Tova Top: Plaid Lawn

My 2nd Tova Top from Wiksten  (you can see the 1st here) . The fabric is a sheer Marc Jacobs cotton voile from Mood. The size is a large with no alterations to the size (I'm 5'7 with a 36D chest) I only shortened the sleeves . I underlined it in an also sheer white batiste (scroll down to see the garment from the inside). I love this top. love it! I wasn't so sure about the 1st one I made but I really like it now and wear it often. 

I did the front yoke (?) on the bias and underlined it in the same plaid on the bias.  That was a tough decision and I had to google it but didn't have much luck finding advice on that topic (underlining or even just lining something on the bias and whether the lining should also be on the bias..or not). I did them both bias and love it. It worked great and has been washed several times and the yoke has not gone wonky or stretched out. I used that quilting basting spray stuff to keep my underlined fabric stuck to my outside fabric so it wouldn't shift while sewing.

The top inside out. 

The majority of the top is underlined in batiste. The sleeves are not lined at all and the yoke is underlined in the same plaid.

Below is an embroidery I did ages ago. It's a combination of a black apple drawing and an embroidery pattern (the frame/vines) from Sadie & Oliver on Etsy.

Ice Cream Dress/Top

 Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress/Tunic. I made a size 5 with an 8 size length. Ava's measurements are: 25" chest, 24" waist and 25" hip. She is 7 and about 45" tall. It's a perfect fit with not much room for growth. The fabric is Anna Maria Horner Voile from the Little Folks line.

This is my first time making it and I liked it a lot. Easy and so cute. 

I've been in a sewing slump. I don't know what it is. The tiny apartment that's like a cave maybe or that I talk myself out of things. I spend way too much time going through my patterns and fabric trying to make a match and then can't decide. I do have stuff to show and blog though just not like I use to. 

Tucker and Tate knock-off

The green top is from the brand Tucker and Tate. The blue floral is my knock-off version.

Both the blue floral and the red and white stripe on the one I made are from Joann's and the blue is like a voile. I copied the shirt by laying it down and tracing and adding seam allowance. The neck doesn't lay as flat as I'd like but I don't know how to fix that. I guess I shouldn't have dropped out of fashion design...

I already made another one out of Anna Maria Horner Voile and while the fabrics I used are GORGEOUS the fabric sewed up much different than this voile (that I'm not sure is a voile or a lawn or just a really thin cotton). The neck is wonky because the AMH voile is so soft and thin. I'll blog that soon.

I am really wanting to copy a bunch of the girls ready made clothes because I'm just not seeing many kids patterns out there that I want to make.  

I love the back.

Edelweiss Dress Blog Tour

Today is my turn to show off the Edelweiss top I made Ava!

The pattern is called the Edelweiss Dress from Hey June by Adrianna over at Crafterhours. 

That woman is funny and sooo talented and inspiring but really it's the funny that I love the most! I know if we lived in the same place we'd be BFF's. I found Adrianna and her blogging sista, Susan, through my coworkers at the fabric store in Stuttgart. I can't remember where they were living but it was also in Europe! Americans in Europe; we search each other out! At that point I had only been in Germany for a couple of years and was soooo excited to "meet" other American bloggers overseas.  

So anyway, she had posted this dress and I immediately searched to see if I could buy the pattern. It wasn't out yet but she then said she needed testers and I (like the other ladies who wanted to test it) eagerly said I would LOVE to give it a go! I think this dress had me at the ruffles. And the fabrics she chose (here's the original that I fell in love with) were so adorable. As you can see I was inspired by her choices and made mine out of Anna Maria Horner Voile. It's perfect for voile. The little straps...sigh. they are sooo dainty and adorable on Ava's hairy shoulders and back...

I did not put the buttons on yet. I couldn't decide on straight in the back or criss-crossed and we had one beautiful day last week so I jumped at the chance to take the photos in pretty sunny weather not knowing it was going to be in the upper 90's this week. I think the criss-cross straps win. 

The bodice is lined in the same voile as the straps and I think I made a size 4/5? or Just 5? I can't remember how the sizing goes.. but it was super easy to make. I love how Adrianna writes her patterns. 

Below: I had to show this side underarm fat photo (and her dry skin). 

She was so done with me taking photos.

I opted to make the tunic version and not the dress because Ava is ....messy and the dress would get snagged on stuff and I just liked it with shorts. After this photo shoot she got on the trampoline and ripped part of the top where the safety pins are..

of course she did. 

I am sooooo in love with this top and want one in my size. Thank you Adrianna for letting me test your awesome pattern and for keeping me entertained and inspired with your blog:)

Apple shirt

H&M top on the left (lady bugs) and my version on the right (apples).

I've had this brown lady bug top for ever (Emily wore it and now Ava) and I even have a mushroom version and a white version with cats; all 3 from H&M. I LOVE this silhouette. It's soooo cute on little girls and if you pair it with the right jeans or shorts it's timeless. So I searched for a similar looking pattern and found this one. I think it's pretty close.

*cuckoo clock from Pottery Barn Kids about 5 years ago.

The pattern is McCalls 6388. I only had it starting in size 6 so that is what I made for Ava but it's too big in the neck area (which I have found to be very common from the big pattern companies). It was also WAY to big in the sleeves but I was able to redo those..after I had already sewed one on. I redid the back closer too. I didn't want 3 buttons to close it and an overlap.

*Green sweater is from H&M.

I added a lot of top stitching because it was very plain and looked homemade. It's weird how just little details can make something look store bought vs. homemade (but I guess that's also subjective).  The apple fabric is stuff I bought while in Japan last November.  I bought 3 or 4 meters of this I think. It feels like a voile but with a poly/cotton feel (not in a gross polyester way but I think I can just tell  there is polyester in it and It doesn't wrinkle.) When I worked at Yardage City, the owner would give me lessons on how to tell what's in a fabric by feel and by smell and by smell after you burn some of it. Or what color the flame is while it burns. Most of it went in one ear and out the other since there were SO many things to remember:)...anyway, the bodice part is lined in an off white batiste and no interfacing. I'm really into not interfacing garments lately..I think I abused it too much in the past ..

See how it gapes at the neck? She's wearing a tank top under.

I only had this one green button with a shank so that's what I used! 

School House Tunic

I finally made this top that everyone at the shop has already made.

(Corinnea, Katelyn, Jenny, Lizy, Kara, Kelly and who else...)

I got the ties-on-the-side idea from Kara. Thanks Kara!

The School House Tunic and fabric is Anna Maria Horner Voile. It's like butter. Truly. What made me finally make it was Jenny's new top here. Something about how hers was more fitted in the bust and I love it. I made the 10/12 without any modifications to fit except adding the side ties and sleeve ties.

I added some details to make it more fitted, less boxy. I'm already shaped like a box in the waist/hip area (a.k.a. Jenny Square Pants) I don't need my clothes making it worse!

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Photo of Emily taken after her birthday party.

This is Emily on the left and Ava on the right. Both at age 2.5 years and in the same bikini.

I'm on the 5th book of the Sword of Truth Series and listening to book 2 on audio while I sew. Can you tell I love these books?

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Yesterday we found out that the military is NOT covering our tickets home to visit. NOT GOING TO PAY FOR THEM (at least not till after we move). Long story but we think we've got a way to pay for our tickets now ($4000 thank you very much!). It involves pimping Jon out. Any takers?