friday randoms, again. and googiemomma+

o1) gigi absolutely LOVES peanuts. in the shell.



apparently she cracks them with her toes.

and even though when she gets a bowl it makes a complete huge mess, i can’t seem to help myself giving them to her.
for some reason i find it completely giggle inducing to watch a three year old eat a bowl of peanuts like an old man. (because in my head unshelled peanut eating belongs to old men. and bars.)

o2) i’ve been doing some crocheting. while the kids were sick i got done two hats—one a gift, one for elliot.
next up: the cupcake beanie from all things bright and beautiful (as featured at ucreate)

Source: u-createcrafts.com via Shannon on Pinterest

can you picture that with a big crochet cherry on top? and maybe some embroidered sprinkles????
i’m considering trying this scarf too.

Source: peoplewebs.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

isn’t it pretty?
and here’s the thing—i swore—SWORE—i would NEVER attempt to do a knit or crochet blanket. i know me—i lose interest WAY TO QUICKLY. i can barely sew 4 edges around a fleece blanket without getting distracted.
but this:

Source: allthingsbrightandbeautifulcrafts.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

COME. ON.
a LEGO crocheted blanket? my little man NEEDS this.

o3) in case you’re curious, miss P (from yesterday’s post) came through her surgery well. it’s not the last she’ll face, but it was a big one.

o4) i did the girls’ picture for their room, finally. that post will be up next week.

o5) and finally, miss elliot crawls like a worm. (i think i mentioned that?) seriously. the girl just needs a piece of cardboard and she'll bust a move.

for your viewing enjoyment: the first googiemomma Home Movie Screening


Shannon Kline on

the houndstooth of the baskervilles

 
via: http://blog.drjerm.com/2009/01/

scientists are not really sure why zebras have stripes.

one theory holds that “as the zebras move and run in herds, the stripes may help to confuse predators, since a number of zebras moving and standing close together can appear as one large animal, making it very difficult for the lion to pick out a single zebra to attack.”
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_zebras_have_stripes#ixzz1jelTdoIS

it’s not a bad theory. in fact, it’s one i’ve decided to put to the test:

can you pick out the weakest member of the herd?

i think it may work. how many kids do you have? not sure. how many do you see?

all things considered, it’s really not a bad picture. considering we were rushing to get out of the house (should have left FIVE MINUTES AGO says googiedaddy, standing just out of range on the right there). considering that trying to pose gigi is akin to asking a zebra to change it’s stripes. considering that when i told harrison to get his matching bowtie and suit on he mysteriously “couldn’t find it”. uh-huh. sure.

i was excited to make matching outfits from navy houndstooth specifically because it’s a fabric ideal for matching both boys and girls. and it would help alleviate my momma guilt over constantly sewing for the girls and not my little man.

so, just know this future adult harrison: i DID make things for you. and then you lost them.

but there it is--four girls, four houndstooth dresses, three coordinating fascinators and one coordinating headband. one missing boy with a missing matching bowtie (which was super cute).

also:

two velvet capes for the middles.

i bought all the navy houndstooth they had at jo-ann’s during the black friday weekend sale. almost eight yards at $1.99/yard. with ribbon and zippers and buttons and the blue velvet and the feathers and birdcage netting i bought on etsy here i spent about $40, give or take, to dress my five.

not bad.

there was a method to my madness:
the little ms. elliot got a circle skirt, short sleeves and a drapey type neckline.

gigi got a circle skirt, short sleeves and a collar (and a crooked cape). and would NOT stand still for me to take a picture of her alone. stinker.

ava got a circle skirt, short sleeves and a boat neck.

the houndstooth on a circle skirt drapes with such a neat effect. i also cut her sleeves on the bias.

that was a biiiiiggggg circle. perfect for twirling :)

i love boat necks. such a pretty frame for the face.

guinevere got a boat neck, 3/4 length cuffed sleeves, and a straight skirt—befitting her more mature fashion sensibilities.

the back got darts after the fact to cinch it in a touch more, and then a big exposed zipper.

i’m having fun sewing for her as she gets older. her rapidly changing little figure is like a learning tool for me—how to fit the female form.

is it wrong to be jealous of your daughters’ dresses?

even though you made them?

the fascinators were so much fun.

