Little Dress

Oh hello there! Life has been busy just being life, days roll on, flowers bloom, and I get caught up in the nature of living. Every once in a while I take a moment and dust off the sewing machine and get reacquainted.

In this case, a little dress for one of my little friends. Made from a bit of vintage fabric I've been hording for quite some time. I was inspired by the riot of blooms popping up everywhere here in the PNW. Happy Spring!

I added a vintage doily for a pocket. This is one of my favorite little girl dress patterns. I have re-traced and adjusted it so many times that I can't remember the original pattern I started with when Pony girl was about 3 years old. I made it many times and it never disappoints. I love this version in this treasured fabric.

Of course one must add a vintage button to finish it off.

It really is one of my favorite things you know, sewing for littles. Makes me happy indeed. Not to mention that this dress is going to be worn by one of the sweetest littles around!

What is one of your favorites things to make?

Dottie Angel Frock - for smalls

Instagram and the interwebs are abuzz lately with #DottieAngelFrock. Simplicity has taken Tif Fussell"s frock design and put out pattern 1080 so that all of us can make our very own Dottie Angel Frock. I must admit, I am so excited for her, but it took me awhile to get the pattern myself. I wasn't sure how I felt about how I might look in it. I love it mind you, I just didn't know if I would love it for me. So I got a little sneaky and decided to try my hand at making a version for Pony Girl.

 Before the pockets

I used some Alexander Henry fabric that I've had in my stash for a couple of years. I just love it, and it's a bit different. I started out by tracing the size small. I was going off of the waist measurement and wanted to make sure it was roomy enough. I found that I could have done the extra small and been fine. I cut out the tunic length and made a few alterations to the pattern.  I will tell you that I didn't really follow the instructions, I just followed my own weaving way, like I do.  So, this isn't an actual review of the pattern, just my take on it.

I made changes to the front tucks to gather up a bit more of the ease and sewed the arms a bit willy-nilly. The one thing I forgot to consider in my rush to make the dress, was the neck line. Next time I will cut it to better fit a small person, or add a bit of elastic 'round it. I ended up making some gathers at the shoulder seams before I added the cotton lace.

I thought that the pockets that are part of the pattern were a bit too large for the small person version, so I just whipped up a very simple version of my own. Though I would make a few more alterations next time (there is certain to be a next time), it is adorable on my girl, I love it! I am even getting up the nerve to sew one for myself and see how it goes.  This really is a great frock and quite easy to work up. If you would like to see more stunning versions of the dress, just head on over to Instagram and search the hashtag #dottieangelfrock, there are so many clever makers out there. I bet you could find quite a few on Pinterest and other parts of the world wide web as well!

We are on the tip of a long holiday weekend and headed to the ocean for a couple of days, I'll be back next week. Have a grand weekend my friends!

Road Trip

Oh goodness me! The last month of school had me jumping and jiving with all the activities and meetings and so on. Haven't had much time for this happy place. And now we are getting ready to hit the road for a much anticipated vacation. The packing has started, lists have been made, camping gear double checked and we are buzzing with excitement.

I'm taking along the finally finished Doll Couture Commission to deliver. I've been snipping and stitching away in small scale. While it's been a really fun job, I think I might take a break from sewing for wee dolls for a bit.

I'll be back soon with tales of our adventures! Until then, you can keep up with me over on Instagram under lolanova.

Happy Summer my friends!

Edelweiss

I've come down with a bit of cold, so yesterday in my disoriented state I decided Pony Girl needed a 70's style Boho dress, so I made one, as you do. I just grabbed an old curtain panel and a bit of leftover shot cotton and whipped it up quick sticks. 

I've also decided that she should wear it with a vintage apron à la The Sound of Music. We'll see if she agrees to this.

And this wrinkled mess is a design in progress; the bodice for a dress. While I liked my original design, as you can see from my slap dash markings that many changes are coming.

Oh now this is getting tricky. I might wait until my head is clear again before tackling this further!

What are you up to?

Random Acts of Sewing

On any given day there are a lot of projects waiting to be started, to be worked on, to be finished... and of course there's always laundry. 

There are some days however, that one must shoo away all those projects and to-dos buzzing around one's head and just commit random acts of sewing. Yesterday was just such a day. Something simple and happy, something that can be completed in the better part of a morning, and something useful as well. Yes, that was just the ticket!

