Happy Halloween!

Phew!!!  I can't believe I actually finished the girl's dresses on time!  I've been so busy with completing other orders that my children's costumes went by the wayside until the last minute.

 Here is the BEYOND time consuming Rapunzel hair, but I must say, it looks FABULOUS.  I am really proud of this project.  I used Simplicity 2065 for the hair.  But, without this review on Kadiddlehopper's blog, I would have been pulling my hair out! (Pun intended).  The pattern's bottom braid length measurement was okay (I made it a little shorter for my 3 year old), but the round braid on top was waaaaaaay off!  The pattern asked you to cut the yarn to 18", but I ended up needing 28" strips!  And it juuuuust fit!  And my daughter has a small head!  Oh, boy.  But, like I said, I was saved a lot of headaches from the review.  Then after I was done, I just hot-glued the flowers on.  And my daughter loved it:)

The dress pattern was a very simplified version of McCall's 5731.  I liked it better than the Simplicity version.

It came together well, but the gathering of the skirt took a while, but it came out beautifully.  If I ever make this again, I want to use the looooong sleeves.  I just used one layer of the shorter sleeve cuff for my daughter's dress.

As for my oldest, she just fell in love with this hot pink satin and wanted a dress out of that, so I used Simplicity 2569 to make her fairy princess dress.

I didn't make the overlay as poofy as the pattern, but looking back, I wish I would have.  But she loved the dress and that is what is important.

Overall, it was a successful Halloween, and at 8:28PM, this momma is ready for bed.  *yawn*

Project Runway

If you are as crazy about the show as I am, then you watched the finale last night and saw all of those awesome designs!!  I was a semi-fan of Anya's all season, but wasn't sure she could pull off the AMAZING pieces she made!  She really has an eye for patterns and style and I loved almost all of her 10 pieces.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

 These are so romantic, sexy, and feminine and I want every one in my closet!!!

Kimberly had this fabulous top that I LOVED and an ivory outfit that I might just have to duplicate:

Those ivory pants are so incredibly beautiful, I can't take it.

And then, of course, there was Victor's beautiful purple print, and to-die-for jacket:

And even though Josh was not my style, I loved the back of this LBD:

If these aren't inspirational, then I don't know what is!!!!

Aloha Fest

We headed to Sacramento on Saturday for the Aloha Festival to see my daughter's halau compete in the hula competition and had a great time!  There was so much food, lots of vendors, and, of course, lots of inspiration for future projects.  Here are just a couple pictures of some of the costumes the girls wore.

Sorry they are kind of far away, but they were so beautiful!  Any hula dancers out there that can share pictures of their costumes??  I would love to see them!

I Won, I Won!!!

I finally won my first pattern giveaway!!!  Yippee!  I enter the giveaways whenever I can on the blogs that I read and this morning I had an email from Debi at Fashions From the Past telling me I won this:

I am so excited to receive this pattern and can't wait to make a beautiful swing jacket out of it.  I think I just might make 2 because I have a beautiful gray and blue plaid lightweight wool that I bought last year, and I can also picture this in a fabulous kelly green.  Thank you, Debi!

What else did I do this weekend besides win a beautiful vintage pattern, you ask?  Well, I finished the dress for my friend's baby girl who will have her 1st birthday party tomorrow.

I fell in love with this fabric and knew it would be perfect for this dress.  I used McCall's 6015 because I love View C with the tulip sleeve.

But, let me tell you...that sleeve was anything but easy.  There must be an easier way to do that itty bitty sleeve on that itty bitty armhole!  It was tedious, but came out beautifully.  And I also modified the back by putting in buttons instead of a zipper because first, I didn't have an invisible zipper on hand, and second, I think the buttons look way cuter:)

All for now, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Next On My Cutting Table

Here is the next project on my cutting table.   I am making it for my good friend's daughter who is turning 1 next month.  The color is a deep, gorgeous purple and I think it will look really beautiful all put together

I use the term "cutting table" very loosely because this project is actually on my dining room table.  I have most of my sewing stuff on one half of my 1-year-old's room, and my other  stuff bleeding into my living room and dining area.

And, another exciting thing that happened this week is that I made my first Etsy purchase!  I know, I know.  It's about time, you say.  Here are pictures of the fabulous vintage patterns that I am anxiously awaiting.

The last two patterns are Polynesian patterns that I have been eyeing for a while.  Speaking of Hawaiian dresses, I have been asked to do some costumes for my daughter's Halau and I am beyond excited.  I can't wait to see some costumes up close this weekend because there is a big event in Sacramento that we are going to called Aloha Festival.  Stay tuned for photos tomorrow:)

Time Out!

I am truly learning how to handle everything that is going on in my life, and this past week has been all about finding balance.  I'm a stay at home mom of three girls, ages 4, 3, and 1, I have recently started my sewing business, and I go to school part time.  It seems like a lot (and it is!), but I have always been the type of person that works better when my plate is full.  It forces me to plan ahead and be more organized.

What I loved about this week was when my oldest came to me and asked if we could go have a picnic in the park.  Who could say no to that sweet request???  So, we packed some yummy snacks, her favorite Hello Kitty blanket, and headed to the park.  It was exactly what I needed to force me to come up for air and just relax with my three favorite girls:)

Just my girls, Cheese Nips, and fresh air.  It was heaven.

High Chair Cover

One of the orders I just completed was a high chair replacement cover.  It was actually super simple to do.  I took the old cover, just traced it on paper and, voila!  A pattern!  I used cotton for the outer fabric and a poly fill for the cushion part.  I then basted the entire perimeter before sewing on the bias tape so nothing would shift.  It really came out great and I think my customer will be really happy with it.

 For the back I used a red cotton twill to give a little more stiffness and durability.  I think it worked really well.

My favorite part of this project is the fabric!  It looks like fish scales and I love it.  So cool.

Simplicity 2668

I made this outfit for my daughter's 1st birthday party, and several times since.  It super cute, easy, and I love the little bloomers.  I'm pretty sure I made the M size.

 The one big change I made was making a button closure in back instead of putting in a zipper.  I think it looks much cuter!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!!

McCall's 5551

Hey, everyone!  I have been meaning to make a couple aprons for my daughters and just got around to making one last week.  I used McCall's 5551 and it came out beautifully!  The only think I changed is that I lined the apron because I think it gives it a nicer feel and weight.

I love the deep purple fabric and  how nice and finished it looks on the inside!  And my daughter hasn't taken it off since:)