Fee Fi Fiddly

After a bit of a lull, I've had a sewing fest this week making this adorable sundress for a customer's 2 year-old granddaughter and a much-"needed" high-low skirt for Miss. Potata, inspired by her friend Violet's (Emily Menke) style ❤️

So I haven't been doing a ton of sewing lately... I've been pretty busy with Stella & Dot and what sewing I've done has been alterations on some of my clothes. So when Ada requested (demanded?) an all white, long dress with lace accents, it felt good to stretch my sewing muscles! In love with the outcome which is a modified June ❤️

My beloved sewing machine died right after Thanksgiving which has made for a very hard holiday season for someone who loves to see. Thankfully, Grandmother loaned me her machine, but I must admit I've gotten used to the bells and whistles of the higher end models so most of my planned sewing has fallen by the wayside. I seriously just put off a Christmas dress for Ada altogether (poor little thing had to limp through December with only a holiday dress from last year and two Christmas shirts 😜). But I DID, finally, make Ada a mermaid blanket and Quinn a shark blanket for advent. I was super excited that his shark was much more complex as he often gets left out when I sew. ❤️ them! Happy 22nd of December!

Introducing the Fawn Winter Bubble Shorts! Adorable shorts with an elasticized waist and pleated front that are perfect for cool weather! You choose your fabric (flannel, wool, corduroy...as always, the options are endless) and pair with a sweater and tights for an unforgettable winter look! Sparkly boots are optional, though my daughter would always recommend them!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/493677075/fawn-winter-bubble-shorts-available?ref=shop_home_active_1

Fawn Winter Bubble Shorts (Available Sizes 2T to 9/10)

If you're not following us on Instagram, now's a good time to start! A big Black Friday Giveaway is in the works! Follow us at:

New in the Etsy Shop, the Polly Strip Work Peasant Dress! As much fun to create as it is to wear, the options with this dress are truly endless! And it's guaranteed to make your favorite girl want to twirl!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/229586826/polly-strip-work-peasant-dress-size-6m?ref=shop_home_active_1

Photo courtesy of White Bridge Photography.

A little preview of our Bubble Shorts coming soon to the etsy shop! So cute in summer and even cuter for fall and winter! Love them with tights ❤️

Check out the sweet sister princess dresses I made for my friend little girls to wear on their Disney trip! So sweet and so them! ❤️

Ada's Halloween dress (the Clara, available in the etsy shop) on its last day of the season! The good news is even if she has a crazy growth spurt, she'll be able to wear it next year with leggings!

A good shot of my mermaid's headpiece courtesy of the amazingly talented It absolutely makes the outfit!

Another shot of Ada's mermaid costume! I loved creating this custom look for my sparkle-loving, glitter wearing girl (who has on more than one occasion complained because I chose to name her Ada instead of "Rainbow Sparkle" which she thinks would have been a better name ). It is so "her"! ❤️

I'm am so pleased with how my daughter's Halloween mermaid outfit came out and so is she! I tweaked a mermaid tutorial from Make It-Love It so it has built in leggings underneath and since she spent half of the night at her first dance playing on the playground, that was important! And the super glamorous headband from Belle Juliets Bowtique! It finished the outfit perfectly!

Absolutely in love with Cora in the Rosemary Dress from my shop and her Shabby Flower Headband from Belle Juliets Bowtique! A perfect fall combination!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/229584098/rosemary-bow-dress-size-1-to-5
https://www.etsy.com

https://www.etsy.com/listing/484054815/crimson-shabby-flower-headband-burgundy
https://www.etsy.com

My daughter's submission for the Reflections Art Contest at school. She calls it "Plaid". She *might* spend too much time with her fabric obsessed Mama 😜

Doing a bit of repurposing... Adding skirts from the Phoebe pattern to some old shirts of Ada's to bulk up her winter wardrobe! I love taking something she won't get much more use out of and making it exciting again!

I had so much fun reworking Ada's pirate costume from several years ago for a Halloween Disney trip for one of the cutest little girls I know! This dress was by far the most complex thing I had ever made at the time and I can't wait to see someone else enjoy it!

Fall perfection! The Ginny Halter Dress and the Little Susie Reversible Dress! Both available in the easy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FeeFiFiddly

New in the Etsy Shop, the Ginny Halter Sundress! Adorable in any season, this makes a great summer dress, but is just as cute layered over a long sleeved tee and boots in the winter!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/484322993/ginny-halter-sundress-sizes-12m-to-4t?ref=shop_home_active_12

Photo courtesy of White Bridge Photography

Ginny Halter Sundress (Sizes 12M to 4T) Handmade, boutique style sundress based on the Ginger Top & Dress Pattern by Violette Field Threads. The bodice features a Peter Pan collar and buttoned side tabs and the full skirt has adorable ruffled pockets. The elasticized back and halter ties ensure a comfortable and long lasting fit. Vintage…

Operation Mermaid Phase 2... Now except for the makeup and hairpiece, her costume is complete. Ada is slightly disappointed, though, because her feet don't go into a single fin. Apparently she wanted to hop for trick or treating 🎃

Operation Mermaid, Phase 1 is complete! (I think the tail would look better if it were tighter, but I just couldn't bring myself to complete restrict a 5 year old's movement 😜). It has a slit and built in leggings and I plan to add a wrist loop so she can lift the tail to the side when she walks, but for now she just bunches it up around her butt and runs around! Pretty little mermaid ❤️

Halloween Cutie!

