My attempt to make outfit with the Secret Squirrel for July.

Have your heard about the Secret Squirrel ? It's not a new Disney character and nothing involves with the funny Chip and Dale. The Secret Squirrel  is the a challenge hosted by SewPony and Straightgrain.  He is the new hero for all seamstresses!

This Secret Squirrel will deliver 5 acorns of sewing inspiration each months to bloggers around the world. The willing bloggers have to create an outfit for their child based on acorns of inspiration.

See? The five acorns for July are not easy to cooperate. But the first blogger, SewPony done the mission beautifully hear , WOW!

The good news is anybody can sewalong and create outfit from the same inspiration acorns and share their creations on Flickr group. Sound like fun? For me, the challenge accepted!

Upcycled tee-dress for July Secret Squirrel.

The idea for create outfit from these five acorns just hit me the last week of July. I rushed up to finihed this dress from surgery 4 tees together. 

Each acorns inspired me as in following...

No.1 Mandarin duck : It's my major theme for the dress, the mandarin duck color. And it's the reason to convince my little girl to appreciate the dress without "pink" color. She love animal, so when I show her the image of colorful mandarin, she easily admired the dress to imitated that duck.

No.2 Not done : this will apply to acorns no.4

No.3 The Japanese paint by Ando  Hiroshige. I try to bring Japanese style to this outfit by using the Japanese sewing pattern. 

I use this pattern

No. 4 Pleat : This is my first time to do pleat and first time to attach the cap sleeves. These sleeves made of my old tee's sleeves. Pleats give it smaller shape and fit for the girl dress.

No. 5 Ella Fitzgerald and Louise Armstrong : I choose Summertime, the song that both of them duet. And made the summer dress (as the weather here scream "SUMMER" almost the yearlong). The pattern was from the CUCITO summer 2013.

Summer dress

I'm not 100% satisfied with the result and this is my lesson not to rush for sewing in any project again. I think the fringe part of the dress not clean finished. I've got the idea of fringe skirt from Made it & Love it. My girl love that idea and want me to make her one. 

I'm not sure it's because my orange tee was too thin or I cut them too wide so they didn't turn out as the purple layer. Do you think if I re-cut them to smaller strips or anything else to do to improve that fringes ?, I'd happy to hear your recommends.

The girl love to run and feel the fringes tingle around

Well, at least the girl approved her new summer dress. Perfect fringe or not, she do enjoy to run around with them. What else that the mother will ask for? :) 

Thank you for stop by!

Plan B of the Roller Skate Maxi dress # July "Flip this pattern" (and handwoven plaid fabric giveaway!)

This is no.2 of the Roller Skate Pattern Flip for July's "Flip this pattern", the wonderful series hosted by FrancesSuzanne... I just can't stop. It's addicted!

Modified Roller Skate Maxi dress (Plan B)

I call this maxi dress "Plan B" because it didn't turn out as I intended. My first design didn't change the silhouette of the original version this much. I planed to make it a maxi with changing from A line skirt to half circle skirt with ruffle hem and adding front placket to the top part of the dress.

To created draped maxi skirt, I need to separate top part and skirt part and cut the skirt on bias. Along the way, I may lost my conscious somehow and attached only the body lining with the skirt part while the bodice was unattached!!!

Too lazy to get it right with seam ripper To challenged the mistake, I decided to go to plan B with the bodice unattached. Then my plan B included:

-Lengthen the bodice part with eyelet lace

-The elastic band was attached only to the bodice lining

-Adding the crochet collar instead of placket

-Pop the dress up with yellow accent

Then I got the Maxi dress which seem like the bodice separate from the dress. It's far away from my first version of Roller Skate pattern Flip. I was impressed that one pattern can make total different looks! And you will even more amazed to see how others mom flip this pattern to their own way here.

Do you like the fabrics of this dress? I made the dress from Thai traditional handwoven plaid called "Pa-kao-ma. 

Handwoven plaid cloths, Pha-kao-ma (source: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Pha-kao-ma is a basic stable piece in Thai's household. It is a multipurpose garment. Used as a towel, sarong, sash, carrying, wrapping and etc. in Thai culture from at least 900 years. 

Traditional ways to use Pha kao ma in Thai culture (Source : 1, 2)

I love the variety of Pha-kao-ma's color. I bought them every time that I've got a chance when travel to upcountry. Normally it will come in rectangle shape, with the coordinated strips at both end of the piece. Nowadays we may find both manufacturer and handwoven Pha-kao-ma but I prefer the latter. Anyway the handwoven piece is FRAY TERRIBLY!

Now to celebrated the first month of my first blog. I would like to send this Thai traditional fabric as a giveaway for anyone who might interested. If you'd like to have an experience with this handwoven Pha-kao-ma, please leave the comment to tell me how to manage such a super fray fabric without a serger. I will randomly select one suggestion at end of July and send her Pha-kao-ma to try on. (Call me Pha-kao-ma ambassador! :)

Thank you for stop by.

