Frozen birthday

My best friend's little girl is turning 7 today, and like every other little girl her age she LOVES all things Frozen. I have made her a princess dress every year for the last few years, and this one is no exception. I have to admit this is my favorite so far and I will be replicating it very soon for my own little fan of Let it Go and all things Elsa!

A sweetheart neckline with clear elastic straps makes it look like the real thing.

The cape is the best feature. It is iridescent and shiny, and can be taken off and put on as she wants. It has a slightly longer hemline in the back so it has a bit of a train and twirls nicely, or so she says!

A freezer paper stencil, some paint and glitter made the snowflake accents really finish the entire ensemble.

I will post some more pics on the live model if I can get her to stop dancing long enough to take pictures!

Your Special Day

I have been very honored to contribute to some very special days recently. This is a baptism gown that someone's daughter wore, and now her grand baby will wear once he/she arrives. The problem was that the inner slip was misplaced, so they asked me to make a new one. What a special, tiny little gown!

Football girls combo

Appliquéd shirt and football leg warmers (or arm warmers at our house!) perfect for football season!

Princess dress!

I had another request for a princess dress...this one for the princess who swims under the sea. When it comes to dress up clothes, I like mine to meet a few requirements:

A) easy to put on by child

B) washable...for those days that one MUST go grocery shopping dressed as a princess!

C) be able to fit for a long time...who wants to/can afford to buy a new princess dress each year...for each princess?

So for this dress, I kept it basic. I actually found a knit clearance dress at my local big box store.  I love the elasticized fabric at the top, as it stretches to make for easy on/off, as well as grows with the child. So I cut up the knit dress to meet my needs, added an inner skirt to make it have the right look, and made a poofy slip that can be worn under any and all princess dresses, because all princesses need a little poof!

Multipurpose pouches

Hello! Finally back from the blur the last two months with a newborn have been! Making time to get to my sewing room--or more accurately, my mom's sewing room--to work on some projects!

These pouches are sized for an e-reader, but would be great for cosmetics, personal items, etc. the front embroidery design coordinates with the interior lining. These are quilted on the front, padded, and have a zipper opening.  

These specific pouches are going into gift bags for state officers coming to town for a philanthropic educational organization, but wouldn't they be great for bridesmaids gifts?

I worked with my mom on these.  It was fun to have two machines going (these are made entirely in an embroidery hoop--short version, I lay fabric down and push a button) and spending time with Mom and visiting...in between feedings, diaper changes, settling arguments, fixing and cleaning up after meals, naps, laundry, etc.! We always love our time at the farm!

Diaper stacker

Space is at a premium to say the least in our kids' room. The two older ones are insisting that baby share their room...which makes bedtime easier but was a bit of a challenge to find a spot for everything! Fortunately we have a play room for toys, and hubby is Andy in the workshop and built some platform beds and underbed storage. There were still a few things that needed a home, such as easy access to the cloth dipes. I used to store them under the bed, but knew that wasn't an ideal solution. So I set out a few weeks ago to design and make my own diaper stacer that met the following requirements:
1) contemporary design. No cross stitch on a clothes hanger!
2) place for all the things I need...diapers, wipes, extra inserts, changing pads, and wipes, as well as pockets for liners, cream, etc.
3) ideally a spot for some extras...disposable wipes for hubby to use as well as other messes, maybe a spare onesie or two, etc.
4) hang on the side of the crib, virtually the only spot left in this room!

So the reason this took multiple weeks...
1) I had other projects that needed taken care of
2) I had fail after fail after fail, so I would take a few days off, brainstorm, dig up different supplies, and try again.

I am pretty happy with the end product! Other than the front flaps that can pull to the side, the entire stacker is reinforced with ultra firm interfacing. The "shelves" are also made from this material but required a middle support to keep it from sagging and dumping the contents. The top required 1/4" plywood (thanks again, hubby!) and some webbing straps to support the whole heavy load. This could easily be used for baby clothes, disposable dipes, etc.

Favorite nursery bedding

Bring on spring! These vibrant colors make it feel like spring around here, even though they are forecasting temperatures in the 30s this week! Set includes bumper pads (green chevron with blue ties on the exterior, plush blue minky on the inside, and a pop of bright orange piping to trim the top edge), crib skirt (green chevron, blue trim and grey geometric squares), pillows in blue, green and orange, a changing pad cover (not shown, but grey geometric squares with blue minky down the middle where baby will lay), and a lag bunting, whichever perhaps my favoritE piece! This would be fun on the wall, over baby's crib, or across a window seat area.

This set will be traveling to a friend from my high school days all the way in San Antonio. Some of the extra fabric will be made into floor cushions for the reading nook at the home of another high school classmate, and will still have some extra of the green chevron and grey squares if anyone wants anything!

I also like to package it up nicely to protect it during shipping and so it looks professional when customers open their box from MandiMoo Designs!