I asked my girl to choose some fabric before she left for school then broke out some tried and true patterns that I have altered, adjusted, and sized up many times. I was able to give my new fancy steam iron a good work out and I must say it did a bang up job. (Last week my old trusty iron had a run in with some nasty synthetics and I'm not naming names, but it wasn't me... the end result was a new iron had to be acquired)

I spent some lovely hours happily stitching away, it did me a world of good I tell you! Nothing difficult or tricky, no doubts or maths involved, just familiar lines curving and meeting in a most satisfying way.

This morning my girl donned her new duds and blew kisses to me from the school bus window.

Well, I'm off - the laundry awaits!

3 Easy Pieces

Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it's done right. Even a pancake. - Julia Child

Recently, Pony Girl started attending a cooking class. Oh man, what a great thing! She loves it and comes home so excited to tell me all about what they have made that week. She tells me all the the ingredients they used and how they prepared the food. 

It has even sparked a new trend of her and I cooking together with me teaching her some of the classics. Our lesson on French Toast was a delicious success!

My girl told me she needed me to sew an apron for her, "something special," she said. "Of course," says I! I had just the inspiration, this little vintage apron needed recreating Pony Girl style. The apron is just 3 easy pieces, plus straps and handy dandy pockets.

Basically, I sort of simply traced the lines of the the original pieces along the seams. One center piece and one side piece that you cut twice from the fabric. Then I made adjustments in width and length to fit my girl and added seam allowances.

Since I was at it, why not make it reversible? 2 aprons in one is the best! So, happy retro polka dots on one side, and cheerful hibiscus and hula girls on the other.

Yes, an apron with plenty of drama... just like my girl! I love her new passion for cooking and I'm looking forward to many years of spending time together in the kitchen! 

I'm just a soul who's intentions are good

I'm at least a day late and a few stitches short. Seems to be the story of me these days. I mean well, really I do, but something keeps interrupting my intention and taking my attention away from the work at hand.

I know I'm just a week away from the deadline for Pony Girl's costume, yikes! I'm close though, really close. I can do it. And no, it's not coming together as I envisioned, but that is ok. I got started on the wrong path, I know that now. Making mistakes shows that you're trying right? I always learn something valuable in these situations. The most important lesson I have learned in this is: I wont be making anything like this for at least another year! No, that can't be it. The most important lesson is that my girl is a little bit smitten with it so far, and that makes it a success. It's all about perspective. Yeah, that's it!

I had also intended to show you how I drafted a pattern to recreate this sweet vintage child's apron that a dear friend sent to me. I have drafted the pattern and cut out the fabric (I'm planning to make a reversible version), but no stitching has occurred. So yes, I'll have to update you on that another time.

So for now I am wishing you all a beautiful weekend!

Blame it on the Rain

On the first day of Autumn the rain started to fall. It looks like we will be getting our first real rain in some time for the next couple of days. While we desperately need the rain, I suddenly feel a bit nervous about the coming dark days. Already our girls, our hard working hens, have stopped laying everyday. The thought of buying eggs from the store makes me feel a little iffy.

On the upside, the weather is conducive to hot tea, baking bread, and getting back to my sewing machine. I have plenty of projects floating around in my brain. I want to make something interesting from the fabulous silver metallic denim in the photo above that was sent to me by my friend Nancy.

I have a rather urgent mandate from Pony Girl to create this costume (how is it almost October?)!

To be honest, I'm not feeling too jazzed about it. Now had she gone with her other choices; Wonder Woman or Little Red Riding Hood, I might be a bit more stoked. But this isn't about me, right?

Then there's this skirt that just needs a decision made about fabric. I'm not feeling the "Rainbow Like" suggestion from the previously mentioned Pony Girl, but I'm indecisive. I had a thought about going full on Roller Derby style with this one. We'll see.

Well, happy Autumn all, or happy Spring to those of you on the flip side!

Lovely day for a picnic

Some more Summer stitching in between making strawberry jam, end of school activities and keeping up with the garden (to be honest I'm not keeping up all that well). 

A tunic dress for my girl. I'm calling it The Picnic Dress.

I used Kaffe Fassett shot cotton and cotton print. Vintage ribbons and doily for embellishment. It's a modified version of the Prairie Dress.

It's looking like a lovely day for a picnic!

Happy weekend!

A little Stitchy

Now I know I said I was was getting back together with my sewing machine on Monday, however there was the strange incident in the day all to do with a cast iron skillet that had gone missing. It was such an epic mystery and drove me absolutely bonkers. Off my rocker I was - with the searching high, low and everywhere in between... and I do mean everywhere! Each time I told myself that was enough of this nonsense, time to get to work... I would search the cupboards for the third or fourth time to no avail. Finally, I had to make dinner for the family and had to give up the search. The cast iron skillet (the one that took years to season to perfection and cooks like a dream) was never found, and no stitching was done that day.

