Kenzie's Dress Party Blog Tour

BLOG TOUR DATES:

2/14 The 3 Little Kiwi’s

2/15 Calm & Carrion

2/16  Confessions of a Barefoot Housewife

2/17 PiePie Designs

2/18 bebelambs

2/19 Crafty Biggers

2/20 The Berry Bunch

2/21 Sunflower Circle

 

Calling all Mamas, Sisters, and Girlfriends!  If you are a fabric hoardin’, seam rippin’, self-proclaimed Fashionista and you have a little girl in your life, then have I a dress pattern for you!

Recently, I learned that I would be a part of Kenzie's Party Dress Blog Tour put on by Everything Your Mamma Made & More.  I was beyond excited!

Prior to knowing about the Blog Tour, I found the perfect spring fabric.  I wanted to use and make each of my girls an Easter dress.  Heather Bailey’s Lottie Da Fabric Line was too perfect not to get. 

Doesn’t it just say SPRING?!?!  Shortly after it arrived, I found the perfect dress pattern, Kenzie’s Party Dress.  This pattern had plenty of options to mix up the style so each of my girls could have their own look, while still coordinating.  It has 2 skirt options for the dress pattern, 2 sleeve options, options for high-waisted skirts, and a doll pattern as well.  The options are endless! 

I quickly realized that I did not have enough fabric to create E’s Signature Dress so I went online and purchased more. 

(I buy most my fabric online.  I consider going to a nice fabric store like sipping a nice glass of wine.  Neither should be done with small children around.  It doesn’t go down as smoothly.)

While that was being shipped my way, I started cutting and sewing C’s dress.  I was making her the Simple Skirt Dress with sleeves.  I made a few embellishments to this pattern by cutting the skirt selvedge to selvedge for a little bit more ruffle and adding ruffle fabric to the bottom.  I never used ruffle fabric before and I’M IN LOVE WITH IT!  Its so easy to work with and adds so much.

 

 

Then, I learned that while I’m sitting at home in South Texas sewing and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse apparently the rest of the country is having serious weather issues.  Eeeeek!  My fabric for E’s dress still hadn’t shipped, so time for Plan B!  I rounded up the fabric I had left and went digging through my stash to find something that would work.

 

 

Thankfully I raided my mom’s fabric stash a few years ago, so I had this nice purple woven just waiting for the right project.  Folks, you are looking at circa 1980s Cotton/Rayon blend.  It was perfect for the Signature Skirt Dress.

 

 

There was only enough to create two of the three layers of this dress.  So we ended up with a tunic style party dress.  I couldn’t be more happy with the results.  The look was perfect for her.

 

 

This dress pattern fit each girls personality perfectly!  As soon as I had them both dressed and outside to take a few pictures, I could tell they loved them too.  

 

 

I whipped up the headbands using a scrap piece of the ruffle fabric.  Super easy!!!  I just cut the strip of fabric to size and tied in a knot.  I feel like I cheated it was so simple, but I like the look it added to the outfits.  I added a fabric flower to E’s.

 

 

When I made the fabric flower to go on C’s headband she let me know that was a no-go, so I clipped it to her sash.  I actually really like it there.  Just something a little different.  Maybe she has more fashion sense at age 2 then I do!?!?  

 

 

Small confession, these were my first fitted bodice dresses to ever make.  I admit that they did have challenging moments and I might have had a few flashbacks of my love for Flying Geese during my quilting classes.  (Inserted sarcasm.)  I must say that the end results were completely worth it. 

 

 

Kenzie’s Party Dress was well written, helpful where it needed to be, and I loved the color coded pattern print outs.  If you own a sewing machine and know basic sewing techniques, then you must give this pattern a try.  You can do it!

 

Need a little extra incentive to give this dress a try?  EYMM has this dress on sale until 2/24.  Just use the code “kpdblogtour” on a Kenzie’s Party Dress order of $8.95 or more from www.eymm.com & get $1.95 off.  This makes individual patterns just $7 & the bundle with both size ranges AND the bonus doll add on just $12.47.

 

I feel like this Blog Tour has been one great Dress Party!  I have seen some amazing dresses made with some beautiful fabrics.  I feel so fortunate to be apart of this experience. Thank you Jessica B. for pushing me to apply for this blog tour.  Thank you Kymy  for allowing me to be apart of your blog tour! 

 

Completely worth every stitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home, Home on the Range

 

The last two weeks of January the girls and I spent some time at my parent's house. All because it's one of the best times of the year.... Fort Worth Stock Show time!

 

The girls and I jumped in and helped out where we could.

 

First we welcomed the Newbies to the ranch.  Isn’t he a cutie?



 

Got the minerals ready to put out in the pastures.  (I know, I know, the outfit is a Hot Mess!)

 

Drove tractors…..

 

We also saw gray, wet skies for too many days!  I think the cows were wondering how do they get inside to stand by the fire too? 

 

 While most of the time was spent eating, breathing, and sleeping cows, I did manage to craft a little too.  My mom busted out her Bernina. 

***Sidenote – No, I didn’t learn to sew from my mother.  She’ll tell you that the “Sewing Gene” skipped her and went straight to me.  Bless her heart.  Frankly, she’s too hard on herself.  I’ve taught her to sew two quilts while patiently waiting on both my girls to arrive.  I thought she did great!

Back to my story though, I learned something on this sewing adventure, Mom said that she bought this beauty over 30 years ago for $1000!  I nearly choked.  If I had to spend that much on my first sewing machine (Janome DC2010), I’m not sure I’d be sewing at all!  I’d probably still be sitting in the dirt somewhere playing with plants.

Here she is, no, not my mom, silly…….

 

And here was our mission.  Feed bags, yes, you’ve probably seen this craft before but aren’t these bags just begging to be so much more? 

 

Mom has a Master Gardeners seminar coming up and the group wanted to sell some items to help raise some money.  These were perfect. 

Master Gardeners, for those with crinkled eye brows, is a group of plant and garden enthusiast/gurus.  And yes, I did get my love of plants from Mom.  We could probably plant talk all day.

So with the deadline looming I helped her create these.  I merely cut, she sewed them up.  Rather nicely, huh?

We decided that everyone has enough reusable grocery bags so these were created a little shorter and wider.  We had the gardener in mind.  I’d totally tote this around in my garden to carry tools around and then use to haul my veggies back to the house.  Since I’ve left she’s made another 4 or 5.  She’s on a roll!

 

To finish off the trip I stopped by my aunt’s house.  She was de-stashing her stash.  I kind of feel like the American Picker Guys and totally hit the “Honey Hole”!  I probably made out with about 20 yards of truly vintage fabric.  All these pretty calicos staring back at you are from the mid 1990’s and before.  YAY!

 

What do you think I should sew with them?

 

I always love going home.  Good things happen there.