Sleeping Beauty for Halloween - an etsy pattern for little princesses

Happy Halloween! It looks like it is one of those times when a mom really can get it all together really fast. Eva told me last summer that she wanted to be Aurora for Halloween this year. And even if that made me do some research and get a pattern for it... the dress didn't happened mostly because no fabric seemed right enough for what I had in mind and  some details I didn't had sorted....Last 2 months also been quite busy and have been out of town and various other events so I just thought that she could just wear a nice white princess dress she got for a wedding last week. But talking to her last night to sort the outfit she seemed really disappointed in the dress and was so confident that mom can just make her a dress over night that I decided to try... "Don't worry mom! You can make it!"
   I used Playground to Palace Dress I have bought from etsy. I had the pattern printed but not taped or cut. So I had to start really low. Lucky that pattern is fairly easy and really nice explained.

Ar first I thought I would make her a blue dress from some nice lace I had but the fabric seemed a bit to heavy for the long gathered skirt I had in mind so at the last minute switched to a dusty pink combo of fancy knits I had.  I think It was a really good choice as the fabric was so much easier to work with and I think is looks very cute and delicate on Eva. I remembered I had some white lace accessories and used one for necklace. It might be a bit too big for her small figure but I think it adds a really nice touch to the dress. I also used a nice pink lace ribbon for the hem.
   As it is not summer any longer I added some sleeves to the dress with tight long cuffs so it will not bother her during the day.
  I cannot believe I did it in time. But I am really glad I try it. I love it. Is so sweet and delicate and so much better in my opinion then the satin ones available to buy. Even more happy to see Eva face light up in the morning when I gave her the dress...

I hope she will have a nice day today wearing it to kindergarten for the Halloween party! here is a picture with the other princess:

StyleArc Harmony to + cigarette pants

This summer I ripped one pair of RTW pants and made a new one using the old as pattern. I was quite pleased with the result and determined to do more. So I have made 2 more pairs. I kept thinking what top would be best with this pants and had a few favorites in past patterns but in the end decided to try a new one - Style arc harmony top:

The first version I did as actual pattern. It was not bad but the neckline is a bit too high and the dart also should hit a bit lower for me. The pants are in a stretchy fabric this time so I took them in a bit in the upper part and used silk for pockets lining. It was a real pain to work with it but feel like it worth it every time I put my hand in the pocket and get a nice feeling there.

I was very happy I managed to finish this combo in time to submit it for Pattern Review Match Your Shoes Contest. I only managed to get phone photos on the last day of the contest with my son behind camera as I was on a family trip that week but I was happy I finally managed to submit something and felt a bit like my old self.

The pockets are along the entire waistline in the front and I think I like them very much like this. More stable , less gapping. I used french seam for them and added pocket facings after. 

The second pair of pants done in a vivid neon salmon color with waffle texture is a bit larger as the fabric was more stiff and no stretch. They feel quite great. The top is a floral cotton batiste. Very very light fabric. Maybe a bit too light for this top. I did it very slightly larger and fixed the neckline and the dart. The neckline and the ruffles on the sleeves are finished with self bias fabric. Love this finishing. Both tops are longer then the pattern.

And some small eye candies in the end. My daughter sow some hair bands with bows in the store she really liked but the fabric from with they were made was really crappy so I promised her I will make some better myself.  For two weeks she kept asking when will I make her bows so here they are. Really cute. I have so many fabrics I should make more.

The pink pants fabric is from this summer. I only did one "fabric shopping trip" and bought 5 or 6 fabric and happy to say that 3 of them are already sewn. The other 3 fabrics ( the blues ) are from last summer crop. Feels like my stash is going just a little bit down but I still have so many fabric ... I need to find some way to donate some and be a bit more picky when I buy!

Long sleeved dresses for my daughter - from earlier this year

The first half of this year I have done very little sewing and being so little I didn't made posts of the new makes so I will put them all here - 3 long sleeved dresses for my daughter for winter / spring.

Tow of them are based on  Ottobre  3/2018 #10 - totally love the front and back ruffles and added sleeves from other patterns.

This one is in a rayon fabric . Love the print and slight texture:

The second one is a polka dot jersey:

The last one is a glitter jersey she picket from my stash and insisted I should make something for her. She went to a few acting workshops for kids and somehow she was determined to dress up for those so she keeps asking me to make dresses :

From the jersey fabric of the polka dots dress I also made a Vogue 8634

Trying to get back to sewing - brocade pants

Long time no sew ... A lot of people asked how did I sew so many items with so many other things going on in my life. I always thought is my desire and love for sewing that kept me going but taking a small break I understand a new detail. Sewing constantly keeps you in shape. Warmed up. After a small break even easy projects seem impossible to start let alone finish... My son started school last fall and I wanted to spend a little more time with the kids, do more projects with them, teach them how to read, paint with them... I also did quite a bit of work in our country backyard painting the kids wook house , the fence and anything that I could get my hands on. I don't have a talent for drawing but that didn't stopped me :))

I terribly missed sewing though. We had a few free days  free at the end of last month with the kids being away on vacation with the grandparents and I knew I just have to get something done. I went shopping for fabric, not that I needed any but usually buying new fabric always gets me into sewing mood ... On of the fabrics I picked was this beautiful pink brocade and I decided I wanted a fancy pair of pants. I usually buy my pants but the one in the stores are so boring.. I had quite a bit of experimenting with pants patterns from style arc last summer/fall and I was getting close to making some I really love but this time decided to take another route. I ripped out one of my favorite RTW pair: - you can see some pictures with it here

It was not so hard to rip them. They were really worn out :)

I cut them one night after a long day working in the backyard installing a new ground pool for kids return and managed to sew them in small sessions over the next 2 days.

I had a lot of reserves over this but the fabric is really nice and all their imperfections are easy to hide with a longer top as are most of mine. And I am pleased to say that I wore them a lot since then and love them so much I will try to make at least one or 2 more pairs as I have so many pants fabrics stashed over the years...
   The day I had to do the finishing touches I was alone with Eva so I made a deal with her. If she will allow me to hem my pants I would make a doll dress for one of her dolls.

Here is what I did for her very quick and dirty... this doll was usually headless thrown somewhere in a box. Since she had a new dress Eva got her in her bag for two weeks or so and took her everywhere with her. that made me think that maybe I should start sew more doll clothes.