The best time to sew Easter finery....

....is when you're holed up during a snowstorm!

This last weekend Oklahoma was hit with a pretty large ice and snow storm...a lot a people were without power for a few days while the electric companies worked to repair the damage from all the ice and trees that had fallen on power lines. We were very grateful to be able to spend the weekend with my in-laws who have a fireplace (and heat) in case of power outages.

My sister-in-law and I got busy and made her a new dress for this Spring. It was kind of fun to be sewing something so light and spring-y while the snow was piling up outside!


The pattern we picked was one Mom made for my sister, Katie, last summer. McCalls 5804. The only major alteration we needed to do was the make the piece that goes around the ribcage larger...the length of the one that was the correct one for her bodice size was several inches too small. Very weird, but we got it figured out.

This is such a cute pattern. I'd like to possibly make one for myself this summer. We'll see. =)

Here she is, almost finished with the dress. All that's left is to hem it, and do a bit of handstitching where we turned the lining through on the bodice. The fabric is a pale pink linen blend with little brown flower sprigs.

Jessica

The latest (and greatest!)

My version of the stacked coins quilt...I think this baby quilt may be my favorite yet!

The thing I love about this one is that, with the exception of the solid white and solid blue backing fabrics, all of the prints are bits and pieces that I had laying about, scraps from other quilts, and leftovers from my craft fair sewing. There are a lot of different sewing memories in this quilt for me, and I was so happy to give it to one of my best friends for her new baby boy.

The solid white and blue are Kona cotton solids. I love Kona cotton...it's such nice quality and comes in so many pretty colors.

I think I love the back of this quilt almost as much as the front!

The inspiration for the quilting came from a quilt that Film in the Fridge made last fall. I loved her fall quilt, and had bookmarked it to try her method of quilting someday...It's just wavy lines going up and down, criss-crossing randomly here and there, all the way across the quilt.


Has anyone seen the new-ish Love U line by Moda? I have a charm pack set of the prints and am hoping to make a quick quilt out of them soon. The little owls and snails, and the trees... Oh my! Too cute!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Jessica

Last Summer Ottobre Dress

I've been horrible about updating lately...sorry! I have been sewing as ever, here and there, a little bit at a time. At the beginning of December I did another craft fair and after that I was a bit burnt out on sewing. I made a couple of scarves for Christmas gifts and that was it as far as Christmas/holiday sewing and crafting. The craft fair went well though, and after a lovely holiday break with my husband out of school for a month, I'm ready to get back into sewing and blogging! Right now I have a couple loungewear items cut out and started sewing. Last week I finished a very scrappy baby boy quilt for a good friend (I'll share pictures soon, I promise!).

Today I thought I'd resurrect photos from an old post draft that I never finished last summer. This is one of my first Ottobre patterns, from the Woman's Autumn/Winter 2008 catalog...the "Simple-Yet-Elegant Pintuck Dress". I LOVED the photos of this dress in the magazine, but sadly it makes me feel fat every time I wear it and my husband doesn't really like it. Two strikes and you're out, I say.

I think the problem is that the waist tie doesn't sit at a very flattering spot on me, and the material is a bit stiff and not drape-y enough, making my waist look thicker. I am thin, but I don't have a defined waist at all. Does anyone know what to wear to help this? I would think that belting in a waist would help define it, but it only made me feel thicker in this instance. Oh well.

Have a great day and look for more postings soon!
Jessica

Pink Skort

Cindy from Sew Blessed Designs has created this wonderful skort pattern for girls, and I was honored to be one of the pattern testers. Let me tell you, I really like this pattern! It's oh-so-practical for little girls who aren't always modest, but yet it's adorable and classic in style as well.

The options to create varied styles with this pattern are many: full elastic waistband or flat front waistband with elastic only in the back, pleated or gathered skirt, shorts or no shorts underneath, and any combination of design elements.

The directions are well-written, and the illustrations are well-drawn and very helpful. The line drawings remind me of some of the heirloom sewing patterns that I've used in the past. I found that the pattern runs true to size according to my daughter's measurements. As a personal preference, I did lengthen the skirt by 2 inches. The only change that I made to the pattern was to add interfacing to the waistband.

The skirt can be made with assorted fabrics for totally different looks. I chose to use a solid pink twill from my stash so that Emily could wear the skort with her Pink Stuff tops that I made a few months ago. However, I can't wait to make up the pattern again in a cotton print. Oh, and just think how this would look in denim with contrast topstitching.... So many possibilities!

Cindy's pattern can be found at her Etsy shop or at Farmhouse Fabrics. I'm not getting commission or anything for writing this, I just love the pattern that much. :)

Okay, pictures of Emily wearing the skort-- Cloudy skies, chilling temperatures, and a cold little girl do not make for good pictures, but here you go.

Ruth