Good morning!! It’s good to be back! I have to warn you, though. I’m jumping the gun because the husband is still murmuring about adding another security measure or two, but I decided I just needed to get back into the blogging groove or I would lose all motivation and this little space would die a quiet, unacknowledged death. There’s a small chance that the blog will go down again, but I think it’s safe to proceed with caution.

Later this week, I’ll do a roundup of some fun things going on with Sewing Happiness and Little Kunoichi, but for now, I want to share a post that is long overdue.

I was supposed to partake in the celebration of Annalisa of Puperita a few weeks ago, but then the crazy hacking thing happened and…well, here we are. I discovered Puperita earlier this year when I made the puffy jacket. The pattern was excellent and it was fun to modify the hoodie into a puffer — Annalisa is amazingly prolific!! I took note of several other patterns I wanted to try, and when Emi of Just Add Fabric contacted me about participating in this lovely tour spearheaded by Jenya of While She Was Napping, naturally I said yes.

This is the Colleen Dress for knits. If there’s even a smidgen of woven fabric involved, I’ve learned that K won’t wear anything I’ve made. I had a feeling that this super simple style would appeal to her and I offered her several choices in knit fabric:

I was betting that she would choose the second one from the top with the turquoise and yellow. I was wrong; she immediately selected the navy and white stripes (inwardly I was hoping she would bypass it so I could use it for myself).

With such a straightforward pattern, there’s not a whole lot to say, but as per usual the Puperita pattern came together nicely. Also, I made this so long ago, the details are pretty fuzzy in my brain. One thing I do remember: I didn’t add the little bow on the neckband since K seems to be drifting away from “cutesy” details.

Highly approved, this is a dress that’s going to get much love. I tell you, tween sewing involves a lot of hit or misses, but both Puperita patterns I’ve used have proven to be hits!

I feel terrible that I couldn’t get this post up in time, but better late than never, right?? Did you already check out all the other wonderful blogs that participated? Here they are:

P.S. It’s Me-Made-May time! Are you in? Like last year, I am unofficially following along — I already wear something me-made 99% of the time, so I’m in the Me-Made-May spirit all year long!

P.P.S. Furoku members, #14 has gone out!

K must be reading this blog, because after I posted about the dearth of kid-sewing around here, she began to pepper me with requests for handmade clothes.

As luck would have it, Mel commented on that post and introduced me to Blaverry (I’m salivating over Mel’s denim Decklyn jacket, by the way). K and I browsed through the site and she chose the Thea Dress. “Make it tight, Mama,” she instructed. She’s really into tight clothes.

I branched out and used a floral print knit. Isn’t it pretty? This here is an Art Gallery knit designed by my friend Frances Newcombe and it goes by the name Tree Fleur Blanc. I think I bought it some time last year? The minimal, modern dress pattern with the feminine, vintage-y print, it’s a winning combo. If this doesn’t say, Spring is here, I don’t know what does.

Well, it’s not quite as form-fitting as K would normally like, even though I went down to a size 6 based on the finished measurements, but the fashionista’s declared the dress spectacular. “It looks extra good with blue tights, right?” she asked.

I added 2 inches to the skirt hem, and I’m glad I remembered to do that or else this would have been a tunic.

I like the binding method of the neckline and how clean it looks. This is a thin, 95% cotton + 5% Spandex blend that’s so easy to sew — hardly curls, presses beautifully, drapes like a champ.

The key to the Thea dress, which is easy to construct, is in the pleats. I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever pleated a knit fabric before and I don’t think I have. It upgrades the style factor and K enjoys how swingy the skirt is.

Yep. We’re in love.

K loves this style so much, I’m going to make a couple more in different colors/prints. Thank you for directing me to Blaverry, Mel! I ordered a few more patterns and I can’t wait to try them out!

Good morning! It’s mid-winter break right now, so K and I are hanging out and relaxing today and tomorrow. Since we’re in vacation mode, the pace is slower around here and I’m posting a little later than usual…

I made K this little red number for Valentine’s Day. I don’t know why, but I tend to avoid the color red — maybe it’s because it’s my mom’s favorite color and I OD’d on it growing up. It’s a great hue on K, though, and I should make more outfits in this color. I’m not sure how the red is coming across on your screen, but this is a deep crimson with blue undertones.

In lieu of sugary treats, I told her I would make her a dress, so K and I browsed through my out-of-control Mini Fashion Pinterest board for ideas, and she liked this one:

She also selected the fabric, but sadly, I didn’t have quite enough to replicate the dress though I did my best to accommodate. Thank goodness she gave it a thumb’s up. Although my version isn’t quite as poufy and is more business-y than party girl, I’m quite pleased that I didn’t shell out anywhere near $200 to make the frock — I was trying to wrap my head around the type of person that would buy a $200 dress for his or her child, and then realized that if I added up the hours I spend on making each item of clothing, it suddenly didn’t seem so outrageous.

I started with An’s awesome Tinny Dress pattern, but completely hacked it so I’m not sure if I should even reference it. I used the size 7 bodice — which shows you how petite my almost 10-year-old is —  but didn’t bother with a zipper since I made the dress out of a ponte knit that was moderately stretchy.

Changes I made:

• No zipper
• Added a waistband
• Made it a two-tiered skirt
• Added a humongo bow

It’s a cute little dress and I’m proud that the inside of the dress looks clean and tidy:

You can see that I hand stitched the waistband facing. I’m starting to enjoy hand sewing more and more. Maybe I’m building my patience muscle?

She looks so grown up to me, especially in those new-to-her wedges (K is so much smaller than most of her friends, we end up with quite a bit of hand-me-downs). I wanted to shorten it a bit to balance out the proportions, but K liked the longer length so I kept it. Let’s call this one a success! It’s actually comfy, totally customized and the Valentine girl feels fancy. Win, win, win!

P.S. Confirmed! Ana, my Secret Valentine received her gift and I opened my spectacular gift from Sonja yesterday. So much happiness! I will post more about them later this week!