Crafting Adventures: Toddler Sweater Dress

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  We all have a fabric stash, right?  Maybe it's scrap leftover from previous projects; maybe it's supplies you purchased for a project that you never got around to making; or maybe it's a small collection of "better snag this while it's on sale, I'm sure I can use it for something!"  I've got...all of those.  I've also got an ever-growing stash of clothing that no longer fits either myself or my husband but which is still in excellent condition.  Now, I should probably consign or donate this clothing, but something about each piece makes me want to upcycle it instead.

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was a tiny, cute pregnant lady who wore tiny, cute maternity clothes.  By the time I was pregnant with my third baby, those tiny, cute maternity clothes were too small for my massive belly, so many of them entered the upcycle stash because I was still sentimentally attached to them.  This white sweater is one such piece- I wore it for our Christmas card picture where we formally announced my second pregnancy:

Christmas 2016

In the week between Christmas and New Years this past December, when no one was quite sure what day it was and the world was a haze of wrapping paper and cookie crumbs, I picked up this sweater and decided to give it new life.

I used the Delaney Dress and Tunic pattern from Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop.  I had already used this pattern once when making our 2022 Halloween costumes so I knew it was easy to follow and produced a cute, comfy, well-sized garment.  Plus, upcycling generally comes with some shortcuts along the way (at least, the way I do it) so I knew I could throw this together in an afternoon.

I used the dress-length pattern with long sleeves, a regular banded neckline (no hood), and no kangaroo pocket in a size 2T to turn my maternity sweater into a simple A-line long sleeved dress for my toddler who was wearing size 2T in typical retail clothing.  Because I wanted to take advantage of the cuffs that already existed on this knit sweater, I cut the sleeve pattern short by the length they would have been hemmed (3/4", per the pattern instructions).  I used the sweater's original neck band to create the neckband for the dress and didn't need to worry about folding it in half because there was only a raw edge on one side.  In the original pattern, the front hemline of the dress (or tunic) curves upwards in the middle, and the back hemline curves downwards, so that it is slightly shorter in front than it is in the back.  I wanted to take advantage of the knit band that already existed around the bottom of the sweater, so I opted to not incorporate these curves.  Instead, I cut both the front and back pieces so that they were the length of the shortest point of the front pattern piece.  This resulted in a simple A-line silhouette with a straight hem all the way around (that I didn't actually have to hem!) and the whole dress came together rather quickly.  Of course, a serger would have been the ideal machine to construct this garment with, but I don't have one yet, so instead I used a good ol' zig-zag stitch.  

While I don't have step-by-step pictures of this make, I did create a little reel on Instagram that shows the construction (and some action shots of the finished product!) which you can see here.

The Delaney Dress and Tunic pattern is for sizes 3 months - 12 years and has many different options- dress or tunic lengths; hood or banded neckline; short, 3/4, or long sleeves; and an optional kangaroo pocket.  

Have you upcycled anything lately?

Much love,

The Geeks

Crafting Adventures: Anne of Green Gables

 

So even though it turns out our school only let kids 2nd grade and under dress up for it, we still had a lot of fun putting together a costume for Read Across America Day for my 3rd grader.  We even did a photoshoot and put together a fun little film which you can check out over on my Instagram account.

Once again I turned to the Oliver + S Building Block Dress book to create my own pattern for both the dress and the pinafore.  Here's a look at the pattern alterations I made, as well as some mistakes I would create were I to do this again.

I used the Building Block Dress book to draft an empire waist bodice with buttons in the back, a Peter Pan collar, a gathered ankle-length skirt, and simple long sleeves with elastic cuffs.  To make the elastic cuffs, I measured the wrist end of the original long sleeve pattern and cut out a rectangle of fabric which was the same width and 2 3/4" long.  Rather than stitching together the sides of the bodice and then inserting the sleeves, I inserted the open sleeves while the bodice sides were still undone.  I attached the cuff piece to the wrist of the sleeve, then folded it up and over and top stitched it in place, so that I had a rectangular tube attached to the bottom of each sleeve.  Then I measured the circumference of my little Anne-girl's wrist and cut a piece of 1" elastic to that length, inserted it into the cuff, and stitched down both ends.  I gathered the front and back skirt pieces separately and attached them to the front and back bodice pieces, then sewed up the side seams last, doing the sleeve, bodice, and skirt side seam all in one go.  This is not how the book instructs you to assemble the dress, but it worked best for how I wanted to create this.

For the pinafore, I created another empire waist bodice, but this time I lined the bodice and gave it a square neck.  The pinafore is slightly shorter than the dress, and the back gathered skirt is two separate pieces so that it stays separate in the back, with pearl snaps on the back of the bodice portion only.  

I bought a green queen size flat sheet and a white full size flat sheet at the thrift store to upcycle for this project.  I love using bedsheets for these historical-inspired costumes, like when I made our Hobbit outfits for last year's Renaissance Festival.  Working with thrifted bedsheets gives you a lot of fabric for pretty cheap, and I love being able to "cheat" by using the already finished edges for my seams and hems- the large hem at the top of a flat sheet looks fantastic as the hem of a long dress like this.

