Handmade Wardrobe // Rosebud Ruffles

Both dresses : mashed up/self drafted

fabric: rosebud cotton poplin from Measure Fabric

Penny’s sunglasses:  Mini Made Co

Penny’s sneakers: June and January

my purse: thrifted Free People

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i am so so so soooo in love with how these dresses turned out! 

I have actually had this idea for this squared neck ruffle dress in my head for YEARS. literally years. I think I saved an inspiration photo in 2016. I don’t know why I waited so long to make it happen, but I’m glad I did wait for this fabric. When I first laid eyes on this little mini rosebud print from Measure Fabric, I immediately started thinking of this dress again. It just couldn’t be more perfect! It’s a cotton poplin, so more of a shirting fabric. It is a little bit translucent in direct light, so I lined the whole thing. 

As far as the pattern, I started with the Tessuti Fabrics Romy top just to get a starting point for the shape of the top (but altered it a bit) and then kind of just self drafted the rest. And then I kind of just eyed/self drafted Penny’s mini version. I was a little worried just winging all of it, but it was actually pretty simple and came out just as I was imagining! 

Penny thinks the little rosebuds are strawberries and keeps calling them our strawberry dresses 😂.  

Handmade Wardrobe // matching bees, and sewing for kids

My tank: Megan Nielsen Patterns Eucalypt tank in crepe de chine from Fabric.com

my jeans: Megan Nielsen Dawn jeans in denim from Style Maker Fabrics

Penny’s top: mashed up/self drafted top in cotton from Fabric.com

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No new makes again! We’ve been re-wearing a lot of handmade items already in our closets. especially Penny. She actually originally wore this top over a year and half ago for our family photos, and it still fits!

Its funny, when she was really little, I barely made any clothes for her at all. I didn’t see the point in spending so much time and effort on garments that she would just grow out of in a couple months. Kids grow so fast! But then some where along the way, I realized that making clothes for her meant I could control how they were made. Meaning, I could make them grow with her. I can add a really wide hem that can be let down later as she grows taller. I can use larger seam allowances that can be let out as she gets older. I can purposefully make a garment just a tad big to start with. Not too big, just enough that it still fits, but also will fit her for awhile.

I can’t stop making clothes for her now!

Handmade Wardorbe // Rowan and Wattle

top: Megan Nielsen Patterns Rowan bodysuit in a green rib knit from Blackbird fabrics

skirt: Megan Nielsen Patterns Wattle skirt in a cotton from Shop Well Fibre

slides: Old Navy

Penny’s dress: self-drafted

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The last time we matched while wearing this skirt, its was January and we were in sweatshirts and lots of layers. Happy to finally wear it in warmer weather!

This Rowan bodysuit is my favorite one yet. I added in shoulder ruffles again like I have before (This time I documented the process, so there will be a tutorial on Design Diary sometime soon!). And the green pairs perfectly with this floral Wattle skirt. I didn’t have enough of the ribbed fabric left to make anything for P, so I grabbed this other green knit form Nelly Lou stash and whipped up our go-to gathered dress. Not a perfect match, but she still thought we were in matching outfits, so it was a win! She actually loves matching me, and I hope it never ends. I mean, I know it will, but I seriously live for this.

Handmade // tie top Cottesloe

pattern: Megan Nielsen Patterns Cottesloe swimsuit

fabric: ‘watercolor mostera leaf’ by Little Arrow Design, purchased from Spoonflower

bag: Target

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Gaaaaaaah, I love this swimsuit so much! I originally made another Cottesloe swimsuit out of this fabric - view D bikini with underbust band and waistband (you can see photos at the very end of the post). While I do love the look of that one, I purposefully bought extra yardage of this fabric because it’s gorgeous and I knew I would want to make different two piece versions to mix and match together. So this longline, tie strap top was born! Seriously, I couldn’t love it more. I’m definitely more comfortable in longline tops. Not necessarily a full tankini, but more coverage than a typical bra-style top. All I did for the longline modification was literally extend the lines of the side seams straight down. Nothing fancy. Easy-peasy. I lined the front only, and adding sewn-in bust pads (tutorial can be found on Design Diary).

