Something different

I decided to take a break from kids clothes and do something different today.

I'd bought some cupcake print fabric a while back and had planned to make an apron out of it, but that was before I got caught up making clothes for Katherine. But as I said, I felt like doing something different today.

I didn't have a pattern, but I had a basic idea in my head of how I wanted it to look.  The finished product was definitely more kitschy looking than I had envisioned, but I think that's part of it's charm.

Now, just point me towards the kitchen!  I feel a baking frenzy coming on...

A frilling afternoon...

I'm really happy with the way Katherine's winter wardrobe is coming together, but I am a little concerned that some of the colours might be a little bit boring for a 3-year-old who adores everything pink. Last week I tried to inject some colour into the mix with the watermelon cardi and stripe-sleeve tops. But I had a niggling feeling that there was something else missing... of course, skirts!

I really only had the Oliver + S hopscotch skirt on my 'to do' list. I decided to put together a couple of ruffle skirts - I thought these would be good as the ruffles would add bulk and help keep those little legs warm. Add tights and boots, I thought, and she will be cozy all Winter. They are also so easy to make! I knew that I wouldn't even need a pattern.

I followed this fantastic tutorial for the bottom half of the skirt. It's for a size 5-6 but I knew from experience - I've made two or three of these in the past - how to scale down the measurements to suit Katherine. I decided to do something different for the top half of the skirt though, so I cut into my never-ending (it would seem) piece of chocolate corduroy.  I decided to put some cute little pockets on the front, and a mock fly.  I added elastic at the back only.

This was the finished product:

Until I decided that my finished product was a little 'unfinished'.  I really felt like it needed another ruffle underneath there somewhere.  So this morning I fetched it out of the laundry basket and got back to work.  Two ruffles are much better, see?

And then of course it needed a belt.  Now it is complete (and very cute, if I do say so myself)!

Please excuse the state of my floors - I was sewing today 
when I should have been doing the vacuuming! 

Hop to it

I've been busy this week, sewing up some more of my SWAP items.  After a day or so of indecision about whether to stick with my original plan, I attacked it with renewed vigor.  This week I've made two cardigans and three more tops.  

I thought it was time to inject a bit of colour into Katherine's wardrobe as I felt I'd been over-doing it with all the brown. Today we ventured out into the backyard for a bit of a photo shoot to kind of 'take stock' of what we had come up with so far.  I am really happy with the way some of the outfits are coming together and I can't wait until I've got everything finished now!

This is the 'Watermelon' jacket from Ottobre 01/2011.  I originally made it in the brown and didn't love it, so I made a watermelon one (funnily enough) only this time I got rid of the awful trim - I just couldn't get it to look nice - and replaced it with a ruffle trim and a little rosette on the neckline.  I think it looks really sweet like this!  Katherine liked it too.  When she saw the finished product she exclaimed "Mummy, I want to wear this all day long!"  

I also had to scale the original pattern down as best I could, as it was 2 sizes too big.  I think this is such a cute and easy, basic cardigan though and it's good to know I can make it in all the bigger sizes as the girls grow.

The tops I made this week were all Oliver + S Hopscotch tops.  I re-made the original cream coloured one in a bigger size, and two more with striped sleeves.  I am addicted to these tops!  Seriously.  I can put one together in less than an hour.  

I like the way this one matches the cargos.

This one looks great with the red/pink hopscotch skirt...

...and the brown cardi.

I wish I could take credit for Ellie's sweet little dress, but it's Pumpkin Patch (and a hand-me-down from her big sis!)