Natalie Is Finished & In The Shop!!!

"She's" finally finished!!!! Let's just hope I am a little quicker with "Sabrina"! You can pick up Natalie in my shop.

Dawn

More Of Natalie....

Yes, it's that darn "Natalie" again. The good news is it will be released early this week!!!! So all of you who have been so patiently waiting on this one... will have to wait no more. I just had to show off this version which I must confess it's TDF! Made up in Gorgeous Tanya Whelan fabric who could resist. Abby and I went to go visit those uncooperative sheep at Colonial Williamsburg today and although they were very happy to Baaaa for us they wouldn't even think of coming over to say "hi" unlike the horses who are very social. But I did manage to get a couple of really great pictures that I wanted to share.

Dawn

Cover Girl

Yeah....I have been waiting and waiting for the weather to finally turn nice enough for Abby and I to go out to do our photo shoot for the cover of "Natalie's Dress" and today was the day. It was still a little cool but she was a trooper given the fact that this dress is sleeveless and has a low back. There wasn't much to keep her warm. We both decided that this dress really looks like an Easter dress so Abby asked if we could have a "pretend Easter egg hunt" and so we did...and we had lots of fun. Anyway, here are a few of the pictures from today's picture taking extravaganza...beware there are more pictures coming.

Dawn

Meet "Sabrina"!

Yup, I'm at it again. Another new pattern. Just in time for the upcoming warm weather...let's hope anyway! Hasn't this winter been long and awful?! Anyway, "Sabrina" is a very sweet little dress with an empire waist, capped sleeves and a double layer skirt perfect for showing off some of the beautiful new fabrics that are coming out this season. I made this one up with some gorgeous fabrics from Art Gallery Fabrics in the "Girly Girl" collection. I had never seen these fabrics before until Terri at FairyTale Frocks & Lollipops introduced me to them. Needless to say they are scrumptious and the perfect weight for the warmer weather. She just got them into her shop in case you are interested. I also added a sweet little band of the contrasting fabric around the chest which ties into cute little bows under the arms. For fun and visual interest. I thought it really needed some more of the contrasting fabric to make it complete and I think this is just the perfect touch.

I will be busy making the tutorial this week so if you are interested in testing this one just email me! BTW...fingers crossed. "Natalie is done....with the exception of the cover. I really need to photograph Abby in it and hopefully it will warm up enough today so we can go out and get some great shots. It's going to be a little chilly, but Abby said she was up for it. Especially because I promised her a trip to "Claire's" afterward if she did a great job. I guess the candy shop is out...now I'm having to "pay" my model in "bling"!

Dawn

Fancy Nancy ...Take 2

Abby & I are gearing up for our next Fancy Nancy Tea Party next weekend so I thought I should get a bit of a headstart on her next outfit. This time we decided to take our inspiration from "Bonjour Butterfly". I saw an adorable Madame Alexander doll done up in one of the outfits that Nancy wears in the book and I had my inspiration. Thankfully I had the perfect pink with big white polka-dots in my stash already so that was easy. However...Abby requested that this one be extra "spinny". So, I designed a little bib front jumper with a very full gored skirt...8 gores to be exact! Then it needed to have that little something extra so I made a pettiskirt-type attached slip for underneath with the bright pink organza peeking out from under the skirt....Abby LOVED IT!!! Okay, while I have to admit I absolutely love the look too! but whoever the person was who invented all those fancy, sheer, sparkly fabrics needs to be slapped. ARGH... putting a rolled hem on all those yards and yards...and yards of it was an experience, but the end result was worth it. Then I made the little blouse from a white tone on tone polka-dot and trimmed out the sleeves with pink with white polka dot ribbon. I have to say...I really love the butterflies. They are completely dimensional and look like they are actually sitting on the skirt. To make it have a little more visual interest I used bright yellow buttons added a funky yellow necklace...Oh, there is a cute story that goes with that too. I will tell you in just a minute. Then white ruffly ankle socks and hot pink shoes...she is ready! Although...now she has decided that she want's me to recreate the dress on the cover of "Fancy Nancy's Elegant Easter" and she wants to wear that one next and then this one to the one after that...Oi!

