Canada Geese Dress and Headband Crown

 I did a knock-off of an Inge Van den Broeck dress.
A very Belgian style dress… the sewing pattern came from a Belgian sewing book...

Back (I am trying to do a better job with pattern matching on bodice backs)

Inside front (the dress is completely lined, the gold polka dots give a fun surprise)

Inside back

 Project details
Pattern: 'Stof voor durf-het-zelvers' book (= 'Fabric for dare-it-yourselfers') Pattern 8 bodice, pleated skirt made out of a rectangular piece of fabric (17 inches by 42.5 inches), skirt is entire width of the fabric with 4 pleats in the front and 4 in the back (each pleat is about 1 inch deep)
Size: 122-128 cm
Notions: 12-14 inch invisible zipper
Fabrics:
Canada geese cotton, Kathleen Keil Hill for Timeless Treasures Fabrics
yellow pima cotton for belt which was made the same way I made the red one for the Belgian style dress
skirt lining is gold polka dots from JoAnn
bias binding for hem on skirt lining was the same yellow pima cotton that was used for the belt
Tutorials:
thread belt loops
headband crown (In place of the quilt batting I used white fleece)

 The headband crown is a fun little project. It's reversible and the one I made is about 4.5 inches high and 8 inches wide. Slip it off, turn it around, put it on a different headband and you have a completely different look. I want to make more of these headband crowns in different fabrics.

Very satisfying results.

This is the fifth dress I have sewn from this book, see the first 4: Pattern 8 and Flap Collar.

PS If you are curious to see more items made from the patterns in the 'Stof voor durf-het-zelvers' book check out the 'Stof voor durf-het-zelvers' flickr group.

Doll Carrier

 Another item to cross off my list for the Little Things to Sew: Cover to Cover Challenge which is going on right now over at Bartacks and Singletack until August 31st, 2014.

This doll carrier is such a great little sewing project, the results are wonderful. I really don't know why I didn't sew this one up sooner. I think this is my 2nd favorite project from the book (after the art smock). It is the perfect size for an 18-inch doll.

Project details
Pattern: Bear Carrier (difficulty level 2 out of 4 scissors) from the Little Things to Sew book
Fits: stuffed animals or dolls 9 - 18 inches tall (can be worn by children aged 3 - 8)
Fabrics: light pink twill, straps in beige twill, in place of quilting batting I used white fleece
Notions: 2 buttons, Velcro

Note to self: the items I have completed so far from the book: tutu, mittens, 4 art smocks (1, 2, 3&4), and 2 tea party doll dresses.

Spring 14 Ideas House

 {This is not my house}

Happy Spring! Welcome to a little photo tour of the Bachman's Spring 14 Ideas House. This was a nice getaway after the long harsh winter we had around here. For Spring 14 the theme is "Aegean Oasis" ~ sophisticated blues, greens, and diverse patterns of an overseas retreat.

Are you interested in 'visiting' some of the previous Ideas Houses? If so, these are just a click away: Holiday 13, Fall 13, Spring 13, Holiday 12, Fall 12, Spring 12, Holiday 11, Summer 11, Spring 11, Holiday 10, Summer 10, and Spring 10.

In the dining room, mirrors added to the back of garden art and hung on wall.

 The dining room table is set for entertaining, a casual yet sophisticated scene features white plates enhanced with many blues, layering, and wood accents.

 Garden art added underneath glass dining room table, bracelets used as napkin rings, mini plant with test tube vase and paper as place card holder.

 Decorative tape wrapped around candles.

 In the kitchen, vintage dresser turned into a kitchen island.

 Salvaged wood box used as kitchen shelving/organizer.

 In the living room, shell pots used as candle holder.

 Hearth filled with zen fountain and water bowl, DIY sand and rocks design below glass on side table.

 Pile of branches side table.

 In the sunroom, brass bells.

 In the reading room, wicker 'nest' couch with nest full of blue eggs pillow.

 Lamp shade made from book pages.

 Dog bed.

 In the girl's bedroom, bamboo room divider as headboard, typewriter table used as a nightstand.

 Vintage mailing cart used as bench/coat rack/storage, wall drawers for magazine rack and shelving.

 In the master bedroom, headboard made from salvaged wood.

 Workbench used as table.

 Votive cups layered on top of candlesticks.

 Bare tree used as scarf holder.

 In the tablescapes room, watercolor wedding table, decorative hanging glass orbs, ribbon and metal wall art as chandelier.

 Ribbons tied around glassware stems.

 In the bathroom, one fish, two fish, red fish, here is a blue fish, decorative terrarium as a fish bowl.