And those tie details? Don’t worry - there will be a tutorial for Design Diary in the future! I didn’t make it this go-around, since I was just testing it out. But now that I know how cute it turns out, I’ll  be doing it again (maybe on a one piece?) and documenting it for a tutorial. So keep a look out in the next month or two for that!

I also made a second pair of high waisted bottoms, this time without the waistband. But I still wanted the extra height that the waistband provided, so I again simply extended the side seams upwards about 3/4”. Again, super simple.

Now, in this swim print, I have 5 pieces - a longline tie strap top, a regular style top with underbust band, high waisted bottoms, high waisted bottoms with waistband, and also regular low-rise bikini bottoms! So many mix and match options!

Handmade Wardrobe // flower child

dress: Megan Nielsen Patterns Floreat dress

penny’s cropped tee: self drafted  

fabric: double brushed jersey knit from Girl Charlee

my belt bag: Target

my shoes: sooooo old

penny’s pants: Target

penny’s sunnies: Amazon

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I originally had this post scheduled for later in the week, but I was so excited about this set that I rearranged posts and moved this up to Monday haha.

I’ve been holding onto this fabric for awhile (it’s no longer available, unfortunately), but I honestly knew I wanted to make a knit Floreat dress with it from the second it arrived in the mail. This is the 5th Floreat version I’ve made, and as usual, I’ve had to make zero mods to the pattern. The loose fitting shape is forgiving, and it makes it quite an easy sew. Yes, even with the angled hem! Once you get the hang of it (I mean I have made 5 now haha), it’s a breeze. I did also make the matching tie belt for it, but last minute decided to wear my new belt bag with it instead (which I’m obsessed with!). 

My original vision was to make a cute gathered dress for P, too. Or at least a peplum tee. But I had so little fabric left, the most I could squeeze out was this little cropped tee. That little belly sticking out a bit kiiiiills me. 

Handmade Wardrobe // palm leaf Cottesloe

swimsuit: Megan Nielsen Cottesloe swimsuit in an (old) swim fabric from Blackbird Fabrics

cover-up: hand drafted kimono in a rust gauze also from Blackbird Fabrics

Penny’s suit: Kortni Jeane

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Here is Cottesloe number 2! This is view B, which is your basic, no frills, one piece. Perfect coverage from top to bottom. Back has a bit of a scoop back, but not anywhere near as low as view A. Sorry I don’t have any photos of the back - I got sunburn reeeeeal bad a couple days before and my back was bright red with some not so cute tanlines, doh. This suit is fully lined with bust pads. which is nice, but as I mentioned in my other Cottelsoe post, I think I personally prefer a shelf bra. And also just like my other suit, I added 3/4” to the length for my long torso. That’s it! No other mods. Nothing fancy. The perfect basic suits for swimming laps, running after a toddler, or just for someone who likes some coverage.

And P.S - the sewalong is currently in progress over on Design Diary. So if you’re making any version of the Cottesloe suit and need some help with construction, head on over there!

Handmade Wardrobe // Snapshots // Ruska dress at Wicked Tulips

dress: Named Clothing Breaking the Pattern Ruska knot dress a rib knit from Harts Fabric

scissors hair clip: Turtle Story

Penny’s dress: Gymboree

both our boots: Hunter boots

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We may be kind of crazy, but the day after returning from vacation, we jumped right back in the car and drove over an hour down to Wicked Tulips farm in Rhode Island. I’ve been wanting to visit the last couple years, but they are only open for a short couple of week period each year, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity again!

It was the perfect opportunity to wear my new Ruska dress that I finished right before leaving for Florida. It’s my first make form the Breaking The Pattern book, which I’ve been holding onto since November. I knew the Ruska knot dress would be my first make because it is sooooo my style. Probably the main reason I wanted the book, ha. For having such an interesting detail, it was actually a surprisingly quick sew. I was able to finish it ,from start to finish, in one Penny nap time, which doesn’t happen often. And I also didn’t have to make any modifications! Perfect for me, straight form the pattern. My only regret is not having enough fabric left to make a matching outfit for Penny, of course haha.

