Christmas Princess

The Bug got to choose her own Christmas dress this year. 

She picked the Ballerina Girl pattern from Ellie Inspired. This is the first Ellie Inspired pattern I've used and it was a little different than what I'm used to but it turned out beautifully.

The Bug's favorite color is this shade of blue. Not the most traditional Christmas color but lovely none the less.  The bodice and sash and nice slippery satin and the skirt is about 9 yards of tulle layered and gathered over a satin underskirt. It has a very "princess" effect doesn't it?

We paired the dress up with a gold cardigan and some gold glitter flats from Ruum (they had some super pre-Christmas sales).  The perfectly matched hairbow is a gift from a friend and the necklace is mine.  She felt very fancy.

Ellie Inpired is currently in the processes of adding American Girl doll patterns to all of their big girl patterns but since I bought my ballerina girl pattern before that format change, I had to figure out a coordinating doll dress on my own.  I found a book at the library with some great 18" doll patterns, "Doll Fashion Studio" by Joan Hinds. 

I was out of satin so I used this similarly colored corduroy that I had on hand.  I found just two of these little vintage rhinestone buttons in grandma's button jar. They are purely decorative, not functional since the dress closes up with a narrow strip of velcro. 

I made this dress in a size 7 hoping it would fit for a while. It will for sure, it's plenty long and there is enough room for a year or maybe even two of growth in the waist and bodice.

~Lindsay

More footed pajamas

I wasn't necessarily going to blog about the other pairs of footed pajamas I made...

 but then this happened...

Oh my goodness.

Cuteness overload. That's my little niece being held by her "big" brother. They are the sweetest little cherubs are they not? Footed pj's were made to match the pair I made for The Bug. (Because, why not?)

I also made another big girl pair of pj's for the daughter of a friend.

You can't look at these without singing... right??

This sweet little fox says "Zzzzzzzz..." He's sleepy fox.

I found this fleece at JoAnns. It appears it's gone now. I'm guessing it was quite popular. So sad! The Bug requested a second pair in this fleece. Guess that's not happening.

On this pair, I used jersey for the neck band and the cuffs.  I'm not sure which I like better. The jersey was certainly easier.

So there are a few more cute kiddos that will be warm head to toe this winter. Again, I highly recommend the Classic Footed PJ pattern from Peek a Boo patterns. It's so fun to see it all come together and it doesn't take as long as you might think. Plus, the results are professional looking, which I love.

~Lindsay

Gift for a Special Teacher

The Bug had her last ballet class of the fall semester this week. Her teacher has just gone above and beyond for her so we thought a special thank you gift was in order.

Several months ago I bought some customizable cups on Pick Your Plum thinking they'd be handy for just such an occasion. Lily was thrilled and jumped at the chance to make a ballerina cup for Miss Ali.

She did such a lovely job!

I hope Miss Ali feels as special as she's made the Bug feel.

I'm not an affiliate for Pick Your Plum or anything, I just like their stuff and wanted to share. Teacher gifts can be hard and these make such a nice personalized one.  The deals change daily but right now they have these cups and some travel coffee mugs available at a super great price. Pick up a few and keep them on hand. You'll be glad you did! (Today is the last day for free shipping, guaranteed by Christmas, on orders of $25 and up so don't delay!)

~Lindsay

Dolly and Me Gymnastics Leotards

You know it's nearing Christmas when there is much sewing and little blogging.  But here's a project that's safe to post.

A friend asked if I could make a leotard for an American Girl Bitty Twin doll.  My theory is, whenever possible, if doll clothes are sewn there should be a matching little girl outfit.

So I ventured onto Etsy in search of PDF patterns.  I am always amazed at the variety of things you can find there. 

While finding a leotard for a 15" doll proved difficult but I found one for the 18" dolls that I was able to adapt.  I added a bit to the sides of this Stacy and Stella pattern because the bitty babies are wider and shorter than the full sized AG dolls. 

I also didn't do the contrast panel and finished the neck and legs with fold over elastic.

It wound up being much easier than I'd expected. My sewing machine didn't try to eat the slinky knit fabric even once!

The big girl leotard was made from this pattern from Etsy seller TumblenTwirl.  I did view A which had no contrast panel.  The pattern was different from other PDF patterns I've used but once I figured out how everything worked it was really great. The instructions were pretty clear and there were plenty of tips for sewing with athletic fabrics and even how to embellish.

My fabric felt a bit thin to me so I opted to line the whole garment (well, not the sleeves) with swimsuit lining.  That part wasn't covered in the pattern instructions but it was a pretty easy adaptation.

