PRP February: Mademoiselle Muscle Tee Again

We loved our first Mademoiselle Muscle Tee outfit so much, we needed to make another one for Project Run & Play. Needing a smaller size than Living with Punks offered, I used the Tinley Tee this time by Get Your Crap Together Designs. It has a nice straight design with lots of sleeve options. I kept with the wider neckband of the Mademoiselle but used the flutter sleeves of the Tinley. The fabric is an old receiving blanket in great condition.

As per my usual way of thinking I'm so smart, I changed the flutter sleeve slightly. Instead of having the sleeves wrap all the way to the bottom of the arm, I gathered them more and stopped them short of the bottom of the armhole. I used a strip of knit to finish the armhole edges. This shortening up made them fuller, but I don't know if that was a good thing. That along with hemming them, makes them stand out a bit too much. Next time, I'll put them down further and not hem the edges so they hang softer. There will definitely be a next time too. I love a simple tee like this for summer. Cool and breezy like a muscle tee with just a bit of sun protection for the shoulders.

And yes, we needed another skirt to wear with it. This too is a refashion. Originally a vintage sheet, I had made myself a skirt with this floral border print. That was a few summers ago so it was already in the refashion pile since last summer. It is such a pretty print and color palette.

I added some bits of lace and eyelet to make a shabby chic look. You can't get more feminine or springy. 

Thank you so much for stopping by my little blog. And thank you to the ladies of Project Run & Play and Living with Punks for this fun challenge. 

February PRP: Mademoiselle Muscle Tee

This month's Project Run & Play challenge is to use the free Mademoiselle Muscle Tee pattern from Living with Punks. I'm completely ready to start thinking about warmer weather so here's Elena in her muscle tee.

Since the Mademoiselle pattern comes in a 5T and I need a 3 at most, I had to use another basic tee pattern. I chose the Otium from Sofilantjes because I've used it recently, it has similar lines and it has a surprise in the back. (More on that in a minute.)  I used the Mademoiselle tutorial's dimensions to make the wide bands at the neck and arms to add a pop of color. All of the material is re-purposed from 2 hand-me-down tees.

Here's the surprise: the bow on the back! This is one of the cool features of the Otium pattern and I think it girls this shirt up just enough.

Can you believe I had 2 tees in my stash that have the same green? Crazy.

And then, we needed a skirt to go with the top so I used this purple fabric I had been hoarding. This cotton is from Andover Fabrics and is part of the Downton Abbey collection. It is soooo nice. I only used about half a yard so I still have enough to make the bodice of another dress I had been saving it for. 

The skirt consists of 3 tiers. I based the measurements on a ready to wear skirt Elena likes. Between the bottom tiers, I added a strip of that same knit used on the banding of the shirt. It is sewn into the seam and then folded upward and top-stitched down. It also holds the seam allowance up and in place on the backside. I wavered back and forth about adding that in, but looking through Elena's wardrobe, I was shocked to see that she has several other tops that will also coordinate with this. Who knew we had so many wild colors in her closet?

So that's our outfit. the skirt is just full enough to be twirly for Elena without being obnoxious or too revealing. She wore it straight off the sewing machine until it needed to be washed and then photographed and still has it on now. Oh how I wish it were more than 20 degrees outside so we could take pictures outdoors. It's currently -4 so 20 would feel balmy. Come on spring, hurry it up please.

Hope you had a great Valentine's Day!

Caroline Party Dress & McCall's 6914 Mash Up

Sometimes sewing is so much more than sewing. It's therapy, right? It's a way to do something useful but also a way to escape, to spend time alone (if you're lucky), and to be in the moment. Writing blog posts is also more than just the facts about patterns and fabrics and techniques. Sometimes it's a way of remembering and recording.

I made a modified Caroline Party Dress from Mouse House Creations. I've had this pattern for a year and love the design. I've been meaning to try it but I wasn't sure about what size to make so I kept putting it off.

I had a great friend in college. Her name was Caroline, just like this dress, and she played guitar.We sat on our front porch playing and singing, mostly John Denver for some reason. I had never felt comfortable singing in front of people before but Caroline convinced me I could and that no one would laugh. Or maybe a couple of drinks convinced me (it was college after all), but we had fun. I made Elena her own cardboard guitar to play with.

Caroline liked strong colors. In fact, her bedroom was painted black. Even though she hated pastels, I think she would like this dress's colors because they are strong and fun.Caroline was all about fun. She could make everything fun. The fabric is a fine wale corduroy from Joann's at least a year ago. The bodice only is lined in some pastel pink cotton. Sorry Caroline, Elena doesn't hate pastels.

Back to sewing facts, the Caroline Party dress bodice married the pleated skirt of McCall's 6914 which I used to make Elena's Christmas dress. A match made in heaven because the bodices were the exact same width making the skirt an easy swap. I added the Caroline side seam pockets back in for fun. The bodice is a 3T and so is the skirt width. I went with the 4 for length because the McCalls hits at the waist whereas the Caroline is a higher waist/empire top. I love the length of it and hope it lasts us a couple of months. This girl has grown one whole inch in the last month alone!

