Little girls flapper dress

There is an event on Governors Island that I look forward to every single year. It's the Jazz Age Lawn Party a.k.a. 1920's Flapper Picnic. Food and drinks are served, old cars displayed, hats, feather boas and vintage clothing sold and photo and people gawking opportunities abandon. Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra plays live music, to which many dance the charleston (or whatever they feel like and can). It's like a movie set without the crew or cameras. Everyone is dressed up - whether they are channeling flapper girl glamour, afterwork leisure or girl/boy on a holiday spirit.


New Yorkhoz tatrozik az u.n. Governors Island sziget, ahol nyaranta ketszer rendeznek 1920-as evek pikniket. Ital/etel mellett regi autok vannak kiallitva, kalapokat es kulonfele toll-ekeket es regi ruhakat lehet vasarolni, de talan a legelvezetesebb egyszeruen leulni a fube es bamulni a korulvevo embersereget. Elo zene kisereteben "charlestont" tancol a jonep (vagy amit eppen tud). Imadom az itteniekben, hogy mindenki komolyan veszi az esemenyt es ehez illoen a piknikezok, a kornak megfeleloen vannak oltozve. Napernyok, kalapok, rojtos ruhak, csokornyakkendok, fejpantok vesznek korul mindenutt. Van aki tancosnove valt, van aki munkaruhat oltott vagy eppen az arisztokraciat kepviseli kalapban, nyakkendoben, pezsgot szipogatva .  

I bought a dress at Mango a while ago that I decided to wear, G had a newsboy hat that looks great on him and could possibly go with the era, London got a white shirt with a moustache painted on and Lola's outfit completely fell out of my mind until two nights before the event! My favorite dresses these days are the kind that are made from a t-shirt on top and fabric sewn to the bottom. To make a matching outfit for Lola, I found London's grey undershirt, a yellow t-shirt I previously bought at a dollar store for "other sewing projects", a leftover gold sequin strip (from my sequin pumps I made) and some large loose sequins (also leftovers). Knowing that Lola will wear a dress only if it's twirly, I tricked her with the sequence strip and it worked! She said it was shiny and that nobody would have a dress like her (she was right :))))
     
Nem regen vettem magamnak egy ruhat a Mangoban, ami kicsiket talan emlekeztet a korra, G-nek volt egy ideillo szalmakalapja, Londy kapott egy ujjatlan feher polot bajusszal kifestve, de Lola oltozekerol egeszen megfeledkeztem. Kedvenc ruhaim azok, amiknek a felso resze polobol van, es az allja anyag. Talaltam Londy szekrenyeben egy szurke alsopolot, kikotortam az anyagdoboz legalljarol egy sarga polot (amit meg mas projekthez vettem) es egy arany flitterpantot (amelyet a csillogos cipomhoz hasznaltam kb. egy honapja). Tudtam, hogy Lola nem lenne hajlando felvenni olyan ruhat, ami nem porog, igy a "csillog-villog" flitter reszet "adtam" el neki es mukodott! Azt mondta hogy ilyen csillog-villogos senkinek sem lesz es nem is volt ... :))) 

What you'll need:

A t-shirt or a tank top 

A large t-shirt for the bottom

Wide ribbon 

3 gold buttons or large sequence (as above on the dress) 

Stitch witchery (if your sewing machine breaks down like mine did .. gtrrrrrrrr)

I lay all my materials I collected on the table and played around with different designs at first. 

Then I took a white printing paper, put it next to the tank top and drew a not too wide trapezoid. Voila! This is now a pattern for the skirt! I cut out the fabric about an inch and a half from the bottom. Do not throw away the bottom part! Gather it to make a ruffle strip ad place and sew it to the front of of the top in a U shape.  Pin the trapezoid to the top from the outside and sew together. I was going to sew the sides, but my sewing machine completely stopped working in the meantime and I was getting more and more frustrated. This is when I coined the phrase "Sewing rage". 

 "Sewing Rage" as in an aggressive or angry behavior by a crafter/seamstress. Such behavior might include rude gestures, verbal insults, deliberately sewing off the fabric in an unsafe or dangerous manner, or making threats (to the sewing machine. Ex: "I am going to toss you out of the terrace you piece of S). Sewing rage can lead to altercations with close family members and co-habitants. It can be thought of as an extreme case of aggressive sewing.  

