Purl Bee Baby Lamb Bonnet

Introducing my littlest... Lottie Bea!

She has been keeping us smiling, tired, and a-new-kind-of busy for the last two months, after her much-anticipated 41-week arrival.

For her first Halloween, I made her a cozy little lamb hat from the Purl Bee tutorial.

Semi-Homemade Halloween: Word Girl Costume

Word up, it's Word Girl!

Louisa decided many months ago that she wanted to be Word Girl for Halloween, and I was actually impressed that it stuck! Never changed her mind at all.

Word Girl is a PBS show that they watch on Netflix... sort of a vocabulary-powered super hero.

Oliver + S Library Dress in Wildwood

I wanted to make something with this fabric line as soon as I saw it—Wildwood by Elizabeth Olwen for Cloud9 Fabrics (which happens to be 100% organic).

I thought the oliver + s Library Dress would show off a few of the prints well. And it does!

Oliver + S Sunday Brunch Jacket in Corduroy

This gift I unfortunately did not have a model for. I made this jacket for my friend's daughter, little Maeve, who was turning one. She shares a birthday with my Leo! How fun.

Oliver + S Popover Sundress and Doll Dress

So, I had a baby in August (more on that later!) and have just started to break out the sewing machine again (Halloween costumes!). But there were a couple summer projects I never shared, so here you go!

This Popover Sundress and doll dress set was a last-minute gift for an old friend of Louisa's who was turning seven. I sewed both dresses the morning before the party!

Doctor Scrubs (Simplicity 4378)

My husband is a radiology resident and happily gets to wear scrubs to work a lot. But at just over 6'6", he has a hard time fitting them well, and he needs several sets to get him through the week. I've been meaning to make him a "custom" pair for a while.

Oliver + S Bucket Hats

I made both kiddos some new bucket hats for our annual Virginia Beach trip. More Sarah Jane fabrics! The pattern is in Little Things to Sew (which I have and love) but also a free download here.

The hats are reversible, but I let them choose their own fabrics from my stash, so the two sides don't coordinate quite as much as I would have liked, but the point was for the kids to actually wear them, so—success!

Fourth Birthday Sketchbook Shirt

Leo needed a special mommy-made garment for his birthday, too, of course. ;) He selected this Sarah Jane print from her Children at Play line (Making Paper Hats in Aqua) from my stash. 

I made it into an oliver + s Sketchbook Shirt. And thank goodness, because I bought that pattern three years ago in the 6 month - 4T size range... made it just under the wire.

Edelweiss Dress for a Six-Year-Old and her 18" Doll

I just realized this is the third year in a row that I have sewed Louisa a summer dress in sarah jane prints! This year it is Wee Wander, Summer Night Lights in Magenta. The bodice is Meandering in Petal.

The pattern is the Edelweiss Dress by hey june of Crafterhours.

I sewed the buttons on the long tab (rather than the left side as written) so that I could move them when she is bigger, but for now the extra width is hidden when the buttons are hooked. The skirt is plenty long so there is room to grow!

Ruched Maternity Skirt and Shirt

No one wants to spend a lot of money on maternity clothes that are only going to be worn for a few months, (especially when one is pretty sure this is her last pregnancy.) So, it is tempting to go to Target or Old Navy and just buy some cheap-o pieces and move on. Which, I admit, I have done. But, let's get real—"fast fashion" is bad. Bad for the environment, bad for the American economy, and most especially, bad for the people who make the clothes. Rana Plaza has taught most people nothing. So, with all that in mind, I bought some fab Megan Nielsen patterns and decided to take at least some of my maternity wardrobe into my own two hands.

Farmhouse Table DIY

Last fall, when construction on our new house was nearly complete, A.J. used some vacation time to build a farmhouse table for our new dining room. He started with these plans from Ana White, but made some modifications based on some of the brag posts from her website, and on our own ideas and needs.

I liked the look of the original plan, and of the farm tables from Restoration Hardware (this one and this one), which were our original inspiration, but we wanted something we could pull up chairs to all the way around and not have crossbars in the way of feet and knees at the table.

Cargo Duffle Bag

I am breaking my rather long blog-silence to show off a project I am pretty proud of—my Cargo Duffle Bag! Another great pattern from Noodlehead (free from Robert Kaufman Fabrics).

I used my new favorite fabric line, Tule by Leah Duncan for Art Gallery Fabrics (which I bought from Hawthorne Threads). I love these prints. The main fabric is Meadow Vale in Bright, the pocket and handle accent fabric is Floras Oasis in Naranja, and the lining (both pockets and bag interior) is Terrain in Cactus. The bottom accent and bottom gusset is Essex Yarn Dyed in Denim from Robert Kaufman.

I referenced Anna's tips here, as well as some tips from the sew-along hosted here, and I used skirt as top's lining instructions.

Rebecca's Sunday Brunch Jacket

Louisa got an American Girl doll from Santa this year, and it has been fun. After much debate, she requested Rebecca, the Russian Jewish New Yorker growing up in 1914. We've been soaring through the books, especially Kit's series. And best of all, Rebecca's arrival finally got me to unpack my sewing things in our new house.