The Ice Cream Dress

 This was my first go at an Oliver + S pattern...well a paid for one anyway. I am very fond of the Lazy Days Skirt, free pattern on their site. 

My niece is getting married so Miss Faye needed a party dress. I already had the material...a pale yellow broadcloth from Hobby Lobby and a pair of white eyelet pajama pants from the back of my drawer; they just never fit quite right....so I was on the lookout for a pattern. Gail from over at Probably Actually just made another Ice Cream top and I knew that the dress version would be perfect for what I had in mind.

The pattern was easy to follow. They give great tip for making each step a bit easier. Overall, I'm totally in love with the dress I made! I made the 12-18 month size which turned out to be way too long...but fit great everywhere else. I kept all the extra material and just folded it into the hem. This way, as long as the head and sleeves still fit; I have 4 inches I can let the dress out at the bottom. I also modified the dress as well. I wanted the eyelet as an overlay and the pattern called for color blocking. The color blocking just was not what I had in mind for a party dress. I also didn't add the pockets or the 'v' notch that should have been on the collar. I also added some ribbon on the bottom to sort of mimic the color blocking.

Here is the completed dress (well, maybe not...I think I want to add something up near the top).

  

I created the split by folding the eyelet in half after I already cut out the pattern piece. I marked in 2.5 inches (knowing that would double when I unfolded the dress) and around 12 inches up. I cut out the 'V' shape that I had created and then I unfolded the dress and continued cutting the front piece in half. I put in a 1/4" hem going down each side and then I used my surger to sew the two halves back together.

I made the main part of the dress out of a pale yellow material that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. It was one of those purchases just because I loved the color. It was also only a $2 purchase...I mean, how could you pass something like that up! I just knew I would find a reason to use it.

I also picked out a fun button with the help of Miss Faye's big brothers.

She looks adorable in the dress! As you can see, I added white ribbon on the yellow fabric and yellow ribbon on the eyelet. I choose three different ribbons to add some visual interest.

And someday my 11 month old will get some hair!

ETA....I did add some daisies! This dress is just perfect!

A Name for the Nursery.

   

I have been CRAZY busy with projects here. Too busy to sit and type up posts and some things I have been making are gifts and I can't share until the gifts have been given. So, here is a quick recap of a 10 month/10 minute project.

I took 10 months to get around to the project and then it only took me 10 minutes.

For each of my children I have purchased and decorated wooden letters spelling out their name. For my boys I had this done before they even arrived. For Miss Faye I'm just getting around to it. First, we took FOREVER picking her name out while I was pregnant. Then, she choose to come 3 weeks early...and well, 10 months and 10 minutes later.......

  Instead of painting the letters like I did for the boys, I used scrapbook paper and mod podge for Miss Faye's name. I pulled the main colors from her room and did each letter a different color. I also made a point to choose different "textures" to supply some visual interest.

Except for the spacing being off (too much space between the A and the Y), I love it!

The Harper Reversible Dress

I really have a thing for Sew Sweet Patterns. They have so many cute patterns out there! I made The Harper Reversible Dress and not only is it cute but it was super easy to make as well. I found this fabric at Jo Anne Fabrics (I really need to start paying attention to the designers for the fabrics). It is a soft cream background with the blue birds and yellow and blue flowers. I am just loving bird fabrics lately.

I love the pleats at the top, and then the classic A-Line silhouette is just perfect for a little girl. The sizing was perfect for this dress though. I was a bit upset that the directions said to get 1/2 yard of each fabric and that was not enough. When I went to cut out the pattern, the fabric was a good 3 inches too short and I needed to make another trip to the fabric store.

 

     

 For the reverse side I found a subtle yellow tone plaid.

 The best part....the model! It is soooo hard to get a clear shot of her. She is a mover and a shaker and this was the best I could do.

 And the back.

The Sabrina Dress

Here is the Sabrina Dress from Sew Sweet Patterns I love the material that I picked for the dress but I'm not completely satisfied with the fit. I made the 6 to 9 month size (Miss Faye was 9 months in these pictures) and it is HUGE on her (around, not in length). Usually, she is true to size...she is right below the 50th %. I love the dress though, so I will make it again with some alterations to the pattern first. I like how there is a button and loop in the back...I think I will just add another one to stop the gaping. I also like how the bodice is lined. I also like that I will just be able to add another "tier" to the skirt to make it longer. She will be able to wear this dress for a good couple of years (without having to make another one).