My favorite part of this Ideas House was all the blue, especially the turquoise (and white) in the dining room and kitchen.

What was your favorite part?

PS I hope you get a chance to visit this Spring 2014 Ideas House (there are so many more ideas to see than are in these photos) it is open March 20th - April 13th, 2014. Fall 14 Ideas House is planned for September 9th - October 5th, 2014. And the Holiday 14 Ideas House is set for November 6th - December 14, 2014.

Two Tea Party Doll Dresses

 There is currently a Little Things to Sew: Cover to Cover Challenge going over at Bartacks and Singletrack until August 31st, 2014.

Sew one (or more) of the 21 projects from the book and add it to the Flickr group.

So far from the book, I've made a tutu, mittens, 4 art smocks (found here: 1, 2, 3 &4), and today I'm sharing my latest creation… 2 tea party doll dresses.

Project details
Pattern: Tea Party Doll Dress (difficulty level 2 out of 4 scissors) from the Little Things to Sew book
Size: 18-inch doll
Fabrics:
dress 1: pink/white/gray vintage floral (leftover fabric from a Pattern 8 dress and a popover sundress), DS quilt collection blue floral from JoAnn (leftover from a Holly Hobbie outfit)
dress 2: green/white/blue vintage floral (leftover fabric from an origami collar dress and a popover sundress), solid blue cotton
Notions: buttons, Velcro
Mods: I used Velcro for the closures instead of snaps, I would recommend using snaps as was suggested in the list of materials

Don't let the tiny size of this doll dress fool you, it takes just as much time to sew one of these up as it does a girl dress. If you're looking for a quicker and easier doll dress to make, try the Popover Sundress.

PS Looking for more clothes to sew for an 18-inch doll? How about a reversible skirt?

Two Art Smocks

 Miss C has outgrown her 2 art smocks: the one I sewed in October 2011 and the one I sewed in January 2012.

So of course I sewed her 2 new ones. It's nice to have an extra one, you know, when one is dirty in the hamper or when a friend comes over for a visit :)

Project Details
Pattern: Oliver + S Art Smock from the Little Things to Sew book (difficulty level of 2 out of 4 scissors)
Size: Large (7-10)
Mods: the 2 patch pockets were eliminated
Notions: Velcro, 3/8" elastic
Fabrics:
Art Smock 1: blue floral polka dot is Heritage Studio Collection by Fabric Traditions, Kona baby pink
Art Smock 2: Hello Kitty Glitter cotton, Chic Bebe dots pink/white

I wanted to give you a peek inside to show you that the instructions give the results of a very polished interior. The sleeves and side seams all are French seams. Kids are tough on the things they wear, so this art smock will stand the test of time.

Once the fabric was cut out, it took less than 2.5 hours to sew one up.

Some of the best features are the practical long sleeves and with the Velcro closure in the back so she can put it on and take it off all by herself. It's really a fabulous design and pattern. It's my favorite project from the Little Things to Sew book.

She picked out all of the fabrics herself, so I have a very pleased customer :)

More Popover Sundresses

 I sewed up 6 Popover Sundresses last May and just finished 4 more these past few days. The Popover Sundress is a really great instant gratification sewing project as it's a quick and easy sew. Other great things about the dress is that it's completely reversible and there is no elastic, no buttons, no zipper! And the best thing about this pattern is that it is free!

 Project Details:
Pattern: Oliver+S Popover Sundress (free online sewing pattern in sizes 2-8)
Size: 5
Mods: I did French seams for the side seams, making them super seams, so they will be more durable.

Fabrics:
Dress 1:
The floral print is from Fabric Traditions called Garden Party
The solid robin's egg blue is Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Robin Egg
These 2 fabrics are leftovers fro the Girl's Floral Party Dress I sewed almost 3 years ago.
The solid bubble gum pink is cotton from my stash

This is my favorite dress of the 4, the colors and fabrics are super sweet, pretty, and girly. What a dream it would be to sew little girl clothing everyday in robin's egg blue and bubble gum pink!

Dress 2:
The green floral polka dot is Stonehill Collection by Donna Wilder for Fabric Traditions
The solid green is cotton from my stash

Dress 3:
The pink floral is vintage that was left over from a Pattern 8 dress
The solid gray is cotton from my stash

Dress: 4
The modern large blue polka dot is "England Swings" by Rebekan Merkle for Timeless Treasures Fabrics
The green/blue/white floral is vintage
These 2 fabrics are leftovers from the Origami Collar dress

These dresses were made for and will be donated to Dress A Girl Around the World.