 

big fluffy feathers (all of them came on one stick from the floral department at jo-ann’s. much cheaper than buying individual things!)

fabric flowers with rhinestone centers

and birdcage netting. LOVE.

can we bring that back for women? pretty please? because i soooo want to wear hats with veils.and maybe long gloves with big swingy coats. just to go to the grocery store. you know—without having people look at me like i’m crazy.

the capes i made from a gorgeous soft navy blue velvet. i used the girls’ sewing machine to add some silver embroidery around the neck and bottom.

i planned on making at least one more for guinevere…but this momma ran out of steam. (apparently i’m a steam punk momma)

velvet=sewing nightmare. the nap pulls it in random opposite directions while you’re sewing so nothing lines up by the time you get to the end. it’s like trying to sew two live cats together.

the capes have a coordinating lining…

that pulls in the lime green of the ribbon around their waist.

these dresses have a decidedly french flair that i love. and so do they.

frankly my dear…or is that too obvious of a title?

i have a sewing bucket list.

skills i’d like to learn/master/just become more proficient at. dresses i’d like to recreate, or some i’ve dreamed up i’d like to bring to fruition…

i got a big one done back when i did so you think you’re crafty—the my fair lady ascot races dress.



boy do i love that dress.

and this week i got to cross another one off my list:
reproduce scarlett o’hara’s green floral twelve oaks barbeque dress



but hey, what’s a scarlett without her rhett?



meet tiny scarlett and tiny rhett.
in MY version of gone with the wind, scarlett realizes what a wienie ashley is and immediately marries rhett.

and how could you not? i mean, seriously. have you seen this guy?



i thought clark gable was good. this little man puts him to shame. me-OW.

and i’m not the only one who thinks so…



these two little hams yucked it up in the lobby of a local hotel…making for scads of adorableness…and not many good shots showing the actual DRESS i made ;)










but how stinkin’ cute are they???

anyway, this dress was one of my reader submissions for this week’s challenge at project run and play, sewing through the decades

if there’s anything that will catch you a googiemomma hook, line and sinker—it’s a retro sewing challenge.

the biggest challenge: the fabric itself has that distinctive variegated green floral pattern.

via

via

 if you do some research (which i did) you’ll find out some crazy things:

• the fabric of the original dress was hand printed. they made only enough to make the one original dress, and that was it.
• until, that is, a company researched it extensively and began producing and selling reproduction fabric in the 1990s (the bolt of fabric costs OVER $600 and you need the entire bolt to make the dress!)
• you can buy some insanely incredible repro dresses. they take a minimum of 18 yards of fabric, and can go up to 23+ yards.
• the ribbon woven through her ruffled top? one reproduction maker said she sews in excess of 1100 individual buttonholes to weave the velvet ribbon through.
• some people are seriously, seriously INSANE.

i’m crazy, but i’m not THAT kind of cray-cray. i’m crazy + cheap. soooo, my dress was made from an old white sheer curtain layered over a white flat sheet.

the skirt is a basic circle skirt with a few extra panels sewn in for good measure.



for the bodice i traced out a shirt, then adjusted the neckline and shoulder to make it similar to scarlet’s (without being quite so low-cut).



the floral design, however…

i headed up to michaels, 40% off coupons in hand, and bought myself a little selection of…well, whatever i thought might help me make a floral pattern on my fabric.



and then i apparently set up the dress like a dartboard, closed my eyes and THREW ALL OF IT ON TOP.



first i used the spray fabric die in olive green over a stencil. um, yeah—that stuff STINKS. after about 2 sprays it got clogged and “shot” more than it “sprayed”.
so then i mixed green and black fabric paint and painted some leaves on. then i used a floral-ish stamp to stamp all over. i may have been a little panicky at that point.