My friend Caroline was not only fun and a talented artist and musician, she was kind beyond words. She put people at ease and made them feel special. She accepted people as they were, appreciated people for being different, and opened herself up to people too. She taught me a lot and I am better for having known her. I do wish it had been for longer though. She would have been an amazing mom I'm sure. She passed away in a car accident on her way to work one snowy January morning 14 years ago. I will never forget her though.

Just a few more pics to finish up and to show you my zipper. I know zippers aren't really all that hard but they still stress me out big time. I thought this one went in pretty well with the pattern almost matching up. I was worried about using this fabric to make a dress with a pleated skirt and a separate bodice. There is just no way to match the stripes from top to bottom and I thought it would bother my symmetry-loving brain, but it doesn't bother me at all when viewed as a whole. (It does bother me in the close-up picture below though.)

We are pretty well in the late winter to spring dress category now so we'll have to think about what to sew next. Probably something for the Project Run & Play challenge.

KCW Caroline Party Dress from a Valance

Last summer I found a window valance at the thrift store. It was made of such adorable fabric and it was half price day so I took it home. I finally put it to use during this upcycle themed Kids Clothes Week.

This is what I had to work with. It is only 16.5 inches high and the gingham was so small it was useless. Fortunately for me, I had some of the very same gingham in my stash already from some pillows I made about 15 years ago. I believe these are Waverly prints and they might be called something to do with "Country Fair".

Isn't that fabric adorable? There wouldn't have been enough without the gingham insertion on the front. As it is, the skirt is about 8" less in width than it should be, but it's still full enough.

I made one other change that I am kicking myself for. It was snowing like crazy and the big kids were home again. I didn't feel like trying to drive to Walmart, my nearest source for a zipper. I thought it would be no big deal to change it to a button placket. The sewing was the easy part. The button holes proved to be impossible however. After ripping out 4 attempts and stomping my feet like a child, I gave up. I ordered snaps online and will finish this up next week when they arrive.

An Ode to Cats, Yarn, and the Tinley Tee

You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense. ~Jane Pauley

The trouble with a kitten is that eventually it becomes a cat. ~Ogden Nash

If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats. ~Lemony Snicket

No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch. ~Leo Dworken (or in my case, felt Christmas tree skirt.)

I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days. ~Bill Dana

I've used the Tinley Tee pattern from GYCT Designs before and now again for this flutter sleeve version with long sleeves. It's a great t-shirt pattern because it has lots and lots of sleeve options (although the gray sleeve bands are my own addition). The white is cotton lycra from Joann's and the gray is cotton spandex (I think) from Girl Charlee. The kitty is done with a freezer paper stencil. The yarn is stitched on with a zigzag stitch. I normally make a 2 in width and 4 in length for anything I make Elena. This time tried a straight up 3 and the sleeves were too short so I added the gray bands. Boo for monkey arms. Yay for happy accidents because I love the added color.

This outfit actually began with the skirt. I was bored one day last fall while Elena was napping so I found a long strip of 50-some inch wide corduroy (from Joann's a long while back) and some yarn and plastic gems and played around. I laid the yarn out and pinned it down and zigzag stitched over it and then hand-sewed the gems on. They came off of a shirt a neighbor passed onto me.The skirt has a center back seam and an elastic casing for the waist.

She wore it a few times with a ready to wear top but I wanted to make something to go with it and incorporate more of the gray and some kind of graphic on the front. It has been washed and hung to dry a couple times and the acrylic yarn is holding up perfectly. I wasn't sure if I should put it in the dryer or not and since my lovely 1951 house came with 5 lines of clothesline in the basement, there is no need. That's not sarcasm - I love my house, truly. I mean, how many of you have a bathroom sink like this? Isn't it cute?

And so anyway...

The black and white kitty prop was Elena's idea. She's learning that photos can be fun. Finally.

Posing like a pro.

As I write this at nearly 3 in the afternoon, Elena is drowsing off. I know I shouldn't let her nap at this point if I want her to go to bed at 7:30 and be up in time for school at 8 tomorrow, but I'm thinking I need some creative time for myself. Oh what to do. 

Sofilantjes Otium Top & LIV skirt

I have a new favorite outfit for Elena. This outfit is everything I strive for in sewing for her - it's knit so its comfy, it's creative so it was fun for me, it includes handwork so it employs some different skills, and it was very economical. Let's look at those one at a time.

I love sewing knits and let's face it, knits is what we wear most of the time anyway. Good knit patterns are my very favorite patterns to own. This Otium pattern from Sofilantjes Patterns is a great one. It offers lots of options including short, three-quarter, or long sleeves; a normal back or low back with a pretty bow; or a very cool diagonal pocket across the front (great color blocking opportunity here). You don't have to do any hemming because there are neck, sleeve and waist bands so that always speeds things up (and gives more color blocking options). The girls size comes in 12 months to 14 years. The women's version covers sizes XS to XXXL. Both patterns come with layers so you can print only the size you want. And of course, patterns come in either English or Dutch. Putting the pattern together, cutting and sewing all went perfectly. No issues whatsoever.