Okay, now for the cute story:

This past Sunday Abby and I were out running errands and I wanted to see if I could find the perfect necklace for her to wear with her FN dress. So we went to Claire's Boutique...BIG MISTAKE!!! Abby had never been in there before and there are reasons for this...the girl loves "Bling!" But I threw caution to the wind and we went anyway. When we walked in her face lit up like a Christmas Tree and she looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said in her very dramatic almost 6 year old way and said "Mommy....this place is paradise!!!!" Of course, we left with more than just the yellow necklace and Abby asked if we could go back there sometime soon! Heaven help me!!
Dawn

Exciting News!!!

My patterns are now available at Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops. I received the sweetest email the other day from Terri, who is the shop owner wanting to stock my patterns in her shop. I of course was thrilled and couldn't wait to work with her. For those of you who have never visited her shop, you really must!!! She has an amazing collection of designer patterns and some really yummy fabrics too. Plus, I have to say she is one of the nicest people I have met in a long time. So go visit her shop and check out all the goodies she has!

Dawn

The Importance Of Play

We do a lot of playing at our house! In fact we are all about playing...all of us! Me with my sewing, cooking and crafting. Ole with all his computer gadgets and gizmos and the kids with just about anything they can get their hands on. Oliver and Elliott are huge into Lego and now that they are getting a bit older they are really excited about gaming. Abby with her stuffed animals, especially "Diddlina" and anything dealing with arts and crafts! Henry with anything that is 'Not" officially a "toy" ie. a piece of string, an empty box etc. etc. Now that we are a home schooling family I have made a ton of observations. All things which I knew before but the real impact of it is really amazing. We really do learn so much more when left with ourselves and our imaginations. So, I did a little research and the gazillions of articles about it on the web was astounding, I couldn't even begin to read them all.

But here is a quote that I loved.

"Real learning tends to take place when people are brave enough to experiment, relax, and try something new. A new article from the Scientific American shows that unstructured play time is vital to help kids develop and grow intellectually. We’re not talking about ballet lessons and educational games…this is about free time to let kids do whatever they choose.

Consider this research from psychiatrist Stuart Brown:

“In 42 years…he has interviewed some 6,000 people about their childhoods, and his data suggest that a lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play can keep children from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving. Research into animal behavior confirms play’s benefits and establishes its evolutionary importance: ultimately, play may provide animals (including humans) with skills that will help them survive and reproduce…."

We couldn't agree more. The things that Oliver and Elliott have done on their own with their own imaginations is just amazing. Ole and I are constantly blown away. Our homeschooling approach is that of a combo of philosophies. We are not traditional homeschoolers with a prepared curriculum nor are we pure unschoolers but more of a happy medium between the two. I do believe that it is important to have some structure however giving the kids a lot of time to explore and investigate on their own is also key! We give them the tools they need to explore and we leave them to do so on their own without interfering but we are always their if they have questions or need help and the results are amazing. They have taught themselves how to play Chess...completely on their own and with the help of "you tube" they even built their own chess board with Lego which btw was really stinkin' cool, Elliott loves music and is teaching himself how to play the guitar and their most recent passion is making stop motion movies with their Legos. Of course the list goes on and on but these are so of the things that come to mind first.

Then I got to thinking about myself and how I learned to sew. Yes, I did learn a lot from my mom and grandma. However, I am mainly self-taught. I have never taken a class or read any instructional books. It's all about playing!!! I have messed around with all kinds of ideas and perfected my own tricks of the trade, come up with shortcuts and invented all sorts of things just because I wasn't afraid to play with it. My kids see me playing in my sewing room all the time and I think it's me being a good role model by showing them "how to play" that really sets the tone. Just as if you yourself are an avid reader and your kids see you reading all the time...chances are they will be book lovers too! All 4 of our kiddos are really good at entertaining themselves, not that we don't want to play with them but I don't necessarily want to inject my "grown-up" ideas into their imaginations and change the course of what they might have discovered on their own. So, here I go being a doting mom! I love that my kids are independent thinkers and unafraid to explore, they are all content have a fabulous self-esteem and most importantly they are "Happy"!!! I know this sounds strange and I thought it was at first too, but I cannot tell you how many people comment on how genuinely happy my kids are. What an odd thing to say to someone "I cannot believe how happy your kids are!" Then I thought about it and they are right. They really are blissfully happy with no stress, no need to compete and everything they need for a happy childhood.

btw...I went digging through my archive of photos which there are thousands of and I found this photo of Oliver when he was a little guy and thought it was perfect for this post.

