Harper's Unicorn Oliver + S Swingset Skirt & Peasant Blouse.

Now We Are Six

By A. A. Milne

When I was One,

I had just begun.

When I was Two,

I was nearly new.

When I was Three

I was hardly me.

When I was Four,

I was not much more.

When I was Five,

I was just alive.

But now I am Six,

I'm as clever as clever,

So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

I am sure that we would all love for Harper to stay six 

for more than a year!  

She is one of the most delightful six year old children

 I have had the pleasure to know!

Harper is the oldest daughter of my friend and teammate, Rachel.  She is kind-hearted, generous, and very smart.  She is a wonderful reader and an amazingly prolific writer.  I do believe that she writes multiple page stories nearly every day!  Harper is a lover of all nature but she has especially loved the mythical unicorns since she was just a tiny thing.  I made her an aqua VFT 'Clara (Violette Fields Threads Pattern) a couple of years ago and blogged about that dress in this post.  Although Harper is now a big girl of six, her love for this magical creature hasn't dimmed. 

Last September I made her this little skirt with fabric I found online at Hawthorne Supply Company.  I knew that she would like it!  I used a pattern that I have loved for a long time:  The Swingset Skirt by Oliver + S.  I have lost count of how many of these skirts I have made!  The little peasant blouse was made with machine embroidered fabric purchased several years ago at JoAnn.

 

I switched the lining and outer skirt pieces of the pattern so that the gray patterned under layer would peek out of the bottom of the skirt.  I added cotton lace edging to that bottom skirt and narrow hemmed the top skirt. I also used only one piece of .75 inch elastic in the waist.

The blouse pattern is Simplicty #4206 with added length and width to the sleeves to achieve the little ruffled puffed sleeve.  The narrow elastic was inserted under the ribbon trim.

The Unicorn

by Shel Silverstein

A long time ago, when the earth was green

and there were more kinds of animals then you've ever seen,

and they run around free while the earth was bein' born,

and the loveliest of all was the unicorn.

Sister & Brother Set for Chloe & Hudson

Holding Hands

by Suzie Huitt

Brother and sister,

together as friends,

ready to face,

whatever life sends.

Joy or laughter

or tears or strife,

holding hands tightly

as we dance through life.

This sweet duo share a birthday five years apart.  They are Chloe and Hudson, the two 'littles' in a family with four children spread over twenty-five years of marriage.  Their mama, Kaye, is my dear friend.  My son Logan and Kaye's oldest son Hunter have been friends since the primary years of elementary school. Kaye is an amazing mother who I have watched 'parent' over the years with admiration, awe, and I must confess, jealousy.  Kaye will get to be a hands-on involved mama for 40 years!  Her nest will not be empty for a long time!  Unlike a lot of women my age, I think that is just wonderful!  

Chloe is a wonderful big sister to Hudson.  She and he are truly closer than many siblings born closer together.  They play with each other and comfort one another, always looking out for the other's best interests.  That is not to say that they don't 'fuss' a bit, because they do.  They are real children after all!

As I have said in past posts (Mermaid dress & shorts outfit:  HERE and HERE) Chloe considers herself a mermaid.  That isn't really surprising because Kaye's favorite place in all the world is the beach.  Chloe has been swimming since she was just a tiny thing and actually can swim amazingly well with a mermaid swim fin.

When I saw this sea-life fabric collection more than a year ago,  I knew I had to get it to create some things for Chloe.  I used a halter dress pattern from an old Australian Smocking & Embroidery Magazine and omitted the smocking to make these dresses.  Each one is trimmed a little differently.  The predominately blue dress has darker blue piping around the bodice and a narrow band of the bottom ruffle fabric around the waist.  The other dress uses companion fabrics of seaweed and shells with blue ribbons of different hues decorating the bodice. 

Pattern:  'Hula Girl' by Kathy Dykstra in 

Australian Smocking & Embroidery #84, size 7 

Fabrics:  'Serenity' collection by Cheri Strole for Northcott

 (# 4760, #4761, #4765, and 'Serenty Dots')

Hudson's Shorts were made using the 'Busy Beez' pattern from Australian Smocking & Embroidery Magazine #78 to match Chloe's blue dress.  The days of matching clothing will be a thing of the past soon but these two will always have a special connection.  What a blessing!

Thank you for visiting!  May your day be 

filled with Blessings!

A Tiny Smocked Sundress

A Sundress for a Special Doll

Little girls have always loved their dolls and all that goes with them.  I adored playing with my dolls, especially the baby dolls and saved them for a long time.  I used to make my dolls' clothes by hand using my mother's fabric scraps.  I believe that I was about six when I received a Shirley Temple doll.  My grandmother knitted, crocheted, and tatted beautiful clothes for her.  I still have the Tiny Tears baby doll that I received from Santa when I was five years old.  Her name was Elizabeth and she was my absolute favorite.  She keeps me company in my sewing room along with my daughter's three Pleasant Company Dolls (American Girl dolls).

The little smocked sundress modeled by my daughter's doll is the smallest piece of smocking that I have ever done!   I made it several years ago and sold it to a friend at school for her little girl.  

Dress Pattern:  Annie's Sundress & Jumper by Primrose Lane

Slip:  Self drafted

Panties Pattern:  ???

Fabric, Venice Lace, & Piping:  Stash

Smocking Plate:  My own design, I think.

I made a little half slip and fancy panties to go with the outfit. I actually put tiny buttons and buttonholes on the back!

This post makes me feel a bit nostalgic!  I might be making doll clothes again soon!