Two Little Dresses

Two little grandgirls and two little dresses.

First up, the one designed by grandgirl2:

And here is what we made:

Grandgirl2 knows that cowboy cowgirl boots are a welcome addition to any ensemble. Even though she was born outside of Texas, she still knows that boots make the look work. Especially boots that are a little scuffed from galloping around the playground. Just shows that they are real boots. And a real look.

What I learned - it's really not hard to draft a pattern for a 7 year old. Everything looks adorable.

Grandgirl3 allowed me to use a pattern. I just love a peasant top or peasant dress. So 60's. So perfect when you are 4. Or 63.

Children's Corner Jane

And here is our version of this little classic look.

Well, maybe not at 63. But it's such a sweet look on her.

And sashiko luggage...

Almost ready for my trip. I have to stop sewing for it. And I always think I'll have time to make more than I can possibly make (or wear). To mark the end of the travel sewing, I purchased PJ pants today.

And I found a 4-piece set of sashiko luggage. What could be better?

So here are the items that made the cut:

T shirt re-make

Katherine Tilton T in silk

Katherine Tilton T with 3/4 sleeves, cotton knits

Black (photo lightened) column with Marcy Tilton's Parisien Microfiber knit - sleeveless shell and pull-on pants

Black rayon jersey shell with mesh trim

LS rayon jersey shell

Silk jersey mobium scarf, and the carry-on portion of sashiko luggage (you thought I was joking).

TSW Mimosa top in Japanese cotton, solid black cotton Hudson (also TSW) pants

TSW Mix-It top in rayon challis 

TSW Mix-It top in cotton shirting

CLD's Go-To Top - ABO

ITY knit T and Claire Shaeffer Vogue linen pants

All-time favorite RTW silk charmeuse top from Chico's a hundred years ago

Plus a black silk turtle neck sweater with matching cardi, and a black knit Eileen Fisher chemise. And 4 pairs of shoes.

Too many shoes, right?

Ciao! Ciao!

But Will I Wear It?

As I continue to plan and sew items for my upcoming trip, I wonder. Will I pack it? And will I wear it.

No matter. This last T was just too much fun to worry about that. My husband burst into laughter when I walked into the room wearing the latest one. And that made me laugh too.

This one started when my older brother sent me a birthday present. Here is what he sent:

2013

It looks just like PK, our kitty who died last spring at age 19.

2012

It's a nice soft beefy 100% cotton T made by The Mountain. home of the Great Big Face T's. I am not making that up. You should follow the link. There are some amazing faces there. Big Faces.

Big Brother chose the wolf face for me but DSIL made him change it to this sweet PK face. I wonder if she knows that PK stands for Psycho Killer. Yep, she was named by our teen-aged kids.

BB gave me the black one last year. It too was a lovely T.

I love(d) both T's, especially as I thought of my Big Brother remembering my birthday.

Then I decided I would love them even more if I reshaped them. Then I thought oooohhhh, how about if I combine them into a single long-sleeved shirt. The backs are plain and could be the sleeves.

These T's are knitted in the round, which makes for more flat fabric. I easily cut a front, a back and two sleeves from Katherine Tilton's Vogue 8793, which I now officially file as a TNT.

The front on Vogue 8793 is a bit low for me, so I wondered how a V would work. I drew straight lines from the shoulder seam to the lowest point on the curve.

Luckily I was playing Katherine and Marcy Tilton's Ultimate T class on Craftsy while making this. Great reminders like, always, always stay stitch the neckline. I had to fiddle around quite a lot to get the V neckline the way I wanted it, so stay-stitching was essential.

After completing the neckline, I fell in love with this T. Does that ever happen to you? You cross over one little tiny milestone in the garment's construction, and you realize, Oh, I really like this!

The striped knit from Marcy Tilton fits the theme nicely, and I found that I had enough to cut sleeves. So guess I'll use those other sleeves in something else.

So, Ta Da, here is the finished T: