Creativity | Sewing | Sewing for me

A plethora of pretties

July 15, 2008

So what do you think?  Would you choose these colors for a baby girl blanket?  It is again the ultra soft cuddly fabric.  You just want to curl up with it and go sleep…even though it is 90 degrees outside and incredibly humid.  This is their first girl and first child, so I figured they would have pink overload.  I was just trying to balance the universe with something that had a bit of appeal to an adult.  She’s also a fellow Ren Fest luva, so I figured she might like the vibe of this print.

baby blanket

This next item is a shirt I made for my sister.  She wanted a fancy shirt for showing her horse.  They have fancy shirts and jackets when you are showing horses…and they cost fancy money.  My sister-in-law has used this pattern before and has made a cute shirt for our niece out of it.  I am not entirely thrilled with how it turned out,  but it is what it is.   The french cuffs are way too big and need to be toned down.  I had to tear apart a not-fitting-anymore-because-I-washed-it shantung silk skirt to get some of the fabric for the cuff, collar and facings.  Oh well, I wasn’t wearing it anymore!  There are some sparkly bits on the fabric, too, but that didn’t show up very well.  Hopefully it fits her, which I’m not sure it will.  I’ll fit it on her this weekend and make any alternations that may be needed.

show shirt

This next dress is for moi.  I love the styling on this dress with the contrast accents.  I made a similar look to one that is on the pattern envelope (yes…I used a pattern!).  It is a knit dress with 100% cotton on the accents.  The white cotton also has an off-white pattern on it that has similiar curls on it.  They match up pretty nicely for being completely separate fabrics and patterns.  I probably could have made this a size or two smaller, but better to go big and cinch it in than to not be able to wear it at all.  It has too much fabric in the back, but since it has a tie it still looks fitted enough.  I have another neat knit in my stash, so I may make another one off the same pattern.  It was pretty easy to put together and all told probably took me around 3 hours to make it.  I finished it up around 11pm on Sunday night and wore it to work on Monday.  I’m all about instant gratification! 🙂

Here’s my best Zoolander interpretation.  You should have seen the hair flip – it was seriously fabulous. 😉

dress

 This is a striped brown skirt for moi.  Very simple – it’s just a tube with an elastic waist and unfinished ruffle.  The ruffle is serged on either side, gathered and just zigzagged onto the bottom hem.  I have a nice Ann Taylor wool skirt that has a similar ruffle and I really like the look of it.  This is a heavy stretch fabric with a cream stripe going through it.

brown skirt

Oh, and the shoes…I can’t walk in them and can’t find the receipt to return them.  They didn’t seem so bad in the store, but I brought them home and holy OWIE!  Maybe I can get store credit and swap them out for shoes that I won’t hurt myself in.  I’m sure a sprained ankle would be in my future if I wore them outside the house.

Next is a hat for Baby Boy T.  His little noggin is pretty small and they haven’t been able to find a sun hat to fit him.  Hopefully this fits him, but I think it will *just* fit him.  Anya has a doll with the exact same measurement as his head and it is just right.  If it doesn’t fit, I’ll just make another.  I had to redraw this from a purchased pattern.  The pattern was too big, so I made it smaller.

 new hat

I also made a new pair of bottoms for one of Anya’s swimsuits.  They pretty much look exactly the same, only a little bit bigger.  The others were just too tight on her little legs.

That’s it…I may take a small break this week.  I do need to make another baby blanket, though.  Our friends just had their 2nd – a little boy.  Congrats Mike and Nicole!  I think I will make another little hat just in case, too, since I will see his Grandma and Grandpa this weekend.

Just so you know…I didn’t do much other than sew this weekend.  That’s how I could be so productive.  I was just itching to make some stuff for ME and get some “to-do’s” off the list.  I feel like I got that accomplished, so that’s a weight off my shoulders. 🙂

  1. Yes, I think that blanket is perfect for a baby girl. Something I would totally choose, for sure.

    I love love love your dress! How awesome! And, only 3 hours? Geesh! The skirt is very nice, too…classy. You rock.

  2. Stacy, you were one busy lady this past weekend. The blanket is perfect for a girl. The dress and skirt look fabulous on you. Great job sewing for Baby Boy T.

  3. Good Lord – a few things over here?! It just kept going and going and going….

    I think that blanket is perfect and practical…I’m sure they are on pink overload, and the Mommy is going to love it. And the sunhat is ADORABLE, seriously need to add some of those to your etsy store!

    Adore the dress, but that skirt is seriously too much. It looks like something you’d buy in Ann Taylor. It is gorgeous!

    I’m exhausted just *reading* your post. Do you need a massage this week from hunching over your machine??

  4. Wow, you are a sewing queen! The dress and skirt for you are incredible!!
    I love the baby blanket – it’s perfect for a girl but it would be awesome for a baby boy too. I would have loved one like that for Harrison – I was SO baby-blued out! I hate the color baby-blue.

