YULE OUTFIT FOR A LITTLE GIRL

  This is somewhat an X-mas present, but I gave it to my two-year-old daughter already...

...for obvious reason. This color combo is to be worn prior to and on X-mas, not after. The dress is made of soft cotton velour for warmth and comfort. The leggings are cotton jersey.

The edges are trimmed with a slightly darker jersey to give a bit of contrast. I was soooo tempted to use the polka-dot fabric here, but that would have made the whole dress unsuitable to wear after Yule. It is simply utterly too lame to dress like an elf after Christmas!  =)

 

FUNERAL DRESSES

  We attended a funeral recently. Funerals are never fun, but it is fun to plan what to wear to the occasion. Overall I try to keep a positive mind on funerals, thinking it is the last party thrown to the person, and we´re there to celebrate having known her/him and all the good things shared together.

  In the past four years we have been to four funerals, and I thought it was time to make myself a new outfit. My daughter doesn´t have such dark clothes in her everyday wardrobe, so I knew I´d have to make her something in any case. So why not make matching dresses? She is still so small, that it counts as cute. =)

  Here´s the one I made for her:

Instead of all black, which is too harsh and sad for a little girl like her, I chose a more subtle print in grey and black. The fabric is nicely soft, stretchy, and warm for the weather. Even party wear needs to be comfortable to wear, so one can concentrate on partying, not worrying about clothes.

The pattern is a casual one, not complicated. For example, I also made the Bad Piggies dress with it. Raglan sleeves are always comfy.

To avoid dullness I added pompoms to the hemline. And by a great coincidence I found the same kind, but in larger scale, to my own dress.

Like mother like daughter. We both surfed through the ceremony with comfort, ease, and style! And rose a few smiles on the guests´ faces on the way. =) In addition to that, I eased my own sorrow by wearing aromatherapy earrings with bergamot essential oil on them.

I gotta to use this opportunity to share an idea I came up with for the flower bouquet. I wanted to make one myself to show respect for the deceased. Usually the arrangements are directly from the florist´s, are quite pricey, and don´t last long  (especially now that it´s so cold outside). So my innovative own idea was to make a wreath-based arrangement with a center piece in the middle. Here I chose a spruce twig garland and placed a lantern in the center hole. To top it off I added red roses to circle around the lantern. The whole deal is placed on a plywood round to keep it all together. People liked it, and said they especially enjoyed the calming flicker of the candle flame. This is something I will definitely redo in occasions to come, always altering the design according to who´s being celebrated.

THURSDAY OUTFIT FOR A LITTLE GIRL

 Each day of the week has a mood of it´s own in the plan I have designed for my girl´s garderobe. "Nostalgic" is the feeling I´m aiming for with this Thursday outfit for my 2 1/2 year-old. You know, like in the 40´s and 50´s when cardigans and skirts were the basic apparel for girls and young women.

  Although I´m not all for pink, I´m not all against it either. Perhaps every little girl can wear some pink every now and then, but not in a too mushy kind of way.  =) This one is bright and fun.

A classic cardigan and a skirt. The cardigan is streamlined, and is in fact just a shirt with a row of buttons sewn on top. The skirt is made of stretchy cotton jersey and is sewn together with the tights, so that they share a waistband. That way the skirt won´t twist and turn on her, but stays in place no matter how wild she gets!

Buttons repeat the dark brown of the leggings...

...as does the neckhole edge. The brown binds the outfit together giving it a finished feel.

    No ribbons, bows, ruffles, or anything romantic or too cute, and a girl can surf with style in pink!

UNISEX OUTFIT FOR KIDS

  Most of the clothes I have made for my girl lately have been quite girly. So now for a change I wanted to dress her in unisex, all around cool and classically stylish, clothes. But as always, comfort and coziness first.

A pair of soft & stretchy corduroy pants coupled with off-white and light grey jersey shirts. A true staple in anyone´s wardrobe.

This fabric was found in my old stash.

The sleeves bear a small detail so it´s not all that boring. =) But in a unisex outfit you have to be careful with details anyway, so that it still suits boys too.

Pants are made of a leftover piece from these leggings.

A wide zig zag works lots better than a twin-needle in my sewing machine, giving a more stretchy result.

This fabric is another leftover piece, but from my mom. Now I realize that this whole outfit is made of recycled material, so I can proudly call it a piece of "ragshion" (a term I discovered in all my cleverness =) some time ago). The sleeves are slightly cropped.

I turned the sleeve pieces inside out, so the reverse side of fabric is shown on the outside. The color is the same, but texture is super-soft and somewhat fuzzy. It creates a subtle change in the otherwise plain look.

  Lately I have sewn so much for my kids, that I´m running late on my own Mabon Collection. Better hurry up before the wheel turns again...!

