We have had a very chilly spring here is Wisconsin this year. Thank goodness too, because this sweater dress has been on the to sew list since the fall! You know how it is: all the new, exciting projects always budge in line.

the pattern: Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee , size 7. Obviously, I lengthened it. I also created more of an A-line shape by drawing an angled line from the armpit to the hem. Kristin explained how to transform the pattern into a summer dress for last spring's KCW. Speaking of, did you see we kicked off a week of guest post-ers on the new kcw blog?

the fabric: an odd bit of sweater-y fabric I found in a thrift store in northern Wisconsin + a bit of a purple sweater (the one I used to make this cardigan).

the sewing: The main part of the dress came together super quick. The neckline tripped me up a bit. Mostly because I tried to use the neckline from the purple sweater. I had to rip it up and start again over. I also used the cuffs from the purple sweater, which I don't like, but they aren't awful so I skipped redoing them.

the fit: spot on! The last flashback skinny dress I made, I sized it up myself. It worked, but it wasn't perfect. Rae has since sized the pattern up for bigger kids. The skinny tee is such a wardrobe staple, I know this pattern will get used for a long time.

The dress is getting worn--caught on film a few times, too! Paired with a polka dot tights, wellies, and a stocking cap one time. Another time she even matched her mama!

Today I am over at You & Mie for her series on Japanese Sewing Books. The series walks you through all the steps you need to know  from Japanese pattern books. They can be a bit intimidating, but they also can be a lot of fun. My post is all about finding your pattern and tracing it. Sounds easy, but there are some tricks you need to know. Hop on over to Cherie's lovely blog for my post, and all the guest posts this week!

In honor of Japanese Sewing Books week, I sewed up this sundress from my favorite Japanese sewing book, Happy Homemade Vol. 2. Well, to be honest, I dug up this dress that I sewed most of last spring, then hemmed it and added buttons (in honor of Japanese Sewing Books week). Why I sew 90% of something and then abandon it is beyond me.

But anyway, it's done and (still) fits! I'm going to do a form style report on this one, because 3 days into spring break and the children have run me ragged already. My brain is not functioning at full capcity.

the fabric: oh, the fabric is lovely. It is 100% cotton shirting I got from the good fabric store in my neighborhood. They have a lot of beautiful fabrics, but mostly in ugly prints. This tiny blue stripe was perfect, though. It's a good weight too, just right for when (if?) summer comes. I went with polka dot buttons because it's stripes + polka dots up in here, all the time.

the pattern: the pattern is from Happy Homemade Vol. 2. I sew from this book a lot; I talk about it a lot too.  I think it's a great 1st Japanese sewing book. I'd love to do some sort of sew-along thing-a-bob with the patterns in the book. Anyone up for it? Maybe after KCW? Anyway, the pattern. The pattern was pretty simple, because, well the dress is pretty simple. I do remember the armholes being super fussy and weird.

the sewing: There was a little swearing, but there alway is, isn't there? The fabric was dreamy. The striped bias tape turned out really nice, as did the bias cut bodice piece. I'd say not bad for a dress half done, abandoned, and (because it's almost Easter, I'm just going to go for it and say...) resurrected. Ha!

My daughter has never been much of a girly girl. There was a brief princess phase, but for the most part all the frilly and fussy girl things are of no interest to her.  Not that she is all for boy things, either. She just wants to like what she likes and not be told what that should be. A while back she said, totally exasperated, "Arg! why does my toothbrush have to be pink?!"

Exactly.  So what is the awesome dress that isn't too girly, but still has a tiny bit of twirl? The Skater Dress pattern by Kitchy Coo.

Amanda has hit the nail on the head with this pattern. Even the name is perfect. The skater dress is comfy and stylish, just right for puddle jumping in the spring, throwing on over your suit in the summer, and of course going to the skate park.  She designed it to fit for a few years! And this dress will indeed fit my daughter through the fall--a lifetime in kid years.

The original pattern is a crew neck, but I couldn't imagine it without a hood. Luckily for me, Rae recently posted a hoodie tutorial that was a perfect match for this dress. I made the placket a little shorter so I wouldn't have to add buttons or snaps. She does have to wear something under it, but I expected that.

The fabric is from Joann's if you can believe it. I couldn't. It is a lovely knit: not to light, not to heavy, and so soft. The best bit is that one side is stripes, the other polka dots! The color could be less Primary! Blue! but I'll take it.

The pattern is well written and Amanda guides you through the trickier parts of sewing with knits. She convinced me that I should use stretch needles when sewing with knits. And she introduced me to the stretch stitches on my machine, which I'm now in love with. Amanda also tried to get me to use a double needle for the hem. I did buy one, but then wimped out when it came time to using it. My hem is of course wavy and now I regret not listening to her.

The moral of this story is, listen to Amanda and buy her awesome pattern! Be sure to follow along with the Skater Dress blog tour to see everyone's variation of this fantastic dress. See you at the skate park!

1. shoulder patch shirt 2. mustard and grey 3. charlie shirt 4. half kindje

I woke up to a gray and rainy weekend--the perfect weekend to cozy up in front of the sewing machine! I hope it's crummy weather where you are too :)

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the pattern: Sunki dress by Figgy's patterns.

the fabric: pinwale corduroy in aqua and leftover purple fabric from these pants.

the sewing: The sewing was challenging. I mean look at the dress! The pockets are definitely the coolest part of the design and they are also the hardest to figure out. Luckily, others have made them and written about it already. Laura from Charm Stitch has a particularly helpful blog post about putting the pockets together (thank you Laura! you saved me!).  Once I made the pockets correctly I felt like a sewing genius, so everything else came together without much swearing. The arms are pleated and fussy--and mine aren't perfect. The zipper was surprisingly simple. You put it in the same way you put in a zipper on a pillow, which seems somehow wrong, but it's done and functional so you don't hear me complaining.  The dress is a little short, but it still works for scrambles in the woods.

1. stars sweater 2. cardigan  3.  simple shirt 4.  linen cotton dress

We are already to the fifth day of kcwc! Don't hang up your hat even though it's Friday! Kids Clothes Week goes a full 7 days. I know weekends can be busy. Maybe you've pushed yourself too hard this week and are feeling a little burnt out, or missed a day this week, but don't stop now when the end is in site! The point of this challenge is not to make beautiful kids clothes--though that does of course happen--it is to sit down in front of your sewing machine a little each day. And it is a big challenge! When the couch or the computer are calling, it can be very hard to ignore them. I know you have two good hours left in you this weekend. I, for one, have about an hour's worth of threads to clip.

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the fabric: a shockingly nice jersey stripe I found at Joann's

the pattern: Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee! I have made a ton with this pattern for kcwc and I have more planned. I stole this idea from the lovely dress Heather made last kcwc. I wish I would have made the bodice shorter. And well, the arms are a little short, but I did size a 5T pattern up for my 7 year old before I realized Rae had put out a big kid sized Flashback Tee. Even will all that, I still like how it turned out--and she loves it!

the sewing: Nothing to it. Really you need to try this pattern!