The LIV skirt pattern is a free knit skirt pattern also available from Sofilantjes. It comes in sizes newborn to 9/10 EN. I only found out about it Friday so I dug out the scraps from the top and added in an old t-shirt and had a matching skirt ready in 45 minutes. Yay! For skinny mini here, I trusted the size chart and went with the 18-24 month size but cut the skirt front and back pieces with the size 3-4 length. Perfection. And I forgot to mention that on the top, I did my usual adjustment to make a size 2 in width and 4 in length. 

Choosing fabric for this top was fun. I was able to pull from my stash. Both the floral and the green are cotton lycra and cotton spandex respectively from Girl Charlee last fall. I've used them both a couple times already so these pieces will be wearable with some other already existing pieces - although it would look very silly to wear this top with matching leggings! Can you imagine? Oh my. (But we do have this outfit from last summer to mix and match with.)

I had time to get fancy with this one and use reverse applique. I love sitting on the couch watching TV and doing something useful at the same time. Much better than spending another evening on Pinterest. This isn't my first reverse applique project. You can see others here and here (a little tutorial on that second link). I think it turned out pretty sweet. I didn't use paint this time. Instead I just drew the pattern on with a disappearing pen and got to the hand-stitching. 

I said this was economical and it sure was. The fabrics weren't much in the first place and these were leftovers anyway. The t-shirt for the skirt was a hand-me-down. I spent $2 on the white pearle cotton for the embroidery, but already had the navy. The skirt pattern is free to everyone. The top pattern I received for free in exchange for this post, but that doesn't affect my opinion at all. This pattern is very versatile and I think I'll make Elena a low back with a bow one once the weather warms up. I may even extend it into a dress or at least tunic length. And how cute would one with the pocket be for putting a dolly into?!

It's economical for you too because, this week, during the tour, the Otium pattern (only the girls' sizes or only the women's sizes)  will be 20% off and the Otium Bundle (inludes girls' and women's sizes) will be 30% off, no coupon code needed at sofilantjes.com.  

Be sure to read to the bottom to enter the rafflecopter giveaway for a chance at lots of patterns!

I did make myself a simple version too. I went with long sleeves but no waist band. I used fabric from the thrift store for a good, wearable muslin. The sleeve length was perfect and the neckband was just the right length. I think I will go a size smaller next time. I was guessing at my measurements because I'm in denial and didn't want to really know what they are these days. Haha. It's a good, comfy basic for me too and will be even better with better fabric. And I like that it has regular sleeves because I have made a couple raglan sleeve tops for myself this winter and I don't think they flatter my wide shoulders. (Sorry for the poor quality photo and dufus look on my face. There was no one home to help take pictures.) 

Let's return to photos of my cutie patootie, Elena. I like those much better and I just love her outfit.

To distract her from the armoire, I gave her a box of bracelets to explore. She was all smiles after that.

Don't miss stopping by all the other stops on the tour to see more amazing versions of the Otium!

Monday, January 26th

Huisje Boompje Boefjes - Pienkel - Straight Grain

Tuesday, January 27th

From a Box - Shaffer Sisters - Friends Stitched Together

Wednesday, January 28th

Mie Katoentje - Lulu & Celeste - Rebel & Malice - Work, Pray, Sew

Thursday, January 29th 

Sew Starly - The Berry Bunch - Sprouting JubeJube - Mllikepoinen

Friday, January 30th

Rebekah Sews - Gloria June -  Sew Out of Control - Jaime Sews

Saturday, January 31st

LisaLisa Designs - Vaahtokarkkimonsteri - DIY Crush - Unikuun Terapiahuone - Golden Rippy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for reading. I was honored to be a part of this pattern tour. I do highly recommend this pattern.

Folk Art Fireplace Mantel Decorations

The best way to psych myself up to take down Christmas decorations, is to get excited about putting up something new. I try to change up the mantel every season, but just using things we have around the house. It's a fun creative challenge for me. This year, I started things off with a home-sewn stuffed deer head.

This is made from scrap fabric and a great free pattern from Charming Doodle. You can find the pattern and tutorial here. I didn't read the whole thing before I went in search of my fabrics and had already picked out the ear fabric before reading that you are supposed to use felt for those. The felt would be quicker and stands up better. If you use fabric like I did, I would recommend some interfacing if you want them to stand up more.

I love this pattern because it's a fun concept and it's really fun to pick out fabric. Elena recognized the apple print right away as being the same as a dress she has. Those antlers take some time to sew, turn and stuff. I won't lie. If you don't have time, I've seen people use tree branches and that's cute too.

First I hung him up by himself and thought he looked pretty good.

But then I thought I'd play around with the mantel and added in a birch log, some candles, a shell-art piece Olivia made with Elena, and a carved panel. Hanging below is an owl garland I made last year. For more info on that, see this post.

I'm not too sure how long this will stay up. Maybe through February and then we'll start thinking spring. Other than the fact that the deer should be a little further left in my opinion, I think it's a pretty fun look. Do you like to change things up often or do you tend to keep the same decorations up year round?