A Hello Kitty dress with a hidden pocket

My daughter loves Hello Kitty. I mean LOVES Hello Kitty! The same girl that plays hockey and wants to learn about hunting can't get enough of this cat!

I tried to give her free rein over this dress. However, I had to pull her in a bit. If she totally had her way, she'd look like a circus that threw up. The girl is not afraid of color or being noticed. (Oh heard)

So, I kept it pretty simple. I had this suiting material sitting around and I thought this might give kitty a sophisticated look. I paired it with some red and white cotton material, a zipper and some buttons as embelishments and called it a day.

The best part is, that while the kitty looks like only an applique, it's really a hidden pocket!

See!

(Excuse her while she smoothers kitty to get at her loot.)

The back has an invisible zipper and the hemline was finished with red bias tape.

Needless to say, she loves it. I have a feeling she will be putting in an order for more dresses like this for summer. I think next I'll give her full control over the design. I guarantee she will have every color in the rainbow in her design, with no rhyme or reason as to what goes where. A walking circus tent, if you will.

(Ra da da da da da da da circus Da da da da da da da da afro Circus afro, circus afro, Polka dot polka dot polka dot afro)
At least she's not camera shy.

"Peace!"

I am participating in 'the sew off' at Nap Time Crafters.

Inspired by a pigeon!

While perusing all the fun things in my blog reader last week, I came across this great post on the awesome blog, No Big Dill. How fun! Create an original piece, using inspiration from children's books. I knew right away I wanted to play. The finished item evolved over several days and several revisions.

I rummaged through books and decided on the Pigeon books by Mo Willems. (So did Christie!) My first grader got a kick out of these books, so we picked up The Pigeon Wants a Puppy at his school book fair last year.

I decided to take the pigeon illustration and replicate it as a fun jacket.

I incorporated thrifted and new items into the design. I started with a cotton button down shirt in blue. The blue is a bit darker than the pigeon in the books, however I wanted it to coordinate with a cute polka dot cotton window panel I already had. I used the polka dot as the lining. I gave it a white ruffled collar like Mr. Pigeon has, a black outline and yellow buttons like his beak. I added a white shash belt and embroidered the first line in the book. "Oh, hello."

It's playful, colorful and not something I would have put together otherwise.

This was a great lesson in learning to look at things differently and taking inspiration from the things I live amongst.

...and my product tester approves!

New item in my Etsy Shop

I might be on a roll with this new little number I created. After seeing my daughter parade around in it this weekend, I got a better idea of how it wears, fits and holds up to her craziness.

Here's how it happened:I was going for a woodsy, natural, plaid look but with a playful touch. I think I achieved it. I also wanted to mix materials. I did that by using the knit t-shirt as a ruffle to outline the entire piece. The reverse side is a cotton bed sheet in a playful car design. Yes. That makes this lightweight jacket fully reversible. Love that! 2 looks in one!

Just for fun, and something different, I chose not to add a closure to this jacket. Instead, I made this simple knit flower belt which keeps everything together. It's a soft elastic band which slips over her head or can be stepped into.

Here's what I like about that:

1. She can put it on herself. No zippers or buttons to fuss with.

2. It keeps it shut even with tons of active 3 year old movements.

3. It cinches in at the waistline just enough to see the cute shape and the slight flare, but doesn't create additional bulk.

4. The flower is just cute. Period.

I also love the fact that it's reversible. The slightly folded over collar and rolled up cuffs expose a glimpse of the secret lining.

I hope to add more to my shop soon. My plan is to upcycle as much as possible. I'll be using mens dress shirts and knit ruffles with a fun, unexpected lining. Stay tuned.

Outtake:

My little JEWEL - Rio Style

The movie Rio quickly became a favorite at our house. Blank stares, crooked necks, wide open mouths and long blinks in front of the tv, are usually an indication of a good movie! This is when my daughter decided to be a McCaw. Not necessarily for Halloween, but just in general. Her subtle 'tweet-tweet' hints, sent me to the fabric store for blue felt.

Here is the girly little bird I'm speaking of.

So I began to sew. I started with just the wings. At first they tied loosely around the neck and two elastic bands around the wrists. This was enough to please her. But I felt it needed more.

I decided instead of a face mask adorned in feathers, a hood was the way to go.

This way I was able to incorporate the features that make Jewel, Jewel.

The beak, the long eyelashes and of course the pink flower.

Every birdy needs to be able to shake her tailfeather. Viola! Tailfeathers.

