back to school

Time for a back to school dress!


I grabbed some Heidi Grace fabric and got to work.


Using one of my favorite Olabelhe patterns, it sewed up quickly


and off to school she went!

blue floral, yes indeed

Yes, I have actually been doing a little "fun" sewing this summer.  Between being a mom, custom orders, and random outings, my sewing time has been significantly less this summer!  Today and tomorrow though I'm doing a little showing off.  This is an "Amelia" dress (with bubble skirt) by Olabelhe Designs.

I have no idea what she was doing with her hand.  Silly pose, right?  I love the simple silhouette of the dress, but the scoop neckline seemed a little deep for her, and when she sat down I was wishing the skirt was a little longer.

She loved running around in it, her play shoes matched nicely, and I figured out how to get a pretty bow in back!!!!  It went together very quickly too, because I just made two for a customer, and I'm pretty comfortable with Dawn's designs at this point.

fall coat

This is my newest creation - "Brooke's Coat" from Olabelhe Designs.

A couple details - flannel button loops, covered buttons (my son thought that was the coolest project!), and flannel lined bodice.  The outside of the coat is cream chenille.

Check out more at Olabelhe!

three sisters

Three sisters enjoying their sibling shirts (originally blogged about here).

I made the older sisters matching pinafores, and the baby got a matching onesie dress.

Aren't they adorable?

so sweet.

Thanks to Megan for her photography skills, and to Lisa for sharing her kids!  (Lisa also makes bows so check her out!)

featured and FALL!

Quick note - check out my feature on Little Lizard King.  She featured my pink & purple pinafore amidst some of her other customer creations.  I am in the midst of some great company - there's some other really cute outfits there.  She has a lot of patterns that I'm excited to try out!

I told you I would get busy with some fall clothes - so here we go!
We did a little photo shoot outside because the weather was finally cooperating with fall clothing!!!  It's been so hot, humid and rainy that we haven't been able to get anything good outside!

This first one is an upcycled knit project using the Little Blue Boo Sienna Dress, long sleeved version.  I don't really love it like I thought I would, so I'm trying to figure out what to do.  I am pretty sure the big sleeves have to go - I like skinnier sleeves better.  The whole top just looks so bulky and the bottom so skinny.  I think I need to tighten up the top a little.  (Not every dress is a success!)  Maybe I'll try some freezer paper stencil pumpkin face on the orange and a ruffle on the bottom?

This is another "Annikka's Dress" by Olabelhe designs.  The first time I sewed this pattern it was (surprisingly) blue.  However, I am actually kind of enjoying the fall colors on this one!

I chose a dark brown with black swirls for the arms & underskirt, a printed orange on orange for the bodice & cuffs, and a leafy print for the overskirt.

She had been looking at the pumpkins in our garden/weed patch and was ready to go back inside!  It was windy this morning!

As she was walking up the steps I realized I'm going to have to teach her long dress on steps etiquette - she stepped on it a couple times!  I also realized I'm going to have to find her some more tights that fit!!!

Another dress I finished up this week was a long-sleeved version of Patty Young's "Abigail" dress.  I've gotten a lot of compliments on the short-sleeved version, and wanted her to have one for fall/winter too.

Her knits are a little pricey (worth it, but still pricey) so for this long-sleeved dress I used her dots & a black floral knit from Joann's.  I'm really happy with how they went together.

Abby's getting quite good at posing by the tree in the front yard.  Today she was a less somber model - she happily spun around numerous times and grinned her cheesy little had off.

Hope you all have a relaxing Labor Day weekend!  I've got a couple not-as-exciting things to finish up, but hopefully will have a little time for fun sewing too in the midst of family time!  What are you doing with your weekend?

my growing girl & her latest photo shoot

We took some more pictures of her in her dresses now that they're finally fitting her!
Here she is in her "Peyton's Pinafore" from Olabelhe Designs. It was the first pattern I tested for her about a year ago.

