stitching down both sides of the velvet.

Measure 2 inches out from the center of your front bodice piece and baste the straps on, close to the edge, with right sides together.

Measure 2.5 inches from the center of the back and baste the other side of the straps there.

It'll look like this when you're done.

Sew up the side seams of your main (strapped) piece and your lining piece.

Turn the lining right side out and pin it to the main piece, so the straps are sandwiched between the two.

It'll get a little bunchy in there, but that's ok.

Sew around the whole top edge then flip and press.

Topstitch close to the edge.

Your back piece is longer than the front, so that we can elasticize it.  Use a fabric marker to draw a line, 3/4-inch away from your top stitching.  The line will go across the entire back piece.  Then draw a second line, again 3/4-inch below.

Stitch along these lines.

Cut 2 pieces of 1/4-inch elastic to 9.25 inches.  Use a safety pin to begin threading it through your casing.

Once I pull my elastic close to the beginning of my casing, I pin it in place.

Once I finish pulling it through, I pin in place on the other side.  Then do the same with the other piece of elastic and the second casing.  Then you can stitch them in place with one continuous line.

I actually did a double line of stitches to make it extra durable.

Now grab your skirt pieces and sew up the side seams on both of them.  Finish with a zig-zag stitch.

Keeping them both inside out, place them together, with main skirt inside the underskirt.  Pin together at the top.

Run a gathering stitch along the top and gather both skirts up at the same time, until they match the bodice width.  KEEP IN MIND-- your back is bigger than the front.

Once you have the skirts gathered, slip the bodice inside, so right sides are together.  Match up one side seam with the side seam of the skirt.  Pin.

Sew through all four layers and finish with a zig-zag.

Flip and you've got your self a dress!