Out to Sea and Oliver + S Dresses

So I know Easter has come and gone, but it's never too late to share a cute little dress, right?

Last year I made handmade Easter dresses for my girls for Easter Sunday.... So I wanted to do the same this year, but instead of designing them myself, I opted to use a pattern. 

I am head over heels for this Out to Sea fabric by Sarah Jane... I knew that it would be perfect for Easter Dresses.

I used the Oliver + S Puppet Show Dress pattern for my youngest daughters dress. I made the size 2 but it was slightly large on her through the sleeve and pretty roomy in the skirt/dress... She is almost 3 but she's a tiny little thing. It will fit her for a while...

I used the My Favorite Ship in Breeze for the main part of the dress and then Raspberry Pirate Stripe for the accent fabric and I used up some of my vintage anchor buttons that I inherited from my grandma. 

I really loved this pattern. I love anything by Oliver + S so that is no surprise! It is out of print so it is only available in PDF form but it's just darling! I can't wait to make some of the puppet show shorts for my girls to wear this summer. 

I used the Oliver + S Fairytale Dress pattern for my oldest daughters dress. It is probably my favorite Oliver + S dress I have made yet ( I have made this dress, the Ice Cream Dress, and the Puppet Show Dress now). I have made the Fairytale Dress twice now (still need to blog about the first one I made). This time I made it without the collar and sash. It's fully lined with lightweight voile and has an invisible zipper in the back. It is such a great pattern! I will make it again and again I am sure...

I used the size 3 pattern for the bodice and the size 4 for the skirt of the dress. She is 4 years old but tall and skinny. 

One of my very favorite things about this dress is the tulip sleeves. Could they be any cuter? I think not! ;)

For this dress I used Sail Away in Bloom for the entire dress. This fabric is mostly white but has ships, water, and clouds along each of the selvage edges so I was able to place my pattern pieces to keep the ships along the bottom edge of the dress and keep the bodice and sleeves white. I did have to place my pattern pieces the opposite way the pattern called for on the skirt, but it turned out great still. I needed a bit more yardage so that I had enough of the white for the top of the dress too. 

I love the way they turned out and so did the littles... Job accomplished!

DIY Dolly Towel Tutorial

Last weekend while we were visiting family in Kansas, we were able to take our girls to the American Girl store.... They have been a couple times and they LOVE it! It is was fun to watch them look at everything and try out all the fun accessories with their babies. 

My oldest had been saving her birthday money for our trip so she could buy something new for her baby. Once we got there, she was torn between a new outfit and a towel. She ended up buying the new outfit but I could tell that she was still thinking about that towel for the rest of the day. Once we got home from our trip, I decided it would be fun to make a towel for her baby.

It was so easy and quick... I made two towels for about $6. Pretty great deal since it would have cost me over $20 to buy at the store!

Supplies:

(you can actually make 2 towels with the supplies listed below... If you make two towels be sure to measure twice and cut once because you will need almost all of the fabric I listed. If you prefer to only make one towel you can just cut one of each piece instead of two like I am instructing)

1/2 yard terry cloth (I got mine at Joann- located in the baby section near the minky fabrics)

1 package double folded bias tape

(I made my own bias tape- I used a fat quarter per towel- I am not sure how much binding comes in the prepackaged binding so you may need 2 packs if you are making two towels-)

Step 1: Cut two pieces that are 18x18. These will be the main part of each towel.

Step 2: Cut one 9x9 square. Then cut it in half diagonally to create  triangles. These will be the hood for each towel. 

Step 3: Place one triangle on one of the corners of one large square. Be sure the nap of the terrycloth is going in the same direction on each piece. I used a plate as a template to round the edges of my towel, but if you prefer you can leave them straight. (if you are making two towels repeat this step for the second towel)

Step 4: Bias binding... If you are using a pre-made bias binding then you are all set- if you are making your own binding you will make the bias tape at this point. (I am not going to do a step by step on how to do this, but if you need one, Dana at MADE has a great tutorial on how to make bias tape. If you rounded the corners on your towel you will need to make your binding on the bias for stretching around the curves but if you are leaving your corners square you don't have to make your binding on the bias.)