This poor costume was run ragged this weekend. It spent most of it's time jumping off the furniture indoors and swooping through the neighborhood outside. Did you know McCaw's can drive 4-wheelers, eat push pops, frolic in a sandbox and serenade an ice cream truck? They do where we live.

But in the end, I have this smiling face, looking right back at me. This one is kid approved!

Finally, an update!

I've come out of hibernation and finally added a listing to my shop today! I need to move some knits out before I can step foot into another thrift store. (Yah right, that is highly unlikely to happen!) It's a good thought though... Here is a preview of what I have awaiting the sewing machine and a USPS first class trip to a new home.

More selections can be found in my flickr set, here.

Friends Forever

I recently just participated in my first ever sew along. The Chloe & Mieko Friends Forever t-shirt was just too cute to pass up. Read more about this great cause here.

Knit in the round

While this may sound like a knitting post, it's not! Knitting is one thing I struggle with. (well, one of many things like emptying the lint trap in my dryer, going only 9 over the speed limit instead of 10, finding a way to organize my recipes, actually 'using' the coupons I cut out instead of thinking I'm going to and then end up letting them expire..... and THEN... knitting!)

SO! This is actually just a post about knit fabric. T-shirts in fact. Since I might be in love with a new skirt style and I might be on the brink of compulsive t-shirt collecting, I thought, why not marry the two?

Using the wonderful instructions provided by Dana at MADE I created my own circle skirt pattern to fit my almost 3 year old. It was actually super easy and really satisfying to see it all come together so quickly. As a test skirt, I grabbed two somewhat compatible t-shirts and pieced them together. The end result: a comfy, free flowing, casual twirl skirt for any budding princess. (Or not. I can't tell if I have a tree climber or a girl fit for a tea party, just yet. Perhaps a happy combination of both?)

I think she enjoyed it though. I even got a little dance out of her. She had to test out the twirl factor. I am pretty pleased with the end result. Now I just need to get creative at combining 2 unrelated, yet coordinating shirts.

I left the seems serged and exposed on the outside. Again, adding to the casual feel of the skirt.




Ballerina?




Whew! After all that, a girl needs to rest!

"I am SO over this twirl skirt!"

We survived!

We crafted, we arrrived, we socialized and we departed with a few extra buck$ in our pocket. Sunday was a great day. The weather was perfect. We were able to get our goods out for Des Moines to see.


(Mom, me, sis)

Here are the collaborative efforts of three busy people. (Especially considering full time jobs, kids and social lives occupy many of our hours)

Here we are hard at work. Or hardly working. This is a breeze considering the work that has gone into our treasures.

Here are our neighbors. As you can see, we had a full house. Canopies lined both sides of the street and a steady stream of shoppers were about. (Although it doesn't really look like it here)

We even had live musica in the background.

It is now behind us and life can return to normal again. That is until the rush of Christmas sets in.

Get your craft on

The countdown has begun! 6 days to prepare for our craft Bazzar in East Village, Downtown Des Moines.

I'm truly hoping the rain gods decide to take Sunday off. Please! Pretty please! (C'mon guys... take a day off... put your feet up. Relax!)

Anywho... Mom and sis each have some things to put in and it should be an interesting four hours! Stay tuned...

Catch me in real life!

My first ever big girl craft bazaar is coming up!

Each Sunday for the month of September and October, the Historic East Village in downtown Des Moines will be hosting a Sunday bazaar from Noon to 4pm. My sister and I have committed to one Sunday during this time frame. (September 26th, 2010) It should be fun, but the next 3 weeks expect to be a whirlwind!

I'm thinking Fall...

Disclaimer: BEWARE, TERRIBLE PHOTO AHEAD! It was 11:35 pm and I grabbed my phone as I headed to bed and snapped a quick photo of my latest creation in terrible lighting and a messy craft room background.

I think it turned out so cute, but the final test will be to see it on a living person.

It's made from a thrift store upcycled men's button down, short sleeve shirt. I hope to start making some in flannel as the temperature drops. This is a lightweight woven, something... I don't even know.

I used an existing t-shirt from my daughters collection for a pattern. I was going for a capped sleeve look, I just hope these don't cut off any blood circulation!

It is not quite finished, as I want to add a single button closure, just to keep in on her. I'm picturing it with a white t-shirt underneath and jeans. Maybe even some boots. (Let's hope I can talk her out of the hello kitty gollashes!)

