flannel class picnic blouse
last winter i made talia this oliver + s class picnic blouse. the fabrics, originally purchased from stonemountain & daughter, were left over from the stockings i had made a year earlier.
i forgot how much i love this style for babies. it’s easy to get on, which is necessary for my children who have exceedingly large heads, and the three quarter length sleeves are just really practical.
here are some photos of talia in it at the bay area discovery museum.
love,
aunt maggie
when a very good friend had a baby girl named violet, i knew whatever i made her had to be floral and purple.
but wait, there are more flower girl fabric leftovers!
i used was able to squeeze one more piece out of the lovely honeycomb fabric from fabric depot I used for the garden party dress and mini southport dress: an oliver + s butterfly top in the 12 - 18 month size.
our friends recently had a baby girl, so i whipped up this little top for her to wear next summer.
last but not least for back to school sewing: something for neela banana peela.
okay so technically this little girl is still in nursery school, but I wanted her to have something that matched her big sister's first day of kindergarten dress.
too much of a good thing? rubbish.
for the holidays victor asked me to put together a wish list of things his family could get me. one of the items i listed was three yards of this beautiful bee print from the cotton + steel mustang collection.
when aunt maggie comes to Portland for the weekend a few things change:
- donuts and chocolate milk is a completely acceptable breakfast.
- staying up a little later on the weekend to watch an old school episode of scooby doo is fine.
- teaching your little sister the Star Wars theme counts as both of you practicing the piano.
i'm nothing if not predictable.
a coworker recently had a baby boy. so guess what i made him?
one of my favorite gifts for new moms has become has become an infinity scarf for mom and a matching top for baby.
another baby boy another sketchbook shirt in plaid. i just can't help myself, this pattern is such a joy to sew and looks so adorable in tiny sizes. not to mention the baby lumberjack look really resonates with my demographic of friends.
as i said yesterday one of my sewing goals for 2016 (and the rest of 2015) is to sew more patterns i haven't made before, specifically the oliver + s patterns. specifically the oliver + s patterns.
oh man i love the class picnic tunic from oliver + s. more specifically, maya loves the class picnic tunic. it's perfect for her casual and comfortable style. i've made it for her second birthday, her third birthday, and her winter wardrobe. but this top came before all of those.
fall 2013: after seeing gail's version here i had to try this style. so one friday night in boston armed with a dogfish head pumpkin beer and stash fabric from nora and etta's dolly's ergos, i dove in.
the birthday tradition continued in 2015!
recap: for maya's first birthday the theme was balloons and i made her a dress from this great balloon fabric. for her second birthday the theme was farm animals and i made a tunic with a pig embellishment.
for her third birthday the theme was the lorax. not to brag but this was the direct result of a certain fun aunt (who works in the solar industry) buying her the book years ago to encourage environmentalism and reading it to her on many occasions:
a few days ago i texted my sister and mom asking if they had any picture of maya in a few outfits so i could blog about them. it went something like this:
me: do you have any pictures of maya in that red polka dot dress?
me: what about that orange and purple [polka dot] long sleeved dress?
me: or that orange and white polka dot skirt?
me: also the green [polka dot] top with the purple accent and that purple and white [polka dot] top?
it was around this time i realized i should probably examine my relationship with polka dots.
about a year ago i was searching for the perfect wool for maya's paddington coat. a few options online caught my eye but having never bought wool before and seeing a wide range of prices (and presumably quality) it was apparent i would need to see it in person before making a decision.
after exhausting my east bay brick and motar options, stonemountain & daughter and a verb for keeping warm, i knew a trip to the city was necessary. armed with an iPhone full of taylor swift and iced coffee from the hip local shop (exposed brick, menu written on the chalkboard wall, and light fixtures made from old bicycle parts...am i painting a mental picture for you?) i set off one saturday for my quest.
the tradition of making each girl a special dress or outfit for their birthday continued in 2014 (read aboutmaya's first birthday dress here and etta's third birthday dress here) and first up was maya's second birthday.
a few months earlier i had made a polka dot class picnic tunic by oliver + s that was incredibly popular with maya and her mom. so when it was decided that the party theme would be farm animals i decided to do a twist on that much loved style by adding a pig embellishment.
