Cute Baby's Summer Dress

Just an update what I've been up to recently!  This dress is the second in a group I will be making.
It was requested by Auntie Mim for her great-grandaughter, who is 4 months old.

I'll be making more of these dresses and putting them in the shop, as I think they make really cute dresses for summer! And now the sun is out, I think everyone is starting to feel a bit summery... :-)

The dress is made from cotton fabric and I can make any size from newborn to 12 months in any fabric required! I have a selection of cute girly ones but I've also made one in rockabilly skull and crossbone fabric, which was fun :-)

The dress fastens at the back with poppers, though I think I will change the poppers I put on this one before sending it to Mim as they seem to come undone really easily! Is there any issue with putting metal poppers on baby clothing if it's secured well?  I can only see plastic ones wearing down over time but I'll have a good look in the fabric shop tomorrow and see what else they have.

I've also made matching knickers! These were fun to make and I'd like to make lots more in funky fabrics.  Not having children myself, I wonder how the mum's out there rate these.  For example, if your baby girl is dressed in a plain dress, would you dress it up by putting her in polka dot baby bloomers? Or safari print? I think I would but I wouldn't mind hearing what everyone else thinks!

The casing for the elastic around the leg is binding I have made from pink ribbon.  I might try making a pair with this on the outside too as it's hidden away, and might make quite a sweet feature I think.

Amazing Portraiture Art...

I just wanted to bring attention to the amazing art of my friend Mel Evans.  Mel is a self employed artist who has exhibited in Cardiff and Brighton and is currently taking very reasonably priced commissions.

All of Mel's portraits are painted from photographs, which makes things simple if you aren't in the same area or you have children or pets that won't keep still!  She uses a medium of predominantly oil on canvas and works from her studio in Brighton.

You can contact Mel through her website or become a fan on facebook

Angry Birds Plushies by Obsessively Stitching

I'm loving these Angry Birds toys by Obsessively Stitching!

Not that I've been at all addicted to the game (ahem)! These cute creatures are so spot on I couldn't help but smile :)

There are a whole crew of angry bird tutorials to be found for free on Obsessively Stitching's blog, and the original red bird is available on Etsy for the less creative of you.

Recycling old for new

I just found this awesome tutorial to turn a man's shirt into a child's dress on www.dana-made-it.com.

I love seeing anything that supports making and recycling old clothes rather than throwing them away and buying new, cheap disposable clothes and this is a fantastic idea!

Dana-made-it.com is a fantastic blog packed with ideas for refashioning new items from old clothes and lots of fab photos.

Take note!

Knitted Nativity!

How cute are these guys? My friend Steph donated them to me at the weekend thinking I might be able to give them a better home than her.  It seems a shame to keep them hidden away until Christmas!

Ethos...

When people ask "What do you do?" how many of you are excited by your answer?  I mean, really passionate about it?

This is just a little thing I've been thinking lately and I thought as it's so relevant to what I'm trying to do, I would share it with anyone reading.  I'm talking about sewing, dressmaking.. Buttons and Beeswax. 

I love the feeling of making something for somebody and playing a part in their excitement of having something new, that was put together just for them.  I like the idea that something as simple as an item of clothing can make you feel really good about yourself.  It can change your confidence,  the way you stand and how you see yourself in the mirror.

Creating things for people to wear is exciting because it makes them feel special.  It is a personal and indulgent thing to spend money on hand made clothing and I want people to feel like they are getting a treat.  That's what gives me a buzz.

Dressmaking started for me as a hobby, but I know that isn't enough.  It's what interests me, and if I have to do something to live then I want it to be that.  To give people that feeling I just described.  And if we have to spend most of hours working, why not spend it working on something we love?

James' Shirt

I've never been a massive fan of denim, but there's something about it.  I like the way it presses and how the stitches look when they are holding pieces of it together.  There's something very satisfying about creating garments out of it.  So when I was asked to make a shirt I was quite excited to get going on it.


The fabric itself is quite thin, for denim, however as it's a shirt and not a jacket this was important.  I chose the lightest weight I could find knowing that the yoke and the pockets would all weigh it down.


Here is the result :-)

Dad's Photographers Gloves

Prompted by something my dad had mentioned, I decided to go on and make him some gloves for christmas with a couple of bits missing... He'd said how gloves should have the tip of the right finger free, for pressing the shutter on the camera.  Thinking about this, I realised how generally it's quite useful to have a thumb free also, but without all of the missing fingers of fingerless gloves which frankly don't keep you warm in the winter!  (Yes I realise it's now March, but I've been terrible at keeping this blog up to date recently (possibly something to do with the excitement of moving from the south east back to the south west. ))


I digress..

Here are the gloves.. now tried and tested, they proved very useful! The pattern for the gloves can now be downloaded from here.