Vintage Here, Vintage There: Handmade Edition

January has had an underlying handmade for kids theme so Rubyellen and I decided to end our last January VH,VT post with some handmade included in our wardrobe shots! First up is my new handmade velvet turban from Red Velvet's newest collection. Elsie let me take this sample home a few weeks ago and I love it! It's my new favorite accessory. They'll be available from the new Red Velvet site February 7th if you need one, too!

Like Rubyellen it's been awhile since I've made something for my Ruby to wear so it was a great reason to try something both new and a little more challenging than things I've tried in the past. I took one of her vintage dresses and used it as a rough pattern guide to create this smock. The little one was moving quickly and we were starting to get rained on so I don't have much of a clear shot of the front.

Basically I used material from a vintage shirt I bought for Brett this weekend that didn't end up fitting ($3) and the bodice of the vintage dress that also didn't fit ($2) to create this little smock for Ruby. The colors and prints worked really well together and it's a fun way to remember the little adventure we took as a family! The rest of the dress will be reworked into a skirt for me and the rest of the shirt is looking like another version of a smock.

It was a quick sew once I figured out what I wanted to do with it but it still needs a snap closure added to the back. I avoid button holes whenever I can so snaps it is.

I temporarily held it in place with a safety pin and will need to fold one of the sides under when I attach the snaps so it will lay correctly but it worked for the afternoon! It gives her plenty of room to move and with a few adjustments to the shoulder width and overall length, I'd say it's my new favorite dress pattern for the spring and summer!

I picked this dress up at our local D.A.V. and cut off about three inches. It's made of polyester so I'm not going to bother hemming it as it probably won't fray. It's a little clingy but I loved the color and pattern and hope to feel even more comfortable in it down the road. I have a pair of brown boots in this same style that I've almost worn out so it was fun to find a vintage pair in this hunter green. They're so 1984. Am I right?

This is my pre-jump shot.

I'm wearing: Handmade velvet turban, Red Velvet Spring 2011. Vintage polyester dress, thrifted. Tights, Target. Vintage boots, thrifted.

Ruby's wearing: Shirt and pants, Target. Smock, handmade by me. Moccasins, Old Navy.

Here are some links to previous tutorials I've shared for making simple smocks for little girls and links to the three lovely interviews that were shared on Smile and Wave during Handmade for Kids month. You can browse through Meg, Rae, and Dana's blogs and find a variety of free tutorials and great inspiration for your next handmade project!

Rubyellen has some fantastic new additions to her daughters' wardrobes so head that direction and see what kind of fun they had this weekend!

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. The epic snowstorm is on it's way!