Making dresses ...

Last year when I started stashing fabric (to my husband's gentle frustration) I found a lovely fabric from Alexander Henry called Baby Berry.

I ordered a yard (along with a bunch of other yard cuts) with the intention to make something for our kitchen from it. Like a table runner or a tea cosy or something like that.
The fabric was way too thin for that though and at the time I was more into collecting fabric than actually making something from it.

But a year later my fabric stash is growing at an alarming rate and I really need to get started on using it.
Don't get me wrong I love fabric fondling and I could content myself on doing that, but I fear my husband will stop feeling gentle frustration and move onto something else if I don't start using it.

So lately I've been on a sewing binge. I bought a bunch of patterns from different designers' and I've been keeping busy.

I've been off work for a week starting last Monday and I definitely caught the sewing bug.
I traced the pattern for Patty Young's Frida one evening and picked out the Baby Berry and a green/white seersucker fabric I've had lying around (they were gonna be curtains) for a few months.
I took time out during the day to sew up the bodice for the Frida but had to put it aside since we were going to dinner at a friend's house.

We came home again late last night and I was fondling the fabrics and looking at the pattern pieces I had cut out. And then I thought - I can sew the pocket on. So I did. Then I thought sewing the ruffle strip together wouldn't take that long or serging the edges.
Then I might as well sew the gathering seams too.

And before I knew it the dress was done and the time was ... way past my bed time. At least the birds hadn't started singing again ...



I made the dress for Sofia who turned two last month. But since I have a taller-than-average-husband she needed the 4T/5T size ... no point in making a dress for her if she's not gonna be able to use it for at least a few months (which is the reason I prefer to put my time and effort into making dresses for Isabel - then Sofia will be able to inherit them and I'll get more mileage out of them)



I thought the dress would be too long and that I would have to make some pleats in the skirt ... after trying it on her I don't think so anymore.

Now - I have already picked out a fabric combo for a Frida for Isabel. But the pattern doesn't come in a big enough size for her so I will have to grade it myself.
I'm still working on that.

Twirlyness

Today was my final day on my own. The rest of the family left for the in-law's cabin on Monday and I hadn't seen them for almost a week.

I had fully intended to start sewing in the morning but it was still too hot and the thought of sitting down at the machine with a hot iron right next to me wasn't tempting.



But after they had arrived home, eaten lunch and Sofia had napped they headed for the public pool and I could get a few moments to myself again and since Sofia had been presented with a cami and panties right before they left I wanted to make Isabel something too.

I had decided on using some of my Freshcut-fabric from Heather Bailey. And I had decided on making a circle skirt.



I measured Isabel's waist (or the place on her body that has to double as waist since she wants to have all her pants and skirts fall on her hips) and the approximate length of the skirt.

I couldn't make the skirt longer than 12" because of the width of the fabric so I had to add a hem band and I think the dress looks a lot more finished than if I had gone without it. I considered doing the hem band ruffled but decided against it mostly cause I hate to gather fabric.

A circle skirt is the epitome of twirlyness and when you're almost 5 years old that is important.



It also makes your hips dance ...

Cherry currant cordial

Tonight I made cordial using black currants and black cherries my FIL gave us 2 years ago.

They've been sitting in the freezer taking up space since then and now they had to be used or be thrown out.

I just did a basic "boil berries with water-strain- bring to the boil and add sugar"-cordial. Only this time I boiled the mash one extra time to really get every last bit of juice out.

I'll have to check the cordial tomorrow because currants are a great pectin agent and can easily make the cordial jell as it cools. Plus I boiled the cherries with the pits which also adds in the pectin.

From the left over mashed berries I made a sort of jam-mush. I pressed the berries through a sieve, removing the pits as I found them.
It was boring work so I didn't do it for very long. I got enough mush to put in a 10 oz jar.
To sweeten it I brought some water to the boil and added double the amount of sugar and let it all boil for a minute or two then let it cool slightly before I added a few tablespoons to the mush.

The mush won't last that long unless you freeze it so we'll use it on the oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast over the next few days.
It tasted divine on piece of toast tonight and I'm sure it would be great to fill a cake with.

