Vintage frills

I'm really enjoying the ruffler foot on my new machine - can you tell!!??

It is so smooth and easy to use that I have been ruffling up a storm, making these two little skirts for Misses A and G as well as another in apricot as a gift for Miss G's little kinder buddy.

These are made with a really soft stretch tulle, trimmed with cotton lace and finished off with a handmade satin flower.

One has a beaded centre while the other has a very sparkly jewel button as chosen by the owner of the skirt.

These are a fun thing to sew as I really enjoy mixing and matching the trims and decorative elements, and quite rewarding to make as far as time goes too.

They are 'fancy' enough to wear out to a party or dinner but functional too, as they can simply be tossed in the machine once they get dirty.

Now, how about something for me...

Ruffle Joy

I love it when the kids like something I have made so much that I actually don't get to fully finish it before they want it.

After washing you trim the ruffles and then they are meant to be 'set'

These are Ruffle Joy skirts by Bridget and Lucy, you can buy the pattern as a PDF and as there are no actual pieces this is a good option.

The top of the skirts is not this red - it's a lighter pink - just a lousy photo!

I actually want to add tulle and felt flower embellishments to the ribbon trim at the top of the skirt - but I have to get them off the girls first.

'woofs', mushrooms, birds and Little Red - what more would a girl want.

These were incredibly easy to make because you use a jelly roll - yep - quilty fabric in my house!

I got mine here and can not say enough about how quick Jane was to process and send my order - and her prices are fabulous too.

Each skirt uses a maximum of eight jelly strips so you can get 5-6 skirts from each roll - great value.

With a ruffler foot doing the work these are a quick and easy item to make - not sure that I would do them without a ruffler though - too much fiddling for me.

This kid is mad on her 'A Walk in the Woods' version with Little Red Riding Hood and the "Woofs" (as she calls them).

Though for each photo like the one above, there are a couple like the one below too!

We've already had the first two party invitations so I am thinking I might make a stash of these and put them in the cupboard for gifts.
I'd prefer to give this than some plastic rubbish, and I think most parents would prefer to receive it too.

Give them a go - and let me know if you do - I'd love to see your version.

Post-Christmas posting

It's been quiet here - well here on the blog anyway - at home it's been the complete opposite!

I've done a bunch of sewing in among the usual Christmas/end of year stuff; catching up with friends, kinder concerts/exhibitions, family visits, shopping, wrapping, returning for the things I forgot, a big lunch followed by a day of recovery and of course there was a little sleeping...

I won't bore you with all the details, suffice to say we had a really lovely Christmas Day; relaxed, fun and very festive, with lots of smiling faces.

I'll be back soon with details of what I have been sewing, but here's a little peek!

 Yep, metres and metres of ruffles!

I didn't get a great pic of all three girls wearing these (there's a purple one as well) so plan to do that, but they looked like the cutest bunch of fairy floss you've ever seen on Christmas Day.

The reason I didn't get a great pic is they spent the entire day changing from these, to Disney fairy dresses they were given or into their Willow and Moo rainbow skirts!

All at different times of course.

Thank goodness for older cousins who were happy to assist with the changes, or that is all I would have done all day.

I hope your days have been merry and bright.

My Creative Space

There's another party dress on the machine over here, for the daughter of a friend.

I've had the pattern for a little while but it's also in the Sewing Clothes Kids Love book - the Feliz dress.

She got the fabulous Kokka Snow White fabric at one of Amitie's sales a while back and we teamed it with the Michael Miller Ta Dot in teal - a perfect match.

There's also something 'frilling' going on.

I finally had a chance to use this fearsome looking attachment - the ruffler foot and boy am I impressed.

Mine is a snap on foot so was super-easy to attach and then after a couple of little practices away we went.

It makes lovely even gathers in a fraction of the time it takes to hand-draw them up.

It will definitely get lots more use in this dress-obsessed house.

Check out what other crafty peeps are up to today over with Kirsty, the queen of creative.