simple yoke dress and blouse

My search for a simple, adaptable, yoke dress pattern for Aud eventually found its answer in a nightgown pattern, Simplicity 8488. (This sleeve, btw, is not the one in the pattern.) The fabric is a lightweight corduroy I found at JoAnn's. In the winter, we layered it with a brown, long sleeved tee, tights and boots. For spring, this dress and shiny, fuschia Saltwaters make for a easy, cool outfit for church or play. 

I made this version last fall from an Amy Butler Lotus fabric and the skirt from a Denyse Schmidt County Fair dot, which, serendipitously, matched perfectly, and were both in my stash. Love when that happens. 

Simplicity 2876

This winter I took on my toughest apparel project yet - a lined, winter coat for Audrey. I was inspired yet again by the classic lines and beautiful textiles of Bonpoint's winter line for girls this past season. Alas, I was reticent to spend $300 for a girl's coat, no matter how beautiful. Enter Simplicity 2876. I tweaked a bit here and there, shortening the longer coat while keeping the pockets (which weren't on the shorter version) and simplifying some of the construction details that I found overly tedious and fussy. The tweed was a chance I took on an online purchase (my first from Mood) that totally paid off. Working with quality fabric is so worth the extra cost.

I was reminded of that fact while fighting with my chosen lining, which was out of my stash and ended up being somewhat of a nightmare. That's what I get for buying a cheap-y nylon blend. A fraying, snagging nightmare. Lesson learned for next time.

In the end, though, Aud's happy with its purple-y shine and I'm happy with the slightly stuffy tweed, so we're all good. I'm willing to make some small compromises as I force my own understated aesthetic on my effervescent daughter, who once informed me that "pink and sparkly go with everything".

I get so happy when I see little details like these sleeve bands. Can you see the little bits of brown in the tweed? It's hard to see clearly in these photos, but I love how these chunky brown buttons bring that out. I browsed handmade, wooden buttons on Etsy forever, then came across these at Hobby Lobby. Which I (humbly) think are perfect. 

(Okay, for the more observant of you, I admit, I have yet to tackle the buttonholes. My trusty workhorse of a sewing machine just couldn't handle the thick tweed. Still figuring Plan B. It's a good thing we live in the Deep South, so buttoning up the coat hasn't been a necessity.)

90 minute shirt trial run

So here is my first attempt at making made's 90 minute shirt. I used a super soft, butter yellow shirt of mine for the main body and a faded chambray tee for the trim and pants (which I just serged at the cuff but will definitely be going back to hem - it will just look better, plus they're a bit long, too). Since I used a ladies' medium tee, I didn't have enough fabric for sleeves. Hence the muscle tee. I bound the arm holes using a method similar to this one from another tute. This first run turned out a little big, so I'll scale it down a bit next time. 

This set was created as a wearable muslin, but after all that work I decided to embellish the shirt a bit anyway with a patch of my precious Kokka that I've been hoarding to use in a quilt for Ash one of these days. I made the patch by fusing some sewable Wonder-Under to the back of the fabric, cutting the patch shape out, then serging the edges. (I could have skipped the last step. I was feeling experimental.) Patch made, I removed the paper backing, eyeballed the placement, ironed it on and top stitched it down.  

Drafting my own tee shirt pattern was confidence building and really pretty easy. Plus I have a HUGE stack of discarded tees to work with, so this is perfect. Thanks, Dana! 

simple top for girls of all ages

Here's an easy top I made for Aud last summer, but never got around to posting. I used this tutorial, which was super simple and straightforward, for the basic construction, adding a band of contrasting fabric along the bottom.

Image courtesy of Banana Republic

I was reminded of it recently when I saw this lovely, grown up version. Who'd have thought? Doesn't it look like a variation on the simple pillowcase dress that so many folks have made, including myself? Never really thought of making an adult version, though. I may have to go find myself some printed silk...

A few finished projects...

N'kay. So I owe you documentation that I am indeed finishing some of the projects I've mentioned starting lately.

First, the crocheted scarflette. I'm not sure I'll ever wear this one. But the process of making it scratched an itch for a day or two, so I suppose it's done it's duty. Any scarflette opinions out there? They look cute in photos, but I'm not sure how well they translate in "real life", you know?


Next, a patchwork scarf, inspired by the one in Denyse Schmidt Quilts. I love hers in the book. All brown wools and tweeds interspersed with bits of red and peach accented print, backed with a soft, peachy silk. But, alas. I had a black coat to match. So there you go.

And, finally, a pair of cozy wristlets made from a wool sweater of Rich's that I felted and hacked (thanks, hon!). My favorite kind of project - simply made with what I had on hand and, start to finish, only took about an hour. And I actually wore something I made! Perfect.

In fact, here's proof - a shot of me wearing both the wristlets and the scarf (you can see bits of them, right?). I'm the one in black sitting next to the gorgeous girl in green (my sis-in-law, Cindy) on the subway.


Not a very timely post, I guess, what with the cold weather accessories and all. Ah, well. The scarf and wristlets were great to have in NYC. I love wristlets! So practical. And it was kind of nice being one of the only tourists not sporting a $5 souvenir pashmina around my neck. (Not that I didn't totally succumb to the pressure and come home with six of them anyway. )

I should learn not to make promises of future posts, but I hope to show you some of the maternity clothes I've put together some time this week. And maybe, just maybe, a quilt. Or, at the very least, a quilt top. I mean it this time.