I wanted a really tiny binding so I cut my strips of fabric on the bias to be 1 1/2 start so once I folded them (double fold) they were pretty tiny (just under 1/2 inch). You can use whatever size you would like, but I think the weight of the tiny bias worked well with the thin terrycloth. I used a fat quarter so I had to piece a lot of strips to get the length I needed... I made about 90 inches of bias but didn't use quite that much per towel.

Step 5: Attach the bias binding. (I am not going to do a step by step on how to attach the binding, but here is another great tutorial by Dana at MADE on how to sew on binding. I sew my tape on the "proper way" like she explains and it looks really nice.)

To start, sew your binding to the bottom edge of the triangle. 

Step 6: Once your binding is sewn to the hood of the towel (triangle) place the triangle back on the main part of the towel and pin in place. I basted the hood to the towel so that it stayed in place when I attached the rest of the binding but that step is optional.

Step 7: Apply the rest of the binding to the outside of the towel.

That's it! You are done!! Unless of course you are making two towels- then repeat the steps for the second towel. 

I hope your little one enjoys this new towel as much as my gals do! 

Fun Fabric Find: ModeS4u Fabric Shop

As most of you know... I am a huge fan of fabric! 

I have a darling local shop where I find some of my fabric, but I like buy most of my fabric online when I find good deals/sales- so I love it when I find a great online shop to add to my list!

Oliver + S Mini Messenger Bag

This week was Kids Clothes Week... A week to sew clothing for your kids. It's been a fun week for instagram- seeing all of the cute clothes that were created! I can't believe how talented some people are! 

Even though I had grand hopes and ideas for joining in, I guess you could say I kinda- pretty much- failed. No cute clothes were made in my home this week... but I did manage a cute accessory so it wasn't a total fail! ;)

Ever since I got the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book I have been wanting to make the small messenger bag for each of my girls. (it's probably the main reason I bought to book)

I love Oliver + S patterns because they are written so well and the finished product is neat and professional looking. This pattern did not disappoint... I love the way it turned out and so did  the Little Miss! Score!

When I got this darling Thumbelina fabric a few months ago I didn't really have any idea what I would make with it, but I think this project perfectly showcased the print. 

I am head over heels for these birds, hedgehogs, flowers, and polka dots- and Thumbelina riding a bird with a parasol- it doesn't get much cuter than that!

I used Carnaby Street Rose Girl About Town for the interior of the bag, linen for the handle, and Marmalade Stripe in Leaf  for the bias trim. 

The fabric that I used for the outside of the bag was a pretty lightweight linen and the interior of the bag was quilting cotton so I ended up making a slight change to the pattern- I used duck cloth in between the two layers to make it a little more heavy duty. (I just used the duck cloth for the main bag flap, the side panels of  and the front panel- so I didn't used it on any of the pockets or pocket flaps- the end result wasn't too bulky or heavy- just the right weight.)

This little messenger bag is the perfect size for my tiny 4 year old- big enough to carry her stuff but not too big to overpower her.

Now the other Little Miss is requesting her very own bag as well... Guess it's off the the sewing machine for me- but who's complaining! I love it when they request I make them something! :)

Have a great weekend! xoxo, Ashley

A Very Scrappy Trip Along... FINISHED!

I finally finished my Field Study Scrappy Trip Along quilt! What a relief! 

 I used mostly prints by Anna Maria Horner's newest line: Field Study, but I did throw in a couple Lou Lou Thi prints, a few Bloomsbury Garden prints, Timber and Leaf, and a couple other random prints. I love the bold, crazy color scheme... I think it tied together well.

It ended up being 90x100 inches so it was slightly larger than a standard queen sized quilt. Holy Cow! I am so happy to be done with it. I loved making it, but after cutting, piecing, quilting, and binding this massive quilt- I was sick of it! Now that it's finished, any unkind feelings have since been forgotten!

I went for a very scrappy quilt... I used most of the leftover strips for the binding and part of the backing so it turned out VERY colorful and VERY scrappy. I love it though. It is definitely one of a kind! 

It was so large that there was no way for me to take a picture of the entire quilt by myself, so I draped it over a tree branch and was able to get a picture of a portion of it. (almost half is tucked under and hanging over the back of the branch.)

