Oliver & S Family Reunion Dress...flipped

Recently I came across the term "flip" in connection with patterns. I know about flipping houses but I think it's kind of new with sewing. Taking a pattern and changing it to suit your style - something that's always been done but now has a name! :)  Check out Frances Suzanne who hosts fun monthly "flip this pattern" contests.

My flip came about because I had it in my head that I wanted to make one of the girls dresses a drop waist dress and when my first attempt didn't work out so well I had to try something else. Alisa, hearing the despair in my voice of time running out, mentioned she really liked the Oliver & S Family Reunion Dress. Best impulse buy ever!

Here's my version!

The details:

• I used the size 7 shirt length but took the curve out of the hemline so I could add the gathered skirt to it

• I pleated the pin tucks all the way down the length of the bodice

• Straightened the side seams

• Invisible zip and hook and eye instead of button placket

• Fabrics are all from my local Fabricland 

I love how it turned out!  Of the three dresses this is my favorite and fits her best!

Love this next picture.  I look at it and can hear the giggles :)

The pictures were taken at the botanical gardens in the town where we live.  Developed and maintained by volunteers it's a beautiful place to stroll through!

Tea Party Doll Dress

Saturday found me at home all day with just my two youngest.  Very rare during the summer!  I did some cleaning, some laundry and some baking.  But the best part was the couple of hours in my sewing room.

Deanna saved up for the better part of a year for an American Girl doll (funny b/c we're Canadian) and she finally got it earlier this month.  It's her birthday soon so I wanted to make her doll a dress.  It's the Tea Party Doll Dress from Little Things To Sew by Liesl Gibson.  I made the dress an inch longer than the pattern and skipped the hem facing (it's a doll dress after all) but otherwise I followed the instructions.   I think it turned out pretty well and it was sure great to be in my sewing room again.

The past few weeks

For the past few weeks, Alisa and I have been pretty occupied...

Us and our girls all ready for (Auntie) Karen's wedding!

Alisa's girls looking beautiful as the guestbook attendants

Our Dad giving away his youngest daughter!

The happy couple!!

Deanna and Auntie Karen

Alisa and I gave a little speech to Karen that only her and a few others in the room caught the humor of.  We'll share it with you - I'm sure you'll get it!

Our Dear Sister Karen 

The memory of the day you entered our lives more than 21 years ago is stitched securely in our minds.  You were a tiny 6 lb. honey bun, the last piece in our patchwork family.  You truly were your Sister’s Choice; another girl to balance out all those brothers.  We were thrilled to say the least.

As you grew you became even more fun.  All of your milestones were celebrated 9-patch.  We helped a lot when you were growing up – feeding you, changing your diapers, picking out your clothes, taking you to meander around the park and just having fun with you.  Being mothers now we know how much help that must have been for Mom.  Mostly you were full of charm but sometimes you were downright stippling.

At a very young age your passion for scissors was apparent but you never did go for hairdressing.  Now you save your cutting for fat quarters, paper and decks of cards.

I love to sew and already back in high school I could often be found behind my sewing machine.  You were the number one recipient of my creations.  I used pretty much everything to make clothes for you.  I dressed you in scraps of a table cloth, repurposed clothing and free fabric.  It was not all 100% cotton and not necessarily pretty.  You survived my love and by the time you were about 8 you were free from my obsession.

Alisa and I both still love to sew and quilt.  We were stashed when you joined us on our patchwork journey.  Imagine our excitement when you churned out your first quilt!  We are so proud of your binding, mitered corners and half square triangles.  Such good sister bonding time with our sewing machines and French vanillas.

And, now you’re married.  The cathedral windows were smiling.  The layer cakes and jelly rolls were delicious and we are more than happy for you!  You are blessed with William, a husband who understands texture and creativity, colour and pattern, and who has a long arm.

Cousins!

Special moments

And then it was time to go home. Always hard to leave. We had a wonderful family reunion with all 45 of us, a beautiful wedding and then a week of visiting and relaxing with family and friends. I'm thankful we only live a (long) days drive away. I'll leave you a couple pictures from out drive home. The Rocky Mountains are so awesome and majestic. I always feel so humbled in this beautiful display of God's splendor!

