P is for Plaid, Pleats, Piping and PINK!

I had so very much fun making this dress for Samantha for P week. I had bought yardage of this great DS plaid at JoAnn's a while ago, saving it for the perfect dress. And I think it looks pretty great!



I used the Oliver + S Library Dress, and added some length (I think I cut the size five dress with the size seven length). It is a little too big around, but she will be able to wear it for a while! The only other mod I made was to tack down the front overlap so it wouldn't gap.



I used hot pink piping around the waistband, and pink buttons on the back. I really enjoyed the process of putting this dress together and I am really happy with the cute pattern - I know it will be a regular addition to my arsenal! And she wore it for picture day - another P!

O is for Octopus

My apologies in advance, I didn't get a shot of the girls wearing these on O day, so this is what you get.



I had picked up some of this cute fabric a few months ago, and when I went back to get some, they were out of it. I had a hard time choosing something else I liked, and then I thought I could order online! Duh! Luckily, when I went to do that I saw that JoAnn's now has a 'check store stock' feature, and it said my local store had some more of this print, so I stopped by and grabbed some. Samantha really wanted her and Ellie to have matching skirts again, so I made two. They really like them, which is always nice!

N is for Numbers

I found this fabric on clearance at fabric.com a while back, and thought it would be perfect for N!



Samantha specifically requested ruffles on her dress, and pockets on the sides. I made the Geranium dress (again!), with some mods. I did the option for the ruffled sleeve, but I made it with the cap sleeve choice. I ruffled the skirt instead of making pleats (pleats are my preference!) but added in the inseam pockets that the pleated skirt offers (I traced the pocket separately on a sheet of paper, and laid it to the side of the skirt pattern when I was cutting it out)  and cut extra fabric to make a ruffle at the bottom. I also added length, as she is going through a growth spurt.

It was nice to make changes to a pattern, and understand enough about what I am doing for them to come out correctly!

M is for Monkey

We had too many ideas for M, but it came down to the outfit being due right after school started, so mom ordered some fabric and whipped up a skirt.



I feel badly making so many skirts (it feels like cheating), but she loves them and really does wear skirts more than anything else.

I used a cute Ann Kelle print - she was very excited that it was pink! :)

L is for Leaves

When I found this print on sale, I knew it would be perfect for L!



(Sorry for the crummy indoor photo - it was cold and rainy all day that day!)

I used the After School Shirt pattern again, and lengthened the sleeves and body - her other shirt from last year fits well through the chest, but it is getting too short. Hopefully she will be able to wear this one for a while.

I also made her a ladybug skirt, but somehow managed to not get a picture on the day she wore it. I had to talk her out of wearing it with her leaf shirt! (The skirt is blue and red and pink!)

Almost halfway through the alphabet!

K is for Kitty

I had a hard time thinking about what to make for K, and then one day Samantha was wearing this shirt and it dawned on me - Hello Kitty! She loves Hello Kitty, and I had used this fabric before, so I knew it existed.

I just made a simple skirt, since we didn't need a Hello Kitty dress (especially as sheer as this fabric is!). It was a big hit!



I've got L done, and now it's time to plan the rest of the alphabet!

J is for Jungle

I was stuck on what to do for J for a long time. I finally came up with Jungle, and was going to make a skirt with panels of different animals. Then I remembered I had yardage of this print stashed, and that it would be much better!

I used the Oliver and S Class Picnic Blouse again. I didn't hem the bottom and cuffs as much as it calls for. I knew it would be roomy in the chest for her, and I wanted to leave enough length so that she could still wear it next fall. Her blouse from last fall is just now getting a bit too short for her.

She was a sad girl today - no school because of snow, so no J show and tell. :( Hopefully they will make it up with K show and tell next week!

I is for Ice Cream

As soon as Samantha saw me bring home this fabric she asked for an Ice Cream Dress, so I week was a no-brainer!



Of course, I had to use the Oliver and S Ice Cream Dress pattern! I made a size 5 again, and it will last through this spring, but then probably be too short.



Sometime last year, we were going through my stash of vintage buttons, and she saw this ice cream button, and well, of course I had to use it!



This is her new favorite dress, and Ellie keeps asking for one too, so it won't be the last!

G is for Gingham

When I started thinking about G week, I thought of the pink gingham fabric I had recently bought. When I went through patterns and came across my Music Class Blouse pattern, I knew it was a perfect match!



This was one time consuming pattern! I also ran into a few problems (of my own failure to cut out all the pattern pieces and trying to use the cuff as the sleeve placket!), but once I had it figured out, it came together perfectly!



I ran into a mom at the library who sews and she was asking me if I made Ben and Ellie's outfits that day. When I said yes, and that I had made Samantha's shirt, she was shocked! That is always a great feeling - when it doesn't look mommy-made!



This was my first time to add a collar, to do pintucks, to have cuffed long sleeves, and the first time to construct a buttonband like this one. I love that every time I sew an Oliver and S pattern I feel like I learn something!

