Anthropologie Rosette Bedding = LOVE

I get an itch every five years to repaint and redo my bedroom. As I'm approaching that time limit, I've been looking at several bedding options. I've been inspired by several bloggers to do more diy projects, such as my own tufted headboard and refashioned nightstands. But I never thought of diy-ing my bedding...until now.

Anthropologie's Rosette Bedding is at the top of my list. I love the texture and softness that it projects...which makes it so inviting. And what is better than a bed you LOVE to dive into each night??? Upon taking a closer look, it appears that each square could be individually gathered and then sewn together to make the entire quilt. Finding jersey knit fabric shouldn't be a problem - I think the sewing will take more time than anything.




\\

What am I getting myself into? It seems like a huge endeavor, but I'm willing to try!

PB Diningroom Style for Less

I'm starting my search for the perfect dining room set. So many to choose from -- where do I begin?

I came across this beautiful set from Macy's. I love the leg design on the chairs and was surprised by the $1,399 price tag for an expandable table, 4 side chairs, and 2 arm chairs.



As I was perusing Pottery Barn's website, I noticed that they carried a very, VERY similar set here for much, MUCH more ($3,693 to be exact!!).


I will keep on searching, but this one is definitely a runner-up!

Girls Ruffle Pants Tutorial

I love ruffles and I love this style of pants for a little girl! I've seen this style everywhere lately, but have not found a tutorial to make them. I had an old pair of velour pants that were too short for me, so I thought I would refashion them into something my daughter could use. This project was very simple and somewhat quick, even for a beginner like me. I don't own a serger (yet!), so using a pair of my own pants allowed for the bottom hems to maintain a professional look. I'm sure you have an old pair of lounge pants stuffed in the back of a drawer that can be whipped into some cute little pants for your girl.

Note: My daughter is 3/4T, 20" waist and approx. 39" tall, but you can easily adjust this to fit any size.

Here is the before shot. Iron pants to remove any wrinkles and turn inside out before cutting.

Measure how tall you want the ruffle to be. Cut the bottom of each pant leg - Mine are
6 1/4" long (which includes seam allowance).

I used an existing pair of my daughter's pants as a template. Pin the bottom of the pants to accommodate the desired length of the ruffle.

Turn inside out and pin both legs.

Fold pants in half and place flush along the side of one pant leg. Use a pencil to trace the outside of the toddler pants (remember to include a seam allowance). Make sure to include an extra 2" or so at the top of the waistband when tracing. This will later be folded down to encase the elastic waistband.

Take the leg piece you just cut and flip it over. Place along serged edge of opposite pant leg and trace and cut. Make sure you flip the piece over and have a "mirror image", or you will have two of the same pant legs!


These are the pieces you should have:


Now for the sewing!
Sew the pant leg from the bottom to the crotch on each leg, then sew the front and back seam of the pants together. The velour fabric was stretchy, so I used a small zig-zag stictch.


This is what it should look like before you sew the front seam together:

Now gather the top of each "ruffle" piece that will be attached to the bottom of each pant leg. To do this, I set my machine to a long, straight stitch and turned the tension up as high as it would go. This created the gathering for me!

Pin each ruffle piece to the bottom of the pant legs.

Sew together.


The pants should look like this now.


Fold waist band down and pin.


Sew waist band leaving a 1" opening to insert your elastic (I used 3/4" elastic).


Insert elastic into waistband and sew elastic together.


Sew the remaining waistband closed.

And your done! Now sit back and admire your handy work...and the fact that you didn't have to spend a fortune for adorable pants! :)

My first attempt -- Moda Charm Pack Twirly Skirt!

With this being my first blog post ever, I figured it only made sense to post my very first attempt at sewing clothing. I recently discovered an adorable girls clothing line that is sold exclusively through "trunk shows" and is WAY out of my price range. I adore the use of multiple fabrics and textures in each piece and wondered how difficult it could really be. Having two little girls myself, I find myself attracted to ruffles and anything pretty. I was excited to find how many free tutorials are out on the web to make cute little girl clothing.

Melissa at The Polkadot Chair created an adorable twirly skirt using Moda's charm packs. I decided that I had to try it...and here is the result!

I am quite pleased with how it turned out. With the help and expertise of my grandmother, she showed me measuring, cutting, pressing, and sewing techniques that were very helpful. I think I'm hooked! :)

Notes: I used Moda's Verna fabric from the Kate Spain collection. My daughter is a 3T/4T (her waist is approx. 20" around). I used 6 charm squares across and could have gotten away with closer to 1/4 yard of fabric for each the waistband and skirt band.