Terry Cloth Kitty

A few years ago I found an adorable free pattern to make a plush kitty out of a towel.  Ever since then I'd been wanting to make it, but either couldn't find a towel I liked, or didn't have time once I realized that it'd make the perfect gift for a little someone.  Since I couldn't get one made for Angel Cakes for Christmas, I decided that her first birthday would not pass by!  And here it is.

She loves it!!

We didn't have her party until the day after her actual birthday, so hubby and I wanted to give it to her early.

Simplicity 1921 for Easter

I had been planning for several months to make my little one a new dress for Easter. A few months ago I got the pattern I had in mind out to get ideas. Then about a month later I was finally able to dig out my fabric box and see if I had enough of the fabric I had in mind. It was at that time that I discovered that the pattern had gone missing! Hubby and I searched everywhere for it, and were unable to locate it. So I finally resigned myself to the fact that I would not be able to make an Easter dress for my baby this year.

But then in a conversation with my mom I happened to mention that I had seem a new pattern online that was exactly what I had in mind for a summer sundress. Well, my mom decided to go out and buy that pattern, then send it to me in time to make a dress after all!

The pattern she sent me was Simplicity 1921.  One thing about the pattern, is that it calls for 2 packages of medium rick rack, but unfortunately, I have rather limited resources right now.  I did find an old package from the box that someone had given me last year.

The pink piece ended up just barely long for the collar.

However, I did not have enough blue rick rack to put on the double hem line.  In fact, I didn't even have enough to go around once!  But since the dress turned out way too long, I had to add an extra tuck to the skirt.  I really like how that two tucks together look, and don't think it looks like it's missing anything without the rick rack.

And now for my scathing review on the construction of the collar.  If you hadn't guessed, I really hate how the pattern tells you to put it together, and here's why.  Constructing the collar band was the easy part, it went together exactly like it was supposed too.  However, when the directions tell you to pin the band to the collar, there is absolutely no mention that you need to scrunch the rick rack way in to get it to fit.  The first time I pinned it on nice and smooth, the band came out 3 inches too long for the band!  It took me taking it off and completely repinning it 6 times before I was able to get it to fit.  Because of all that it was really hard to keep it on the 1/4 inch seam line.  I was able to get it to look decent, but not great.  But get this next part, you are supposed to stitch the rick rack to the band at a 1/4 inch, just catching the tips, then you are to also stitch it to the collar at 1/4 seamline, again, just catching the tips, but when you sew the collar facing to the collar, you're supposed to stitch it at a 3/8 inch seam!!  If I had done that, I would have lost half the rick rack!  Beginning to see why I hate this pattern?  And if that wasn't enough, the directions make to mention of making sure the collar band is out of the way when you sew the collar to the facing.  As soon as I started to pin it on, I could see that the band needed to be folded under to keep it out of the way.  But how many beginners wouldn't think of doing that, and find their band sewn into the collar facing when they went to turn it?

There, all done with that soap box. :-P

Already wanting to be helpful, my little Angel Cakes opened the zipper package and even tried to pull the zipper out for me!

So there you have it, I cut the dress out on Wednesday, started sewing on Tuesday, and got it finished Friday night!  Then made the matching bloomers on Saturday.  Not bad for a mama with a very attentive 1 year old!

And here she is on Easter Sunday. ^_^

If you'd like to read my review on Sewing Pattern Review, you can click HERE.  (I wasn't nearly as scathing in that one though) ;-)