Crafterhours skirt week post

Hey guys! I'm here today with a fun way to embellish a simple skirt-courtesy of Crafterhours' Skirt Week! Have you seen the skirt fun over there yet? Make sure to check it out...there's some great stuff...and get your skirt entered, too! I get to be a judge again this year-it's so hard since there are so many great skirts to choose from!

So, I thought and thought about what to do for my post...and then decided to embellish it simply with the ever-so-hot-right-now-chevron...or arrowhead as I re-named it. (watch out guys...I'm changing the trend name...it's gonna catch on now....am I right? *chirp chirp*) K, maybe not. But still cute, no?

 

I used Verona fabric in teal dots from my sponsor Ribbon Retreat...and without further ado (since it's getting late)...I give you the arrowhead skirt!

First I made your basic elastic waist skirt. Cut a panel of fabric from selvage to selvage (usually 42-44" wide) to the length I wanted. (for Sadie who's just going into 3T, I cut it to be 13-14" I think)

Then sew the sides together, serge the bottom and top, (or fold over twice) and iron down the top of the skirt (making sure the elastic will fit in the casing you're going to sew). Also hem the bottom of the skirt.

Then I made an arrowhead pattern til I liked the shape I had.

I cut out two arrowheads out of fabric-so that I could layer it so no fabric would show through the white...plus it looked cool!

Then I positioned them how I liked, and pinned them down...

Then sewed around the edges with a straight stitch.

Insert the elastic into the waistband casing, sew it together, then sew the casing shut! Donzo!

Thanks for having me, Adrianna and Susan! Good luck to all the Skirt Week entrants! 

Molly Jacket pattern review

I just love the Molly Jacket pattern from Violette Field Threads! They sent me their paper pattern to try-which means no printing and taping together, which is nice. Not that I mind PDF patterns at all, just a change of pace!  It's definitely a great pattern-it came together quickly and the collar is adorable, right? I left off the pockets, and used Dottie White on Peony by Moda, from my sponsor, the Fat Quarter Shop.

Sadie really loved it-and obviously she was in a goofy mood when we took pics.

I just realized that she doesn't have much that goes with it though...guess it's time for some new dresses!

Once Upon a Thread

Hey guys! I am so excited to be a part of Katy's Once Upon a Thread series...like, ecstatic! I chose to work with the book The Story of Ferdinand...have you read it before? It's a really sweet book, and it was one of my favorites growing up. Hop over to No Big Dill to see more pics of the dress I made for Sadie! (I've updated it with more pics below) You won't want to miss the rest of the series!



The story takes place in Spain and is about a bull named Ferdinand.



He's a pretty easy going bull but somehow gets roped into going into a bull fighting ring (there is a bee sting involved :) to go up against matadors. Yikes!  I won't spoil the rest of the story if you haven't read it,  but it's very sweet and funny.



He likes to sit in his favorite field to smell the flowers and watch the butterflies, so I incorporated those aspects into my design, with the fabric and butterfly buttons.

 

I had to add some flamenco-esque ruffles (trimmed in bias tape) on the sides...and a wide grosgrain ribbon sash.

I just love how these butterfly buttons look up the back of the dress.

I don't have a tutorial for the dress since it changed a few times throughout and my pictures didn't turn out either. :{  I hope you liked our little spanish-inspired dress!

Vintage May recap

Well Vintage May has come and gone. Did you have as much fun as I did seeing all the gorgeous vintagey eye candy? I loved each and every guest post, and I want to thank the fabulous ladies who pitched in to make Vintage May fabulous! I also want to thank my awesome co-host Kristin, who stepped in quite a few times to pick up the slack when I wasn't feeling 100% or just was lazy. (I blame the pregnancy...I do that a lot. I don't want to do the dishes...blame the pregnancy! I want french fries! Blame the pregnancy!) Anyways....what was I talking about? Yes...these gals are all so talented and it was so much fun working with each and every one of you! Some of my guests have already gotten their revenge and so I have some fun guest posts in the works on their blogs in the near future. (a few this week!) hehe! Anyways...you know we had to show you all the gorgeous projects all together, so here's the round-up! I so love how some of the posters even matched their counterpart over on Skirt as Top! Great minds think alike, eh?

