Halloween Sewing: Laura Ingalls Wilder

I meant to blog this before December. Oops.

Isabelle and I read through the Little House books this year so it was no surprise to me that she'd want to dress up as Laura for Halloween. I was about her age when I did the same thing. =) I ended up using a blouse pattern (because I loved the wide collar) and extending it into dress length. With the apron I just sort of winged it...ha ha, literally- I used the technique from my nightgown tutorial for the angel wing straps. The back had a two-button closure- pretty easy.

I found the pail at WalMart. It was perfect! Although little miss stared at it and declared it too small to hold all the candy she was dreaming of. I pointed out that it was actually much larger than her little purple treat bag** she usually uses. Kids. Ha!

Our two youngest with Dad; the older two stay home to hand out candy or hang out with friends. There was no sewing involved for my hockey star. I sure am glad I'll get the chance to make more little costumes for the next few years!

And with Mama...and baby  =)

**Here's her little bag. I used puff paint- super fun and easy. All our kids used theirs for years and years, and the paint stayed on perfectly. Now I'll get to make another one!!!!!!

Click HERE if you want to read an update on our surprise pregnancy. Have a great day!

Flannel Nightgowns at Rose and Ruffle

Oh dear. It's been a long time since I posted here. Just wanted to pop in and announce two things:

1. We are expecting!!! Yes, a baby, due in early April. This is the main reason for my lack of blogging and pretty much everything else. But I'm beginning to feel better and have started to sew again...yay!

2. I'm able to take a limited number of orders for toddler and little girls' flannel nightgowns. Click on the link below for details.

Rose & Ruffle

Thanks so much for your support!

Birthday Sale at Rose and Ruffle- Get 20% Off

Good morning! I can't believe it, the day is finally here...my baby boy turns sixteen today! And I'm in the mood to celebrate, so I'm offering 20% OFF all ready to ship items in the shop, all day long!

Coupon code is CELEBRATE20 and it expires at midnight, so don't miss out!

Thank you as always for your support!

www.roseandruffle.etsy.com

Summer Clearance Sale at Rose & Ruffle

It's Friday! It's Friday! It's Friday! I've put this adorable watermelon halter dress on clearance so someone should snatch it right up. Twenty dollars! Hooray!

Link to listing is here: 2https://www.etsy.com/listing/126592046/sale-girls-seersucker-watermelons-halter?ref=shop_home_feat_2

This dress is size 5/6 girls (I didn't put girls once, and even though the item is shown on a girl, the lady thought it would fit her. What?!? So now I try to remember to always specify!)

Tutorial: Girls Maxi Skirt with Walking Slits

Everyone loves a reliable, easy, and fast sewing project. That, my friends, would be the maxi skirt.

 
Maxi skirts are one of the best projects because they're a cinch to whip up and perfect for beginners. You can cut them straight down, literally two rectangles, or in a slight triangular shape for some flare at the hem. This skirt is cut with a faint flare and features modest walking slits, which requires the smallest bit of additional work, but I think it's worth it.

First, decide how long you'd like the walking slit to be. I prefer a very modest slit, one that makes the skirt comfortable to move in (climbing stairs, getting up into our van, etc.) but doesn't scream, "Hey hey hey! Look at my long legs!"  Once you've settled on that, simply backstitch when you've reached the right spot and leave the rest of the edges open. You can see how I angled the cut with the pinking shears above the open sides.

Next, you're going to press a narrow edge (toward the wrong side, just like a normal hem) on the open seam, and then fold it over itself and press again. Stitch the pressed edges. If stitching this in one continuous line seems daunting, just stitch up one side and backstitch above the slit, and then repeat on the other side. You can stitch on an angle to form a point if you like as well, but it isn't necessary.

Lastly, sew up your waistband like you would any other maxi skirt with an elastic waist. Then press whatever size hem you want in place and stitch. Voila! 

The back looks longer in the photo, but it isn't really. Must be all that hip-jutting and strutting and such.  =)

Note: If you prefer to fold the fabric in half from top to bottom, so that you have only one side seam to stitch and the other side is the fabric fold, that works too- just make one walking slit in the sewn side. Done and done. And even faster!

