Seconds on the "School Photo Dress" and "Vintage Jane"

I loved the School Photo Dress by Oliver+S so much, I made a second dress.  Ditto for the pattern from Pink Fig called "Vintage Jane."

My favorite model was very happy to show-off this dress.  The chartreuse green corduroy was a great double for a holiday dress and a plain winter dress.  My daughter can still wear her smocked Christmas dress from last year, so I didn't want to make anything fancy.  I followed the pattern exactly as it is written for the "School Photo Dress."  The front kangaroo pocket is easy and a big hit with little girls.

To make it really festive, I made a necklace for the holidays to match the dress.

For the rest of the year, I made this owl necklace to match the dress.  I decided the jewelry making class I took 2 years ago was not coming back to me quickly.  I may need to take another class before I try it again.

The above dress is "Vintage Jane" by Pink Fig.  I omitted the overskirt since this owl print was hard enough to find one other print to harmonize with it.  I love the simple lines and look of this dress.  It is a great dress for pulling on your boots and being ready to go.

I enjoyed the sale at Planet Applique near Thanksgiving.  These are a few t-shirts I embellished for the holidays.  All the designs, except the owl (StitchonTime.com) are from Planet Applique.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Bolero, Simplicity 3921

I found a perfect, black holiday tunic a few weeks ago.  BUT, it was sleeveless, which isn't all bad in South Texas.  It needed a simple jacket to make it pop and scream holiday attire.  Simplicity 3921 is the simple bolero that can be put together in an afternoon.  I used View C with a red corduroy.  I added a velvet braid around the edges and a flower from ribbon and the velvet braid that was left over.  A cheap glamour button in the center finishes it off.  

This is a great project for that outfit you need next week!

Smocked Retro "Ainsley"

This dress is based on the yoke and sleeve top of "Ainsley" by Children's Corner.  I took the pattern and rewrote it into a retro dress.

This is the original pattern cover to "Ainsley."  You can see the yoke is identical and it ends quickly after that point.

First, I smocked a cute pattern onto the navy blue pique.  

I wanted a more grown-up look for my growing daughter and used some current design elements.

The sleeves are called "lantern sleeves."  I used the long-sleeve pattern from "Ainsely" from the cap to about the elbow.  Then I cut a rectangle for the "lantern."  The width of the rectangle was 1.5 times the width of the sleeve where I stopped at the elbow.  The length of the rectangle took it close to the wrist.  I used the original cuff for the sleeve and inserted elastic.

I tried adding the belt to the original "Ainsley", but it looked dorky and I took it off.  I used the belt for the back.

To add a little color at the hem, I added two pleats and used the floss from the smocking design to make a running stitch through the bottom of the pleats.

Photos of navy blue dresses are tough to take, so I hope you can see the dress and the details.

ModKid "Isabel" for My Daughter and AG Doll

I was wondering which dress to show in my blog today, when my daughter and Rebecca (AG doll) arrived at breakfast all dressed up.  My perfect answer to the day's question:

As you can see, my dress is a close copy of the original pattern.  Sometimes, it is okay to not mess with something already cute.  This dress was made during the summer, but in a 7 year old's mind, it was the perfect choice for a November day.

As a recall, the pattern was easy to put together and then I just free-handed a design for the doll.