Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Central Park Sudoku Quilt

It's finished! :) Kate Spain's Central Park line is one of my all time favorites, so when I received the Central Park Sudoku kit as an especially thoughtful gift, I simply couldn't resist diving right in!  I chose Moda Bella Basics Stone for the sashing and borders and the purple daisy print for the binding.


I sent the quilt down to my mom's friend for long arm quilting and she did an amazing job! The feathers have little hearts snuck in and the design in the sashing and borders is separate from the 9-patches. I picked the quilt up on our recent visit and then hand-sewed the binding on as my husband drove us back home.



I just had to do a pieced back on this quilt again, and I absolutely love it! The big floral is my favorite from the Central Park line and I put the tiny 2 1/2" sample squares from the whole line to use too!


Pieced backs make me so happy! :)

Puppy Pips Family Reunion Sew-Along Dress

For the Oliver + S Family Reunion Dress Sew-Along, I used the adorable grey Sherbet Pips Puppy Dog Tails print by Aneela Hoey and with every stitch I took, I really do love this fabric more and more! I'm so happy I have some good sized scraps of it left!


I'm pleased to say the dress is a hit with my little Miss M too! :)


The red topstitching is one of my favorite things about this dress!


I'm so happy I decided to switch to red buttons instead of the brown buttons I'd originally chosen! It's hard to see in earlier photos, but the tiny buttons on the front tab are little hearts. :)


Last but not least, the 2 Family Reunion dresses together in action! :)


I've finished posting sew-along steps on Above All Fabric's blog, but there's still time left to finish up your dress and be eligible for the prize! Plus, you don't want to miss all the great inspiration in the  Family Reunion Sew-Along Flickr group!




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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Family Reunion Blouse - gathered neckline modification

Are you joining in the Oliver + S Family Reunion Dress Sew-Along?

Inspired by a purchased shirt with a similar neck facing, I wanted to try out a gathered neckline with the Family Reunion blouse pattern. I pulled a pretty, but random no-name print my stash to use as my test fabric.

I used the same Family Reunion pattern pieces, but omitted the button tab/center ruffle.

I didn't bother marking the pintucks, and only sewn from the notch about an 1 1/4" in. I included the pintucks solely as a quick way of making the body of the blouse fit the neck facing without having to fight the gathers.


Rather than pressing the pintucks towards the sleeves, I pressed them open, thinking this would better distribute the gathers.


Attach and turn the neck facing just as in the instructions.


Just below the bottom of the pintucks, but within the area that falls inside the area to be covered by the neck facing, sew a basting stitch. (You may want to stitch 2 lines of basting, with the 2nd below the neck facing, but I found the single basting stitch worked well.) Pin the neck facing in place, evenly spacing the gathers in the pintuck area. Edgestitch to attache the neck facing and remove the basting stitches from the inside of the garment.


This particular shirt should have been made a size 5 rather than a 6 for my girlie, but I think it still turned out pretty cute! :)


If you haven't joined the Family Reunion Dress Sew-Along, it's not too late! Pick up your supplies and start as soon as you can! :)
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I'll be posting steps to help guide you along in following the already wonderful Oliver+S instructions every other day on Above All Fabric's blog! You can keep right up as I post the steps, or catch up later if you don't have all your supplies yet! As long as you submit a finished project image to the Family Reunion Sew-Along Flickr group

Monday, June 13, 2011

Two Popover Dresses!

Summer sewing is in full swing here! Last Sunday I whipped up these 2 adorable Oliver + S Popover Dresses!

One dress with a cute print and some leftover bias trim from the Windy Days quilt!


And another from a summery purple strawberry print and the same red dotty fabric I pulled out when I made my 1st Family Reunion Dress!


I had to add a bit more inside even, it's just so cute! :)



I can't believe it took me so long to try this pattern! It's super-quick and such a cute result!

My sewing spree isn't over, not even close! I have a few more fun projects in the works, plus I just bought fabric to sew my girls school uniforms for next year, so I have lots of sewing to do! But, 1st things 1st, it's time for the Family Reunion Dress Sew-Along! I'm so excited! Are you joining in?

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I'll be posting steps to help guide you along in following the already wonderful Oliver+S instructions every other day on Above All Fabric's blog! You can keep right up as I post the steps, or catch up later if you don't have all your supplies yet! As long as you submit a finished project image to the Family Reunion Sew-Along Flickr group by July 15th you'll have a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to Above All Fabric! 

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Another Ice Cream Dress

So after one Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress, I was hooked! I just had to make another! For this one, I picked some of my very favorite prints from Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet line.


I ordered this beautiful splashy rose last year for a summer dress but never got around to it, so I knew it was time to take the plunge and cut into it. It's paired with 2 other Meadowsweet prints, including the leaf Henna Garden print that I should have bought a bolt of, I love it so much. (It coordinates beautifully with Kate Spain's Central Park too!)




Little squirrel joining in on this photo….


My girlies love their Ice Cream dresses! :)