It's a size 3 and has a little wiggle room, but not much.  Time to get her into some more of Dawn's dresses!!!!

Here she is in her Rodeo dress - it was one of my first serging attempts.  I'm happy with how it turned out.

It's such a great playdress - comfy knits from Daddy's old tshirts, and I don't care how dirty it gets!!!

two sisters and a new baby!

Two sisters are welcoming a new baby sister this July.  Mom wanted them to have something special for in the hospital.  The older girls get pink tees, the baby gets a onesie.  Three flowers for each girl, with their specific flower enlarged & labeled on their specific shirt.  Ric-rac stems complete the flower.

This is a little something special for a photo shoot after they get home.

"Peyton's Pinafores" for the two older girls, and a onesie dress for the baby.  Each girl has a flower raw-edge-appliqued on the front.  Best wishes to the whole family!!!!

natalie's dress

This is Natalie's Dress, from Olabelhe Designs. Dawn has done it again - a beautiful dress with timeless elegance & style. This special dress has a high neckline in front, and a lower back. This one was sewn with an extra special underskirt.Her signature sash in the back makes a beautiful bow tie (if you know how to tie, which I don't).
The best part... attack of the crinoline! The underskirt on this gorgeous dress has tulle along the bottom for a little extra poof.
This dress was made with a teal cotton fabric - but I can't wait to try it in something fancier like shantung! I have a perfect embroidered blue fabric that is going to be something special for Abby.

jillian's jumper

Check out this cute jumper! Another easy, beautiful design from Dawn at Olabelhe.

It has an overskirt and a ruffled underskirt.
The lined bodice has an optional pocket for the front.(Have I mentioned I'm totally on a turquoisey kick lately? Watch out!!)

After doing the cotton version, I decided to try it in corduroy with a muslin lining and muslin underskirt. I chose and cut the corduroy carefully and didn't use the pocket on the bodice.The one above was sized down from her original pattern, and fits my 11m old niece. The hand pleating was trickier (but still manageable!) with the corduroy. I also realized after I did the buttonholes that they didn't really line up how I would have liked, but that's my fault - not her pattern.
The one below is for her older sister, size 3.
They were Christmas presents, and they wore the dresses to Conner's birthday party. I must say - they were adorable!!!! Unfortunately, no good pictures (yet) of them together in the dresses.

Hop on over to her shop for your own pattern!

annikka's dress revisited

{GIVEAWAY here}

I decided to give Dawn's dress pattern another try - this time, with corduroy. The hand-pleating at the skirt is a bit trickier just because it's thicker fabric, but all in all I'm happy with the results!!

The overskirt, bodice lining and sleeves are a Heidi Grace print.
The bodice and underskirt are black corduroy. Perfect for a holiday picture by the tree or special occasion!


The other one is corduroy sleeves, bodice, and overskirt. The bodice lining and underskirt are a white cotton with silver sparkles.It's the same beautiful blue corduroy that I used in the ice princess dress. Even though that one didn't fit quite right for Abby this winter, I think this one will be perfect!

Abby enjoyed watching out the window for the first big snow of the winter... still none here yet!

annikka's dress

Guess what - another blue dress!
It's a very similar (if not the same) bodice as so many of Dawn's designs, but instead of short sleeves or sleeveless, it has long sleeves. YAY! I used some beautiful white floral buttons for the back. So sweet.
The double-layer skirt definitely adds some weight to the dress, but the swirl factor is amazing! The fabrics I chose are a bit busy, but depending on what you pick, you could embellish the bottom hemlines with so many fun things like ricrac and ribbon! I'm thinking I'm going to add a navy ribbon around the waistline too - just a little something extra. You could also strip piece the topskirt for some added color & pattern. There's just so many options with this dress!
The next time I make this, I think I'm going to try it with finewale corduroy. There's so many beautiful prints out there, and gorgeous coordinating solids.

Buy your own pattern from Olabelhe Designs here.