Spring Fever Sewing
When mild weather and spring flowers first shyly showed their faces, Elora and I caught spring fever. One afternoon she nosed through my fabric stash for favorite fabrics that might become new dresses, shirts or skirts. I got right in the spirit, dreaming along with her about projects and fun fabric combinations until we had gathered a happy group of ideas.
The two fabrics on the left (Tilda Cloudpie Grape + Anna Maria Horner butterflies) might become a Geranium dress. The aqua strawberries (Heather Ross Trixie) would be a sweet Easter dress and the Trixie Mice - well, they are perfect every way. Hmmm - - - I could combine this small cut of the mice with that pretty Tilda Pie in the Sky green floral to make a charming summer top or skirt.
It feels fantastic to brim with ideas and see possibilities everywhere. And we made a start too! We’ve even already sewn the Heather Ross butterfly print into Elora’s first sewing project. However, mostly I’ve learned not to pressure myself to fulfill all those dreams when spring fever strikes. I often get a flood of clothes-sewing ideas in the spring , but that doesn’t mean I have to sew every idea that once struck my fancy. We shall see and follow our hearts.
Today I started on that strawberry dress. Easter is around the corner, after all. I am sewing the Marissa dress again, size 5/6. I followed the SisBoom Marissa Dress pattern when I sewed my very first dress, way back in 2011. Aria was then age seven. What a delicious sort of deja vu to return to the pattern for Elora. This is one of the great things about growing older, isn’t it?
Today I sewed the bodice, which features Tilda Cloudpie in Tealgreen for the contrast waistband. I’ve learned over the years that I like this pattern best with a little contrast for the waistband, but not too much. I hope this fabric combo will strike that balance.
With any luck, a finished dress on Monday!
Hmm - - - I am not sure in which order to layer the chiffon: emerald over white or white over emerald. The one is more dramatic and the other creates a softer look, which contrasts less with the bodice. Will you weigh in?
Ok, pattern - check. Colors - check. Time to shop for fabric! The Chloe dress uses a lot of fabric, even with the tea length version. If you use tulle for the skirt, it involves two layers of tulle, a layer of netting and a layer of lining. Wow!
This summer Elora gets to be the flower girl in her big sister’s wedding! Today I have gathered up options from Violette Field Threads, a pattern company with quite an impressive collection of delightful girls’ dresses.
Yesterday, when it was quite overcast, little miss braved the cool weather for a lightning fast photo op. We dashed out our front door, across to the road to the daffodils and were back inside in less than five minutes! Aren’t you glad she was a good sport?
When mild weather and spring flowers first shyly showed their faces, Elora and I caught spring fever. One afternoon she nosed through my fabric stash for favorite fabrics that might become new dresses, shirts or skirts. I got right in the spirit, dreaming along with her. Today I started on that strawberry dress.
Happy Holidays! It seems that every year I sew something festive, whether gifts, kids clothes or decor for our home. It’s always a treat to sew with holiday fabrics. And, as you can see, something this Christmas-y puts everyone in a joyful mood!
June has finally brought warm weather to The Netherlands. After an unusually long and cool spring, we’re feeling the sun on our legs and looking for some water to splash around in. Time to welcome summer with a new sundress!
The Elona dress is finished! We have some deliciously autumnal photos to share with you, but first my report on the making.
When it comes to sewing play clothes for my little girl, I don’t want to spend a lot of time fussing with fine details. I like something, like this simple jumper dress, that comes together quickly. Extra points if it shows off the fabric!
This time I paired two printed fabrics in a capsleeve version of the Geranium dress. I started with the Trixie Collage print by Heather Ross for Windham Fabrics. It’s so very, very adorable, isn’t it? And such a fun fabric…
Have you seen Heather Ross’ new collection for Windham Fabrics? It’s called Trixie, and as usual it’s super-sweet and absolutely perfect for little girls. Naturally, these fabrics had me dreaming of a little dress for Elora.
This week is Elora Faye’s birthday week! We’ll get to celebrate her birthday along with Thanksgiving, and a more fitting combination I cannot imagine.
Oh, I can’t wait to show you this jumper… Ta da! It’s just what I was hoping for! The “Elizabeth Plum floral and jumper styling are nice for fall, but it’s cool enough to wear in our warm southern weather.
Look, I made an Easter dress! It's not what I set out to make, but I'll take it! I chose to make baby Rora a dress in double gauze, because it's such a soft, delightful fabric for warm southern spring weather.
You know I'm hopeless about mint these days. Mint everything! But to be fair, I think the color will bring out the reddish tones in Rora's strawberry blond hair.
I thought you might like a little update on Eleni. Since we last talked she has been stable in the NICU and seems to move her body more...
Well, it’s finished! The eyelet madeira bodice is what I like most about the dress. It’s so sweet and so perfect for a wedding. Now, if only we can keep it clean for most of Aria’s wedding day, haha!