Just Jen

Crochet Dress Project

I've been having so much fun making little dresses for Andie. This time I wanted to crochet a dress since my sewing skills are still only so-so. I couldn't find any patterns for full crocheted dresses that I liked well enough, though - everything seemed too stuffy and old-fashioned looking. I decided to just crochet the top and make the skirt out of fabric. It's much more practical anyway, since before we know it, it will be hotter than the bad place here in Texas. I was inspired by this and this, but ultimately made up my own pattern for the top. I am happy with the way it came out and think it will be a fun spring outfit for her! She seems to like it, anyway.

Pinny Adventure

This past weekend I decided to try to make a little dress for Andie. I can work my sewing machine fairly well, and have even taught myself to quilt, but sewing clothing has always seemed a bit intimidating to me. I thought it would be wise to start with a very simple pattern and see how it went before taking on something more complicated. The classic pinafore seemed to be a reasonable choice since it didn't involve buttons or zippers and would be easy for everyday wear. I headed off to my favorite fabric shop, the Quilt Asylum, and by the end of the night it was done! I love how it turned out, so I plan to make another one for her soon. I found the pattern (by Betty Kingston) on Etsy. The instructions were detailed, the pattern was easy to follow, and it fit her really well, so I do recommend it. There is also a pattern included for matching bloomers, but I wanted to put it with leggings or pants/shorts instead, so I skipped them.

Side note: baby girl is getting actual HAIR! Ok, so it's still mostly in the "fuzz" state, but it's been growing like crazy lately. Finally. Looks like I'll have a sweet little brunette on my hands. :)

I think I'll tackle this pattern next - we'll see how I do with the elastic...

Felt Flower Headband Tutorial

Lately, I've been wanting to make some headbands for my Andie, so I ordered some fold over elastic by-the-yard from Fabric Hound and some nice wool-blend felt in fun colors from BenzieBazaar on Etsy. It all came the other day, so I couldn't wait to get started! I thought it would be cute to do a variation of a yo-yo, but in felt. I am so happy with how it came out! Here's how I did it:

 

Felt Flower Headband Tutorial

Start out by cutting 2 circles from contrasting colors of felt, 1 large and 1 small. My large circle was about 4" across, and the smaller about 3 1/4", but you can make them as large or as small as you like. Small bowls, mugs and other circular objects are great to trace around. Fold in half and cut out a hole in the center of each circle, making a donut. Don't worry about making the inside circles perfect - it won't matter since they will be hidden completely. Be sure to save the donut hole from the large circle - you'll need it at the end!

Now, put a running stitch around the center of the large circle, keeping close to the edge. The size of your stitches will affect the ruffles (larger & fewer stitches = deeper ruffles, smaller and more stitches = more shallow ruffles)- mine were about 1/4" or so. Be sure to overlap the first stitch with your last.

Once you've stitched all the way around the center, GENTLY pull on the thread to collapse the felt and create the lovely ruffles! (Feel free to pause and admire your work. :) While holding the thread tight, put a knot as close as you can to the felt. This is a little tricky, but it is important to hold the thread as tight as you can to keep the hole in the center as small as possible. Don't worry if you end up with a small hole, though. You just want to avoid a big one. Repeat with the smaller felt donut.

Stack the smaller donut on top of the larger one, lining up the centers. Now, you can use hot glue at this point to attach the flower layers together, or you can stitch them together at the centers. If you do use glue, just use a small amount around the center holes so it doesn't show between the layers. It's important, though to keep the center holes clear, because you will need to stitch through them in the next step. Cut out a small circle (about nickel sized - large enough to cover the hole in the center of your ruffled donuts). Glue (or stitch, as shown below) the small circle you just cut on top of the two donuts.



Cut several tiny circles (if you're not tired of cutting circles by now, you should be :) to make the center detail of the flower. Using embroidery thread, knot the thread and come up through the center of the stacked donuts from the back of the flower. Spear one of your tiny circles, and send the needle back through the center of the flower close to same spot. Pull the thread through until the tiny circle is snug against the center, then repeat for the remaining tiny circles, clustering them close together.

