hi, i'm maggie.
(like the rod stewart song)
i'm an elder millennial living in the bay area who loves dark beer, the environment, and sewing for the tiny humans in my life.
(like the rod stewart song)
i'm an elder millennial living in the bay area who loves dark beer, the environment, and sewing for the tiny humans in my life.
while i can sew for myself, other adults, or non apparel items, my favorite kind of sewing has always been for children, particularly those who are related to me.
below are all the posts about things i’ve sewn for tiny humans over the years.
after a decade of sewing for other people’s daughters i knew sewing for my own would be fun…but i had no idea how much fun.
more flower girl fabric leftovers!
i was smitten with the true bias mini southport dress from the moment i saw it and couldn’t wait to make my own. however as we all know being really excited about something often leads to building it up in your head and being let down by the reality.
so for over a year now I've had a several yards of white eyelet fabric left over from the flower girl dresses i made my nieces for our wedding.
a few years ago I came home from work to the best surprise: the good folks at oliver + s had sent me a package of goodies! (i’ve already shared the first things I made from this package here.)
another back to school post!
maya started kindergarten this year and is the third generation in our family to attend the ann arbor public schools. so naturally a new dress was in order.
lets talk fabric selection.
back in may we went up to heldsburg for a wedding. the wedding venue, our Airbnb, the rehearsal dinner venue, and a fabric store were all within 800 yards of one another. combine this with the fact that we referred to the groom as "sargent substance" back in college and what do you get? I'll give you a hint" it rhymes with 'funk maverick bopping'.
now that we've covered maya, neela, and etta's flower girl dresses it's time to make something for nora. i knew whatever I made had to be very special as nora was so very helpful in picking out my dress.
I knew one of the flower girl dresses would need to be my favorite oliver + s pattern: the library dress, and who better to make it for than my rough and tumble namesake etta?
my youngest niece is miss neela banana peela. Now this child is so perfect anything would look great on her.
when I was in portland this past weekend nora and etta put on their new bee mine dresses and we went for a walk around the block.
remember that awesome fabric combo i came up with for maya's second playdate dress? well i had a fair amount of fabric left over and i was at a loss for what to make with it.
then i remembered the book report dresses i had made a year earlier. maybe the cut of the pattern that worked so well with the busy and bold ikat would also work with the tessellation print.
each time I think I've blogged all my past projects another one surfaces. here is another one i found.
i was so smitten with the library dress pattern from oliver + s after making it first as instructed for maya, then with a zipper modification for nora and etta's back to school outfits that it wasn't long before i made two more for nora and etta, this time from a simple purple polka dot cotton.
quick post today....
i first saw this joel dewberry print at gather here a few years ago. it was beautiful but i wasn't sure how i would find coordinating fabric so i held off.
a few months later i saw it for sale on fabric.com when i was order something else and this time i couldn't help myself.
one snowy day back in cambridge I bundled up and headed to gather here. on the store dress form was a darling rendition of the book report dress by oliver + s. inspired i started looking for a fabric for my own version. i came across this ikat print and knew it would be perfect.
as previously mentioned nora and etta are quite girly. i, however, am not. so finding fabric that appeases them yet i can stand is often a challenge.
when i came across this rose and coral abstract print at gather here a few years back i knew immediately they would love it and bought a few yards.
a few years ago when i was just discovering the glory that is oliver + s patterns i went to visit vic's family in pennsylvania for the weekend. now i've already talked about how i find hand sewing to be a great way to bring your sewing when you travel. but another thing is pattern tracing.
when done right pattern tracing is time consuming, especially if the pattern has a lot of pieces. add into that doing the same pattern for multiple sizes and you're looking at hours and hours of work. fun work, but work. so i brought along the croquet dress pattern and traced both versions for all three girls that weekend. not a small task.
my third oliver + s style was the music box jumper, making all three girls grey polka dot versions for thanksgivng.
the fabric is a quilting cotton from gather here. at the time I didn't know it was quilt backing (and thus 120 inches wide, more than double what normal fabric is) so i had a lot of it!
i probably should have started with this style, it's simple (a one scissor pattern) but most importantly, easy to get good results with, which is essential for beginners.
i would also recommend using snaps for this dress if you are just starting out. button holes are really tricky (i was never able to get the hang of them on my old machine). however i found snaps to be a great alternative during my first year of sewing.
i know what i like and i like what i know.
after my first rendition of the playdate pattern from oliver + s i was smitten. since it only goes up to a size five if i wanted to make it again it had to be for miss etta.
so make it for etta i did.
have i mentioned nora and etta are quite girly? well they are. i however am not. so it's a constant struggle to find fabrics that are sweet enough for them but not too saccharine for me.
when i saw this amy butler lark print at stonemountain & daughter i instantly knew two things: a) nora and etta would love wearing it and b) i wouldn't mind sewing it. so i picked up a few yards and waited for the right inspiration.
also know as polka dots for maya part 3
i picked up the playdate pattern from oliver + s on sale at stonemountain & daughter while visiting victor a while back. then it just sat in my stash for months. i have no idea why, but for some reason i just wasn't drawn to the picture on the front.
however as soon as i saw gail's version i suddenly had to make it. so one friday night with a nitro milk stout and some polka dot fabric i picked up from gather here that was in my stash i set to work.
also known as polka dots for maya part 2
as previously mentioned, when i first saw the library dress from oliver + s i was smitten. i mean a wrap dress fit for a little girl?! how could you not love that?
the only issue was the back. it was all buttons and i knew nora and etta would not be down for a dress that required assistance. so with plans to eventually make an zippered version in the back of my head (see those versions here and here) i decided to get the hang of the pattern by making a standard rendition for maya.
i found this purple and yellow polka dot print and coordinating solid at stonemountain & daughter. it was a bit higher quality (and thus a bit more expensive) than the standard quilting cottons but i had just nailed a job interview so i treated myself.
