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.

Pattern Drafting

I've been looking at really cute outfits on Pinterest and trying to figure out what I want to work on next.  I'm really interested in figuring out how to draft and significantly alter patterns, so I'm going to give it a try.  For the most part, it makes sense to me.
I made a "kinderquin" of Isabele yesterday so I don't have to get her to hold still for pinning and fitting.

I am not good at putting colors and fabric patterns together, so I'm working on that too. 

I have a notebook that I'm going to try really hard to use to keep track of pattern drafting information so I can repeat what works and avoid what doesn't work.

I ordered a good bit of fabric from Farm House Fabrics over the weekend.  I'm anxious for it to arrive.  I've not worked with cotton lawn fabrics before and am hoping that the drape and "spin-factor" is as good as I think it will be.

I am also going to try to take "progress pictures" not just finished item pictures.  Of course, that was my theory with the kinderquin yesterday.  I even had the camera in the room, but totally forgot until it was half cut off of Isabele.  Obviously this is going to be a challenging goal.

Smocked Top

I made this top with some more of the left over blue fabric from the Easter dress.  Now all the blue is gone. 

Finished the smocking earlier this week and finally got around to making the top (which was already cut out) yesterday.  It took me about 3 1/2 hours, maybe 4, including making the piping (cutting the bias tape and screwing up twice).  Turned out really cute and works well with the little bolero jacket too.

Isabele wasn't doing a great job of posing, and I forgot to wash her face, and she had wiped a bunch of water off her face earlier with the skirt of the top and got it all wrinkled.  I'm trying really hard to not have too many rules for play when she's wearing what I make (since I want her to wear what I make).  So, ignore the girl and just look at the top.

 The back is really cute.  There's a double row of 1 inch elastic in casing to gather up the fabric.  I'm also practicing a "perfect shash tying" way of tying ribbons and bows.  It lays much flatter and more even than the shoe way of tying a bow.

Isabele's Easter Dress 2014

I finished the dress last week.  I had extra fabric to make a bolero jacket, but the pattern I had wasn't going to work.  I got some new patterns while we were out of town over the weekend.  One of them had the perfect pattern, calling for the types of fabrics I used for the dress, so I made the jacket last night and this morning.  I think the jacket took me about 5 hours.  It too is fully lined.

Here are some pictures of Isabele wearing, twirling and playing in it.

Dress and jacket.

 The jacket doesn't stay put when she spins.  Not sure if I'm going to add a hook or button or leave it alone.

 

 Twirling without the jacket.

 

 My cutie.

 

 Looking grown up and like the little girl that she is all at the same time.

 

 

And what good is a new dress, if you can't play a bit in the sand too?

 

And that is why I machine washed and dried the fabric before I made the outfit.  

Isabele's Easter Dress 2014

 I made this dress for Isabele.  The fabric arrived 11 days ago.  Estimating the time it took to make this dress - probably 15 to 20 hours for the sewing.  Then add another 5 hours for the hem as I hand-sewed it (both the shell and the lining dresses).  The dress is fully lined with light blue cotton batiste.  The shell is cotton velveteen.  Both were wonderful fabrics to work with.  I have a bit of learning to do on a couple spots but will write more about that later, with close-up pictures.

New Fabric

I ordered "fabric" to make pettiskirts for Isabele and Lilly.  They are going to be cool.  Pale pink and white.  About half done with the first one.  Then I have to make the second one.

But today, my second order from the other day arrived.  It's wonderful!  I can't wait to get to the dress project.  100% cotton velvet for the outer dress and 100% cotton satin batiste for the underdress.  For Isabele.  The batiste especially is incredible.  The velvet is in the wash right now.  Can't wait to start in on that one.

Pretty Things Are Worthwhile

I'm trying a new theory.  Pretty things are worthwhile.  They are worth making and having, even if their only purpose is to be pretty.

I turned a pillowcase into a dress for Isabele's 18 inch doll.  It was fun.  Made some PJ's for the doll that are okay but not great.

I pulled out my tatting stuff and am relearning to tat.

I have to finish Brian's sweater.

I figured out how to make hexagon paper boxes with lids.  Pretty cool.

I have an awesome template I found on pinterest for a paper rose.  I've made quite a few and they are in a cocktail sauce jar in the window.  Pretty.  Just because.

It is hard for me to make things that have no real use.  I have to remind myself that it's okay for the purpose for some things to just be pretty.

So here's to pretty things just because they make me smile.

The pillowcase dress for a doll

Isabele has a sorry collection of hand-me-down dolls.  Some were mine, most were found in the trash at the high school by my dad.  Isabele took a dress off of one of my old dolls to put on one of the adopted dolls, however the dress didn't fit.  I decided I could probably make the adopted doll a dress from a pillowcase, like the one Isabele tried to put on the doll. 
Isabele and I went over to my mom's to see if she had any pretty pillowcases to donate to the project.  Isabele picked the one she liked best.

So here is the doll and the pillowcase.

Here's the completed dress.  Set in sleeves and all.

 

 

I think I finally mostly figured out how to get my sewing machine to make button holes.  Those of you who know me, understand about the button holes and my machine.

 

And another view of the doll in her finished dress.

 

 

Isabele posing with the doll.  I think she likes the dress, but as expected, she's not nearly as impressed with what I made, without a pattern, as she would be if she understood what I did in 3 hours.