Tales from the Sewing Vixen

It has been a while since I have shown some of my work I did with a bit of repurposing. I love to find new ways to use a piece of fabric or clothing instead of just junking it or turning into rags.

I made a few dresses for Amelie, and she loves them. I even made myself a little something (Yay)

I have been super busy with homeschooling my boys and balancing spending time with my girls. Let me tell you, that is one hectic way of life, but I am so glad I am able to do it with them. Teething fevers and cutting teeth, along with a 1st birthday and trying to get a handle on the boys made for a very eventful last 2 weeks. So i am back, and here to talk about dresses. Oh, how I love dresses, especially those designer duds!

I sit there and drool over designer clothing constantly, but let's face it, designer clothing for a child who may wear it once is pretty ridiculous. There is always something that I see that is so simple, yet it costs $300. Oi, that is a strike to the bank! So here are some of my currents that I am loving and seem like it wouldn't be too hard to turn into your own DIY project.

I must admit that my favorite things about fall are sweaters, scarves, beanies and boots. Ok, the leaves and colors, and the wonderful smells are also very satisfying. But now that it is getting a bit chilly in the evening in my part of the state, I am really longing for some of these things. I need a new funky, yet stylish scarf to call my own.

These are some of the scarves that I really like. They are a bit funky, and fun... and would be great to wear with the right outfit. They also look like they can be fairly easy to make.

Since I love upcycling and repurposing, this one is a favorite of mine.

Since my boys are at that age where they want to cool and hip, I am becoming more in tune with what they like versus what I like. So browsing what is available right now, I fell head over heels for these cardigans ala Mr. Rogers in a cool geek kind of way. I am not so sure my boys will feel the same, but I am thinking it will be worth a shot to replicate this.

I came across this red and white western shirt and thought I should do something with it. Initially the idea was to make it a sleeveless blouse to wear with a skirt, shorts, whatever. But the fabric was so thin, I was to scared to try to remove the massive pockets from what would be my breasts.

So when I started cutting, I realized it was the perfect cut for shorts. I Cut the middle snaps off and put them aside, and then started sewing away. About 45 minutes later, Amelie had a new pair of bubble shorts which only required thread and elastic.

2011 collections of course. I was drooling over all of the pieces I will never be able to afford and I am just in love with Jonathan Saunders collection and of course, Vivienne Westwood never fails me. These are some of the pieces that really stick out for me.

Avant garde is always a favorite of mine. However, the costumeness and the large amount of fabric is not something in my near future. So when I came across children's couture, it seemed like a match made in heaven. Children can get away with wearing anything and still look amazing.

I saw Kid Cuteture's Spring 2011 line and fell in love. It is full of the whimsical spring feeling with a very avant garde look to it. This picture immediately inspired me. I may have to do my own twist on this design.

I've been wanting to try out a onesie dress for my daughter and had a few spare white onesies lying around so that is how this project came about. I had these scraps of t-shirt material that was begging to me crafted into something so I started constructing different flowers that are similar to a mum or something of that sort. I did them in different colors and then sewed them by hand onto the onesie. For the dress part of this, I had a bottom half of a t-shirt so I attached that to some elastic, gathered and sewed away. I did everything by hand, therefore it took forever!! I also added some flowers to the skirt and used green floss to embellish the look of grass or stems. I am pretty happy with the outcome and the crispness of the all white. This just may a new favorite. I can't wait to get some pictures of the model in it.

Now that this glorious heat has swept over North Carolina, I am in a sudden state to sew for summer. Spring has completely left my mind and summer is quickly taking over. So I am in a frenzy in the store and since Wal-mart is so evil they even have a craft area to suck me, I find a watermelon print calling my name. I am thinking another romper of some sort, but since it is still in the works, that could quickly change.

Meanwhile, I think I am going to start on a couple of my upcycling projects, something along the lines or tunic and bicycle shorts, possible. Hmmm, brainstorming is dangerous after consuming a large chocolate malt. I will be back with some updates after my mind is cleared from this sugar rush.

So I attempted to do a plush toy and made too many pieces. Too many pieces resulted in just not fitting together properly. And here kids, we have a classic story of cause and effect. I drew up my plush pattern , cut out the pattern pieces and started sewing. The problem was I didn't think out this idea too clearly. So maybe when my brain functions better I will go revisit the idea of plush dolls.

My rambunctious daughter Amelie, turned 4 on the 16th and it turned into a HUGE thing for her since were away from all the family here in NC. I went big and did this insane cupcake theme. Her hairband, her skirt, her shirt and her first present was a cupcake necklace. So the end result was an embellished tank top, a really loud skirt (pebbles skirt, thanks to Positively Splendid's  tutorial,) that fits her personality perfectly and a sequin headband that had a felt cupcake. She loved every bit of it and lord help me, I think we are creating a div-ious monster. So here is the end result of her birthday outfit.