Friday, September 25, 2009

another "e" dress

i know a lot of babies born in the fall...i learned last year to get a head start or else i'll be eating rice n beans for 2 months because i'll have spent our entire budget on presents. part of the handmade process i love is that some of the best gifts can be so inexpensive! this dress cost less than $2 to make...the plaid fabric (look familiar?) was part of that crazy $1 per yard - the purple fabric was an old sheet no longer in use, but so soft and needed to be made into something. i used the same pattern as Eliot's dress and i really like how this one turned out. i think it will be perfect for the little girl its going to! (BTW: the dress did not photograph well...or rather i didnt photograph it well...hopefully i can get a shot of the little girl wearing it and post it later :)

i whipped up 2 dresses yesterday - one for a gift and one for the shop...i think that is a good goal...i was especially motivated since i made a sale yesterday :)  i get started on a certain style - for a while it was appliques on things and lately it has been initials on things...i am a little obsessed...to my credit, bodie and bryson each only have 1 item of clothing with a "B" on it...i try to be a little creative, but i just think its so darling when kids are *proud* of their initials...i guess bryson is and maybe not other children...i remember being obsessed with "C"s when i was learning to spell. i also remember always wanting to buy those silly license plate keychains with my name on it and there has never been "Carlee" - there has been "Carly" but its just not the same is it? no...its not...not to a 10 year old...its soooo not! anyway....you can see i was clearly deprived as a child!

i have also been into this visible stitching and showing my stitches and unfinished ends that will fray just ever so - in an intentional messy way i guess. exaggerating the handmade...so on the pockets i ran 3 stitches in a contrasting color - same thing over the "e" and i topstitched with a contrasting color as well.

i went through my fabric and would love to start using up what i have and not have to buy anything new to fluff up the shop...its a personal challenge i am giving myself...which is tough for me because whenever i see a new pattern pop up i get all nutty! but then i go and use stuff like i did with this dress and fall in love with it! so its a good reminder again that we dont need to go crazy and spend money to make something that both you and the intended is going to love! (hopefully)





2 comments:

Whitney Hannah Hill said...

REALLY adorable! You are so right...handmade is ALWAYS more special of a gift. I hear you on using what you have. I get sooo enticed by new beads before I use what I already have - and thus have bins of old beads that I have a hard time being inspired by. (Sometimes I get inspired enough to sell old stones/beads on eBay, but it hardly ever pays off.) :(

Stacy said...

Carlee
I feel like I should fess up and let you know I read your blog. It is on my reader so that means I get to see all of your posts. I love them. Nursing a baby has given me several time a day to do some quick internet checks and somehow I stumbled on your blog and now I have a 5 month old :) Not to mention Bodie is just ahead of Jane and you give me a heads up of what is to come. So I have been watching you secretly for a bit. Thought it is only fair to let you know and to give you our blog: sbdemmins@blogspot.com

I love what you make and love seeing your CUUUTE kids! Happy blogging...keep it up for people like me.

Stacy (Keil) Demmin