  5. You amaze me more every week. I cannot believe how much you accomplish in a few short days. And then you say it like it’s no big deal! I love that blanket, very welcome relief from all the pink, pink, pink. I’m very glad you’re finally getting to enjoy the fruits of your labor! It’s about time you get some new pretties. You are so stylish, and while the dress looks great I really love that skirt!

    How is your Etsy store doing? You really need to find a way to get the word out, as once you’re “discovered” you could be rolling in the dough – especially as quickly as you whip these things together!

  6. I love the blankets, I also like to balance the universe away from the sterotypical blue=boy, pink=girl. Francesco nursey walls were a Dark brick color up top and a tan along the bottom. People always commented how it looked great but so different, just he way I like it.

    I love the dress. I am right there with you on the shoes. I have one pair of killer black heels that my legs and feet lokk great in, I just can’t walk in them. I call them sit down shoes.

    The sun hat is adorable. You have such talent.

  7. Wow you look great and totally stylish. 🙂 I love the ruffles on the skirt, very cute and very in. Not that I can wear a knee length skirt to save my life.

    The baby blanket has the perfect ren faire look. When you said that I thought it a good match. The fabric certainly does have a bit of an adult look to it but also a little vintage and rustic look too. I think it’s very pretty.

    I’m glad you got a chance to make something for yourself. That’s always a total bonus. 🙂

  8. love both your outfits there, but especially the shirt. and while you may not be able to wear the shoes out, they work great for photo ops! 🙂

  9. Stacy this is overwhelming! But brilliant 🙂 And inspiring! I love the baby blanket. I was always a fan of things that were a bit ‘different’ for the babies, there was so much premade junk out there. I made crib ruffles and blanket accents in a similar heavily patterned material when the BA was new and I still love seeing them in photos. I’m sure your friends will know how lucky they are to have an ‘original’. The fancy shirt turned out well from the photos. I’m not sure why you think the cuffs are too big unless they’re hanging down a bit (I can’t quite see on the photo) but the contrast works well anyway. What about some stiffening in them? (we call it buckram and you use it to make brims on hats)
    Dress. Gorgeous. I think the Baby Angel would look good in this pattern too. I fully understand the wearing it to work the next day thing 😀 Oh and the photo dead set looks like a fashion plate from a magazine. The skirt suits you soooo well. You have got to have height to get away wih deep ruffles like that and you wear it WELL! Shame about the shoes. I have several pairs like that and I still keep them and limp about in them on special occasions. Finally the hat. I loved making hats for the BA when she was tiny. This is a beauty, and so tiny!
    Now I think I shall go and have a lie down because you’ve exhausted me 😀

  10. Thank you all so much for the nice compliments! I really appreciate them. I was pretty proud of the haul I accomplished this week. 😀

    Arizaphale – The cuffs do have interfacing in them, probably not as stiff as buckram, though. I should have used some stiffer interfacing. At this point I am just going to sew them together somehow so they stay up.

  11. Loved the dress, the zoolander pose and the skirt was so hot. Loved it. The blanket is beautiful. I would give it to the adults as a “parent’s present” instead of a baby present.

    Can I take the zoolander pic and put it on my blog for “Sexy Women Challenge?” I just want pictures that ladies feel good about themselves and you can see your inner firecracker in that picture. I loved it.

    Let me know……sdiver1973@unitelsd.com

  12. Wow, you are amazing! How in the world do you have time to do all this? And you’re so talented as well. Everything is so beautiful and well made. Love love the ruffled skirt! So stylish! And I hear ya about shoes that hurt. I have, oh… 5 pairs or so that I can’t wear for more than a few minutes. Why do I buy them? 🙂

  13. SEXY mama!!!! I am amazed.

    Over the weekend I sat down and showed my little sister all of your creations. She was in awe. I think she wants me to learn how to make dresses now. I don’t think she should hold her breath!

  14. I LOVE the red blanket…absolutely gorgeous! And, what is this you were saying about needing to lose weight? You look AWESOME…you don’t need to lose anything!

  15. WOW!! You ROCK!

    Those are all fantastic.

    I’m good at basics, but I don’t know if I could pull off those clothes. That dress is amazing.

    Oh, and you totally zoolandered it. 🙂

  16. Girl, I am SO impressed. I need a blanket like that for my new little one…hint hint? LOL!

    I bow down before your amazing sewing goddess skillz!

  17. You are crazy talented. Even taking a break from everything to sew….you still have 2 kids! That takes talent too. 🙂

    The baby blanket fabric is gorgeous. I like ti because it is different from the pink/blue you see all the time.

  18. hey Stacy, how are you doing?? i love the dress and the skirt you made for yourself…you look great in it and i love those sunglasses lol 🙂
    love and hugs…say hi to the kids and brian

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