Current Handmade Clothing Loves

Good Thursday morning to you! Just popping to share some cute new clothes that I've made for Isabelle in the past two weeks. There's a little something fun for each of them, so I will do some tutorials and tips posts soon. But not today...today I'm taking my girl to the beach for some fun in the sun!

This adorable maxi skirt is made with a crisp seersucker fabric- I think it's a poly/cotton blend, which I don't typically use, but it holds its shape really well. This skirt took less than half an hour to complete, start to finish. Now that's my kind of project!

Next up is this cute ensemble. It's made with a cotton seersucker plaid, definitely not wrinkle resistant like the blend above, but super sweet. I followed the pattern...mostly. Of course I had to add my own little details! I'll share them later.(We visited one of our favorite farms with my Mom yesterday to celebrate one of our adoption anniversaries, plus some other thoughts on the orphan crisis. I love barn animals so much! If I could just afford to hire out for all that they require, I'd be good to go!)

Grainy photo, I know, but you can see most of the dress. She is in looooove with this dress. Wants to wear it everywhere, all the time. It was a total make it up as I go kind of project and I love the end result. (I was slightly super nervous that she was going to trip and fall during her concert because I made the dress just a bit too long, but she didn't. Social crisis averted. Phew!)

Friday Feature: Summer Nightgown for Twirling

There really is something about little girls and things that twirl. This nightgown- which of course can also be worn as a dress- fits the bill perfectly.

The link to this nightgown's Etsy listing is found HERE.

Lots of people ask about the fabric: I work with 100% premium cotton, and only cottons that feel smooth and soft...I'm super picky about this. I do NOT work with fabrics that are treated or have been chemically altered, such as those that are considered "flame retardant." Many of us don't want those chemicals rubbing against our children's delicate skin all night long, so it's nice to have a choice in the matter. Many store-bought pajamas and nightgowns have the chemicals.

This nightgown was a bit big on my daughter at the time (it looks slightly longer than the nightgown would normally be) but it gives you an idea of how the style looks. She called this her "princess nightie" and she twirled and twirled around in it. Every little girl should have something they love this much!

Today is our first official day of summer and...it's pouring outside, ha! I got a ton of things done in the gardens yesterday- in the sunshine- so I'm thankful for that! The only requests for the day so far were 1. to go to the library- sure thing! and 2. pancakes for breakfast- yup, we can do that!

To visit my Rose & Ruffle shop, click HERE.

I post items on instagram, too- you can find me at roseandruffle. Say hello!  =)

Easy Ruffled Apron Tutorial

Hello! This is a tutorial for a little girl's ruffled apron, perfect for a beginner wanting to try out some new skills and actually finish a project in an hour or so. The sky is the limit in terms of fabric combinations. These aprons were for a birthday party, so cupcakes and flowers worked beautifully. You could choose anything!

Oh, and sorry in advance for the pics - the sun kept going from blinding to hiding behind a cloud, and I couldn't keep up!

Here's a little tutorial for making the apron:

Basically, it's just squares and rectangles...super easy and fast to make! These are the measurements for a size 6 (I deduced by about 2 inches for a size 5) but you could use whatever sizes you want. I think fat quarters would work very well for smaller sizes.

Ruffle One: 24" x 6"
Ruffle Two: 24" x 9"
Body of Apron: 17" x 15"
Tie: 3 1/2" x 45"
   **I simply cut the strip along the edge of the 45" fabric, but it was barely long enough for this size- next time I'll cut longer strips**

Next turn up the edges on the sides and bottom to iron the hem
Stitch the sides first, opening out one fold on the bottom - this makes for a clean, neat finish

Now stitch along the bottom

Finish the sides and bottom of all three pieces

Next you'll gather the ruffles

If you do things properly, you'll baste the ruffles together and then neatly pull the thread to even everything out...I simply pinned the edges to the pink apron body along the top, and eyeballed it as I worked the layers through my machine.

At this point, the ruffle layers should be stitched to the top of the apron body, laid out like this, not Right Sides Together.

I thought about stitching right sides together to form a tube, but...I didn't want to have to pull them all back through! Also, I wanted them to have a little extra something to make them more stable.

