Wanna test my pattern?

so you've all seen this dress, right?

I mean, I've made 7 versions in 3 weeks, so hopefully you've seen it.

I have the pattern pieces all done, as PDFs, ready to go....
sizes 18m-5T (for reference, I'd make the Bean a 2T. She's 36" tall and 26 lbs. BUT she has no store bought clothes, so I dunno what she'd be in store sizes. I used standard growth charts for my sizing.)

and I have photographs of the whole process, with instructions (for now) on each of the photos, (or written out as a Word Doc)

But I need some pattern testers...
both to check my drafting, and to tell me where I'm over- or under-explaining...

It's definitely advanced beginner, but it's NOT hard. Maybe a little fiddly. (you can totally do it tired at night, but not while your children are awake and interupting)

I really like it because, with the shirred empire waist, and the cased-elastic neckline, it's basically impossible to make the wrong size.

(the top dress is a size 4T, the 4th dress is an 18m, the last dress is a 3T, all the rest are 2Ts.)
Oh, and if you'd rather, it's also a top. I put cutting lines for making a top (i.e., pictures 4 and 6), if you want...
send me an email or comment, (i'll close comments when I have enough testers), and I'll get back to you RIGHT away.
THANKS in advance!

Polka Dot BoPeep

So last night, I HAD to put all other projects aside, and play with this AMAZINGLY cute fabric.

polka dots win all the cuteness points, right?

close-up of big rose clip

I made rose clips from the scraps. 1 big, from both fabrics, 1 small, from the mostly-coral-fabric

here's the back

wanna see it EVEN CUTER:

she likes it.
why?
because it has pockets.

pockets with butterscotch chips.
yes, I bribe my model.

she insisted on having BOTH roses in her hair,
(even though 1 was meant to stay on the dress.)

I didn't put elastic in the sides of the neckline, because I was SO in love with the sweetheart curve it made.
this one is a perfect 3T, which is too big for this little munchkin, but it's in my grandma's favorite colors, so we're keeping it.
LOVE. (ps, I may have made matching ruffled bloomers from the leftover mostly-white-fabric, but I'm not posting pics up my daughter's skirt.)

this one has pockets.

well, the last dress was NOT a hit. the Bean loved it, and was all excited to wear it, put it on quite happily, posed for pics (as seen a little while ago), and then realized that it had no pockets.
instant tantrum. but the print is so busy and pretty that my scraps-large-enough-to-become-pockets clash.

pockets!

up close, you can see the shirred neckline.

So here's the new dress. I'm loving this VERY simple dress pattern I drafted last night.

pockets are meant to be filled.
by anything handy.
like rocks.

In my head, it's already available in multiple sizes, and I'm struggling with naming it. the only name that works right now is the Very Simple Dress.

lots and lots of rocks. even if they are heavy
and rip the pocket.

That's not a horrible name, though, right?

because pockets are for filling.

Very Simple Dress. start to finish (cutting and all), well under an hour.

dress success

I think it's going to be my new go-to gift for all little girls.

so I'm working on a hat pattern...

Because D needs a new hat, and I am going to make some for his teachers, as end of the year gifts. (just WAIT till you see the fabrics D chose for his preschool teachers. SO PRESCHOOL)

D is semi-graciously letting me use his head to test my prototypes.
But then, it turned out he wasn't D, he was Robin Hood, and he needed a green hat to be Robin Hood. So I grabbed some felt, and made him a tunic and a hat.

luckily we have oodles of feathers, and C and D went off for a walk in the woods (aka the fire road in one of the canyons), and collected some sticks, and made a bow and arrow.

pretty tough (CUTE!) little Robin Hood, right?
(and now back to work on the hat)

skirt refashion

just a quick one...
someone (1 of 3 friends, can't remember which one) gave me this skirt, adult size L, but with an elastic waist, so there was LOTS of fabric. (yes, friends give me large old skirts, JUST so I can cut them up. I have awesome friends).

here's the dress!

elastic shirring on the neckline, front and back

light and airy, perfect for summer

matching hair bow

I actually had enough of the skirt to make TWO (mostly) identical dresses (each with a bow). and since I don't remember who gave me the skirt originally, I'll be  sending one of these off to my friend Emily, for her little girl. 

just because.

summer!

Despite the June Gloom we wake to every morning (or perhaps because of it), SUMMER is officially here in Pedro.
how do I know?
It's blackberry season! My dad has a whole wall covered in blackberry vines, and since we're petsitting for him right now, we're there at least once a day, and can eat our fill.
yesterday, there were just TOO many to eat, so we packed up 2 little containers, and came home, planning to bake a pie.
But I don't actually like pie (I know, I'm strange. I also don't like coffee, tea, or chocolate. I have accepted my shortcomings.).
ANYway, after a desperate search through EVERY cookbook I know, I called my grandmother, and over the phone we cobbled together a recipe for Blackberry Turnovers.

Are you drooling yet? (btw, that's C's coffee. he loves it as much as I hate it).
SO so so good. totally worth the 7 or 8 hours to make the puff pastry from scratch. SOOOOO good.
would anyone like the recipe?

HI HI HI!

YAY! we're back!

ok, so, as mentioned previously, I'm trying to improve my knit-sewing abilities...

so I ripped up an ugly old knit nightgown of mine, and turned it into this cute Bo Peep top for the Bean:

she seems to like it, right?

there's a little puckering on the side seams, but I can't remember if I ironed it or not, so the puckering might go away. I used a weird honeycomb stitch all along the neckline and sleeves, so that worked out pretty well...

she had a GREAT time posing, because I let her hold my phone...

I didn't shir this one, because the jersey is very thick, and it's pretty warm in these parts already, and that just seemed like it'd be too hot.
anyway, fun times....

What to do when Picasa and Blogger conspire against you:

make carnitas
and Cheez-its.
(we don't eat them together or anything, but that's what I'm making tonight.)
both recipes are linked to my recipes of choice. not that I've tried others, but when the 1st one you try is AWESOME, why keep looking for more?
hope you all have a wonderful night!
Ramona

Hello?????

I'm having massive problems with Blogger and Picasa today, they won't let me upload any pictures.

This is mostly a test, I want to post a KNIT version of the Bo Peep Dress.

I also want to scream at the computer for not cooperating. 

this is NOT user error. Picasa just won't connect, and I dunno how to fix it. 

sometimes i really wonder if blogging is worth the aggravation. 

KNITS!

So I successfully made a shirt from KNIT fabric yesterday!

I guessed on the sleeve length, so they're a little long, but the collar looks nice, right?

I also didn't have 2 spools of green thread, so I couldn't use a twin needle, to make it look better, but it totally came out good enough for a 4 year old.

he was super excited to have a new shirt, and be the star of a photoshoot...

(gratuitous photo because I love my kiddos.)

Little Bo Peep Dress

WOOHOO!

Ok, yesterday was the Sew for my Guild, so I packed everything up, and made this dress, photographing ALL the steps, so tonight, hopefully, I'll have a chance to type out all the directions, and then, hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have a PDF pattern ready to go!

front

back

My munchkin has WAY too many dresses already, so this one's gonna go to the Etsy shop...

imp

I have just enough of the Teapot fabric to do another one, exactly the same or smaller, so I'm thinking of making another and selling them for sisters....

horrible posture!

we took almost 300 pictures of her this morning, as she got her first haircut yesterday, and we need new headshots

so exciting!

anyway, isn't it a cute dress?

my little bookworm

oh, she stickered the endpages.