For a while now, I’ve been sewing up dresses for myself: selecting new fabric, choosing a different pattern, picking out various notions. With summer coming up and me wanting to expand my skills in sewing, I thought it would be a fun and quick project to create a dress for my best girlfriend’s baby! This little girl, going on nine months, is too precious with her huge blue eyes, porcelain complexion, and blonde locks…I thought a fun summer fabric that would highlight her baby blues would be perfect! I selected a fun ice cream cone print filled with fun scoops in various colors, a bright pink ribbon, bright pink fabric for the lining, and green thread to keep that carefree summer feel. For the two shoulder buttons, I choose a cute pink heart shape—cause why not? I loved making this dress and brimmed with excitement as it neared completion.  I’ll be visiting both Mama & Baby at the end of the month and cannot wait to gift it!

*Note that I didn’t quite follow the vintage pattern entirely and added this adorable pink ribbon trim at the bottom hem (that continued up the sides to meet the accent tied bow). This just further accentuates the pink colors of the ice cream scoops and sweetheart buttons!

Just as easy as it is to slip on a preppy Lilly Pulitzer dress or a chic Tory Burch tunic, it’s even more unique to wear a one-of-a-kind frock.  Etsy is a great spot to discover new accessories, a great beach bag, or that perfect dress for a casual cookout…really, there’s nothing this site’s sellers haven’t thought of!  I feel like Etsy is my virtual open-air market–the boho kind that always shop at while traveling abroad!  Here are a few items that would be perfect for the Memorial Weekend Holiday, whether you’re heading to the lake or noshing at a family barbeque. (All images link you directly to the item’s page on Etsy!) 

 

This dress is perfect for the weather & the casual vibe of a cookout while still adding a chic element to the comfy design! 

 

These are beautifully simple for day-wear and the silver and gray moonstone gems add a whimsical feel! 

 

Large enough to carry a game of horseshoes, bottled water, sunscreen, and lip gloss–very cute carry-all! 

 

Love how this is a real silver serving platter with a mosaic twist that adds color and flair! Very original & perfect to serve something yummy! 

 

Hello–a signature Southern cake flavor with a new spin! These look so delicious that I would probably eat four! 

This is a classic country game that I used to play at my grandfather’s farm each Memorial Weekend! (It’s located on the Tennessee/Kentucky state line in the perfect little town.) Ask any Southerner about this game and they will tell you how much fun it is despite it’s simplicity!

This weekend, I was lucky enough to snag some vintage sewing patterns online!  I am very excited and eagerly waiting for when they arrive in the mail. The first I purchased was a vintage 1960’s shift dress pattern that has a gorgeous tailored ¾-sleeved dress.  It appears to be pretty simple to make as it only has five main pieces that create the dress. I already have some really cute fabric to use!

The second pattern that I got is actually a children’s dress pattern…not for me, but for my best girlfriend’s almost seven month old little girl. I’ve never tried to sew a dress for anyone other than myself, but I feel a baby’s dress is just a scaled down version of what I would create for me right? (Minus the little shorts that keep diapers covered!) I have never sewn pants or shorts before and have never used elastic in my sewing projects either, but there’s always a time to start!  I think I’ll be making version D or E for her little girl…well…whichever version is easier is the one I’ll make…

If you’re curious where you can learn more about patterns or simple sewing techniques, check out Simplicity.  They have partnerships with Project Runway (they carry a line of branded patterns that are very chic and easy) as well as Cynthia Rowley branded patterns that are really cute too.  I actually already own one–the tunic style, but I also adore this ruffled necklined pattern too.

Are you more tempted to try out sewing now?  The key is to pick out a simple pattern that doesn’t have too many pieces that make up the final product.  Ensure that the design is something you’ll wear often (I would hate to spend my time creating a dress or top that would just sit in the back of my closet).  Another thing that gets me excited to sew a new project is using a beautiful fun fabric that I will love to look at while I’m sitting at my machine…did you see any patterns on Simplicity that you would like to make?

Check out what I did over the course of a week…I made myself a custom fit Spring Floral Shift Dress!  I just love the bright cheery print and the texture of the fabric…too cute!  The whole project cost me less than $16–LOVE that!  

Pin your pre-cute pattern to the fabric, taking note of the directions for placement on the fabric (on the fold, cut two, etc).  Most of the time I usually only use pinking shears to cut out the pattern to discourage the fabric from fraying. 

This pattern that I used called for sewing darts for the bust and along the back. Very easy! You can see that I gladly use the fabric pens to help me keep a straight seam.  Most fabric pens wash out in the laundry, but you should color test each of your fabrics every time.

Half way complete!  Just a few final steps until I can shimmy into my new dress!

Sewing the vent for the bottom of the back side of the dress. Don’t forget to iron this seam to ensure the fabric lays correctly.

Got my zipper sewed on!  The key to hiding the zipper is not to fight the fabric as it wants to lay, pre-ironing the seam, and lots of straight pins! 

Voila! Here’s my completed new dress! This whole process could be completed in less than a day if you work solely on it, but I would rather catch up on Lifetime Movies and pedicures!

I didn’t Photoshop myself, just the background!  I altered the seams of the design to better fit me.  I usually cut my pattern and fabric larger than I need to since I would much rather take in a dress than struggle with too little fabric to let out the seams.  Trust me!

As I’ve mentioned before, I love bringing all elements of Spring into my routine, including home decor!  Bright colors in high-traffic areas of my home seem to cheer me up–especially if it’s gloomy “April shower” weather like it was in my area this past weekend.  I created this floral wreath in less than one hour–any longer and my patience is gone!  It was super easy and actually fun to play around with the design and where to place the flowers.  I gathered all the materials at my local craft store, most of which were on sale–so the total cost of my custom chic wreath was only $9.10!

• 18″ grapevine wreath
• 1 main floral garland (You can use multiple stems instead, but this was meant to be an easy quick project. The garland was easier to manoeuver for a quick design.)
• 1 accent floral color with multiple stems (You will cut this apart and place amongst your main garland to add color dimension.)
• Floral wire–green
• glue gun, glue sticks
• wire cutters