The Start of a Handmade Summer Wardrobe- Part One

I just wanted to share some stuff I made awhile back or am currently working on for my daughter's summer wardrobe. It's been so fun and fulfilling to work on these and I'll be starting on my boys' wardrobes soon too- although the youngest will most likely be just fine with his big brother's hand-me-downs so he'll probably just get a few new pieces. That'll cut down on the sewing for boys edition that I plan to work on next! But for now, here's just a few pieces that I managed to get pictures of!

These are some paper bag shorts that I made with a striped blue chambray that my daughter HATES because she says it's made from "boy" fabric. Huh? I absolutely love them! I even sewed in a pink cotton lining on the inside hem but she doesn't care- she won't wear them aside from donning them for a quick photo. I will most likely be giving them away, sigh...luckily I have a handful of nieces who might not have as big a princess complex as my daughter!

This is the Black Bird tunic from the previous post and although it's also striped, it looked great with the shorts!

See- adorable, isn't it?! But she hates the shorts! No matter how I flatter her about them, she won't voluntarily wear them. At. All! 

Here's an oh-so-cute plaid peplum blouse with a tie back. Luckily, she loved this one so it's a keeper. I sewed pleats (love them!) at the neckline and they help give the blouse some shape.  

She's awfully cute in peplum and it's so flowy around her waist that she calls it a "mini-dress." She wears them here with some gold skinny pants that were refashioned from a pair I had bought but they were so baggy in the crotch, I decided to chop them up for her instead. Hey- I thought I could fix them, ok? But they're much better as her gold skinnies anyway, I think!

And here's the latest dress I've been working on. It's almost complete- just need to finish the back but can't decide if I should do a zipper or buttons. But isn't it cute? I love mixing patterns and colors to create fun, energetic looks. All of these pieces above, with the exception of the tunic, were created from my own vision and seeing them come to life is oh so satisfying! Designing and sewing has become not only a hobby, but an addiction and I encourage everyone to give it a try!

So I truly hope I was able to provide you with some inspiration today to get you started! I'll be back later for part two and show you some more pieces! Until then, happy sewing!

Easy DIY Girl's Tunic and Pleated Wrap Skirt

It's Mother's Day weekend and what better way to spend some down time than to sew up another outfit for summer even if it's not for myself? I think I enjoy sewing for others more so than for myself. I spend most of my days in jammies anyway so most of my wardrobe goes unworn throughout each season. I honestly don't think I've bought anything brand new for myself in months- stay at home moms have it easy as far as a work wardrobe goes! When I had a 'real' job, I was buying clothes at least once a month. Now, I just hoard fabric to make clothes and simultaneously exercise some creative demons. You see, I get real antsy if I'm not creating something new everyday. It's an awful addiction I have and now my daughter's caught it as well. She wants to craft every day: stamping, painting, drawing, stickering (is that a word?), cutting and pasting, beading...and the list goes on and on!  I honestly can't wait until she's headed off to preschool because then I'll have someone else providing her with some artsy craftsy projects as well. I'm running out of ideas of how to entertain this girl!

My latest creation comes in two parts: an adorable summery tunic from Shwin & Shwin and a pleated wrap skirt that I designed myself. I paired the two together because they looked adorable but each one can be mixed and matched with other pieces to create different looks. I adore all the looks that Shwin & Shwin creates and she also has several free patterns with instructions on her site- such a great resource for beginning sewists like myself!  

 

She calls it the Black Bird tunic and it's so simple to make that I finished it in just a few hours after the kids went to sleep.

The pattern is offered in a size 2T and my daughter fits 4T. I printed each page at 100% and just eyeballing it, I figured it would fit her just fine. It helps that she's built like a stick at this point. I did add an inch to the length of the bodice though because she has a long torso.

I used a lightweight seersucker for the top and instead of using a lining fabric for the neckline, I just doubled up on the fabric. And then a heart-shaped button is so much more fun than a round one, don't you think?

I think I will put together a quick tutorial for the pleated wrap skirt. They are a great beginner sewing project and look adorable on the littles! I made K's skirt out of white denim fabric and instead of a tie waist, I sewed on two buttons instead. By the way, sewing buttonholes in denim is no fun at all! But I like the resulting look of this skirt and as her waist grows, I can move the buttons farther along the waistline to accommodate her. If she grows taller, we can layer a ruffled skirt or tutu underneath and it'll be a completely new and fun look! Oh, how I do adore multi-tasking clothes!

The Asymmetrical A-Dress (aka Double A Dress)

Today's dress was inspired by some other asymmetrical dresses I've been seeing on Pinterest recently. With spring FINALLY sprung, everyone's been frantically pinning all sorts of pretty dresses and so I thought I'd give this style a go and see what happened. 

This is a typical A-line dress with an asymmetrical design. Simplest dress that can me made, I think! And it can be customized so many ways! 

The sleeves have a slight gather to them and I contemplated whether I should make them into puff sleeves by gathering the hem...I think I might do that because her arms are so skinny and the sleeves seem rather baggy on her.

I created the curved hemline after I finished sewing on the ruffle and created the little rosette at the bottom. It just seemed like it needed to happen once the rosette was in place and I love the effect it creates! 

This girl needed a pocket and a large one at that! She collects little toys, rocks, junk, whatever miniature items that fit into her palm and I've learned it's a necessity to double check her pockets before throwing her clothes in the washer.

Have I mentioned before that we love ruffles? At least, on little girls. I haven't attempted ruffles on anything I've made for myself but if I can find the right design inspiration, I just might give that a go as well!

I originally wanted to do a hidden zipper but decided to sew it in exposed because it matched the silver fabric so nicely.

Oh yay! My brat approves the dress!