Stay tuned as maybe, just maybe I can get a few pictures of her wearing it tonight, after back to school night!

ANYDAY but today...

I feel like Cathy copycat, but I find SO many cute ideas in blogland! I hope the creative force behind these ideas, accept this as flattery.

The other day I discovered The Anyday Banded Shorts over at Create and Delegate. Such a simple concept. Shorts with a contrasting hemline. But it's the details that really add that extra level of cuteness here. The solid material used for the body of the short, a wide band of a cute printed cotton material and the slight little pouf created by the gathers. Those three details come together to create a playful, yet comfortable outfit for her.

I used a pant pattern which I think I have used 101 times by now. Obviously I just shortened the length. I must have tried them on her 2 or 3 times to get the length just right. (I blame my complex of high watered pants for this!) But each time I had to hack some more off to get it just right. I love the cotton print I used. It's called "Koto" by Alexander Henry. I've had 2 yards of it sitting around waiting for a great project. Well, I decided I was able to spare about 24" x 5" to make 2 bands. I'm glad I did. The brown fabric was a piece of cotton/linen which I had left from my linen peasant dresses.

My model wasn't quite in the mood for photos today. I was able to snap a few. Nothing award winning, but you get the idea. Apparently she was getting her model mojo from the stove, which she would not step away from.

Until She sat down to eat a banana on the floor, stretch her legs out and NOT look at me. (Just wait till I speak to her agent about this!)

Someday soon, I WILL soon come up with my own design and I'm convinced it WILL be brilliant!

TWO shirts, TWO projects, TOO easy!

My most recent trip to the Salvation Army this weekend, ended at the register with two Men's button down shirts. A stripe and a subtle plaid. Neither are overly awe-striking.

However, as I'm forced to deal with the fact that cooler weather will soon be approaching, I started to think about scarves again. I love to wear them, love to make them and love to see what design possibilities are out there.

Again, this is nothing spectacular, but still cute. It's lightweight and would be cute with a t-shirt and jeans. I cut 10 inch wide strips, using the backs of the shirts only. This gave me 4 generous pieces to work with. I just serged them together at the short ends, alternating fabrics. Viola! Done. I chose to leave the perimeter raw so they will fray with washing.



I decided to take it one step further. I dunked the scarf in Dylon, Amazon Green permanent dye. (Sorry, the final product is not pictured. A poorly lit photo taken with my phone in the reflection of the mirror, showcasing my overly cluttered closet, bad hair day and not so attractive outfit to begin with, is the reason.) The dye didn't take as well to the plain fabric, but still gave it a different look. The dye somewhat disguised the men's shirt concept, which you may or may not want to achieve. It's all personal preference. I honestly like them both ways.

SO... now I'm left with 2 shirt fronts. What to do... what to do??? Make a skirt! I've made peasant dresses/tops from mens shirts before, but have yet to make a skirt. I came across this tutorial the other day. This concept is perfect for the shirt pieces I have remaining! Of course my finished product has buttons both the front and back. That's okay though.

I didn't have any of the pretty lace like the skirt in the tutorial. Nor do I think the recipient of my handmade goods, is a lacey kinda gal. So, I settled on a piece of bias tape I had leftover from my t-shirt dresses. A regular hem would have been fine as well. The pleating was a first for me, but I think it really makes the skirt. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Plus, here's a bonus... Dad can't get it on her backwards when getting her ready in the morning's because there really is not a front and a back to it!

My next plan of attack it to make a white cotton peasant top to go with it. Maybe a little bit of red trim and a fabric flower to adorn it?

I should see what I can create from the remaining scraps of the two shirts. I have 4 sleeves, 4 cuffs, 2 collars, and 2 panels both with pockets. That's plenty of material for something. Let me think on that...

It's SUPER-Jordan!

Just a quick project tonight.

Only a few short hours ago, this t-shirt was hanging peacefully on the sale rack in Children's Place. Then I came along, with a vision.

I'm pretty sure my daughter is more the superhero type than the pretty princess type. I could be wrong. But to hear her and her brother fight over who was getting the shirt today was kind of cute. I turned it into a short sleeved, ringer dress. Is that such a thing? I used some existing black knit and pieced it together to make this...!

I thinks she likes it!


And I like that she likes it!


(The Hello Kitty boots have become a staple to her wardrobe! Oh well!)

Crap!

Pop on over to Crap I've Made to participate in a week of giveaways! (You'll find jj & jojo is #11)