A Zombie-Thrones Christmas

One of my favorite parts of sewing my own clothing is being able to combine fabric and pattern in ways you wouldn't necessarily expect. I'm a child of the 80s, and kids clothing these days is far too gendered for my tastes - who decided boys get puppies and girls get kittens? And more importantly, what's a clan of zombie lovers to do when they birth only (or at least, mostly) daughters?

My husband's whole family is full of zombie fanatics. And when I saw this print, I knew it was perfect for any daughters-in-law my brothers-in-law might produce. Unfortunately it was a little bit big to be used on a baby, so into "deep stash" it went. But this past year my two youngest nieces just turned 2 and 4, and this year we were going to see them for Christmas.

For the youngest (who, fortunately, has grown like WHOA over her first 2 years and now fits a size 4), I made one of my go-tos, the Haven's Hoodie. It's fast, it's efficient, and it works great with panels. I couldn't just do her, though! Her older sister carries the nickname "Princess," and when I bought this panel, Danerys Targen from the Game of Thrones series was beloved by all.

Of course, after the GoT Finale... less so, but my niece can definitely have an obstinate streak some days, so perhaps the shirt can help signify the days when she's a little *too* hell-bent on having her way.

The shirt and dress were delivered in Christmas 2019, and both my nieces and their parents had happy faces after the presentation; after all, it's not everyday you get a Zombie Dress and a Game of Thrones shirt for your kids!

A Doggone Train of Christmas Gifts

Before I sewed, it was always hard to shop for my youngest brother A, whose tastes have remained VERY consistent for the past 30 years; over time, he's accumulated just about everything he could want! But of course these days, I know I can always plan on a handmade gift. In previous years, I've made him a  Gone to the Dogs Raglan and a Gone to the Dogs T-Shirt. This year, my stash was piled a little high, so he got *two* goodies from me.

The first was a Dalmatian-themed raglan, since 101 Dalmatians (the live action version) is his favorite movie. For the second, I drew inspiration from the Mickey Train Button-Up shirt I'd made for my Dad. My brother isn't really a woven fabric kind of guy, but fortunately I was able to get my hands on a yard of the same print in knit.

So, why let my husband and my son have all the fun? Here's my Brother on Christmas day opening up his Dalmatian Shirt:

And here he is opening his train shirt.

Look at that grin! Here he is later that day, rocking his new father/son set with my Dad!

It's a family full of handsome men, and well-dressed too!

Back to the Unknown

If you read my previous entry carefully, you'll notice I refer to the Rainbow Cheetah Skirt as being a "test run." Well, here's what the test run was for:

Several years ago, when the first Frozen movie was all the rage, I'd picked up an organza-like mystery fabric, with foil snowflakes on a sheer turquoise woven. Whatever it was, it needed to be hemmed, and at the time I didn't own a serger. So, it spent a good 5 years in my stash before acting as my impetus to learn the rolled hem on my serger, as well as how to make thinner seams. But when a Frozen print showed up at my door just in time for the Frozen 2 premiere... it was too perfect a pairing not to use.

To make my Frozen Mystery Fabric skirt, I the used the construction methods I'd developed on the pink stretch mesh. In this case the "top" layer was 5 yards of snowflake print gathered into a single layer, with four individual 5-yard layers of tulle underneath. In retrospect, 5 layers of stiff skirting was overkill. Live and learn, I suppose.

For the top, having just had success with a Fun tee/Delaney/Isla short-sleeved combo, I decided to go with what worked; this time in a long-sleeved version. I got brave an tried a hi-lo skirt instead of straight, which I think was a nice addition. I also shaved an inch off the bodice, so it wasn't so long-waisted on my daughter. This Frozen print looks great with jeans, and paired with the skirt, the outfit really comes alive.

It's always a good feeling to turn some long-hoarded fabric into something beautiful, and in this case I feel extra good that the outfit I made is both perfect for the fabric, and perfect for the moment with my daughter. She's in love, and you can see pictures of her rocking this outfit at the Frozen 2 premiere here.