vintage inspired dress by the cottage home // holly hobbie by nest full of eggs

’60s tent dress by see kate sew // scalloped yoke tutorial by hart & sew

sewing with vintage patterns by simple simon & co. // vintage inspired dress by girl.inspired.

vintage tea dress tutorial by shwin & shwin // bubblegum dress and vintage pattern tips by made by rae

lace overlay dress tutorial by i’m thinking… // boy outfit with bloomer tutorial by cirque du bebe

mod shift dress tutorial by aesthetic nest // modern lederhosen tutorial by running with scissors

fascinator tutorial by no big dill // oliver + s remix with mini tutorial by probably actually

vintage romper by crafterhours // vintage sheet shirt by elsie marley

colorblock leggings tutorial by me sew crazy // suspender skirt tutorial by you & mie

 pleated tunic by noodlehead // violet femme dress by my sparkle

Also make sure to check out all the projects that have been put into the Vintage May flickr pool, they are a.ma.zing! Kristin has a little round up on her blog if you want to see her faves!

I had so much fun but I am glad to be back to "normal blogging"....I missed you guys! Things I have been doing in my "downtime" during Vintage May...

-worked on Charlotte's cowgirl party decorations, favors, etc....

-became obsessed with Battlestar Galactica. Yes you read that right...nerd alert.

-worked on some guest posts and pattern reviews, coming soon!

-lazed about surfing Pinterest.

-talked about all the relationships on Battlestar Galactica til Rory's ears fell off.

-made lots of ice cream...and then ate it.

-gained some weight...probably from the ice cream, but again I'll blame the pregnancy.

-took a few outfit pics...yes, those posts will be coming back soon!

Ok..that's enough...thanks again to everyone who participated in Vintage May!

Vintage May guest: Noodlehead

Today's Vintage May guest needs practically no introduction! I'm sure you all know the lovely Anna from Noodlehead, and her fabulous sewn creations. We've been blog pals since way back when-seriously since the beginning of blogging, Anna? haha well I always love checking in with her and she is so sweet and sincere. :) You've of course seen some of her tutorials, no doubt one of them being the gathered clutch. Who hasn't made one of those? Besides being the queen of bags, wallets, etc...(plus creating awesome patterns!), she has tutorials for adorable skirts, a car pillow, and this super useful diaper pouch. (I would know, she sent me the pink one when I had Charlotte and I still use it to this day) She's here today with a vintage-modern tunic-that fabric is to die for! Take it away, Anna.

I gave you a little hint earlier this month.  I was digging through my brain and wanted something simple, a fun little tunic.  It has a retro/vintage vibe to it, especially if you change up the fabrics.  I was to make about one hundred of these, they were so fun to make!

I think of little details are what makes garments really stand out.  Any opportunity to add a different print or trim really makes it so much more special.  I added a hem facing, button placket facing and bias tape trim for this tunic.

The pleats at the front and back of this tunic make it really cute without being frilly or overly girly.  And I think the sleeveless option really makes it comfortable to wear as well as making it something you can layer with a long sleeve shirt for colder weather.

These bunnies are to die for!  It's an older print by Anna Griffin and I just love it.  Those little bunnies make me happy! And the bias trim/placket fabric is by Kokka.

If anyone is interested, I was considering turning this into a pattern perhaps with sizes 12 months - 5/6T  Let me know in the comments, I think can be a really versatile pattern with fun options!

Thanks Anna! I hope she does make a pattern-it looks so versatile!

See what Danielle from My Sparkle has made today over on Skirt as Top!

Vintage May guest: Me Sew Crazy

Today's Vintage May guest is another Jessica-the Jessica behind the blog Me Sew Crazy! She sews the most fabulous clothes for her little ones-they're always so creative with adorable details and fabrics! She has a ton of tutorials for her creations, including this one that was the first dress I saw of Jessica's-I was smitten! I've used this tutorial of hers, which is great...and I love this wavy tunic! Such a fun way to add detail! She also creates collections for her kiddos each season...-be sure to check them out...they're amazing! She is super sweet on top of all that, too! :D I couldn't wait to see what she had in store for Vintage may!



