'You need more than one skirt, really mum'. The advice of my 3-year old in mind and knowing how this advice applies not just to her but to all... me, you and dolls equally, I made some extra clothes for the littlest girls in the house.
First up are some doll skirts, made from leftover fabrics.
Then there are some trousers.
Combined with all the previous clothes I've been making our doll wardrobe is filling up nicely. Those littlest girls will be fashionistas before we know it...
Remember this sweet gal?
Her wardrobe has been magically growing. Magically I tell you! How great is that...
One of the newest arrivals is an outfit that combines an elegant skirt with a long sleeved cardigan for those chilly summer nights.
The cardigan is a doll version of a baby brassière called 'Tendres Coeurs' by La Droguerie. And it's accompanied by a wooden necklace.
Another more sporty outfit has arrived in the shape of a pair of trousers, a blouse and a little lilac vest.
I wonder what else will appear in her wardrobe...
A few weeks ago the urge to make a quilt hit me. It hit me hard. So I set to work.
I selected the Sherbet Pips series by Moda and started to cut them into squares.
Leaving my bin to look really pretty. Yes, I'm sure that finding the contents of your bin pretty is considered a touch odd. But really, just look at it. So pretty...
Keeping in mind that this quilt would be destined to cover my firstborn who's really into pink -except for her own clothes... which we can only be thankful for- I sewed the squares of Sherbet Pips together to form long horizontal rows and alternated those with a row of a solid and very pale pink.
As soon as I hit queen size -the antique beds of my girls have rather wide proportions- I framed the whole thing in a border of slightly pinker pink. Then I took some off white percale cotton for the back and together with a light flannel batting sandwiched all the layers together. Strategically I forgot to take pictures of these stages but in my defense, this won't be the last quilt I make so I'll have time to make up for this omission the next time.
Anyhow, I quilted the whole thing through in straight lines following the seams. The quilting lines run at about 1/4 inch on both sides of each seam leaving a nice checkered effect on the back.
For binding I used a contrasting blue, dotted with tiny white specks to create a strong frame.
And then I just put it on the intended bed.
Leaving a certain someone rather pleased, comfy and warm at night.
Yep, a week well spent.
Go ahead... bake some cookies!
Bon appétit!
She has been saving up to make a braid. Just like her big sister. Only from birth on, that sister has much more and usually much longer hair.
But being patient has recently been rewarded...
Mind you, it's just a tentative and fragile braid so far. Not quite long enough to withstand an afternoon of play. But nonetheless a braid to be very very very proud of.
So after all the winter knitting, I cast off this small spring cardigan.
It's a small knit with short raglan sleeves. I used Kaleïdo in Blue Pastel and needles 3,5mm.
This yarn is a mixture of linnen and cotton and is light and soft to the touch. This particular color also has a faint sheen to it.
The cardigan is a version for a 3 year old. But due to the matching 3 year old shirts being in the laundry bin, I used the big sister shirt to model it on. Fear not, the cardigan actually comes down to the hips.
But how luscious is that color? What else could I possibly use it for?
My girls are skirt lovers. I fully understand. None of us seem to have a passion for trousers. It seems that for us, this feeling only intensifies with age. The only trousers I own are actually pajama bottoms. And although I practically live in those indoors I won't be seen outside with trousers of any kind.
So we have wardrobes that are heavily stocked with skirts and dresses. And just recently we added some new arrivals for the little girls around here.
Numeros unos:
A homemade pattern. It's a little more than half a circle and has a slightly curved waist to help stay in place. Again, the waistband was put on in a way to conceal all seams at the waist.
The fabric is a lovely forest scene by Kokka. It suits my little rascal to the bone.
Numeros dos:
Same pattern. A teeny tiny bit wider. But considerably longer. And if my memory serves me correctly, this is a fabric by Alexander Henry.
Two happy sisters. Two pairs of legs ready to soak up some of that radiant sun.
I know that technically summer hasn't even started.
And I know that knitting for winter now seems a bit odd to some. But I'm not one of those some.
I'm one of those overly organized types. The ones that look into their stash and feel a sense of relief and comfort to see that it's shrinking away well in time before the deadline of winter.
Winter garment knitted in spring number two:
A gilet Courtenay. Well spotted!
In a pinkish alpaga, knitted double on 5mm needles.
Adorned with some vintage duck buttons.
And in a bigger size.
The one from last winter, which has become too short even by the most creative of standards, will make its way to the wardrobe next door in the hallway. Enthusiasts can find both pattern and yarn over at Julija's.
So with this winter deadline out of the way, I'll move onto something more spring like on my knitting needles. You see, I can do normal too!
And while we're at it, why not sew some shirts?
This spring has proven just about the sunniest and most dry, and I bet you also most hot, one ever recorded. So we've been in the mood for summer clothes rather a lot lately. Ever since the succeeded liberty skirt tempered my frustration over sewing for my kids I figured I could make a sleeveless shirt myself.
So one morning when the girls were in school I started off with a Japanese sewing book, some nani iro by Heather Ross for Kokka and I followed the pattern to the letter. As my first born is rather tall I thought it would be a good idea to go for the 6 year size. Out and about on blogs where this shirt has been popping up I was assured that the book provided perfect fittings.
A little while later I put the finishing touches to a pretty blouse.
It opens up at the back, right down to the waistband, slightly overlapping to keep from showing too much back and it is closed by tying two strings in a pretty bow.
Pretty. Very pretty.
But way too wide. Trust me, the pictures are rather flattering and disguise the bulk at the sides and the shifting shoulders pretty well.
Pretty. Very pretty.
But not a good idea to do this without the model actually being around for in between measurements.
So. One morning when the girls were not in school I took the model aside for some accurate measurements. And voilà, as far as height is concerned she definitively needs the 6 year old size. But for width... well, what can I say, even the 3 year old size was nice and roomy for her.
So. I adjusted the pattern -yes, it seems there won't be any straight forward simple sewing around here- and I made a second one.
Much better.
So much better.
So much better that resistance was put up when it was time to toss it into the laundry basket.
So much better that a smaller version for the smaller sister has been asked for with persistence.
But I bet you that I'll have to adjust that size as well... where's that tape measure?
... at sewing skirts.
But this time with a tailored pattern.
*A big sigh of relief* Oh boy, what a difference those adjustments make.
No more excess bulk at the waist...
... a smooth flow from the skirt into the ruffle thanks to a small plead softening up the edge...
... and hidden from your eyes on these pictures, a waistband that I put on in a similar way to a biais binding hence eliminating all seams and overlock at the waist and making it so much more comfortable to wear.
I got the doggie liberty from Julija's Shop a while back and still have quite some left. My 3-year old is short for her age so that allows for budget friendly sewing and also for a second skirt to even out the number of skirts in the wardrobe of her big sister.
Although.... apart from the height she fits into this little version just fine.... wish I had her figure!
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