8 Months and Projects Completed

Before one knows it...the months slip by and suddenly you have an 8 month old child on your hands. I find it really challenging to let her grow up...though I really have no choice ;-)

So at 8 months Rowan is sitting up fairly solidly and she is making the cutest sounds and bubbles. She also has two teeth! Rowan is still the jolliest baby I have had and goes to sleep quite nicely for me. Now, if she would just sleep through the night!

And in the midst of much Christmas sewing and prep, I have finally finished the above little outfit for Rowan. I will make a confession...this was supposed to be made soon after she was born, it was begun in...July. Yep, I only just finished this last week..sigh..

This is actually three pieces...the bonnet, slip dress and bloomers. I made the dress first (all by hand) with THIS pattern(slip view, with alterations for the shoulder closing). I embroidered some birds on it(I shared about this HERE).

The bloomers and bonnet, I made using THIS pattern(views D & E) and just decided to use my machine. Yup, I was tired of sewing by hand.

I really like the bloomer and bonnet pattern. Very simple and I can still get use out of the largest size I think. I do like the dress pattern but I don't think I'm really ready for heirloom quality techniques...it is assumed you know more than I apparently know ;-)

I really love the way Rowan looks in this bonnet...and I think she does too:-) There are a lot of ribbons...but I like it that way.

Now, I just need to use the rest of the fabric I bought when I was pregnant...and that I bought after and now and....you see a pattern here? Addiction perhaps? Well, anyhow, I have many things I'd like to make for her and the rest of my darling kids. I certainly have plenty of fabric!

And for good measure...just my jolly little rose-bud! She has really gotten quite strong and she is just the happiest little sweet-pea. Yes, I have quite a few different names for her.

Now that "the" outfit is completed...on to mass Christmas sewing! How many days left?!

Blessings,

Sommer

A Little Cuteness

I really have nothing new to post, but couldn't leave you without a little baby cuteness and sneak peak into the little dress I'm making for Rowan :-) I mean...there weren't any pictures of her in the last post...that surely wasn't kind of me, was it now?!

So, first...I just wanted to show you Rowan's sweet feet in her little slippers that I made for her. You know, these ones here...

Aren't they sweet on her?! And look at those darling little ankle rolls! To die for!

And here she is showing off her "tummy time" skills :-) She is so cute, I could just kiss on her all day...

And here she is in all of her drooly glory. She is the Queen of Drool I tell you! Only babies seem to be able to pull off the drool and toothless look, and still be dubbed adorable. And I'd even kiss her...as a matter of fact, I think I did as soon as I took the picture ;-)

Now that Rowan has been blessing us with full nights of sleep and a 2-4 hour morning nap...I've had time to sew on occasion(assuming I'm not falling asleep with a sewing needle in my hand). I decided I needed to finally work on the outfits I'd planned...ahem...to make BEFORE she was born. So, first up is a little slip dress. I'll tell you more when it is finished, but one of the details is a bit of embroidery. It took me a while to figure out what and where I wanted to place it. After much thought, I chose to embroider two birds holding clover(from an iron on pattern I have) in the right corner near the hem. I haven't really ever done embroidery...so I was very happy with how it turned out. Would you like to see?

You do?!

Oh goodie!

Here it is...

Not the best picture I know..sorry! The clover leaves are in satin stitch and the stems and birds are in back stitch. The dress is a pale yellow and the girls thought orange would be lovely for the birds. I really like the color combo.

I am hoping that I can share the finished product next week. We will see. I decided that we needed bloomers and a bonnet to match...so, it may take a little longer yet;-)

Hope you enjoyed a little wee goodness with me. I sure enjoyed sharing!

Blessings,

Sommer

Burp Cloths and Baby Update

I wanted to share with you the burp cloths I made for my little lassie that is coming in a few months. I haven't started anything else yet....I know...the time is fast approaching. The dresses, bonnets and booties are next:-) I'm working on the gauge for some booties and then I'll start those and get to work on dresses.

