These Boots Weren't Made For Walking.....

Baby girl needed something to keep her feet warm. 

Jess and I found some lovely wool fabric at the Jacksonville Quilt Fest. Then she found a shoe pattern she liked here. 

We had to make some modifications to the pattern. The calf was not quite wide enough and Jess asked me to leave the lining out of the foot area and attach it in the shaft area. It made a huge difference on how they fit on Bella Boo.

That black leather tab is hiding the elastic I added at the top.

Matt even got in on the design by requesting leather soles for this pair. This is recycled leather from an old jacket of his. I love recycling!

The pair below was the first set we made and we were working out the kinks.

They are usable but a bit more clunky.

I almost wore the wool out trying to get them right....

This girl seems to be growing so quickly. Before I know it, she will need boots for walking!

My girls, I love them so.

Yes, I got this girl some jeggings. It just seemed right with the boots. 

Now I need to get a couple more light-weight boots done and an all leather pair done, and a fur lined pair, oh and a fur on the outside pair and......

Girl Stuff

There are a lot of dresses in the queue for our Isabella. 

A LOT. 

This fabric decided to be another Simplicity 4243. I made the first one in a 3-6 month size and she is wearing it now. She is quickly growing out of it. She's our little big girl.

The fabric is Weekend Lollies in Peach by Erin McMorris. 

The trim is a jumbo rick-rack from Joann, in raspberry. 

I decided to go with a button closure instead of a zipper and I made my own bias tape for the arm openings.

By the time she wears this, she should be running around on her own. Guess I should make something smaller next time....

Hopscotch Top - Oliver + S

 When we found out that Jess and Uber's second was going to be a girl I decided it was about time to try the  Hopscotch Top by Oliver + S. I'd been looking at tops others have made for quite awhile, you'll find tons of inspiration if you go to that link. I was using my serger for the first time and didn't want to ruin the fabric Jess bought so I started with a soft old t-shirt of mine that had holes in it. I was able to avoid the holes and get a  6 months size. There were a few learning issues between me and the serger, so I'm glad I made that decision. The pattern is easy to follow and I was really happy with the way it turned out. Since it was my first try, with fabric I am not sure that will last too long, I decided to leave the hems with just a serged finish.

I picked out some fabric on Fabric.com and Jess ordered a yard which ended up being almost a yard and a quarter.  

I was able to get three dresses from 6 - 24 months.

If Jess decides she would rather them be tops, I can shorten them.

I simply love this pattern and can see making many more..... maybe I already have......

A Dress For The Girl

Not long after finding out that she was having a girl, Jess found this fabric.  It's one of the Lisette fabrics sold at Joann's. It's a sweet pink (slightly salmon) lawn, that's very easy to sew. She let me choose Simplicity 4243 for the pattern. 

It's a very simple pattern. Hopefully easy for a wee one to wear. I did change the back closure to three buttons instead of a zipper.

The sizing was kind  of aggravating. It's one of those xxs, xs, s, m, l deals, I'd rather they use pounds or months or something like that.

The front has small pleats that give it just enough fullness without being fussy. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fussy. I'm sure I'll indulge in fussy later.

Tutu

I feel that an essential part of my preparation in having a grand-daughter is making her some tutus. I may be over doing things here but I really don't think this one is quite full enough.... It definitely won't fit her as a new born, so back to the drawing board there.....

(Thank you Micah and Gramps for telling me the skirt was glowing)

I'll be making another soon but wanted your feed back on this one.

I chose three colors. Two shades of green and one blue. I cut them in strips, layered the strips, sewed and gathered, then sandwiched it between the satin ribbon. I threaded the elastic through and finished sewing it up. 

I've seen that most people choose to tie the netting on an elastic waist band. I liked the idea of a ribbon adding more texture. I wasn't careful enough with the ribbon on this one so the seam in back is a bit rough. It'll still make a fun dress up skirt for a 2-3 year old.

What do you think?

Interestingly enough I made Jess plenty of princess outfits when she was a little girl but never a tutu. 

Which do you prefer for your girly-girls?