Sailor Inspired Vintage Natalie Dresses for A Family Portrait

Oh I love these girls!

Last week I wrote about the dress I made for India

to wear at a family reunion celebrating my parents'

50th anniversary.

Today I will be writing about the dresses 

I made for Ahnalin and my niece.

Once (and twice) again,

I am using my beloved "Vintage Natalie" patterns

that my friend Janet Gilbert

designed for Sew Beautiful Magazine. 

I used the pattern containing sizes 2-6

for my niece and the pattern

containing sizes 8-14 for Ahnalin.

You can purchase the patterns by clicking

on the bolded links above.

If you don't have them already, 

I suggest buying them right away.

 Sew Beautiful is no longer being published

and I have no idea what the plans are for the availability

of these amazingly beautiful patterns.

I love this pattern.

I am pretty sure it is my favorite pattern.

You see, I sewed it up for a birthday dress for Ahnalin

one year.

I used it to create a back to school dress for Ahnalin here.

And I used it to create the lovely dress with smocking

at the waist for Sew Beautiful Magazine.

last year.

I know I have also sewn it a few more times for

custom orders,

but somehow I put them in the mail before I took photos.

Not smart, I know! 

But you can see how much I love this pattern!

For these dresses,

I cut the traditional mid-calf length.

I cut a size 8 for Ahnalin and a size 6 for Cherish.

My mother had requested a sailor style

navy dress with white and lemon yellow trim.

After being unsuccessful in finding 

ribbon trim with a nautical theme in those colors,

I chose my beloved white rick rack

and lemon yellow ribbon as accents.

Ahnalin chose the yellow flower buttons. 

My darling niece.

 

I used the tab belt with ribbon for the back.

I used the same navy blue cotton sateen,

with 97% and 3% spandex for these dresses.

My mom ordered the hats online.

This pattern is so well written and the fit is so perfect!

The instructions are very well written and

the construction goes together beautifully.

It is a very versatile pattern!

I think next time, 

and there will definitely be a next time,

I will use a border print!

 

Our three lovie girls and my dad photobombing with his

yellow shorts!

Grandpa John John and Grandma Barbara with their grandgirls.

Me and my girls.

I have a few customs to finish today

and I hope I remember to take some photos

before I pop them into the mail!

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

 

Simplicity 1353- A Leanne Marshall Confection for India

Oh how I love this dress!

And I love the girl who is wearing this dress!

And I love the reason why this dress and this 

girl came to be in the first place.

Let me back up a bit.....

You see, my parents celebrated 50 years of marriage

on May 16 of this year.

We had all been trying to get together as a family

to celebrate for several months.

We finally all met up at their home in Sparks, NV

last weekend!

My mother decided to ask a photographer friend

to take family photos, 

as we are rarely all together in the same place.

And she wanted a color scheme

of navy blue, white and yellow.

And she thought it would be fun if her three granddaughters

wore coordinating dresses with a sailor theme.

This cracks me up, because nearly 26 years ago,

I had a navy, white and ice pink scheme with 

a sailor theme for my wedding.

None of us are, or ever have been sailors.

But we like the theme!

I would be making three different dresses for three girls,

aged, 5, 9 and 22. 

Ahnalin picked out the patterns for her dress

and for my niece Cherish.

She chose Janet Gilbert's "Vintage Natalie"

pattern that she designed for Sew Beautiful Magazine.

India chose Simplicity 1353,

also labeled as S0573

designed by the fabulous Leanne Marshall

of Project Runway Season 5.

I will say it again, 

I LOVE THIS PATTERN!

Whenever I make a dress for India, 

or an adult client, 

and especially for myself,

I always start by making a muslin

or trial bodice.

I made a muslin of 

this pattern for India's dress and the muslin fit perfectly!

THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!!!

I actually plan to finish the muslin so she will have another dress

in this pattern in a different fabric.

Now that I know I can sew it directly from

the pattern and know it will fit her,

she may end up with a hundred of these dresses!!

One of our favorite details of this dress is the

accent piece at the top of the bodice.

 It offers just a peek of a print

on an otherwise solid dress.

For the main part of the dress, 

I used a cotton sateen

from Joann Fabrics that is 97% cotton with 3% spandex.

I have used this fabric in nearly every color they offer

and I love it every time!

 The white is a cotton sheeting

and the yellow polka dot is from 

Jennifer Paganelli's new line "Jenny Eliza"

which is also available at Joann Fabrics.

Both of the accent fabrics are cut on the bias,

requiring 3/4 of a yard.

So I ended up with plenty of extra fabric to line

the bodice and even....

 

 

sneak in contrast pockets!!!!!!

YES!!! POCKETS!!!

