Halloween Sewing

As soon as the October calendar goes up in the front of the classroom, the children are squealing with delight.  Halloween is almost here!  The 31 days to wait is nearly torture for them!  The fun little Halloween shirts and outfits have been showing up in my kindergarten classroom for the last two weeks.  The children delight in wearing clothing featuring ghosts and spiders, pumpkins and witches.  This week my class will be making tie-dyed Halloween pumpkin shirts to wear to school on THE BIG DAY next week.

This year I am making a couple of little dresses using a pattern that is new to me but I am not ready to share those with you yet.  So I went through my files and found some things I have made over the years that I don't think that I have shared here.

The large candy totes above were made for a friend's daughters.  Each one was a little different with pictures I cut from a Halloween panel appliqued on each side.  The lining was another Halloween print.  (You will see that lining fabric again later this week as I finish these two new dresses.)

The dress below has that same print as an attached apron paired with a blue plaid and some ribbon trim.  The doll's outfit was made to coordinate.  I used my 'go-to' pattern "Annie's Sundress and Jumper" by Primrose Lane and made a little lacy peasant blouse to wear under it.

 The dress below is made with the same pattern but  trimmed differently.  I made this one for my godchild Cassidy.  For her sister Ashlyn, I made the patchwork skirt below the dress.

 Here the girls model the dresses.  They aren't this little anymore!  Ashlyn is now in middle school.  Time moves on whether we want it to or not!

 This purple skirt was made for Marietta, another friend's daughter and a former student of mine.  The favorite color for both mama and daughter is purple.

 This one was made for another teacher-friend's granddaugther.  I do love that bright fabric!  You will see that fabric again later this week in another dress, too.

Here is a little ditty I sing to my students every year.  I have no idea where it came from!  Sung to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush":

Sometimes I like to walk in the dark.

I like to shout and scream.

I sneak behind somebody I know.

"BOO!"  It's Halloween!

"Flip This Pattern" O+S Roller Skate Dress & "Skirting the Issue"

I'm sorry the photos aren't very bright.  It has been raining for days here.  No rain this morning but it was overcast.  Click on the photos to enlarge them.

 Well, I did it.  I sewed a much more contemporary design than I normally do and in a much larger size than usual, too.  I am not sure how I feel about it.  It doesn't have embroidery, smocking, lace, puffed sleeves, sashes, or a full skirt.  It does have a little applique but that isn't my more 'finished look', either, just straight stitching so that it will fray a little bit when washed.  (If you told me, even three years ago, that I would deliberately sew something that would fray when washed, I would not have believed you!)

I wanted to support a cause and some lovely ladies at two other blogs.  Ashley and Emily over at Frances Suzanne ( http://francessuzanne.blogspot.com/) have a wonderful year long sew-along called "Flip This Pattern".  Most of the patterns they have lined up are pretty contemporary but I thought that I would join in on the fun during one or two of the months.  I decided that this would be the first month due to something I read on Project Run and Play (http://www.projectrunplay.com/2013/07/skirting-issue-2013-fact-sheet.html).

The ladies at Project Run and Play have an annual sewing event during July called "Skirting the Issue" where readers are urged to sew items and donate them to different charities.   They post tutorials all month for various items (skirts, blankets, pillowcases) but you can make anything that would be needed.  They encourage you to find charities in your own area to give the items to but they also give an address where you can send them and they will distribute to the appropriate charities.  I have made a couple of things and will post about them at a later time.  One of the facts mentioned on their "Skirting the Issue" fact sheet (HERE) is the need for older children.  Preschool and toddlers are usually covered.

All the above info is the reason for the dress below.  It will be given to a charity near me.  (It will go to the battered women and children's shelter.)  The pattern is Oliver + S "Roller Skate Dress" in size 10.  It seems short/slim to me so I am going to label it size 8/10.  I made it using two of Susan Winget's fabrics:  "Birds of a Feather Dogwood" and "Beautiful Blooms Apple Blossoms".

 I used the PDF pattern version.   The jury is still out about how I feel about PDF patterns.  They have their good points and their not-so-good points.

 The pattern is well written with every detail explained.  So many people rave about these patterns and say that they learn so much but I didn't come across anything that I hadn't done before.  Perhaps because this is a simple pattern.  I liked the front contrast facing and chose not to put the notch in the center because I didn't want it to compete with the appliqued flowers and leaves.  I like the small lined capped sleeves.  So many schools have dress codes that say that shoulders must be covered.  These sleeves are the next  best thing to sleeveless which is so nice in Florida.

I like the total lining in the dress and chose a soft, soft polycotton batiste in blue for the lining.  I cut simple flowers and leaves to echo the flowers in the prints and fused them with Wonder Under.  I then just stitched around the shapes with a short straight stitch.

 I also made a 'library book' bag to go with the dress.  It is lined with Susan Winget's "Beauty and Grace Butterfly Texture" in green.  Inside I put a little pocket for a library card and pocket money.  The bag and handles are interlined with a fusible stiff/thick interfacing.

I thought that some little 8 or 9 year old girl might like to wear this for the first day of school or class picture day.  As I sewed, I kept praying for her happiness and her protection.  I hope that when she wears this, she feels loved.

Linking this post to:
http://francessuzanne.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-flip-this-pattern-sew-along-and.html
http://www.ajennuinelife.com/2013/07/thrifty-to-nifty-thursdays-26.html