Design: White Flowers

Just when I needed a break from the heat, my great friend, JoAnn, invites me over to play flower shop with some of her wedding flower leftovers. I love it when she does that! She is a great floral designer and when she is busy with weddings I often benefit--at a minimum by being able to see what beautiful things she is creating. Sometimes I'm also able to create my own arrangements with the extra. That is the best!

This latest wedding was all-white. I love monochromatic palettes. My own wedding flowers were white and a bit of green. It was beautiful. So I am enjoying these fresh, cool blooms inside with a lot of air conditioning. I need to soak it up before we head outdoors again. We've been on lots of field trips this week trying to make the most of the remaining unstructured days.

You too? Trying to fit it all in before school starts? I hope you are making the most of it.

Sewing: Angel Sleeve Dress and Blouse (Pattern)

Sometimes the simplest things can take me a while. I don't know why exactly, but I do know what it is...I get distracted by other projects. Remember the yellow daisy Angel Sleeve Dress I made for Tess to wear at Easter? I can't believe it was way back in April.

And the version with rickrack I made for Audrey to wear to high tea? Also months ago. I was planning to have the pattern finished sometime in May and here it is August already! Well, better late than never.

So, it's finally here: the Angel Sleeve Dress pattern. The Angel Sleeve Dress is the simplest of dresses with lots of gathering at the neck, a gentle a-line and a fluttery short sleeve. Though I have had the sizing done for a while now I wanted to do a version with contrasting panels. So now the simple Angel Sleeve Dress has a couple variations--the option to make it with contrasting panels, and the option to make it as an Angel Sleeve Blouse (it's simply shorter--pictures are coming). I also included instructions for the rickrack sleeves.

I made Tess this little Angel Sleeve dress to wear to her sister's upcoming birthday party. (Hard to believe, but I'm way ahead of schedule on that!) It's a western theme and I thought these two fabrics, a feminine plaid and a sweet calico with blossoms and birds, had a bit of that western, or maybe more prairie, vibe. They are Tanya Whelan "Sugar Hill" Plaid and Birdy in Blue, and I purchased them here.

 

Speaking of getting distracted by projects, I was thinking this was the last summer fling before moving onto Fall sewing...but I'd love to make a few more of these in dress and blouse lengths. I've got a bunch of voile stashed, which would be perfect for this paneled version.

 

I'm also wondering if I could talk Audrey into wearing an Angel Sleeve blouse back to school this fall. Maybe with some corduroy Bloomers? 

We'll have to see how it all plays out. In the meantime we've been having fun playing at a local farm. Anything involving fresh air and live animals works for my girls. Maybe I need to get Tess her own cowboy boots. She's always trying on her sisters'.

Need an Angel Sleeve Dress or Blouse? The pattern can be found here in my Etsy shop.

Sewing: Faux Drawsting Shorts

These popsicle-printed shorts are one of the things I've been wanting to squeeze in this summer. Audrey actually picked the fabric herself ("HS Popsy" by Home Seasons--it's a home decor fabric) when we were at Joann and I love sewing something she is excited about and will hopefully wear a lot. Fingers crossed. She wore them to the pool the morning after they were finished, so we're off to a good start. (She is holding her Oilcloth School Bag from preschool. Makes a great swim bag.)

I used the Flat Front Kid Pants pattern from MADE, which I like a lot, and has been a great fit for Audrey, cut them shorter, and added some patch pockets from my Convertible Cargo pants of last year (I skipped the pocket flaps on the back though).

But I wanted a little something... So I created a faux drawstring front.

It is as easy as making two vertical button holes, about two inches apart and centered, through the front waistband. (Mind you these are the flat-front version of the pants, so there is no elastic in the front to make this more complicated.) I did this after the waistband was completely finished, but you could also do it before turning down the waistband, as I did with this Kangaroo Pocket Skirt. Then I opened the buttonholes and just threaded through some cotton twill tape, which I had finished by turning under the ends twice and zig-zagging.

Love it! It gives these shorts a little pop. (Pun intended.)

Sewing: The Summer Set in Blue

 

I am still making The Summer Set. I can't resist it! I feel a bit as if I should be thinking back-to-school but I'm in a panic about the fact that it's August and there were more things I wanted to fit in before school starts. I suppose I should get used to this--I'm guessing it's going to be an annual thing. Am I right? In any event, I'm trying to stretch out the summer!

 

 

We'll see how it goes, but I have a couple parties I'm trying to squeeze in, and a few field trips, not to mention one or two other sewing projects. But I don't want to be so busy that I don't have time to just enjoy these cute girls, because how much longer will I have to do that? They seem to be growing up so quickly already.

 

And so it goes... I was warned.

 

So here we have two of the three: Audrey in The Summer Set Bloomers and Flutter Top (this time without the ruffle) in a classically summer-y blue and white gingham, and Tess in The Summer Set Capris and a t-shirt I appliqued for her last week (view the Frayed Flower Applique tutorial here).

 

Tess is so petite these Capris turned out longer on her than I'd planned, but they're still cute, and she now has room to grown into them. I love this fabric, which coincidentally is from the Waverly Modern Essentials line I gave away a few months ago. This is "Tailspin" in "Americana," which I purchased at Joann.  I actually purchased it for Audrey, but she turned up her nose at it, so Tess wins!

The fabric is a medium weight twill and is perfect for Bloomers or Capris. With a little t-shirt I think it makes a pretty cute playset! I should make a long sleeved appliqued tee for her to wear with these Capris when it gets cooler. Maybe I'll add that to the list...

 

So here we are, soaking up the last carefree month of these bright, blown-out, summer days.

 

I'm trying to prioritize so we don't miss the best of it.

 

And, the girls just want to play, as they should.

 

I hope things are sunny with you. What's on your list for August?

 

(You can find The Summer Set sewing pattern in my Etsy shop, here.)

Cooking: Plum Apricot Kuchen (Recipe)

Nothing I've made lately has flooded me with memories as dramatically as this Plum Apricot Kuchen. I took one warm bit and thought, "ohhhh, just like my mom used to make!" 

I thought this recipe was lost to me, but my sister found a couple handwritten cards in one of my mother's recipe boxes. There were two versions of the ingredient list, but no instructions. I looked online but couldn't find the version I remembered: baked rather thin with a simple, but rich, butter crumb crust. So I gave it a go based on what I remembered. And it worked! I love it! 

You have to try it. My mother made a plum kuchen but I couldn't resist using some apricots too. (Some of these lasted long enough!) Click to view the recipe and tutorial.