Summertime means Swimtime.......

We all know when our kids just stays in the pool and you finally drag them out after dusk those lips are already blue and shaking. Off comes the floatie ( which is almost worse than trying to pull of wet jeans) and the swimsuit and now to get dressed all over again . ( And this all while I am soaking wet and cold ) I wanted to make something for Isabella that we can just pull over a head and she will be fine till we get home to get her dressed for sleeptime - something that doesn't have to be tied or will fall open the whole time. I am planning to make Arthur a robe with a tie but that will be later.

 

 

 

 

 I couldn't find a pattern exactly what I was looking for so I set out

to make one myself. For a first try it didn't turn out too bad but I want to make a few adjustments next time. We swim a lot so it will be handy to have at least two.

 

Note to self:

1. I didn't like this fabric - Next time I want to use the normal robe fabric. Little miss was with me when we picked out fabric so this is what she wanted. Its kind of a pain to work with especially with the top layer that is lined with t-shirt fabric and it gets very thick with the layers in the middle.

2. The armholes needs to be a lot bigger.

3. a few adjustments to the hood. I want to add and inch to the front and make it deeper at the neckline so it falls softly around her face and not so tight.

4. The dress part needs to be longer.

 

 

 

Here are pictures of the whole process. Next time will be more detailed if I make the adjustments like mentioned above.

 

I just found a jacket with a hood of hers outlined it and added the seam allowance.

 

make sure to mark where the shoulder seam is. It makes it easy to allign the hood to the top part.

 



 

by making a small diamond cut at the shoulder of the hood you don't have to mark all of the fabric.

 

 

 

 

 These are the parts you are going to need.

•  2 sets of the hood (2 parts each)
• 2 sets of the top part (3 pieces each)
• and 2 parts of the dress part. 

 

 

I just used a t- shirt of hers to line the top part. I extended the front so it will overlap in front so that it will be easy to pull over her head.

 

I completely finished both the top parts separately of the two different fabrics. First the shoulder and side seams and then add the hood. I attached the two parts flipped them inside out and top stitched the hood and v part of the top together as you can see with this image below. At this stage the arm holes are not done yet.

 I then added the skirt part. pin the v part of the top so it stays in place. When I cut the pattern I also marked the center front with a diamond cut so that I know how far the pieces should overlap.

 

 These are the armholes. You need to fold both types of fabrics inward all the same amount -and pin them together.

 This is the skirt part pinned to the top part.right sides together.

 After I stitched them I just serged it. Fold the serge part downwards and topstich it all to the dress part so everything is neat.

 This is how I hand stitched the armholes together. Make nice small stitches with a double thread.

 

 

Enjoy and see you next time

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mama's got a Brand New Bag.........

I felt it was time for a new bag for me so I can practice some new things . I bought this fabric at Beverly's a couple of months ago not because I knew what I was going to make with it but because it was so ME.... It called for me. I knew when I decided to make a bag for me that is where I have to dig.

It is 4 panels so I will still be able to use it for something else as well. It works perfect for the bag because I only need one square and a bit for the clasp.

The inside has 3 pockets for my glasses, occasional diapers and sippy cups.

 tried out a new cut of the fold-over for the clasp. The handles is also a new idea that I had to try out.

I thought the green thread contrast nicely to the blue fabric

some old hardware found in the drawers added for an adjustable shoulder strap.



I like to carry my bag in my hands but sometimes I don't have enough hands so its nice to have the shoulder strap that I can even extend and overcross if my hands runs out.

Well that's it for today. I am excited to carry my very vibrant bag around.

Sneak peek into next post:

I love blue and orange together. I dug out these samples and are planning a outfit for Miss Bella.

Till later........

It all started with a Hat.........

 

On a recent trip to Monterey Bay ( what a wonderful family friendly place - Great food, lots to do and stunning) I got Isabella this hat. I kinda knew she didn't have any clothes matching but really liked the purple and dark green together and she really loved the hat to. Browsing through my fabrics I found these and hope they will go perfect with the hat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used simplicity dress pattern for the top C2019 and just extended the top piece of the pattern for a shirt.I used this New look pattern for the the skirt and added some accent frill to make it more fun.

 

Here is the top. I did the bottom part with shirring that I learned from this tutorial. She does a great job at explaining it and it really works great.

 

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/27550/how-to-create-elastic-shirring

 

 

 

I finally got some new tags to add to my creations. I have ordered three different tags before but these ones are my favorite . They wash great and looks great.

They are from Hobbytime on Etsy

 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/hobbytime?ref=seller_info

 

Here's the skirt.

 



Isabella wore her outfit to the zoo today and looked very cute.

 

 

 

 



A Bag for Bella

I bought Isabella a cute little bag in Charleston at the market a year ago. I liked that it wasn't a Dora purse or any of the names. When a friend of mine asked me where I got it because she was looking for something similar for her granddaughter. I decided to surprise her and made one for her granddaughter and it really was so fun sewing it for her. Isabella is always looking for bags and the size of this bag is perfect to take with to church or gym if she goes into childcare. It holds her sippy, some fish crackers and a pull up and wipes if needed.

 

 

These scraps of fabric.......

 

 

Turned into this for my pretty little girl.