So Much That We Share

There is just one moon

and one Golden Sun

And this set has something 

for everyone

It was a long time coming - and I'm not going to lie, there may have been some laughter AND some near-tears along the way, but I made it to the end! Three outfits, lovingly handcrafted for my brother's kids. 

Two classic and timeless woven dresses, and a dapper little romper that will be soft, flexible, and let little brother match his sisters without sacrificing comfort. Hats off to a fabric host that can manage to color match this well across fabric bases, by the way.

I packed these beauties up and sent them to their recipients early this August, along with a Jojo Dress my daughter had outgrown. I insured the package for $500, because I swore if something happened to it, I was paying *someone else* to make them again.

The day after they arrived, my SIL texted me this beautiful photo of my nieces and nephew all dressed in their matching outfits - I breathed a HEAVY sigh of relief that everything fits. And then admired both my handiwork, and the general cuteness of my Brother and SIL's kids.

So what did everyone get? Well, my nieces & nephew got their dresses and romper, and my SIL got a fun family set for play and special occasions. My brother got a job (replacing Kam snaps as needed), and a few days after the package arrived, *I* got a really touching and heartfelt "Thank You" note from my SIL.

In the end, sharing in my SIL's joy, and seeing the joy on the kids' faces made it all worthwhile.

A World of Fussing

When I first ordered this lovely fabric, my nephew W was still (technically) a baby. Woven doesn't stretch, so I bought knit for him rather than stick him with a stiff  garment he could only wear for 3 months. At the time, I thought maybe I'd make him a Max Raglan (fast & easy) but then my OTHER nephew (he of gamer parents) started coming around in rompers.  One look at *that* cuteness, and I instinctively shifted gears.

I have not had *great* luck with Brindille & Twig patterns, but there's just no beating their sense of style. I'm far enough along in my sewing journey that even though their construction methods drive me nuts, I can usually fix things on the fly. I chose the Polo Romper because I could easily see a collar that would match the girls' dresses, and lots of room to show off the main elements of the featured print.

This romper was all over the place to construct, but I am pleased with how it turned out. The placket came out great once I got past confusingly photographed (but decently described) instructions, and the pattern called for a bunch of bands with raw edges at the arms and legs so I altered it.

All in all, I am really impressed with how nicely the collar came out. For the placket and bottom closures I used Kam Snaps.  I ended up sending extras to my brother, because I don't entirely trust them, but they sure do look nice.

As does the final outfit! I did have a bunch of fun fussycutting for the tower on front and the rainbow on back, this is easily the nicest collar I have ever pieced together in my entire life (sorry Dad, it's not for lack of trying). So how does it look next to the other two? Check back tomorrow to see.

A World of Laughter

As mentioned in my last post, the first part creating my sibling set for my nieces and nephew was making the girls' dresses.

For my middle niece L, I made a VFT Ruthie. It was a surprisingly quick & easy make for me! The simple version is mostly rectangles, and although the back button placket and the method used for attaching straps were both new to me, I was able to follow the instructions and get it right without much issue. I had to practice the strap attachment part with pins a few times before I fully understood it, but once I did, it was pretty straightforward.

The only NOT straightforward part was fighting with my button holer foot. That thing tries my patience every time Fortunately, it waited until AFTER the super-fussy round part was done to wig out on me, so I was able to finish my button hole with a simple zig-zag stitch.

Also, I do swear the button hole was parallel to the edge when I first set it up. I love my Janome DC2007 LE, but buttonholes of consistent quality are still a work-in-progress for me.

That said, I was pretty happy with the final product! Fussy cutter that I am, I'll note with pride that the ombre rainbow is consistent across the fabric - the top of the bodice is all one color, but there's a rainbow over the shoulders. And, even if it *weren't* for the intentional tie-in to big sister's VFT June, I'd still love the bows on the back- they're so unexpected, feminine, and fun.

But Speaking of Big Sister V's June....

