Sunday, June 20, 2010

Adventures in Sewing

Well, one of my goals back in January was to get back into sewing... Snow White took so much out of me that I went on a sewing sabbatical for a long while.  When I made those resolutions, I didn't realize that I'd also be pregnant while trying to carry them out!  So, while I've done well on a lot of them, sewing had remained on the backburner while I tried to keep up with work, home, and everything else.

Now that I'm off on summer break, I've been back at the sewing machine a little bit.  I can tell I'm a bit out of practice - the basics are like riding a bike, but I'm a little rusty in the fitting department.  I started by making Katie Anne a little summer outift - an A-line swing top and pants out a cute kite and clouds fabric that I bought last summer on clearance and just loved.  I was really happy with the way it turned out...
until I tried it on her!  It was waaay too big.  I didn't even take a picture of her in it because there wasn't a lot of point - the pants won't stay up, and the shirt hangs off her shoulder like a Flashdance flashback.  So, the kite outfit is hanging in the back of her closet, hopefully to be worn next - or even the next - summer!

I took a few days off again, and then jumped back on the sewing bandwagon.  I found this silky animal print (which is probably for lingerie, but I don't care - I knew KA would love it) on sale at Hobby Lobby for $2.00 per yard.  So, I got one yard and decided to go back to the old faithful - the pillowcase dress!  Katie Anne - who did love the fabric - decided that she would wear this to my birthday dinner, and she's been very anxious that I won't finish it in time for her to "look beautiful".  She was quite relieved when I finished it this weekend!  Here's the first fitting:
As you can see, the dress fit okay, but it was way too big under the arms.  I took it in a little bit without cutting it (and this isn't the best picture):
but, hopefully that will allow me to just snip it as she gets older, and it will still fit!  Also, I think it looks a little better with the pleats under the arms - makes the skirt a little more full.  
Here's the finished product:
Katie Anne loves the feel of the silky fabric on her skin - and I bound the hem with satin binding tape, so that's silky, too.  She immediately decided that this is a dancing dress, and she was happy to show off her moves!

6 comments:

Sharon G said...

So cute!!!! Great job!!! I'm loving KA's dance moves too!!!

Jason, Erin, Ella, and Colin said...

Looks like she has some moves ready for your birthday!!

Tara said...

Soooo cute! Love it on her.

Trisha Jones said...

This is very cute! I especially love the over-sized hot pink ribbon on her shoulder.

Kelly Miller said...

Love the sassy dress - especially the pink with the print. I have a sewing machine that I really need to learn to use!

Carrie Beth said...

Girl, you and me both. I haven't sewn in what feels like months. I was so burned out from being so busy that I told myself I was going to take the summer off. Seeing your cute stuff makes me want to get back at it though. :-)