  

Here she is standing up. You can see how HUGE it is. The neck is just way too big and the dress falls off one shoulder all the time.  I may be able to add a pleat in the front to help with that. Maybe take the sides in a couple of inches as well. I followed the pattern exactly...the other patterns from Sew Sweet Patterns have fit beautifully. I'm quite disappointed that this one is just so 'off'.

A Little Firecracker!

Now that the festivities from the 4th of July are over I have a few minutes to sit down, think, and get a post up! Miss Faye celebrated the 4th in style of course. I picked up this great red and white fabric back in May. I love it and I knew right away that I would use it for 'something' for the 4th of July. I also still have about a 1/4 yard left for the future! I do not know the specifics for it though. I picked it up from Jo Anne Fabrics.

Throw in some blue....just a tiny bit at the waist and a 2.5 inch hem with some white top stitching....

....and Miss Faye becomes my Little Firecracker!

Here is an action shot. We were waiting for it to get dark enough for fireworks.

 

All three kids!

A Farm Share Sausage Soup

This summer we decided to get a share from a local farm; Troggs Hollow. It was a way to insure fresh veggies all summer. So far we have only had two weeks worth and being so early in the season it has been almost all greens. 

I have a sausage potato soup that I have been making for quite a few years now and I decided to spruce it up a bit with our veggie share. I use a smoked sausage in it but ham or bacon would be just as good. For this batch I used hakurei turnips, and dinosaur kale. I usually have homemade chicken/turkey stock but I'm out and need to make a fresh batch so I had to use some store bought this time. I also added 5 red potatoes. Onion is also good in this but I didn't have any this time.

  

Ingredients for Soup Including Fresh Hakurei Turnips and Dinosaur Kale

I start out by browning the sausage. Then, I cubed the turnips and potatoes and ripped the veins out of the kale. Since all parts of the turnips are edible I also coarsely chopped up the turnip greens.I add in the stock and make sure to scrape all the yummy bits up from the bottom of the pot. Next, I add in the potatoes and turnips. I add my seasoning at this point as well. I use thyme (fresh is best but I had to use dried this time), parsley, red pepper for a kick, and some black pepper. If salt is needed add it at the end. If you add it at this point it gets absorbed by the potatoes. I bring the pot to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Keep the simmer going for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the potatoes and turnips are fork tender. During the last 5 minutes of simmering time I added the kale to a separate skillet with some bacon drippings (you can use butter but Owen has dairy issues so I try to not use it here). I cook it for around 2-3 minutes and then add it to the pot of soup at the end. I pull out a serving for Owen (keeping it dairy free for him) then I add about a 1/4 c. of heavy cream. I bring it back up to a simmer but only for about 5 minutes (don't let it get back up to a rolling boil or the cream will separate).

  Serve as is and enjoy or top with some shredded cheese to melt in. This soup went over so well in our house that every last drop was eaten...none for left-overs! That is saying something since Hugh is such a picky eater.

A stress busting skirt!

I have been slack in the blog department. I have been keeping very busy though! I had a joint birthday party for the boys, I made a dress for Miss Faye, and we had an awesome camping trip. I will get posts up for all of those things soon!

For now, I made yet another Lazy Days Skirt for Miss Faye. The quick and easy aspect of the skirt makes me feel like I have accomplished something. Even if it only took me around 35 minutes to make. I have so many other projects that are huge time and energy eaters that 'accomplishing' something makes me feel like I'm out of the project rut.

Some of the projects that I'm working on.....

• A set of cocktail sized napkins for a Montessori classroom (I'm actually almost finished with these).
• A guest blog post for a good friend (not hard but I need the mental energy to rework a current post to make it 'right')
• A 4th of July dress or outfit for Miss Faye
• Planning and putting up a chicken wire fence to keep the bunnies out of my garden
• Planning Miss Faye's 1st birthday party
• Making a party dress for Miss Faye
• I got an awesome dresser that I garbage picked...I need to refinish/paint it
• A full set of curtains for a friend's bedroom

 Here is the skirt.

I used left over fabric from a birthday gift to Hugh's Birthday Buddy. Shown in this post. I really liked it with the darker purple ribbon but I didn't have enough so I made a quick trip to the store for this. I also added some top stitching around the waist and a matching purple tag. I also switched to using my surger.

I made this skirt a bit on the long side so that it will last longer for Miss Faye. Now, I need to come up with a top to match it...or at least sort of go with the skirt. Right now I have nothing.