THEN, i rinsed it all off.

let’s be honest here: when it looked like it did in that picture up top, i was fairly certain i had a big huge craft FAIL on my hands.

but once i rinsed it out and ran it through the washer once for good measure…well, if it’s not exactly scarlett—it’s close enough for me (close enough that i wasn’t even ONCE tempted to spend $600 on repro fabric)




it’s really hard to photograph, but it’s actually a really pretty design i ended up with.
on purpose.

toooottttallly on purpose.

and yeah, that ribbon? i cut holes with my scissors and wove the ribbon through. i’d rather poke myself in the eye with a hot poker than try doing the probably 100 buttonholes it would have taken.

true story.

i’m not all about the cheater method, though: the green velvet waistband is lined and boned, however.
and by “boned”, i mean “filled with cardboard and scrap wood i found lying around”.



it’s all about the historical accuracy folks.

whatev. in the end i had what i wanted: one (vaguely) scarlett o’hara dress, with which to do one adorable photo shoot.

 
(he was totally in the middle of telling her she looked like a princess right here. and then i died. i’m starting to think arranged marriages aren’t such a bad idea.)


and then they got what they wanted--in the form of junk food.
rhett did have to shave first.



pssstttt…did you catch where i said this was ONE of the dresses i did for project run & play? yup, i couldn’t decide which decade. and in typical googiemomma fashion, i did two. hey—for a while i thought i could do three. so two's reasonable, right? right? anyway…come back monday for the other one!

pinwheel dress tutorial

here is the pinwheel dress tutorial i did for jessica’s “reSEWlution” series at me sew crazy!

******************************

okay, let’s get to it: honesty time.

(slowly stands up)
::cough, cough::
hi. my name is shannon. and i’m a sewing procrastinator. i have multiple half-started and unfinished projects.

come on, who’s with me here? there’s no shame in telling the truth.

who hasn’t seen a fabric, immediately fallen in love, and quickly purchased 2 yards swearing you’re going to turn it into the perfect skirt/top/dress? and then it sat, first in the bag, then in the closet…slowly getting pushed further to the back of the pile…until you’ve all but forgotten about it…
or maybe you’re a pinner? you pin the most ADORBS little outfit, run right out and buy all the supplies to make it…and months later find that nice little pile of fabric, zipper and buttons dusty and neglected in the corner of your stash?

well, NO MORE. today i finish a project left undone--a dress inspired by the very gal who’s blog i’m visiting today!
when jessica posted her hot air balloon dress back in the summer i loved it, i pinned it, i bought fabric for it. not only was i going to make it—i had visions of all four of my girls in coordinating balloon dresses.

Source: mesewcrazy.com via Shannon on Pinterest

but wait, it gets better. shortly after this i saw this pinwheel bib done over at lemontree creations.

Source: lemontreecreations.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

also TOO CUTE! and the wheels started turning…
what about a cute little summer dress like the hot air balloon dress, but with PINWHEELS instead???
ohhh…it’s gonna be sooo cute.

except…
i never made it.

but, in light of my new resolve, i proudly present…
 

of course, initially this was going to be a summer dress. but i had to switch gears a bit and make it a bit more wintery. my plan was a white dress with brown ribbon wands on the pinwheels. so i simply flipflopped the colors--brown dress, white ribbon.

one of my favorite things about sewing for my girls is making clothes that aren't the typical "girl colors"--not pink or red. a brown dress with orange and blue and yellow accents? perfect!

so i gave it a boat neck, fitted bodice and 3/4 length cuffed sleeves (one of my favorite looks)


and you gotta love a big fluffy skirt covered with 3-D pinwheels!

here’s how i did it:



you can use whatever dress pattern you’d like. i used an existing dress to get the basic size and shape, and then adjusted the neckline, waist height, and sleeves.

i made my dress complete first:



and then turned my attention to the pinwheels.











 

now to attach them to the dress.







final steps:
stitch ribbon down as the pinwheel wands, and sew (or glue) buttons to the centers.



that’s right—sometimes (okay, most times) i glue non-functioning buttons on things i make. hot glue holds up really well—even through the washer and dryer (i wouldn’t do this for baby clothes though—just older kids who don’t put little things in their mouths!)

and that’s it! enjoy your pinwheel dress—perfect for spinning and twirling