Whoop, whoop - Harper has finally decided she likes having her picture taken! And I finally decided to get my camera out! And no, I didn’t sew and photograph this all in one hour! I made it weeks ago. But I digress.
First, let’s talk about…womp womp womp…my photography for this post.
A long, long time ago (last summer/fall)…in a far away land (Salt Lake City and surrounding)…I took great photos. Well, I took decent photos. I knew all the great spots and had golden hour figured out LIKE A BOSS.
Enter Portland. We moved last November, and despite my efforts to set up a little in-house studio, my photography has gone downhill really fast. There are several reasons.
- My camera has basically been missing in action since November. I mean, I’ve known where it is. But I haven’t used it much at all. When I took the pics for this post, I basically put it in auto and went with it. I had limited time, and I was so excited Harper was cooperating, the thought of figuring out manual again was the last thing on my mind.
- I haven’t figured out the lighting situation here just yet. Obviously, these photos were taken in the middle of the day - BAD, bad, bad…I know. But I did what I had to do considering I am now 38 weeks pregnant and basically can’t get the kids to the park without help. Golden hour here is truly magnificent - especially on the rainy-turned-semi-sunny days, but you know…it comes kind of late now, and my kids go to bed at 7:30…and, well. It is what it is.
- I also haven’t scouted out any great locations. I mean, I’m surrounded by them. Portland is GORGEOUS. But I need to find those *perfect* places that are semi-secluded and that I can get to easily with two (soon, 3) small children.
So yeah. I know you guys get it. But let’s talk about this out-of-focus outfit, shall we?
The top is a FREE (yes FREE!) pattern by It’s Always Autumn called the Flutter Sleeve Top or Dress. It only comes in size 4, but that was perfect for us. I did shorten the neckline elastic a little because I found it was a little too spicy for my narrow-shouldered girl as directed in the instructions. Super easy to sew - super fast to sew - looks great - check, check, check.
The skirt is the Swingset Skirt by Oliver + S. I have only recently started sewing O+S because I don’t know why…but I am loving the patterns. I think that maybe I find their pattern cover artwork a little distracting - like I can’t really see what the garment looks like as they’re drawn? Maybe. I’m more of the line-drawing-and-simple-photo kind of sewist when it comes to picking out patterns.
BUT: I’m so glad I started using them because they really are as great as people say they are. Harper’s measurements are all-over-the-place for O+S; she’s 21-20-22 which translates to anywhere from a 12-18m to a 2T, but her height (38″) puts her pretty squarely in a 3T. (She is almost 4 and weighs around 32lbs in case you’re trying to compare your kid’s size/age to mine.) I had heard O+S patterns run big, but I am one of those annoying people who errs on the large side when sewing for my kids, so I went with the 3T. I also lengthened the skirt a hair - maybe 5/8″ - but as you can see, that probably wasn’t necessary. The great thing is that the skirt has a drawstring waist with light elasticity, so she will get to wear this one for a long time without looking sloppy.
The trickiest part of sewing the skirt (and I use that term loosely) was lining up the buttonholes in which to feed the elastic/drawstring. They are pretty tiny buttonholes, so that could be a deterrent for some. You could probably substitute some grommets there for a different look if you so chose. I love doing buttonholes though!
Both garments were quick and easy, and I highly recommend either/both.
I’m going to keep this short and sweet so I have some time to go back and read my camera manual tonight (hahaha), but I’ve been sewing a ton for the kids these last few months and hope to have some more to share with you soon.
Until next time…
TOP FABRIC: London Calling (voile) in SWEET by Robert Kaufman
SKIRT FABRIC: Lightweight denim in Bleach Indigo Wash by Robert Kaufman
SHOES: Cherokee Brand Joan Glitter Sandals @ Target (the similar-looking ones from Old Navy are of inferior quality! Trust me!)
All fabrics purchased at Fabric Depot in Portland, Oregon.
