Love is in the air Top {re-post}

While I am adjusting to life with the new baby, enjoying the holidays and snuggles I am re-posting many of my guests posts that never got posted here, so enjoy the "walk down memory lane" 

 Although I have to admit, Valentines day is not my favorite holiday, but with kids it's kind of a fun to get all giddy over hearts and valentines, and "love" related fun. I wanted to make my daughter a fun shirt for Valenties day that could be worn well beyond the 14th of the month.

 even with all the hearts and the love we can have the best of both worlds, by using non valentine's day colors like teal and gold.  So here are some tips to making any shirt into a cute valentines day friendly shirt.

 Recently Next Style sent me a sample pack of goodies to try out and among those goodies were flocked iron on letters. Perfect for adding a little "love" to the shirt. The Next Style products can be found at walmart.

 So I cut them out and ironed them on.

 Next for the hearts. I cut some hearts out of linen. Then using the hearts as your guide cut some hearts out of fusible interfacing.

 If you have never used fusible interfacing before no need to fear it. There are two sides of the interfacing a bumpy side and a smooth side. The bumpy side is the "glue" that sticks to the fabric when it is heated up by the iron.

 Place the smooth side down on the right side of the fabric.

 Sew around the edge and then either cut notches or trim the edge with pinking shears.

 Cut a slit in the interfacing.

 You can cut the slit as large as you need to be able to turn the heart right side out. Smooth all the edges.

 Then press the heart flat and the interfacing will fuse to the back. The heart will have a nice finished edge.

 Then place the hearts down where you want then and topstitch around the edges. Laziness won out on me and I didn't change thread but if you used matching thread you it would blend right in.

 Last thing I did was add a splash of buttons because everything is better with buttons.

 Then you have a cute little love splattered shirt.

Perfect for spreading the love and enjoying the day!

Vintage Tea Dress {re-post}

While I am adjusting to life with the new baby, enjoying the holidays and snuggles I am re-posting many of my guests posts that never got posted here, so enjoy the "walk down memory lane" 

 I typically gravitate towards modern and clean lines but honestly what's not to love about something vintage? Old treasures tell stories and a history, and I love finding the simple and clean lines that are so often found in vintage styles. 

 I decided to use "vintage feel" fabrics and trim and create a dress that was perfect for our backyard vintage tea party. (Jude's pants will be shared over on my blog today)

 So for the dress I started with a bodice piece really simple. You can use a trusted pattern or make your own by drafting from kids clothes. Make it about 2 inches wider in the middle than you want since there will be pleats.

 Then make a box pleat in the middle of the bodice piece. A box pleat is just two pleats that go out to either side. Press the pleats.

 Next I added some vintage like trim in both pleats and stitched it down in place to secure.

 Next using the bodice piece as my guide I made the back pieces but I split them down the middle since there would be buttons down the back. At this point I also used the front and back pieces as my guide for the lining. (I used the same fabric as the front for my lining)

 Then sew the front and back together at the shoulders. (do the same for the lining)

 Place the lining and front right sides together. Then sew along the black lines in the picture.

Clip the curves

 Then with right sides together line up the underarm (lining and front) and sew together the front and back so you have a nice little underarm seam.

 Next I added buttons down the back. I had these three little cream vintage buttons in my stash which were perfect and add that nice little vintage element.

 Now for the skirt piece I made used a natural linen, and cut a rectangle that was 2.5 times the waist measurement across and was the length that I wanted. Then I folded it in half and sewed down the side to create a wide skirt.

 I added extra large box pleats around the skirt so it fit the bodice. Then with right sides together sew them together.

 Then hem the bottom and that's it. A simple and easy vintage inspired dress.

 I love the clean lines of the pleats although it has a vintage feel.

 Perfect for those sunny afternoon tea party's we even used my baby blanket as the table cloth (which makes in "vintage" right? and some other vintage treasures from grandparents)

I had one pleased little girl, with the dress... and the proper party.

Circle me in Sunshine Dress {re-post}

While I am adjusting to life with the new baby, enjoying the holidays and snuggles I am re-posting many of my guests posts that never got posted here, so enjoy the "walk down memory lane" 

  When I was thinking about the sundress I would make I got really inspired by circles, and I thought it would be fun to dress up a basic sundress with some fun circle appliques.

 It created a fun little detail that spices up a plain sundress. So let's get right into it.

 Start by gathering up some supplies, I liked mixing some colors and textures together for the circles and used some plain white for the base of the dress. I also used a zipper for the back, I like the exposed zipper look so I grabbed a nice big metal zipper.

 Now you only need a few pattern pieces and the bodice is really easy to make. Measure around the chest add 1 inch and divide by 4. That is the width of the bodice and then you will need an underarm slope you can just kind of eyeball it really and you can make the bodice as tall as you like.

 The other pattern pieces I made were for the circles I just traces some circles I found around the house so I had three different sizes. Then cut out as many circles as you want, but you need to cut for each finished circle.

 Now for the bodice cut two front and two back I made the front pieces about and inch or so lower than the front, that's optional.

 I also cut out two straps for the bodice, a few inches and then fold in half and sew up the side. Turn it right side out.

 Then sew a basting stitch and gather both ends of the strap.

 Then matching up the raw ends sandwich the straps in between the two front bodice pieces (with the bodice pieces right sides together) Then sew from the arm curve and across the top.

 Then turn it right side out.

 Now for the back slice the pieces down the middle.

 Then you will sandwich the back pieces around the strap and sew just like you did the front.

 Then sew the sides seam sewing the front and back together. Bodice done for now.

 Now for the skirt part, it can be as long as you want and then it should be double with width of the waist. (or more if you want it fuller) Then sew it together at the side seam to make a tube, and then gather along the top.

 Then with right sides together sew the bodice to the skirt.

 Now you have the base of the dress pretty much done.

 Just throw the zipper in the back sew it right sides together to one side and then the other.

 Then top stitch around the edge and you have a nice exposed zipper. The easiest zipper to put in.

 Now for the circles. Sew two circles together then carefully cut a slit in the middle of one of the circles and then turn the circle right side out. Press flat.

 Then arrange the circles how you would like them on the bodice.

 Then sew the circles down around the edge of each circle.

 Then you have a fun little circle bodice.

 I thought some circle pockets would be fun as well so I made the circles the same way only I cut a small slit right along the stitch line so that when I top stitched the circle down it would sew over the slit on the inside and I wouldn't have any raw edges. Then top stitch along the edge leaving an opening for the pocket.

 Then fold the flap of the circle down and I added some buttons (more circles)

 That's all there is to it.

 A fun summer dress with bright little pops of circles.

 And the fun exposed zipper down the back, it adds a special touch.