Now back to Wicked Tulips. For those of you in the New England area that want to visit next year (I don’t think they are open past this weekend), here are my two tips:

1. Wear rain boots, or hiking boots, or any boots or shoes you don’t mind getting muddy. Definitely don’t wear fancy shoes. The parking lot, the flower fields - its all muddy. Even in rainboots, Penny slipped and fell right on her butt in the mud…in her cream colored dress.

2. Expect A LOT of people. My photos are deceiving. The crowd is INTENSE. We went right at opening on a Wednesday morning, and it was still insane. I knew this going in, so I fully expected a lot of people, and a lot of people in the background of my photos. So it wasn’t upsetting. The reason you can’t tell in my photos is because I decided, after the fact, to try out some of my photoshop skills and try removing as many background people as I could! They’re not perfect, but I’m pretty proud of what I did. It was good editing practice.

Handmade Wardrobe // gingham Cottesloe

Swimsuit: Megan Nielsen Patterns Cottesloe swim in a gingham fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Penny: swim top from Kortni Jeane, sunnies from Amazon

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Gah, I’m so excited to finally be able to share some shots of my Cottesloe swimsuits! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen some flat lay and mirror selfie shots, but I was finally able to wear them IRL for some actual swimming while we were on vacation in Florida. First up - my grey gingham View A one piece with back ties! This is my favorite of all three suits I made. It fits like a dream and feels so buttery soft. It’s got the perfect one piece coverage in the front and along the bum, but with a bit of some surprise skin with the low back. I also included a shelf bra with bust pads in this one. Bust pads are a must for me! Not to add size (it doesn’t help me anyway, ha), but for even-ness, and modesty. I did a full lining with bust pads in the other two suits (which you will see later), but I’ve decided that I like the shelf bra of this one better, and will probably continue with this method for future me-made swimsuits. The only pattern modification I made is adding about 3/4 - 1” to the torso length, just as I do for my Rowan bodysuits #longtorsoproblems.

The Cottelsoe sewalong starts real soon over on Design Diary, so keep a look out for that!

What do you think? Isn’t it a dream?!

Also - throwing in a few pics of my kid, because she cute.

Handmade Wardrobe // spring blooms for two

 my dress: Closet Case Patterns Kalle shirtdress

Penny’s dress: Hello Dear Kids pleated top dress

fabric for both: floral twill c/o Measure Fabric

Penny’s jacket: H&M 

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When the ladies at Measure Fabric gave me a peek at this fabric, they suggested the Kalle shirt dress as a good pattern fit, and I loved the idea so much, so I rolled with it! I had never made the pattern before, but it has been on my list. It came together surprisingly fast, for being a collared, full placket shirt with clean finishes on the inside. Also, It is a little shorter than I normally like my dresses, but that’s my fault for not making a muslin or testing out the length before cutting into my main fabric {face palm}. But nothing some little shorts underneath, or leggings on cooler days, can’t fix! 

And the Measure ladies were right - this fabric was perfect for the project! It’s a twill that has enough weight to be pants or shorts or a skirt, but still a beautiful drape to work as shirt dress or pretty skirt. It’s got a slightly slubby texture, yet a silky soft touch, and it sewed up like a dream. Probably why I was able to zoom through it so fast! 

And of course, with a little maneuvering and puzzle piecing, I was able to squeeze out a matching look for P. I ran out of fabric for the pleated front piece, so I used some scraps of this cotton/linen dotted fabric that was left over from a random project. I actually like the contrast even better than if I would’ve used all the floral fabric!

handmade wardrobe // 32 and a handmade re-wear

top: Simplicity 8381

culottes: Megan Nielsen Tania culottes

hair clips: Fenna and Fei

shoes: Swedish Hasbeens

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32.

It was my birthday the other day! I didn’t have time to make a new birthday outfit (so many other projects going on right now!), so I pulled some of my favorite old makes from my closet. You’ve seen this top posted here, and the culottes posted here. Going to keeps this short, since this is a handmade repeat, but I love how these two pieces look together. Especially for pulling them out and pairing them together at last minute!