Ami a ruhacskahoz szukseges: 

Polo (ujjatlan)

Egy masik (sokkal nagyobb polo) 

Flitter, szalag, flitterszalag 

Aranygombok 

Kb. 2 centimetert vagtam le a polo alljabol, amit aztan cernaval berancoztam es U alakban hozzavarrrtam a top-ra. Erre raragasztottam varroszalaggal egy darab szalagot es varrtam ra harom nagy flittert. Az also reszet a ruhanak polobol csinaltam, amelyet vonalzo segitsegevel "trapezoidra" vagtam ki es hozzavarrtam a top-hoz. Ekkor a varrogepem befuccsolt es a ruha tobbi varrnivalojat varroszalaggal illete vasaloval "varrtam" meg. Igy lett kesz a csillog-villog Lolaruha. 

There is another 1920's picnic in August that I hoping we can all attend! I can't wait! 

A kovetkezo 1920'as evek piknikje Augusztusban lesz ismet Governors Island-on es mar alig varjuk ismet! 

LO(lo)V(i)E, LV

Apron dress for toddlers

So, I made another apron dress! I can see hate mail coming my way soon for neglecting all the boys, London in particular, but I figured I had the pattern on hand and material at the bottom of my stash, so I just went with it ...  Click HERE for a winter version of the same dress made from upcycled sweaters.  

I don't have a tutorial, because there are so many other great momma crafters, who do that much better on the internet (check below for the list of free patterns you can download) ... It's more about the idea and showing you how you can re-use and recycle stuff that's already in most closets. With that said ... the green corduroy is from Walmart and I am not sure about the cost, but I remember it being really cheap. I wanted to line the dress, for which I used daddy's old work shirt, otherwise destined to the garbage bin (I also cut off the buttons for future use). The applique is made from scraps and the ribbon on the top of the birdhouse is from the handle of an Anthropologie shopping bag. (I am trying to resist becoming a pack rat, but I couldn't throw out such a pretty piece of ribbon :)

Here is a full view of the dress  ... 

 Work in progress ...

Bird detail

I wake up excited at 7 am, give Lola the surprise dress I've worked on all night, she takes a look and swishes it right then left and says with a disappointed face: 

"Mommy, this dress no good! It doesn't twirl" 

My favorite model and hard to please customer. 

Toddler dress patterns I lolove from Prudent Baby:

* Pillowcase toddler dress 

*Snap wrap dress  (I adore this dress! It's on my sewing list)

*Party dress 

And another free (similar) pattern by snazzlecraft 

If you'd like the applique pattern, please leave me a comment!

See you later alligator! 

Have a lolovely rest of the week, 

LV

Upcycled felt Lola dress

I have a new addiction and it's called FELT ("I felt it in my fingers, I felt it in my toes ..... tralalalalalaaaalaaaa")! Since I discovered this medium I've been visiting the local thrift store as often as I pass by (which is pretty much daily) and this is the scary part: every time I enter I get the feeling of a gold rush and throw myself at the hangers like a hungry vulture at his prey. Uhmmm ....  ok, I don't know if this description is flattering, but in any case just imagine a woman in her long, shapeless down jacket and a white furry "chicken" hat (as London calls it) rummaging through the racks with a huge grin on her face .. MOI!

If you've never shrunk a sweater (only by mistake) do not be intimidated! It's an easy-peasy process. But before I start .. here some tricks of the trade I've learnt from my collection of shrunken sweaters and scarfs:

1. Men's sweaters are always a better buy at the charity store! First of, they are larger in size, so you get more for your money. Second, they ALWAYS cost less! (Yes, ladies! It's not only your haircut that's more expensive and bathroom line that's always longer .. now here come the sweaters!)

2. Buy 100% wool or at least 80%! Maybe 75% ... but nothing else!

3. I cut the sweaters apart before washing them. (Not sure what the felting gurus rules say, but I did ..) Some frilled in the wash, but put a damp hankie on it, iron and it's back to status quo! I didn't unravel the sewing .. I figured that half an inch won't really add so much value as much time I would have had to spend on it. I simply cut up the sweaters and discarded the sewing line.

4. By now you must sense that I am not the most patient of crafters and cut corners right and left :) UHmmm ... if that's what you are thinking you are correct! I tossed the cut up sweater to the laundry with my pink flip flop and a bit of detergent, warm water and a short wash ... The washing machine was full of fluff afterwards, but for me it seems easier to clean up than a pillow case that many are using to contain the fluff. I cleaned the machine out afterwards with a few wipes and it worked.