Yesterday I allowed myself no such distractions. I always find that a good way to get back into the stitchy swing of things is to sew up a tried and true simple dress for my girl. This time it was an old go to pattern, McCall's 4547, which is sadly now out of print. I have traced this pattern many times, from size 3-4 up to 10-12. it is so easy to sew, except for the fiddly fit of the sleeves. I keep meaning to modify them, but I never have. It is a favorite for the comfort factor. This time I made it up in a black and pink batik. It currently adorns my girl at school today, so I'm guessing it's a hit.

Since the dress took less than 2 hours from cut out to hemming, I had some time to start drafting a pattern for a bamboo handle bag. I made up a test version in an ugly green fabric I have lying about for just this sort of thing. I found it adequate, but really lacking in interest of design. I just wasn't inspired enough to make it up in pretty fabric. I did make some additional sketches and think I am on the right road now. Back to the drafting table!

Lastly, I started a small organizing project of my trims and lacy bits. To be honest I did not get very far with it. It was too much fun to look through them and imagine what to make with them!  Ah well. 

It was time well spent on the whole and I think that my machine and I are back on friendly terms and ready to stitch up a storm.

Are you working on any projects right now, I'd love to hear!

P.S.  I meant to thank everyone for your kind comments on this post! You made me feel so much better with your sweet words and I do believe you helped me to mend. Thank you!

Snow Skipping

Oh my, what a time we've had the last few days! Portland received a rare snow storm; landing us with a foot of snow on the ground. Schools and offices shut down (since we only get heavy snow every few years, the city does not have the resources to clean it up and so things tend to shut down). So there was snowflake tasting, sledding, games, hot cocoa and nights by the fire. Schools should be back tomorrow and I can clean up the house after days of cabin fever. It has become a bit sloppy in these parts.

I did manage the smallest bit of sewing though. It was one of those things, you know, suddenly receiving inspiration from a good gawk at the internets. I happened to stumble upon this from Vicky Meyers Creations. She has made a really lovely version of my Skipping Skirt pattern from my book. I always love seeing what people have made from any of my patterns, what a joy! I remember creating this simple skirt pattern and it making me so happy. It really is simple sewing with endless possibility. So I was inspired by Vicky's version, to make a new one for my girl using whatever scraps I had on hand. Then a very bright and cheerful (ooh shocker!) Skipping Skirt was born.

Because the pattern is so quick sticks to put together, I spent a good old time embellishing some of the panels. All sort of willy-nilly and a little bit silly.

Thanks to Vicky for the inspiration to make this skirt. Added bonus; this skirt can be used to signal rescue teams in blizzards!

I also worked out a very easy modification to make this pattern into adult size. I simply added an inch in width and a few inches in length to each panel/pattern piece. As my daughter says, "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!" I might make mine from slightly less wild fabrics, but only very slightly less.

I hope that wherever you are, whatever the weather, that you are safe and sound.

P.S. It looks like The Stitched Journal Project is off to a rollicking start! If you have sent me a message with your email, I will be sending out a welcome note very soon.  I'll have a follow up post later this week as well. Hooray!

On measuring twice, sewing pirate pants, and camp cooking

After my pleasant morning spent sewing for a baby, it occurred to me that I haven't sewn much lately for my own baby. Though hardly a baby anymore and growing like a weed of course, Pony Girl's closet is dwindling in the handmade department. So yesterday I dipped my toes back in the water and set about making her a pair of easy-peasy pants.  As she was away at school, I took a pair of pants from her dresser and set about making a pattern. I pulled out some fabric, that for the life of me I can't remember where it came from, nothing fancy, just a bit of stripey loosely woven cotton. Whipped them up in a jiffy I did. Wisely, I waited until my girl returned home from school to finish the waistband and hems. A quick try on and it was clear, a size too small. Well, someone will be getting a pair of piratey pants for a present.

The old adage, "Measure twice, cut once." is ringing in my ears. Of course even measuring once would have been helpful in this case. So, come this weekend I will need to wrangle that girl of mine and play a game of Statues. I do hope I can get a full set of measurements before she tires of the game.

As an...um... collector of patterns, I thought I should go through my stash of kid's sewing patterns and it was with a small bit of shock that I realized my girl is about to grow beyond the sizes I have collected. Looks like I better get cracking. I've added this pile to the "MAKE" list. I wonder how far I'll get before Pony Girl is taller than me.

