Happy Fourth of July from Wonder Woman!

12" Baby Doll Dress and Bloomers- Free Pattern!

Vera's baby doll was in need of a new outfit, so I made her a dress and set of bloomers. When Vera woke up from her nap, I proudly showed her baby doll's new attire to her. "Vera, look what Mommy made for your baby!" to which she replied "Noooo!"and immediately removed the new dress and tried to put the old worn-out outfit back on. That girl does not like change. Fortunately, she warmed up to the new clothes after a few days and now loves dressing and undressing her doll.

This pattern was made to fit a 12" Waterbabies Doll but will fit most 12" dolls with a few minor modifications. I won't be providing a step-by-step tutorial with this pattern, but have included a few helpful tips. To get the pattern, simply right-click on the images below and save. Print at full scale.

Dress for Silent Auction

One of Zach's pharmacy school organizations recently held a silent auction. I donated one of my dresses and am happy to say it helped raise $40 for the organization!

Christmas Dress

For the past few months I've had an image in my head for a special holiday dress for Vera. I wanted a gold triangle print for the bodice, peter pan collar, and exposed gold zipper in the back.

I used Butterick's B5912 toddler dress pattern  (view B with the peter pan collar and puff sleeves). The pattern was fairly easy to follow but I had a lot of trouble with the collar. I've sewn peter pan collars before without any problems, but had to rip out the seams twice on the collar of this dress! I didn't love the size and shape of the collar either, so I made a few adjustments. I would probably draft my own collar next time. On the positive side, the sizing was accurate.

I wasn't able to find a metallic triangle print so I decided to make my own. I used DecoArt SoSoft Metallic Fabric Paint in Glorious Gold and made a stencil out of freezer paper. The nice thing about freezer paper is that one side is coated in wax, so you can iron it on to fabric and it will temporarily stick. It's perfect for stencils and cutting out shapes for appliques.

I used premium bleached muslin for the bodice and a cotton/polyester blend broadcloth for the skirt. The skirt looks somewhat gold in the pictures, but it's actually a warm green color...I believe it's called "Avocado".

And I couldn't resist making a coordinating hair clip. It's mistletoe!

Christening Gown

A friend (of a friend) had a baby girl a couple of months ago and asked if I could turn her wedding dress into a christening gown for her daughter. I thought it was such a sweet idea and was glad to help.

I used Burda Kids pattern 9649 . It's a very good pattern with easy to follow instructions and clear illustrations. However, the sizing does run a bit large.

I made a few modifications- a peter pan collar instead of a ruffle and extending the skirt lining to full length. I was able to make the gown entirely out of fabric from her wedding dress. The only thing not original to her wedding dress is the snaps.

I also made a matching bonnet (included in the same pattern).

They plan to use this gown for all of their children so I embroidered her daughter's name on the hem of the skirt lining, that way they can add each child's name as they wear it.

Hello Aunt Edna

The fresh fabric combination of this romper has a retro vibe, just like your great Aunt Edna! Made from 100% cotton, the Aunt Edna Bubble Romper features a ruffled waistline and ruffled leg openings, three-button closure at back and hidden four snap closure at bottom. The bodice is fully lined and all seams are professionally finished to prevent fraying. Also available as a dress!

Geranium Dress for Vera

I recently tried out Made By Rae's adorable and versatile Geranium Dress pattern.

I actually made Vera the Geranium top, but hemmed it about half an inch longer than instructed in the pattern so it hits right above the knee. I also made a slight modification to the flutter sleeves to hide the raw edges. I used the same fabric as the Peachy Keen Dress, Mojave in Opaque by Leah Duncan.

My Li'l Cupcake

Vera has a very sweet Halloween costume this year...

It's the Li'l Cupcake Dress!

Children's Fashions by Minnie Millery

I'm excited to announce the launch of my new line of children's clothing, to be sold exclusively in my etsy shop, Minnie Millery! In addition to the felt toys currently offered, Minnie Millery will now carry girl's fashions, sizes 18 months through 4T. The line will feature pretty yet practical fashions for kid's on the go, made from 100% cotton.

Here's a little sneak peek at some of the things I'll be adding to my shop over the coming month.

Preening Pretty Tunic

Peachy Keen Dress

Every Little Thing Dress

I made Vera this sweet little dress using the Every Little Thing Dress pattern from Shwin Designs. Aside from baby sun hats, this is the first piece of clothing I've attempted to sew. I've always been intimidated by clothing patterns, but once I started sewing I realized, hey this isn't that bad! I'd give this pattern 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was fairly easy to follow but some of the instructions were a little ambiguous and I felt that the pictures could have been a little better. At 13 months, Vera can wear the size 2T, with a little room to grow.

The bodice fabric and skirt trim is Modern Meadow Herringbone in Maple by Joel Dewberry. I added three knotted bows to the front of the bodice (instead of one large bow at the waist, as instructed in the pattern) and used vintage buttons for the back.

It even has pockets! You know, to store important things like legos and play money.

Birthday Dresses

When going through my grandmother's things a few months ago I set aside a few of her blouses, thinking I would make something out of them, but not sure what. Then I saw a tutorial for re-purposing a t-shirt into a toddler dress and decided to turn my grandmother's shirts into gifts for two of my nieces, who both have birthdays in October.  All the blouses I had were made of knit material; I was a little worried about my sewing skills when it came to knits, since I had never sewn anything knit before. In the end I was pleased with how they turned out, and my sister reports that the girls love them!

A note about the braided collar: the tutorial says to pull on the fabric to curl the edges before braiding. No matter how much I pulled, neither of my knits would curl. I scrolled through the tutorial comments and saw that other people were having the same problem. It turns out that not all knits will roll up at the edges; thinner knits work better for this. You can still braid with a knit that doesn't curl, you will just have more exposed edges.

You girls are too cute. Aunt Sarah loves you!