Regency Gown

This week I went on a 2 day vacation with the kids to see family, did a mini remodel of the laundry room with the help of my wonderful mother-in-law (photos coming soon), and made a period dress for my lovely young friend and babysitter.

She was attending a Regency Ball and asked if I could make her gown and she let me do her hair!!!  It was so much fun!  She chose the beautiful teal fabric and I used Simplicity 4055 costume pattern.  It was an easy pattern but if I were to use it again I would replace the placket with a zipper.  I also changed the waist and added an attached sash that tied and drapped down the back. 

I added beaded trim work to the bottom overlay fabric which looked really beautiful.  I didn't hand sew the trim work around the neck as you can tell!  We were just too short on time for the fine details. 

Here is a shot of the top of her hair.  The braids went along the face and twisted in the back.  The bottom portion was left down with long curls.  She was absolutely stunning!  Sorry for the rushed photos.  We worked to the last minute to pull everything together and off she went.  Hopefully I will have more photos to show you of her in the dress enjoying a beautiful evening!

The beaded head band is what I wore in my hair for my wedding 10 years ago this past April 13th!  We got married on a Friday the 13th.  It turns out that's a lucky day for us.

Happy sewing!

Easter Dress

We had a change of plans.  With all of the family in town everyone decided to go casual so there was no need for the ruffled dress I was making for baby girl.  I will be finishing it for mothers day.  Here is a peak at how it looks so far.  I have a long way to go to get it the way I want but so far I like it.  Pink tulle didn't show up enough for me and at first the brown seemed to be too much.  It's grown on me however and I like that it has a little punk look about it.  Something about this dress reminds me so much of my baby girl.  Soft and lovely but also a little tough;)

Here is what she ended up wearing.  Do you remember the bubble romper I made and posted about here?  I didn't like the bodice at the time.  It was awkward on her.  It turns out it was just way too big for her!  I cut off the bottom and made it into a dress for Easter and it is perfect now!  I Made this out of super thin corduroy so it's not too hot and I embroidered the blue birds along the front with my machine.  The lace came off an Anthropologie cloth napkin that had been turned into a clutch a long time ago. 

So what do you think?  Is the brown tulle too much?

Ruffle knit dress

It has been a crazy week!  We've had 25 guests over the past week and it has been so much fun but I'm in a total panic over Easter.  I have the fabric for Madeline's dress and the design in mind but I decided since I'm using silk, which was a bit pricey, I better practice first.

This dress looks nothing like her Easter dress is going to look but the Easter dress will have 3 tiered ruffles.
The knit bodice with heavy ruffle skirt turned out to be a bad idea.  I wanted to play around with some tiny knit ideas I've had in my head as well as test the ruffles so I went for it.  The knit top design I love!  I can take that in all kinds of directions after I do a little tweaking to the size and shape.  Maybe even a tutorial;) 

The ruffles still need some work.  I think I've figured out how to get it right or at least I hope I have because there is no more time to practice!    The dress, even with is flaws, is actually really cute on her and I've found myself tossing it into every wash load so she can wear it again.  I think it's the knit top that makes this outfit the one I want to grab everytime.  It's so easy to put on and perfect for our pre-summer weather. 

That's it for now.  I will give you some details on how to make ruffled slips after I finish her Easter dress. 

A Charlotte Mason School Day (The early years)

A picnic under the mulberry tree.

Collecting bugs and sticks.

Enjoying God's creation

Picture study

 The Mulberry Tree

Vincent Van Gogh

Click on photo for more information

Read alouds learning math, science, and Bible.



 

Ending the day with purple hands and warm hearts. 

Happenings

Today we danced to praise music, played with our newest pet, and cleaned the house in preparation for company. 

About a month ago my crazy kids started swimming in our pool and found this little guy swimming with them.  He's bigger now than when we found him if you can believe that.  He must have hatched and took a wrong turn.  The plan was to keep him 2 weeks or so and learn about turtles but now we have become attached.

 We also received our free Celebrate Urban birds kit from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  It comes with a beautiful poster and pamphlet with lots of bird facts and if you live in an urban area you can participate by bird watching yourself and reporting back the data you collected.  How fun is that for the kiddos!  We are in a more rural area so we won't be collecting data to send but we will be collecting our own data.  I also love how The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has incorporated art into their study.  You should check out the site!

And just in case you forgot;)

Simple Skirt and Knit Shirt

Here is an outfit I whipped up to wear to to co-op today.  I was visiting MADE and saw she had a tutorial for simple skirts.  I thought that would be perfect for our Sew Smart sewing class at homeschool co-op.  I was nervous to make one for myself.  The elastic style on us grown ladies can be not so flattering at times but I really wanted to wear one to show them in person.   It actually turned out really cute!  It is comfortable and I felt like Gidget all day!  The skirt fabric is 100% organic cotton from the Beyond the Sea line by Coud9Fabrics.

I didn't have a top to match that style skirt so I whipped up this white knit top using  KWIK SEW 3844 pattern.  Talk about a super easy outfit.  It took about 2 hours for the shirt since it was my first time and the skirt came together in 30 minutes.  I highly recommend this knit top pattern!  I messed up the bottom hem a little and it is rolling up which I don't like but besides that it is super cute and comfy!  It also has a very practical fit but is still flattering.  I wore a cardigan with it during the day for a dressier look then went running in it later that evening.  Do you hear what I'm saying ladies?  LESS LAUNDRY!

Do you want to see what that room really looks like?

Ahh!  We have company coming on Monday to stay in this room for the next 2 weeks!  Wish me luck;)

Shirred Sundress for mommy.

I'm finally sewing some things for myself!  I'm always hesitate to start and I currently have about 3 other projects going right now that I question will ever be completed.  The biggest reason I don't sew for myself is the time commitment is longer and with 3 small children home all day, without television, it's impossible to finish anything in one sitting.  I tend to loose interest if it takes more that 2 or 3 sittings.  Bad habit on my part I know! 

This dress was simple so I took on the challenge.  Notice anything about this dress?  So I'm not into the matchy matchy mommy daughter thing  but now that I've finished this dress we will be getting a photo together for sure!  I actually made Madeline's sunsuit as a test run to see how the knit and the voile fabric would come together because I had this vision of a dress for me in mind.  I didn't want to cut the fabric to fit me until I was sure it would work.  It's obviously the same Anna Maria Horner Square Dance Voile fabric from Madeline's sunsuit posted about here.

I was enjoying an evening with my boys at a friends having a "practice" Easter Egg hunt.

The top is made from double stretch Jersey knit and I doubled up the fabric because it was so thin to give a little extra support.  I shirred the top to fit my bust size and added the skirt after.  I decided to add a band of 1/4" elastic to the top so it would have a better fit and be less ruffled like a child's shirred dress.  I also added a 1/4" band to the skirt at the bottom of the bust to give it a more mature shape. 

The pattern of this fabric got a little uneven with all of the gathering so i decided to add a little velvet belt.  It's attached with snaps on the sides and a snap at the bow.  I think I will put the bow in the back from now on.  I like the clean line better.  You can see in this photo how the pattern just looked a little messy under the belt.

I added slits to the sides to give it a nice flow and that was it.  I love this dress!  It will be a go to house dress for me.  It's comfortable, easy to move around in with kids and house chores, and something about it makes me feel feminine and beautiful even with the laundry piled miles high around me.

Would you like to make your own?