Upcycled : Tablecloths to a mullet skirt for party.

Apart from sewing for my sweet girl, I made outfits for myself when have a chance. Especially the upcycled project which can finished in a short period because of its already finished hem or collar is my favorite.

Upcycled mullet skirt from the tablecloth

I've got this tablecloths from nearby local flea market. At first sight, I know it would become my new skirt and I will wear it to the near come party but the idea didn't solid at that time.

This tablecloths costs me around $6

This sheer, oval shape fabric came with ruffle lace hem. The seller told me that it will perfectly charm on the rectangle or oval shape table... I don't think so, it would look better hanging on my waist. :)

With its own fancy hem. No need to have a pain at hemming around those circle/oval hem!

I designed to make it a circle skirt... but changed my mind to a mullet skirt with high and low hem. I used the tutorial from Dana Made It to calculated the waist line circle (which anyone can get a pretty circle skirt with no problem from this tutorial). I've just changed the position of the circle inside, not at the center but a bit near the one side than the other side to make asymmetric hem.

Lining skirt was the most difficult part for me to done this skirt!

You can see that this see through babe need a lining skirt. So, I have to made another circle for lining and this layer NEED to HEM around! Luckily, I've found the curved folding template from The scientific seamstress to help me finished the hem easier. It's free and awesome useful!

I made a casting for elastic because I intended to wear it to party and want to made it looks neat. The result was satisfied (from my point of view)!

Go to party with family.

I paired it with my lace top and nude belt. while my little girl worn her white tutu. I love that I can have the party outfit for less.

Any suggestion how to match the skirt with others top would be nice. I love this skirt but no idea how to wear it to get the others look.

Thank you for stop by :)

Ninja on the Roller skate for FLIP the series

I've been hooked by the fun sewing series, Flip this pattern, from talented Frances & Suzanne. And still overwhelmed with the result of June that my flip, The girlie ruffles bubble shorts got the award. Hooray!

Well, this month's pattern is the roller skate dress and tunic from Oliver & S which I've just experienced for the first time. Their pattern is marvelous! I've learn a lot on how to sew a proper way just from following the pattern instructions.

I spent lots of time day dream about how to flip it... and some ideas pop up in my mind. The pattern made me think of Ninja suit in Japanese manga which I've seen when I'm just a girl. Crazy idea???

You see the ninja girl? her name is Tsubame. I think her suit may cute for my little girl. No?

Ninja inspired roller skate tunic

And this is the result of my overload-imagination. At least it turned out cute (in my bias opinion) and I think she wear them happily. The top and bottom make her run around perfectly.

Ninja jumping shot!

I have no idea what Tsubame wear inside her mini ninja suit but I'm sure that my young lady can not running with only mini and expose her underwear at the playground. So, I made her a culottes to go with that lengthen tunic.

Ninja roller skate tunic + culottes

Top : I use the roller skate in tunic length with added extra inch at the hem. Build in obi-like, first layer attached the the dress covering the elastic casting lines and second layers as a wrap around belt which stitched to the center back side of the tunic and tied at the front.

Obi-like to sentence the Ninja theme

Cullottes : From Japanese sewing pattern book  シンプル＆デサイン おんなの子服 おとこの子服  

 シンプル＆デサイン おんなの子服 おとこの子服 

The patterns inside this book are so lovely that I bought it hence I cannot read any Japanese. Just saw the images made me have a sweet dream... but trying to understand and tracing the pattern in action was such a pain.

All in Japanese langues >__<

Easy going !

I still have some more ideas to try with this pattern. It's rock! And if you see how many ideas can came up just from one pretty pattern your mind may blown away as well. Check them at francessuzanne. Don't miss it!

Fun time with homemade sidewalk paint

Every kids love messy art project or atleast my kid and her friends love messy play. So, this little art project was a big bang for them!

I found the recipe for the sidewalk paint via pinterest. The original formula was written  here but I adjusted it a bit.
My sidewalk paint formula is...
1 part cornstarch
1 part tap water
small amount of any coloring washable paint (I use tempera)
*optional : after washed all the messy paint I though next time I would add some detergent (dish washer, perhaps) to make it easier to wash.

Then we let the kids mixed it together. We provided them the cheap paint brushes from hardware store which perfect for this project.

This will super fun when you've got many little painter.



They were so absorp by the paint.



The older kids mixed the paint to create new color

From sidewalk paint to foot paint



It was tickle, I guess

After we made the third batch, the cornstrach was run out. The kids continue painted with sidewalk chalk.

I love this rainbow bridge

Then the kids helped in cleaning and this was fun too!

We still saw the fade color stain here and there but they gone after the heavy rain :)
So, I recommend to use only small amount of color and add a bit of detergent to the formula if you want to try this fun.