New dresses

Oh, how I love my little girl in a dress!! Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?? The dress is pretty cute too. I used the tutorial from Prudent Baby. This is actually the second of these dresses that I've made, but the other one is having issues- I used the snaps that the pattern called for, but I can't get the snaps on the front of the dress. UGH.

So instead of snaps, I made buttonholes (!) and used some buttons I already had.

Yes, this dress is a little short. No, she had better not even *think* about wearing something this short when she's a teen. You can't tell from these pictures, but I made a really cute little diaper cover out of the paisley fabric to match. That's the whole reason this dress is so short- so that while she's playing, you can see that cute little bum covered in paisley.

I've been thrifting a lot recently. I found a men's shirt that looked like it should have been a little girl's dress all along.

So I bought it, washed it, and started cutting...

and a few short hours later, I had this-

An awesome little shirtdress.

I used crossgrain ribbon for the waistband instead of contrasting fabric, mainly becuase the ribbon matched, and my spare fabric did not. However, I really like the way it turned out. The orange ribbon really pops.

After I had already sewn the placket shut, I decided to swap out the buttons from the plain white ones to these fun blue flowers I got from Chris's Grama's stash.

I am totally in love with this pattern. I think I'll make more.

the Circle Skirt

I *finally* made something for myself-
This Circle Skirt!
I can't tell you how EASY it was- it took me about 20 minutes to sew it up (well, it should have anyway- I readjusted the elastic waistband a couple {ok, 4} times).

So, like the name implies, it's a circle of fabric. More like a donut.
Which means there are NO SEAMS to sew! the only sewing involved is attatching the elastic for the waistband and the hemline, which I don't really like doing.
I made this one out of a bed sheet that I got at a thrift store.
I thought it was white with little grey polka dots, but upon further inspection, I decided the dots are actually purple. No matter.

It still needs the bottom hem. I think I'll just wait until I get my serger, then add a rolled hem. That will make this project the easiest skirt ever!

Oh, and guess what else I made?

Fresh, homemade buttah. Mmmmm.

Oven Mitt- FAIL

I really wanted to make an oven mitt.
I was hoping it would turn out well, because there is a girl at work getting married soon, and our coworkers made a cookbook for her, and I thought an oven mitt and a matching potholder would be a nice gift that would go right along with the cookbook (spoken in a whiny child's voice).
But nooooooo.
This project was a complete failure. Boo.
So the pattern was this one.
I had issues with this from the beginning- I should have known this project was doomed.
First off, as I was cutting the Insul-bright, I was getting all the fibers up my nose. I felt like I was breathing in some sort of toxic-to-your-lungs insulation or something. Then, the peices were too thick to run through my machine. I guess I need to get a walking foot for thicker pieces like this.
Anyway, I finally got the stupid thing together.
Not lookin' too bad here...
But you turn it right side out and you see where I had trouble sewing it together.

Oh, and the best part? This nice little hole at the top.

Ugh.

Buttercup bag

I decided to make something for myself, so I perused the web for a tutorial for an easy purse.
I found (and loved!!) the Buttercup bag from Made by Rae.
So I got out my fatquarter and started cutting.

I've never made a purse before, and I have no idea how to line things or attach buttons/snaps/closures of any sort. But Rae's tutorial was very clear, and I was able to follow it well.

Here's the finished product. I was a little disappointed in the size- the model has *way* skinnier arms than I do, thereby making her bag look larger. Ahem.

It is very difficult to photograph a purse that you're wearing, just so you know.