{make it work}

I have new respect for Project Runway contestants.

A whole day to make a dress? That doesn't sound too hard, I'd always thought. It's not like they need to feed the kids, do the washing, and clean their fabric off the kitchen table afterwards.

But, this one little baby dress has had me up at night poring over the instructions, has had me in tears of frustration when I thought I'd sewn the armholes closed, and in tears of joy when I realised I'd actually done it right and wouldn't have to chop Tilly's arms off to fit her into it.

So far, the top of the dress is done, complete with ruffles, and I'm just trying to work out how to sew buttonholes so I can proceed with the undergarments. Any tips?

(No, unfortunately, my machine won't just do it...)

On second thought, maybe it's good as it is -- it can be her belly-dancing shirt.

In case you're wondering, the pattern is by Fiona Bell, of British kids' label Their Nibs. Here is the same dress in a lovely rose print in their online shop, (going for 28 pounds, if I might add). Beautiful.

{kid's clothes week}

If you've been following along with kid's clothes week over at elsie marley this week, you'll be aware that it's already day seven. As in, finish up. Scissors down. The end. I would love to have a beautiful finished something to show you. Or even an ugly, badly-sewn finished something to show you. 

But no. Instead, this is my progress, after a week:

The book has been opened. The pattern has been printed. The pieces have been cut. The end. Not one stitch has been sewn, so far, on the designer baby bubble dress that is to be Tilly's party outfit. But all eight -- yes, eight -- of the ruffles have been cut out, and I have a feeling this will either be the most impressive thing I've ever created, or the most impressive thing I never create...

Start Now and Be Ready for the First Birthday

With Tilly just having turned eight months old, you might think it's a bit soon to be thinking about her first birthday. 

But, the list of things I want to make for her to celebrate is as long as she is, and growing at the same speed, so the earlier I start the better the chances are of some of it actually happening!

As Tilly has a lot of friends turning one before her, I thought I'd share our little list of plans, in case it sparks an idea in someone else. Our plans fall mostly into two categories: traditions I want to start now and repeat each year, and things that will be special just for this year.

Traditions to repeat:

• Create a photo book of all the "Tilly Tuesdays" from the year (she was born on a Tuesday)
• Take a photo of Tilly with her favourite stuffed animal each year
• Write her a letter (and hopefully get Justin to do one too)
• Have her colour the same picture each year
• Do something at 7:23pm (when she was born)
• Write a story book, featuring Tilly and Bella
• Take a photo of all three of us in a photobooth
• Record what a typical day in her life is like at this age
• Make a party dress

Special 1st birthday ideas:

• Make a felt crown, a la Soulemama
• Make a felt envelope, to be used for the birthday card/letter each year
• Put together a "zhua zhou" tray -- a Chinese tradition supposed to predict the child's future career

Yes, it's quite a list -- you can see why I'm starting now!

The first thing I wanted to tackle was sewing a dress for Tilly. One of my favourite memories of birthdays growing up is the beautiful rose-covered dresses my Mum sewed for me. Having never sewn any clothes before (except a skirt for our Miko Rabbit!), though, I thought I'd start with an easy pattern. Tilly's gingham dress above is my first attempt, using Lotta's Simple Sewing for Baby. It really was simple, turned out pretty well (it's wearable!), and taught me a lot about fun things like armhole bindings and how not to hem.

I'm working up to trying a pattern from Fiona Bell's Sewn with Love. Hopefully by the time Tilly is five or six, I'll be up to making that lovely dress on the cover, below.

Do you have any special birthday traditions, or favourite memories of a celebration?