F is for Flowers and Fuchsia

For F week I was so excited to use this floral print! I've been hoarding it for a few years, wanting to use it on the perfect project. Samantha had asked me to make a matching dress for Ellie this time, so I paired it with the fuchsia dots, to maximize the yardage I had. I used the Sasha Jumper pattern again, (previously made here and here). This is a great simple dress that is very versatile - my girls wear them in the summer and with shirts and leggings when it's cooler.



We picked out cute flower buttons for the back. This is one of those dresses I know will get worn and worn again!



Kid's Clothing Week is next week, and I'm hoping to knock out H and I (G is done!), and work on the kids' clothes for our family pictures next month. I need to plan some shirts and pants for Ben as well! Poor guy is getting the short end of the stick lately!

E is for Embroidery

This week is E week, and Samantha couldn't wait to wear her new shirt!



I used the Embroidered Denim Tunic tutorial from the Purl Bee. I made some modifications - I made mine tunic length (instead of 4 year old dress length, per the tutorial), since I didn't have enough fabric. I found the neckline to be too wide, so I took it in on the shoulders, but probably need to do more, as it's still slightly too large.



I used blanket stitch on the neckline, and then filled in with some other stitches - running stitch, french knot and a zig zag backstitch. I was going to add another, but ran out of time. I used DMC perle cotton and I really liked it.

Samantha loves it - she thinks the stitching is so pretty, and loves the french knots - she wants to know how to make them! :)

Linking up with Katy!

D is for Dragonflies and Daisies

D week was this week, and I am so pleased with the way this dress came out!



I had purchased a TON of Lisette fabric on super sale at JoAnns (it was on sale for 70% off, but they had already clearanced it, so they gave me 70% off the clearance price - I think I paid about $1.72/yd!), and when I saw I had dragonflies and daisies, I decided to use both of them for D week.



I was also so excited to finally use the awesome Roller Skate Dress from Oliver and S, and Samantha was so excited that she could wear her dress twice! :) This is a great pattern  - I think it took me longer to trace and cut out the pattern and fabric than it did to sew it up!



I very very very highly recommend this pattern! And I really enjoyed sewing with the Lisette fabric - it has such a nice feel, and is a great weight. I'm  glad I have tons of it to use!



Samantha was also excited to wear her polka dot shorts under her dress. :)

Linking up with Katy's Sew All 26!

C is for Cowgirl (and Christmas)

For C week (Sew All 26), I thought a cowgirl vest might be cute. I had visions of fringe, and fake suede, but when Samantha went to the store with me, she picked this fabric (she is very literal, and it needed to look like a cow, of course!)

I used the explorer vest pattern from Oliver +S Little Things to Sew, and shortened the length.



She added in her Cowgirl skirt (which is too small, but I let her wear it this one last time), and on of her Christmas pajama shirts, which I didn't have the heart to tell her she couldn't wear because it was pajamas. She looked a little crazy, but hey, she's having a good time! Oh, and the cowgirl vest is off to the dress up box now, which all the kids are excited about!

Linking up with Katy!

B is for Ballet, Balloons and Birthday!

Today is Samantha's fifth birthday! I really can't quite believe it. I'm excited about all that she is learning at school, and how much she has grown, but I want to keep her my baby too.

She had her birthday celebration at school yesterday, so she wore her B outfit.




In this case B was for Birthday, Balloons and Ballet! I made her a cute '5' shirt using some adorable Sarah Jane fabric with Balloons (because b, of course!).





And B is for Ballet, and the cute skirt I made using some of Ann Kelle's Girlfriends fabric. Skirts and t-shirts is one of her favorite outfits, so while I want to make her lots of dresses and tops, I know this combo will show up several more times during the sew-along!

A is for Alphabet

Well hello! I have been hoping to get back to blogging more frequently, but it has been crazy with school starting, and a baby who refuses to nap in his bed, after doing so for a few weeks prior. :)  I do have a hope to get a few posts up this week, with some back to school sewing I've been working on.



This dress isn't Samantha's back to school outfit (I'll have to share that later this week!), but it is for school. Last year Katy at no big dill did an alphabet sewing personal challenge for her daughter who was in preschool and studied a letter each week. This year she is doing it as a sew-along, and since Samantha's class is studying a letter each week I had to join in. I may not be making amazing outfits like Katy, but she will get some new part of an outfit each week.

I decided on Wednesday night that she needed an outfit for Friday, and spent a lot of time thinking about "A" things. Finally I checked to see what Katy had done and I had to copy her alphabet dress.
We headed out to JoAnn's early to check to see what fabric they had, and I managed to make a Geranium dress during nap times and lunch.



I added a bit of length to it, as her Easter dress is already almost too short. I also did the version with the faux cap sleeves and the u-notch. I really love the way it came out, and hopefully will fit for a while!



We had to have special buttons - I wanted letter buttons, but Samantha chose these airplane buttons (after mommy said no to ridiculously expensive apple buttons). She even specified how they needed to be sewn on (up because airplanes fly up!).



I can't wait for the next few letters!