i am sewing... honest!

I've been definitely going into withdrawal this summer... my crafting time has significantly changed without my son being in school!  I did take a small altering job too - so time has been taken with that, but it's not exactly blogworthy.
However - a girl's gotta sew!!!  So I figured where better to start than another Olabelhe dress.  This is Sabrina - a short sleeved dress with a two-layer skirt.

I just thought this was such a beautiful bright floral fabric so I went for it.  I'm not sure it's totally working with this style dress - but I had fun with it.  It also has ties at the waist, but with this busy fabric the green and blue almost blends in.  The bodice lining, waist ties, armbands, and bottom skirt are all a green and blue swirly leafy fabric.

Also - my hard-to-photograph 3 year old niece finally let herself get photographed (thanks E!).  Isn't she cute?

birthday dress part 4

Conner's birthday is in February, and in each of the following months we celebrate one girl's birthday a month.  You may remember dresses for March's Tinkerbell, April's ladybug, and May's Minnie.  (They each got matching purses too.

This June we finished the cousin birthday celebrations with a Princess.  Being the typical little 3-year old that she is, she wasn't really in the mood to model during the party - she was more interested in running around with her cousins.  So, for now - this is the picture of the dress.  Hopefully I'll have a cute picture of her in it soon.

Belle is my favorite princess so I picked some yellows for her special dress.

It's the Olivia Paige dress designed by Samantha of The Handmade Dress.

I also made her a matching purse and included some hair clips, hair ties, and a Belle necklace.
Happy 3rd Birthday, G!

miss claire

Sam from The Handmade Dress also has an adorable skirt pattern ready.  The two-layered skirt is so easy to put together - mine was done in an hour and a half.

It has a yoke at the top and an elastic waist.  The best part - Abby LOVED swirling and twirling around in it!  And her belly looks so cute doesn't it. :)

It would also work beautifully with Miss Olivia Paige as a top instead of a dress.  Check it out in her shop now!  She has it from size 6mo to size 12 - I love it when a pattern is that versatile.

miss olivia paige

I am LOVING Sam's latest creation - Miss Olivia Paige is so sweet & easy to sew in just a (slightly long) naptime!

See the bows on the sides?  The bows on each side are from the sashes on this wrap-style dress.  I used the same fabric to make little bows for her hair too!

The dress crosses in the back forming a V-back.  I lined the inside with the same fabric I used for the sashes - a leafy fabric in Heidi Grace's line that matches the ladybug fabric on the bodice and the trees in the skirt.

The dress has tucks in the front for a sweet detail that was so easy to sew!

Hope on over to The Handmade Dress to meet Sam & get your very own pattern in her shop!

miss mary

Have you all visited The Handmade Dress? Samantha designs the sweetest dresses. Here's her latest that I tested... Miss Mary. It's a beautiful wrap dress - V neckline and gathered skirt. The other pattern view (that I haven't sewn yet) has an A-line skirt.
I'm not really happy with my sash-sewing and tying abilities, but I love the neckline & length of the dress. Her pattern is well-written - it's just my own issues.
Most importantly, Abby loved it! She twirled around, danced with her brother, and generally grinned her little head off the whole time she was wearing it!

miss alice

This week was not quite the "return to normal" I had hoped.
Intestinal bug for Conner AND I.
Watched my niece one day while her mom was in surgery.
Not enough sleep.
Whiny daughter who "needs" to learn to talk before we both loose our minds.
A project that didn't go according to my plans. *ahem* because they "always" do... what was I thinking?

So, I was happy when I got an email from Samantha that her pattern is finalized! Hip hip hooray! I have something to show you that's not in pieces all over my craft room floor & tables!

I made this dress in the fall - you may notice the leaves on bushes behind Abby. Yeah, there's about 8 inches of snow covering that bush right now!
I love the yoke on the dress, and the gathers under the arm. The yoke was a bit tricky for me to sew, just because I haven't done that kind of sewing very often. The straps at the top were skinny too, making them hard to turn. But so cute when the whole dress was put together - it was worth it!
The dress was a little big for Abby, but I think if I were to try it on her again now it would fit a little better, and by springtime for sure. She's wearing it over some leggings because I was trying to get a quick shot & she was not cooperating.
Check out the Miss Alice pattern for yourself. Check out her blog too. I totally want to go to her farm and hang out by her fireplace!!!

Hopefully next week will go a little more smoothly & I'll have a couple things to share with you - birthday party invites, paper piecing, and what I did with the Pez fabric!