Anyhow, I did get to the burp cloths and they really were rather easy to create. Simple instructions, fairly quick work. The above picture shows them from afar so you can see the full affect. I used three different prints and then the backing fabric was all the same color. I did this for two reasons: first, I wanted there to be some continuity to my "theme". Okay, I don't really have a theme as I don't have a separate nursery, but I thought the colors worked well together and so there you go:-) Second, I wanted to make the sewing process as easy/quick as possible. If they all had different backing fabrics, I would end up having to change threads and bobbins for each set. Didn't want to do that! So, I used all green flannel for the backs and then I just worked in assembly line fashion and voila! They were done:-)

Below is an up close picture showing the details of my print fabrics. Aren't they just sweet!? I know that I will enjoy using these for my little one because I made them especially for her:-)

Now, I wanted to share a brief update on me and baby:-) I really haven't done that much and maybe that is just because pregnancy isn't especially new to me. But I am really enjoying this pregnancy and feel rather good!

My first two pregnancies were physically uncomfortable but with Liam and now this dear, I am feeling physically pretty good. I have more aches and pains with this one and different issues popping up than before. But none are a big detail and I guess when it is your fourth...your bound to come up with "new" things;-)

I went in to see my new doctor for the second time yesterday(I'd been using a no cost clinic until we had insurance starting this month) and I have to say I really like her. I think she will be great for my delivery!

Last time I went in, I took a glucose test to check for diabetes(which runs in the family) and other typical labs. All came out fine and my blood pressure has been with in normal limits. Praise God! I battled with pre-eclampsia in my first pregnancy and it is always a concern.

We looked at the little one and we got a very definite gender check..the baby is a girl! Yeah!! Apparently she is measuring at 29 weeks but I am supposedly only 27 weeks...go figure;-) My doctor said she figured we are right give or take a week or so...however I told her that all of my babies have been large(Liam was (9lbs 11oz)), so it could just be that. She said that could explain it. I guess I better make sure things are made large enough!

I haven't been gaining an excess of weight this time(which is good for me) and I feel really great. I have had some bad headaches but usually acetaminophen kicks it.

One of the high points of my appointment was when they did the ultrasound and showed me her sweet face. It was rather clear and I could see where her eyes, nose and mouth were. But what was so sweet were the fat, round cheeks! I couldn't believe how chubby they were and she isn't even fully done growing! So cute:-)

And to finish off my post...here is a pic of me today at about 6 months along:-) Enjoy!

Blessings and Have a wonderful Lord's Day!
Sommer

Pattern Show and Tell :-)

They finally came! I have been anxiously(and I might add, impatiently) waiting for my patterns from the Old Fashioned Baby and they finally arrived Saturday! Yay!!! I can't wait to get started:-)

Don't you think these are just darling?! I think each of these patterns sets will give me a wide variety of items for my little one. Now I just have to decide which fabrics to use with which patterns.

I also ordered 6 yards of baby tatting lace. I thought it would make a lovely trim to go along with the vintage style dresses. Isn't it sweet?!

My mind is just a-flutter with all I want to make! I have all my burp cloths pinned and ready to sew. I may do that tonight or tomorrow. And then I need to start with the little gowns and such.

I looked through some of my baby clothes last week and need to finish going through some other bags/boxes to see what can be used. It is so fun to do this. While doing so, I found some day gowns that were my MIL's when she was a baby and was thinking I needed to find a safe way of washing them. Some are a bit worn..but most are still quite usable. Does anyone have ideas on how to wash vintage day gowns/baby clothes?

Off to the sewing table:-)

Blessings,
Sommer

Dreams of Daygowns and Burp Cloths

I love searching for just the right fabric. It isn't always easy to find the one you want, but oh, how rewarding when you do:-) Last Thursday(as I shared in the button post), I went over to Joann's and had a lovely time searching, touching and finding what I wanted. The selection was challenging to choose from...either things were too expensive or just not the right thing..but I did finally find some I liked!

The fabrics above are some lovelies that I found(on separate occasions actually) for some day gowns. I really love the spray of flowers and light feel of the fabric. I believe they are both simple cotton quilting type fabrics. The blue one is the fabric I was trying to decide on which of the blue buttons to choose from, I think the dark may be best with this one. What do you think?

