Lattice Smocked Top

I did it again.  I smocked.

This week for Project Run and Play we were to take a plain white sheet and make anything we wanted.  I bought (gasp!) a sheet really cheap since I don't have any plain white ones I'd be willing to part with here.  I just bought the twin size and even with that size there was a ton of fabric to play with!

I knew I wanted to dye the fabric and purple and green were the dyes I had on hand.  I cut (really I tore) the sheet in half and dyed each piece separately.  I dyed the bag too, hehe.

I really love the color the purple turned out.  The green is a much nicer color than it shows in this picture!  It's lovely too.  At the risk of making yet another PURPLE clothing item for Bean, I decided the green would have to wait for another project. 

I had no idea what I wanted to make with the fabric once it was dyed though.  I thought I'd like to smock since I knew I wanted very little embellishment and to leave the base of the outfit simple.  That's what I like about smocking.  It is seemingly fancy, yet left on its own it is just a simple twist of fabric that gives some interest.

This time around I spaced the grid about 1/2 an inch apart whereas last time it was a little under 3/8 of an inch. I definitely think bigger is better in this case.  It takes some time to hand smock, but it looks so much nicer than the basic machine smocked stitch.  Don't get me wrong, I've used machine smocking before and love it, but there is something satisfying about knowing you've hand stitched.

A top was in order since I made two dresses last week.  I just cut out some rectangles similar to how I made Bean's bishop dress and sewed them together.  Bean is still in need of fall clothing so there was no question I'd make this long sleeved.  Short flutter sleeves kept calling out to me, but I settled for an elastic gather at the wrist.  I'm so glad I did.  The big puffy shoulders slim arm and gathered wrist are so cute on a baby.  It gives the top a fairytale feeling.

I haven't done a nice wide boatneck for Bean so I thought this would be the perfect way to showcase the smocking.  The back has a keyhole opening with a crossover snap.  That way I can adjust the snap (sewn in) as she grows so this top should fit for a while.  I also added a pleat on either side of the opening so the stiff sheet fabric would hang nicely as she grows.  I purposely made it big all around since the cooler weather is only just starting.

Bean has become very aware of airplanes recently and has to point out every single one.  Even when we're inside.  It's amazing how we learn to tune a lot of that stuff out as we grow older.  Most of the time it takes me a minute to realize that's what she hears, hehe.

In case anyone is wondering, the pants she is wearing are the Is It Summer Yet pants that I made back in April.  I'm so happy I made them big.  They fit perfectly now.  I definitely need to whip up a few more pair for fall/winter.


Linking up:
 

Peggy's Purple Dress

The theme for Project Run and Play this week is to choose your favorite fashion icon and make a child's outfit using them as inspiration.  Immediately I knew what I wanted to make.  While this person isn't really a fashion icon, and isn't exactly a real person either, it's been fun to watch her fashion sense grow throughout the years.  It's Peggy from Mad Men, hehe.

As we watched this past season I was constantly interrupting the show to tell my husband how much I liked her outfits.  The dresses she chose gave her a more powerful look while still maintaining modesty in the workplace.  As she's stepped up in her career, so has her style and I've enjoyed watching the change.  The specific dress that I chose to make was the purple dress she wore (spoiler alert! hehe) when she quits and moves on to another ad firm.

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 At first glance it looks like a simple sweater dress, but it's more than that.  There's a softness to it that I hadn't seen from Peggy before. 

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Even with all the stiff undergarments they wore back then, the knit flows beautifully.  The slight gather in the shoulder seam and the matching one in the wrist are a great feminine touch.  Even with the bow however, it doesn't come off as childish.  There is power in this dress and I fell in love with it.  Here she is telling Don that she's leaving:

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And here is my version:

To start, I drafted a pattern for a turtle neck with a cowl neck so it would hang loosely.  That was great, because Bean needs some fall clothes and now she has a black turtle neck to layer.  I did the puff in the shoulder and wrist a little more dramatically so there would be a more childish feel.  Even with the puffs I swear Bean looked like Dieter from SNL, hehe.

Then I made a pink dress from the turtle neck I drafted by adding a simple gathered skirt to it.  It turned out similar to how the purple would later turn out, but I wanted to fine tune things like the bow belt.  Yet another fall outfit for Bean to wear, bonus!

I added a little covered button (I am obsessed with making buttons!) to the back of the belt to bring some detail to the back. 