Iron both sides so the edges meet in the middle

Open out ends and put right sides together - you'll stitch these ends like so

Trim the edge and turn out  (you may have to poke the inner corner a bit)

On the home stretch now...
Center the tie over the apron and ruffles, and create an apron-tie sandwich
Pin carefully for this part so it doesn't get shifty on you.

You'll stitch through all the layers
I placed the tie so it was about halfway down onto the apron - it might be easier to place the fold line directly over the top of the apron if you're worried about things moving around too much
Take your time - it's pretty bulky

And that's it! Tie it on an adorable chef and get lunch made for you!  =)

 

We I whipped up a few of these as party favors for Isabelle's birthday party guests (and then promptly forgot to post the tutorial...oops!). The girls decorated their own little pizzas, and while those were baking, they added frosting and sprinkles to some giant sugar cookies we'd made ahead of time.

Thanks for reading! I hope you're having a fantastic day today!

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Tip Junkie

Friday Favorites: Sofia the First Inspired Nightgown

It's Friday!!! We've got a lot going on this weekend that I'm super excited about...hope you have a good one, too!

I thought I'd share these Sofia the First-inspired nightgowns that I made for a customer recently. Now, I have never seen the show, and all I had to go on was a small picture sent to me by my customer. I tried and tried to find other images, but nothing! I think they turned out so cute- they're for twin girls who are adopted, which makes my heart so happy.

The sleeves should fall to the elbow or just below, and have a little "poof" to them. It's often a gamble about how tight to make the elasticized part, since I don't know if the recipient is teeny tiny or a bit more solid, so I tend to keep them on the looser side. I don't know many people who prefer to have the elastic digging into their skin, so that's something to keep in mind when sewing for others. I added the little bow details as a sort of compromise for the cartoon character's woven-ribbon cinching; the elastic is more durable and will hold up to washings much better than the alternative. I think the bows look sweet.

I hope they like them, and I hope she sends me a picture of her little girls wearing them.  =)

I'm working on a tutorial for you, so stay tuned....

Tips for Sewing a Halter Dress (And Making it Modest)

Whew! Winter lasted ForEVER and now we're melting in 90 degree humid heat! Little Miss was super excited about this halter dress because it lets her back be "free" and "cool."  =)

Isn't this just the prettiest fabric!?! I found it at JoAnn's last year. Such a nice, smooth cotton with luscious color.

Here are the pieces all laid out. When I cut the bodice front pieces, I added an inch or so to each center edge to get a more modest top, and then gradually tapered the amended cut edge to the original pattern piece so the straps would not be wider than what was initially called for.

I wish I'd cut the strap pieces a bit longer, though. Next time.

It's fairly easy to adjust the sizing at this point. When I tried the pieces on Isabelle, I marked (okay, I didn't! I'm an eye-baller through and through) I made a mental note of where I should have the front pieces lap and tacked them together. NOTE: I wanted to include a small ruffle on the back piece, so I cut the band a little taller. If you make adjustments to any side pieces, don't forget to make those same adjustments to the each side, where they will "meet up." Even if things aren't perfectly aligned, you can trim the raw edges even with each other...no problem!

Next, we tried the elastic back band, which was way too loose. I had to take out one end of stitching and pull the elastic more to make it tighter. Don't be worried if the elastic band seems smaller than the bodice front- I wanted the back a little more snug, just so it fits better, especially when she's jumping around and such.

Lastly, sew your front and back side pieces together. Top-stitch along a narrow edge for a nice, clean finish on the outside, as well as keeping down the bulk on the inside.

The last step is to attach the skirt. I had to pull a little here and there to get the width I needed. One time I had to go back and sew an extra side seam into the skirt because it was just too big and I couldn't make it fit snugly to the bodice pieces. It's all good.

For tips on sewing a smooth hem on a rounded skirt without using bias or hem tape, read this tutorial.

This halter dress is going to get tons of wear this summer! It's perfect to toss on over a swimsuit, too, so basically, she won't be taking it off for the next three months.

Happy Sewing! Email me if you've got any questions! 3sonsplus1{at}gmail{dot}com

You can see my latest sewing projects on instagram at roseandruffle & on Pinterest HERE.  =)