Tyler's smock

I know it'll be awhile until Tyler's using this, but I had fun making him an early gift.

another dress

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to squeeze in one more dress today. Probably because I cut out the pieces the day before. I was pretty busy today, but got most of the dress done before the kids woke up from their naps. Then I worked on the rest after they went to bed. Only "crafty" people love spending Friday nights sewing, right?

Well, here's the dress. (No natural light in this photo since it was taken at night)



I really like this style. Easy to sew and fun since nothing seems real tricky to me. I have to confess that the hem is not done yet and I only pinned the straps to the back of the dress because I want to try it on Ava before I finish the dress. This is another dress targeted for next spring/summer, so I'm considering waiting on the hem in case my little girl has a HUGE growth spurt. But I think this dress could work as a top if that were to happen.

What do you think about the buttons? I'm 99% sure I like them, but 1% not so sure. I tried a few others, but this set looked the cutest. Yellow and loud, but still so cute and summery looking.

3 more dresses

Guess making Ava's Halloween costume got me inspired to wip up new projects. Maybe even complete a few of my WIP's (Work in Progress), too. We'll see. I can't spend too much "free time" sewing these days, but it is nice to get a few things on my list done.

Remember my "happy prints" stack of fabric? I finally sat down and made a sundress (or top...depends how it fits Ava next spring/summer). The colors are crazy and adorable.

I love it!


It's a pillowcase dress (not from a pillowcase) and the straps are sewn differently. I didn't have enough of this ribbon to make the straps tie into bows, so I decided to just stitch the pieces in. I've only done it lightly with one stitch. I want to be able to adjust them next spring depending on Ava's size. Yes, with enough ribbon I wouldn't have to do that, but that's ok. A little more effort for a little less ribbon (or $) goes a long way!

The next two dress couldn't be any easier to sew! Unless I just bought them, but what fun is that? I found the cutest sundress by the yard on sale and couldn't resist. Anyone can make these. ANYONE. All you have to do is stitch up the back side of the dress. You can also add straps. An extra step. I may do this later depending on how they fit Ava next spring.




My favorite of the two is the white eyelet dress. I tried it on Ava and she looks angelic in it. I'm a little biased though, right?

That's 4 dresses in a week. Pretty good for me. Not as productive as my friend, Lauren. I remember sewing a lot more when Ava was younger. Tyler isn't so into playing on his own for very long and Ava would definitely prefer more time playing with Mama. So, I'll keep my sewing projects for naptime or after they go to bed.

Board

I made this felt board for Ava last night. Actually the board isn't covered with felt. It's actually some type of flannel/fleece textured fabric. Something I bought off the $1/yard table at Walmart a long time ago, but never really used it for anything except the backing to Ava's cheerio bib. You can use felt, flannel or fleece (although fleece has the least amout of "stick-ability"). I like the way this fabric makes the board look like a chalkboard, but is made for felt projects. I didn't have any felt onhand, but found some felt cutouts from a holiday kit set. Now that I know felt will stick to it, I'll get some pieces to make other shapes. I'm also cutting out photos from magazines, cards, and coloring books to laminate. Just adding a piece of felt, sandpaper, or the hook part of velco tape will make it stick. I hope Ava likes the board. I bet she'll end up taking the pieces and toting them around the house until she realizes how fun it is to stick them on the board.

I used a 16 x 20 frame and placed the green fabric over the cardboard back. The frame also came with another piece of cardboard so I put that on the back to cover up the fabric edges. No glue needed. I just used the frame's closures to secure the cardboard back. I also placed the plexiglass (sp?) piece on the backside of the frame. It doubles as a dry erase board. No photo of that side to share.

I still have a huge piece of the green fabric left and might make a wall hanging version to put up in the playroom. I could hang this framed one, but didn't want her to put it down off the wall and drop it on herself. It find a simple wood easel, I'd prefer to use that. For now, she use it on the floor or table (or lap? Might be a little too big). It might be fun for her to have a lapsized version, too. Some much fabic and ideas, so little time!

After making it, I came across this a good link for instructions on Martha Stewart's site.