1950s Retro Dress

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I am a little behind. That is the story of my life. I ran out of steam and didn't finish the Easter dresses in time for Easter this year. I decided a happy mom spending time with her kids was better than a grumpy one frantically sewing. So, I finished them when I felt like it. The last one didn't get done until July 30.

And that is OK.

My "theme" this year was "upcycled" so this dress was constructed of a thrifted sheet.

1950s retro dress

halley back of dress wm

VIntage style dress made from a thrift store sheet

My 12yo chose a commercial pattern for her dress this year (Simplicity 8051). It is a retro style with a cute, triangle cutout in the back. We got it for $1 at Joann's so I was willing to give it a try. I have always hated patterns by those big companies. They are anything but "simple" and I would rather draft my own and figure it out myself. (I have found some pdf patterns by smaller designers to be very well done, however.)

rockabilly dress

open triangle back dress

She is also at a very awkward, in-between age. By measurements she fit a misses pattern, but I found that it wasn't designed for her body type. I had to remake the entire top and redraft the pattern quite a bit. Even then, I still had to make some changes. It was very frustrating and I could have just drafted it myself from the beginning.

retro dress

I learned some new techniques with this dress, but I did not like some of the construction process and ended up improving it. It meant a lot of hand stitching. It was tedious, but it looks so much better!

inside dress construction

I learned how to do a proper narrow hem on a curve. I was very, very happy with how that turned out.

narrow dress hem

I also made her a pettiskirt from a ruffled curtain, but she won't wear it. :(

Overall, the dress turned out OK. It isn't my favorite and doesn't fit as well as the ones I draft for her from measurements. It is a fun style, though.

I will be blogging about the rest of the girls' dresses in the next week or so, so keep checking back to see more!

 
The photo props...
Easy Ribbon Wands Tutorial
Link Parties where I sometimes hang out…

WIP Wednesday ~ Productive Week

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I thought I would do another WIP Wednesday post to share what I have been doing around here lately.  I may not have blog posts up to prove it, but I have been super productive!

I finished up 2 out of 3 doll quilts, but did not get any pictures of them yet. Those sampler ones took so long that they deserve a full blog post. :) Plus, there is a piece on the doll bunk bed that needs fixed and nagging has not worked thus far. I may have to do it myself.

I made two stuffed bears from outgrown baby clothes (that was the sneak peek at the end last time!) and even a little blanket for one bear. I plan on posting the pattern I made for those, but I didn't get it perfected yet. I might even do another one just to test it out.

I started a crochet cow hat! It is almost done. I made one of those last year while I was on a blogging hiatus, so I never posted about it. Maybe I will show those pics when I get this one done, too. The first one is better because it is a brown cow. :)

Oh, and I am trying to do the 40 bags in 40 days challenge to declutter my house. Yesterday's task was my embroidery floss. It was all over the place, so my sewing table is much cleaner and the floss is super organized! I only got a sandwich bag worth to throw out, but I am counting it. :)

Speaking of organizing sewing stuff, I got this bobbin tower on clearance at Michaels a few weeks ago and it is awesome! I love being able to just reach up and grab the bobbin I need and the threads aren't hanging all over the place. I highly recommend it!

So, that is a little peek at what I have been working on this week. I am linking up with Silly Mama Quilts.

Shirt and Suspender Memory Pillow Covers

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I was asked to make these special pillow covers in memory of the recipients' loved one who had recently passed away. He was known for wearing these button down shirts and patriotic suspenders.

They were fairly easy to make. I had to iron all of the shirts really well, then slip my rotary cutting mat inside the shirt. Being careful of the placement of the buttons and pocket, I cut out a 16 1/2"square. I then cut another square out of the back of the shirt. I made loops out of navy bias tape that I had sewn together and sewed those to the bottom of the shirt panel.

Then, I just sewed the front and back all the way around. I serged the entire edge for durability. It was easy to use the button front to insert the pillow form. Last, I just hooked on the suspenders. It really was not too hard. I actually made six of these pillows, but just had Mom snap these pics of one of them on her phone.

A picture and a poem were placed in the pockets. I think this was a lovely idea, and I can't take credit for that part. I was honored to be a part of something special to make this Christmas a little nicer for the family.

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...

Sew Can Do

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 Monday Funday,

Motivate Me Monday

,

 Inspiration Monday,

Take a Look Tuesday

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Naptime Creations

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 The Gathering Spot

, 

Carolyn's Homework

, 

The Winthrop Chronicles

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 Handmade Tuesdays

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Your Whims Wednesday,

Weekly Homemaking Party

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Create It Thursday

, 

Treasure Hunt Thursday

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Thursday Favorite Things, 

Wildly Original

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Thriving on Thursday,

Grace at Home,

The 36th Party

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Freedom Fridays

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Feathered Nest Friday

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Simple and Sweet Fridays

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 Craft Frenzy Friday

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Think Pink Sunday

, and 

Threading Your Way

Wave Fabric T Shirt Dress

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When I was making Easter dresses this year, I started to run out of ambition. I ended up making a cheater dress for the youngest. She can't voice her opinion yet and my best friend reminded me that there are no others to pass it down to later, so it would get less wear than the other dresses. I liked that logic.

It is just a simple T shirt dress. I got a basic Garanimals shirt at Walmart for the top. I found this navy wave texture fabric in the remnant bin at Joanns for the skirt.

I chopped a few inches off the bottom of the shirt, sewed the skirt in a tube, and then attached them with my serger. It was ridiculously easy.

To add a little something to the top I made a navy, chiffon flower out of some scraps from the

bridesmaid dress

and sewed it on.

Even with my minimal effort, it is still a cute dress and it is a little more practical for a toddler, too.

So, that is it! These are all of the Easter dresses I made this year. I love the navy and white, which I have mentioned a few times already. You can see the other dresses by clicking on the pictures below.

Lace Overlay High Low Dress

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I should be getting ready for Halloween, but I am procrastinating. Instead, I am backtracking and blogging about another Easter dress.

This was one of the dresses that was completely dictated by my daughter's preferences. It also ended up costing me nothing to make! So, we both won.

The navy lining, made from another layer of my old bridesmaid dress, stops above her knees and the high-low lace overlay is much longer. It is a basic, gathered skirt, but I cut the hem in a curve.

A friend gave me this beautiful lace to work with- it is a heavier, stretch lace, but I didn't use the stretch factor in the design. I just drafted a basic bodice pattern and cut the lace. I left the shoulders and top of the bodice unlined for a sheer lace effect. So, I pieced the unlined and lined portions together and overlocked the inside seam. Then, I used some vintage navy bias tape around the neck and arms. Using wash-away wonder tape was key for holding that in place to sew. The back has an invisible zipper (which I already had from changing my mind last year and using buttons).

One thing I loved about these navy and white dresses is how fun they are to pair with contrasting accessories. The box dress has a yellow tie, the lace and chiffon dress was paired with an aqua statement necklace when she wore it on Easter, and this dress is fun with pink contrasting shoes. It looked a little better back at Easter vs. the fall when I did the photo shoot, but I had put all of her white shoes away (as per the Labor Day rule) and told her to put these on. It is still fun.
Two more dresses to go, but first, I need to finish an Elsa cape. Happy Halloween!

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...