These next ones(above) are a soft, sweet flannel. I bought them for some burp cloths I will be making. I found this really simple pattern/tutorial here. Yes, I already have burp cloths...but I wanted something special and sweet and somewhat girlie:-) The two fabrics on the left will work even if we end up getting a surprise boy(which I highly doubt..this little one feels just like her sisters!) One has little strollers and the other is a sweet, Nursery Rhyme one...love it! The third one is quite girlie..and I just couldn't resist:-) It is covered with hearts and flowers and says "daddy's little sweetheart". Isn't that cute?! I'll use the green fleece with all of them as the contrasting color on the other side. I might start making these today or tomorrow...because I'm still waiting for my patterns and tatting!

Okay, now these three above here are also fun and pretty. I wanted to make some little bubbles and thought the one on the far left(little fairy stars) would be cute as well as the purple flowery one. She will be born in the spring, so I must have some cool, little bubbles don't you think? The middle fabric, which is a light weight eyelet was another non-resistible purchase. I decided it would be used for a bonnet or two:-) I bought a plain white fabric for lining and hope that it will work well.

This lovely one below is one of my favorites! It is a soft, rose colored fleece with another Nursery Rhyme print...I haven't quite decided what to make with it. I'm think a cozy little nightie for those cool, spring evenings or a little robe or I may make it bigger and use it for the fall and winter. Not sure...any ideas? Whatever I use it for...I will be in love with it:-)

And here we have a recap of the first two fabrics for day gowns and then also two plain fabrics that will also be used for day gowns. I loved this yellow one and thought the little daisy buttons would look nice with it. The white one has little checks in it. I like how subtle it is and I think that it would work with some simple embroidery or at least with the tatting I have purchased.

I'm so excited and rather impatient to get started on making these little things for the baby. I will try to remember to post pics as I finish them. For any that may be interested, I will be using patterns mostly from the Old Fashioned Baby. These are all vintage/heirloom type items..and I love them:-) I have a few little gowns from my MIL that I have used with all but Liam. I think it will be fun to make some of my own for this little wee one.

Sorry, if I'm gushing or rambling on...can you tell I'm excited!?

Blessings,
Sommer

Adorable!!!

Yesterday, my hubby blessed me with staying with the kids and I was able to go out early to Joann's to take advantage of their New Year sales. I had been given a gift card and wanted to use it on some fabric and notions for the baby. I will be sharing the fabrics I've picked for this wee ones little clothes soon, but...

I just had to share the buttons I found! Perhaps only those that love to sew obsessively will enjoy these, but then again...they are so cute!

All the buttons at Joann's were 50% off and I couldn't pass that up. Especially, since I will be making some little day gowns that will call for some buttons. Above was one of the first I found. Sweet little daisies that will go lovely with a soft yellow fabric I bought for a day gown:-)

Although the pic is not as clear, I thought these blue flower buttons were sweet and will also complement a lovely blue flower sprayed fabric I have. I'm not sure which one I will actually use yet...but I think the dark blue may be best. Perhaps you will help me decide when you see the fabric:-)

Now for the most adorable buttons....

I almost didn't see these, but decided to take one last look over the sweet kiddie buttons before moving on to more "plain" ones. And as I looked, my eyes spied these:

Jemima Puddleduck!

Little, naughty Peter Rabbit!

And either Mrs. Rabbit or Flopsy(from the Flopsy Bunnies)!

Are these not to die for!? I love them:-) They are sweet little shank buttons and just so sweetly painted. I do believe I will use the smaller ones on a day gown or two and the larger ones perhaps I will save for a coat, sweater or larger dress for my sweet one:-)

Well, I do hope you enjoyed my little button fashion show:-) Next I will share the fabrics!

Blessings,
Sommer

The Gifts

I have finally taken the time to take pictures and upload them to the computer, of the gifts I made for the kids this Christmas. I enjoyed it so much that I plan on doing it this way again next year...though, perhaps giving myself a bit more time;-)

The above picture is of the dresses I made for the girls' American Girl dolls, Felicity and Elizabeth. To buy dresses is way too expensive and so making them seems best:-) I thankfully have two or three patterns for this size doll and I hope to make more as time goes on. I used the same pattern as for Brenna's birthday doll dress. Only things I did different is the trim on Brenna's(the flowers with red ribbon trim) and adding some length to the sides of the back bodice to make the dress fit better on the dolls. It seemed to help:-)

I made a bag for church and car trips and a stuffed dog for Liam. The bag I just made from my own design...fairly simple and pretty quick to get done. I stitched the star on the pocket with a straight stitch. I really don't know how to embroider or it might have come out a bit better, but Liam likes carrying things around in it:-) The dog comes from a simple little pattern I have. One side is a soft, fluffy material(rather annoying to work with) and then a polka dotted cotton fabric. Again, he enjoys it...and that makes it all worth the work.

