Tutu

 Day 5 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

i guess this can't officially be called clothing, what do you call a tutu ?  an accessory ?  a dress-up item ?

 anyway, this tutu is fun, elegant & lovely... directions came from little things to sew by Liesl Gibson

 it didn't turn out as full as the ones in the book because i bought shiny tulle that was only 54" where the ones in the book were made out of tulle that was 108"... one thing that i did different is that for the gathering i zigzagged over cording which is my preferred gathering method. all in all this was rather a quick & easy project & i would for sure sew more.

see you tomorrow for day 6 !

Girl's Floral Party Dress

 Day 4 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

i hope all you mom's had a lovely Mother's Day yesterday ~ one of the things i was treated to was a sewing afternoon which allowed me to make this dress... let me introduce you to the girl's floral party dress...

 the robin's egg blue sash ties in the back (unfortunately no photos of the back)

 i snapped this shot while i was waiting for iron to warm up, it's the floral print from Fabric Traditions that i purchased at JoAnn's (i think it was called Garden Party?)

the sash was made out of Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Robin Egg

& for the bodice white linen from my stash (3 pink buttons from my stash, too)

where do you find the pattern for the girl's floral party dress, you ask ?  you'll find it in Stitch magazine's Summer 2011 issue

if i get something sewn today, then i'll see you tomorrow....

Suzanne

 Day 3 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

un, deux, trois, nous irons au bois...

 many thanks to a dear French friend who mailed this Suzanne pattern to me

this was the first time i followed a sewing pattern en francais

my parents would be proud that i've put their money to good use ~ using the French minor i got in college

 the Suzanne dress pattern has simple construction ~ no buttons, no zipper, no ties, no snaps, no elastic, no bias tape ~ it just slips over the head

such a unique style & it's reversible as in it looks exactly the same on the front & the back

i liked the Suzanne pattern so much i sewed my daughter 3 of them... one made out of a Liberty of London scarf (remember all the Liberty of London fabulousness that was at Target spring 2010?) & the other 2 were sewn out of cotton print fabric i got last summer at a flea market

these should make great summer dresses & nice beach cover-ups

bonne journee mes amies, a demain !

PS Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there :)

Scarf Skirt

 Day 2 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

here's the perfect instant gratification project for showing off a fun pattern of a long rectangular vintage scarf

also a great project for the beginner sewist

 this was the skirt (named 'double trouble') that i designed for Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves

 i found this vintage green & white mushroom, long rectangular, Vera scarf at hunt & gather for about $9

 with the scarf, enough elastic to go around my daughter's waist, & a little bit of thread, this cute little girl's skirt was made for only around $9 !

see you tomorrow for day 3 !

PS TtV photos taken with an Argus 75

Pillowcase Dresses

 Day 1:: Spring Kids Clothes Week

i started these dresses in March during the dress a girl around the world sew-a-long, but didn't finish them that week

 i followed this pillowcase dress tutorial, but added this pleated pocket, & tucked inside the pocket is a prayer doll who's wearing a coordinating dress :)

 one dress sewn out of brown linen & the other out of a modern cotton print (from Japan)

these 2 pillowcase dresses will be shipped off to Dress a Girl Around the World, wouldn't these 2 dresses look adorable on sisters or twin sisters?

see you tomorrow for day 2 !

Baptism traditions

 a little bit of happy news :)

thank you Faith & Family magazine for sharing our Baptism traditions in your Spring 2011 issue !

 in the article on pages 81-83 i share the French traditions we have done for our children's Baptisms & the sewing & paper crafting items i created for my daughter's Baptism.
i thought i would take the opportunity now to share some more photos & details...

i used Simplicity pattern 5813 to sew my daughter's Baptismal gown...

 the fabric came from my wedding gown, only part of the bottom of the dress was used.

 a simple style, but very sentimental. i do have to say that newborn babies sure have very thin arms ~ it was a challenge to sew these teeny tiny sleeves !

this was the paper cake i made for my daughter's Baptism reception ~ each of the 21 slices of cake were filled with candy (Starbursts, Tootsie Rolls), it served as both a decoration and party favors for the children who attended. for more info about the rubber stamp set & colors of the cardstock & ink i used go here (FYI - i also made paper cakes for Easter & as an Advent calendar)
if you would like to make a paper cake check out this paper cake tutorial with template or if you'd like to buy one premade, this etsy shop has sold some

 i made cards that served as both a birth announcement & a Baptism invitation for all my children, this is the one that i made for my daughter, 50 of them actually, for more info on the rubber stamp sets & colors of the cardstock & inks that i used go here

 a French tradition is to have party favors called dragees (Jordon almonds), these Martial dragees were from Jeff de Bruges in Paris

 & here is what it looked like after it was all put together

& the last French tradition i'm going to share with you are the medals of a saint or angel given to the baby, these have the child's name & birth date engraved on the back. these are from France, but you can find something similar in the US

it's interesting that i posted about our Baptism traditions today as it was 15 years ago today that my French husband & i got married :)

PS next up, i will be taking part in the Spring Kids Clothes Week, should be fun :)

spring 11 ideas house

 {this is not my house}

are you ready for another tour of the Bachman's ideas house? if you'd like, you can visit some from last year: spring 10, summer 10, & holiday 10

this house was built in the early 1920's & for spring 11 it was decorated with a European Romance theme, many of the one-of-a-kind items were for sale (it is highly recommended that you visit the first day if you'd like to purchase any of the one-of-a-kind items, as once they're sold, they're sold)... enjoy the tour...

first of all in the above photo, the house numbers were made with decorative plates with stenciled numbers

 on the front porch, lovely pastel colored glass bottles turned into a hanging ceiling fixture

 in the living room, stained-glass window turned into coffee table, book pages as wallpaper

 in the sunroom, vintage wall sinks repurposed into planters

 also in the sunroom, baby buggy turned into planter

 in the dining room, decorative plates with mirrors used as wall collage

 dining room table set for an Easter meal

 if you have a dog, children's chairs repurposed as dog dishes

 in the kitchen, wood drawers repurposed as wall shelving

 global explorer theme in the boy's bedroom, globes cut in half to create pendant lights

 wood sliding door reused as a headboard

 scrapbooking room

 lunch boxes used as storage containers, radiator cover turned into magnetic wall calender

 fabric strips turned into curtain valance

 cork added to window frames to create bulletin board

 potting bench turned into a storage/work unit

 ballerina theme in the girl's bedroom

 decorative handrail turned into a ballet bar, garden trellis behind mirrors

 cabinet rebuilt into a desk unit with integrated pendant light

 puffy decorative runner wrap used as curtain valance

 ballet slippers hanging from light fixture

in the master bedroom, decorative metal railing repurposed as scarf storage, wooden spools for necklace holders

this spring ideas house is already closed, but here are the dates for future ideas houses:
summer ideas house: May 26-June 12
fall ideas house: September 15-October 9
holiday ideas house: November 10-December 18