Cut two leaf shapes (I used two different colors). Fold one of the leaves in half, and using a matching thread, stitch tight, small stitches down the spine of the leaf starting at the base and stopping about 3/4 of the way down. The idea is to create a slight crease.

Knot the thread and send the needle back under several of the stitches before cutting the thread to hide the tail. This will be the backside of the leaf.

You can stitch the second leaf in the same way, but I just left mine flat. Here is a view of the finished leaf:

Stack the leaves, staggering them slightly and hot glue them to the back of the flower near the center. Then cut your elastic to the desired size. I made mine 14" to fit an infant. Hot glue the ends of the elastic to the center of the back of the flower on top of the leaves. Finally, hot glue the donut hole (see - I told you that you'd need it!) to the center covering the edges of the elastic and leaves.



Ta-da! Now, go find a cute baby so you can admire your work!

Baby Sambas!

Heads up! Piperlime has a code for 20% off kids' shoes until Monday (enter code CUTE at checkout) plus FREE 3-5 day shipping! If Andie follows in her brother's footsteps, she'll be walking in the next few months and will actually need real shoes, so I decided to see what they had. I came across these baby Sambas and had to snag them. I wore a grown-up pair just like these all through my high school soccer days. Man, I made a lot of memories in those shoes! Never hurts to start planting those seeds early...cheerleading? Bah...

Andie, listen to your mom. All the cool chicks play SOCCER. :)

Valentine Crochet Heart Tee

I've been crocheting a lot of little hearts and flowers lately - mostly for little headbands and clips for sweet little heads. I was wandering down the yarn aisle at Hobby Lobby last night in search of the perfect yarn for Valentine hearts, and came across this. I thought it would be fun to use it to make a larger heart and applique it on a tee for Andie.

I wanted the heart to be a little wobbly and imperfect, and this yarn was definitely perfect for that with all its thicks and thins. I followed this crochet pattern for the heart, then I laid it on the tee where I wanted it to end up and sketched around it with my black Sharpie fabric marker to add something fun and unexpected. (Have I mentioned how much I love my Sharpie fabric markers?) Then I pinned the heart in place, turned the tee inside out and stitched the heart down by hand so the thread would be hidden. This was a really quick, easy project that turned out almost as cute as the little sweetie that gets to wear it!

Miss Plunkett

This is going to be another one of those "if I had a little girl" posts. And if I were to ever have a little girl (heaven, help me), I've always said I'd never put a bow or flower bigger than my baby's head on my baby's head. But something in me must have snapped because I think this is just too darn cute.

Miss Plunkett has a line of clips, headbands and other accessories with this new-fangled interchangeable technology. You buy all the little pieces then put them together however you want. Pink feather today, blue netting tomorrow. It's just smart. And the vintage look is adorable. And it's a good thing I have a boy, or I'd go broke. Completely.

No Girls Allowed

When I stole a few minutes to walk around at our last show, I came across the cutest booth - No Girls Allowed. It was full of all things boy - toys, clothes, fedoras, ties, and this adorable set of pj's. I immediately snatched them up for Christmas morning for Jack. The pics are going to be SO great. I can't wait! Check out all of the super cute boy stuff on their site - but remember, No Girls Allowed!!

Look no further...

...because these ARE the cutest kids' shoes on the planet. So cute I can hardly stand it. Get 'em here.

The Littlest Mermaid

This weekend we traveled south to attend a 1st birthday party for one very sweet little girl. It was a splash party, so I thought it was only fitting that she have a special mermaid tee. She happened to be wearing an adorable tutu that matched perfectly. Move over Ariel!

And here's my little fish taking a premature dive in the pool - sans swimsuit.

 

 
 
  

Superhero Shoes

These clever lace-on wings from smallfly on Etsy will fit any child's shoe, so your kid can transform into Super Kid anytime they want!