Knot Dress Pants

I wanted to design some pants to coordinate with the knot dress collection I've been making. I think this design with a medium width and a large ruffle (tall but not too poofy) look pretty good. I think they would do pretty well on their own, paired with a t-shirt and hoody for everyday wear too. These were pretty easy to make using my new serger to finish up the seams nicely. I can't believe how tidy a finished item seems to me now that I know all the seams are locked up! I'll probably get around to a special post dedicated to my serger soon... it must be love. But for now, here are the first pics of the new pants.

Holy Handbags Batman!

Yes indeed. I needed to give handbags a try. I simply have too much cute fabric and only one child... so I had to find something to make besides children's clothing. I think these two bags turned out pretty cute...

The blue bag is a giant bubble bag. I think it has a lot of personality! It's made of a houndstooth corduroy material that will hold up really well and it looks great with jeans. I embellished the top section with a really luxe upholstry trim. The inside is lined and has a pocket.



The green and yellow bag is more like a tote or book bag. I have been carrying it everyday since I made it for quick walking trips to the grocery store or quick trips out in the car, like when I need to pick my husband up from the train in the rain, or when I need to run to the craft store (all too often!). And it is very convenient for wearing when pushing a stroller since it is far less bulky than a diaper bag and it doesn't slip off your shoulder. I can't believe I went this long without one. I even discovered the other night that the strap is long enough that I didn't even have to take it off when I got in the car. It just sat off my right hip, just far enough away from the belt buckle, that I didn't even feel it. Niiiiice! Oh and I almost forgot to mention that the wonderful main fabric on the tote is Amy Butler of course. Love her designs SOOOO much!

Beautiful Fabric!

I have become a fabric hound. Really, it's an obsession. I just bought a bunch of really cute prints on Etsy.com. I love Etsy. Not only is it a place to showcase (and hopefully sell) some of my handywork, but it's a place to connect with other people like me and get inspiration as well as supplies. The fabric store I'm liking the best right now is Fabric Supplies by Charlie. Click here to check out his huge selection. I think many of these fabrics can be used to make great baby gifts. Whether it's the simple stuff like burp cloths and bibs, or the fancy - fancy like my knot dresses, these fabrics rock. If you buy something from Charlie (a dad of two!) tell him that you stopped by his shop because Mommy Said Sew! Haha!

Reversible Pinafore Tops

These versatile tops were such a snap to whip up once I figured out the design. The beauty is that each requires only one cut of 2 fabrics following the same pattern. The only thing to sew is the outside edge of the whole design and then the ribbon attachment to join the two straps. And something I like even more... no button holes, no buttons, no knot straps, no closures of any kind. These should go over my daughter's head quickly, leaving plenty of room for her to get her arms through - and voila: the perfect way to add beautiful fabrics over a basic wardrobe of jeans and a turtleneck in cold months or cropped leggings and a t-shirt in the summer. I can't decide which is my favorite. I love the sophistication of the black and white damask and the artsy flowers. But then I am also in love with the Heather Ross Mendocino fabrics, those mermaids are just lovely - so unexpected for children's clothing and in such great fall colors.

Amy Butler Daisy Chain Dress

This latest dress is another attempt at a design to really show off a favorite print. In this instance, we have an Amy Butler fabric called Daisy Chain as the main part of the dress. I thought it would look nice with a subtle leopard print. (I just can't deny my love of animal prints - you can see a hint of zebra in yesterday's posting!) I threw in the double ruffle from the inspiration dress I saw on Etsy. I think this turned out pretty cute. The leopard layer might be a tad too long. However I think I prefer the simplicity of the AH dress from yesterday. I think I'll restrict myself to using 3+ prints in knot dresses only for the near future. What do you think folks - leave a comment telling me if you prefer this design (AB) or yesterday's design (AH) better.

Wow Factor

This dress really has some WOW factor! I love this print by Alexander Henry and was waiting for the right design to really showcase it. I spotted a dress by another home sewer on Etsy that had two fabrics put together with an asymmetrical hem and decided it was a great way to show off a favorite print. My model, however, was not keen on showing off the finished product. Above is the best picture I could get of her. Plus she picked a spot with a very distracting background to finally hold still. Oh well. So here are a few still shots of the dress in repose...

A Knot Collection

Here is the newest knot dress - hot off the sewing machine (ok, it's really hot off the ironing board where I just pressed the seams.) Is it ok for a toddler to wear a dress that has mermaids on the apron? I think yes! They are modest mermaids - cleverly applied starfish and all.


As you can see, my daughter has a growing collection of knot dresses. I just can't help myself. When have I ever seen a design that requires so many fabrics and ribbons?! I feel like these dresses are my way of giving a big hug to the people who design fabrics I love. Right now some favorites are Amy Butler (dress featuring daisy chain coming soon), Alexander Henry (bless you for partnering with JoAnn Fabrics), Joel Dewberry (brown and turquoise in the dress on left), Heather Ross (mermaids on the dress on left) and whoever invented corduroy (may he or she be richly rewarded in heaven). The only downside is the frequency with which I have to change the thread in my machine. Most of these babies take 4 different thread colors.

I've gotten so much positive feedback from friends and even total strangers over these dresses, so I'm going to offer them for sale in my Etsy store. Check them out here.

Happy October

Since it's officially October, I can start dressing my daughter in yummy Halloween outfits right?! This cute 2 piece number has the most tasteful Halloween print I could find at my local JoAnn Fabrics (I started looking to late to place an online order). I think pairing it with an army green corduroy kicks up the taste level. I found cute pumpkin buttons to attach the ribbon straps with and then finished it off with a tie on the back to allow me to control the fullness in the swing top... which turned out much fuller than I thought it would be, but that's what I get for not using a pattern.