Easter, and I'm feeling like the bionic woman.

Hi there.

Here are my kids on Easter Sunday.

Family Reunion Dress

I never did show you how the dress I made for Big Sister came out.

I didn't think about how the dark brown fabric would show up on camera...so this is the best I could do!

Ayashe Blouse for Dolly

I finally sewed. It's literally been over a month since I was able to take my sewing machine out.

My mama has arranged for a big family picture tomorrow (you know, coordinating colors etc)...and I just finished this blouse for Dolly literally minutes ago.  Life's been super busy lately.

Quick Skirt

The other day I needed to whip together a simple skirt.

Thank goodness for the Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt.

Adding Extra Coverage with Lace

Dolly is growing at a much greater rate than her sister did. She's already wearing clothes that Sis did in preschool. Last year when we were living near a mall, I found a darling dress for Dolly on clearance, and snatched it up for this winter.

She wore it maybe 3 times, and we realized it was getting too short!

The Second Easter Dress

In case you were wondering, I did get Sister's dress finished.  With help from my mom who was up for a quick visit over her spring break from teaching.

The dress is based on Leila and Ben's Sweet Dress pattern in size 10, and the band design came from my Banded Peasant top pattern.

A Village Frock for Easter

I did it!  I finally made a Village Frock!

This dress is intended for Dolly's Easter dress.  I'm not sure how I managed to get it together with the house, but I did.  I'm tickled with how it came out.

For my nieces

My brothers and I do a gift exchange each Christmas, and we always give to each other's children. It's easy on my side of the family...I only have two nieces (so far)! My darling sister-in-law gave me a few suggestions: a winter dress for the youngest and a dolly and me outfit for her older girl.

Three

My Baby is now three (here she is at two).  What a joy she is for our family.  My nicknames for her are "dolly" or "monk" (short for monkey).
Baby is a sensitive soul and liberally bestows the balm of love and kisses on her family.  I have been the beneficiary of hearing "I nuff you, mom" daily.  Baby prances and dances through her day.  She loves to read and be read to, declaring every book her favorite.  She has discovered simple jigsaw puzzles, and enjoys coloring immensely.  She loves her baby dolls, and enjoys dressing and feeding her charges.  She is also our little drill sergeant.  She is quick to tell everyone what to do, and how to do it.  We're trying to discourage this tendency...but it is funny to hear a tiny voice encouraging me to speed up, slow down, or stop from the back seat as I drive around during errand day.

For her birthday I made both her and her dolly a new dress.

Snow White Dress, which almost didn't have a happy ending!

When I cut out the fabric for Big Sister's new Jump Rope Dress, I also cut out a dress for Baby using more of my winnings.  I used the Puppet Show Pattern, which I've used previously, only cutting it in dress length.  While the red dress was a breeze to put together, I had nothing but problems putting together the Snow White Dress, as I call it.  (Don't the colors kind of remind you of Snow White?)

Some weekend sewing...

If you've read my blog for a bit, you know that sewing is a way I that I deal with stress (I realize this makes me a bit unusual).  As I listen to the soothing sounds of my sewing machine, my heart stops it's frantic beat. My mind slows down a bit as it concentrates on even stitches.  Here is what I made on Saturday:

YOUR Portfolio Dresses

Hi everyone! It's about time we show off the lovely dresses and tops made with the Portfolio Dress Pattern and Sew-Along.




Aren't these wonderful?

From Gwenny Penny, my wonderful partner in crime:

This was the photo that Gwen said was her favorite. :)

From KJ @ Let's Go Fly a Kite:

The denim details are so fun.

From Marci Girl:

She added embroidery at the yoke!

Marci also made a second top:

From Leah @ Sew Spoiled:

I love the happy plaid fabric she chose....and matched up so well!

Thank you all for joining in the fun, and special thanks to Gwen for all her hard work. If you come back later and make a Portfolio Dress, please be sure to add it to the flickr pool. I'd love to see it!

Banded Peasant Blouse Tutorial, Part Two.

Are you ready to finish up your blouse?  I love how polished these blouses are.  I hope you're having fun.  There are so many different ways you can dress them up or embellish your top.  If you're just tuning in, pop over HERE for part one.

Banded Peasant Blouse Tutorial, Part One.

Well, this became a bit bigger than I planned on, so I'm breaking it into two parts!  I hope you'll find it helpful.  To begin, go HERE to download your pattern guide.  I relied heavily on indietute's peasant blouse as a base for this pattern.  Please be sure to visit Charity's blog.  She has some wonderful ideas.

Kids Clothing Week, Dressy Stuff

All of a sudden it seams Big Sis has sprouted. The dresses (HERE and HERE) I made her last year were getting tight, and it was time for some new dressy outfits. I raided my stash to make her a skirt and sundress.  KCWC motivation to the rescue!

Kids Clothing Week, Pajamas

We needed some summery pajamas around here. So, with KCWC motivation, this was one of the projects I wanted to tackle.

Kids Clothing Week, Day 1

Today I tried out my pint sized version of the grown-up peasant blouse...but I have to rename it if it's going on a child!  So, here you have:

Spring Top Entry

I did it! I actually made TWO things just for me to wear. The Portfolio dress was the first dress I've ever made for myself, (without any help from my mom!)

Sew-Along Day 5, Tips, tricks, and final results

We made it!  Are you happy with your dress?  Be sure to visit Gwenny Penny to see how Gwen's lovely dress turned out.


I'm really happy with mine. Here are a few things I wanted to share about how I made my dress that I hope will help you, too.

Sew-Along Day 4, Steps 24, 28-31

Hi there!  Back for more Portfolio Dress Sew-Along fun?  I've been tucking all the sew-along posts in a handy archive, which you can access HERE.  I'm so grateful to Gwen and all the hard work she put into making this sew-along.  As always, we want to see what you've been making!  Be sure to add your photos to the flickr pool.

Today I'll show you how I put together the neckband for my dress. Be sure to click over to Gwen's to see steps 32-33!