Now for the final gifts! I made little aprons for the girls. Again, I didn't have a pattern, just worked them up as I went. They are simple and perhaps not as professional looking as some I could have bought, but I was really happy with them. I wasn't really sure the girls would like these but they put them on and wouldn't take them off for the next few hours! So, I think they enjoyed them:-)

Fiona's apron has a purple bib with little butterflies, bees, frogs and other little insects on it. The ties were contrasting depending on where they were located. Brenna's had a marbled yellow/creme bib with lovely butterflies all over the skirt portion. There were few differences structurally and I really don't think I could explain it if there were;-)

All in all, I am happy and so are the kids. Christmas was pleasant and free of stress. All the fabric I used I had in my stash and I only bought a little thread:-) I look forward to next year!

Now I get to focus on baby clothes, burp cloths and some little boy pants! Yippee!! I actually just went an bought quite a bit of fabric for the baby and I will share those lovelies soon :-) Oh, and some absolutely precious buttons!

Blessings,
Sommer

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care...

If you remember, I posted about some stockings I wanted to make since the size of my family is increasing. Well, it took me a little while to sit down and get to it, but I have finally finished:-)

After making a simple pattern(inspired by my Mom's stockings from when I was a girl), I cut the fabric out and began! First, I hand sewed the pieces for the toes and heels on and then sewed on the lace(for the girlies) and red ric rac(for the men folk). I thought it would be easier to apply these touches before sewing the stockings together...and I was right...splendidly simple:-)

Yesterday, I sewed each one up and then turned them all out. I am very pleased with how they've turned out.

These are the kids' stockings(from left to right): Liam's, Fiona's and Brenna's.



And here are Dan and mine(Dan's on the left, mine on the right):



The only thing left to do when I took these pics was to put the little loop on for hanging. I asked the girls whether I should make a little elastic loop or use some of the ric rac and they voted unanimously for the ric rac:-) I put that on today and I really like them.

Now, I will wait until next year to make one for our wee one:-) Can't wait!

As I get some more gifts completed, I will no doubt share. So far, I've only gotten Liam's little toy made. Tonight I will be cutting out some fabric/patterns for the girls' dolls and perhaps making a little bag up for Liam. We'll see just how tired I am though.

How's your crafting coming along(if you are doing any)? Do share:-)

Blessings,
Sommer

Busy Week, Quiet Thursday

Some weeks are just busy. This has been one of them...at least in the beginning. Monday, I needed to run to Costco. It is always a bit hectic there, but my sweet hubby kept the kids with him and I was able to just run there and get what I needed and then head home. Unfortunately by the end of that day I had a whopper of a headache!

Tuesday we had a field trip planned, so the books were shelved and we hopped in the car. We headed to a local pizza shop called Pizza My Heart(the girls and Liam are gleefully modeling their t-shirts). We were with a few other homeschool moms and kids for a lovely tour of the shop. They were able to see the freezer(and go in..brrrr), watch a pizza get thrown(Fiona had the benefit of wearing one as a hat..no pic though:-( ), and then they got to make their own pizzas. What fun! This was definitely one of the most hands-on trips we've been on.

After that we headed to Safeway for a few items we can't get at Costco and then picked Dad up from work.

Wednesday was another busy day. We had a time at the park scheduled to celebrate a friend's birthday, but I had a headache and really wasn't looking forward to that:-( It went well enough and then off to Beverly's for some Christmas and sewing needs, then Trader Joe's for the last few things I can't get else where!