5. I used the drier. Always! Though watch out, because a really warm sweater can shrink to a miniature for your toddler's doll's wardrobe. (Don't ask how I came across this information). Ok, so you may not want to tumble dry it if you already have a size and thickness that you'll like.

6. The thickness of your felt (if not the same) has to be approximately the same.

7. I am not an expert and everything above may be a subject to change depending on factors I wouldn't know about. Experiment it out yourself!

Ok, so now that you have gone through your family's closet for sweaters to shrink and visited the charity store, found your flip flops to be washed and have a nice piece of felt, this is what you can make out of it ...

       
Lola's dress is made from my H&M scarf (stripes) and a 6 USD second hand men's sweater.
I got the dress pattern from Betz White's book "Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects", but you can easily make your own pattern.  Just draw around an existing apron dress, cut out the pattern and cut it into different squares  .. see the photo collage below

Use zig zag stitch to sew the pieces together ... Cut away uneven ends ...

You may or may not line the dress. I did and I don't think it's necessary at all (though it looks far more professional). The book has a pattern for a tea cup pocket, but I wanted to make Lola's dress different, so I found a heart nurse in a flying saucer on one of the old Ikea fabrics I had and made an applique out of it (two sided stabilizer) ...  The result ...

As you can tell, my model is not overly cooperative and the photo shoot turned out to be a chase around the kitchen island with my camera swinging on my neck and taking turns around the corners as a formula race car driver ... The drive-by photo shoot turned out this  ... 

Here are some great recycled sweater projects if you don't have a toddler in your house, who would complain that their new dress doesn't twirl ... 

Wrap it Up and Roll it Out: Recycled Felt Pencil Roll-UP

Ikea Ottoman Cover (hand sewn) ...

 I love it!  

Sweater mittens 

(I think I need a pair of these in my life)

Oh and remember! These awesome things can be hand sewn also. Hand stitching gives so much character to any item. These are just a few examples, but I've seen scarfs, blankets, slippers just to name a few upcycled sweater projects. And get this! I just saw a pair of upcycled mittens at our local craft store for 95 USD! Wink, wink! Free pattern through the link above. 

Ok LoLo(vie)lies, I am off to bed. Thank you to all who just "like"d me on Facebook and Pinterest and all the comments that warm my heart. If you make anything from your oldies, please share! 

I would LOLOve to see! 

Have a great week and while I have visitors for another few days I am off making Pickles's partner (Bagel) in crime, who's been since re-named to KoKo. 

LO(lo)V(i)E, LV    

P.S. If you aren't as impressed with upcycling sweaters as I am, but have a closet full of woollies stashed in your closet waiting to be thrown away you know how to contact me ;)

"Just Love" dress

Lately I've been addicted to the local 99 cent store a few blocks away from us. I bought the t-shirt there that I made into the dress previously and many other things for future upgrade.
Technically, it's not a 99 cent store but a "close-out" store with items that Jay Leno would be showing on his program. You know, the food that's about to expire, the tights with two different leg patterns, the polyester pants that create an electric circuit, the t-shirts with misspelled words and dresses made out of a material that are exfoliators at the same time.

So, I walked into my favorite moth ball smelling store and saw this ... You know there is something wrong with these dresses just by the sign "asssorted" styles ... don't you?

Of course, I took a look at the rack and there was a bunch of Plain Jane dresses, surprisingly made from a pleasant, non-scratchy material. Pink looks good on me, so I grabbed a magenta (?)/hot pink dress and headed towards the seemingly annoyed shop assistant even from a distance. 

"Excuse, me. Where is the dressing room?"

(She looks me up and down then down and up)

"There is none!"

I get it! What she was really saying is "Lady, you think you're shopping at Dior on 5th? For your 6.99 USD that you are about to pay for that dress of yours, wouldn't a dressing room be just a tad too much to have?"    

I bought it anyway! Now look ... what is so obviously wrong with it???? 

Well, if you haven't guessed, let's just say I prefer people (men in particular :) talk to my face and not below :) The cut is so low, it felt like I was half naked with the dress on ... 