It's the perfect outfit for a stirring rendition of "Into the Unknown" for sure.

Boys of Frozen

My daughter isn't the only Frozen fan in the house; my son also loves Elsa and her friends. So for the Frozen 2 premiere, he too got a few new duds. Initially, he was overjoyed to receive a "Boys of Frozen" raglan, with Elsa + the male members of the cast.

This was a super-quick (and relatively inexpensive) project, consisting of a custom panel and some solids from Purpleseamstress. I used the MegaMax Raglan for the pattern, and it came together in an afternoon. I even snuck back on the site and bought a second panel for one of my son's friends, since it came out so nice.

But apparently fate (and Frozen!) wasn't done with me. When all was said and done with my daughter's peplum, I caught my son admiring that fabric too. It turned out there was *just* enough to eke out a second raglan and so... here he is in his *second* Frozen shirt.

Same pattern, same big smile. Now my son could match his friend OR his sister! 

Here they are partying it up in their matching outfits at home...

... And here they are having fun with friends at the Frozen Premiere! With WAY too much going on to look at mom and the camera, no less.

A Rainbow of Discovery

For several months now, I've been really admiring some of the tulle-Skirted creations I've been seeing online in my sewing groups. Sew Stylin Stitches, Kendall Paige Designs, and a number of other designers over at the TulleTastic and Fancy Pants Fabric groups have all been posting fun, colorful, full-skirted outfits that capture my fancy. A collage of some of my favorite examples from Tulletastic and Fancy Pants is below.

I'd dismissed the idea of recreating one of these dresses myself as a passing fantasy until one seamstress posted of a customer's Very Good Idea, and it happened to be a 'dress' that was actually composed of a peplum top, and a separate tulle skirt that went under it to create the look of a dress. Well, wait a minute... I could do THAT. Having 2 separate components meant the wearer would get more use out of the top after hours spent sewing it, and it minimized the odds that would I ruin a good bodice with a bad tulle attachment.

Conveniently, right about that time 2 yards of Rainbow Leopard Print from Oh So Pretty Fabric graced my doorstep, and my daughter fell in instant love. I paired it with a "Casa Collection" stretch mesh from Joann's, since this outfit it was essentially a test run.

For the skirt, I used 4 yards of stretch mesh. I sewed the ends together, then folded the circles of mesh in half height-wise to make 4 gathered layers of fabric. The length was near enough to my daughter's knees that I did not have to hem. I also cut & sewed a small (1.5x  my daughter's waist measurement) woven lining to ensure the skirt was opaque. For the waistband, I used a strip of CL cut to 8 inches wide and 0.8 x my daughter's waist circumference in length.

To construct the skirt, I put the layers of mesh, the woven fabric, together, then I sewed the waistband to them front to front. Then I then stretched the waistband over and tacked the raw edge down in the back using a zig zag stitch that enclosed the woven and mesh. I also ended up having to add a band of elastic inside my folded-over waistband, since it turns out 4 layers of stretch mesh is heavy.

For the top, I knew I wanted to match one of the lovelier creations I had recently seen; a beauty with a bow back, puffed sleeves, and a peplum, skirt. For the base & sleeves, I reached for the Sew by Pattern Pieces Girl's Fun Tee, which is fast becoming a much-loved basic at out house. For the bow back and neckline, I used the CKC Delaney. The peplum skirt was a mashup of the girl and baby Isla, to give me the waistline and length I needed.

For all the fussy elements, the top went together pretty quickly; the Delaney bow back was the only part I hadn't tried before, and while I'm not crazy about the construction method (exposed seams in the back), it came out fun and cute without *too* much extra time. Definitely a neckline I will incorporate into other creations. Here are the top and the skirt, paired together like my original inspiration:

And how does my daughter feel about it? She loves it. I think I was spot on when I judged the top would get a lot more wear if I detached it from the skirt; it's gotten worn with jeans on a number of occasions.

