Everybody Needs a Minkie!

So I've been busy working on a few more things for our great-nieces from Tennessee, since we learned they will be visiting Arkansas next week for Thanksgiving.  Kelsey Lynn will celebrate her fifth birthday this weekend, so I thought she should have a "minkie" coat for the occasion!  I also made her a red and white chevron dress - and Zola got one, too!

Kelsey and Ellie Grace will both get red velour leggings/pants...and a set of red striped pants/leggings, just in time for Christmas!

 Meanwhile, I had purchased a red/white striped knit shirt off the Clearance rack at Wal-Mart ($2), and it was perfect for creating leggings for Zola to go with her red and white chevron dress.

A while back, I picked up this piece of black and white fabric at a yard sale our friends were having.  It had actually been used as a table topper for a wedding reception, so this piece of fabric was neatly hemmed (with fusible webbing) and measured just big enough for a dress for Zola.  There was not enough for the length I wanted, so I added the ruffle of red and black dot...and then it begged for an accent near the neckline; hence the rosette!

I really had fun creating all of these things for three sweet little girls...and they will be adorable in every single garment.  I still have a few decent-sized scraps that may have to be turned into headbands and bow-ties for Olivia and the boys...we shall see!  For now, it's time to think about Thanksgiving dinner and decorating for Christmas!

Aunt Debbie Made It!

When I was a little girl, my sister and I could not wait for the new catalogs to arrive each season.  We would pick out what we liked, and my Mam-ma Polly and my mother would do their best to make us something very similar.  I remember one year when I had an orange double-knit "shift" dress with a pocket near the hem that held a black and white polka dot scarf.  I also had a beautiful white knit peasant-style dress that featured button holes around the neckline and wrists.  Black velvet ribbon was threaded through these button holes and created an accent.  All of my friends coveted this dress!

So I guess it's only natural that I would want to create the fashions I see online for Zola and Olivia and the boys.  I have started saving photos of cute outfits and ideas (and of course, Pinterest is a plethora of material!).  The end results are starting to come to life.

Our high school mascot is the panther... colors are red and black.  So I made all of the children "panther" shirts.

 

 

 

 

 

Then I started on my stash of saved photos.  I went through the thrift-store t-shirts I had purchased... as well as a couple of polka-dot camisoles I purchased on clearance at Wal-Mart... and I started sewing.  I also bought several bandeau tops at Wal-Mart on clearance ($2-$3 each) and made skirts... zebra print and solid black.  Some of this material also became accents for other projects - and even a pair of pants for Zola.

 

This was a cute little outfit I saw on Zulilly. 

 

 

I got this knit shirt at the thrift store (it even had the flowers I used in the finished product).

 

And "Voila!"  My version!

 

 

This was a shirt I retired from my closet... a solid shirt from the thrift store... and an idea I got online...

 

 

 

 

... and these are my versions for Zola...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally... I took this thrift-store knit top, a screen-printed t-shirt from a local nursing center (also purchased at the thrift store)... and created my version of another little outfit.  I have a stack of ideas yet to come... but I may have to stop and work on Halloween outfits next!  Stay tuned to see what else my kiddos will be wearing.  I'm only limited by my imagination!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and Thank You, Mom and Mam-ma Polly... for your inspiration and for teaching me to sew!  I know that Mam-ma would LOVE these outfits... I can just see her fingering the details of each one... and it makes me smile.

A Dress a Day?

Between Vacation Bible School, play dates for four-year-old cousins, and life in general... I've had little time lately to sew.  But boy-oh-boy, am I ever ready to get back to it!  The only thing I've done lately besides some mending is to create this dress for my 9-year-old cousin, Olivia.  But I'm gearing up... the counter is piled high with pieces to repurpose... I have fabric stashed in the closet... and I just bought a stack of vintage linens at an estate sale to create dresses, collars, bibs and more!  Whew!

 

Yesterday, I printed out all of the pictures of cute outfits that I have been saving in a folder on my desktop for months!  I had 7+ pages...9 pictures per page... almost 72 ideas!  WOW! Now if I just made ONE outfit per day... I'd have them all done before Halloween!  Yeah... probably not gonna happen!  But it could.....  Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!  Stay tuned to see how I did!

Lilly Pulitzer Rewind

My friend Melissa gave me a darling Lilly Pulitzer sheath dress that she could no longer wear, because it had a stain across the bodice.  She said, "Do something fun and creative with it."  I am quite certain Melissa paid a lot for this dress... and she got her money's worth - and then some!  The material was a high-quality, tightly woven cotton.  The dress was lined, hemmed with lace hem tape, and had all the special touches like little ribbons on snaps to hold your bra straps in place.  There were pockets on the front that had a picot trim.

Lilly Pulitzer Sheath Dress - Before

I carefully removed the pockets, then I removed the lining and the zipper.  I cut out a dress for my almost 2-year-old niece, Zola.  Then I looked at the scraps.  IF I could get the stain out with bleach, I would have enough to make something for Melissa's nearly 6-year-old daughter, Ada.  I had nothing to lose, so I got out my bleach and a cotton rag and went to work daubing at the stain.  It all came out beautifully, with no fading of the colorful fabric!

So... I looked at my fabric stash and found a piece of hot pink knit, which became the base for a blouse for Ada.  The dress fabric scraps became the straps and bow... and the pockets were reattached "as is."  And here are the results.  The dark spot on Ada's dress is not a stain... I had used a washable marker, and I was rinsing out some "dots!"


