Easy Spring Top Tutorial

 Here is the tutorial of the simple spring top, as promised. I made another version for my niece, but decided to leave the buttons off, since they were more decorative than functional (and because I didn't have enough fabric). Read more for the rest.

Spring Top - Adult Version

Spacial reasoning has never been my strong suit. I'm embarrassed to admit that I mess up almost once per project in a major way. Usually, like in baking, it has to do with the fact that I don't read ahead before rushing in, then make assumptions which turn out to be incorrect. Case in point: this simple and adorable top. You would think that with just three pieces (two bodice and one bottom) that I would get it right the first time. Oh, no! At first, I cut the top the wrong direction - being convinced that it went one way when it most certainly did not. After sewing on the biased tape, I realized my mistake. The top was too small and needed lined anyway, so it worked out for the best. Then, while cutting the second (larger and correct direction) bodice, I folded the fabric to cut two pieces without realizing the back was upside down from the front which caused me to have to cut yet another bodice (just one luckily).

It worked out for the best, as I love to size of the bodice and the fact that it is lined. I am planning on making one or two more, but will also make the bottom of the shirt MUCH smaller. If I was planning on letting myself go though, this would be the top to try to get away with it in!

The pattern is the Summer Nightie from One Yard Wonders.

Spring Top

 I have been in a creative funk. The only thing I made in the past month I neglected to photograph before giving it away. It was really cute though.

Now that spring is here and the weather is warm, I am finally motivated to do a little more crafting. Hopefully this will be a very creative and productive season! Here is the latest addition to Sora's spring wardrobe. She picked out the buttons herself.

 This was an easy and adorable top! I will tweak the pattern a little and hopefully have a tutorial online soon.

Now off to tromp around in the woods! Happy Spring!

Easy Upcycle

I admit that I'm fairly quirky and crazy controlling over some ridiculous things. But once I draw my line in the sand, there it is. One of these lines I've drawn, for now, is with licensed characters on products. I've tried very hard to limit Sora's exposure to licensed characters in general, but this is nearly impossible. Regardless, I've drawn another stronger line at Disney Princesses. I am sure that this too may be inevitable, but I'm holding out as long as possible.

So, when we got an adorable warm hoodie hand me down that happened to have Cinderella on it, I couldn't say no. Instead, I made a small patch in Sora's favorite color with her favorite letter on it to distract her from what may or may not be underneath.

It's super cute and has been a big hit. Another cute warm option for a mild Midwestern winter.

DIY Pocket Calendar

After hearing that Target sells pocket charts in their Dollar Spot, I waited all year (okay, a few months) until September to buy some. What a steal! After realizing how frequently my daughter was snacking throughout the day, I pulled out one of the pocket charts to create a flexible daily schedule. We drew pictures to represent the words, and my daughter loves it. We've been using it for a few months, and it works great!

 I had been intending to turn one into a calendar for next year, but Sora is currently obsessed with the days of the week. Every night at our evening pre-bed snuggle, she says, "Let's talk about tomorrow." Which is quickly followed by, "Let's talk about Tuesday (or Wednesday or Friday)."

To help her comprehend this better, I dug out my extra pocket chart, drew lines to divide it equally into seven sections (just under 2" wide), and sewed all but one pocket.

 It worked perfectly, and is a great addition to Sora's "cabinet of learning".

Toddler Belt

 In an effort to clothe my perpetually nude daughter, we pulled out her 3T clothes a little earlier than I had planned. Most fit fine, but she is very skinny, so I decided it was finally time to add a belt to her wardrobe.

This was such an easy, quick project, which I really needed after that pettiskirt! I went with stripes from the leftover doll skirts, made them four times wider than my D rings, folded the ends towards the middle, folded again and topstitched it all. Easy peasey lemon squeezie!

 The hardest part was finding a willing model. Maybe I need to resort to some type of bribery in the future?

Pettiskirt Success!

 Sometimes, it's hard to remember my crazy daughter is still only two. Her third birthday is rapidly approaching, and I'm in the midst of making her birthday outfit. I tried the no-sew tutu last year and wasn't very pleased with the results - it was always very static-y and never laid very well. It turned into a big ball of tulle. This year, I decided to go for the real deal and make an actual pettiskirt, using this tutorial as inspiration.

I ended up buying the chiffon rolls which are indicated in the tutorial, which was very convenient, but I didn't have any left over to work on tension! There wasn't any special instruction on tension or sewing in the tutorial, and I had a very hard time! I spent a week on this skirt, and most of it was repeating the same mistake over and over. I even swore off chiffon at one point and decided I need a new machine for my birthday (which still may be true - the machine I use is older than I am). I finally figured out, that for my machine at least, the tension needed to be just less than the mid-point (4 of 10) and that I needed to significantly increase the pressure on the presser foot. Once I figured all that out (by the time the skirt was almost done sadly), it was smooth sailing!

My daughter obviously has a purple obsession (I'm not sure where she gets that from) and loves the skirt. It has great flow and is perfect for all the spinning and twirling that she does!