New Pattern, New Skills!

I took a risk and branched out from that peasant dress pattern I’ve been making over and over. I saw an adorable dress on Instagram, and I just had to make it.  I spent hours scouring the internet for the pattern, and I finally found it in Tikatuly‘s Etsy shop. (I thought I’d save you guys the aggravation of searching for it.)  I love this pattern.  I couldn’t recommend it more.  It was simple enough for a beginner like me, but it looks much fancier than a beginner garment.  I’ve made three of these so far with fabric in my stash destined for at least three more.

Up first is Kirsi’s “Minnie Mau” dress.  One side is a vintage Mickey and Minnie print, and the other side is a white polka dot print on a red background.  Kirsi loves Minnie Mouse, so she was very, very excited to wear her dress.  Score one for Mom!

Kirsi lost interest in posing after the first couple of minutes, so I didn’t get any shots of the other side of the dress.  She’ll probably wear it Minnie Mouse side out 99% of the time, but I like having the option to turn the dress around if she were to soil the outside of it while we’re out.

I was planning to make Eva a dress, too, but I discovered that the fabric I purchased for her dress wasn’t wide enough.  I compromised and made her a tunic instead.

She modeled it for me before heading off to school yesterday.  One side is a butterfly print, and the other side is a night sky print.  I didn’t get shots of her wearing the other side, either, but you can see a bit of the night sky print in the last photo.  I totally bought special butterfly buttons for her top.  Aren’t they awesome?

I’m going to try to finish up a couple of knitting projects before sewing anything else.  It’s about to get cold around here, and I want to have those handknits ready!

Kirsi’s Peasant Dress

Here’s the second installment of the peasant dress!

Kirsi is modeling her size 3T dress with a bow I made a while back.  Isn’t she adorable?!  She styled the ensemble with a pair of rain boots and a bagel.  She was firm on these details and wouldn’t compromise on either.

The day after I finished this dress, Kirsi put it on and refused to take it off for over 24 hours.  She wore it all day, to bed, and all of the next morning.  I had to remove it by force so I could bathe her.  I love when my handmade stuff is appreciated!

I’m going to make a couple shirts from the same pattern, then maybe I’ll move on to something a little more advanced.  I’d love to learn how to do buttonholes and set in sleeves, and I’ve got a couple of tutus queued up to try as well. I don’t want to admit how many patterns I’ve bought for future projects.  I’m telling ya, craft stuff multiplies!

Eva’s Peasant Dress

We’ll, I’ve done it.  I’ve picked up a new hobby.  Shame on me. 😛  The good news is I don’t have a huge stash to go along with it.  The bad news is I will probably accumulate one in the near future.  I’ve discovered that like yarn, I prefer the pricier fabrics.  The gaudier, the better, and if it has a touch of metallic, I’m sold.

I started off with a very simple 4-piece pattern.  Sara came over to teach me how to sew, and that’s pretty much how I managed to make this:

Eva in her peasant dress

I love the fabric.  It’s so busy and perfect. 🙂  Eva seems pleased.  She fought me when I tried to take it off of her, so that’s a good sign.  It’s a 4T, so it’s a little big.  I hope it will last a couple of years, but if not, her little sister can wear it next year.  I’m all set to make another one plus two shirts from the same pattern.  I’ve got to tell you, this whole sewing thing is way faster than knitting.  I had a whole dress complete in less than a day!  This can be dangerous, methinks. 😉