Dawn

Moving Up In The World

Well...I did it! I actually made a Facebook page. It's something had put off for a long time but I finally caved under the pressure. So now you can also keep up with me and my sewing on Facebook too! Here's a link so be sure to add yourself to my friends!

Dawn

He's Going To Need A Therapist!

Confession~

This morning I did something I swore I would never do! I made Henry wear a dress and he was "NOT" happy with me! I am still working on my latest pattern and I needed to make a few adjustments in the smaller sizes. Now that Abby is getting bigger it's harder to get the smaller sizes graded just right because I don't have a smaller sized model at home...well, I actually do but as I said I really wanted to avoid putting little Henry in a dress, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I promise it was quick and I took Sam's advicve and paid him off in M&M's to relieve my guilt. No pictures though...I really couldn't do that!

Anyway, the new pattern pieces have been drafted and I am even going to add size 2 to my latest design because so many people have asked for it! It should only be a little bit longer before it's published and available for purchase!

Dawn

The Best Day Ever!!!

Today was the Big Fancy Nancy Tea Party! Abby and her "BFF" Sabrina got all dolled up and we mamas tagged along for all the fun. It was held at a very special local attraction which was the perfect backdrop for a fabulous day. First a yummy lunch of little tea sandwiches, fresh fruit and very special sweet treats. Then Mrs. Claus was there to read all the little girls a "Fancy Nancy" story. After that our girls pretty much entertained everyone else there. I cannot tell you how much fun they both had dancing and twirling all over the place and having the time of their lives. They even got to chat with Santa Claus who was also there for the afternoon.

Thankfully these tea parties are a huge hit and they will be a regular event here. So, we have already added it to our calendar for next month. I asked Abby if she wanted to wear her very special Fancy Nancy outfit that I made her next time...her response "Mom, I can't wear the same thing twice! You need to make me a new outfit for the next one and that one needs to be even fancier!!!" Seriously...what was I thinking how tacky to wear the same thing twice. Oi... I'd better get to work on the next one. But I have to admit I had an absolute blast making the first one so the next one should be even more fun!

Dawn

Watch Out 'Fancy Nancy"...There Is A New Girl In Town!!!!!

I just had to give you all a quick sneak peek at what I have been up to. Abby and I are going to a "Fancy Nancy" Tea Party tomorrow and I couldn't wait to create something special for Abby to wear. We decided to take our inspiration from the Fancy Nancy book "The Posh Puppy". I used the Farbenmix "Insa" pattern for the skirt part of the dress but I added a crinoline underneath to make it more "poofy" then at Abby's request we jazzed it up with lace, ribbon and trims. It's a bit hard to tell from the photos but the ribbons are all done with puppy paw prints...how cute is that?! Then I added a poodle applique and pink ribbon for the leash. The top is just a simple peasant top which I had planned to make into a top, but Abby had very different ideas and wanted it attached to the skirt so that it would be a one piece dress and not separates!!! Boy, oh boy does she have her own ideas! Then we added sparkly beads, a crown and of course a funky hot pink feather boa and her look is complete.

Of course I had to do some pretty heavy duty bribing to get her to go outside to snap some pictures because it's still really cold here and as Abby put it so delicately "Mommy, I'm going to freeze my butt off!" ( notice the piles of snow on the ground in the pics) So, the pictures aren't the best, but I plan to take more tomorrow at the actual tea party which should be an absolute blast! Especially because we are going with Abby's best friend Sabrina, and her mom Shelly. It's guaranteed to be a fabulous time!

Dawn

The Results Are Coming In!

Yeah.... I've started getting feedback from my testers about "Natalie" and it's looking good. However, I do have a few little kinks to work out but hopefully I can resolve those issues fairly easily. One of my testers sent me some beautiful photos today of her gorgeous little girl wearing the dress she made from the test pattern and I just had to share them with you. Thank You so much "S" for doing such a wonderful job! My Tester "S" has made two dresses so far with this pattern. One with, and one without the crinoline and it's unanimous both she and her daughter love the one with the crinoline!! I have to admit, I like it a lot more with the crinoline myself but for those mamas who are not so much into the "poof" I wanted to make it an option in the patters and not a requirement.

So, as you can see the ball is rolling and it shouldn't be too much longer before this one will be ready! Start picking out your Easter dress fabrics and get your machine ready. You'll be able to sew this one up before you know it!

Dawn