Oliver + S Hopscotch Dress #2

One of the things I like to do when I make a garment for Olivia is to display it on the dress form for when she wakes up. It's fun to see her expressions when she comes up the stairs to see the new dress. :) She appreciates what I make for her and it's always a joy to put together something she appreciates.

The pattern goes together very quickly. This was made from a cotton knit we picked up at Sewing Expo this past march. Olivia really liked the fabric, so we purchased it.

Next time I make this pattern, I am going to do a few different things to it.  I'm not sure when  I will get to that, but in the near future, I hope. :)

Cowgirl Meets Camo.....Oliver + S

I had some girl camo fabric in my stash and Olivia had been wanting a dress or shirt made from it. We decided to do it now, because her brothers received new camo t-shirts. Using for the first time, the Oliver + S Hopscotch dress pattern, I whipped up a dress for Olivia.

The dress matches Olivia's cowgirl hat, and she put it altogether with her boots. The boots aren't exactly cowgirl style, but they will be a good substitute.

Joel thought Olivia needed a gun for when mummy took pictures....so here is Olivia hamming it up with a gun. She was being very silly.

The pattern came together very quickly. I am finding that these patterns tend to run a bit smaller from their published 'body' measurement sizing. I bumped Olivia up to the size 12 pattern and it came out perfectly. The length was good for her and the width worked well too. I have another dress cut out in some lovely butterfly fabric. and I am hoping to have that sewn together very soon.

Olivia had another cowgirl hat from earlier in the summer. We decided to purchase it because of the 'breast cancer' logo on it. One and a half years ago, Olivia participated in The Pink & Red Charity Event at Sewing Expo in Puyallup, Washington. Little did we know just how much more our lives would be affected by breast cancer. This past year, from Aug. to Dec., two more sisters were diagnosed with the disease. Life is a precious gift. We are learning to treasure it more each day.

Carol

Western Wear

The shirts are finished and the boys are very, very happy.  This was a fun project to do for the boys and I am happy we were able to finish them up before the Stampede was over.  We don't attend the Stampede, but the general attire around the cities and towns is western wear for the full 10 days of the show.  Since we live in red neck country, western wear is acceptable all year long, but at this time of year, more people participate in wearing western wear. :)

I used the Kwik Sew pattern #2274, but I had to grade up the pattern to fit my boys.  I find that at this stage of development, it's hard to find patterns that fit well for boys.  They are the size of small men, but not quite at the height, so the small men's sizes don't really fit them very well.  Grading up a boys pattern works easier for me, than trying to grade down a small men's pattern.

 Here are some closer pictures of the shirt.  You can see the inside collar stand is made from the contrasting fabric.

 The boys really, really like their new shirts and I am happy all went well.  My goal for this year was to work on men's dress style shirts, so I am off to a good start.  I am sure to be making more dress shirts for all my men. I realized there are so many details that various pattern makers put into their patterns.  Choosing which options to use to put the shirts together is difficult, but fun!  I will be trying out the various placket methods and such as I sew up more shirts.

The boys already have another project for me to work on for them.......the research has started and the process has begun.  This will be fun!

Thanks for visiting,

Carol

Beautiful Distractions.....And Projects On The Go.....

I had good intentions of getting some sewing done, but we had two very delightful, wonderful distractions that didn't quite allow me to get as much work done and I had hoped, but that's just fine.  These two precious boys stayed with us for a good week.  We were so fortunate to have them.  Lots of giggles, love and laughter in the house....just what we needed.









They were intrigued with the sewing machine and serger and really wanted to help.  We chatted about what the machines were doing and how they work and what I was making. They were eager helpers. 

Here is the project I am working on....hopefully it will be done very soon. :)

Good Night All!

Carol