Tomorrow is the first day of school in October so you know what that means: Time to debut a new Halloween Dress! Michael made fun of me because I "had" to finish Ada's Halloween Dress in time for her to wear it on Monday 😜 Ok, maybe it isn't a necessity, but I love Halloween and she's super excited about the dress because the eyes on the bodice glow in the dark and it incorporates pink ruffles! Plus I let her go through the trim box to come up with her own bodice trim design! I think she rocked it! Halloween, here we come!

So I love Halloween, second to Christmas it's my absolute favorite time of year. I LOVE the costumes and dressed up myself until I had kids and wound up spending so much time and energy on their costumes. I actually learned to sew so that I could make my childrens' Halloween costumes beccause when I was growing up, my mom made me these amazing, handmade costumes that always made me feel special. Wendy the Good Little Witch, Peter Pan, Princess Leia, Blueberry Muffin (complete with horrifyingly skinned knees thanks to a bike accident), you name it, my mom made it happen. And though I can remember secretly admiring my friends' weird plastic store bought costumes and moderately suffocating masks, being able to come up with anything and have my mom help me make it a reality was awesome. And so, of course, I wanted to do that for my kids.
And so I learned to sew. Skip the part where something in my brain snapped and I loved to sew so much I couldn't stop sewing and so it became more of a lifestyle... Suffice it to say, I can sew. And I'm crafty. And I have pretty good ideas. And so I can cook up almost anything my kids want for Halloween and feel good about it. Which is pretty easy for Ada, who though she has some wacky ideas (anyone remember the Rainbow Sparkle Unicorn Fairy Princess with Butterfly Wings from last year?) but can easily be swayed with a few pieces of glittery fabric. But, Quinn, whew, Quinn, he's a whole other story. He was a pirate for three consecutive years, I believe. And each time, I dutifully made him a new and improved pirate costume. And then he wanted to be a cowboy, so I figured out how to make him chaps and a fringed vest. And last year, he wanted to incorporate our dog Garcia, so I made Cia a lion's mane and Quinn a lion tamer costume.
But this year, he's been undecided. His gut feeling was a baseball player. Which I was having a hard time talking myself into making a costume for because in this year alone he has played for 3 separate baseball teams with 4 total uniforms. And then we got a catalogue. A catalogue that I love, cause I enjoy going through it and to get ideas for children's clothing. And in this catalogue, he found a Stormtrooper Costume that he just loved. (Although he calls it a "Clone Costume", which tells me I clearly don't understand the Clone Wars show cause I had no idea they were Storm Troopers). And so I started thinking about how I could make a Storm Trooper Costume. "A white jumpsuit type outfit with embellishments? Would it make more sense to draw them on because of the complexity? What about the mask? The mask would have to be purchased, right? Could I make it out of paper mache or something? I should check Pinterest." I've been thinking through all the details in the last week or so.
Flash forward to tonight when we ran into Walmart to get Iron Out to wash out his baseball pants. We had to walk right past the Halloween aisle and Quinn begged to look for a Clone costume. And there it is, a size too big, all made out of cheap polyester, mask included. And he LOVES it. Loves it so much he BEGS for it. And the kid's getting smart, he didn't throw a fit or act out or yell or any of that, just politely begged for this hideous Storm Trooper Costume. And it was $15. I've already bought the fabric to make Ada's costume and I can tell you, the fabric alone was a lot more than $15. So I started to waffle. And then I called his dad (Why? I don't know. Cause clearly I'm the one who is insane about handmade costumes. And he's cool with it. Of course, he is. Did he learn to sew so he could make Halloween costumes? Does he start polling for Halloween costume ideas in July?). And so, we came home with the $15 Storm Trooper costume. Thankfully, it was a bit too long (since they didn't have it in his actual size) so I did get to trim a little off the arms and legs and stitch them up, but that's it. That's my whole participation in "making" this costume. 2016, the Year of the store-bought Storm Trooper. I'm suddenly finding myself at a loss for words...

Women's sizes are now available in the Lilly Petal shorts! The item isn't in the shop yet, but if you are interested In a pair in a last grasp at summer, let me know!

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New in the etsy shop, the Clara Swing Dress! One of my absolute favorites to sew, this dress is perfect for mixing and matching patterns and textures! Absolutely adorable!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/478395655/clara-swing-sundress-available-sizes-2t?ref=shop_home_active_1

Having a blast sewing for my soon-to-be-born new nephew! Man, I wish I'd known how to sew when I had babies!

New in the Etsy shop, the Camille Top! The last official summer addition! Absolutely perfect with the Lilly Shorts!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/463090120/camille-top-available-sizes-2t-to-910?ref=shop_home_active_1

New in the etsy shop, The Lilly Petal Short! An absolute summer must have. Though summer's winding down for some of us (though, come on, in South Carolina, we'll be wearing shorts for the next month or two), these were just too cute not to share! Check them out at:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/461634002/lilly-petal-shorts-available-sizes-2t-to?ref=ss_listing