After... a 6-year-old's blouse and a 2-year-old's Easter dress!

I even had enough scraps for hair bows to hot glue to clips.  Ada is already wearing hers!  She plans to wear the blouse with leggings.  Zola has a cute pink cardigan sweater with little embroidered flowers that I purchased at the thrift store for $1... in case it happens to be a cold Easter this year!  I think both girls will look adorable... maybe I'll post pictures soon of them modeling their frocks!

April 4th Update... Here's our little Zola in her Easter dress!

Pink Is the Color of the Day!

I've been in a "pink" mood this week... work with knits and fleece in shades of mostly HOT pink!  I think the outfits are adorable and will make any little girl feel special.  The two-piece sets will be $45, and the fleece pants and jacket will be $65.  To purchase, see the listings in my Etsy Shop - This Reminds Me...

Pink Fleece "swing" jacket and pants - pants are super long,
great for a tall, skinny cutie!  We could also hem the pants to
fit a little princess who has shorter legs!

Rear view of fleece swing jacket and pants

I call this set Creamsicle!  Hues of pink, grey, white, and orange
create this adorable striped set.  The leggings have an accent strip
of white at the hem.  The ribbon ties are orange satin.

View of "Creamsicle" pants

Cute little pink/brown strip ensemble.  This top is a little
shorter than some of the other dresses... and depending
on your child, the pants might be a bit "capri," but that makes
this set an adorable "sunsuit" ensemble for any sunny day!

Pants that match brown-stripe top.

Simple pink set with multi-flowered gross-grain ribbon ties.

Pants with this set are mix-n-match versatile!

What Should I Create Today?

Here is a photo of my great-niece, Zola, modeling her Valori Wells pillowcase dress.  With precious little ones like her just waiting to be dressed, who wouldn't be inspired?!

Get the tutorial for these shoes - and ideas/tutorials
for many great projects at
http://makeit-loveit.com/

There are so many options, ideas... and tutorials for creating adorable kids clothes, and I want to try them all!  Today will probably be a "pink" day - fleece leggings and a jacket... and perhaps some paisley cordury ruffles to turn a chocolate velour tee into a dress!  I want to add ruffles and skirts to leggings, create cute burp pads, and repurpose everything from vintage linens to thrift store clothing - and even leather purses!

Yes, I've found a tutorial for creating baby shoes out of old leather purses!  Not sure I will tackle this one, but they surely are cute!

Orange You Glad... the Fun Continues????



Toddler sundress from repurposed
ladies cotton blend blouse

 So today, I continued the "orange" theme, repurposing a blouse someone gave my grandmother into a darling little sundress.  This fabric is a cotton blend that resembles the weave of linen.  The background is a soft, almost washed orange, with flower motifs in red, olive, black, and a lighter shade of orange.  I trimmed the dress with straps of orange satin.  It measures more than 15" across the front at the armholes, and gathers to a bib of approximately 7" in width.  The overall dress length is 18" - with the straps enabling you to gain more or less length, as necessary.  Put your little sweetie in this dress for $30 ppd.

BEFORE:  Rebecca Malone knit ladies blouse

Then I switched to blue and repurposed this pale aqua Rebecca Malone knit shirt into a darling dress and matching leggings. 



AFTER:  Toddler Sundress

 The front of the dress is covered in navy flowers and sequin accents.  Navy satin ribbon literally ties everything together at the neckline.

Back of sundress

Matching pants/leggings

The leggings have a 10½" inseam and measure just over 15" on the outer seam.  These will fit a waist up to approximately 20".  This dress also measures approximately 18" in length and is adjustable either way, to fit your child.  $45 ppd will get you this ensemble.

How Many Ways Can You Repurpose a Knit Shirt?

BEFORE:  Ladies Beaded
Knit 3/4-sleeve shirt

Thanks to Pinterest and Etsy, my latest infatuation is repurposing knit shirts and cardigan sweaters as pants/leggings and tops for toddler girls.  So far, I have turned a leopard print cardigan sweater into an ensemble (complete with braided headband and beaded pom-pon flower! - see previous post)... and now I am working on a stack of knit shirts I purchased last week at the local thrift shop.  I have stripes, florals, beaded and plain shirts... reds, blues, pinks, oranges, and more!  I see jackets, "pillowcase" dresses, and more atop some of the cutest leggings you've ever seen.

In my enthusiasm to get started, I neglected to photograph the leopard print cardigan before I began cutting.  So in an effort NOT to let that happen again, I've made photographs of several of the shirts this afternoon, and as I finish a garment, I'll post a "Before" and an "After" photo (or 2 or 3!).  Oh... this is gonna be so much fun... I'll post more when I come up for air!

Here is the finished product for today!  This 3-piece set includes a beaded "pillowcase" dress/jumper with orange satin drawstring ribbon, cropped pants/leggings, and a fluffy pin-on pom-pon with butterfly button accent.  $65 postage paid for all 3 pieces.



AFTER:  Toddler dress/jumper
and crop pants/leggings



Beaded Draw-string Dress/Jumper
Length is approximatetly 15"

Pants - inseam approximately 8"
overall length approximately 13.5"

Pin-on Pom-pon with butterfly button trim
created from fabric scraps