18-Inch Doll Reversible Skirt

 For Christmas my girl got her first 18-inch doll (she was named Jazelle). Of course now I am super excited to sew doll clothes for her. I whipped up all these cute little doll skirts. Would you like to sew one, too? Click HERE for the free pattern and tutorial on the Oliver + S blog.

Happy doll clothes sewing!

Gray Linen School Photo Dress

 It has been too long (2 years ago) since I've sewn up the School Photo Dress. Sharon from Sweet Pea and Pumpkins hosted a School Photo Dress sew along last week, sharing tutorials Part 1 and Part 2 for the dress on the Oliver + S blog, it was just the motivation I needed to jump in and sew another one. And what a bonus that everything came from my stash, I thankfully didn't have to go out in the frigid cold weather to purchase anything.

 Project details:
Pattern: Oliver + S School Photo Dress (difficulty level 3 out of 4 scissors) view A collar with view B sleeves
Size: 6-12M
Modifications: sewn up by the pattern, but just a few changes in the finishing details: I omitted the button & thread loop at the back of the collar, for the armhole seams I finished them with bias tape, and I hand sewed the lining to the back of the invisible zipper
Fabrics: gray linen, white cotton voile lining (perfect fabrics for warmer temperatures)
Notions: 10 inch invisible zipper, hook and eye closure
Made for: Dress a Girl Around the World

 The School Photo dress is my favorite Oliver + S design (gotta love that kangaroo pocket). All the 3 out of 4 scissors Oliver + S sewing patterns are couture for kids, you won't be disappointed.

The calendar has turned to 2.0.1.4 ~ may it be a year filled with fun sewing!

2013 Reflections + Looking Ahead to 2014

 Sew, Mama, Sew is asking sewing bloggers to reflect on 2013 and look ahead to 2014 by answering these questions…

Looking back on 2013, what trends stand out?

• Sewing Belgian style children's clothing, Belgian sewing bloggers releasing their first PDF sewing patterns, see here and here.
• More collaborative projects among bloggers whether it be hosting sewing blog series or releasing sewing patterns together.

Whose work inspired or awed you?

• Une Rose sur la Lune, her butterfly romper is lovely
• Emma & Mona, her amazing striped dress and a fun sweet little project is this Swan Princess Crown
• Maureen Cracknell Handmade, her awesome quilt as you go Herringbone quilt

What did you make that you’re most proud of?
The Great British Sewing Bee dress. I thoroughly found enjoyment going through every single step of the entire process and I did my very best sewing.

 My most well received item was the Striped Dress. The Plaid dress, Checkerboard dress, and Tricolor Chevron were next up on the list.

A theme for 2013 for me could have been Europe (Sweden, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Italy). Not that it was planned that way, it just turned out that this past year quite a bit of my inspiration came from Europe (and European designers).

Sweden

Sweden

Great Britain

Great Britain

Belgium

Belgium

Belgium

France

Italy

Briar Rose

 What was your favorite fabric collection or print?
Briar Rose by Heather Ross which comes in both woven and knit, it's very versatile because it works for children's garments, doll clothes, quilting, etc.

Briar Rose

Do you have a book, pattern or class from the past year to recommend?
I have a TV show to recommend: The Great British Sewing Bee Season 1 and Christmas Special (I watched them on YouTube), the joy of sewing really shines through.

What are your thoughts about social media? How is it going for you? What do you love or hate?
I would like to spend less time on social media and more time creating. There is so much out there, I can't keep up with it all, personally I'm looking for quality over quantity. Also, I get frustrated when Pinterest links take you nowhere.

Can you tell us anything about what to expect from you in 2014? Any projects or life-changing goals you can share?

• I'm excited to announce that a sewing project that I designed will be published in the 3rd One Yard Wonders book which is expected to be released in spring 2014.
• I am really looking forward to watching The Great British Sewing Bee Season 2 which I understand will be showing in spring 2014. And does anyone happen to know when The Great British Sewing Bee book will be available for purchase in the United States?

May 2014 be filled with gorgeous fabrics, lovely sewing patterns, and may your bobbins always be full!

