The fastest dresses in the world

I purchased a few yards of knit fabric at the Hobby Lobby in Georgia and mixed it with a couple of tank tops from the Carter’s Outlet. I think these are so cute, useful in an everyday kinda way and comfortable. All in all I spent 45 minutes at the most putting them together.

I started out measuring the girls…this was a very unscientific measuring…I simply put the tape measure at their shoulders and tried to see where I would want the fullness of the dress to be.  I ended up choosing to place the skirt a bit lower than their waist.  I didn’t want the fullness (and the serger stitches) to be too close to their waist where it might feel scratchy.  Then I measured from that point to a place below their knees where I wanted the skirt to end.  I added one inch to the skirt measurement and started cutting.

I cut the skirt fabric the entire width of the knit, which in this case was approx. 42 inches.  Next, I used my new gathering foot and gathered the top of each skirt and then sewed the seam to make a tube of sorts.  I also  marked the four equal distances of the tube to insure even distribution of the skirt to match up with the center front and back-plus the side seams of the tank tops.  First I attached the skirt to the top using a zig-zag stitch, I also stretched the top a bit to make everything fit.  Once the skirt was attached and I was happy with it, I serged around the seam.

My Bernina has a visible hem stitch for knits and this is what I used for the hem.  The only drawback to this stitch is that once you reach your point of origin on the hem…the stitching shows quite a bit.  Next time, I think I will stop the jersey stitch once I make the circumference of the skirt and use a regular straight stitch to finish and secure the hem.

Well, the girls seemed very happy and I was able to get a few photos of them wearing the dresses.  I have two more knits from Hobby Lobby to make additional dresses.  I hope you try this if you do any sewing for girls.  It was super easy, comfortable for the girls- and it is a very quick way to have matching outfits for photos, events or reunions!

Here are my remaining pics:

Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

Some new knitting

Knitting is not my main hobby, but sometimes it can be a very relaxing way to spend time. My dil was hoping for some cute hats for Everley.  Thus far, the only hat I have knitted for her was the preemie hat she wore in the hospital.  So, while I was visiting I managed to make a few. I took my huge bag of cotton yarns with me, along with my travel tin of knitting essentials.  Here are a couple of new ones I made last week.  That is my son’s hand hello-ing me in the picture.  He told me to re-take the photo, but I-with my infinite wisdom, was convinced I took the picture before he stuck his hand in there!

For this hat, I used the measurements between a preemie hat and a newborn.  The preemie size called for 45 stitches ( for a 5 – 7 lb. baby) and the newborn was 64.  I compromised and used 56.  This head chart I found online was very helpful. Once you are on the page, look under General Hats and then click on head size chart.  You will be able to download a very useful chart.   Everley is over 6 pounds now…so that is how I determined my cast on stitches.  I had my computer with me in Georgia, but not all my knitting patterns, so I googled a bit and came up with this pattern which I was able to use for the green leaves at the top.

Here is another hat, which I made into a newborn size so that Evie might be able to use it into the late summer/early fall.  I did not have any instructions for a flower of any kind and found this one along with crochet directions for a .

They are both sitting on the kitchen counter where I used a spray bottle filled with water to mist the cotton.  They are both stuffed with paper towels to help keep their shape.  Evie seems to have lots of pink clothes, so I thought this color combo could be useful. 

I also finished knitting an upside down daisy hat, but I left it with Kim to finish.  I don’t know why, but I hate -hate -detest -lothe…hand sewing knitted things.  I can’t stand to weave in all those ends (like this hat above…color changes…flowers…UGH!)  Kim was happy to have the hat, so she offered to do those tedious tasks as long as I did the knitting.  I was very happy.  If she finishes it and sends a picture, I will post it.

Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

Car Canopies

I have a few more projects to share.  This spring I made 2 car canopies.  One was for my niece Jessica and the other was for my dil Kim and baby Everley.  I chose to use fabric I had in my stash rather than purchasing something new since my stash is pretty big and I have lots of fun fabrics.  First,  I had to make sure that the handles for the car seats were straight across.  Some of the new car seats have handles that have a perpendicular section of the handle in order to have the baby face into the person carrying the car seat.  This would mean that you have adjust the tabs for the handle by 6 inches or so.  Both girls had chosen car seats with straight handles so I was good to go.