Although my quilt is super scrappy, I couldn't let go of all control- I had to keep some sort of fabric/color/design to tie it all together- maybe next time I will throw all order to the wind and go completely scrappy. I used the blue leopard print on the long diagonal of each block to create the unified diamond. The rest is totally random and scrappy.

I quilted the quilt myself by doing straight lines with my walking foot. It resulted in a grid of 3 3/4 inch squares. I am not brave enough to try my hand at free motion quilting yet- especially on a quilt this size, but I am pleased with the way it turned out...

Last year, when I did a little makeover on my bedroom, I bought a duvet cover for my bed. I loved it, however, after only a handful of months, the cover started to rip/tear at the button closure. I couldn't believe it! It was unrepairable. So I decided when I started my Scrappy Trip Along quilt that it would replace our duvet. I was able to salvage the backside of the cover and use it as a quilt back (I did have to add some scraps to make it large enough but I had a pretty large piece to start with). So in the end, I didn't feel as horrible about the duvet not holding up in the long run.

I think the quilt looks great with my pillows. It definitely adds to the eclectic feel of my room. My husband even likes it! Win Win!

I loved following along with all of the other talented quilters and seeing the progress on Instagram! So fun!! Can't wait to get working on my Marcelle Medallion quilt now! Yay for Instagram quilt alongs!!!

Leopard print, Y-seams, and voile.... oh my!

Last week I finally finished my Field Study scrappy trip along (king sized) quilt top. I love how vibrant and bold the colors are! And the leopard print... oh my... how I love it! I tried the quilt top on my bed today- just to see how it looked. It's perfect! The colors match and it totally adds to the eclectic look in my bedroom... Now I need to quilt the beast! 

The problem is... I keep getting myself sidetracked! Since finishing the quilt top, I have started 2 other quilts. I just can't help myself... 

Sew Mama Sew had another fabulous $6 sale on AMH Good Folks Voile and I had birthday money burning a hole in my pocket so I just HAD to order some! (As if I needed any more added to my little folks stash- but one can never have too much- right?) I managed to snag enough to back a quilt and make a shirt or two. 

I started collecting my Little Folks Voile last year and have been perusing the Little Folks Flickr Group for inspiration ever since.  After hearing how slippery it is to sew with, I settled on starting with a basic patchwork squares quilt to get a feel for  working with it. Once I get the hang of working with voile, I have plans to make a Little Folks Swoon quilt that may look something a little like this beauty...

(These scraps are so beautiful I can't bring myself to throw them in the trash! ha ha)

After the Scrappy Trip Along and the X-Plus Along on Instagram came the Medallion Along. 

I couldn't help but join in once I saw this beautiful quilt! So far I have my center medallion done... Which was quite the feat given that I mixed up my templates and started sewing it together with the pieces mixed up... and then there was the Y-seams! ha ha Don't let it scare you though- if you are a responsible "template maker" and are patient, it's really not that hard! It was my first time with y-seams and they were not as hard as I thought they would be... my points are not perfect, but we are rolling with it! :)

Stay tuned for my progress and definitely check Instagram for inspiration! #marcellemedallion #medallionalong

For anyone that is wanting to make the Marcelle Medallion quilt, you can find it in the Liberty Love book by the talented Alexia Abegg or you can also find the pattern in the new Love Quilting & Patchwork magazine that just hit Barnes & Noble here in the US.

I picked up a couple copies this afternoon. It was a little surreal when I opened a magazine in B&N and saw my face starring back at me! I showed a little self control and only bought 2 copies... and I showed even more self control and refrained from showing the lady that was standing next to me! ha ha

I heard it should be available in Joann stores as well but didn't have any luck finding it in my local store... probably in the next week or so.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

xoxo, Ashley

A Year Full of Firsts

Do you ever have years that seem to be good years and years that seem to be not so good?? I do. So far this year seems to be shaping up to be a pretty good year so far... I feel like it as been packed full of a bunch of "firsts" for me... I thought I would share some of the fun firsts with y'all today...

Without fail, each and every year, I make a new years resolution to write in my journal everyday.... and wouldn't you know it- I have never succeeded! Until this year (so far). I got the idea from the darling Camille Roskelley to get this lovely one line a day... 5 year memory book- she is almost done with 5 years of memories! Amazing!