Kid Tomte Outfit

 Here is a tomte outfit I created for my girl, it was originally posted at The Pickled Herring for the Scandinavian Christmas 2013 series. Are you familiar with what a tomte is? Tomte is the red Swedish Christmas elf, an elf to delight children.

 Project details:
Top: Oliver + S Playtime Tunic, size 5, red fleece

 Bottoms: Oliver + S Playtime Leggings, size 7, red and white striped 100% cotton jersey knit fabric

could also be worn with a red and white striped knit hat

 Instead of 3 buttons in the back of the tunic I added 2 sew-on snaps (I've become a huge fan of these sew-on snaps).

 Hat: long red fleece stocking cap, I created it by making 2 tall triangles, 11 inches wide on the bottom, 31 inches tall, with right sides together sew with .5 inch seam allowances, cut corner, trim seams and turn right side out, tuck under 5/8 inch and sew 3/8 inch for hemming the bottom of the hat

before wet felting

 Felted slippers: elf shoes (free knitting pattern) knitted with red wool yarn, then wet felted in hot water wash machine, then hot dryer (Ravelry notes found here)

after wet felting

Thank you for taking the time to visit here.

LEGO Tic Tac Toe Game (with packaging)

 I made 24 of these LEGO tic tac toe games with packaging (gifts for classmates of one of my kids). The inspiration for the packaging came from this flickr photo.

The only thing I needed to buy were the LEGOs because everything else was on hand at home. I got all the LEGO pieces from the pick-a-brick wall at a LEGO store.

 What you need:

• 4 long narrow LEGO pieces (I used 1 by 16 white)
• 5 square LEGO pieces in one color (I used 2 by 2 yellow)
• 5 square LEGO pieces in another color (I used 2 by 2 red)
• White card stock (8.5 by 11 inch)
• Wax paper
• Colored paper and hole punch (if you want to add confetti)
• Sewing machine

 What you do:

• Cut the white card stock in half
• If you want to add confetti use a hole punch to punch holes out of colored paper on top of the card stock

• Place LEGO pieces on top of the card stock
• Place a piece of wax paper on top (larger than the card stock)
• At the sewing machine, using a zigzag stitch, sew all four sides along the edges

•  Cut off excess wax paper

 All done!

The approximate cost of this tic tac toe game is $2.00 each, but to cut down on cost and size, smaller and or thinner LEGOs could be used (these LEGO pieces happened to be the only ones available at the pick-a-brick wall that day that would work for this project).

PS These would make great party favors or class Valentines. In case you are looking for a LEGO Valentine, this past year we made mailbox necklaces. And sewing paper with wax paper reminded me of the heart shaped candy maze Valentines I made before.

King Herod Costume

 I just finished up a King Herod costume for a certain 10 year old boy who will be performing as King Herod in the Christmas drama at our church this year.

Project details
Pattern: vintage pattern (1981) McCall's 7733

 Fabrics:
3 yards gold brocade fabric for the cape

2 yards royal blue crushed panne fabric for the robe

1/3 yard liquid gold metallic fabric for the belt

 Notions: 12 inches gold trim for the frog 'closure' on the cape

 I'm wondering if something like this can be bought in a store and if so how much it would cost. This definitely wasn't the most money saving project, costing almost $40 with $30 just for the cape. But he needed a costume quickly and I was appreciative to have the opportunity to sew up one. Also if it's anything like the king's cloak I made years ago, then it will be used a lot.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

PS Last year he played the role of Saint Joseph and wore his Saint Joseph costume that I sewed for him using the same pattern!

Scandinavian Christmas 2013 Guest Post

 The Scandinavian Christmas 2013 series is currently going on over at The Pickled Herring. Today, it's my turn to share, so feel free to stop by to learn more about my kid tomte outfit.  Thank you, Kathryn for this wonderful series, and honoring me with the invitation to participate.

 PS Here are my contributions to the Scandinavian Christmas series in the past:

Glogg Tote Gift Bag

Dala Horse Felt Crown

Nordic Crosses Gift Wrap