 

Pockets are always a must for India's dresses,

so that she has a place to put her insulin pump.

She adores these pockets and she adores this dress!

I found matching navy blue bow flats

on clearance at Macy's and bought

a pair for each of us.

They were perfect!

And my mom bought the sailor hats for the girls.

Some of my favorite things about this pattern

are the fit of the fully lined bodice and the pockets.

I love how Leanne explains how to insert an invisible 

zipper right in the pattern instructions.

I love the little details and explanations 

in the directions that are often left out

of most patterns.

I will definitely make this pattern for India again.....

and maybe one for me!

Next up, I will talk about the other two dresses.

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

A Birthday Dress For Ahnalin

Ahnalin had a birthday.

So, of course, she needed a new dress.

Because who can resist this face?

She wanted the dress to be in her
favorite style sundress.
I don't use a pattern for this style,
as I just cut it based on her current measurements.

And she wanted me to use this
Cath Kidston napkin, that Grandma
bought at a garage sale,
for an apron sewn onto it.

We both love the apron look.

She picked out this vintage 1930s green
rick rack

and the yellow
floral fabric for the sash
and hem band from my stash.

And the Beatrix Potter
buttons were on a card that was dated "1976". 

She was very happy with her birthday dress!

 And of course!

Birthday girls get to lick the beater for the Kitchenaid mixer.

And they get to blow out candles!

Sometimes, they even receive beautiful bride
dolls as birthday presents!

Sometimes they get their very own
little tiny watermelon.

Sometimes they get free scoops of ice cream
at Baskin Robbins.

Ahnalin was very blessed because Grandma Barbara 

and Grandpa John came for the weekend.

You see, Grandma Barbara's birthday

was on Saturday! 

So we had lots and lots of birthday!

I made this pillow for my mom (Grandma Barbara).

And Ahnalin used my embroidery machine 

and made this fleece scarf her.

Grandma loved these gifts,

but I think her favorite was the chocolate fudge cake

with Nutella frosting and coconut that I made for her

from scratch.

Oh it was so good!!

All in all, we had a wonderful

birthday weekend!

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

India is Twenty-Wonderful!

Do you have any idea how much I love this girl?

India is the only treasure that I carried under

my heart for 9 months.

And she has been my joy for every day of her

21 years.

I am so grateful that she is mine.

She loves a good adventure!

She is goofy and knows a good cuppa' when she sees one!

She knows how to wield a fry pan when necessary!

And she is completely wonderful in every way.

Today,
as my darling girl is still battling
a nasty cold,
and awaiting news of her (hopefully!!!)
impending acceptance for another
term in the Disney College Program,
I pray peace and health for her.

I pray joy and love.

I pray tenacity and strength.

I pray trust and courage.

I am so grateful that
21 years ago,
God gave me the desire of my heart,
and gave me this jewel.

Happy Birthday Princess India.

I pray all your dreams come true.

Love,
Mommy



(Photo credits go to her darling friends Sigrid Forsythe
and Jayne McKenna)

All Four Of Us In A Single Shot!

It doesn't happen often.

I mean, we very rarely are in the 

same place at the same time,

when we are dressed in decent clothing,

makeup on and hair brushed,

and,

at least appear,

in our right minds.

But yesterday at our new church,

Sebastopol Christian Church,

I grabbed a new friend

and handed her my phone.

I threatened my family 

with mayhem if they made 

anything less than the most

charming and lovely 

smiles.

And there you have it!

Look closely at the hand on India's leg.

It's mine but it looks like it is hers,

only the fingers are opposite of what they should be.

It makes me laugh!

And I am pretty sure that 

India was saying 

"TAKE THE PICTURE ALREADY!"

Ahnalin refused to sit up straight 

and actually smile.

But hey!

There we all are now. 

Whew!

Now.....back to my sewing.
Unless I finish India's Christmas dress,
she will likely be dress-less on Christmas day!

Happy Sewing!

Candles, Cocoa And Change

Tonight we lit the Shepherd's Candle of Joy.

We love Advent Sundays in our family.

They are my favorite tradition of the 

Christmas season!

We usually use a brass Advent wreath or 

a red cutout metal Swedish Advent wreath.

But this year, we are using the wood and greenery

wreath that Ahnalin and I made at the Advent Festival

at our old church. 

( More about this below.)

In this picture, we were singing

"The First Noel".

I can't tell you how much I love this picture.

I love love love love it!

Every Sunday night of Advent, 

we read the Bible verses,

sing the songs,

pray the prayers,

and light the candles.

Then we enjoy dessert and 

salted maple hot chocolate.

Last week, we had chocolate cake

and the same salted maple hot cocoa.

Do you see my darling Christmas Goose china?

I love it!

