Shiny Ball Ornament Wreath DIY

Last night a couple local mama friends and I had a glittery craft night to make Christmas ball ornament wreaths.

There are lots of different techniques for this kind of wreath online, but this is how we did it. We worked loosely from this tutorial, but didn't take the caps off our balls.

Gilt Trip Washi Dress

I mentioned in my Weekend Sewing Workshop post that my Washi dress saga started there. Here's the full story and the finished creation. Voila! And at the beach, no less. :)

First, the basics, because this is a long post:

Pattern: Washi Dress by Made by Rae 

Fabric: Dear Stella Gilt Trip in Buds Metallic Navy (with a cheap-o navy lining from Jo-Ann)

Size: Medium, with an FBA and other alterations, including the long sleeves and a partial lining. (Those two things aren't included in the pattern but are available as tutorials on Rae's blog here and here.)

The Short Story:

After three muslins, I had a pretty dress to wear to a dear friend's beach wedding in Nags Head, NC this November. Yay!

Heather Ross Weekend Sewing in NYC

This October I was so lucky enough to attend a Heather Ross Weekend Sewing Workshop in New York City. I was happy Heather offered the NYC workshops this year without including accomodations so I could make it work. I was supposed to go in May but it ended up being my sister's college graduation weekend so I finally got away in October. It was worth the wait. Plus I am so glad I got my chance because Heather is taking a break from workshops for a year or two (the last one is in California in February!) while her daughter is young. (I left my camera at home so all pics are from my iPhone.)

I got in on the bus late Thursday night and had all day Friday to souvenir shop for the kids and hubs and catch up with a couple old friends. Friday evening the workshop started with a private shopping event at Purl Soho, (with prosecco), and then dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant with the whole group, including our other workshop teacher the fantastic Liesl Gibson of oliver + s.

Trick or Treat!

Max's Wolf Suit (Where the Wild Things Are)

And for my sweet little (not-so-wild) wild thing... Max's wolf suit!

Updated to add the above fab 5 pictures taken by the fab Cat Thrasher on Halloween Day when his buttons and whiskers were finished. :) 


Leo loves Where the Wild Things Are (and I love Maurice Sendak). We've never seen the movie but Leo has been practicing his "I'll eat you up!" and "Be still!" for weeks.

If you have never read more by him, I highly recommend the Nutshell Library (Pierre!) and Outside Over There.

I used the pattern by Jessica from Running with Scissors, available here. I made size 2, and enlarged the head for Leo's noggin, but it is a bit too short in the trunk. The pattern was easy and thorough (with links to videos for the tricky parts) and includes fox and bear (Ewok) variations.

Rose Fairy Princess Costume (Simplicity 1792)

Louisa decided long ago she was going to be a fairy for Halloween, so I got Simplicity 1792 (Disney Fairies) during a $3.99 sale. We decided on View C, but in pink and purple rather than yellow. She is calling herself a Rose Fairy Princess.

The main fabric is a pink crepe-backed satin, used for the bodice and skirt. The bodice is lined in white cotton. The sleeves and top petals are iridescent organza, and the bodice overlay and bottom petals are purple organza. The overskirt is baby pink sparkle tulle (six yards).

We picked out all the fabric together at Jo-Ann.

Knit Sailboat Top

I still have lots of this retro car interlock, so I tried it out on an oliver + s Sailboat Top for Leo for the fall.

He still loves the fabric, even though this is his third shirt in it. And the details of this top make it unique anyway.

Dogwood Dress (Simplicity 2265)

A long overdue follow up post to the father's days ties... here is what I made for Louisa: Simplicity 2265, also in "Dogwood Floral" linen-blend by April Johnston for Jo-Ann. It is fully lined with a solid peach silky rayon-blend from the same line. (Both are sold out now, sadly.) Coincidentally, both the fabric and the pattern are "Project Runway" lines.

I thought this pattern was very cute and fairly easy to sew. The only thing I wish I had done differently was to turn the sleeve binding under so it was hidden and the shoulders didn't look so wide, or else to have used the cap sleeve option from the pattern. Looking back I don't know why I didn't make the sleeves.