(another first for me this year (some of my fellow fabric junkies may have picked up on it in the picture): I splurged and bought some of my favorite Liberty Lifestyle Bloomsbury Garden fabric... Oh. My. YUMMY!! I found mine here. I bought a fat quarters of a handful of my favorite prints and I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but for now I am content drooling over them on my sewing table... ;)

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While I was home visiting over Christmas and New Years, I had the chance to meet one of my favorite bloggers in the world: Amy from Diary of a Quilter... To say I have a blog crush would be an understatement... more like official blog stalker! ha ha 

I have learned all of my quilting basics from this lovely lady... She is soo soo talented! And as if that wasn't enough- she is one of the nicest people I have ever met. We had such a fun time browsing a darling fabric shop called Material Girls Quilt Shop that I was visiting for the first time (I told you this post was all about "firsts") and chatting over lunch at one of my all time favorite places to eat: Cafe Rio (definitely not a "first"). It was so much fun! Thanks for taking the time to meet up with me Amy!! xoxo

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On Valentine's Day this year... I had a fun thing happen that I would have never dreamed of... I was featured in a magazine. A very lovely, inspiring, and quilty magazine based in the UK called Love Quilting and Patchwork. For those of you that are a big fan of the CrossStitcher magazine, this is made by the same company.

I have no idea why they picked little old me to be included in such a lovely magazine, but I feel lucky to be along side the talent featured within. I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet since it hasn't made its way to the US yet, but I am told that it should be on sale here shortly (around the end of March) so keep your eyes out for meand be sure to let me know if you happen to spot it here because you know I am going to be buying one (or ten) copies when it hits the stores! ;) For anyone that is itching to get a copy sooner than the end of March, it is available on iTunes. If you download the free CrossStitcher app in your newsstand, you can buy the Love Quilting and Patchwork magazine within that app. 

Until then, I thought I would give you a sneak peek of my page in the magazine... They featured my Sewing Storage.

Of course I had to give a shout out in my article (orange box that says "blog hop") to the lovely Maggie of Smashed Peas and Carrots who inspired my mini fabric bolts. Thanks again for such an awesome trick Maggie!

I have big plans for that beautiful quilt featured on the front of the magazine by Alexia Abegg ! Maybe I will use up some of my Bloomsbury Garden stash to make it! The pattern is included in the magazine. I can't wait to get started on it! It has sparked an impromptu quilt along on Instagram- look up the hashtags #medallionalong and #marcellemedallion for some yummy pictures on Insta. Anyone else in on the Medallion Along train? 

I am quite taken with these impromptu quilt alongs on Instagram... At the beginning of the year I jumped on board with the Scrappy Trip Along and seriously considered the xplus along too! This is the first quilt along that I have personally followed along with and it is so addicting! I have had so much fun watching all of the pictures pop up all over Instagram... It is so inspiring and fun to see the different fabric combinations people are coming up with! I went with mostly Field Study fabric by Anna Maria Horner, but threw in a couple randoms too.

I am all done with all 72 of my blocks... That's right ladies and gents... I went for the long haul and made an over sized queen for my bed. I am piecing all of the blocks this week and then I will be onto quilting it... I will be sure to post pictures when I am all done!

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A couple weeks ago, I decided to try making an Oliver + S pattern for the first time. I decided to make a little Ice Cream Dress for a friend who had just had a baby. I used some darling fabric from Sarah Jane for the first time too. It is from her Children at Play line and I am in love! 

I couldn't stop with just one project in Sarah Jane fabric so I started a quilt for my oldest out of some Out to Sea fabric inspired by a quilt and tutorial by Rita from Red Pepper Quilts... here is a sneak peek from my Instagram.... I am slightly obsessed with these mermaids, girly pirates, whales, and ships- you know I have a flair for anything nautical! I have the quilt top finished and am working on the quilting today... Stay tuned!

I hope you are all having a great week!! xoxo, Ashley


P.S. For anyone that loves to sew- I am a judge of the awesome SEWVIVIOR sewing competition over at Family Ever After! The auditions started yesterday so head over and audition to be in the competition and win some awesome prizes! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!!