But today...I am home! Both because I planned it this way(I really need the break) and my husband's schedule was so crammed today. With one car, I sometimes am forced to stay at home and I am so happy for that! When you have just one car, it is so much easier to plan around that and I love having no choice but to say no to things sometimes:-)

To keep the day productive and enjoyable we have done a few things. We had our first full day of school this week and I got some laundry washed that was greatly needed. I continued to declutter my kitchen table which seems to get the worst the quickest! I also did dishes. But the thing I enjoyed the most was watching Brenna complete a pillow she made:-)




She started this pretty, pink pillow a couple of months ago and has been waiting for me to pick up some stuffing to fill it(yesterdays trip to Beverly's). She picked out the fabric herself and just stitched it up using straight stitches all the way around until about 3 inches from the final corner. We turned it right side out and she stuffed away, then closed the opening with simple little whip stitching. She is still learning so her stitches are sometimes uneven, but I am thrilled with her progress and her desire to learn! Now she plans on making her little Liam one for Christmas:-)

Tonight, I will throw together some dresses for the girls(hopefully) and iron the fabric that is newly washed for the stockings. Maybe I'll even be able to cut some of them out. Hopefully my headache will stay at bay, but I've been suffering from them a bit lately.

Well, now I'm off to make some Chocolate Chip Cookies and enjoy the rest of my quiet Thursday!

Blessings,
Sommer

Funny...why didn't I think of this!?

I came across the most ingenious tutorial ever! Okay, at least for a mom with an infant boy who was warned about needing to "be prepared" when changing said boy, for an unpleasant shower! You've just got to check this out if you have a little boy baby, are expecting one or just want an amused chuckle.

Now why didn't I think of this? As amusing as it is, it is a splendid idea(come on mom's of boys, you know it is)...and I think I just might make some if I have another little boy baby:-)

Blessings,
Sommer

Continuing a Tradition

When Dan and I began having children, I asked my Mom for some stockings she had made to use for our family. She was no longer using them and I liked the idea of keeping them in our family. They were lovely, crocheted ones that my Mom had made when I was in later elementary school or middle school. There are only 4 of them...and that was fine until I got pregnant with our 3rd child, Liam.

My plan was to knit or crochet one for him that would match sufficiently. His first Christmas I didn't worry about it and we just bought a small, simple one. This year though, I want him to have his own. First problem, I don't crochet...I've tried, but just haven't gotten good enough. Second, I couldn't find any good knit patterns that would match well enough to the ones my Mom made, and I am not a good enough knitter to adjust a pattern to work like she did(she took a pattern for crocheted slipper socks and just adjusted it). So, I started feeling frustrated! And then I remembered!!! When I was a very little girl(see above pic..I had just turned 4yrs old there), my Mom had made some other matching stockings for our family. You can see them behind me in the pic hanging on the wall.

Sewing I can do(even if still rather a novice)! So I asked my Mom what she did and she gave me the info as she remembered it and told me she'd just made her own pattern. I decided that this I could do and would do.

A couple of weeks ago I took the kids to Joann's while they were having a Midnight Madness sale and the holiday fabrics were 50% off! I told the girls to pick the fabric they would like for their individual stocking and then Liam picked his(sort of ;-). I picked mine and Dan's. You can see our selections below:




The red fabric will be used for the toes and heels on each stocking to bring them all together(much like my Mom did on hers..again see pic far above). For the girl stockings we will trim the top with lace and the men-folk's will be trimmed with one or two rows of red ric rac.

I made up my pattern today and I think it will do nicely. I look forward to beginning this new tradition for our little family(that continues to grow;-) I decided to wait to make the new wee one's stocking until after he/she is born! The girls thought this was a fine idea!

When I have completed the stockings, I will take pics and share them with you all. Hopefully this will happen soon...as I like to hang the stockings up early as decorations.

What family heirlooms or traditions have you tried to carry on with your family? Feel free to share!

Blessings,
Sommer

Colonial Dress in Miniture

After a few weeks I am finally sharing the little doll dress I made for Miss Brenna's American Girl doll, Elizabeth. Brenna turned 6 on the 19th of October and she really wanted a new dress for her doll. Originally I was going to purchase one, but in the end I couldn't afford it. Fortunately, earlier in the year I'd purchased some fabric and trim to make a dress for the doll out of a pattern my MIL had bought for me. So out came the fabric and the sewing machine.