I spent some time searching for tutorials online and so many were nice and had pictures…but I was trying to sew without the benefit of a physical seat to look at and measure.  The majority of the tutorials I found did not include measurements.  I did find one that used a ruffle and I liked the idea because both girls have baby girls and the ruffle is a bit feminine.  I also chose to line both canopies because once I decided to use a ruffle -I wanted  raw edge  of the ruffle covered between the two layers.  This is the tutorial I used the most.  Also, I just found a pattern for a car canopy by Elizabeth Wyatt which has a bustle in the back for ventilation (a good idea!) and a zipper in the front so that you can open the canopy…not sure that is essential  but some may find it very handy.  Here are my pictures:

The original tutorial I started with instructed you to use 1 yard of fabric, which resulted in a short canopy.  These two work fine as long as the hood of the car seat is raised.  I found tutorials after I cut the fabric that listed 1 and 1/3 yards of fabric.  If I make more of these, I will use the 1 1/3.

I also included a couple of travel blankets which coordinate with the fabric of the canopy.  The reverse side is made with a minkie type fabric.  I simply serged the edges together.  Very fast and simple.  My daughter has a couple of these I made for her and said that they come in handy when it is getting close to nap time and the girls are stuck in the car.  Here are a few additional pictures of the process.  The ruffle seemed to be the most time-consuming part of these projects.   I used my washer weights to mark the seams of the ruffle in order to help distribute the ruffle evenly.  Some of these pictures are Jessica’s canopy for baby Illeana.

Here are a few additional tutorials I have found since making mine.  One has a window built into the front which is handier than a zipper.  This one uses buttons to decorate the handles and has a good pictures and measurements.
Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

Gifts for GA ~ aka The Shower that almost was…

When my husband and I visited GA, along with Kim’s mom, we took as many gifts as we could and tried to make the dining area look fun, girly and exciting.  Here is the result:

The little buggy was actually Kim’s when she was a girl.  Her mom has been saving it all these years.  Doesn’t it look so cute!

One of the downsides to blogging is that if your project is a surprise…you really can’t blog about it until the person receives it.  So here are some of the other projects I have been working on…I also made a set of burpies that match her Amy Butler nursery. Maybe you remember these pictures from a previous post.

Kim ordered her dust ruffle, crib sheet and bumpers from an Etsy seller, but she had only one crib sheet. So, I made her 2 more in her coordinating colors. I used this tutorial and knew it would work because I had made several vintage looking crib sheets for my daughter. I like the elastic all the way around, but it is tedious running it through with a safety pin!!

I also made a couple of coordinating galvanized buckets for Kim to stash some stuff (diapers, lotions, whatever). They are also coated with a water-proof finish so she could use them in the bathroom if she chooses.   One of them was filled with the only gifts I did not make…Ralph Lauren onesies.  All shades of pink and so comfortable.  I just love them.

I also brought the second AMH voile receiving blanket which I have already posted about sitting here on top of the left bucket.  I mailed one earlier when the shower was cancelled.

This last gift/shower picture I will share is the first diaper cake I have made in 25 years!!  I was glad that I remembered a few things.  For this one I used a pizza pan as the base with a wooden dowel going through the center for support.  I made it with size 1 diapers so that Kim could have it around for a while and not feel as if she needed to be using the diapers.  I also came across file folder sized rubber bands at the Wal-Mart and they were perfect for keeping the diapers together.  Perhaps you can see them through the tulle and ribbon???   Another tip I received from a colleague at school was the use of paper doilies between each layer.  We had tons of rattles and toys to use as decoration…but in the end I preferred the little socks twisted like flowers.I foraged into Kim’s sewing supplies (with her mom’s permission ; )) and found some corsage pins which were perfect for securing the socks.

The theme for Kim’s shower was { Pink, Pearly and all things Girly}.  I think that sums up the cake as well!    But the best part of everything is this little bundle of joy in her little house.  I can’t wait for her to be just a wee bit bigger and stronger.

I have another gift just about finished and ready to send. I will put it in the next post.
Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

Some of my gifts for Kimberley and Everley

Been sorta busy with the end of school, but I finally charged up the camera battery and wanted to share a couple of my gifts that I brought with me when we visited D.J. and Kim in GA.
Here is a picture of the nursing cover for Kim. I used a print I know she likes along  with a small amount of coordinating fabric. I lined it with Kona white and if you look closely you will see that I made a pocket with cotton chenille for a small container of cream or perhaps a pacifier. The chenille can also be used for wiping a cute little mouth ; )  I also switched up the pattern a bit and rounded the corners at the bottom.  I am happy with the results and the hospital nurses were very complimentary according to our new mom.

Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

Everley has arrived a bit early

Things became a little busy this past week as my dil had a c-section 36 days early. Everley was having some erratic heartbeats and the decision was made to deliver her early. She and her mom are doing fine. Just got back from spending 4 days in GA. with them.
Here is a quick picture. I knitted the hat on the drive down because I knew all my other hats would be too big.
This week I will be able to show all the gifts that I have been working on and saving for the shower in GA that never happened due to the early delivery.

Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

AMH Little Folks for a little one

My dil was supposed to have her baby shower today, but it had to be cancelled.  I was so sad for her, she was going to travel home to NC from GA to see all of her high school and college friends and celebrate her first baby.  I sent her a package with a few of the gifts I had planned for the shower.  It is supposed to arrive today.  One of the gifts is a receiving blanket I made using the Anna Maria Horner voile.  Everyone always talks about how buttery soft this fabric is-and they are right.  It feels like silk.  I understand now why there were so many scarves made with it.  Well, I wanted to make something that the baby would use right away with this wonderful fabric.  I chose to make a couple of receiving blankets with the voile on one side and AMH Folksy Flannel on the other.  I didn’t want to make the blanket too complicated, so I used large pieces from several of the prints.  I made them approximately 36 ” by 36″ and rounded the corners.  I finished them with a top stitch around the edge and did not do anything to the center (such as any type of quilting).

Here they are:

I also sent along this dining chair cover made with some Sandi Henderson Ginger Blossom from this post.  Along with some burpies from this post and a couple of store bought items.  I hope this will perk up the new mom to be and hopefully she will look forward to the shower she will be having in GA in mid-May. 

Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

Most times you win…sometimes you blow it!

I did take that process pledge, so I have to tell you that I really was way off on this quilt block.  I followed the directions for the cutting and I know they are right.  This was my first block and because you cut a large fat quarter into sections (as many as 17 for some) each strip is longer that the sewn piece to which you are attaching it.  This was supposed to be squared and about 13 1/2 inches. 

Thus far, I have figured out 2 things I did wrong.  First, I didn’t pay close enough attention to which side of the new piece I attached and I also did not always center the new strip to the sewn piece, so sometimes when I was trimming….I would have a corner that was not long enough in the correct direction.  Whew, I guess all this random whacking and stacking isn’t as fun and improvish as I thought.  I will certainly have to do better on the next one.

Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

Eye Candy for Easter

I have been purchasing lots of fabric by Heather Bailey, Anna Maria Horner and Sandi Henderson.  Farmer’s Market, Bijoux and Pop Garden are great prints for making dresses and since the price of cotton is rising, I wanted to take advantage of yardage that was still under $10 per yard.  Here is most of my current stash.

Since my daughter is not a big fan of candy for the Easter baskets, I have tried to make other things to put  into the girl’s  baskets.  This year I wanted to make some more dresses for them.  I was able to cut out 6 dresses in sizes 2T and 4T.  I have several patterns that I have not tried yet, such as the Anna Wrap dress from Farbenmix, a Macy Giggles dress pattern from Izzy and Ivy, and the pattern you see completed in this post, Isabel from Modkid Botique.  I put together some fabrics that I thought were very summery and fun. This pattern had very clear instructions and was easy to assemble.  I appreciated the way the instructions gave options for finishing the dress, depending on your type of machine(s).  Because I am spending part of my Easter vacation down at the beach, I was able to take some pictures by the dunes. 

Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com

Shower gifts for baby Illeana

I have just returned from a quick trip to NY where I zoomed up there from NC to attend a shower for my niece.  Jessica is due towards the end of May and does not even look 5 months along!  That never happened to me!

Well, the two-soon to be grannies threw a wonderful Sunday afternoon shower and I was very happy that I could attend.  Our Prom was on Friday night and because my home room students are Juniors, one of my responsibilities is to help with the Prom (Juniors host the prom for Seniors at our school).  My school system always holds their Prom the night before we let out for Spring Break.   So, Friday night I arrived home really late and left on Saturday during the storms for NY.  I made it somewhere north of Baltimore and stayed for the night.  Up early on Sunday and made it just in time to fluff the tissue paper on my gift bags, take pictures in the Michael’s parking lot (where I bought the tissue paper) and zoom to the restaurant.  I have to say that I had forgotten how beautiful the landscape is in upstate NY.  The Catskill Mountains are truly gorgeous.  

Well, these are not the best of pictures, but they are all I have so these will have to do.   

I saw some of these galvanized tubs online used as props for baby pictures and thought they were so cute.  I will say that it was a little more challenging to decoupage than I thought it would be.  I have a few air bubbles that showed up a couple of days after I thought the tub was dry and complete, but I still think it is a great way to package everything and would still look good in a photo.

Here is a picture of the assembly.  I tried to have a good blend of  thick and thin strips and to distribute the colors evenly.  I pressed the exact center of each strip so that I could have each section evenly distributed.  I wanted to make sure it could look like the letter { I } once it was complete.  I also tried a new machine binding technique that I will share in an upcoming post.  It is a fusible, flange machine binding that works so well!  You will love it!-promise ; )

Thanks for visiting,

http://www.donnachurchillritter.wordpress.com
churchillparkstudio@gmail.com