Karlie's Easter Dress

Karlie answered my mom's phone when I called during her Spring break. She told me, "Aya, I need a Spring dress". Don't worry, I said, I'm already planning one. The entire plan came together around that little scrap of gorgeous green floral that is the top ruffle. I had purchased it at the now closed City Craft in Dallas (so sad) with Karlie in mind.



It is a little hard to see from the pattern envelope, but I could tell that McCalls 6685 would allow me to pair lots of fun fabrics together. I love putting colors and patterns together for K as it allows me to go over the top with cuteness. I kept the body of the dress simple with two white eyelets, underlined in coral quilting cotton and a semi-sheer swiss dot. The top two fabrics were from my stash. And who can resist adding a little tulle to a 5 year olds dress?! I think the end result is the perfect blend of cute and fun and I think she liked it.


Tricking Gagee (Frank) with the promise of a hug.


He got her back!


Karlie picked some Indian Paintbrush when she stopped to take pictures with her mom.


This cracks me up so much. She is tough and wasn't phased at all. I look so unconcerned.


A little detail of the skirt fabrics. Everytime I make something for Karlie I think it is the cutest thing I have ever made!

We had a lovely, but way to short visit with my family. My dad's birthday was the day after Easter this year, so it was extra nice to be able to be there. Dad is on a diet and said he couldn't have cake anyways, but I think he was just making me feel better about the fact that I ran out of time to make him one. We had lots of cousins and friends for the day and everyone brought delicious and healthy veggie sides and salads. It was the first time I remember eating a holiday meal where I didn't feel gross afterwards. Ham plus all those veggies were the perfect Easter meal in my opinion. I hope that tradition continues!

Shibori Indigo Dyed Muumuu

My dear friend Alley turned 40 on Saint Patrick's day. She is one of those people who is really hard to shop for, but who appreciates handmade items. I knew the only option was to make something special for her birthday. In typical Ashley fashion I waited until the last minute. This project came together from purchasing the fabric to dyeing, cutting and sewing the garment over a long weekend.


I had done some indigo and shibori dyeing with my mom, but this was the first time that I did it completely solo. I used the pre-reduced indigo crystals from Dharma Trading and the indigo bath was very easy to mix up. I didn't think it would work, but it totally did!



*Ignore my neglected garden.
I did Arashi Shibori, a process in which you fold and wrap your cloth around a pipe. It was harder than I remembered and with the linen it didn't squish down as much as I thought it would. It still came out beautifully though. I was very pleased with the results on my first try.



I wanted to make Alley a swim cover up and I settled on Simplicity 1375, view D. It was an easy make and easy to fit because it is a loose and flowy Muumuu type dress.



I made a little tag for the dress by signing my name with a micron pen and using wonder under to iron it tag into the garment. I think it is a nice touch and I need to start adding tags to all my handmade garments.

 
I think Alley really liked her short and sexy muumuu and she is going to look fabulous by her pool this summer.