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.
quick post about a swingset skirt I whipped up a little while back for a co-workers daughter.
my brother-in-law scott, also known as nora and etta's dad, is a big time hunter and fisher. so when I saw the cotton + steel mustang line, with it's animal and arrow prints, I knew it would be perfect for his daughters.
the supreme court gives the best birthday gifts.
this year when i woke up on june 26th i found they had ruled that marriage was a right for all americans. that night i opened my present from victor's mom: a package of beautiful fabrics, including this rainbow print. how fitting!
these skirts satisfy two of my sewing resolutions: busting my stash and sewing more patterns.
i was doing what i always do when planning a project: sitting cross legged on the floor, patterns on my right, stash on my left, a mason of a triple rock porter in front of me pulling together various combinations and seeing what might work. when i came across this pairing of a lightweight cobalt eyelet and the sunday brunch pattern from oliver + s i paused:
as part of my stash busting initiative and quest to sew all the oliver + s patterns i recently made this swingset skirt for the toddler of a friend.
quick post today.
i had never heard of, let alone made, a bubble hem until i made my first bubble dress from oliver + s.
then suddenly this poofy hem was everywhere and i knew it would only be a matter of time before i came across another pattern with it that i simply had to try.
nora and etta are active little girls. very active little girls. but they are also quite girly and like to wear dresses and skirts.
so a few years back i decided the badminton skort from oliver + s would be the perfect style for them and with some polka dot cotton i picked up on sale from gather here i gave it a try.
while i ponder the all too quick passage of time we're gonna finish off back to school week by talking about the skirts i made nora and etta for the first day of school.
since this was etta's first year I let her call the shots. bucking tradition (she's a firecracker my bo betta) she requested a skirt as opposed to a dress. naturally i saw this as an opportunity to try a pattern i've had for a while, but haven't yet sewn: the hopscotch skirt by oliver + s.
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:
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.
i’m rarely old fashioned in my opinions, but for some reason i feel very strongly that talia needs to have on bloomers, shorts, or leggings under skirts and dresses.
about a year ago I got an invitation to a baby shower for the wife of victor's cousin. I RSVPed, put it on my calendar, and figured in the months to come I would have plenty of time to make something.
then I got distracted by wedding planning and realized 24 hours before the shower I didn't have anything. so i turned to my stash and a tried and true oliver + s pattern.
my parents are huge hippies, i mean we belonged to a tofu co-op for a good part of the '90s. combined with the fact that they had my sister abby in the mid-70s one has to imagine they dressed her in some pretty funky stuff.
sort of like these goldenrod cords i recently made a friend's baby.
remember that 'lil man flannel i made? well these pants were intended to go with it.
i had this corduroy in my stash from a jacket i made etta, I originally purchased it back in cambridge from gather here. i picked up the accent fabric at a store in scottsdale when we were at spring training. yep that's how vic and i roll: baseball games, fabric stores, and beer. #compromises
feeling confident in my corduroy abilities after my experience with farmers market jacket and winter dresses, i decided to try my hand at a new challenging pattern: art museum trousers by you guessed it, oliver + s.
back to school outfits might be the start of fall sewing but for me the season doesn't sink in until i've made at least one coat. this year my inaugural outerwear garment was another school days coat, from you guessed it, oliver + s.
fresh off my awesome introductory experience with the duggar dresses i was itching to try another style.
after consulting the internet and reading this queen of the flies post and this probably actually post i decided on a pattern for my second oliver + s adventure: the sunday brunch jacket.
so armed with green canvas-esq fabric from gather here, some purple polka dot fabric from when I had gone to meet month old maya in north carolina, and a harpoon ginger wheat beer i set to work.
shut the front door our friends are procreating?
to celebrate i made their baby girl an outfit. maybe it's the ann arbor in me but doesn't this outfit look like it should be worn to the farmers market?
the sunday brunch coat was actually the second oliver + s pattern i ever made, way back when maya was a baby.
my craftsmanship was much improved (i.e. more hand sewing) this time around: better seam binding technique, under stitching, french seams, edge stitching, and a blind stitched hem.
when my sister and i were tossing around ideas for maya's halloween costume last year we had a lot of ideas, one of which was paddington bear. so my sister dug out our old stuffed paddington and read her a few books.
after making pretty dresses for talia, halloween costumes are probably my favorite thing to sew.
for halloween this year i decided the kids would go as characters from jude’s current favorite book: strega nona.
coming off my awesome (if i do say so myself) peacock and paddington bear costumes the past two years i was a tad nervous for maya's hallowen costume this year. i mean how could i top those two gems?
well i did.
did you know disney has an entire movie franchise on the adventures of tinkerbell? in one film 'secret of the wings', we learn about the existence of winter fairies and (spoiler alert) tinkerbell discovers she has a fraternal twin sister periwinkle.
drawing inspiration from this epic motion picture nora and i decided to make her and etta matching fairy sister dresses.
when my sister and i were tossing around ideas for maya's halloween costume last year we had a lot of ideas, one of which was paddington bear. so my sister dug out our old stuffed paddington and read her a few books.
after an enchanting encounter at the detroit zoo lead to a new fascination and favorite animal my sister and i decided maya had to be a peacock for halloween.
my vision was for a dress that could later be worn independently and some sort of detachable fan. i set out to find some 'abstract-in-pattern-and-peacock-esq-color-scheme' fabric for the dress. my first trip out i came across this apples fabric from the liberty of london fruits and leaves collection at gather here. jackpot.