On other creative fronts, we have been doing a bit of demolition in the kitchen. The old stove and oven had to go. Though they were full of retro charm, they did not function quite so well. This meant taking a sledge hammer to a hunk of cabinetry as well. Now, there is a gaping hole where it all once was. Now we wait for the professional to come and run a gas line, do a bit of electrical work and so on.  Being without a stove has been a challenge, there is only so much one can make with an electric tea kettle. So, by day three of no cook-top, I had had enough and broke out the trusty camp stove.

You know, I have always been a rather good camp cook. The funny thing is, this old camp stove cooks a treat better than the stove we tore out! So there you have it, and it's only Wednesday!

WIP Wednesday

My Work In Progress.  A little glimpse at what has been keeping me up at night. Drafting a pattern I hope will be for sale this Fall. This is the first muslin (or fabric draft) I was working with, making adjustments and notes for pattern changes. It is a process of trial and error, small set backs and successes and evolution. Look at that dappled sunlight on my work surface, so pretty.

What have you been working on?

edited for clarification:
"Muslin" is a cotton fabric, but it is also a term that refers to a draft garment. You can make a muslin out of muslin, but you can also use whatever fabric you have on hand. I used some old cotton quilting fabric that was given to me.

Gretchen goes to Barbados - A Pattern Review

Ah, the first dress of the new year! For me this is the perfect way to start a fresh crafty year. Making a dress for my girl is one of my favorite things to do. I find that it centers me, inspires me and is ultimately very satisfying.

Just before the Holidays Pony girl and I were in my favorite local fabric shop, she pulled this pattern from the stacks and said, "Please Mama, will you make this?" How could I resist?
The pattern is "Gretchen" by Modkid.

I have seen Modkid patterns before, but never picked one up. When I use a pattern company that is new to me, I like to resist the urge to alter, modify and forge ahead in my own wild fashion. Instead I keep to the pattern faithfully (mostly) and carefully follow the pattern's own instructions so that I get a sense of the company overall. This makes it perfect for a review too!

First Impressions:
The Pattern Booklet is beautifully photographed with an "Inspiration Gallery" showing the variations and lovely fabric combos. The pattern itself is printed on good quality paper with clear cutting instructions.
I like a pattern that allows for a ton of variations, this pattern definitely fits the bill.

I decided to make view D without the bottom band. I do believe I must have been day dreaming about tropical locales and sunny beaches... perhaps The Caribbean with it's vibrant colors, maybe Barbados! I used Moda's Trade Winds fabric by Lily Ashbury, very bright and colorful! I decided to make the largest size 10. Pony Girl is an 8/9, but I like a little room to grow.

Work in Progress:
The instructions were very clear and thorough, illustrations of cutting lay out and sewing steps were helpful. There are a lot of pieces to this dress, so once I had them cut I kept them in organized piles for ease.

As I was working I found that the pattern drafting was excellent. Every piece came together perfectly and even the sleeve attachment was close to effortless - which is not often the case.

This is a straight forward pattern and quite simple really. There are no button holes, no zipper, and the block piecing makes it easy enough for a beginner with just a little experience.

The only things I did that were not a part of the original pattern instruction were 1. increase the width of the side ties to 1 1/2" and 2. top stitch around the neck opening. Purely for personal preference.

What I especially like about this pattern:
Cute! Endless variation possibilities.
The sleeve gathering on the long sleeve version, nice design detail.
Oversized pockets! You all know how much I love a handy dandy pocket.

Things to note:
There isn't any thing I dislike about this pattern, just some things to keep in mind.
Using quilting weight fabric as I did, makes this a pretty substantial garment due to the linings. For a more Summery dress, I think it would make up wonderfully in Seer Sucker or even a voile. This is a full cut dress, the waist is very wide and then cinches in with the side ties - this makes it easy to pull on and off over the head. The size 8 would have fit my girl much better in the shoulders and neckline, though I did find that the length on the size 10 to be just right. If you have a tallish girl (like I do) you might want to double check the length before cutting.

I often find that the back of a garment is my favorite, wonder why...

The Stats:
I spent a couple of hours tracing the pattern onto my own pattern paper and then cutting out the fabric.
All together the dress took about 5 hours of sewing time to complete.
Yes, I would make this dress again.

And most importantly, my girl loves it!

You are a Star! or A Bookish Sneak Peek

Happy Friday folks!

