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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Paisley Corduroy

Yesterday, I left you with a sneak peak of what I've been working on the past couple of days.  I managed to make two things for Ella out of this adorable paisley corduroy that I bought at the start of winter.

The first thing I made out of this fabric was this sewVery fun jumper from McCall's pattern M6154.  I think I picked it up at Joann's for a couple of dollars on sale.



I've made this jumper before, which you'll see in just a minute, but this time I decided that the fabric was whimsical enough to pull of the bubble look of View A from the pattern cover.  And judging from the photo session with my model, the dress inspired her to have fun.  She ran and played peek-a-boo from behind the tree and smiled her most beautiful smile.  Just as I had imagined her when I was sewing this.




I thought about adding a fabric flower or some type of accessory to one side of the yoke, but I haven't come up with anything yet that I really like on it.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

After cutting out the jumper, I realized I had about a yard of fabric that was 9"-10" wide.  What could I make out of that--pants, a skirt, or maybe a cute pair of winter/fall shorts!  Well, I decided on a pair of shorts/knickers with a tie at the side of each leg.


I used just a basic shorts pattern as a go-by, but I cut out several inches of the width since my fabric width was very limited.  I'm really pleased with how well they turned out, and in fact, I may start making all of her shorts with less width.  Ella is pretty tall and thin, so all the extra gathers from elastic waistband pants sometimes make her look too poofy.


We actually took the pictures of Ella in the shorts first, and she was not happy.  She was eager to get into play clothes so she could join Connor outside in the backyard.  I had to keep promising her candy to get her cooperation.  It's amazing what a few pez can get you!

    Unhappy Ella

Happy Ella

Anyway, I really wanted these shorts to be different than regular old shorts, so I added the band at the bottom and extended it out on each side so it could be tied in a knot or bow.


 After making the jumper and shorts, I decided to finally repurpose this green sleeveless sweater and cardigan set that I have had lying around in the sewing room for months now.  At the time of this photo shoot, I had not worked on the cardigan yet, but as you can see, I did come up with something decent for the sleeveless sweater.  It's not exactly how I thought it would look, but I think it's cute.  I did take a few pictures of most of the steps I took in making it.  I'll post about it another day.

Oh, and here is Ella in the other jumper I made using the same pattern from McCall's (No. M6154) version B.  She has been wearing it for the last couple of months, and it is one of her favorites.  She always gets compliments when she wears it, and this pattern is so easy to make.


11 comments:

  1. I just love corduroy!!! The jumper looks fabulous in the bright, bold paisley colours, as well as in the check fabric. I think it looks lovely without a flower. The shorts look great, too. I'm about to make three/quarter pants and am thinking of a band and tie like this. In Australia, we call this dress a pinafore and we call a knitted sweater a jumper. I'd love it if you'd consider linking this up to the Girls' Dresses linky.

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  2. OMG your are sewing up a storm this week, I agree with Pam about what we call clothing!! LOL something we Brits share in common with the Australians!!!LOL The pinafore is lovely.

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  3. Hi, Veronica

    I found your blog through another blogger. I love the outfits your created for your little one. I enjoyed looking around, I am a new follower. Love for you to stop by www.homesweetbutterfly.com

    Vanessa

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    1. Thanks, Vanessa. Glad you found my blog and are my latest follower. I'll be sure to check out your blog, too! Come back often.

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  4. Such beautiful dresses!!! You are so blessed to have a little girl to sew for. You have done a fab job and those shorts/knickers are just brillient! :) I wonder how they would go on an adult (resized ofcourse)???

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    1. I think the shorts could work on an adult and would look really cute with tights and some slipper style shoes. Thanks for checking out my post and for leaving a comment!

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  5. wow, you did lots of sewing! both the dresses and the shorts look very pretty, that paisley fabric is just lovely :)

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  6. that is adorable ! especially love the shorts.

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  7. You are SEWVERY talented! haha! Seriously! Your girl outfits are so much fun! I hope we get to adopt a little girl, because I am inspired by all these adorable outfits!

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    1. Thank you sewVery much! I'm glad you are inspired by the outfits, and I hope you get that little girl, too. They are so much fun to dress up!

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