Saturday, July 30, 2011

The "Damask Play" Dress

I find it interesting how my style is always evolving...not just for me but for my daughter and for the things I'm inspired to sew. I find that trying to recreate something for my daughter that I myself would love to wear is so much more exciting than whipping her up something that is very kid-like and just plain safe. However, there are times when I do enjoy seeing my daughter wear something I totally couldn't pull off...but that looks adorable on her. Lately I have been gravitating more towards a more 60's/70's type feel for her dresses. I try and incorporate that not only when I make the pattern, but when I think of the fabric. I'm very addicted to vintage patterns and find inspiration in pictures that are popping up everywhere online.
The dress top is a soft brown and cream cotton with a damask pattern. The top is fully lined, and the bottom is a soft pink voile cotton that allows for a flowy comfortable feel.

I think the awesome iphone app used on the last two pictures makes the outfit appear even more vintage...adding a nostalgic feeling to the overall look.

Cost: $50
Sizes: Infants-5T




Friday, July 29, 2011

The "3-Tiered Knit" Dress

Knit fabrics are quickly becoming some of my favorite to work with! I found this particular one in NYC a few trips back and had to whip something up for Miss K from it! I created a multi-tiered skirt portion for the bottom of the dress, and decided on keeping the edges raw which to me add to the beauty of working with this type of fabric.
I have a limited amount of this particular fabric but have other beautiful knits to work from.

Cost: $48
Sizes: Infants-5T





Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The "Tea Party" Outfit

We JUST got back from an amazing vacation...which explains why I've been so MIA lately (I will post more on that later).

On our recent trip up North my mother-in-law set up a tea party for her granddaughters. I immediately took the opportunity to whip them up a little something to wear for the lavish occasion, that included, by the way REAL totally fancy china and tea...along with vegan chocolate chip cookies made from scratch by my m-i-l and the girls, and smoothies to top it all off! The girls had a blast wearing their tea party hats and hitting my in-laws' ginormous backyard for a little goofing around right afterwards! I guess running off some of that sugar was exactly what Miss K needed just before hitting our much delayed airplane later on that night!

I grew up very close to my cousin K who lives all the way in California. When we were little our grandmother used to dress us up exactly the same...even though we looked nothing alike. Now, we have daughters about the same age, and when we get them together a couple of times a year there is always a matching outfit to go with the trip! I guess looking back at those coordinating outfits I can understand where our grandmother was coming from...we might as well have been sisters so coordinating outfits was exactly what we needed!

For this outfit I needed to pass on the tradition to Z as Kaiya and her are only a month or so apart. I proceeded to make them little outfits with matching fabric and just switched the design around. They loved prancing around in them!

Cost: $45.00 (shirt and skirt)
Sizes: Infants-Size 7





On another note I can't wait to show you the eye-candy I picked up in NYC's fashion district! My brain is dizzy with inspiration that is still housed in my luggage...both for girls AND boys. Stay tuned!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The "Black & White" Knit Dress

Those of you who know me know that I don't love dressing my daughter in full pink/purple/or any color that to me is too girly. While little Miss K does love her some purple (and at times I have to budge and make exceptions), she’s totally easy about just going with what I put on her. She’s usually even more easy-going if she knows I’m making her a dress…so for her, that’s typically my outfit of choice.

Being a California girl at heart, I don’t believe in the whole “no white before Memorial Day” mumbo jumbo. To me, white is a precious hue…it should be worn year-round. Yes, even in the winter for you northerners (go ahead, roll your eyes, whatever). So now that I live in a state much like California that is sunny almost year round, white continues to be plastered on some of my little one’s clothing.

When I went to California in March, I dragged poor McHubbers and the little one up to my old stomping grounds…the LA Fashion District (especially the places I frequented back in fashion school). Wow…I had forgotten how incredibly amazing it is to go up there!!! I was in HEAVEN…I mean, it’s like NYC but warmer and with Mexican taco trucks on every corner...which, by the way, smelled awesome.

I picked up the white knit fabric at one of my favorite shops up there, and made this little number. I liked the slight stretch of the knit and is very comfortable, I also lined it with a with cotton voile fabric. The knit has a lace/vintage type pattern to it, which to me made it even more beautiful. I attached black lace to the hem and a thin black sash to the top to allow for tying in the back. I love the way it looks with black Chucks too. I suppose if it was paired with a cute pair of sandals or mary-janes, it could be suitable for a fancier occasion.

Cost: $58
Sizes: Infants-5T





Monday, July 11, 2011

I'm in a "Turquoise and Red State of Mind" Maxi Dress!

I've been in love with red FOREVER...it's ONE of my favorite colors. However, over the past few years I'm totally diggin' turquoise...I mean, I painted the outdoor furniture I made turquoise if that gives you any indication of how much I LOVE THE COLOR! The best part about it is that it looks amazing on anyone, really...tan or not tanned.

Anyhoo, I was going through my massive fabric stash and came upon a few yards of fabric that I have been hoarding for a few years. I bought the red fabric in NYC when I lived up north on one of my bazillion fabric shopping escapades before we moved, and was saving it for, you know, just the "right" outfit! Well guess what...that "right" outfit came to me and I just had to get right on it and start cutting into it!

I am in love with maxi dresses (In fact, I'm in the works of making one for myself...but that's a story for another post). And I knew my little muse would look amazing in one, so I got to work and came up with this little number.

I proceeded to use part of the paisley pattern on the red fabric and hand-beaded around it, adding a little more turquoise to the mix. I hand shirred the back for a more comfortable fit, and voila! The red is a flowy voile type of fabric and the blue is cotton, both super comfortable! Kaiya LOVED it...even if it had no purple on it!

Sizes: Infants-Size 7
Cost: $73





Thursday, July 7, 2011

Shout Outs!!

I have to give a shout out to my girl Y for being so extremely awesome and making my cool new logo, the awesomeness that now houses the name of my blog/brand!!! She claimed she's not creative...I say whatevs...if this isn't an indication of how creative and awesome she is, you might need to check her out here and here. I'm L O V I N G my new logo, and can't possibly thank you enough! Despite the fact you no longer live across the street, and we can no longer partake in NWA (and all the other awesome things we did together with you and that crazy hubs of yours), I love you and miss you daily!!!

Friday, July 1, 2011

The "Ice Cream Scoop Skirt" and "Self Portrait" Shirt

Like most little girls I know, my daughter loves to play dress up. So much so, that she doesn't have a problem leaving the house wearing her tutu or Cinderella dress. Me, being the mom that doesn't totally love when her daughter walks out the door in full princess garb, had to come up with a plan to allow her to express her "princess" ultra-ego while at the same time rockin' an outfit that isn't totally see-through and not to mention borderline hideous! With the help of my very opinionated daughter I came up with this. She picked the tulle (I was going to go for a totally different material) and the colors and I just let the colors and textures inspire me. Pair this little number with the "Self Portrait" shirt and you've got a whole new version of dress-up...the kind you won't be secretly embarrassed to allow her to wear in public.
Even Princesses can make silly faces :)

The best part was, she "WUVED IT" and immediately requested another...SCORE!

Skirt Sizes: Infants-5T
Cost: $55




Shirt Sizes: Infants- Size 7
Cost: $20-$25


Sizes



The Ice Cream Skirt and Shirt Set
Size: Infants-Size 7
Cost: $70.00