As I look at my calendar, I see amongst the scribbles and red marker most important things to do covering the pages, that we are very nearly at the end of our school year. That means Summer break is coming! It also means that 'Field Day' was yesterday, which I have renamed "Day of the Savage Popsicle!'. Incidentally, it was also the day that I decided to start an all girl band (girl being a relative term) called 'Savage Popcicle!' I'll be holding auditions shortly if anyone is up for it. Anyway, back to the end of the school year...much to-doing indeed. On the docket we have the annual Rummage Sale, Farm Fun, End of year Hootenannies, etc. I think Pony Girl and I are looking forward to a little break.

Well, onto today's doings. I am breaking some rules today and giving a little sneaky peek at a project that is in my upcoming book, Simple Sewing with Lola Nova! Sshhh, don't tell.

See this little chook of a skirt, I'm a sucker for a chicken skirt you know? Those groovy star patches take it from just alright to "pretty awesome" so Pony Girl tells me.

In my book I show you how to make your own sew on patches and badges! It is an addictive thing this pretty patch making, because they look so good on all sorts of things; skirts, jackets, book bags, backpacks, aprons, teas towels, Vespa scooters...well you get the idea!

So there you have it, my first sneaky peek from the book! There will be more to come as we get closer to print, so stay tuned folks!

And on the subject of Pony Girl - I have been solemnly informed by the girl that she is no longer to be called Pony Girl. When asked what she might prefer she said, "My name is my name and if you can't use that then call me nothing." This has left me scratching my head and pondering over my little 7 year old no name girl. Hmmmmm...

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

What Rhymes with Mermaid?

Crafty Fail

I was all set to do a little crafty blog post on the small one's latest mermaid fixation. I wanted to whip up a half an hour mermaid doll named Bluebelle. However, enthusiasm and good intentions do not always produce top notch results. I have had to let it go, with lessons learned, and notes to self taken.

Notes To Self:

Note #1. You need more than a half an hour to make a mermaid doll.
Note #2. Draw arms in proportion to body (instead of teeny tiny stick arms that look ridiculous!).
Note #3. Bigger Fins!
Note #4. That really groovy vintage gold and blue shimmery fabric that frays like a *%^##@*!!!! is the worst fabric ever to use on a doll with teeny tiny seam allowances and will only cause misery and shame!
Note #5. The yarn you used for the hair is super cool, remember that for next time.
Note #6. Yes, it's worth a second try, but give it some time.

No one likes a crafty fail, but it happens and we learn. If I ever do get it right, I'll be sure to let you know.

The Calico Prairie

Hello.
Fist off, I want to thank you all for the very kind and encouraging comments you left on my last post. You are all so ace! You made me feel better and so grateful to have this lovely community.

I am on the up-swing for certain. We have had a few days of the most glorious weather, and really a little sunshine goes a long way in putting thing to rights. Long days spent in the garden, planting promise and meditating on beauty is most uplifting.

So today I thought it was long over due to talk a little stitching, share a wee bit of the creative mayhem that goes on around these parts. As I said before, there hasn't been a huge amount of craftiness going on here - what with the busy and a little green cottage in a certain amount of upheaval - makes for less making. I am currently working from my sewing machine on a little rolling cart that gets moved about to any (and there isn't really) clutter free corner I can find. Still, a moment here and there some stitchy business can be had.

Sometimes in my creative process I can become a tad fixated, or even obsessed as the case may be. I wake up one morning and there is a little voice in my head that whispers to me saying things like, "Octopus", or "Stripes". So then I get consumed and spend the day thinking about octopuses? - octopi? - octopodes?, or stripes. After thinking and pacing I begin to work and suddenly I have stenciled an octopus on a tea towel, a dress, and a backpack. You get my drift.

Some of these obsessions are short lived, I get my fix and then the next little whispers begin over my morning coffee. Some obsessions last longer. My latest obsession has lasted a couple of months now and it shows little signs of letting up. It is all about Prairie Dresses!

Not to be confused with Little House on the Prairie dresses, but a slightly more modern interpretation of an all purpose Prairie Dress. One that can be worn over pants, layered with T-shirts, or on their own. Made with Calico from my grandmother's fabric stash in funky combinations in various lengths and sleeve types.

It all started with a whisper, a certain Pony Girl, and some of my grandmother's fabrics that had been hanging around waiting for their chance. A bit of thinking and pacing led to a pattern drafting and then to the first of 5 so far.

There have been a couple of pattern tweaks along the way and there may be more to come. I am in love and I just can't stop! I do wonder when the passion for the calico prairie will wane and the next fixation will take over, but in the meantime I'll be picking out the fabric combo for the next one.

And what about you? Do you ever find yourself creatively obsessed? Do tell!