Lyla's Pillowcase Dress

I've been sewing lately, sewing almost anything that can't be welded or nailed down. Just looking for things to sew, ya know? Well, our little granddaughter, Lyla, is coming to visit and that is all the excuse I needed to sew something. I've been eyeing pillowcase dresses for a long time but either wasn't in the mood or I was surrounded by little boys. Now I'm surrounded by little girls. Yippee! Little dresses and handbags! Bring it on, baby.


I found this super cute fabric with super fruit (for real, there are pictures of super fruit on it) at a yard sale. When I first bought it I didn't know what to do with it until the idea of the pillowcase dress came up. The fruit and pictures are perfect for a little girl's dress. I found a pillowcase dress pattern at the "Sew Like My Mom" blog and started cutting fabric.

I used a yard sale dress in her size to give me an idea of the lenth for the total dress and armholes since Lyla wasn't here yet.

 I cut two pieces of fabric 20 inches wide by 22 inches long to allow for hem on the bottom and a casing on the top. 

I sewed the side with a 1/2 inch "hem" that would leave a finished edge for the armholes and a seam that wouldn't ravel....or unravel.

I ironed down 1/4 inch then created a casing by ironing down a 1 inch hem along the top on both pieces of fabric. After the casings were done, I sewed the two pieces together leaving 9 inches from the top on both sides for armholes. 

Then I made a 1 inch hem. I used a semi decorative stitch ( I say semi decorative since I have a pretty basic machine).


After sewing the dress together I realized I didn't have grosgrain ribbon for the shoulder straps so I made my own straps from fabric I cut away.

Here's a picture of the finished dress on the little miss.

Easy peasy and fun to made. Sorry about the chocolate cheek. Grandpa was the culprit.

Crocheted Water Bottle Cozy

 

I am in the mood to crochet. Like other crafty people, I know how to do a number of different crafts. I’m not really an expert at any but I can do a few things. I know how to knit a little, crochet a bit, and sew. My problem is I get distracted easily. I need to create when the mood is right. The pattern has to be challenging enough to get me interested but not too challenging to make me give up.

I have always been a recycler. I don’t like waste and plastic bottles of water make me cringe. I still buy them but cringe. I do have a refillable water bottle, though and thought it would be a great idea to get water bottles for my sisters and make holders to go with them. Since I am in the crocheting mood, it seemed a natural to buy some yarn and start hooking.

I used Peaches & Creme cotton yarn for each bottle. Each bottle uses a little less than 1 ball. I tried to complement the color bottle with the yarn. It’s been a while since I crocheted anything so I went to WikiHow to get me started.

Like the WikiHow article, you make a disk for the bottom of the bottle. Chain 6 stitches, slip stitch (sl st) to make a circle, and Rd 1 single crochet (sc)6 stitches into the circle. Rd 2 chain 2, then 2 sc into every stitch (total of 12 stitches in the 2nd rd), join the 11th stitch to the top of the chain with a sl st. Rd 3: Ch 2, *1 sc into 1st st, 2 sc into next st, continue until you reach the chain, sl st at top of chain. Rd 4: Ch 2, *1 sc in next 2 st, 2 sc into next st, continue until you reach the chain, sl st at top of chain. At this point the disk is probably big enough to fit the bottle, if not, crochet another round increasing the number of stitches with each round.

 

Once the disk is complete the creativity starts. You can use a simple sc stitch the entire way up until the cozy is tall enough. Simple sc lends itself well to embroidery or flowers. The one I made for my sister is done with a row of popcorn stitch alternating with 2 rows of half double crochet.

 

The handle starts with a chain of 40 stitches. I sc down 2 rows from the top and made a chain of 40 stitches. I then sc in each stitch of the chain and sc the end of the handle to the cozy to make it secure.

Here’s a picture of the completed cozy.

Just weave the loose threads in and it is done. Takes a few hours from start to finish. Good to do while watching TV or listening to music. Best of all, if I am stitching I’m not eating. 

I liked making the cozies so much I made one for myself.

Simple single crochet stitch, scalloped trim at the top, and a crocheted flower for a little bit of embellishment.

Abbreviations: Rd: round, sc: single crochet, hdc: half double crochet, sl st: slip stitch, ch: chain, st: stitch.

My thanks to Dvortygirl, Lois Wade, Krystle, Eric, and anyone else involved in the article. http://www.wikihow.com/Crochet-a-Water-Bottle-Cozy

Post and patterns by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy.com and GoofingOff.Artfire.com