handmade wardrobe // lovely Sudley

top: Megan Nielsen Sudley blouse in crepe de chine from Spoonflower (designer is Michelle Aitchison)

jeans: Megan Nielsen Ash jeans

boots: Target

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I don’t make a lot of woven blouses, especially longer sleeved woven blouses, so I needed to fix that! How cute is this little Sudley one? I simply used the cropped bodice length of the dress view, but shortened the skirt to peplum length. I also lengthened the sleeves to just below my elbow, and added an elastic casing at the sleeve hem. Easy peasy! One of my favorite things about the pattern is that it is reversible - the keyhole can be worn in the front or back!

Love love love this fabric! I’m kind of obsessed with Spoonflower. Not the prices, but the infinite options. I’ve been really into leopard print lately, after years of being anti-leopard print, ha. But this one subtle and cute. I also chose the crepe de chine because I liked how lightweight and floaty it was for this style. It is sheer, so a cami is needed underneath. But that was anticipated.

handmade wardrobe //dress of my dreams

my dress: New Look 6616 in an Atelier Brunette viscose from D&H Fabrics Co.

Penny’s tank: Megan Nielsen Mini Eucalypt, altered.

Penny’s pants: older H&M

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I am on a roll making some freaking good dresses. This is another dream one! It has two of my favorite things - high square neck and ties. And THIS FABRIC. OMG this fabric. I’m so in love. It is a lightweight viscose and is a bit sheer. I lined the top, bit not the bottom because I didn’t want to add too much weight to the dress. But it’s not an issue because I have a nice collection of slip skirts that I can wear underneath. The pattern did need some adjustments. First of all, the straps were too long. I had to take those up by about 3/4”. And the bust, geez. There is no bust darts because it is just cinched with the sash ties, so that seemed perfect for me. But omg it was still so big in the bust and underarms. I had to take it in by more than 1 1/4” at each underarm, graded down to the waist. Luckily it worked it out. The last thing - not the biggest fan of the construction - specifically the zipper/bias binding. Doing the binding first and leaving the zipper until the very end left the top edge of the zipper unfinished and feeling a bit messy. I would suggest leaving the binding unfinished at the center back, sewing in the zipper, and then finishing the binding over the zipper for a cleaner finish.

For Penny’s, I didn’t have a lot of fabric left to play with, so I made her a quick tank using the mini Eucalypt. I wanted a higher, crew-neck style blouse though, so I raised the neckline quite a bit and added a slit in the back with a hook and eye. I also finished the edges with contrasting bias binding, instead of bias facing, using leftover binding from my Calvin wrap dress.

handmade wardrobe // leopard lela

tee : c/o Gumption

bracelet: c/o Gumption

skirt: SewDIY Lela skirt in a leopard print crepe from Blackbird Fabrics

purse: old Urban Outfitters

boots: Target

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Just a super fun little skirt to head into the weekend with! It’s been awhile since I’ve made a shorter skirt, I usually stick to midi length. But this leopard print just felt like it needed to be something fun and flirty. I used Sew DIY’s Lela skirt pattern, but cut it short just below the pocket bags and added a ruffle flounce at the bottom. I love it! I’m picturing it with a fuzzy sweater and knee high boots later on for fall.

The tee and bracelet I’m wearing is from the cutest online shop called Gumption! It’s run by a fellow Holly, and everything in the shop is from a small business that fits into atleast one of these four categories - female run, U.S made, ethically made, or has a mission to help people in need. Their mission is all about empowerment and girl power and living your best life. It’s absolutely the cutest and you should check it out!

handmade wardrobe // calvin the beautiful

dress: True Bias Calvin wrap dress in a lightweight silk jacquard c/o Measure Fabric

top: Megan Nielsen Patterns Rowan bodysuit

booties: Target

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Soooooooo I just made my dream dress. And its the Calvin wrap dress. Which is funny, becasuse I would usually shy away from a style like this. Lower v-cut, thin straps, wrap styles usually hang funny on my non-existent bust. But with a few adjustments, it’s seriously my new favorite make. As I do with all of makes with bust darts, I removed the darts completely. Bust darts are just unnecessary when you have no boobs haha. I also lowered the button hole and thread chain locations at the side seams down by 1”. I think this was necessary due to my long torso and, again, no bust. If I would I kept the locations as-is and had the top wrap there, the wrap-top section would have sagged. Now it lays perfectly flat across my chest!