I also made some tights to go along with it.  I laughed and told my husband that I was going to dress Bean in just the black turtle neck and tights and then she could be Dieter for Halloween :)

The tights are a little long, but I want them to last the winter so I don't mind the little bunching in the legs for now.  I sort of used the tutorial from Made By Rae but I didn't follow along and sort of winged it.

Bean likes her dress and the new shoes I got her. Just a few more separates and she'll be all set for fall!

For the comparison ;)

Biased Romper

I made yet another romper for Project Run and Play this week, hehe.  The theme was a remix of No Big Dill's a Very Biased Skirt.

I'm no stranger to using fabric on the bias. I like how it allows the fabric to hang nicely so I've made several skirts that way for myself.  In quilting there's a lot of bias tape used and generally I do make it using the bias.  However, when I'm making bias tape for clothing I don't always cut it truly on the bias (I always kind of feel like I'm cheating though, hehe).

Katy's tutorial mentions how cutting on the bias allows for strips that don't fray (or at least not easily).  It may take extra time to locate the bias and cut in that direction, but since there is little edge finishing necessary the process saves a lot of time.  And it's an easy way to add some texture and fun details to an outfit without a lot of extra work.

The weather is changing here finally and we're getting some cooler days.  I plan to use most of these PR&P weeks to make Bean some warmer weather clothes, but I've had this romper in my head for awhile so I needed to make it.  To be honest I made one that is similar a few weeks ago, but I wanted to see how it'd look with the bias strips and some ruffles.

From the front the romper looks like a short dress with quilting weight cotton fabric.

 

And from the back it looks like a cute knit romper.

 

The knit fabric is this lavender soft jersey so it is really comfortable to toddle around in.  I attached the quilting cotton panel to the front of the romper for a dressier look.  The panel has two big pleats so it fans out as Bean moves around.

The bias strips in alternating colors of purple on the top was easy to do and I like the look.  I used more bias strips to make some ruffles down the skirt panel, but I'm not sure I love that part.  I was going to remove just the ruffles, but then Bean's daddy came home and he said they were too cute to remove.  So for now they'll stay, hehe.

One thing that's nice about strips cut on the bias, is that the ends (when cut at 90 degrees) won't fray easily either.  So I didn't finish the ends of the ruffle strips.  I let them hang down and they are sewn at different lengths so they flop about when she's up and moving.

I actually cut the skirt panel on the bias as well, so that's yet another edge that isn't finished.  It'll be interesting to see how well this holds up to washing.  I like the idea of a little fringe or a slightly worn look so it should be fine.

Here you can see the back and how roomy it is.  We should still have plenty of warm days to wear it so I wanted to make sure it was comfy.  I cut a slit at the back neck and made a button with the darker of the purple fabrics.  I wanted a little bit of something to jazz up the back and I think the button works well.  I have become obsessed with making buttons lately!  I don't know why I never did it before; it's a perfect detail.

The idea for this romper came from one that was a hand me down earlier this summer.  It was entirely in knit, but there was a front pleated panel.  I didn't care for the colors or fabric design of the outfit, but I fell in love with the shape.  I thought it would be cute to have the front panel made out of a fun fabric and still keep the comfort of the knit romper.

Bean seems to like it, hehe.

 

I have pictures of the construction, so I'll post a quick tutorial early next week.  First I need to decide what to make for next week's theme.....



Coming up for air

After several months of no blogging, I've found some pockets of time where I'm hoping to fit it in. 

Where have I been, you ask?
What have I been doing, you'd like to know?

Oh, you know... nothing special..... just winning awards....

hehe

Our county fair was last month and when I was looking through the items I had made this year and choosing what could be entered for competition, I realized I had been busy.  My goal this year was to make at least one thing a week for the whole year. 

And really, I've barely missed a week. 

Of course, I'm not counting baking or cooking since that's an every day thing here, but I'm really pleased with how much I've been able to get done in spite of the busy-ness of baby's first year.

I entered 12 items and received 12 ribbons.  Now, not all were 1st and I didn't get any grand champions, but I was happy nonetheless.

Here's a big pic showing the items with which ribbons they received.

Some of these projects I've posted about here and others I'll post about in the future.

In other news, Project Run and Play starts again next week.  I'm really looking forward to it.  The first week's theme is a remix of the Very Biased skirt from No Big Dill. 

I have lots of ideas and I think I finally narrowed down my thoughts into one great outfit.  Here's a shock: it's another romper hehe.