My creative space...

I am addicted to skirt and dress making at the moment, not that my small girl needs any more clothes!  Once the small people go to bed, I am at the sewing machine churning out these little numbers...

Oliver and S Lazy Days Skirt

This is a free pattern and is super easy and quick to make up.  As this is a gift for a little girls first birthday this weekend, I like to turn it into an outfit by matching the skirt with a tshirt.

Not the best picture, but I just buy plain white tshirts from Target, Big W or Best and Less.  They are only a few dollars and can be prettied up to match your skirt with some yoyo's in the same fabric or these sweet iron on images.  These cute babushkas are from my local Spotlight (as is the pretty, green floral fabric - a bargain at only $5.99 a metre!)

I've also had this divine fabric in my cupboard, reluctant to cut into it because I didn't want to stuff it up on something that would look silly and I only bought a metre of it and I have never seen in again (Spotlight purchase)!

Whilst hanging around on Pinterest the other night, I came across this link and knew the material would be perfect for it!

 I even had enough fabric to make two dresses - one for Matilda and one for her little friend.

I did make some minor modifications to the pattern.  I have not used the elastic in the rolled down chest or back area, and I also deepened the arm holes (just by laying down a sleeveless dress of Matilda's on the pattern and following that line - image below) as I was worried about how roomy it might be.  I clearly didn't use bias binding on the arm holes either (but only cause I didn't have any in the colour I wanted).  I simply folded the arm hole edge over and zigzagged stitched it.  Because of this, I have threaded the ribbon through the gap where the elastic would have gone and tied it on one shoulder only.

The pattern is really user friendly and easy to modify too.  The first one I made was good, but I wanted more length in the one Matilda will wear so I just added an extra couple of inches.  I also tried the dress on a visiting friend's seven year old and it fit her perfectly as a top! 

I am totes going to try and have a handmade year this year present wise!  We shall see how that goes for me!