Ruffled Halter Dress

In eager anticipation of summer weather, I made my daughter a summer dress. The pattern is the Ruffled Halter by Oliver + S, featured in Stitch Magazine Spring 2010 and available for free download. The pattern is actually a top, so for my dress version, I added an additional 4-5 inches of length to the bodice pieces and added a fourth ruffle. This came together quickly and is cute on my daughter. My model was not in the mood tonight, so the climbing wall will suffice as a backdrop! The fabric is Monarch in Tangerine from Valori Well's Del Hi line. The orange is a welcome addition in a closet overrun with pink and purple! A nice feature of this pattern is that the bias-cut ruffles can be left with a raw edge...quck and easy. I cut a large. My daughter has just moved out of 5T and now in a girls XS or 5. The dress is plenty big; you can see the elastic is quite scrunched along the back to fit. I left about two inches extra on the end of the elastic so the dress can grow with her.

I have not made many clothes for my daughter in the past - probably the opposite of most sewists with little girls - because it was so easy to find cute clothes for her as a baby and toddler. Now that she has moved into Girl sizes, I'm finding the styles to be less appealing....read: too "tween" for our tastes...she's still our baby :) With this in mind (and a ridiculous fabric stash staring at me) I see more little girl clothes in my future, especially ones that sew up this quickly.

Stitch Spring Tote in Ginseng

Here is my second version of the Spring Tote from the Spring 2009 Stitch Magazine. This pattern is by Rashida Coleman-Hale of i heart linen. The exterior prints are Joel Dewberry's Ginseng collection and the lining is his Blackeyed Susan. I love the rich colors and cotton sateen finish of the Ginseng home dec fabrics. The solid outer fabric is a woven home dec fabric that may be a cotton/poly blend.

The first time I made this bag in August, I worked up a sweat, pounding away at the eight grommets in a closed garage in 80+ degree heat. This time it was a cool 50 or 60 degree garage in November...much better! I love this mild weather we are having in Ohio. Look at that green grass, just a few days before Thanksgiving!

Spring Tote from Stitch

I pounded away at the grommets and finished this bag today. It is the Spring Tote from Stitch Magazine (Spring 2009 issue). The two blue fabrics are from Good Folks by Anna Maria Horner. The orange dot is a quilting cotton and the main fabric is 100% linen. The tote is a nice size and is sturdy from a layer of fusible fleece.

The pattern and instructions were easy to follow. I slightly reshaped the pattern pieces to make the bottom of the bag more rounded and added an extra interior pocket. The handles are a little short, but I will not rework them. Handles are my least favorite part of making bags!

The grommets did take alot of pounding! The kit that I purchased at the fabric store included everything needed (minus the hammer) for installation.

For Stitch fans, I noticed today that the website includes a preview of the Fall 2009 issue (available in early October) including a cover shot, table of contents and a pre-order option.