Little Jacket is Done!

 This little jacket has been 99% done and sitting on my work table for a week now! Thanksgiving blew into town, and I had a hard time getting the button holes done on it.

 Finished it finally today! I really love the feel of this wool and flannel combination.

 It is very roomy and a nice medium weight. The cotton organic flannel is so sweet and I love how it works well with the serious wool fabric. It can be worn with the sleeves rolled up or not.

I had this beautiful piping in my ribbon/ notion collection for a long time, and though it worked very well with the style.

I"ll be cutting out some more garments and filling the shop as time allows. I may do some little boy pants and perhaps a little holiday dress.

Stay tuned!

Little Red Riding Hood

 Well, I had a lot of fun making these little guys! I bought some red boiled wool, a few months ago, and wanted to make some little capes with it, hoping that they would come out how I pictured them in my head. I think I'm pretty pleased with the result.

 The weight of the wool is not too heavy and was a  dream to sew up. Caitlin wanted one in her size after she saw the finished product!

 I decided to edge it with this cute heart shaped motif. I always forget that my Bernina has the prettiest embroidery stitches on it, and not at all too homespun looking. I think that is why I remember wanting it  in the first place. These little hearts on the wool look real sharp in person.

 I have two of them in the shop, one in a size 2/3 and the other in a 4/5. The mannequin is a five, so that is how it sits on that age of child.

I fell in love with this charming Japanese cotton print, and I had to make the literal "Red Riding Hood" cape using it.

This would be an extra nice Christmas present.

I'm currently working on a little black and white tweed jacket, with a really cute rabbit print that is 100% organic cotton flannel. This will be in a size 18/24 month size. Check back for some pictures on that. I'm in the middle of designing some little pockets for it.

I'm going to do my very best to get some fun items in the shop for Christmas, but you know how it goes...best intentions and all.

Simplicity 1777, Caitlin's Dress

 The dress that took an eternity is finally finished. The fabric was what kept this project from going quicker I must say. Like I mentioned last time, I had to tailor tack all those pleats in the front, and on top of it, the fabric was jersey knit and a bit slippery.

 There are a few imperfections, but I had to let them go, as it would have taken even longer to go back and correct them. Most people would not notice except for me.

Caitlin is going to wear this tonight for her "anniversary" of her first date with Cyrous. Perfect retro look for the restaurant that they will be going to.

 After I finished the dress, I dove right into making some boiled wool red capes. They have a really nice weight to them, and I will be adding some nice little details to them.

Here's one, about to be lined. I had enough to make two sizes. They will be a size 2/3 years and the second one is 4/5 years. Just in time for the holidays. What little girl wouldn't want a red cape?!  I'm off now to complete these and hopefully get them in the shop early next week.

Baby Boy Puppy Sun Suit

 Just finished sewing this little gem up today, and it is in the shop. I really love the way the little shorts part of this sun suit turned out. The drape of the linen is wonderful and just the right weight.

 Can you picture, if you had twins( girl and boy) how cute this and the bunny one would look on them?!

I wish they still made this look for little boys, and everything wasn't just trucks and sports emblems.

 Well, I just clicked on something here and I seem to not be able to write any text below this next picture. This new blogger format is testing my patience!   Anyway, I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday weekend. We did absolutely nothing, and it was great!   The summer season sure feels like it has arrived and with it brings a whole new routine, which is very welcome and I'm excited for.  Cooking with summer ingredients, long sunny days etc. I think after all these years of not liking the summer months, and complaining rather loudly about it, as my family will attest to, I have now learned to embrace it, and love it for what it brings. So, I'm ready summer.......lets have some fun!

New in the shop, Vintage inspired Bunny Sunsuit!

 Finished this little guy over the weekend, and I think it turned out pretty sweet. Vintage vibe, with lots of charm.

 The embroidery was lots of fun to do, and was a good excuse to incorporate my other love.

 These buttons are vintage. I bought them at a vintage fair in San Francisco last year, and when I was debating what buttons to put on this garment, I had remembered I purchased these! They are so perfect on it. They just don't make beautiful buttons like this anymore!

Next up, is the little boy version. Well, it can be for a little girl too, but it just screams little boy to me. The bottom half of this one is going to made up with a very nice blue linen. Nice weight, and I think it will be very cute!

The next items I plan to make, will possibly be for bigger sizes, like 5 or maybe 6. I feel like I have been neglecting that size range, and would like to get some pieces made up.


On a different note, thanks for all the lovely comments on my retro Friday post. I have some pretty great photos to put on here, and I'm excited to share them. Carolina had asked me about my mom. I will do a post on her in late June, to honor her birthday, so look for more of her story then. I have some beautiful photos of her for that post!

