another edelweiss

I couldn't go too long without whipping up another Edelweiss dress. Since I made the last one a tad bit more difficult with all of the added piecework sewing a more simple version the second time around felt like it went super fast. You may have noticed a color theme going on this week. I promise I didn't plan on making everything black and white, but what can I say?! I am falling for the trend.

So this is my KCW summer wrap up! I didn't have time to sew a ton and I didn't even sew a single thing for sweet Lark, but it was really fun creating these outfits for LM.

       Stenciled Cat Top                      Jumper to Jumpsuit                     Black + White Edelweiss

refashion: jumper to jumpsuit

   

My husband bought me a cute jumper dress as a surprise when we were dating because he remembered I mentioned I liked it. I wore it a lot during the time we were falling in love, so later when I decided it was a little too short for me to feel comfortable wearing it anymore I didn't want to just give it away. It sat in a pile in my sewing room for almost two years before I finally decided to cut into it and this is what became of that nostalgic gift. I think this sassy pants almost five-year-old wears it better than I did!

This project only took about an hour start to finish. All I had to do was take the sides in and then I laid a pair of her leggings on top of it to use as a template to cut out the inseam. I actually finished this a few weeks ago but have been super busy with a work project this month so I am just getting around to sharing it now. I am pleased to report that LM has been pulling it out of her drawer to wear often.

I am linking up with KCW here.

refashion: stenciled cat top

This was one of those projects where I started with a vague idea, but really had no clue where I was going with it until I was done. It is a refashion of a plain long-sleeved peter pan collared dress I thrifted last year knowing it was the perfect blank canvas to do something fun. The dress was marked a size 3T so I was originally making this with Lark in mind, but when I tried it on her the shoulders were to wide and it fit LM much better as a top.

I chopped the long sleeves off of the original dress and added a black flutter sleeve, then printed the shapes along the bottom using fabric paint and one-half of the arrow stencil from Handmade Charlotte's Family Message Center Stencil Set. I was just going for something graphic but quickly realized - Hello! Cats! - so when I stitched the hem up by hand I gave each little kitty a pair of eyes along the way.

When I showed it to LM I secretly hoped she would exclaim, "You have cat to be kitten me, I want to put it on right meow!" You know, or something close to that. She didn't, but she liked it and I got a "Thanks, mom!" so I am happy.

I will be joining the summer KCW challenge this week. You can find my projects here. Are any of you playing along as well?

the edelweiss dress

Today I am joining the Hey June pattern tour of the Edelweiss dress. Adrianna of Crafterhours invited me along and I am so happy she did because a) it inspired me to finally get back into the sewing room, and b) I love this pattern! It is just the right amount of sweet and the options are pretty much endless of how it can be switched up with different fabrics, a pieced bodice, or by making it tunic or dress length. I already have so many ideas of different 'looks' I want to sew up.

When I first saw the pattern I knew immediately what style of dress I wanted to sew. It reminded me of this vintage pinafore I had been wanting to try and recreate for some time and so my inspiration was set from the beginning. I found the solid colors in my fabric stash and started piecing them together to make the triangle pattern first. As I went along I decided if I was going to do all of this tedious piecework then I wanted to have the triangles go all the way around the dress for a bigger impact. So, I altered the pattern a little by merging the three bodice pattern pieces into one - that way the triangles could be one continuous piece. I also added a lining to the skirt since I chose white. I am asking for it, I know, but doesn't every little girl need a white dress for summer? ;)

I love the off center buttons in the back and the fact that I can move them over to loosen the bodice so she can fit into the dress longer. 

This just might be my favorite piece of clothing I have made to date. I really love how it turned out, and a great pattern can make all the difference!

a new decade

That guy right there holding an ice cream cake and singing Happy Birthday with gusto while still managing to look totally handsome is a keeper, I tell ya. Today is my birthday, but he surprised me on Saturday with a house packed full of friends and family to celebrate my big 3-0 a few days early. I had no idea he had been planning and scheming behind my back for a full month.

My mom was in cahoots with him to keep me away from the house after I got off work and she played her role perfectly - even when she had to improvise last minute when I got a terrible headache and told her I didn't think I could go shopping. She made us pedicure appointments on her drive over and told me that was my surprise gift, ha! I could certainly sit down and relax, oh, and here are some drugs... ;)

I really wish I got better pictures of the night, but I only got these few I snapped with my phone between conversations. It was a bit overwhelming seeing so many loved ones at once, many of whom I hadn't seen in a long time - high school friends! - and I wanted to sit down and talk to everyone a lot longer than I could, but it was so fun. I couldn't believe how many people showed up, and how hard Husband worked to make it all happen. He even asked everyone to write me a little letter and compiled them into a birthday book for me. It was a wonderful gift I will treasure.

Thanks for a great start to a new decade, honey! And thank you to everyone who wished me well.

our garden

We have been spending most of our days outside. I love weeding (no, really, I love weeding) and the girls have claimed the spaces under and between the lilac trees as their "hide out/tree house/grotto" so we are a content trio out in the yard. I pull and they pretend.

Over Memorial Day weekend we were able to clear out a space for our garden thanks to a neighbor with a tiller. This is the area where the fire pit was located, but we decided to move it since this was the best spot for the garden. The stone pathways are made up from all of the rocks we dug out from around the pit. I am so happy to have such a big space to grow food for my family!

I want our garden to be a family endeavor, so we invited the girls to help as much as they wanted. Lark just wanted to wear my gloves and pretend to plant, LM decided she wanted to put the seeds in the holes. Tending a garden can teach so many concepts from the science of how plants grow, to the rewards of hard work and I hope my girls will learn and grow along with our food this season.

up for sale

I got into a purging mode last week and decided to go through my closet and be honest with myself about whether or not I would ever wear everything in it. Our closet isn't very big, so I have a feeling I am going to need to do this periodically to keep it from getting out of control. I don't shop that much, but somehow it still adds up over time! I was able to pull out quite a few pieces that I love but are just not getting any use. I am sure you have those items of clothing too - the ones that never seem to make it into your rotation even though you obviously liked them when you bought them. I also went through the girl's clothes and did the same.

I decided to try out an instagram sale which has been all the rage lately, and put everything I couldn't bring myself to donate up for sale in a new shop account @littlemisslark. If you care to take a look there are a lot of vintage and newer pieces for women as well as some little girl clothes in great condition. You can leave a comment with your paypal email on the picture of the item on instagram, or if you would rather leave a comment here letting me know which item you are interested in that is fine too. Shipping is included in the price, sorry no international shipping this time. Thanks!

Other than my closet purging I have been spending a lot of time on the phone lately with our insurance company trying to sort out a big financial mess dealing with my miscarriage surgery. The first time I sat down to make a call I thought I had my emotions in check but the minute I tried to speak everything came back to the surface a hundred-fold and I found myself sobbing on the phone to a complete stranger. Lucky for me the person who answered my call was the most caring older woman who knew just what to say. She has been so wonderfully helpful through it all and if I saw her in person I would give her a big hug. My midwife clinic has also been so supportive and without getting into too much detail, it was because of them our appeal to the insurance company was accepted. Now I am just getting some odds and ends sorted out. It will feel so good when everything is all settled and I can continue to heal without this added stress.

I didn't sit down with the intention to write about any of my insurance woes and I don't really know where I am going with it, except that I am just really grateful for those people I am certain God has placed on my path to help me though this time. I am sure they will never realize just how much their kindness has meant to me, but at least now you all know and that is something :)

And, to leave you on a happy note, the winner of the So Pretty! Felt book giveaway was announced here!