Seriously, it would have been a really simple thing to do if my machine didn't decide to act up and cause a headache...but, alas, my sewing machine did give me trouble and a simple project became slightly frustrating. But, after fixing the feed dogs and making my thread work for me...I completed most of the dress in time for Brenna's birthday:-) All I left unfinished was the hem and the closure in back.

I would have finished the back, but I didn't have the velcro and for some reason the closure did not meet all the way when the dress was on the doll:-/ So, yesterday I added some fabric for what I think you'd call a placket and tonight I will sew the velcro on. As for the hem, I opted to add lace(like what is on the neck and ruffles) and really like the way it turned out(sorry no pic with that right now). In the original pattern, lace was not added to the sleeve ruffles, but I liked the way it looked and it made hemming them much simpler:-)



The picture above shows the dress almost complete, minus the hem being done. I really was pleased with how this dress turned out. The only thing I'd do different would be to make sure I have matching thread(so as to hide my sometimes crooked seams ;-p) and give myself more time.



Above is the pattern I used(sorry, it is a touch blurry). It has fairly clear instructions and was pretty easy to put together. I will gladly use this again when making dresses for Christmas! I would give more info but my MIL gave it to me and I am not quite sure where she found it.

Now that this dress is done, I am looking forward to doing more sewing for Christmas and getting ready for the wee bairn that is coming in the Spring:-)

Blessings,
Sommer

Colonial Re-furbish

Three years ago my eldest daughter attended kindergarten at a small Christian school. At the end of the year they held a program in which the children were to be dressed in colonial type costumes. We didn't have one of those laying about;-) so it gave me the perfect opportunity to pull out my sewing machine and refresh my clothes making skills.

I used Simplicity 5042 view D. My daughter picked out the fabric(red sprays of flowers over a cream background) and we went to it. I also made a mob cap and bloomers from a different pattern. When I was done it was a bit big in the bodice for her, but I was able to take up a very deep hem allowing for her growth.

Well, my has she grown! I realized a few weeks ago while mending some holes where the seams came apart at waste and bodice, that she was too tall for the current length of dress. So I unhemmed the dress and let it all out...I found that I could only take it back up about an inch and a half for it to fit her. There was a good 8 inches of fabric left to use!

You can't even see the bloomers now that the length is out, but the dress should fit her for sometime to come:-) I did have some eyelet trim at the hem originally...but it came up too short when the new length was hemmed..urgh!

She has always loved this dress, so I am glad that I could salvage it a little longer. She now fills the bodice out fairly well and she looks so big in it now! When I originally made it, I made a couple of little mistakes, but thankfully only I notice or those who are snoopy enough to analyze my work;-)

Now that I have this project out of the way, I plan to dive in and make some t-shirt dresses for the girls. Fabric is bought, washed and some ironed...just got to get started:-)

Blessings,

Sommer

Finally....

It is done!

After a year and a half(yep, you heard right!) of procrastination and unfortunate delays...the purple and silver star nightgown is finished!

I can't believe it took me this long just to complete a sewing project. When I started it, I had grand ideas. I intended on making Fiona this little nightie and then do other sewing projects. But, I got pregnant, busy and just plain lazy! The other problem is I decided (and now I know it was sort of crazy) to sew it completely by hand. And once I started it, I didn't want to change it mid stream...so, yes, this is completely hand sewn.

I used Simplicity 5382 view B. I actually really like the pattern. I may make something for Brenna next.

Here is Fiona modeling her new nightgown:



She is very pleased with it. I, on the other hand, am a little disappointed with how it turned out. Obviously, had I not procrastinated, the length would have been better and also the fit in the shoulders and arm would be more comfortable. I also some how miss aligned the yoke and shoulder seems...urgggh! Well, the little princess is pleased and that is what matters most to me:-)

Here is a close up of the ribbon on the yoke, the yoke and little sleeve. I also have a pretty little pearly, flower button on the back from my stash that Fiona picked, but, alas, it was too blurry to post.

Well, now that I have this completed, I will start on the little bloomers for Liam. I would have a week or so ago(like I'd planned)but things got too busy. Tonight, I will pin the pattern pieces to the fabric and cut them out:-) Hopefully, I have beat the procrastination beast!

