I can't recommend this book enough. (I know, I know, I've said that already!).
The patterns are so cute and unique and come together so easily... and so fast.
In general, I've found the sizing runs on the largish size. This is the size 2 and Iris will need to grow into it a bit.
My only issue with this particular pattern was the straps were a bit long and the buttonhole placement was a little low, in my opinion. If I were to make this again I might make a muslin of the yoke to get a more precise fit. Or at least move the buttonholes up.
But all in all, I love this pattern. I think it's sweet and simple and even a little chic. (As chic as a toddler can be, that is!) ;)
Iris is big into doing everything herself lately, including the above haircut. I do it! she insists. (But it sounds more like I doot!) She has to do e v e r y t h i n g herself. Which is really awesome when we're in a hurry. ;)
Aren't baby hand dimples the best?
She's also totally obsessed with Dan in a way the other kids were not. Sometimes she cries on Monday mornings when she wakes up and realizes he's back at work. I can't say I blame her, he is pretty incredible. :)
I found the fabric for the dress (and the buttons) at Joanns. When we were staying in the townhouse, we were only about 5 minutes from Joanns, so I went there often. It grew on me. I found some really great fabric there, they have amazing coupons available on your phone (no clipping necessary!) and the quality of what I bought was great. I'm not saying all the fabric there is fantastic, but you can feel it (and look at the prices) and get a pretty good idea.
Speaking of the townhouse debacle, I wasn't so sure how'd we make it through homeschooling with that mess (or maybe make it through the mess with having to homeschool.) But somehow we did and now we have only 5 weeks left! Recently, we've been supplementing our Oak Meadow science curriculum with this project filled book on habitats and the kids are into it. Today we learned about oceans and Indigo kept repeating: "This is so amazing!".
And Iris spent the entire afternoon, including her nap, wearing her 'backpack'.
Oh Iris!
The pinafore is adorable - I love the fabric you chose and it looks so cute with those shoes! I also love glimpses into your homeschooling life. I'm considering it for my kids and it's nice to read about others' take on it.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I appreciate that! I do plan to write a post about homeschooling when we wrap up the school year : what’s worked, what hasn’t, that kind of thing. :) There are so many opportunities for homeschooling families now and many communities even have drop-off co-ops where you can send your kids anywhere between 1 and 5 days a week. So it doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing. :)
DeleteI love that photo of all the studious kids at the table and iris contemplating her painted fingers! gee she is cute.
ReplyDeleteAnd then that dress! Well you had me straight away with the colour, just gorgeous. Her little shoes are divine and perfect for someone who can "doot" themselves.
Loved everything about this post, Rachel!
ReplyDeleteAnd the dress is lovely. I will follow your advise about the yoke when I make it.
I can't wait to see what you make, Marta. And I have to admit, I'm eager to make another one for Tarikua! :)
DeleteAhh, the I-do-it toddler phase! We're in the middle of that too with my youngest. I naturally run on the impatient side so it is a struggle not to want to pull my hair out as she spends five minutes trying tomputnon one sock!
ReplyDeleteAnd this dress is such a sweet dress and so classic! It suits Iris perfectly!
That's it - you've convinced me. I've been leary of trying to piece together Japanese patterns even though the books and clothes look so nice, but I just LOVE these "old style" dresses… like we wore as kids (ahem!). Hopefully my results will be as cute as yours
ReplyDeleteI typed out a long comment and then clicked "sign out" instead of publish and it's gone!!!!! ARRRGGH.
ReplyDeleteSummary:
1) this is my fave pattern in that book.
2) she is so cute
3) Maggie has a sock and shoe obsession
4) thankfully she hasn't cut her own hair yet
5) seeing your kids working so hard and learning - sweetest!
oh, Rachel! it's so beautiful!! and i'm glad to hear things are going ok with school and kiddos in the midst of, you know, life :) XO
ReplyDeleteyou are completely rockin' the Happy Homemade book, Rachel! So glad you are, because I have the same one and your creations inspire me to sew more from mine! I was surprised to read that your fabric was from Joann's . . . that was a happy surprise:) Truly, you cannot beat their coupons and the fact that they let you use multiple ones at the same time. Being five minutes from Joanns might prove to be non-budget-friendly:)
ReplyDeleteYour homeschooling anecdotes are fantastic and i"m so glad that your surviving it (well!) while in the townhouse. So awesome to see their enthusiasm and natural curiosity about learning shine through!
Well, thankfully, we are no longer in the townhouse. But we did spend three weeks there and were so glad to be back home where we have a yard. We came home to a huge mess (that ubiquitous construction dust!). Since we had to move everything upstairs so they could do our floors downstairs, putting it back (or cleaning the dust off of it) turned into forced organization for us. Not my strongest point - and we needed it! It was a much bigger undertaking than I estimated when we moved back in - but that's not surprising because I'm a chronic under-estimator. :) But now that everything is in order, it feels good.
DeleteYou know what's kind of crazy about Joanns? Their inventory is very different depending on the location. So the Joanns that we were 5 minutes from (now 15-20 minutes from) had pretty awesome stuff. Last night, though, we went out for Thai food as a family at a restaurant near Joanns on the opposite side of town. That Joanns had a very different selection of fabric and I left without buying a thing.
I LOVE the details on that dress--beautiful! And Iris is growing so much. It looks like she's doing amazing!
ReplyDeleteoh man that fabric is great and the style is so cute on her! i've had this one on my "to make" list foreeeever.
ReplyDeleteI love the pinafore, and what great pictures! With the lovely fabric, her shoes, and the white wall/fence backgrounds Iris looks like she belongs in one of the Japanese pattern books herself! And I'd kind of forgotten about the do it myself stage… around here, everything was "by self!" for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteI do need to find some time to sew from this book - I've had since it was released and still haven't made a thing (lots of planning, thought).
ReplyDeleteBased on my experience, Japanese patterns seem to have a slightly looser fit, so a bit of adjustment is needed - still the look it's quite timeless and French (reminds me of a favorite Citronille pattern).
Oh, just wait until she decides to cut her own hair (my girl does it every time and, trust me, it can be quite a nightmare to fix it).
Oh boy, let me warn you that the book is addicting! :) But I highly recommend it! ;)
DeleteI have this book too, I love it! I've only sewn three items, but still... Also, I love that your little girl wears her backpack constantly, I have one who does the same :) Love your creativity over here!
ReplyDeleteI think three is great! The book has more than paid for itself! The magical imagination stage with kids is so much fun! I love it! Iris makes me laugh every day.
DeleteThat dress is beautiful and your little girl is so sweet. Sorry to sound like a know -it - all but the 'size 2' in Happy Homemade 2 is actually 100cm or roughly a four year old size. I won't forget this because I bought the book already and my little girl is only 19 months. So I have to wait for another 2 and a half years to be able to use it! Boo hoo!
ReplyDeleteOooooh! SO good to know, Deepa. And not a know-it-all at all! I appreciate the info and was confused by the sizing, because I do also buy European clothing sometimes and the sizing didn't feel like it matched up with what we own. Thanks so much for filling me in - very interesting!
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