Hello and Welcome to my stop on the Back to School Tour hosted by Lulu & Celeste and Sprouting Jube Jube Productions. This tour is the perfect impetus to hurry up and get some school outfits done before the start of the school year so I like to sign up for it each year. Technically, this is the first year my toddler will be attending school  preschool so I took this extra seriously and started planning and sewing a few months back. She’s been wearing her back to school outfits for a couple weeks now (You can see some of them here) and I have been photographing some before and some after school. So while everything else is on track, my sewing hasn’t suffered much since school started, I am on top of my son’s homework and tests and classes and everything else, my blogging has unfortunately been relegated to the back seat. I hope to change that too but getting back to why and how I went about planning her outfits.

In an effort to be more purposeful in my sewing, I have been weeding out, and categorizing my fabrics and patterns based on what I will or will not use and how I’d be using them. So one of my personal goals for this project was to use only remnants (from my earlier projects) and also use patterns from my stash , so no new fabrics or patterns were purchased. And just to keep everything fun, my other goal was to have a ruffle/flounce theme throughout all the pieces I’d be making for her.

The first one I made was this waterfall raglan, that I have already made several times before (here and here). I’ll let the pictures do all the talking but this rayon jersey fabric is a left over from after I made a Hey June Santa Fe top for myself. Needless to say, she loooooves it, that ruffle is what makes this top work so well for her!

The next pattern I picked was this Pretty in Peplum dress pattern by Sew Much Ado that I am ashamed to say I have had for about 2 years and this is the first time I’m making it. I am so glad I did because good gosh! doesn’t she look like a little lady in this outfit? You know what the best part about this outfit is? it’s actually one dress, one piece not a skirt and a top with annoying elastic at the waist. Abby’s patterns are among my favorites, I love how the facing instead of a regular neck band adds sophistication to this dress! and the little circular peplum at the waist is just darling!

The Heather Ross strawberries fabric was leftover from when I made her this tutu twirl tunic a couple summers ago, the coral cotton spandex is also a  remnant from my seafarer top.

The last outfit for today is one I am most excited to blog about today. This is the Crossover flounce dress by Designs by Call Ajaire. I have tested and blogged about this pattern before so I know it’s one my daughter absolutely loves! I made a few simple changes to the pattern: first I added an invisible zipper in the back so it’d be easier to get on and off and also because I had the perfect shade of aqua, the same as the dots on the bodice. Second, as you can see, I eliminated the crossover and did two circle skirts instead. Because the print was directional, I ended up cutting two half circle skirts and joined them by french seams. (I also forgot to add seam allowance so my skirt diameter ended up a wee bit smaller than the bodice so I got some puckers on the waist seam).

This dress turned out just as beautiful and darling as I imagined and I couldn’t be more happy with it. The skirt is again a remnant (Anna Maria Horner Pretty Potent Voile) from my most recent Fringe Top and the bodice fabric is also a remnant from my yet to be blogged about Cheyenne Tunic. I LOVE these fabrics paired together! Well she does too as you can see from the photo overload below!

I am still working through a few more outfits before I can start cutting into my fabric but before you fall asleep going through my lengthy post today, please be sure to check out what the others have made for their back to school Blog tour!

Monday, September 25, 2017 Sprouting JubeJube

Sewing by Ti * mahlicadesigns * Momma You Can Make It * Kutti Couture * MoonStar – Wondermirakel * Call Ajaire

Tuesday, September 26, 2017 Lulu & Celeste

Sew and Tell Project * From-a-Box * Ronda B. Handmade * MeMade * House of Estrela * My Heart Will Sew On * Tales From A Southern Mom

Wednesday, September 27, 2017 Sprouting JubeJube

mahlicadesigns * Gracious Threads * Adventures With Bubba and Bug * Elli & Nels * Bellevi * Little Heart Threads * Sewing By Ti * Lulu & Celeste

Thursday, September 28, 2017 Lulu & Celeste

Paisley Roots * The Crafting Fiend * Sewstarly * It’s Liesel * Tales of a Tester * Kaleidothought * auschick sews

Friday, September 29, 2017 Sprouting JubeJube

SewSophieLynn * Sew Haute Blog * mahlicadesigns * Sew and Tell Project * RP Custom Fabrics Blog * FABulous Home Sewn * Sewing By Ti * Phat Quarters