Baby Onesie Dress

This right here is baby cuteness at it's best.  A onsie, with a skirt!  

 

I bought this pattern from my new favorite pattern shop, Brindille and Twig.  I started following their blog and saw the release of their newest pattern, a bodysuit dress.

 I decided to put my own spin on it and make the top  kimono style.  The pattern has a snap opening at one shoulder and I'll be honest, I kind of hate putting in snaps.  So the kimono top allows for easy dressing and fewer snaps.  Win, win!

 The design is really great, but you have to pay close attention to the instructions.  I did it wrong the first time...  The way you put it all together, you have the seam attaching the skirt on the outside so that it doesn't irritate baby's skin.

 Nice and flat on the inside.

This one with a matching hat will be up in my esty shop soon.

Needle Felting Fun

We've been enjoying a really fun winter break.  It's been a lot of relaxing, staying in our pajamas and trying out some new crafts.  My daughter has been interested in learning about needle felting so we got some supplies and tried it out.

This is really fun activity for kids and adults.  Both my kids, age 8 and 6 were able to make some cute little shapes and had a lot of fun doing it.

 Here's what you'll need if you want to give it a try.  A foam block, needle felting tool, wool roving, and a cookie cutter for the shape.  We watched this video to get us started.  One word of caution, the needle felting tool is just that, it's a needle.  I was very nervous that the kids would poke themselves and reminded them constantly (much to their annoyance) to be careful.  In the end, the only one who poked themselves was me!  Go figure.

We attached metal rings to a few so we could use them as keyrings or backback charms.  They would also make really fun Valentine's gifts.

Once you get the hang of it, it's fun to experiment.  There are lots of videos and tutorials for endless fun!

Here's to a fun and crafty New Year!

Sweatshirt Dress for Me // My Creative Process

If you read my last post, you already know that I've put myself on a fabric buying freeze.  I've decided I have way too much fabric and I need to use some of it up before I'm allowed to buy anything new. 

I had the itch to sew something for myself and grabbed this green sweatshirt fleece off my shelf.  I have a few yards of this and it's the same fabric I used to make a cardigan for my son over 2 years ago!!

Right now I pretty much live in leggings, boots, and long sweaters or tunics.  This particular sweatshirt fleece has a super soft underside and much more stretch than is typical.  I contemplated making a Lola Tunic.  I have the pattern cut and ready to go, but it just isn't quite what I want.  It looks a little oversized in it's fit.  Which brings me to my "creative process".  I have trouble following patterns because I find myself wanting to go in my own direction.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

 image source

 I searched around and found this picture for my inspiration.  I think the result is not too far off, though I'm not sure my fabric drapes quite the same.  Here's what I did.

 I wanted the top to be fitted but also a little slouchy.  I grabbed a dolman style sweater and traced it for the top and sleeves. 

 For the skirt, I used my Dress Pockets Tutorial and Pattern.

 Because this fabric is kind of thick, I cut one of the pockets out of a lightweight knit to make it less bulky.

I also didn't want to topstitch the pocket opening, so  instead I understitched it.  If it's not a technique you're familiar with, there's a great tutorial and explanation here at Sewaholic.  The purpose is to keep a lining from peeking out without having to topstich.  Essentially you sew the seam allowance to the lining or in this case the pocket.  I'm not sure why it works, but it definitely holds the lining in.

Once I put the bodice and skirt together, I had to do A LOT of tweeking.  By the end of the night I was pretty sure my "creative process" had failed me.  I ended up having to add darts to the front and back and also took the sides in so much that the pockets openings are pretty tiny.  Good thing I have small hands, because they still fit in.

I topstitched a little triangle a the neck on the front, tried the dress on, and was pleasantly surprised.

 It's far from perfect.  The white thread from my serger (I always only use white because I hate changing the thread) peeks through in spots and some of the seams are a little wonky, but it's amazingly comfortable.

 And I kind of love this side view.

 I'm happy that so far I've managed to not buy new fabric and now have a new dress!  Win, win.