I did skip button closures big sister's dress, opting instead for an elastic back that can be easily replaced if this dress makes it to another generation. Below I'm showing the back of the dress first for easy comparison.

The ties on the back of the June were an adventure - they were tiny and the instructions suggested that to get the right look, they need to be hand-turned. So *that's* 2 hours of my life I will never get back. But lesson learned, next time I will just use the fold-and-topstitch method employed by the Ruthie to make my straps.

I also ended up making the bodice twice on this one - the first time I misread my pattern when I traced it, and made the back too small. This pattern does have layers, and in retrospect it would have been smart to use them.

But, I'm still pleased with the overall result - the second bodice turned out as I had hoped, and although sewing the skirt to the elastic back bodice required some fussing everything came out pretty nicely in the end.

And that's two woven dresses, completed. For the next installment, I'll talk about little brother's romper.

A Not-So-Small Sibling Set

Sometimes a print just grabs you. So it was with this lovely design from one of my favorite fabric groups - the clock tower reminds me of the Small World ride, the geometric shapes tickle my inner quilter, and the bright blue background made it surprisingly boy-friendly despite all the glitter and rainbows. 

The flexibility of this print - plus its Disney-esque feel - made it a perfect candidate for my nieces and nephews in SoCal. Everyone loves a good sibling set, so that's what I set out to make.

The girls were easy; my SIL favors timeless, classic silhouettes, and so I've been collecting Violette Fields Threads patterns for quite some time with her in mind. Normally I mostly use knit fabric (it's softer and more forgiving), but for my nieces' dresses I really wanted to work in Woven. Woven takes a lot more work, in my experience. But it has more structure, it's typically what you think of when you think of a "timeless" or "classic" silhouette, and most importantly, it lasts longer. My SIL loves dressing her kids in things *she* wore as a baby, and so I wanted her to be able to pass that gift along to her kids: knits can lose their elastomeric tendencies (stretchiness) over time and in hot storage, but a good woven fabric can be stored indefinitely as long as isn't stored wet.

For this particular sibling set, I settled on the June and the Ruthie for the girls. I wanted each recipient to have her own unique style, and I felt those were the patterns that would best suit the girls' sizes/ages and my chosen fabric. Plus, both patterns have tie closures in the back, which I thought was a nice unifying element.

Baby W was a little bit harder. After much consternation, I did go back to knit for the 'baby' (see: soft & forgiving). I settled on the Brindille & Twig Polo Romper because I did really like the romper + the collared neckline.

Over the next few days, I've got some posts scheduled for how each of the pieces went. Check back tomorrow to hear about the girls' dresses!

An Inner Child Indulged

After making that Rainbow Brite Dress for my daughter, I think it took me all of 3 days to wonder why SHE got to have all the fun. Fortunately, the fabric I used came in two scales, and I'd picked them both up. The Striped Swallow Desert Breeze is available in Girls and Womens' sizes, so it was a logical jump to make a coordinating "mom" outfit for me!

Fortunately, the large scale was about perfect, and I had plenty of the coordinate left over from my daughter's dress. For myself I used both the Desert Breeze Women's pattern, and the Slim Fit Add-on;  I did size the Add-on up, though. The Slim-fit add-on is designed for negative ease, but I just wanted the top to be shaped, not clingy. I measured a L but made a 2XL to get the fit I wanted. I paired the slim-fit bodice with the 2XL flutter sleeves from the original pattern, but I did take 2" out of the sleeves to tone the flutters down a little.

Here's the final product, next to its inspiration. As with my daughter's desert breeze, this was a really quick make - even faster, since I didn't have to spend time gathering and attaching the skirt.

I did go with the wider strap option, which was *supposed* to cover my bra but doesn't. Not entirely, anyway. I figure I've go long hair though, so complete strap coverage isn't critical. But in my next Summer Breeze, I'll probably widen the straps even a little further.

And there will for sure BE a next Summer Breeze - This top is flattering, easy to make, and I love being able to coordinate with my daughter. High fives all around!