Blessings,

Sommer

Little Rompers...

Normally when I sew, I do it for myself or for my daughters. Occasionally, I will do a little hemming of pants for the menfolk or mending too. Now that I have a boy...well, I still desire to once in awhile make him something.

I'm sure there are a few mommas out there that have had the same trouble as I have in finding cute, classy little things for their young menfolk. As I started looking for things for my son, I began to despair as I searched. There just wasn't much that I liked..perhaps others did, but I had another idea for what I'd like to put my son in. I found a few in SewBeautiful..but not for my little baby...for later. Which reminds me that I need to order some of the patterns they referred to.

Just as I began to give up, I came across this pattern below:



This is Simplicity 5115..unfortunately out of print. I found it somewhere...not sure how now, and I decided to check if they still had it. Well, sure enough they did and I was able to order it and one other shirt pattern for my menfolk. I love this little pattern...the boy's rompers are adorable and classy, and just in case I have any more girls or know someone expecting one, I have a lovely pattern for them as well.

I plan on making a couple of the little rompers for Liam in the very middle example(blue with big pocket). I have the fabric:

I saw these fabrics awhile back and just loved them. So I will make one up in each of these...and if they turn out...I will make one more for a special someone:-)

The pattern pieces are traced and cut out, the fabric is washed and just needs to be cut out. I hope to begin these this weekend or next week. Right now I am finishing up a nightgown that I've been working on far too long for Fiona. It is close to being done, but she has grown so much since I began it that I'm afraid it will be too short...enter lace to the bottom:-) When I am finished I will share...hopefully she will be willing to model it. Oh, and I will definitely show off Liam's little rompers as soon as they are done...hopefully not too far in the future!

Happy Sewing :-D,

Sommer

My Easter Flowers

Procrastinator that I am, I didn't finish my girls' Easter dresses until that morning. Well, it wasn't all me...a little boy was not cooperating over several nights, and my available sewing time disappeared.

So, I brought my sewing on our brief little getaway and worked on Brenna's dress hem while enjoying uninterrupted time alone(while hubby went on a walk). However, Fiona's had to wait until Saturday night while Liam slept and then an hour before church...eeek! But they are done, and I liked them quite well...so did the girls:-)


As I said in an earlier post, I used pre-smocked material. I liked it...easy to deal with. All I did was sew up the back seam and hem the bottom, then I used matching ribbon for the straps. The bodice is a touch long on Brenna, but that just means longer wear, right?

I didn't get any real Easter Lilies...but these are much lovelier Easter flowers, don't you think?!

Blessings,

Sommer

Sewing for Easter

Easter fast approaches, and I am just now beginning my sewing for it. I know, I know...I'm really getting a late start considering I have just over two weeks to get it done. But that seems to be how I do things...start late and just squeak under the finish line:-p

Actually, I had not planned on making dresses for my daughters. I usually just buy a new one for them, but this year I realised we just couldn't afford it. So I was thinking of which dresses in their closet would best work for Easter. Then it hit me! I had bought some pre-smocked fabric from JoAnn's last summer, planning on making the girls dresses then. Well, I never did get to it(what with baby and all) and so the fabric was put aside in my ever growing stash. (Girls, you all know about the stash, right?!) So, I thought...I could make them little sundresses!



Isn't that fun fabric?! The girls actually picked it out last summer. Brenna chose the lovely Black-Eyed Susans on black and Fiona picked the pastel tropics fabric. Really, I think they suit each of them just perfectly! I'll be using a free pattern that they provide at JoAnn's(I picked it up the other day)...using this particular one:



I will use ribbon for the straps instead of the fabric. I think it will give it a "me" touch:-) Fiona and Brenna are both very excited to be getting new Easter dresses and I am excited to be doing it. I cut the fabric to size tonight and pinned the back seam. I will hopefully sew it up tomorrow and work on the hem over the next couple of days.

I'll post pictures when the dresses are done.

So, are any of you making(or have you made)Easter dresses for you or your children? Please do leave me a comment...I'd love to come by and see what everyone else is doing in their sewing room:-)

Blessings,
Sommer