About each project:

These designs were fun to play with, and we walked a very fine line between trendy, just-for-fun and wearable. I wanted to interpret the girls’ designs in a way that was true to their drawings, and still something that worked for them to wear on a daily basis! (Or at least to church!)

The Cape:

Starting a cape made fully of super-soft and furry Luxe Minky from Funky Monkey Fabrics and Bridal Satin is not for the faint-hearted! I read horror stories online about how hard minky was to sew, and with two slippery fabrics, I figured I was in for a fight. Not to worry! I loaded up the Skyline S9’s AcuFeed Flex foot (basically a souped-up walking/even foot) and plowed ahead, pinning every 2 inches or so.  It was not terrible, YAY! The only time-consuming part was vacuuming the edges of each and every piece once they were cut, and before stitching. Then, of course, vacuuming my entire main floor!

I used the Oliver and S “Little Things to Sew” cape as a starting point for the design, (I made one here) and added a ribbon hanger to the back neck, for hanging and changed the hem drastically. The zipper was a closure request from my daughter. I wanted to add a large bow that tied under her neck, but she explained to me that it would be too hard to do herself – and, ever practical, she opted not to add it.

The bad thing? I understitched the entire hem of the cape (through the 5″ arm hole) BEFORE I remembered that I was supposed to shorten it by 4 inches. Luckily my friend was sewing with me at the time to get me through that!

I’m so glad I could make this for my little one. The Luxe Minky is absolutely soft and has a gorgeous texture. She loves dressing up, accessories and fun clothes and will totally wear this cape out all the time. It was well worth the time it took!

The Maxi Dress:

I knew this dress “had to” be maxi length, my youngest loves them because they make her feel like a princess. I started with Lexi’s Strappy Back Dress from Simple Life Patterns. It has such a pretty bodice shape, and the button back allows it to fit closely without elastic. We pleated the maxi layers, some to the side and some in the center – just because my daughter said to! Since I was determined to use up my stash, I started looking at the satin to see if there was enough. Amazingly, all of the fabric came from my stash except for the cream! I had the pink from a friend who didn’t use it in her wedding, the bright pink from a stashed remnant and just-enough floral from lining my faux leather Marmalade jacket.

Funny thing about sewing for kids while they are at school – my sewing notes are peppered with things like “Use Penguin nightgown for the length” and “Use cat sweater for sizing”. Fun times, then holding your breath until they can try it on is fun too!

The Sweater Dress

The infamous “Use Cat Sweater for Sizing” project. *lol* This was a pretty simple project based on the Camden from Hey June Handmade. I made sure to line the front bodice behind the fur and smooth out each seam so it would be comfy. The fur was a bit scary to sew into the top – but topstitching helped and cutting the fur out of the seam allowance first was key to getting a nice looking seam.

Oh, and I sorted out an awesome thing! I haven’t used Wooly Nylon in anything until a few months ago, and my kids were always breaking the threads of their handmade knit garment hems. I wound the wooly nylon onto a bobbin using my machine and it’s been great – no more broken seams!

The White Pants

Oh white pants… how I’m going to miss you! I can only imagine how quickly these will get dirty – but they are so cute with the dress it was worth it. They were simple to sew. I started with the Simple Life Patterns’ Tiffany’s Bow and Ruffle Leggings and added a jogger style hem band instead of the bows and ruffles. They worked out great and I made them using some stashed velour knit – probably from about 8-9 years ago! Amazingly it was the 4-way 75% stretch the pattern called for. #sewingwin

The Slouchy Legwarmers

Speaking of stashed fabrics, I think I bought the knit for these legwarmers around the same time as the white velour! I’ve wanted to make leg warmers out of it basically since it existed in my stash and was happy to use this contest as a reason. They are self-drafted tubes of fabric with clear elastic sewn into each end. My daughter has worn them to school almost every day since they were finished.

The Fur and Faux Leather Purse

This purse and the cape are my most favorite projects from this week! It was so fun to follow my daughter’s drawing. I’ve been saying I’d make her a purse soon and it was a great opportunity. She is so proud of and happy with her new purse, it’s great to make things that the girls love!

The bag is self-drafted and I had to summon all of my previous bag making knowledge to do it! The lining is interfaced with fusible fleece and I’ve used foam on the outer sides and gusset to help it keep its shape. I’ve had the short beaded handle for as long as the legwarmer knit and velour, so it was nice to finally use it! The long chain handle was wrapped with black vinyl and attached to a “lovely” black sequined purse (we now own) at the thrift store. The snowflake charms were packaged with flannel sheets we just bought for the girls, re-purposing at it’s best!

Whew!

You made it to the bottom of the post! You are a superhero! Thanks so much for reading. Head over to the Project Run and Play post to see all of the other designs and vote for your favorite! (Maybe me?!)

Here’s the LINK to VOTE!

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Fabrics:

• Natural Hide Luxe Minky from Funky Monkey Fabrics
• Bridal Satin and Sweater Dress Pink Knit from Fabricland
• Velour, Knit, Bridal Satin(s), Lining and Quilting Cotton from my stash

• Oliver and S “Little Things to Sew” Cape
• Simple Life Pattern’s Lexi’s Strappy Back Dress
• Hey June Handmade Camden Raglan
• Simple Life Pattern’s Tiffany’s Bow and Ruffle Leggings
• Self-drafted Legwarmers
• Self-drafted Fur Purse