And the first Sunday of Advent,

we had dark chocolate brownies

and salted maple hot cocoa.

And yes, I have lots of different Christmas china.

All of my dishes for the rest of the 

year are super practical,

but I love my wonderful Christmas dishes!

And in case you were wondering,

the "Salted Maple Hot Cocoa"

is my own concoction.

You see, I had been very, very committed

to the Anti-Inflammatory diet, 

and had avoided all sugar, wheat, corn and potatos

for months.

But pure maple syrup is allowed occasionally. 

And I loved the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

at Starbucks, so I wanted something similar for me!

So, here it is!

Salted Maple Hot Cocoa

Serves 4

4 cups milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt

3/8 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup boiling water

whipped cream 

(yeah it has a bit of sugar. I don't care!)

cocoa powder to sprinkle on top

In a medium sauce pan, heat the milk on low heat.

(Be careful not to scald or burn the milk or you get a yucky

brown film on it.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder,

salt, maple syrup, vanilla, and boiling water until foamy.

Carefully blend the cocoa mixture into the hot milk.

Pour into 4 mugs and top with whipped cream.

Sprinkle a bit of cocoa powder on the top of the 

whipped cream. 

YUMMY!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

And the change I was referring to.........

Well, we have loved our time at Santa Rosa

First Presbyterian Church,

but we are so excited for our next adventure!

Last Sunday was our final Sunday at First Pres,

and this morning was our first Sunday at 

Sebastopol Christian Church!

Don is the new 

Director of Music and Worship

at SCC! 

We had such a fun time 

in worship with our new fellow

singers and musicians. 

We can't wait to get to know new friends

and serve in new ministries.

God is so good!

And the best part is that 

we will still be able to see

our friends from First Pres because we 

are staying in Santa Rosa!
YAY!!

I am so grateful to God 

for the gift of His Son

and the gift of worship.

Happy Advent!

Oh My! My Baby India Is 20!

Happy 20th Birthday India!!

Yes! 

She is 20 years old! 

And this is the bike she bought with her 

Birthday money.

Pretty sweet ride, eh?

So in honor of her birthday,

I thought I would show some fun photos of my

first baby.

I took this photo on her last day at work

as a "bookie" on the 

Storybook Land Canal Boats

at Disneyland. 

Ahnalin and I were riding Casey Jr. and 

as the track runs all around Storybook land,

our train happened to be directly overhead

as India's boat was going under the bridge.

 And here she is right 

before midnight on her final night of work

as she was graduating from the Disney College Program.

Ahnalin and I, 

along with some of her DCP buddies,

were honored to ride her final boat.

This was, without a doubt,

her very favorite job ever!

A week after we brought her home from the

Disney College Program,

my parents came for the weekend

and we drove over to Bodega Bay for a visit.

As usual, India chose to make goofy faces

in nearly every shot!

I love this picture. 

I actually took it in May when

I got to visit her all by myself

in Anaheim. 

This picture is a few years old but I love it.

India is holding my darling niece Cherish

and I think they both look beautiful.

This was taken a few years ago when

India, Ahnalin and I went to a friend's wedding.

This was taken when she was not yet 4

and we were moving away from her favorite

cousin, and best friend Tyler. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of these two.

India loved eating at the American Girl Cafe

in Chicago when we lived there.

This visit was when she was 7 years old.

This was taken at India's third birthday.

She LOVED this dress!

Blue gingham and the apron

was white with pink birthday cakes.

I even made a matching outfit for her Ginny doll!

And here she is just a few years ago in 

her Alice costume.

I stole this picture off of her Facebook page.

A friend took it when she was a freshman

standing outside the drama room at school.

Her shirt and her expression are pure India.

Here she was singing at a local restaurant

while her Daddy (aka Hot Rockin' Hubby)

accompanied her.

This is my all time favorite picture of my India.

She was 3 and

attending Healdsburg Preschool Co-op. 

She is just so yummy in this photo!!

I love my India so much.

She was my first baby.

She is the one who had to 

bear the brunt of all my first-time-mama parenting,

yet, somehow, she has managed 

to grow into a brilliant,

talented, 

beautiful,

funny,

amazing,

loving,

generous,

spontaneous,

gifted,

happy,

faithful,

imaginative,

committed,

and miraculous 

WOMAN!

I can't even begin to say how very proud I am of her.

As she enters this stage of her life,

her "20s",

I pray that the Lord will

bless her with wisdom,

joy,

courage,

faith,

health,

peace,

love,

relationships,

success,

miracles,

imagination,

and 

yes, I pray that she be blessed

with her heart's desires.

Jeremiah 29:11 is India's favorite verse.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you a hope and a future."

She is a lovely woman

but she will always be my baby.

India, mama loves you forever.