Then and Now

Made by my mom in about 1983. She also made a yellow one, I suppose two of everything is a necessity when you have two sets of girls; 14 and 12 months apart. If I remember right, she made them both very late one night before a "Cabbage Patch Kid" theme party my sister and I were going to.

My recreation started in 2008, and after almost starting a backyard bon fire with the pattern, put away until last week. Last week I was reminded of why I HATE this pattern. Did anyone test the pattern before it went to print? I doubt it. Really a frustrating sewing experience.
Pattern: Vogue 8441 (out of print). The quilt should be a brick pattern, but if you cut and sew like the instructions state, you'll end up with not enough blocks to make it the right size. I added two additional rows of blocks, lined them up, and barely had enough. And that was one of the easy problems to fix.
Fabric: Gingham and rosebud print from, I can't remember.

Yup, there's more

Same dress pattern, but I used the long and short sleeve together to create a faux layered look.
*The resident photographer is at work right now, so not a great picture. You'll have to trust me on how cute this dress is. It looks MUCH better in person.
I used a double needle on all the hems and at the neckline (I used my edgestitch foot to follow the neck binding seam, one needle on the yoke and one on the binding). I serged the raw edges before using the double needle.

Watch out world, I can sew with knits!

I'm so excited to have overcome my fear of sewing with knits! I have now successfully repressed all bad memories of the Units outfit (with shoulder pads) I made in 8th grade sewing and made this simple dress for Miss A. It was so easy thanks to the great instructions and I now see more knit fabric in my future. The pattern also includes a top and skirt. I think these dresses would be great for a humanitarian project or as a night shirt.

Fall is on it's way!

I love fall. I love blue skies and crispy air. I love layered clothes for when the afternoon gets warm. I love it all.
Pattern: Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress. I love how different it looks from the spring version I made, you almost don't even notice it's the same pattern. This time, I didn't use the pockets or the neck notch.
Fabric: Plaid of questionable content from Joann. I cut the hem band and yoke on the bias for interest. I used a lightweight fusible interfacing to keep the bias cut pieces from distorting. In hind sight, I should have used an even lighter weight stabilizer. It looks pretty cute for being, in Miss A's words, "not pink and sparkly enough."

Mini Bike Basket Liner

This is the "test" liner I made. It was never intended to actually be used, but Miss A insists that it is perfect for taking her Polly Pockets for a ride. And if she's pleased, I'm going to go with it.