Back to School: Second Grade Fashion

We've had a nice, easy transition into the school year with Isabelle so far. We have yet to complete a full five-day week, so that's nice.  =)  

I thought I'd share some of her special outfits from the past week and a half.

I saw an adorable skirt on The Pleated Poppy blog a while back and knew I just had to make a similar one- is this not the cutest?!? The one featured was blue yellow with navy blue, but this pink, green, and burst of yellow combo was squealing out my name. So pink, green, and burst of yellow it is.

Yeah, oops. I made the pockets too narrow for her little hands.

We had a nice chuckle over that. =)

The buttons are for show only. The waistband in the front is reinforced with interfacing, and in the back, 1 3/4" wide elastic. Or is it 2 inches? Perhaps I'll do a tutorial in this skirt in the future- it was different from anything I've tried, and I like how it all came together.

I don't like that it doesn't look like a "little girl" skirt. Gah. Why does she have to grow up so fast?

 Oh, and please excuse the weeds and such growing out of my garage/driveway. What? By the end of summer, I just can't keep up with rampant weeds anymore.

This dress is a very basic A-line shape with straps and buttons. The material is a lightweight denim, which allows it to hang better than if it were just a light cotton. Such a fun print, too!

You'll notice this pink shrug a lot. A LOT.

We kind of both love it.  =) 

Best $1.99 I ever spent (The Children's Place)

And tennis shoes. She really, really wanted tennis shoes this year.

Only she calls them her Skechers. ha ha

 I love everything about this outfit. The skirt will be a staple this fall during those transition temperature changes because it will look perfect with boots. I'm thinking of taking a few orders for this in my shop...I'll keep you posted.

The tank top was sort of accidental. I made one for me, which I adore, and Isabelle asked me to make her one so we could match. I think I had it finished within the hour, ha! I know she won't want to match me forever, so I'll take it when I can get it.

Confession time.

Here is what Isabelle wore on the first day of school.

 Big brother wanted to have his picture taken with our little second grade scholar. So sweet!

I let her choose, and she chose hot pink leopard shorts and yes, you guessed it, the pink shrug.

I could lie and say it didn't bother me, and that I didn't even shed a tear or two about it. My baby girl is growing up, and I didn't want her to feel like she owed it to me to wear something I made for her- I want her to be happy to wear those special things, not forced to. That makes sense, right? Needless to say, she chose lots of Mommy-made pretties the rest of the week.  ;)

That's it for now...hope you have a great day!!

You can find Rose & Ruffle on instagram HERE 

and keep up to date on our life HERE.

Sweet Birdies

I knew this adorable fabric would become the cutest ever nightgown. And it did! It's even cuter than I'd imagined. I love it!

The background is a true white, not sure why the colors look a little different in each photo. I'll say it's because the light that day was wonky.  =)

So far, I've made this in a toddler size and a newborn size, and they each made me giddy. I will be taking a break from the shop in the next few weeks, and I won't be making any new summer items, so if you've been on the fence, now is the time to order.  =)

I'll be back with some gorgeous new things for fall...

Finishing a Project When You're Ready to Give Up

Good morning! I think this post could be alternately entitled: "The Project That Made Me Cry. A Lot."

A couple of months ago I put a picture of a tunic top I was making on instagram.

And I just knew. It was going to be that kind of a project.

Well then. Since none of us has two right arms, there really isn't much need for a double right-armed top now, is there? But that's what too-early, dark mornings will do to a girl.

And I had zero extra fabric.

After repeated trips to the store and looking online proved futile, and the print is just so pretty that I hated the thought of giving up entirely, I amended the project. Shorter length, slightly narrower width. Problem solved, I smugly thought.

And then this.

Oh it might look innocent enough, but it was brutal, painful, nauseating...all of it! The seams refused to line up, the fabric insisted on puckering where flat and smooth were required, the lining...well, wouldn't- it fought me Every.Single.Step.Of.The.Way.

I thought I was going to have to toss the whole thing out, but I just couldn't. The fabric is so pretty and dainty (neither of which you could possibly tell from the awful photos above), and I could see the finished top in my head and it looked so, so cute. Very much unlike the one staring me down on my sewing table.

So I did leave it alone for a few weeks. Sometimes that's what you need to do before you can move forward.

And here it is on my little girl, after winter fiiiiinally ended and she could get by without fifty layers to keep warm, ha.

I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm incredibly pleased with the results, that everything worked out perfectly. It did not. I had to get creative with hiding those puckers and mismatched seams (decorative buttons), and really just let go of the idea of it needing to be absolutely perfect. Nobody but me is going to inspect it, and it does look as pretty on my beautiful daughter as I imagined it would. Plus, she loves it, which is really all that matters.  =)

Here she is on our recent Girl's Day. Cute tops just scream for ice cream!

 

We enjoyed a beautiful day at The Fells in Newbury, NH with Mimi (my Mom). There were so many flowers to see and sniff, and we took a tour of the estate which belonged to John Hay (an advisor and friend to Abraham Lincoln) and his family. Fascinating history there, and perhaps the older two gals of our happy little trio enjoyed that part more than the adorable little pip squeak, but she did a good job listening.  =)

Apparently all of the surrounding area was flat, clear farmland, which gave you a view of Lake Sunapee from every vantage point on the estate. No more. The trees have filled in, obscuring much of it, but it is still breathtaking. There is one small view below from the main garden in the back of the property. 

My beautiful little girl and me

 There was a trail that led to a Fairy Village, where children can create fairy houses of their own. This is one versatile top...from ice cream to fairies!

I have been extremely busy keeping up with orders, so thank you thank you thank you!

This darling set was mailed out last week for sisters. I just love it!

And of course, I still make time to sew special things for my baby's babies...

You can find me on instagram- roseandruffle - to see other projects and snippets of our daily life. Say hi!  =)

Isabelle's Denim Tiered Maxi Skirt

Good Monday morning! The sun is shining and the summer fun is in full swing...plus two are heading off for sleep-overs today. Doesn't that always put an extra happy spring in your step?  ;)

I still cannot fathom how this baby girl of mine is growing up ever so quickly. She loves dresses, but she is really into long skirts. Only she didn't have any for summertime. So I whipped up this lightweight denim maxi skirt in about an hour on Saturday evening, and she hasn't wanted to take it off since church yesterday. That's what I call success! It will transition perfectly into Fall, too.

I have had several requests for these skirts in the shop, so that might be a possibility in the coming weeks. With all my free time, that is.  =)

I also post sewing projects (and the occasional mishap!) on instagram if you want to find me (roseandruffle) there.

Have a fabulous week!