My Creative Space June 11th

After a few weeks of sewing clothes for the girls I have started sewing smaller projects.

I bought a pattern for a sewing bag about a year ago and made two bags rather quickly after that.
Then I lost the pattern and no matter how much I searched I couldn't find it.

Cue to a week ago when I decided to clean up my sewing room and sure there it was. Tucked in between two other patterns in a ziploc-bag.

So yesterday I started cutting fabrics for another bag. This one will be a gingham/checkered outside with apple pockets and apple pie lining.

I have fabric combos to make 2 or three more bags but I haven't cut fabric for those.

Kyoko for Isabel

Late last night I finished the Kyoko for Isabel.

I have agonized over this dress for over a week, ever since the pattern dropped into my mail box.
I had a fabric combo set up that I was gonna use but I wasn't 100 % convinced it would be perfect.



I had intended to use the green Kokeshi-fabric and the pink dotted fabric for the skirt and the darker green for bias trim, but then I had second thoughts.
The darker green would look nice in a Kyoko for Sofia and I have more than 1 yard of it so it would be a shame to cut it up and make trim of it.
Then I feared I didn't have enough of the green Kokeshi anyway to use for the skirt pieces.

The pattern doesn't say how much fabric the skirt requires - probably because you can configure the skirt as you like. But it threw me for a loop for a bit. I found an orange fabric that I liked with the dolls but I didn't have enough unless I turned the pattern pieces 90 degrees and I didn't like how the fabric stretched on the cross grain.
Then I recalled I had the black Kokeshi fabric and that it would look quite cool to use them together.



So I measured and puzzled the pattern pieces on the green fabric I had and made it all fit. Now all I needed was trim.



I bought a package of three coordinating fabrics at a crafts fair in April and I had intended to make YoYos of it. The orange fabric I had considered for the skirt came in that pack.
It also had a dotted fabric that I liked and when I put it next to the Kokeshi-dolls it just matched. There was a green dot in the fabric that was the *exact green of the background for the dolls. And almost all the other colours in the dotted fabric was repeated somewhere in the dolls' outfits.
Perfect.

Now Patty had said you needed 1 yard of it to make trim for the dress. And I had 30 cm (12 inches). But I figured I could at least use it for trim of the sleeves and the bodice. So I cut it all up and made bias binding of it.
I didn't realise I like to make biniding. It's sort of relaxing. Strange.

The dress came together beautifully even though I had a brain fart and forgot to finish the seam in the sleeves. I may have to amend that.
Last night I gathered the skirt and attached it to the bodice. Perfect timing for today's birthday party.

But I still needed fabric for the obi-sash. I had intended to use a piece of stretchy thin denim I had at home but when I took it out I realized I had used it for a dress for Sofia and I couldn't find a large enough continuous piece to make the obi.

But I had the orange fabric.



So instead of going to bed like I intended I cut out the pieces for the obi and finished it too.

I love how this dress turned out. The pattern was well written and all the pictures made it easy to follow. It was a fun project to make.

I will need to lengthen the obi for Isabel if I make another one. I also need to make the bodice a little longer. She's normally a size 134 for length but she's rather slim so the 122 is ok for girth. Although the obi was on the short side.

I'm making one for Sofia next. As soon as my order from Heather Bailey arrives.

I think I'll measure her before I cut the obi for her. Maybe I need to lengthen it too.

Lunch

My Creative Space June 4th

I'm joining in with Kootoyoo's My Creative Space again this week.

Working from home yet again - maybe I can make a habit of it.

This week I'm making a Kyoko for my big girl which involved a bit of jigsaw-puzzles to make the pattern pieces fit. I *think* I have it figured out I just need to mark it and see that I'm right.

I'm not sure about the dark green geisha fabric - I was gonna use it for bias trim but I'm not convinced ... I may have to go to the fabric store *oy vey*.

I will need something for the sash - I was planning on denim, but the piece I had at home had been cut into and I couldn't find a continuous piece that would fit.
Plus I need ribbon too so - a trip to the fabric store it is.

After the weekend's birthday celebrations (the little one is turning 2)

I wasn't planning on entering the heart challenge - but when I looked closer there happened to be sort of a heart in the picture (the top of one at least).