Embellished Pillowcase Dress

Sew Sensible Pattern: Embellished Pillowcase Dress

When I first started using patterns to create children's clothing I started using Sew Sensible Patterns. They are perfect for the beginner sewer and allow you to create boutique style clothing in a pretty short time

(we're talking one or two naptimes).

This is Aimee's newest pattern - The Embellished Pillowcase Dress and I used it to make this for my daughter, Catherine.

I ran into Aimee the other day at the fabric store and she is so kind and personable. She truly enjoys what she does and loves seeing what her customers create. Check out her blog and website to see all of her patterns available.

http://www.sewsensible.blogspot.com/ http://www.sewsensible.net/

Appliqued Guitar for my little boy...and some tears!

For the boy in my life!

I made this guitar applique shirt for my little boy.

He wants to play the guitar, be a drummer and of course a cowboy (like Woody from Toy Story) and do all three things at once - every day! :)

I love him!

He is full of joy, cracks himself up laughing, thinks "Pineapple Underpants" is the silliest phrase in the world (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and he is my big, sweet man!

I love you, John Patrick!

I can't sew him longalls or bubbles anymore and one day he won't even let me make him appliqued shirts or pairs of shorts. So right now I'm loving every minute of him being excited about the things I do make for him. (I'm getting teary-eyed!) Why do they grow up? :)

Linky Party & Banned from Buying Fabric for a month!

No Restraint!

Have you ever been to the fabric store and obviously been in quite a creative mood and bought a little too much fabric? Ok, maybe a little more than just a little too much? Like 10 different prints that were all too pretty to pass up and a yard each? Well...that happened this past Sunday and when I got home and my husband saw the bag he was, what can I call it, um.....quite unhappy. :) He told me I had no restraint and I said of course I do! (obviously, wouldn't that be the right answer at that moment?) He told me he bet I couldn't buy fabric for a month and the sassy side of me came out and I said I bet I could and I will go more than a month! (What the heck was I thinking!) So my craft budget is now zero til March 15th.

Good thing I have a stockpile of fun fabric

and plenty of new ideas!

And here is a sweet little baby dress I made for a friend who is having a little girl next month. Girls always get pink but also look beautiful in blue so I came up with this baby blue halter that will bring out those baby blue eyes!

LINKY PARTY! Favorites from last week's Linky Party:

Vintage Ruffle Skirt...so sweet!

http://bandycanyon.blogspot.com/2011/02/vintage-lace-ruffle-skirt.html

Office Dress - love it with the belt!

http://orlosubito.blogspot.com/2011/02/vestido-oficinero2.html

Valentine Dress - love the heart fabric!

http://imamomnotaprofessional.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentine-dress.html

LINKY PARTY! You've Sewed It Off now Show It Off!

Link up your newest creations! Please become a follower if you aren't already and post my button on your blog post so others can join, too!

LINKY PARTY TODAY (and every Wednesday!)

LINKY PARTY #8 and Tutu Applique Shirt
I've been making a lot of applique shirts for my little boy and thought Catherine needed one. I made her this tutu applique to match her tutu she got for Christmas from my cousin, Dana.
She seems to love it! Okay let's be honest, she's 1 year old, so... REALLY I seem to love it because she was more concerned with trying to put on her pink headband which almost immediately comes off - you know that game? :)

LINKY PARTY
favorites from last week
1. The chicken dress! Check out Willow Bean Studio's "chicken dress" for her little girl's farm birthday party
http://willowbeanstudio.blogspot.com/2010/10/bean-turns-two.html

2. Recycled Fashions created this red vintage dress that I'd love to have in my closet!http://www.recycled-fashion.com/2011/01/handmade-vintage-dress-satisfaction.html

You've Sewed It Off now Show It Off!

Link up your newest creations! Please become a follower if you aren't already and post my button on your blog post so others can join, too!

Mardi Gras Designs - Applique trumpet player and peasant dress

Mardi Gras Mambo!

Since we live in south Louisiana it's Mardi Gras time! King cakes are in the stores, Mardi Gras wreaths are hung on doors and purple, gold and green flags are flying. I thought I would try making a Mardi Gras themed applique shirt for my little boy. He loves anything that makes music, so I hope he likes this trumpet player silhouette. Looking at it I can just hear the jazz musician playing the, "Mardi Gras Mambo....down in New Orleans!" If my little boy was going to have something festive, so was my little girl. I made her a coordinating peasant dress from some Mardi Gras fabric I found at Hancock Fabrics. It's is colorful, wild and a little loud, but that's what Mardi Gras is, right?

New Applique T-Shirts for BOYS

Applique Shirts for Boys

Here are the latest shirts I've been working on for my little boy. He is in love with dinosaurs and cowboys right now because of the movie Toy Story.

Sewing the dinosaur t-shirt took some time because of sewing around every letter, but the robot shirt came together pretty quickly.
He wore his horseshoe t-shirt with his cowboy boots yesterday and a few times said, "Look Mommy, I'm a cowboy like Woody!" :) I smiled!

He liked the robots when he saw this fabric and I thought they were kind of fun looking so I made one of these, too!

Linky Party #7 and My Sweater to Girl's Dress

Tutorial: How to turn an old sweater into a Girl's Dress

1. Find an old sweater, a straight edge, scissors and a dress that currently fits the little lady.

2. Cut off the sleeves of your old sweater and lay your pattern (little girl's dress) on top.

3. Trace around the edges. Don't trace the sleeves. Cut it out.

These are your front and back pieces.

4. Pin together at the shoulders seams and sew across each.

5. Use old sleeves and cut up the side seams to "open" each sleeve. Cut the length to the length of the sleeves you'd like for your new sweater dress for the little girl.

6. Lay one sleeve underneath the sleeve opening on your dress. Trace. Cut along this line. Repeat for other side. This will allow each sleeve to fit properly.
7. Pin each sleeve (right sides of the sleeve fabric touching the right side of the sweater). Sew along the shoulder curve on each side.

8. Lay your dress right sides together, matching up sleeves, sides and bottom. Pin along sleeve length and down the side. Sew this part on both sides of the dress.

9. Flip it right side out and it should look like a dress.
10. Cut two pieces that will be your hood. Sew them along the curved part (see below).
11. Add bias tape. (or fold under a hem)
12. Pin to your dress (right sides touching) and sew all around - slowly. Take pins out as you go.
Admire your work! You're done!

Favorite from last week's linky party....we had 31 entries!

http://honeyscrap.blogspot.com/2011/01/15-minute-ruffle-scarf.html
Melissa made this little girl's red ruffled scarf (and check out her hair clip, too) - love it!

http://kimboscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/01/most-awesomest-its-word-blanket-ever.html

Kim made this baby blanket that took hours to make and it looks worth it!


http://watsonfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/2011/01/another-ruffle-shirt-for-mommy.html

Kellie made this ruffle shirt with rosettes along the top as a border. Awesome job!

Now it's time for...LINKY PARTY #7

1. Show off something you've made. Link to the specific post on your blog.
2. Become a follower or grab my Seamingly Smitten linky button and put it in your blog post or sidebar so others can join!
3. Look around some of the other links people have posted and
leave some linky love comments.

Come back next Wednesday to see some of my favorites and linky up again!.