Sewing: Scarlett's Portrait Dress

We have rescheduled family photos a few times this year and they finally happened yesterday. Adding to the typical stress with this sort of thing was the fact that I was super busy this month with projects and a family vacation and lost my ramp for coming up with the girls' outfits. I wanted them to wear something classic looking and ideally handmade but I ended up having five days to pull it off. It didn't quite happen.




Audrey wore a crochet sweater I made this spring--certainly fits the objective--and I was able to pull off a new dress for Scarlett.



Scarlett had a melt down in the middle of the session, which was about how I felt too but I held it together a bit better.





This dress pattern is an old Florence Eismann for Simplicity #8933. I wanted something simple I could do in off white and brown to match the retro bonnet I planned to knit. I used a micro suede because it was the right color and has a nice hand--and seems less maintenance than velvet. I used a cotton velvet for the collar and added velvet piping on the sleeves. This pattern provides for a three inch hem, which makes the dress hang so nicely and provides growing room--I love it.


Turned out pretty well I think. I love the big collar. Here is my one-year-old Scarlett in her Fall baby portrait.

These beautiful photos are by Jennifer Fauset, a local, wonderful photographer we've used previously. I think she does such a nice job with children and families.

Knitting: Lacy Baby Bonnet for Scarlett

I have been dying to make this lacy bonnet for a baby girl ever since I got Erika Knight's book, Knitting for Two, a few years ago (so many beautiful projects in this book!). Unfortunately I didn't get to make it for Audrey--either she was already too big or I was consumed by other projects, maybe both. So when I found out my next baby was a girl this bonnet was one of the things on my list to do for her.



So I have had a creamy pink yarn set aside for a little knit set for Scarlett but the scheduling of Family photos for today caused me to rearrange a bit. I knew there was no chance of getting a sweater done for Scarlett in time but I thought I had a chance at the bonnet and a dress. So I pulled out some off-white yarn and started the project on my vacation in Hawaii envisioning an off-white and chocolate brown ensemble.



I knitted this project on larger needles than called for since Scarlett is 12 months and the pattern is for 6-9 months. I was hoping it would fit. Of course it's impossible to truly gauge while it is on the needles and when I finally bound it off Scarlett was asleep a couple hours before the photographer was to arrive. I substituted a crochet edging along the bottom instead of the knit (picking up stitches tends to drive me nuts--it's so incredibly slow--maybe I haven't learned the best technique) to save some time and then called my darling neighbor, JoAnn to ask for help with the rosette bows. She is a flower arranging, bow-tying genius and I knew it would take me too long to figure it out on my own. We tied the bows and sewed them to the sides of the bonnet just as the photographer was walking down my driveway and while Scarlett was still sleeping. I was hoping it would fit! Luckily, it does. However not everyone is a fan of this retro looking bonnet. When I put it on Scarlett my husband asked why I wanted her to have Princess Leia hat! I don't care, I'm going with it. I just love the really retro baby look.

UPDATE: It was totally worth it--even the last minute panic with the bows! Look how gorgeous these pictures turned out. These are by Jennifer Fauset. She does such a beautiful job with children and families. I think Scarlett looks like my little Puritan baby--so old fashioned. I couldn't be happier!

Knit and Crochet: Beach Dresses for Audrey and Scarlett

Because I finished Scarlett's eyelet dress so late in the season she was only able to wear it once before the weather was too cool. And of course I had saved Audrey's crochet tank dress so they could wear them together, so she only wore hers once as well. As I was packing for our trip to Maui I packed these just in case I could manage to orchestrate a photo session on the beach. I think these dresses are prefectly beachy colors--Sky and Natural.

The hour we took photos of them on Big Beach at sunset was probably the highlight of my trip! David had scoped out Big Beach earlier in the week and took us there but we didn't have our camera. I was hoping to get back and take pictures of the girls and finally the last night of our trip we made it back just in time--five pm. I got some eyerolling about the idea of putting Audrey and Scarlett in these dresses but it was so worth it! I can't imagine anything more perfect than these airy dresses with sand and surf and sundown!

These are pictures that capture all the emotions of beautiful daughters, carefree childhood and a mother's and labors of love. I love them! So lucky to have a husband who is wonderfully talented with the camera to capture this for me.

Sewing: A. Henry Halloween Blouses with Pumpkin Corsages

I saw this fabric on Etsy--someone made a darling baby blanket with it--and I immediately went hunting (haunting?) for it. Tough to find. It must have been a 2008 design. But I did finally find it and ordered enough to make two little blouses for my girls.

I love these retro trick-or-treaters. They look like litle Campbell's Soup kids or grown up Gerber babies. So cute.

I based these blouses on a ManiMina dress pattern--one of many that takes the pillow case dress and adds sleeves--and added the shirring to the bodice and sleeves. I also belled the sleeves a bit.

I thought it would be cute to add a little Jack-o-Lantern corsage to these so I crocheted these little pumpkins--a circle with a few extra stitches on top for the stem, and then embroidered the faces.

Audrey has told me she doesn't want to wear this blouse because it's too scary! Not as much fun for me now that she has more of an opinion about what she wears, but luckily Scarlett still can't voice her opinion. She is stuck wearing all of my creations.

Happy Halloween!

Crochet: Striped Poncho for My Sister

I had so over-extended myself last Christmas with projects that I didn't get the chance to photograph some of the things I gave away. Lucky for me, my cute sister, Sarah, came to visit this afternoon and happened to be wearing the poncho I gave her last Christmas. (I hope she wears it occassionally, and not just when she's planning to see me...).

I think it looks so great on her! Most things do...oh to be six feet tall...

I saw the pattern on the cover of the September/October issue of Crochet Today. I think it's such a fun retro design--love the graphic stripe, but I thought it would be even better with what I think of as an Indian blanket color palette.

So I picked terra cotta, cream, black and grey wool-blend yarns (a bit of warmth and a bit less hassle for the recipient). Added a tiny row at the bottom for contrast.

I lengthened the pattern quite a bit and added an extra row at the bottom. I thought it would be more wearable waist length than shorter.

Sarah looks a bit surprised...