Handmade in the Wild: En Route to Wisconsin

We took a family vacation to Wisconsin this past summer. It was a family reunion of sorts with my mother-in-law's family. I hope to share more details about this fun get-away to Door County... but it may not happen until next summer ;) 

We had a few fun handmade sightings while there!

It was a 10 hour drive just to get there, so of course we had to stop at a few parks on the way to stretch our legs! I can't believe E's skirt still fits, and it appears that it will continue to do so for awhile... yay yoga-style waistbands!! She still loves how twirly it is and she still loves Minnie Mouse!

We stayed a cute resort with nice rooms and fun balconies (great distractions for the littles!) We recently had to retire the pajamas that E is wearing here, but they still fit last summer. We were thankful to have older cousins there to help distract the kiddos, too :)

The kids' first time bowling! The entire family ate out at a nearby restaurant, and the kids received free games of bowling with their kids meals. It was so fun to see the kids learning and to have their grandpa and great-grandpa showing them a thing or two. We look forward to more bowling fun soon! I think this dress was her favorite one that I made all summer. I'll have to remember the fabric combo for future creations :) 

Posts about the different outfits: Minnie Mouse Skirt; Pajamas; Pink, Black and White Dress

The Sullivan Dress! {Pattern Testing}

Abby from Sew Much Ado has designed another fun pattern! The first time I tested for Abby was during this past winter - the Magrath Dress! Evelyn and I loved both of those creations, so I was very excited when I had the chance to test for Abby again - the Sullivan Dress!

There are 8 different views contained in this one pattern, created from combining 2 skirt lengths, 2 bodice hems and the short sleeve or sleeves views. Here is the link to the pattern listing on Abby's site.

**Both of my dresses were considered View D, which is the straight hem, knee length and sleeveless view. Ev has had a growth spurt, since she is now using size 4 length, but still a size 2 width. 

The blue and white dress is the 2nd one that I made, which has smaller armholes than the first version. There were a few other small changes, as well, but essentially this is the final version that you will receive in the pattern. 

(The main differences between this dress and the final version is the lack of interfacing around the keyhole back and needing a cleaner finish to the lining side seams.)

The white fabric is a eyelet fabric from Walmart, and the only fabric I had to purchase for this test. The rest came from my stash - I love when that happens!  

The blue is a tiny gingham, and the flower crown was my own DIY creation last spring. On a side note, she will often come out of her room after her "quiet time" wearing it and talking about either being a princess or a queen... or that she is going to a wedding with it :) 

I didn't have enough polka-dot for both the bodice and the lining, so I had to use two different size polka-dots that were on slightly different colors of pink. This isn't a big deal since you can barely see the lining... it is visible though if you lift up the bodice, since the skirt is only attached to the lining. This type of finish requires careful reading of the instructions during the bodice construction - it's not hard, but do read it slowly and thoroughly!

The black and white stripe was from Hobby Lobby... I think I purchased it last fall. I don't often do such a dramatic pairing as this, but I do so love how it turned out! E has worn it several times already :) 

While this is a simple version of the Sullivan dress - sleeveless and straight hem - I love that Abby included it. It may not be as flashy as the cute scallop hem or with the fun detail on the sleeves, but I look forward to adding some fun trims to the straight hem! But who knows, I may try a scallop hem yet... I have a cousin getting married this fall, and I already have fabric picked out! 

 Here is another link to the pattern! Go check it out :)

Oh, and here is a link to Abby's blog post about this sweet dress!

PS: Ev is certainly opening up during these photo shoots. Just look at her strut and pose! Goodness, she just makes me giggle :) 

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