I definitely made some mistakes with this costume.  First things first, my girl is between sizes.  I assumed that, since the empire waist is not form-fitting, I could use the smaller size (the one that corresponds better to her waist measurement) since it's free-flowing in the hips, but I would have done better to just size up.  I sized up for the pinafore and it fits much better in the shoulders than the dress.  (I was planning to size up for the pinafore either way, however, because it was going to be worn on top of the dress.)  You can tell most obviously in the sleeve- even with the added cuff, the sleeve is much too short (although I wanted her to be able to push them up away from her wrists and have them stay put either way, because she doesn't like sleeves that touch her hands- but these sleeves became 3/4 rather than long sleeves).  I think my biggest mistake was in drafting the empire waist bodice, however.  I did not give myself enough room beneath the armscye- I believe I gave 1/2" exactly, which is the seam allowance, so the waist line lies even with the bottom of the arm hole, making the shoulder fit much too tight.  I should have lowered the waist by about an inch to give us more wiggle room there.  Finally, I chose the wrong fabric for making the pinafore.  The only white sheet I could find at the thrift store was this knit, t-shirt-like material.  I interfaced the "button" placket but it simply would not cooperate for sewing on buttonholes.  If I were better at making buttonholes I'm sure I could have conquered it, but instead I admitted defeat and installed snaps for a closure.  Of course I did this while a rambunctious toddler was pestering me and I was angry about the failed buttonholes, so one of the snaps is installed backwards!  You can't tell when the other two are closed, however.  

We found the boots at The Children's Place and the hat at Target- it's intended for an adult so the brim is much too wide, but I think that and the too-short sleeves are perfect for Anne Shirley when we first meet her in the book, as she would be wearing imperfect clothes that don't quite fit.  

All in all, I'm really proud of this costume.  It was a learning experience, and my girl is so happy wearing it.

Who is your favorite book character?

Much love, 

The Geeks

Crafting Adventures: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

 

Here's another look at what my kindergartener looked like for his school's celebration of Read Across America Day yesterday.  He decided to dress as the mouse in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

The outfit was really simple to assemble.  He wore a long-sleeved neutral colored shirt that we already had in his closet, and a pair of denim overalls.  I made him some ears (which admittedly were a bit too floppy) and attached them to an old headband, and I made a pillow for him to carry around shaped like a chocolate chip cookie.

Here's a really simple how-to so you can make your own cookie pillow!

Supplies:

-a circular pillow form

-light brown fleece

-dark brown fleece

-tools to measure, cut, and sew

1. Lay your pillow form on top of your light brown fleece.  Trace around the outside of the pillow, approximately 1/2 an inch away from the pillow all the way around.  Alternatively, you can measure the diameter of your pillow and draw a circle on your fleece which is 1" larger in diameter than the pillow.

2. Fold the rest of your light brown fleece in half.  Draw another circle the same size as the one you just drew. Find the horizontal diameter of this circle (that is, the exact midpoint line, running side-to-side) and then measure down 2".  Draw a straight horizontal line at this point, slicing off the bottom of the circle.

3. Cut out this new partial circle from your folded fleece, resulting in 2 identical partial circles.

4. Free-hand cut out some vaguely chocolate chip shaped pieces of your dark brown fleece.  Pin them to your full circle piece, randomly distributed around the right side.

5. Attach the chocolate chips to the front of the cookie by sewing all the way around each shape with a zig-zag stitch.  I use one with a short length and a wide width.  Go around twice to make sure it's good and secure.

6. If you wish, you can fold the straight edge of each partial circle towards the wrong side by half an inch and stitch them down to hem these pieces.  I chose not to do this as the fleece will not fray, but it could give your pillow cover a cleaner look.

7. Lay one partial circle piece on top of your cookie front, right sides together.  Lay the other piece on top of that, right side down, so that the straight edge overlaps the other piece's straight edge.  By this I mean that if your first partial circle shares its rounded edge with the top of your cookie front and the horizontal line lies below the center line, then your second partial circle should be flipped upside down from this so that its rounded edge lines up with the bottom of your cookie front and the horizontal line lies above the center line.  Secure all 3 pieces together with either pins or clips.

8. Sew the 3 pieces together with a straight stitch and a 1/4" seam allowance.

9. Turn your pillow cover rightside out and you will have what's called an envelope pillowcase. The overlapping pieces on the back can be spread open, you can stuff your round pillow form inside, and the back pieces can overlap again to keep it tucked in safe.

Check out this video on my Instagram page for a visual look at this tutorial.

Now, who wants a cookie?

Much love,

The Geeks

Read Across America 2023

 Does your school celebrate Read Across America Day?  It began as a celebration of Dr. Seuss and the way his books inspire kids to read.  Originally, the celebration at elementary schools across the country invited children to dress as their favorite Dr. Seuss character for a school day.  The celebration has evolved to encompass all beloved children's book authors, and kids are invited to simply dress as their favorite book character.  We love celebrating this day in our family- because we love wearing costumes, and we love books!  This year only second grade and below are dressing up at our school, but my oldest still wanted a chance to put on a costume, so we did a little photo shoot this weekend.

Here's our Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables, making up stories and getting into trouble.  I'll share in another post about how I made this dress and pinafore out of a couple of thrifted bedsheets.

And here's my little mouse with his chocolate chip cookie, from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  He's excited to use his chocolate chip cookie pillow for rest time today!

Who is your favorite book character?  Have you ever had the chance to dress up like them?

Much love,

The Geeks