Lilypond Party Princess Dress for Hanan

Yeay! I made this, totally worth the sleepless night!

I call this Lilypond Party Princess Dress. It was for her 2nd Birthday Bash last Sunday. Made in fresh pink and cream colourways.

I made it using a Simply Sweet Tops and Dresses pdf pattern by CarlaC, I purchased on YouCanMakeThis.com. I tell you, I have tried many sewing patterns before (I used to sew 3 years back before I stop when the machine broke down), this is by far the most comprehensive, easy to follow instructions I have ever encountered. Worth every Ringgit spent! (..well..when you convert it).

It is such an adorable pattern. It was meant to be a bit roomy at the bodice to make room for the t-shirt inside. I wanted it to be worn alone but it turned out a tad too big for Hanan! Dang...there goes my sizing problem again. Oh well, I hope by Eid this year this cutie would fit Hanan nicely :-)

Oh did I tell you I also made a PoutyPettycoat Skirt to make the dress all pouffy? Hehehe.....it was totally worth it! The tulle pinning and stitching process was tedious but I learned so much from it and the girls had fun helping mommy getting all the tulle under control (Tip : tulle is at its best behaviour when it lies flat!). It was a skirt meant to pouff up all dresses and skirts and worn as petticoat inside, such a clever idea!

All in all, this project has taught me that I could indeed sew! Even though not perfect yet (I don't have a serger so my fininshing spells homemade), I knew now that if I put my mind to something, it will turn out great. And the smile on Hanan's face totally lights up my day and keeps me going!

The happy birthday princess....see how the dress pouffed up?

The sleeves...easy peasy...very interesting technique

Attaching to the bodice (the bodice is lined with the same fabric as the sleeves)

Gathered the skirt and add ruffles..tadaaa!

The tulle pinning process for the petticoat

Stitching the tulle onto cotton skirt

Worn underneath dress...

Baby Halter Top

This one is such a lovely design. It is a Japanese pattern. I had a crazy time trying to decipher the instructions. Surprisingly it was easy enough. The pictures in Japanese patterns are quite clear and even a beginner sewer like me could follow. I love the cuteness of its design however it was a tad too tight for Hanan. I've to start learning how to adjust sizing. The challenge for this project was hemming the curved hem, it kept rolling unevenly I didn't know what to do! But the plus point is I understand now how to topstitch yeay!




Hanan happy and proud...

You can't catch me Mommy!



Some artsy shots....

The back of the top

The Pheasant Skirt

This skirt was finished 2 weeks ago, the same day I made the pinafore top for Hanan. True to what some say, the 2nd time around was easier. This time I made a four tiered pheasant skirt for Aisha. She chose the fabric combo herself and was dancing and twirling all day.

Mommy Made Pinafore Top

Another project for Hanan was finished this morning, a slight improvement than my first attempt, managed to complete it in 4 hours eheheh....

This is from "Nirunaru" pinafore dress pattern in Ottobre 1/2008. Yes, it's suppose to be a dress for baby, but I turned into a top for Hanan. I made it with a tulip print cotton poplin for the top body and a blue fun floral bottom band & coordinated drawsting ribbon from the same fabric.

I'd say that this project helped me discover my sewing skill problem areas. They are :

1. I have a problem with very narrow hemming (this one, at armholes)
2. I have a problem with measurement and cutting (the bottom bands had to be rescued with bias binding hehe)
3. I have a problem with topstitching! (Ottobre's instruction is narrative, no pics to follow, I simply can't figure out how to topstitch the bottom band to the top body. Solution : Decorative stitch hehe)
4. I have a problem with STRAIGHT LINES!!! Be it cutting, tracing, drawing or sewing, I managed to screw it, always...sighh.....

But then again, Hanan's happiness and smiles when I put it on her is just so precious. I'm off to make that skirt I promised kakak Aisha. I am turning into a sewing junkie and this momma simply love it!!


The proud owner...Hanan the Precious!

Side view of the top...

Look at how the decorative stitch and bias tape came to my rescue. The bias cotton tape with pink lace is so adorable. I purchased it online, from Holland. So cute!

The Colourful Hanan Alia....

Okay mummy, enough already with the photos! :-D

Lovingly Made For My Baby

I purchased this sewing machine 2 months ago and was so excited to sew something up especially for my girls. But as usual, I am such a busy queen bee, where got time mahh...? Today, on leave for a day, taking a breather from work , I sat down to work at 6am and only came out of the room at 1.30pm!! Sigh...what an amateur....

Buuut...... I manage to turn this......


Into this! (notice how everyting is on the floor? I've an aching lowerback now...seriously need to get a desk or workstation)


And the proud owner/model....TADAAA!!!

Hanan Alia smiling & happy in her brand new 3-tiered skirt!





I made it using this tutorial. I was looking for a beginner type of project as I seriously sucks at sewing hahaha....I have problem even to keep the stitch straight! A beginner project like this, which should take only around an hour tops became a half day job for me tee hee hee...

But am so satisfied with the result. Made it a bit longer so that Hanan could wear it longer. And now, kakak Aisha is begging for a matchy-matchy skirt for herself! Errkk...if it takes 6 hours for me to finish this one for a 2 year old, I wonder how long will it take for me to make one for a 9 year old? Hmmm...you do the math hahaha...Hopefully I'd be able to make one for Aisha so as not to disappoint her. She said the skirt " Nampak macam beli mummy!"...Hehe...try taking a peek at the jumbled up seams on the inside and you'll know it's definitely homemade!