SUNDAY OUTFIT FOR A GIRL: A BIT BETTER

  Although we are not a religious family, it is a nice idea to wear something a bit better on Sundays. Therefore I made this outfit for my girl:

Brown is the key color in my Mabon palette, and it applies to kids´ clothes too, but in a lighter shade. I made the leggings in dark blue to give the outfit variety, although I was tempted to use dark brown at first. But this way the whole is a little brighter and makes the dress pop out even more.

I had these crochet flowers in my stash from an earlier project, and they suit this dress perfectly.

The original pattern had the sleeves in short (see here and here), but now the weather is cool already, so I lengthened them. Simply eyeballing did the trick, no measuring needed. =) I left them about 4/5 in length to keep them from getting dirty so easily. Very handy.

The leggings are made of soft and stretchy corduroy-like jersey. They keep my girl warm and cozy.

  Naturally this outfit can, and will, be worn on any day of the week, not only on Sundays. But Sundays were the inspiration, as I like to create variety in her wardrobe too. There is always a thought/idea behind each outfit. Mindfulness is the trend these days. =)

CHERRY BERRY DRESS FOR A GIRL

  Red cherries on white is such a delicious classic, that I could not resist buying this fabric when I saw it. Yes, I admit, purely by impuls (shame on me). But it makes such a cute dress for my girl.

Now this makes me crave for a cherry pie!

A real treat. The material is cotton jersey, so the dress is super comfy to wear. The back is identical to the front. The cherries themselves were detail enough for the dress, so I did not want to overwhelm the whole with further decorating. I like a certain sleekness in clothes, leaving room and attention to the person wearing them.

Raglan sleeves.

A ruffle in the hem adds volume and girlishness.

   My daughter got a cherry tree as a gift when she was born. The tree is still very young of course (but alive, which can not be taken for granted under my care... =), but there was not a single berry in it this year. Last year there were like five, but none this summer. I wonder why. So luckily, thanks to this dress, we´re able to enjoy cherries in at least some form!

PATCHWORK DRESS FOR A GIRL

  Once again I´m so happy my second child is a girl! Without her I would not be able to make these adorable little dresses! =) Boys´ clothes are plain old boring, there´s not much room to be playful. And it seems the older they get, the narrower the accepted wardrobe becomes. (Yawn.)

  But back to cute girls´ clothes! Here´s the latest of my creations to my two-year-old:

Floral mimic-patchwork dress in late summer/early fall colors. I still can´t do pink alone, but here it is a part of the whole, and looks more stylish combined with the deep red wine. The pattern is the same I used to make the light blue dress for her, and I still think it is perfectly shaped. This one is completely different style-wise, and once again proves that one great pattern can go a long way.

The only accent is the red "belt" around the waist. There is so much going on with the patches of plaid and flowers, that the rest needed to be more calm to remain stylish.

How could I resist this? I bought the fabric two months ago already, and my fingers have been itching to turn it into this dress. And now it´s finally here, right on time for Lammas.

No tricks in the back either, just a zipper.

  The very first day my daughter wore this dress, she got compliments on it and her cuteness. Isn´t it strange how even young girls are noticed for their looks, compared to boys, who can live a life free from scrutiny? Well, since it is so deeply within us/our culture, why not take advantage of it early on?!   =)

MINTY GREEN SUMMER DRESS FOR A LITTLE GIRL

  Both of my kids have too few summer clothes to wear (shame on me). I´m desperately trying to find the time to fill in the gap, and I can but wonder why sewing has to be sooooo time consuming...!

  Here is my two-year-old´s newest garment:

Still dodging pink, I chose this minty green-and-white-striped fabric. It is a little sporty even, and to steer the feeling of a tennis court away, I chose a model with a ruffled hem.  

This dress was a good ground to add these padded butterflies I got some time ago. (Yes, the same kind as in my own Lilac butterflies- outfit.) They are so girly and cute, who needs pink anymore?  =)

No gimmicks in the back, letting the butterflies on the sleeves be the focus.

A narrow cotton lace circles the very edge of the hem, again, to reduce sportiness. After all, this dress is for everyday wear, not sports events.

  It has been cool here lately. But now I feel like warm days should find our way, so I can adore my girl in her new dress!

SATURDAY OTUTFIT FOR A GIRL

  After making myself the Sarah Kay- inspired outfit, I was still left with some strips and pieces of the fabrics. So I decided to make a similar outfit for my girl. Like mother like daughter, almost. =)

I call this "Saturday Outfit" because I think Saturday is the most relaxed and fun day of the week. A day when you´re supposed to laugh and play hard, chill out, and enjoy life to the fullest. Clothes can be more relaxed than on any other day, and the more colorful the merrier. This style does deliver: green stretchy shirt combined with baggy purple pants.

