Sweet Cotton Candy Dress

We're onto Week 2 of Project Run and Play - Sew Along. This week's goal: Candy-Inspired Outfits. My inspiration for this project was cotton candy. To see more pink ideas go to The Dedicated House.

For this project, I made a size 12 month dress for my next granddaughter, who is due in a few months. The mother-to-be, who lives on the opposite end of the country, has always loved smocking. So to show my love long-distance, I learned to hand smock. I used a soft pink, cotton-poly, which is a bonus for a busy mom because the fabric doesn't require ironing. This is the pattern I used - a 1955 classic. 

Introducing the Sweet Cotton Candy Dress:

This dress has all the finishing touches: French seams, white piping, tuck pleats and hand smocking! 

A huge thank you to a dear friend for letting me try this candy-inspired dress on her adorable 1 year old, so I could check the sizing and snap a few photos. This cute model really just wanted someone to open a bag of candy for her. 

Below are a few photos from this dress making process.

If you've never smocked (you're in for a treat), you'll first need to get a transfer pattern like the one below. This transfer is from 1952 and due to it's age, it's done transferring... so to get it onto my fabric, I made a copy of it and then pocked a hole through each dot using a really fat needle, then I used a fabric pen and pocked the tip of the pen through the holes onto the fabric.

Tip: use a fabric pen that has to be removed with water.

Using white embroidery thread, I stitched the smocking, then unpicked the smocking, stitched, unpicked, stitched & finally on the third try, I got the stitches to look even.   

These little pink flowers are called bullion roses.  This was a new technique for me, which I learned using this tutorial. It was quite helpful...just in case you want to try it too.

I also made a ruffled diaper cover to go under the dress. Back in the 1950's a baby would wear a ruffly slip under her dress ,but that just didn't seem like something today's mother would put on her wee one. 

On the back pattern piece, I added three layers of ruffles, evenly spaced. Then I sewed the diaper cover together.

I hope the owner of this new dress likes smocking (and candy) just as much as her mother. Happy sewing! xoxo Grandma

A Little Stuffed Owl - FREE Pattern

 WHO, WHO wants to make this little stuffed owl?  

I created the pattern because I wanted an owl to put in the pocket of this dress.

For the owl pattern click here.

Supplies needed:

• Fabric scraps
• Small black beads
• Fiber Fill
• Thread
  
  I have to be honest, at first, Mr. Owl looked like a cute little penguin instead of an owl.

Now he is really soft and he's pocket size too! He's perfect for little hands. I bet your child or grandchild will want one. So pull out your scissors & soft fabric scraps & sew, sew away?  

xoxo Grandma

FALL POPOVER REMIX

So excited to show you what I've put together for Project Run and Play Season 7 Remix Challenge

I started with this Pattern: Oliver and S Popover Sundress
This may sound odd but my inspiration for this outfit's design came from the waistband I used in this upcycled project.  I unpicked it and decided it was just too pretty to throw away. Let me explain; the waistband had ribbon and one row of a running stitch already embroidered onto it - thank you Banana Republic for finishing your pants with a touch of wonderful. 

Yup, my depression era mama would be so proud with how I've learned to UPCYCLE!   I purchased the blue floral print and one skein of floss - all the rest of the supplies were upcycled.  Total cost for this outfit = $5.50

I added a layer of green machine embroidery (you know that stitch on your sewing machine that you've always wondered what to use it for) and then more hand embroidered details to create this unique contrasting border.  The final layer was a green 2" ruffle.

Then I softened the yolk turning it into a curved design, added maroon piping, more hand embroidery and a few random buttons.  

I also added a ruffled embellished pocket that Mr. Owl fits perfectly inside.
I think every little child needs a play thing in their pockets. 
Here's where you'll find the FREE Pattern to Mr. Owl.  

Next, I wanted a shirt to wear under the tunic but why buy fabric when you have a Battenburg lace pillowcase that has soft cotton and beautiful edge work and isn't being used in your home decor?  Here's the fabric I used for the peasant blouse:

   
It was tricky cutting the blouse out but I love how it completed my Fall Popover Remix outfit. 
Here's the shirt without the tunic on top of it...a perfect longer top to wear with anything.  

Next  step was to reproduce the outfit for an 18" doll.  My daughter's Samantha (a retired American Girl doll) was the perfect size & luckily it was literally collecting dust for who knows how many years on her dresser.  

Tada - Samantha in her new outfit - the link to this free pattern is found HERE

*A huge thank you to the mom of one of the adorable children that I use to teach for letting her daughter model this outfit & letting me photograph her in it. 

Happy sewing!   xoxo Grandma
See The Dedicated House for more things to make out of blue.

Measurement Charts for Children

All my grandchildren live in a different state which involve a flight or two and two of them live in a country half way across the world from me.  Sadly, right now, that's how it is but I still love sewing for them.  Because of this drive to create, I'm always asking my children to measure their children.  Yes, it's a  pain!  I've found two charts that help with measurements and thought I'd share those today.
  
3 - 12 Childrens Measurement Chart

Happy sewing!  
xoxo Grandma

Little Elephant Toy Pattern - FREE Pattern

HERE is a link to the free "Chunky Little Elephant Toy pattern as promised in this post

Instructions to make an elephant toy: 

• Cut out your elephant pattern pieces as indicated.
• Sew the gusset to the legs using as small a seam as possible.
• Sew the body and head to the gusset using as small as seam as possible.
• Sew 2 sets of ears together. (After the ears are turned, hand stitch a running pattern around the ears.)
• Turn the sewn piece right-side out.
• Sew two small black beads onto the elephant's head for his eyes.
• Stuff your elephant with batting or a poly-fill product, start by putting a little batting at a time into your elephant's trunk. Make your elephant as fat as possible!
• Sew closed the opening with a few slip stitches

The instructions and photos for making the Chunky Little Elephant's tail is Here .  

Happy elephant herd making!    xoxo Grandma

A Herd of Little Elephants

Look what my grey fabric scraps turned into, a herd of little elephants!  

On Tuesday, I'll post a pdf pattern so you can make your own elephant herd. Here's the link to the pattern.  Happy sewing!  Leave me a comment & let me know if you made a little elephant.

How to make an elephant's tail

• Using 6 strands of grey embroidery thread, made a tail by sewing three 5" threads onto the top of the elephant's bottom. 
• Tie a knot at the top of the tail.
• Braid the tail to about 1 1/2" from the bottom.
• Tie a knot through the bottom of the braid.
• With the head of a pin, separate the threads.
• TA DA ...you should now have a little elephant!

Here's a little elephant music to listen to as you make your 6" high x 5" long x 3" wide chunky elephant.  Don't you just love this elephant song from "Dumbo"?

And now an elephant summer joke....

"Why were the elephants thrown out of the swimming pool?  Because they couldn't hold up their trunks."

Have a fun day!  For more soft toy ideas go to Threading Your Way.
xoxo Grandma 

Sailing, Sailing

Oh, the things a few fabric scraps can become...my latest baby quilt is now a nautical number. The anchor and the rope were leftover fleece from a humanitarian project.  After cutting them out, I machine embroidered them onto the blue background fabric. While searching for a border, I learned that nautical fabric is hard to find in a land-locked state.  I love the sail boat fabric I finally found.

Should I add these buttons - like portholes?

Or do you think it looks better without them?

xoxo Grandma