Sneak peek

Here is a little peek and what I have been working on. You will just have to wait and see how I incorporate this into two final pieces.

I have been doing some spring cleaning around the house these past couple of days, and I'm trying to just focus on one section at a time. Isn't it odd how you can walk by something several times and not really notice that something needs to be deep cleaned? It seems like when the first spring light starts resting its rays on certain areas in the home, you can start to see what you have been neglecting most of the winter months. I really went to town on our main bathroom and sorted some shelves. I now need to go through all the expired items, or things just taking up space. I did a little bit in the kitchen, but I'm heading in there tomorrow to do more intense deep cleaning. Lots to be done my friends!

In between the cleanings, I sit and rest with this little bit of embroidery for my two projects. Hopefully they will be completed pronto, and be in the shop.

What are your spring cleaning tips??

More fall items finally getting made

Last week I managed to get the yucky head cold that seems to have been circulating around. It was a strange one I must say, because it almost mimicked allergies. I managed to kick it in a week though, which helped me get this little jacket done.
I'm in the process of making a really cute orange skirt, that will look cute with this. This jacket is one of a kind, as most of my things are. The fabric is really nice Japanese medium weight cotton, and a bit pricey, so I think this is it for the print, not the jacket style though, as it is a classic, and I may make some more of these in other sizes, we shall see.
The Matryoshka dolls are so charming and ever a popular theme, but I especially love it in clothing.
I can see this little jacket paired with anything from overalls, to a skirt, to leggings. It has that nice weight to it, that will add warmth to a thin sweater or turtle neck shirt.

On another note, go check out my daughters blog "Fashion Forestry," where there is a very short video of Marios Schwab. Nicole makes a small appearance in it around the 1:36 mark. I promise it is short, and it is very well done, with nice music and a quick look at his work, and a bit about him as well.

A couple items for the shop

I just finished these two little pieces today, and thought I'd share. The peasant blouse is made
out of the softest cotton shirting that is so nice to the touch. I love these little heart shaped shell buttons I found for this top. The natural colors of the shell, looks great up against the color of the stripes.
Both of these items are 3 months size. I just had to make something tiny again, because it is just too fun! These little bloomer pants are dark grey velveteen, with some really pretty
French jacquard ribbon on the hem. I think this little touch, softens the look for a baby.
I also got my care labels finally, and you can see them peeking out :)
Of course I think these two pieces look adorable together, but they are being sold separately, if you only want one of the pieces. Both of these are quite roomy, so I believe that they would truly fit more of a 3 to 4 month baby. Sometimes, 3mo. in stores tend to run more like a newborn size, but these items run a bit bigger. I have all the measurements listed in the shop.

These were so much fun to make, I hope they go to a good home!

Have a fun filled weekend!

New in the shop

I just finished this little velveteen skirt today! The top that is shown with it is sold separately.
I think it would look cute with any little top under it, but I do especially like this little top with it.
I did a Hong Kong seam on the hem, to make sure there was no bulk. It has a three inch hem, so that it can be let down if needed.
There is also plenty of length in the straps to move the buttons as well.
I love how dense the gather is, so that it gives it nice body and fullness to it. Sounds like I'm describing a wine doesn't it?! Anyway, hope you go and check it out in the shop.

I'm excited for the fall items I have planned, stay tuned!

New items in the shop

Two new items in the shop! First up, are these red polka dot bloomers. There is always something so cheerful about polka dots, don't you think? I think they would be so cute paired simply with a top or under a dress or skirt.

I decided to use buttons as a closure, instead of snaps. I think they are more interesting, and give them a bit of character
Bloomers are a size 2T as you can see.
Second item is this cute little top made of white cotton/linen, and decorative red and white ribbon accent. I had originally wanted to post this as a set, but the whites are not the same. If you don't mind it not being a perfect match, then I personally think they look adorable together.
It could also fit as a little dress for a 12 month or 18 month size, depending on the child of course. My daughters were such slim little things, that I could get away with doing things like that. It is however meant to be a little top in a size 2

Details of all my handy work. The inside is always finished in French seams.

I think I will be making maybe two more summer things, before fall items start making their way into the shop.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and hope to do other posts soon, if I end up doing something exciting :) Summer has turned me into a super sloth, how about you?

Cute new floral dress in the shop!

All finished and in the shop, is this sweet little dress in a size five.
I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to bring out the blue flowers in the print with this silk ribbon,
or go for the other colors in the print, but in the end, all I kept seeing was the pretty light blue flowers.
I also decided to use the vintage buttons, mainly because there were
exactly four on the card, and that is what I needed. I think it works rather well with the print.

If you know a little girl that is 4 or 5 , and would love a sweet dress like this, go check it out in the shop!