Rogers Pass

Super Fun Times

We took a little field trip away from the family reunion.  Hamel's Fabrics in Chilliwack, BC is worth a visit if you are in the area.

Three sisters and three sister-in-laws, all quilters/sewists to some extent.  We also have 2 more sister-in-laws who we love equally.  They just didn't come along. :-)

Karen, the one in the front-middle requested this little trip.  And since she's the one getting married tomorrow we thought we'd oblige.  It wasn't hard to do. :-)  We had a great time.  We're all holding up the same fat quarter.  The idea is to do some thing with it before the end of the year and then compare.  Should be fun.

Happy Canada Day for tomorrow!  We will be celebrating with Will and Karen's wedding.  Exciting times!

Nine Patch Puzzle

This quilt was made with the help of many of the ladies who attended our annual quilting retreat in February.  They were asked to bring a colourful nine-patch block, any size up to 9 1/2 inches.

This is what I came up with.  It was a good challenge trying to fit them all in one quilt.  It took lots of stitching and trimming.  It was fun though!

This quilt will be given to our local Crisis Pregnancy Centre.  My husband remarked that whoever got this quilt would be getting one very special quilt and I agree.  So many hands helped to make it.

The back has a strip with some leftover blocks as well as some 9 patch blocks that were just too big for the front.

It bugs me that I had my setting wrong on my camera, but I am not going to take these photos again. 

3 Dresses - Done!

Back in April I was all excited to make some new Sunday dresses for our girls. Found patterns, materials and then tried to figure out what fabric to put where. They slowly evolved with two different patterns coming into the picture and a couple of flops but they're done!

1.  Trumpet Flower Dress from Ottobre Summer 2012 size 146/152
It's a very nice dress, all lined and it drapes beautifully but it just fits Anneke.  I had both the bodice front and back measure an inch narrower than the waist and skirt.  Not sure what I did wrong or if the pattern is wrong but that extra inch would've made it fit much better.  Hopefully it'll fit this whole summer.

2. Based on Oliver & S Family Reunion Dress size 7
This is the last one I finished.  I've never bought such an expensive pattern but I'm glad I did!!  I wanted to make a drop waist dress and had a Dutch Knippe pattern that a friends Mom translated for me (very nice!).  I sewed the bodice and the fit was really strange - too tight around the tummy and way to much fabric in the chest.  Then I made a skirt with a peasant style top that just looked awful!  After talking to Alisa and looking around at patterns I thought I could alter the Family Reunion pattern to make what I wanted and it worked!
Great directions and I'm sure I'll be able to use the pattern a few more times.

3. Burda 9545 size 5
This one I could've made a size bigger but it does fit.  I've made this pattern a couple times before a few years ago but with the sleeves.  I love how it's so nicely finished on the inside with no seams showing.

"Going in Circles" for Karen and Will

Three weeks from today our baby sister is getting married!

We've had the privilege of seeing her grow up from baby to 21 years old.   Suzanne and I have had some influence in her life.  We know that for a fact because she quilts. :-)  She's even made a big king size quilt for their new bed.

 I didn't think I would make them a quilt for their wedding.   They do have several quilts already.  But when I suggested that I not make one, Karen made this really pouty face and told me that she still wanted one from me.  I didn't need too much encouragement after that!

I had so much fun making this quilt.  I had wanted to make Drunkard's Path Blocks for some time and had pinned a bunch of quilts in this style.  I decided on a colour scheme similar to their wedding colours with the addition of gray and yellow.

 I love the quilt and it turned out close to what I had envisioned (sometimes that doesn't happen.)

For the back I used up some pieces of fabric I've had in my stash.  I especially love the keys fabric but I've had it on my shelf for about 4 years and haven't used it yet, so it was time to use it!

I can't wait to visit them in their little basement suite and drink tea and snuggle under this quilt!  (Maybe the snuggling won't happen until winter.)

I do believe they love the quilt too!

I just noticed something about this photo - I see 4 quilted/sewn things in this little piece of my house!  I love it!

That's what I've been working on the last little bit.  It was a labour of love!

Next on my sewing list - sashes for my girl's dresses and a few more table runners for the wedding.