thanksgiving dress

thanksgiving dress, originally uploaded by flanmela.

i'm on a sewing jag. i saw this adorable fabric at a great brooklyn fabric shop -- fiber notion -- and had to get it. it has a lovely metallic print that doesn't quite come through in the pictures.

the dress is another from everyday girls dress, but -- i don't know if i cut the pattern incorrectly or what -- it's a good bit shorter than the pictures show it as being. still, a very cute tunic!

and, to all of those non-existent readers out there, please excuse my poor photo-layout.  i can't for the life of me figure out how to post more than one picture in a neat, appealing way.

japanese dress in fassett material

japanese dress in fassett material, originally uploaded by flanmela.

had a couple of hours this afternoon while the little monsters napped, so i made this dress. i made it from some lovely kaffe fassett woven material by rowan -- my amazing husband bought it for me at the liberty shop in london.

the pattern is from the japanese craft book -- everyday girl's dress. it's my new favorite.

and, as for the dress, the middle monster seems to like it, which is all that matters!

birthday pj bottoms

birthday pj bottoms, originally uploaded by flanmela.

every one of the birthday parties my children go to are always prefaced by a hectic trip to the local toy store, to pick out a thoughtful (ummm, 10 seconds of thought counts, right?) gift.

so, i decided this year that i would make birthdays easier for myself by making a load of pajama bottoms, so i can just grab a pair and toss it, with a white t-shirt, in a bag and .... voila! instant birthday gift!

well, not so "instant", as i spent a good 3 hours cutting and pressing fabric for 7 pair of pants. and, as of right now, i only have finished 3 (and one is for my own little birthday boy). BUT i still contend this is a good idea and above is the first of my "year of the PJ bottoms gift".

okay, now my middle monster is asking me to share the computer, so -- adios!

My first "made up" and knit project, all rolled into one

inspired by japanese book; embellished by me..., originally uploaded by flanmela.

I made this little cutie for a good friend's daughter and I loved how it turned out. i particularly like the lettuce edging on the straps.

it was done pretty much freehand -- i just cut out pieces in the shapes and sizes i was looking for and pieced them together -- doing the front and back pieces first, with some gathers at the chest -- and then putting them together and finally adding the straps, which i had put a rolled hem on prior to attaching. i did all of this, including the poorly executed blind hem, on my serger (which i am in love with).

all of this is very strongly inspired by the japanese craft books i've been obsessing over lately. we're talking HOURS of my time wasted.

so. that's it. a cute little diddy.