I have decided that dressing a little boy isn’t near as much fun as dressing my little girl, but it doesn’t have to be a complete loss.  There are SOME cute patterns for boys out there, and maybe one day, Roark will have a wife that appreciates what I have sewn when I hand them down to her. 

Here are some of the projects I have been working on since Roark’s been born.  There is no way that I would have been able to sew all of these outfits if it wasn’t for my sweet friend, Maja, the mother of all seamstresses.  She opens up her house every week and lets me use her children as babysitters while I sew.    It is just understood that every Wednesday before church we meet in her sewing room along with several other sweet friends.  I know one day these will be memories that I will cherish.  

This white bubble was Roark’s first Easter outfit (as seen in the previous Easter post).  Truth be told, I totally copied it out of a sewing magazine. When I decided to make it, Roark was only weeks old, and I barely had the energy to sew…being creative and selecting my own patterns and fabric would have left poor Roark naked on Easter morning.  So, I found this in Australian Smocking and decided to duplicate it.

On a side note, when I got him dressed that Sunday morning, I cried a little because he was just so sweet in it.  I get great satisfaction out of seeing my children in clothes that I have made for them…especially this one because it was a booger to make.

Here is another bishop dress I made Edie last month.  Again, totally copied it out of a magazine.  I happened to notice it one day while flipping through a Creative Needle, when I thought, “Hey, I already own that fabric! I can just make that!”

I love making bishops for so many reasons.  One because I can make them in my sleep now, and two because Edie can get at least two years of wear out of them which means there is more pay off for my hard work.  And three because they are just sweet dresses on little girls, and it is impossible to smock Hannah Montana’s face  on one.  Not that we watch that in our house…it just seems she’s everywhere these days.

Anyway, here is a close up of the smocking:

I know what you are thinking, “Not another post about a dress…BOR-RING!” At least, I know that’s what Ken is thinking!

When I show him something I am working on, he gives me the standard issued response of “Yeah, that’s really nice,” with a little bit of a nod showing that he has at least acknowledged me. But in all fairness, I have been known to give him the same response when he has shown me some of the less interesting stuff he’s been working on…such as when he’s trying to explain how his flight simulator works.

Anyway, this is just a plain ‘ole bishop dress. I have now sewn this pattern close to a zillion times, but this dress is one of my favorites. I think it was the color of the material on my girl more than anything…who knew that aqua-marine was her signature color?

Since I am at a loss of stories to post about the adventures at the McKibben house, I thought I would post another dress. I washed and ironed Edie’s entire wardrobe this weekend, so I took advantage of all her dresses in their pristine condition and pulled out my camera.  All of that to say, there are more to come…hope it is not too boring. I like having a place to record what I have made before it gets outgrown, packed up in a box somewhere, and forgotten about.

Anyway, this pattern is “Hillary” by Children’s Corner. Pretty easy pattern, but a lot of hand stitching for my taste. The smocking plate is a simple little tulip pattern that I copied from somewhere.

Don’t be fooled. I just started sewing again last week. Since I found out I was pregnant, I haven’t felt much like working in my sewing room. However, I am way behind on recording dresses that I’ve already sewn. So, here is an outfit I made for Edie last winter.

The top is just a basic Bishop dress that has been cut short,  and the bottoms are a simple pants pattern that I have made about a zillion times now. The smocking plate is by Ellen McCarn.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fabric the top is made out of. Seriously, I think it one of my favorites ever…it is so delicate and timeless. Who knows? Maybe my grandbaby will be wearing it one day…