Ack! The cuteness!

This is a post about the Cutest.  Fabric.  Ever.

A Thumbelina border print with flowers, birds, mushrooms, and ladybugs.  If there was a hedgehog or a fox hiding in there, this print would probably burst into flames from the cuteness.

So of course, I had to make it into a skirt for Phoebe. 

I bought a yard and cut it in half parallel to the selvedge (so it was 36" wide x 21" tall), sewed it in a circle, and added some elastic.  Something super simple that lets the fabric do all the talking.  There was still a bit of excess fabric from the half piece that I used, so I whipped up a cute little purse to match.

And what makes this fabric even more amazing and awesome???!!!.....

 

......you've still got the other half of your fabric left to make into a matching skirt and purse for your daughter's bff!  More times that not, sewing your own clothes doesn't save money, but in this case - I got two skirts and two matching purses out of only one yard of fabric.  A high quality, Japanese cotton-linen blend, nonetheless. 

Can it get any better?  Well heck yes, it can!  It's currently on sale in Brenda's shop!  I'm just trying to refrain from making one for myself....

Flying geese in grey and yellow

Alrighty folks, since summer is winding down and Phoebe will be heading off to preschool in two weeks (!!!Yay!!!), I'm hoping to get up to date and share some projects that have been keeping me busy these past few months...

One of my cousins is having her first baby next month (a girl - yay!), and is planning her nursery around the palette of grey and yellow.  I've always wanted to do a flying geese quilt - plus, my good friend Brenda just told me about this amazing ruler that makes absolutely perfect flying geese blocks - four at a time!  The Quilt in a Day Flying Geese rulers come in a large or a small size, and you have the option to make two different sizes with each ruler as well!  Even better?  I picked mine up at Joann's with a coupon.  This quilt was made with the large ruler and the finished block size is 4" x 8".

The block layout - as well as fabric choices - were completely random.  I'm actually pretty terrible about planning out my quilts in advance.  I like to just move everything around for a couple of hours after all of the blocks are finished.  I quilted it in straight lines that change direction when they hit the middle of the quilt - following the diagonal; and I backed in it one of my favorite folksy flannel prints.  Soft and warm for a fall baby!

My sister was my lovely quilt holder for this photoshoot, and as you can see, she took her job very seriously :)

Thanks, Abby.

And here's my cousin Jess opening the quilt.  I love you Jess, and can't wait to meet your precious little baby!

Washi dress x 3

When it comes to garment sewing, I usually only make things for children.  It's not quite as intimidating, it takes very little fabric, and if you screw up - it usually looks pretty darn cute on them nonetheless.  Plus, I'll be honest, I absolutely hate my body after two kids (we weren't great friends before kids either), so why spend the time and money to make something for myself when the entire aspect of clothing, fit, and size really depresses me anyways?

Enter the Washi Dress.  I was lucky enough to be at a sew-in a few months ago when Rae was working on a muslin for this pattern, and pretty much fell in love with it after she basically forced me to try it on.  The fit was fantastic, and it was super flattering - hiding all of my not so lovely areas.  Ever since that night, I had been practically stalking Rae to get my hands on this pattern, and my patience (or lack thereof) was finally rewarded when I got to test this pattern a few weeks ago.

The pattern itself is incredibly easy to follow with lots of pictures and diagrams, and sews up quickly once you've made it a couple of times.  So much so, that I've already made three of them!  The floral version above was my first attempt at the tunic style (a bit too short for my liking - but I've been informed that the pattern has been adjusted to add some extra length anyways :)

Oh yeah, another reason I have never been a fan of sewing clothes for myself?  I really hate being on the other side of the camera.  Blech.

This is version number two, made out of this lovely print from Tula Pink's new line, The Birds and the Bees.

And then here is my latest washi, made out of Sketch in Turquoise.  I'm in LooooooooVE! And what you can't tell from any of these photos is that this dress has pockets!  Perfect for holding all of the acorns, rocks, and playmobil animals that Phoebe is always giving me. 

So basically, this pattern rocks.  Many of my friends have tried the dress on as well, and it's amazing how great it looks on all of them - even with their different sizes and shapes!  It's super versatile and you can play with the length, neckline, and there's even an additional pattern piece to add sleeves - so you can sew a myriad of different versions. Buy it and make tons of dresses and tunics.  I plan on pretty much replacing my entire wardrobe with washi dresses!

***I heard from Rae that the Washi Dress pattern should be available this week!  Keep checking her site and I'll post a link once it's available!