Dump Trucks and Divas: Easter dress

Showing posts with label Easter dress. Show all posts

Friday, April 11, 2014

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... EASTER!!!

I am so close to having the children's Easter outfits finished, and I have to say..."I'm pretty excited!" It all started with this adorable yellow print fabric I spotted on Etsy and HAD to have for something for Zola. I used a free online pattern for The Party Dress (modified for my "little princess"). For the contrasting trim, I purchased a man's chambray shirt from the thrift store ($1), and carefully cut the fabric along seam lines so that I had big pieces to create the sash and trim.

Chambray "flowers" accent the hem of the dress, and I had enough leftover material to create bow-ties for the boys (photo coming soon!). The sleeves and pockets became a pair of "cargo pants" for Nathan, and I salvaged all of the pretty buttons for a future project. I dug into my stash of buttons and found four pale yellow ones for the back of the dress. Yippee!!! (See...it pays to save those buttons!)

Since the forecast is for cooler weather to return, I decided that Zola might need a jacket to go with her dress. I thumbed through my stash of thrift-store t-shirts and found the perfect shade of yellow, then found my pattern for a girls' raglan sleeved jacket and modified it, adding trim around the neck and front openings that I top-stitched with a flower motif...and lace edging on the sleeves and hem. My mother-in-law gave me a huge bag of lace trim...including many yards of pastel yellow, blue and pink lace. This was the perfect accent for this little jacket. A matching "flower" trim at the neckline to cover the snap fastening provided the finishing touch!

I cannot wait to see how pretty Zola looks - or how adorable Timothy and Nathan will be in their coordinating (store-bought on clearance) button-down shirts with matching bow-ties! Maybe they will stand still long enough for me to get a photograph to post!

I think our kiddos will look pretty darn cute on Easter Sunday...and I didn't break the bank for these outfits. Since I splurged and bought the two shirts and a yard of fabric for the dress, total cost was somewhere around $30. For a one-of-a-kind "look" for three children...I'd say that's pretty hoppin' good!

TA-DA!!! Don't they look adorable?!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Coming Up for Air!

I know, I know... it's been a while since my last post. In my defense... I've.Been.Sewing! I sewed my way through February (well, except for that week I was in bed with the flu!), and people have asked me more than once, "Do you ever sleep?" Trust me... I do! I've made dresses for my cousin Olivia and my niece Zola. I've made "dump truck" shorts for nephew Timothy and cousin Owen, a onesie and a burp pad for a baby gift, and several more leggings/dress ensembles from knit shirts.

There have been linen collars...baby bibs from vintage doilies... and crochet skull caps for Livvy to match her dresses. I made pillowcase dresses for my nieces Kelsey and Zola... and I repurposed a denim skirt that I'm selling on Etsy!

Zola modeling her pillowcase dress
in Valori Wells Solé fabric.

Upcycled denim skirt - girls size 8 - for sale in my Etsy shop at
http://thisremindsme.etsy.com/

Oh... I also made a zebra-striped fleece shrug (lined with pink taffeta) for a February Daddy-Daughter dance ensemble!

It's been fun, busy, and WILD at times! But when I see the children in my fashions, it's all worth every minute. With that said, I will share photos of our great-niece Kelsey wearing four of the outfits I've made in recent weeks. I think she is adorable... and a diva in the making!

I got more than 10 yards of fabric in the mail today... and more is on the way. I've got so many ideas floating around in my head that I need to make a list to keep track (can you say "applique"?)! Now Olivia has requested matching outfits for her red-headed American Girl Doll, so those are in the works, too! Something tells me I will be busy well into summer!

I have several favorite Etsy shops for purchasing fabric, but my all-time favorite at the moment is a website called QuiltHome.com. See the button for them on the left-hand sidebar of this blog. Not only does QuiltHome.com carry dozens of the latest designer fabric lines, they offer free shipping on orders over $50, and their customer service is da bomb! I cannot tell you how pleased I have been with this company, and I have given them a LOT of business lately! Be sure to check their inventory before ordering anywhere else. You will be glad you did!

Today's mail included yardage in grey, teal, black and blue... zoo animals, guitars, mod circles, polka dots, and more... plus bandana prints in reds and greens for making back-porch pillows for summer! Geez...I'd better get this posted and start sewing!!!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

It's Been a "Repurpose Vintage" Week!

Big Sister Dress from Vintage
Cutwork Pillowcase... length is
approximately 20", plus ribbon straps
$35, or $60 for both "sister" dresses

This week I've been repurposing a few of my vintage linens... creating darling dresses, a jacket, collar and a baby bib from vintage pillowcases and doilies.

The pillowcase dresses with blue embroidered cutwork and light blue grossgrain ribbon ties would be perfect for sisters... or cousins or friends close in age. The pillowcases were matching, but one had been patched, so the result was a slightly smaller dress!

The bib is created from a double ruffle lace doily that I suspect was tatted. The collar was a linen doily with openwork embroidery and a heavy crochet lace. And the jacket is created from a cross-stitched linen table runner with crochet lace edging. Since the stitching is in hues of lavendar, yellow, gold, and white, I accented this jacket with a purple button atop a snap closure. A small piece of crochet trim covers fills in an area where the years had taken a toll on the embroidery. I think it gives the jacket added character!

Next week, I'm thinking reds and pinks! Stay tuned!!! Click on any image below for larger view or a link to my Etsy shop for purchasing!