Refashion: Blouse to Jacket

I found this blouse on the clearance rack. It was originally $68.00 and i paid $5. I really liked beading, the gathered bell sleeve and the shape of then neckline with the mandarin collar but I couldn't really imagine myself wearing it as a blouse. So I refashioned the bottom to make it look more like a jacket. I experimented with a few different ways to make the bottom band, but in the end I left the band flat in the front and inserted a wide elastic in the band in the back to gather it just a little. Here's a closer shot:

Once again I bribed the 3 year old to take a few pics. Yes, the bribe was necessary. She loves to play with the camera, but takes after her independent mother and does not like to be told what to photograph!

High noon equals unflattering face shadows and squint... so of course I overcompensate with groovy photo effects from picnik.com.

I like it over the black maxi-dress, but think it's an easy way to dress up a slouchy tank and faded jeans too. The light-weight fabric is perfect for this extra warm fall weather we're enjoying.

Money Cuff

Another easy project I put together last night after the kids were asleep was this money cuff. I was trying to find something for my niece's birthday when I came across this tutorial from Christie of A Lemon Squeezy Home. It is such a good idea, and my niece appreciates crafty things. I hope she likes it. I had to work with what was in my stash. When it comes to fabric I have a lot to choose from, but the zipper was a different matter... I stole this one from a pair of jeans I was cutting up for another project. Note to self: keep a few zippers in my stash for spontaneous, late-night projects.

Baby Legwarmers

About the time I finished the bridesmaids dresses I started having some health issues. Needless to say, the long list of projects I want to complete got put on the back burner. I'm starting to feel more like myself again and thought I'd ease back into my projects with something simple: baby leg warmers made from knee-high socks. I've seen a number of tutorials for these, all over the web but this is the method I liked best at Little Birdie. I bought these socks in sets of two and used some of the striped socks to make the cuff on the solid pair, and vice versa. I always look for socks that are as smooth on the inside as they are on the outside. I hate socks that have all those little strings from the pattern on the inside.

I've purchased a bunch of the original Baby Legs for my youngest and they are great. My older girls love them too. They are high quality and the elasticity is impressive fitting my smallest to my oldest without losing their shape. I definitely think they are worth the $ but it can add up. As easy as they are to make I think we'll finally have enough to go around. (This is not a sponsored endorsement. Just my opinion.)

Back to School

My oldest is going to start kindergarten. I wanted some "save this moment in time" photos. Meredith always does such an amazing job. My Sweetie and I have a little collusion going on. She will not pose for me to take pictures of her. So, I dropped her off with Meredith and anxiously awaited the results. Ta da! Meredith really got her going for some fun shots. Sadly, it helped a lot that I wasn't there... another topic entirely. Anyway, you can see more of the photos here. I'm so pleased. The more I learn about photography the more I value Meredith's skills and the beautiful portraits she creates. There is a big difference between having a nice camera then applying tons of Photoshop actions like I attempt to do and a true, quality image. There are few things I treasure more than the pictures that capture these most precious little daughters of mine. Plus, for a short time she is offering a mini-session just perfect for back to school shots at half her usual rate, including a print and a selection of fully-edited digital images.

I'm having a hard time believing she is old enough for school already. She asked me if I'd miss her while she is in school. Of course I will. It will be a big change for us. Then she asked what I'm going to do when she goes to college. Whoah! Let's not rush things. I'm definitely not ready to be thinking about that moment. The girls are growing up too quickly as it is.

Bubble Dress by Jen

Jen from thesellers.net shared this post with not one, but two adorable little bubble dresses that she'd made made using my tutorial. What a cute little model, non? I'm loving her blog, especially all the cute projects she does with her daughter. Thank you so much for sharing Jen!

Pattern Review: Butterick 5320

My cousin recently asked me to help her make a bridesmaid's dress for an upcoming wedding. They could choose their own pattern, but not the fabric. Good thing she is a gorgeous blonde with bright blue-green eyes. I don't think I could pull off this electric blue as well as she can. As far as the dress itself goes, I think it is a really feminine style. I love the ruffled collar, but I'm just loving ruffles right now. The collar is not a simple ruffle. It has a a lining underneath that is almost a spiral. I've pressed the collar down here, but you could get pretty dramatic with this collar if you let it stand up a little. The dress is fully lined, and has deep pockets at the side. I felt like I was cutting out pieces forever, but once I started sewing it came together pretty quickly.
My least favorite part of the dress is the sleeves. I don't think half sleeves are very flattering. I was worried that they'd look like football shoulderpads. Luckily, again, my cousin is very petite and can pull it off. Sleeveless was not an option, and I tried a couple of different sleeves, but decided, too late, that to get the sleeve I'd like I'd have to alter the entire arm hole. So, I stuck with the original sleeves this time around. If I were to make it again, I'd try a different sleeve making adjustments to the pattern BEFORE everything is cut out. I'm imagining it in a charcoal with long, non-puffed sleeves, over a turtleneck and boots... kind of like a trench coat. Yep, already thinking of fall clothes... don't get me wrong. I'm not wishing away summer. I just love fall clothes – especially boots.

You can see I lengthened the skirt a little so it hits just below the knee instead of just above the knee.

One tip for the collar: I wanted the pleats to be exact so I wouldn't have any problems attaching it to the dress. It is the focal point of the dress. I created a template piece from the collar pattern out of another piece of stiffer paper, cutting out the notches. I used this to guide my markings which I made using a disappearing ink pen. It took a minute to make the template but made the marking easier and more precise.

Refashion: The Cropped Pant

I liked the cropped pants on this jumpsuit... how they hit just below the knee. It's a little different length than the other cropped pants/shorts I have.

I had this pair of pants below that are linen. I like how they fit at the waist and hips, but they were too short to be pants and only tied on one side so they hung funny when they were rolled up. So I chopped them off, moved the ties higher and made a casing for elastic to gather the bottom.
Now I might actually wear these pants again. Thanks again to my 5-year-old photographer. I actually kind of liked the unusual angles and cropping that resulted. The rain was just beginning to fall as we were taking some pics. You can see the drops on the ground. It turned into quite the summer down-pour. Mmmnnn. I love the smell of rain.