Another Fun Toddler Tunic Dress Made from T-Shirts

I just loved the dress I made last week for my friend Flannery's daughter, so I knew I wanted to make one for Ella. The dress from last week cost $24.00; the toddler long-sleeved t-shirt was $8 and the two women's purple t-shirts were also $8 each. I took a ride over to Target to browse the huge clearance racks they have set up, to see if I could find something funky and fun and even cheaper to work with.

I bought the same long-sleeved white t-shirt to start with, but then in the girl's section I found these great little t-shirts with embellishments--blue and lavender roses with black pen and ink type vine illustration and tons of sparkles. In my mind I started to cobble together a funky, Ed Hardy-inspired dress, and I think I really hit the mark! Paired with purple leggings and her trademark pink cowboy boots, I think Ella loves her new dress!


Oh, and the pink t-shirts were on clearance for $3.98! So my total for this dress was $15.96! (And I made it in under an hour!!!) Talk about instant gratification!

If you'd like the tutorial I posted for this dress last week, click here. The only difference is that instead of a ruffle around the neck, I put one around the waist, and I also cut out one of the roses and appliqued it on the top of the dress.

If you try my tutorial, let me know, and please e-mail me photos of your one-of-a-kind creation!

This post is a part of the following link parties:

Get Your Craft on Tuesdays over at Today's Creative Blog

Girl's Ruffle Dress / Tunic Tutorial

I wanted to make a fun dress for my friend's daughter, Eleanor, who was turning five last week. Since I enjoyed making the Ruffle T-shirts so much, I decided to try my hand at incorporating what I learned with that project and making a dress.


I went to Target and I bout a girl's long sleeved white tee. I also purchased two purple short sleeved women's v-neck pocket tees. Initially I was planning to use the flowered fabric for some kind of rosette, but I chucked that idea at the last minute because I thought the dress worked well without it. As Tim Gunn says on Project Runway, "Edit!"


First, I cut the tee about two inches beneath the armpit seams. Then I cut several 2" wide strips to make ruffles with.


Next, I cut one of the women's tees, the lower half of which will be the skirt. I then cut the other tee into about 8 strips of 2" wide each for more ruffles.


Next I sewed down the middle of each strip, being careful not to back-stitch, with the tension on the highest setting and the widest straight stitch length.


This way the ruffle basically makes itself. I just kept adding strips to each ruffle a few inches before one strip would end. I needed about three strips to make one ruffle long enough to go all the way around the skirt.


With right sides facing, I inserted the skirt into the shirt top, and sewed 1/4" around the whole piece. This was tough and required some pinning to give me a gathered effect.


I turned it right side out and yahoo!!! I did add a ruffle embellishment around the neck just for fun.


Here's a recent post about another Ruffle Toddler Dress that I made in August.

Many thanks to the following links for ideas and inspiration for this dress:

Tea Rose Home

Happy Together

This post is a part of the following link parties:

Wow! Where Does the Time Go?

I'm still here, I promise--just a lot going on. I did just get back from a great trip to Maine, and have TONS of wonderful items to share with you, including a peek at my Dad's antique space at Cabot Mill in Brunswick. Stay tuned while I get my ducks in a row!

An Apple A Day

I made this applique apple tee for Ella back in August right before school started. My friend Flannery had me over for an afternoon of sewing, and this is what I made for Ella (even though she isn't even in school yet.) SO CUTE!!!

The Photoshop Action I used for this is called Sun Kissed.

It's been a busy day, so this post is pretty short--but I wanted to share this cute photo of my girl rocking her new shirt and her famous pink cowboy boots! Yeehaw!

A Sweet Little New Baby Project

A dear friend of mine was expecting her baby to arrive about mid-October, so last week I sewed a onesie, a bib and a matching burp cloth for the little man!



I had some scraps of this super cute baby flannel that I used, and for the bib and burp cloth I paired it with a clean white towel for extra absorbency.


I was going to give it to her last week, but woke up that morning with a migraine and had to cancel. We rescheduled for this week, Wednesday, but SURPRISE!!!!

The little man made his appearance this past weekend!

Baby and Mommy are still in the hospital, so I won't share any details, but BOY AM I EXCITED to meet the little man and give his Mom a great big HUG!

A Little Bit of Love Sewn into An Upcycled Quilt for My Boy

In the previous post I showed you that I was upcycling some of James' old t-shirts for a new project. Well, it turned into a little lap quilt! So far he has played a caped superhero with it, made a tent with it, and snuggled in his bed with it.

He loves it. And I love that he loves it. (sigh)

Please visit the following link parties for more crafty inspiration!

Beginnings

I have a sweet little upcycle project underway, made from James' too-small t-shirts. Stay tuned!

A Little Friday Love for My Mom's Baking

This blog is dedicated to my Mom--it is filled with her memory and her spirit, and I know that it us a way to connect with her now that she is no longer here. I lost her in February of 2009 and I miss her terribly.

I am my own person, but I do know that there are a number of things about me, my personality, the things I take an interest in, etc., that are so clearly her. Baking is one of them. I can't say that I am the marvelous baker that she was, but I do try. And when I make these rolls, I feel like she is standing right next to me.


Mom gave me a cookbook that had a recipe in it for one Hour Buttermilk Rolls. She had made them for Christmas dinner in 2002. Here is her own hand, marking the recipe's significance and a few small changes she made to it.


The book is called "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking."


The recipe makes two pans of rolls. And let me tell you, they are GOOD.


Especially with leftover turkey and cranberry sauce!


Now you have to go make them, don't you?


PS--Mom always buttered them a few minutes before they came out of the oven. Enjoy!

Thanks Mom, for all that you did, all that you taught me, and for helping me to become the woman that I am today. Miss you like crazy.