I'm thinking a ballerina version of both of these is going to be in order post-Christmas for the Bug and her AG doll, Emily.

 I hope this sweet little gymnast will love these super star leotards come Christmas.

~Lindsay

Classic Footed Pajamas

I'm loving this pattern for Classic Footed Pajamas. I used it for the first time a few weeks ago as the base for the little mouse costume.

The Bug requested a pair for herself so I got some fleece and set to work making a pair for her and a pair for each of her two younger cousins.

I asked her to work the camera. This is what I got. Check out that hip action, that attitude...

 I wouldn't have started this as soon as I did had it not been for the sew-a-long hosted by Peek a Boo Patterns. It was just the motivation I needed to get to work.

I made the Bug a size 7 hoping it would fit for a long time. They are really roomy. I probably could have gotten away with a 6 but this works.

The fabric is blizzard fleece from JoAnn's. I thought it would work well for Christmas pj's without being too over the top.

When I came home from work today she was already in her pj's sitting at her table, crafting. If that's not a vote of approval I don't know what is.

~Lindsay

Hangout Hoodie

In my quest to make the Bug some more winter appropriate dresses I decided to attempt a cute pattern that's been in my stash for a while, the Hangout Hoodie from Peek a boo patterns.

The Bug picked out her own fabric when I was doing a little on-line fabric shopping. This is "Color Hearts" from Girl Charlee. I was excited about it because it is listed as a medium weight knit and so many of theirs are a lighter weight (which are so comfy but a bit harder to sew with).  

When I got it in my hands I was little disappointed. The weight was fine but the texture was just a bit rough. I thought laundering it might soften it up but it didn't.  For a normal kiddo, I'm sure it would be fine, but my girl has sensitivity issues when it comes to clothing.

The grey knit is jersey from JoAnn's. In contrast to the hearts, it is super soft and buttery. I love it.

The placket is what makes this hoodie unique. I think I did o.k. for my first attempt. I got a little bit of bunching going on there in the corners but it's not super noticeable.

The button is one I bought at JoAnn's ages ago. This side is actually the "wrong" side of the button but I liked the way it looked better than the "right" side.

I love the fun, sporty, casual look of this little dress. It really is just about perfect for Fall.  The Bug likes the look too she just can't handle the texture. Can't win them all. We'll be passing this dress on to friends who no doubt will rock it, and I will try this pattern again in something softer.

~Lindsay

Go To Signature Dress

Somehow the Bug is lacking in cold weather dresses.  Actually, not somehow, I know why because I see a dress in the store and I think "I could make that" and then I don't buy it. For some reason, that's my reaction to a dress 9 times out of 10 but not for shirts, pants, etc.

So church time comes and I realize she has no dresses to wear and this is a dress loving girl... the situation needed to be remedied. 

Enter the Go To Signature dress. I've made this pattern once before with not the greatest results. The Bug loved it but I did not (so I never blogged it).  I think it had more to do with the fabric I chose than the actual pattern. I like this stripe much better. It's one the Bug picked out herself from Girl Charlee. I was kind of surprised that she liked it because I love it!

I paired the wide, bold stripe up with a more subtle monochromatic stripe for the long sleeves, the elastic casing and the neck binding. I love the way the two stripes look together.

I chose the maxi dress length because if there is any way to 100% guarantee the Bug will like a dress, it is to make it long.  I also opted for the double sleeves, a cap sleeve with an elastic hem over a long sleeve. Though the fabric is a pretty lightweight knit, I think it will serve her well these cooler months.

The pattern calls for the elastic casing to be sewn on the inside of the garment, but I chose to move it to the outside. I like the way it breaks things up. It's barely noticeable in the photos but the stripes on the casing go vertically.  I love playing with stripes like that so I'm glad the fabric had decent 4 way stretch so I could.

I also added inset pockets because pockets are just awesome.

I boogered up that last pleat on the neckline, of course in the front. I didn't notice it until I was far enough along that it would have been a pain to rip out and do over. I still could I suppose. We'll see how much it bothers me.

She loves the dress, wonky pleat and all, so we are calling this a success.

This is a great pattern with tons of options and fairly easy to follow directions.  It is rare that I sew up more than one garment from any tutorial or pattern but so far, these "Go To" patterns are living up to their name. I've made two of these Signature Dresses, several pairs of Go To leggings and two Anywhere Dresses and I'm leaving the patterns out, not filing them away, because I foresee making more in the near future.

~Lindsay