Simple ruffled skirts

Summer is around the corner. It's is getting warmer in MD. 95F today. Bug doesn't want to wear anything else than skirts or dresses.  You may recall I made a couple for her in the past weeks:

    

      

I also made a skirt for each of my nieces. Matching skirts with a mismatched ruffle. The same way my nieces are so different and so much alike. A brunette and a blonde, both full of energy and strong willed. 

 

They came together super fast then I slacked for a couple of weeks and set them aside. It was high time to finish them up. They are on the way to Switzerland along with my sister's new handbag

Pink blossoms skirt

What is it with little girls and pink? I don't recall being very much into pink as a kid. Bug looooves pink. Bug would only wear pink given the chance. We have a strict "No Pinkplosion" rule for bug's wardrobe. But a little pink for spring and summer is fine right? So I made another little -pink- skirt. This very simple blossoms voile came to my house when Bug grabbed it from the remnant bin at Joan's a few months ago. I was too tired to argue that day, especially over 1/3 yard  of  half -priced fabric. I just added a polka dot ruffle to get it to the right length. Still loving that ruffler foot a lot. Altogether a under $3 skirt, all from my stash.

 

After all Bug was right ... great fabric for a little skirt. And with a white shirt, the pinkplosion is averted.

Berrylicious skirt

Have you seen the May Day skirt at Gwenny Penny's ? It's so simple and cute. I bought the yummy strawberry fabric a few months ago and I figured this was the perfect project for it. Add little strip of black polka dots fabric and some lace out of my stash of reclaimed trims and you have great recipe for a happy little girl. And another stashbusting project, yay!

 

As soon as she put it on she started dancing and twirling I had the hardest time getting her to stay still long enough to take pictures... Most of them looked more like this:

 

Looks like this skirt is going to be a favorite this spring and summer

A twirl skirt and a confession

I have a confession. There was more to the Quilt show than just the quilts. The quilting guld also organized a "Stash to Treasure" event. The principles are pretty simple : the members bring in left over fabrics and notions that are sold either as yardage or bundles ($1 a yard) or by the bag ($1 for a big grocery bag full) in the case of scraps. 

I had planned to get only scraps of novelty prints for a I-Spy project (which I did) but I got a few more things too. (My bad)

In the scrap bins, I found a few larger remnants that are enough to make clothes for my daughter

I went to work on Sunday with one of the fabrics since there was just the right yardage to make a little skirt. The model is so simple it took about 1h to make this cheerful twirly number. 

Which was immediately tested and approved by my daughter. It will be perfect for the summer!

I think it will look better with a pink or white t-shirt though.

Back to the stash issue...

$2 bought me this stack of bias tape, lace and trims - The patterns were free. 

Another $2 for those 2 yards of these coordinated floral prints.

My  dollar bag-full of swatches also contained: 

For the I-Spy project:

I have a soft  spot for japanese inspired prints so I dug up a couple of strips that will make a nice scrappy throw pillow. Or something else. 

Now for full disclosure I must confess I bought a couple of yards of fabric from one of the vendors - They were 50% off so $20 bought me 5 and a half yards of eye candy: 

Ok I still have a few days before the beginning of the Spring Stashbusting Challenge so I'm forgiven right ?? 

Tutorial - From drab to fab

Since the beginning of the spring little bug has lost a couple of sun hats here and there. This morning the only one left was this one... a bit blah especially if you prefer pink and frilly.

This is how the hat got transformed today...

For the transformation i used: 

* 1 1/2 inch wide pink satin ribbon

* 1 1/2 inch wide pink organdy ribbon

* Some scraps of green satin lining fabric

* Coordinating thread

Stitch in zig zag about halfway through the ribbon and pull as you go until you have enough to form a flower

For the center of the flower I used a short piece of organdy ribbon that I shirred

For the leavess, cut the green lining fabric in the shape desired for leaves and look at this tutorial to finish the edges

Stitch the "twig side" of the leaves and pull to give some body

Stitch your ribbon flower starting from the center and wrapping it around itself then add the leaves

It looks a bit like a peony

And let your little bug strut her stuff

Dress for Juliette - On Juliette

A dress for little Juliette

Finished on the wire. I hope to get pictures of Juliette wearing it soon !!