This fabric you guuuuuuuuuuys. Its silk. I don’t usually go for luxurious fabrics, but I just couldn’t resist this one. The print! The subtle dot texture when you get up close! The silky feel! It’s all so good. And also probably the reason why There is only a few yards left - I wasn’t the only one that fell in love with it! Sorry hurry up and snag some before it’s gone. But Measure Fabric does have some other really pretty silks, so you should check them all out, toot. Working with the silk really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Yes, it was a bit slippery. But with plenty of (silk) pins and a little patience, it really went pretty smoothly. I feel like this type of silhouette is just perfect for a dreamy, silky fabric. So it’s worth it.

Also, I should mention - the bias binding is from Imagine Gnats, and is the perfect match. I order both this peachy pink, as well as a blue one that matched really well. While the blue maybe would have been a more obvious choice, I fell in love with the way the pink looked from the moment I put it next to the fabric. Even though its a light color and it does match part of the print, It seemed like the perfect contrast. I’m still so happy with this choice!

I debated whether to style the dress for these photos like this with the rowan bodysuit and booties, or just the dress alone with simple heels. Like I said, I am actually surprisingly comfortable wearing the dress alone and it looks really good! And the weather here is still warm enough later in the day to be able to wear it. But I also know most people are already in fall mode, so I figured it was a good idea to show a layering option with this silhouette/pattern!

hanndmade wardrobe // mini cottelsoes

swimsuits: Megan Nielsen Patterns Cottesloe and mini Cottesloe

gingham fabric: Raspberry Creek Fabrics

pink monstera leaf fabric: Spoonflower

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Guys, I’m so excited to finally be able to share these with you of the newly released Mini Cottesloe swimsuit! I went a little crazy during testing and made P three new suits (you’ll see two in this post, I’ll show you the last one in another post).

You may recognize my suits and the fabrics from previous posts. Luckily I had saved all my leftover fabric after making mine, and had just enough to squeeze out Penny’s matching ones.

Just like with the mini Eucalypt, Penny fell just under the measurements for the smallest size 3. For the gingham one piece, I shortened the one piece by about 3/4”, but probably could’ve taken off a little bit more, too, or at least tightened up the elastic along the back neckline. See how there is a bit of gaping underneath the back ties? Thats where I would re-work it next time.

On the two piece, I left it as is, purposefully leaving it a little bit big. She only was going to wear this one a couple times this summer, so I wanted iit to fit her next year, too! Overall, I’m pretty happy with the coverage on her. I may add a little bit more width to the bum next time, though. Just my personal preference. The coverage is pretty good, but with a lot of movement (hello, toddler) it shifts a bit and rides up. Still not horrible, and shes not like, flashing everyone haha, but just thinking a small adjustment might help!

handmade wardrobe // mommy and me Eucalypt tanks

both of our tanks: Megan Nielsen Eucalypt tanks, women’s and mini in a dotty rayon from Fabric.com

my shorts: Peppermint Magazine Spring Shorts in a slub linen from Stonemountain Fabrics

Penny’s shorts: self drafted

my hair clip: Turtle Story

both our shoes: Old Navy (mine & Penny’s)

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My friend Megan just released two new mini paptterns - including the Mini Eucalypt tank and dress! I made these matching tanks for me and P back and June, and have dying to share them. It’s a simple pattern, a quick sew, but oh so satisfying.

Penny is wearing the smallest size available which is a size 3, with no adjustments (she is 3 years old). It is just tad bit big on her, but she also falls just outside the measurements for the size 3. I chose not to make any adjustments, because I figured that it being a tiny bit oversized now is worth it for it to fit her still next summer. The more wear, the better! And the longer I can twin her in it haha.

And now that summer is dying down, I’m also picturing it with a cute chunky cardigan layered over it with her little leggings. Cuuuuuute, right?!

handmade wardrobe // pure sunshine

my top: Simplicity 8839 in a yellow seersucker stripe from Mood Fabrics

my jeans: Megan Nielsen Patterns Dawn jeans

my booties: Target

Penny’s dress: Jilly Atlanta Macy Pinafore

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Man, mini yellow pinstripes are really hard to photograph when you’re not up close! These are better in person, I swear.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this fabric when I bought it. A big puff sleeve top for me (my second one this month), and something cute and ruffle-y for P. The Macy Pinafore fit the bill, and I knew what to expect from it since its the third one I’ve made her. I plan on carrying hers into fall by paring it with a rust colored long sleeve tee underneath and some tights and boots. Cute, right?!

Snapshots // Sunflower Field 2019

my dress: Megan Nielsen Patterns Darling Ranges dress with added sleeve ruffles in a sage green cotton/linen from Style Maker Fabrics

Penny’s dress: handmade/self drafted

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Our yearly trip to the Colby Farms sunflower field did not disappoint this year! In fact, it may have been one of the best visits yet. It usually gets super busy/super crowded. But this year we were the first ones there and even had the entire field to ourselves for a bit!

see previous years photos here - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 (not Colby Farm), 2018