Dresses for Isabele

My sewing room is back to being a sewing room and no longer a refinishing both.   Now to make Isabele a couple of new dresses.   I'm thinking of using the seersucker I bought a while back to make a sundress like the pink and white stripped, dmocked one I made years before having kids,  that Isabele wears all the time right now.   I need to check the pattern and see if i have enough fabric.   I don't think I'll smock it, so i can always use less in the skirt.
I'm not sure about another pattern or variation.  Of course there are 1000 possibilities.   I just have to decide.

Grandma's Mahogany Table

Grandma Bolinger's mahogany table has seen better days.   After leaving grandma's several years ago,  it lived with Micah for a time.   Then it moved to the garage at the Fredora.  The other day mom decided to try to sell it for $50.  There were no takers,  do I told her we should strip it.   Then it occured to me that it woikd for in the sewing room and I could use it as a drafting and cutting take as the leaves folding up and down would work well for my space.   So I brought it home and stripped it off the old and well worn varnish.  Brian gave me some epoxy to use on a couple of spots where the laminate was no longer glued.  Today i put on the first coat of varnish.  It's going to be gorgeous!

Before.

after stripping 

first coat of varnish, still wet.

Today,  July 26th, i finely decided it has enough varnish...i think 5 or 6 coats,  but could be 7 or 8.  I have sanded and sanded and sanded.   Today was 0000 steel wool, then 1200 grit paper dry,  then 1200 wet.   Now to wait 2 weeks and use an electric buffer to bring the shine back.  It's a satin finish right now.   Oh, I do need to put a coat or two on the bit that shows when the ends are folded down as I think it will be used the most like that.   Pictures when is back to glossy. 

August 9th.  I waxed the table this week.  Now i can use it! 

Apron

I made this apron yesterday and today from old pillowcases and lace from pillowcases.   I think it's really sweet, and wish I was better at wearing aprons.

Pattern Drafting

I found an awesome set of classes on craftsy about pattern drafting.  I'm enjoying learning the rules about how to design clothing and draft the patterns.   I started with Isabele and have completed the skirt sloper, the bodice moulage and bodice sloper.  Much more to learn bit so far I love it!

Feather Dress Pieces

Oops - I forgot I started a post about the petticoat the other day.  So I'll tack that on here too.
I designed the dress and drafted the pattern in the last few days.  I decided to make a petticoat also using some skip-dent batiste and leftover nylon pettiskirt material lining the skirt of the petticoat to make it soft and slippery.  I have the feeling that Isabele's going to wear the petticoat for a nightgown. 

The petticoat is finished except for buttons or snaps to close the back.  I think I'm going to do sew-in snaps.  I also need to add a pink ribbon to the waist, to make it prettier.  As I'm sitting here typing this, I just realized I need to make a list of additional items I need to order - like wide pink ribbon. 

I'm trying to make this without Isabele finding out exactly what I'm doing.  This means sewing at night after the kids are in bed (and praying that she doesn't come up for extra hugs and kisses at inopportune times).

It fits my crazy Isabele dress form (made from t-shirt and duct tape), so it should fit Isabele as other things I've made her fit the form and her just fine.

I cut out the pieces for the dress this evening.  Then I just had to lay it all out on the table and pretend it was done (and check to see if what I have come up with is anywhere close to what I see in my head).  Luckily, I think that it is going to work.  Here are a couple pictures.

Ok, so I guess they are all about the same picture.  Oh well, leaving all three there just because I can.

 

Now to put those feathers back in their bags and make appropriate piles in the sewing room, out of Isabele's path so I can do some sewing in the next couple days.

Next sewing projects

Brian has been at the Air Races in Reno, NV for the last 2 weeks.  I got some house stuff done, but no sewing.  I just couldn't get motivated.  I have a bunch of pretty fabric, but no real plans, except for these 2.
Isabele will be 6 in about 6 weeks.  I saw this incredible dress online a while back, and wanted to do something like it for her birthday, which is the day before Halloween. 

I ordered some black fabric and lace about a month ago, but didn't find any off white that I liked at that time.  Last week, I finally decided on the off white and ordered feather boa too.  This is the only picture I could find of this dress, so this truly is just for inspiration.  It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Here's another outfit I happened upon online and I love the asymmetrical hemline.  In reality, I don't know it the hemline is asymmetrical or if it's just a bit sideways on the display.  Regardless, I'm going to give this one a try too. 

I'm sure neither of my creations will come anywhere close to what these pictures look like, but they do make me happy to look at and I love trying to figure out how to make my fabric into what the picture looks like.

Probably the hardest part in all of this is taking the time to take notes and do a really good job of making a pattern so that, if I wanted to, I could make another one.  I have found it frustrating when I made something without instructions/pattern and it turned out well, and I didn't take good notes. 

So, for starters, my fabric is washed.  I'm going to work off the pattern/dress I made for Isabele for Easter and embellish and change a lot as I go.

***both of these photos came from cassiesclosetinc.com via pinterest***

My First Pattern Drafted...and Worked

I am totally thrilled with the way my first official attempt at significantly altering/drafting a pattern worked out. 

Here are pictures of Isabele modeling it.  Obviously she loves it.  I'm so glad I actually made a pattern.  I can easily make her another one now.

 This handkerchief dress has the best "twirl factor" of any dress I think I have ever made for her.  She has been being a ballerina all day. 

 

 So glad I made it long enough that even with a full bow, nothing shows.  Not true of the crazy twirling - will require some leggings if it still fits next year for school.

 The first wearing I had the straps straight, and she mentioned a couple times they were sliding down her shoulders (slightly).  Today I crossed them and I like it much, much better this way. 

 

 The colors look so happy here to me. 

 



Not sure what the face is for, but it amused me.