Easter Ginger

Yep, I've turned into one of those moms. You know- the kind who match their outfits with their daughter's. At least it's only on special occasions.

For myself, I made the Colette Ginger skirt. This is a great pattern for a basic, A-line skirt. It went together super quickly. I like the high waist style. It is flattering and has a bit of a vintage vibe.

I used a cotton stretch sateen print from Gorgeous Fabrics. It's been in my stash for a while until I could figure out what to do with it. I originally intended on making a dress with it. I love the colors and large floral print. However, I thought it would be a bit overwhelming on me as a dress so I opted for a skirt. I think it turned out nicely.

One word of caution. I fell in-between sizes on the size chart so I opted for the larger of the two. I still had to let out the waist seam allowances by 1/4 inch on each side- 1 inch all the way around.

I am really happy with this skirt and received lots of compliments the first time I wore it. This is another one I could see making up in several prints for lots of options.

For the baby, I used Simplicity 3854 to make her dress from the same fabric. For such a little dress it was actually quite fussy! The instructions would have you finish the neckline and sleeves with bias tape. Despite the bias, I couldn't get the tape to stretch enough to lay flat after stitching. So after fighting with it, I ended up cutting a lining for the bodice and finishing it that way. I then preceded to sew the lining in incorrectly and having to rip it out- at least that one was my fault.

In the end, it did come out really cute. I love the poofy skirt! And, I made her the matching headband!

 

 ~Jenny

 

 

Lovely Leaves Laurel

Eek it's been a while, hasn't it? I have recently made a big decision... to return to school! I am currently in the midst of graduate school, working toward becoming a family nurse practitioner. Needless to say, that has eaten up some of my sewing time. Although I will have to slow down, I still hope to finish 2 garments a month. I need me some sewing to keep my sanity!

 

I can't wait until it warms up a little more so that I can wear this dress! This is the Laurel dress from Colette Patterns. I love the basic shift style of this pattern. It is easy to wear but still has a feminine shape.

 

I used a beautiful eyelet with a leaf design from Gorgeous Fabrics. I really wanted the eyelet design to pop so I underlined the dress with a white cotton lining. The sleeve hem and neck are bound with black seam binding.

 

This went together quickly and easily. I sewed the size recommended by the pattern based off of my measurements and didn't need to make any alterations. The only change I would make next time is to make the dress just an inch or two just out of personal preference.

 

 

 

I really like how this turned out! The black and white contrast looks really chic! The Laurel might just turn into one of my go to patterns. I could see this worked up into many different fabrics and prints.

 

~Jenny