The skirt, well it sees a little less action, but it was essentially a learning tool that turned out surprisingly well. That Casa Collection stretch Mesh from Joann's does seem to wear and wash pretty nicely, so I wouldn't hesitate to get it again. And my daughter sure does have a blast when she's wearing it. So, I consider it a job well done.

A Sockin' good time

Originally, I'd planned for my daughter to wear her "Rotten to the Core" Hoodie (remix version) to her Descendants-themed birthday party, but a few weeks out, my husband upstaged me with a much-desired Mal Tutu dress from Wal-mart (sigh...) I couldn't blame him, though - my daughter had been asking for months, so when he saw one in her size, he snapped it up.

Of course, that's what she wanted to wear to her birthday party instead. But, when the going gets tough the tough get creative; My daughter's birthday was at a bouncy house, where they allow you to bring your own socks. I had plenty of scraps left over from the Rotten to the Core Remake. So after some research, I tracked down the kid-sized Cozy Critter Socks by PeekaBoo Patterns.

I've had good luck with Peekaboo Patterns before, and the cozy critter socks did not disappoint. The pattern is straightforward and a 'troubleshooting' section made it easy to get the perfect fit at the cost of one trial sock. The trial sock's fit wasn't bad either - I made it a mate and put it in rotation anyway. One thing to be aware of, though, is that the sock sizes are determined by the length of the child's foot, and not their shoe size. I live with the children I am making socks for, so I just made a foot tracing and measured it, but it wasn't as simple as calling someone up and asking for their child's shoe size.

Discussions in the Peekaboo Pattern Fan group suggested that ankle high socks are best for bouncy houses, because no matter how perfect the fit, everything else likes to work its way down as the calves extend and compress with all the jumping. At first this bummed me out - I was using gorgeous fabric, and my first instinct had been to go knee-high. But my daughter, bless her soul, stumbled on the perfect solution for showing off her Descendants socks when not in the bouncy house -

A pair of Mary Janes! I fussycut everything, but it was just pure luck how well the pattern placement on the socks worked with the 'windows' provided by the Mary Janes. Our luck also held in that the socks stayed on through ~1.5 hours of bouncing - more than I can usually expect from storebought socks. Also the socks still looked good afterward.

Below is my daughter in her party outfit, showing off her best 'villian' face...

...with homemade villain socks that she's definitely going to wear again, from a pattern I'm definitely going to make again.

Crashin' the Party

With D3 on the horizon, I jumped at the chance to order some more of the "Rotten to the Core" fabric; my daughter *loved* the hoodie dress I made her last year with it, but she outgrew it earlier this year.

I missed my initial goal of a new Descendants outfit for the D3 premiere, but D3 juiced my daughter's enthusiasm for the franchise. So the next time my daughter got to pick her own fabric for a dress, she selected this Descendants-inspired print.

And I, having had a long time to think about what I wanted to make for it (and to pick the perfect purple to go with it, thank you PurpleSeamstress) had TONS of options at the ready; a layered off-the-shoulder look, a pretty peplum, and a hooded 'princess' dress with a high-low double skirt.... the possibilities were endless, and I was absolutely itching to try something new after my pre-Disney Hoodie Marathon in September.

So what did my beloved daughter pick? Well... another Haven's Hoodie, of course. Sigh. I'll admit, it dampened my enthusiasm for a bit, having already made one of these in this fabric with these features. Usually I have a drive to finish "So I can see what it looks like," but in this case, all I needed to do was look at old pictures to see how it would turn out.

Also, in my annoyance at having to make it again, I blew straight past my daughter's size-7 measurements and made her a size 8, only to find that it was *still* a little large on her, even though she'd outgrown her Size 6 Haven's Hoodie last year. Not that she minds! She and her Brother both picked fun mom-made customs for the day before Halloween, and had a blast wearing them.

At the end of the day I do have plenty of *other* fabric I can use to try out new patterns, fabric with prints she doesn't have a preconceived notion about. I can still enjoy experimenting with those.

And in the meantime, here's to a dress so loved it got requested twice! And here's to two years of "Rotten to the Core" creations.