Happy Friday, friends! I have a special, unexpected K outfit for you today. A little while ago, Heidi of Elegance & Elephants generously bestowed me the fabulous Five and Ten Designs Volume One ebook. I’m sure you’re already familiar with it. Oh, it’s so genius: take five basic pattern pieces and make ten (or more if you so choose!) looks from them. This book is so drool-worthy – gorgeous photography, beautiful styling, and of course, wonderful designs by talented designers, Heidi being one of them. The size range is from 12 months to 10 years, so you’ll be able to use these patterns for a long, long time.
I was in a quandary though. A few other lovely bloggers have been posting their creations from the ebook, and I noticed that the look I wanted to sew was getting featured all over the place. This gave me pause because I don’t like to feel like I’m copying…but in the end, I went with my first instinct and made look #2. I LOVE it.
The ruffles! That back with the ties! I can’t stand how adorable this top designed by Jessica of The Sewing Rabbit is.
A side note: two of K’s close buddies suffered broken bones this summer (the right hand for one, the right arm for the other — what were the chances?) and she’s been slightly obsessed with the idea of casts and slings. Hence, the fake broken hand/arm shots:
The sling is the linen infinity scarf I made earlier this week – very resourceful of her. And that would be FOE (fold over elastic) on her hand.
The instructions were excellent and I followed them almost exactly. I made the ties thinner, and did the binding a little differently. It should have been smooth sailing. However, there is something about this (amazing) Nani Iro fabric that caused my gathering baste stitches to get stuck, so I had the darnedest time getting the ruffle to gather. What should have been a quick project turned into a bit of a nightmare, especially since K decided to have a meltdown of epic proportions while I was finishing it up.
I used a size 8 (K normally wears a 7), and originally meant to make it a dress-length but didn’t have enough fabric. I do wish I had added just a little more length, but I think with the 10-minute linen-blend skirt that I banged out on the fly, it looks oh-so-chic. Very French, non?
As always the barometer of success is K’s reaction and the verdict? “Is this for meeeeeee???? Yay!” She has been wearing it non-stop.
I’m so honored to have been given this chance to try out Five and Ten Designs, and I can’t thank Heidi enough. I’m a huge fan of her work and will definitely be stitching up her looks and the others from the ebook in the coming weeks! Please note, I almost forgot to add, that all opinions are 100% my own.
Have a lovely, lovely weekend everyone! See you on Monday, and signing off with a haiku:
Next week is the start
Second grade is here at last
Our fluttering hearts