At The Beach In "Emily"

Next up, Abby and I went over to the beach to show off this last "Emily" for you. This time I made it using some gorgeous Jennifer Paganelli fabric that I just knew would work well for this top. We paired it up with simple white capri pants and a white tank top and the only thing left to do was to make a matching headband to complete this outfit. Of course, as far as abby was concerned this photo shoot was the best one of all because we were at the beach and she was able to run and play and cool off in the water.

The New "Emily's Cami" with sizes 6-12 will become available for sale in my shop sometime this week so keep a watch for news of that arrival, and Happy Sewing!

Dawn

"Emily" All Ready For Autumn

Ahhhhhh, these pics are much better! Amazing what a quick change of clothes can do for one's attitude. As soon as the jeans came off life was good again and Abby was back to herself and ready to get back to work. This time I made "Emily" out of some gorgeous fabric from Art Gallery that I had been hanging onto for just the right thing. We added a pair of shorts from Mini Boden ( these are from last year), a simple long sleeved T shirt and cute boots with knee socks and this turned into what I think is a fantastic outfit!!! Seriously, what t'ween wouldn't want to wear this one? Gosh, I'd wear this! I just think this look is so cute to the point where I am ready to order a few more pairs of these shorts and make a few more "Emily's" to go with them. Hmmm I wonder what other colors they come in???? I'm thinking a charcoal grey would be perfect. So, I just went over to Mini Boden to see what they have and this year they have made the shorts in yummy velvet and they have them in grey! Plus a few other gorgeous colors. Odd, they somehow jumped into the shopping cart. Isn't that amazing, and dangerous how that happens :  ). 

Dawn

"Emily" Grows Up or . . . . Abby vs. Her First, Possibly Last, Pair Of Jeans

Before I even begin this post I want to apologize for the awful photos! As you can clearly see Miss Abigail was NOT, and I do mean NOT HAPPY with me. I took over 200 pics of her in this outfit and honest to goodness these were the best of the bunch. I almost decided not to share these, but, because there is such a funny story that goes with it I decided to share them anyway. Lets see, where do I begin? Several weeks ago when I was planning which Olabelhe designs I wanted to add to Olabelhe 2 I knew this little top would be perfect, but I wanted to show "Emily" in a different way which would appeal to t'weens. I knew it would be stinkin' cute with a pair of jeans so I went out and bought Abby her very first pair of jeans...BIG MISTAKE on my part. When I got home with them and showed them to Abby she just about had a fit and said "I AM NOT WEARING THOSE! I HATE JEANS!!!" So, then I explained to her that she didn't have to wear them all the time. I just wanted her to wear them in some photos so that I could show everyone how sweet this top looks with jeans. Lets just say she was not having it. I laughed to myself and thought "Hmmmm from what I know just about every t'ween girl loves wearing jeans and most moms can't get them out of jeans and into anything else, and I have the exact opposite problem." Needless to say this photo shoot was a nightmare. She fussed and carried on like I was torturing her and you can tell from the pics she was not the least bit pleased with the whole thing. I got a real glimpse into what I've been hearing so much about from mom's about their daughters not wanting to wear certain things and it was not pretty. 

The good news is I think that "Emily" looks very cute and "t'weenie" paired up with jeans and a t-shirt with some funky sneakers tossed in. Perhaps your t'ween might like this look. Sadly, I'm pretty certain Abby will never ever wear this outfit again, at least not the jeans. I had better put them away and not mention them for a while. She much prefers her skirts and dresses over them, well, I suppose there could be a lot worse things to deal with. But the great news is "Emily" is going to be the next pattern added to Olabelhe 2 now with sizes up to 12! I have more photos to share with you of " Emily" over the next few days to excite and inspire you before I release the new pattern next week.

Anybody need a VERY gently used pair of girls jeans sized 12???? Just kidding!

Dawn

A Few More Photos From Florida

Here is another one of the outfits I was thinking of using for the "Sew Beautiful" article but as you can see the photos aren't the best, which is such a pity because I really really loved the way this little outfit turned out. It's a combo of three of my designs. "Emily" made from a gorgeous small floral print from Lecien. "Bridget" made from a super soft and pretty pink batiste and "Annie" made from....believe it or not pillow ticking! LOVE THIS!!! I also made big pockets on the pants with left-overs of the Lecien and then trimmed out the bottom of the pants with some antique lace that I found in one of my antiquing adventures. I can't wait to make up more of these combos as I think the 3 pieces go so well together!

Dawn

Olabelhe For These Cold Winter Days

Front view

Back view

Here is a great tip... When you think of most of my designs you think of easy breezy summertime. So, here is a great idea. You can use my "Emily's Camisole" pattern and make it up in baby wale cord like I did in this one. Then you can put it over a cozy long sleeved-T or turtle-neck. I found this adorable Hello Kitty Corduroy from an Etsy Seller in Japan. I used chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon to accent and make a cute little bow in the back. In the picture above it's pictured with a chocolate corduroy bubble skirt, but this morning Abby wore it with Chocolate brown Corduroy pants because it's so bitter cold outside. Yet another great piece to add to your little girl's Fall/Winter wardrobe!

Remember you can always double click on my images to enlarge them to see more detail.

Dawn

Oui Oui

I am just loving these little capri sets. This time I used up some fabrics that I have had for a long time. The navy print I used for the pants was something I bought ages ago and I only had 1 yd of it so I was just waiting for the perfect project to come along to use it. I always have white on hand and this piece of left over weavers cloth was ideal for a little swing top and the fabric on the sash on her pants and head scarf was a smidge I had left from another project. I just love it when I am able to use up little bits and pieces to create a complete outfit. I wanted a French feel for this one because the navy fabric has handwriting all in French, and no, I have no idea of what it says, but I love it just the same. I wanted to hand embroider a little phrase on the hem of the shirt, sadly the only phrases I know in French would probably get me in trouble. Now if it were German I would be set...oh, well! That's why there are amazing websites like Babblefish that translate for you. I typed in a few cute sayings and then decided on "Cute as a cupcake" which in French is "Mignon Comme un Petit Gateau". Then I just stitched it out using a basic backstitch and finally it needed a little more so I did a simple running stitch along the hem in navy too. Cute Cute Cute!!! Add some navy buttons and ribbon and Whaa Laa... C'est Magnifique!

A Sweet Little Summer Set

I made this one up for Abby this morning. Capri pants with a bow sash...notice all the little belt loops...aren't they cute!? A sweet little swing top with antique buttons and a matching head scarf. I paired it up with a little white tank for another layer and to show that it can be worn several ways. I really love how this looks on her. I think I need to make up more of these sets for her to wear this summer...