    When Jess asked if I wanted to be a part of their Vintage May Series, I was thrilled. You see, I had just stumbled across this pile of vintage patterns at our local thrift store and I couldn't wait to give one of them a try. I finally settled on the Butterick 2949 Vintage Jumper.

And after falling in love with this gorgeous tribal / geometric patterned linen at our local fabric store, I simply had to work with it. I absolutely adore how the dress came out.  There is just something about vintage patterns - the attention to detail, the pleats, pins, and tucks, the classic style - they just always have that little extra something. Whenever I do old fashioned patterns, I always like to mix it up a bit. Either with a funky, more modern print. Or pairing it with something that has an edge, giving the vintage trend a more current feel.  By doing that I find my kids get more use out of the items, and I get to stretch my imagination by trying to pair the vintage meets modern look.     But for the Vintage Series, I wanted something a bit extra. That's where the color block tights come in...    After all, what is more trendy then color block tights? And how fun is it to throw them in the mix with all of these vintage lovelies we are seeing lately?!! Not that I am sticking my tongue out at the Vintage Series or anything - HA! I just cant give you a tutorial for the dress as it came from a pattern :). Making your own pair of color block shape tights is super easy. First, you will need a good tights / leggings tutorial. I found Made by Rae's baby tights a long time ago and have never needed another one. Her tute can be found HERE. Just cut the feet off for leggings. Once you have your own pair of tights for sizing / pattern info, simply... And that's it! Feel free to make the curved edge as wide or thing as you desire. Just imagine how slimming this would be on an adult, hmmm....     Thank you again so much for having me here Jess for your Vintage May Series! And for all of you Craftiness is Not Optional readers...remember that Vintage Pattern pile I mentioned at the beginning of this post? I just happen to be giving some away today. Hop on over to my site for your chance twin! Happy Sewing!          Fabulous, right!? Love it, thanks Jessica!   Check out what Cherie from You & Mie created over on Skirt as Top!

Vintage May guest: Crafterhours

 Today's Vintage may guest is one part of the team behind Crafterhours-Adrianna and Susan write the awesome blog together, and Adrianna is here today with something perfectly vintage! (and something pretty new, lol) They are the minds behind Skirt Week (which I will be judging-fun!-and doing a guest post for!), and this milkmaid skirt has seriously been on my list for like eva.  Did you see they have a grown up tutorial for it now? They also have awesome stuff in their shop, including these fantastic drawer stickers! Make sure to check out all their great tutorials....now take it away Adrianna! (get ready to chuckle...she's seriously funny!)

                                    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi CINO readers!  Hi Jess!  I'm so stoked to be here today (I can say "stoked" because this is a post about vintage or retro things.  That's also why I'm writing this post in neon pink legwarmers, just in case you were wondering.)

CINO falls into the very short list of blogs I'm willing to visit by typing in the url on whatever handheld device I'm holding in a hotel room on vacation.  That's how much I love Jess and her blog!  When she asked if I wanted to be a part of Vintage May I was excited about the project but thrilled to be visiting her little corner of the internets.  It's so nice to be here.  Her blog feels very warm and welcoming and smells like cinnamon, in case you were wondering.

Ok, so enough blog crushing and onto my project.  The word "vintage" applies to so many styles and eras, as we've seen from the other awesome guest bloggers and their projects already, but to me for some reason it has always conjured up a very specific vision.

Here's what vintage means to me:

Feedsack prints

 

Pintucks 

 

Rompers

 

Peter Pan Collars 

Ruffled sleeves

And bonnets

In fact, this bonnet in particular is actually vintage since it was worn by me as a baby!  It is somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 years old.  (but nowhere near 31, ok?)

I had so much fun creating this little romper for my baby girl, and now I'm having even more fun seeing her chubby little body in it.  Thanks for giving me the opportunity to create something outside my norm and to share it with your lovely readers, Jess!

Thanks for sharing that adorable romper and yummy baby legs too! :)

Make sure to stop by Skirt as Top to see what the fabulous Meg from Elsie Marley has in store for you!