Yo-yos have become a favorite of mine. They are so comfortable for little kids to wear, and easy for mommy to make... =) These ones add color and texture to the subtle green shirt (which looks strangely grey in these pics).

More yo-yos on the flip side. The trick is that you can only see one set of yo-yos at a time, either on the front or the back. Enough is enough.

Funny thing is, that I used the same type of decoration in the previous Saturday Outfit I made last August (My girl has outgrown that, so I needed to make a new one.)

  This outfit has proven to be great in use. The model of the pants is actually meant for boys, but I think girls also deserve to wear comfortable, as well as pretty, clothes!

KID APPROVED GREEN SMOOTHIE

  Like mother like daughter... It amazes me that a nearly-two-year-old can like raw foods and smoothies.

  We offer our children all sorts of foods, including meats (and eggs and dairy to our girl, who is not allergic to them), and they can choose for themselves what to eat.
  My son excludes all veggies and most fruit, and likes grain and meat. My girl on the other hand excludes most meats, eggs, and fish, but indulges in raw veggies and fruit, along with grain. Is it the man-gene that makes boys resent veggies?

  The sight of our breakfast made me laugh outloud yesterday:

Sweet green smoothies. 2 cups ( 5 dl ) for mommy, and 1/2 cup ( 1 dl ) for daughter.  The recipe: 1 Granny Smith apple, 1 banana, 1 stalk celery, 2-3 handfuls greens, small handful of stinging nettle (or any wild edible green, if available), water. Blend all in a high-speed blender until smooth, add water to your liking.

  In addition to the smoothie, I offered her fruit-flavored soy yogurt, rice cakes with margarine, and grapes. She didn´t want any of those, but instead pointed at a kettle, in which I had just cooked some beluga lentils for lunch. Holy moly is she healthy! She ended up having green smoothie and lentils for breakfast.

  It is said that small children know to eat instinctively. They know when, what, and how much to eat. I believe that can apply to us grownups too, as long as we choose from healthy foods. You know you are hungry for real, if a bowl of oatmeal sounds inviting...  =)

FUZZY FURRY FAORITE- DRESS FOR A TODDLER

  Cold days demand warm clothing. What a great excuse to make another cute dress for my little princess!

I love this furry fabric! It makes me feel warm (inside and out) to see my girl wear this super-warm dress.  =) Once again, the color is perfect for Imbolc.

I neatened the neck- and sleeve edges with a strip of cotton jersey (the same one I used in her Imbolc Sky- dress). It adds a slight contrast, material wise mostly, and softens the cut edge without bulging.

Blue on blue. The decorative buttons add a nice, finished touch, without standing out too strongly.

The back view. I let the buttons flow here too, as I like detail in the back as well.

As a  cherry on the cake, a heart-shaped button on the neck.

  Happy and warm days!

IMBOLC SKY- DRESS FOR A TODDLER

  To fight the cold of these Imbolc days, I made a new dress for my girl:

A soft fleece dress made of scrap (originally I bought this fabric two years ago, while still expecting her. Back then I made her this, and was still left with a piece).

I neatened the hem with a strip of cotton jersey, which I also found in my stash.

The same jersey suited well for the neck edge too. Using a different shade and material of light blue in the dress gives it a more finished look. Overall I wanted to keep the garment simple, giving room to the fabric itself with it´s adorable cumulus clouds.

Isn´t it just like the real deal?

The real deal from yesterday. This is how I, in my head, always imagine the perfect Imbolc nature to look like. And now it´s here for real.Oh, how I love to see the light blue sky again after the long and dark fall and winter!

WEDNESDAY- OUTFIT FOR A GIRL

  I´m designing a wardrobe for my girl (22 months) too. Seven outfits altogether, inspired by the weekdays.
  Now it is time to introduce the latest piece, Wednesday´s look:

A classic combination of a skirt and shirt. The skirt is sewn on to the leggings for an easy wear. Raglan-sleeved shirt is a nice change, and looks a bit more relaxed. I have liked this color combo since as long as I can remember, from the 1980´s. Keeping the outfit simple leaves room for the materials, and looks more stylish.

This furry fabric is super soft and almost too cute! It suits perfectly the upcoming Imbolc time (in Nelland from mid-January to the beginning of March) with it´s sweet pink combined to basic greys.

The skirt is made of slightly stretchy flannel. Soft and warm, and so suitable for winter.

The waistband is made of the same jersey as the leggings, so it stretches enough when pulling the pants/skirt up and down during diaper changes.

  Naturally this outfit can surely be worn also on Saturday, Thursday, or any other day of the week! The idea was to give each outfit it´s own characteristics, a unique personality, and the weekdays are only there to guide and inspire me.  =)