First Communion Dress

Louisa celebrated her First Communion on Saturday, and somehow or another I managed to make her dress.

I used the Oliver + S Fairy Tale Dress, view B, size 7 bodice, size 8 skirt. I added some pintucks to the bodice and lace to the arm binding.

My Favorite Oliver + S Pattern

Hi friends! I'm over at the Oliver + S blog today rounding up my Sunday Brunch Jackets—my pick for favorite O + S pattern, although there were several in the running!

It was a lot of fun to be able to participate in their "favorites" blog series.

Check it out!

Easter Sunday Brunch Jacket

It's another classic Oliver + S Sunday Brunch Jacket! This time I really had Sunday brunch in mind!

Little Lottie will wear this sweet, spring jacket on Easter Sunday later this month when we go to brunch at the Boar's Head Inn with my family. It's become a tradition, and one Louisa looks forward to starting on Easter Monday.

Double Gauze Sketchbook Shirt

Happy New Year! I am hoping to keep my sewing momentum going in the new year, and complete more projects, especially ones that are more likely to get a lot of wear. I have a tendency to sew special things, which can be very gratifying, but this year I'd like to sew a few more "everyday" pieces for everyone (even the husband!).

But first, to wrap up 2015 sewing, I have one more Oliver + S Sketchbook Shirt I made for Leo this fall. He wore this for school picture day, but unlike Louisa's Brooklyn Bridge dress, it was actually complete in time. :)

Brooklyn Bridge Fairy Tale Dress

As most of you know by now,  I love New York. We lived in Brooklyn for a few years and I have a lot of attachment to the bridge, as a symbol of Brooklyn, a beautiful national landmark, and because of my fond memories of crossing it in my old Volvo 240 while in labor with Louisa to get to the hospital in Manhattan.

So, I had picked out this Leah Duncan fabric for something special long ago, and I finally completed this dress for Louisa in October. She actually wore it for school picture day, although it hadn't yet been hemmed, because I just had to go to bed at some point (circle skirts—phew!).

I used the Oliver + S Fairy Tale Dress, again with a slightly lengthened bodice. This time I included the sleeves and collar, which I kind of regretted leaving off her Easter dress.

I modified the skirt to make it a circle skirt, using measurements of the bottom edge of the completed bodice to determine the circumference. Even though I tried to compensate for the stretch of the bias, it still ended up a little too big, so I pleated it with small box pleats at each of the bodice darts so that everything lined up.

Wildwood Swingset Skirt

I decided to join in last week's Oliver + S Swingset Skirt Sew-along and made Lottie one out of leftover pieces of Elizabeth Olwen Wildwood (also seen here.)

I made the size 12-18 months and used Gail's tips for making a contrast waistband.

Hermione Granger Costume

Louisa loves Harry Potter and so do we. She is reading the Sorcerer's Stone for the 4th time right now. Hermione is so smart and brave and I was very happy that she chose her for Halloween this year.

I made the robe, the blouse and the skirt.

Butterfly Blouse and Bubble Shorts

One of the best things about having this little sewing blog has been making a real-life sewing friend in my town, Erin. She and her sister Caroline are an inspiration to me in many, many ways, sewing and beyond.

(Today was an especially good day for the hungie gungie clan because baby (or not-so-baby) Wes had no glow in his scans and is living cancer-free after a long and strenuous treatment for stage four neuroblastoma. YAY!)

While at a much needed ladies' night out (at my current favorite restaurant), Erin gave me Lottie a pair of her adorable bubble shorts, in a fabulous Leah Duncan print (from morning walk). Size 12 months, in case you are shopping for your own. Thank you, Erin!

So as to have a better excuse to blog these super-cute bottoms, I set to work making a top to go with them. Yes, the print on print is a little much, but this is a baby, and I was working from my stash.

Fairy Tale Dress and Matching Bow Tie

As I mentioned before, the "big kids" were also dressed in Palos Verdes voile for Easter. I made Louisa an Oliver + S Fairy Tale Dress.

This was my first time at the pattern, and I really didn't find it too difficult, but I left off the collar and sleeves. I was trying to make it looks a little more modern/grown-up, but afterwards I really wished that I'd kept both. I thought about adding at least the collar towards the end, but decided it was too much trouble. Next time!

Lullaby Layette for Baby's First Easter Dress

For Lottie's first Easter, I made her a little spring dress from the Oliver + S Lullaby Layette pattern.

I was completely inspired by youandmie's Lullaby Layette creations while I was still pregnant with little Lottie last year. This body suit with the ruffle sleeve modification (with tutorial!) and this dress modification of the shirt. Both are so beautiful!

Lullaby Layette Jacket and Little Geranium Dress for Lottie

To match her big sister's Wildwood Library Dress I made Lottie a Little Geranium dress and matching Oliver + S Lullaby Layette jacket.

I used the Elizabeth Olwen Wildwood prints from Louisa's dress and the rest of my Michael Miller organic sherpa from Lottie's hat.

The jacket is reversible and the sherpa is oh-so-cozy. I made size 0-3 months. She is 3 months in these pictures and she is still wearing the jacket now at almost 6 months, although the sleeves are getting a little short.

Another Oliver + S Sketchbook Shirt

 I made another Oliver + S Sketchbook Shirt for Leo. Size 4. I will probably invest in the larger pattern now that he has grown out of this one because I really like this shirt. The bottom is a bit wide (almost flared?), but it looks cute on him and I enjoy sewing it a lot.

This time I tackled the long sleeved cuffed version. It is very satisfying because it looks sew tricky but the instructions are very clear.

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!

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.

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.

Family Reunion Dress for UVA Graduation

This past weekend my husband graduated from medical school. Woohoo! In honor of the occasion, I made Louisa a blue and orange UVA dress. Wahoowa!

This is the oliver + s Family Reunion Dress in size 5 with no alterations.

The fabric is from Jo-Ann, from their "premium quilt fabric" collection, which appears to be significantly higher quality than their regular lines. This is DS Quilts Collection Meadow Lark Circle Tile by Denyse Schmidt. The solids are Kona Cotton in Navy and Tangerine.

Ice Cream Dress

I recently realized that my oliver + s Ice Cream Dress pattern, bought long ago, was still untouched. Since my copy is the 6 month to 4 year size-range—and my little girl will soon be FIVE!—I felt some urgency to sew this one up.

I bought the main fabric, which is from an older line of the Little Lisette Collection from Jo-Ann (also by Liesl of oliver + s), especially for this pattern, so it too had been sitting around a while.