So, I rummaged through my leftover fabric stash, found this cute pink and brown flowery fabric, made a belt using heatNbond giving it stiffness. Made two ruffles sewed it onto the rim, connected the two in the middle and it was ready!~    

LOOK:

Don't you "Just Love" it?  (I am not fishing for compliments here - it's the "designer's" label :))))

There! Now I can even lean over and smell the flowers!

Ok, LoLoVies ... this is it for this week, but next week I'll be back with more photos, maybe some necklaces, maybe a recipe and even some I Love NYC stuff. 

Ta Taaaaaaaaaaaa 

Lo(Lo)V(i)E to you all, LV

P.S. Leave a comment, will you? 

I love getting the inspirational push to keep creating, sewing, 

making stuff, plus it always puts a smile on my face. 

Or you can just "like" LoLoVie on Facebook and we'll be friends :) 

T-shirt + Fabric = DRESS

Did you know that I am a dress-a-holic? Yuppp, if I could, I would wear dresses all year 'round. The only problem is that the dresses I see in stores are either made for an office job or for a night out and none (mostly) for "mommas that want to look pretty pushing a stroller, doing their grocery shopping or laundry, running under the spriklers with their tots, jumping like popcorn in dance class or by a stove ... and etcetera ... (my favorite English word btw - ETCETERA ... and scissors ... )

I keep seeing these dresses for kids that look like it's a piece of material attached to a top, so finally I decided to make one for myself. Being a little girl at heart, I thought these dresses would be great for me (in size 2 not 2T).  I always have trouble finding t-shirts I really like and I didn't want to sacrifice those I have in my closet for a fear of having to end up with no dress and no t-shirt, but adding to my pile of fabric that "one day will make it into something useful" ....

We have this cheapo store that smells of moth balls not far away and I found a t-shirt I liked for 3.99 USD .. Here is the proof ...

Then I looked for some coordinating fabric ... 

The goal was to make something sort-of apron-ish but dress-ish and very very cute(ish?) ... 

(sorry for butchering the English language with this description)

This is what I did: 

Ruffle the two kinds of fabric, measure the circumference of where you want your skirt to start, sew to the t-shirt. Easy, huh???? If I just came up with this version the first time and not the 3rd after trying different variations and designs. I bought a yard of the bottom (longer) skirt and half of the top one). ... 

A fashion tip nobody asked for: If you have no butt like MOI this dress is really cute and makes it look like there "may" be something in there (hahahahah), on the other hand, if you do have something "there" I probably wouldn't go with these big poofy ruffles ... I like the way mine looks like though :))) 

See? Perfect for grocery shopping! 

Or a fake photo shoot with your hubby behind the camera ... 

I am just glad all my limbs and my head fit into the picture!

So what do you think? 

CUTE or NOT?

LO(lo)V(i)E, 

LV 

(the original one and not the one on those ugly handbags! :)

Re-fashion: Toddler dress from an adult blouse

I was so excited to find a top with Hungarian embroidery (Made in China) at Strawberry a few years ago, I didn't even care that it didn't fit me properly. It was about 12.99 USD if I remember correctly. Every time the seasons changed I took it out of the closet, tried it on and put it neatly away again - it still didn't fit. It also was sewn in such a weird mass-produced way, that I could not possibly mend it. Last week I decided to gift it to the local charity store, but then a lightbulb went off ... "What if I make a dress for Lola instead of giving it away???" Remember, I am not a sewer by any stretch of the imagination - well, at least not the kind that plans, draws, measures, and measures again and finally cuts. I do all in two steps - cut and sew and sometimes, but only sometimes measure :).

The top:

I first parted the top of the top from the bottom ruffle ... 

Then cut the sides to fit Lola's chest. 

The back has a part with elastic ruching that I did not even touch. 

I ruched the bottom originally of the top, now the skirt-to-be to fit the new circumference; cut the straps in the middle, made a knot at the end and it was READY for Lola to be worn ... See? It's that easy ... And if you need to know, yes it is meant to be "off-shoulders" - remember? :) It's DESIGN!!! :))

What do you think? 

"Look at my new dress, guys!!"

Something is stuck to my "fip-fop" .. I mean "flip-flop" 

"Now off you go finding old tops in your closets to make other little girls some beautiful dresses!" .. . Lola says 

Momma says: "Finally, a successful project!"

Lo(Lo)V(i)E, LV

P.S. If you like the flower in Lola's hair you can learn how to make it HERE

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