Pretty Petals and Hooting Owls

Has anyone noticed how short little girl shorts have become lately? We're working on phasing those shorty shorts out of our closets. Now our family isn't as modest as some, and we're slightly more modest than others. Which means there is a good chance that someone reading this is either going to feel like we should make her clothes longer, or feel like we should be putting her in a bikini to beat the Texas summer heat! But that's not the point of this post. Really, it isn't! So let's step away from that and get back to business.

The point of the post is to showcase two patterns I love! 

And this cute little gal:

The Summer Sailors by Brownie Goose are long enough for her to do just about any display of acrobatics in public that she deems necessary at that moment in time, without showcasing too much. They are utterly adorable, super comfortable, and easy for her to pull up and down. I also love that while they fit perfectly, they are also sneakily hiding plenty of growing room without there being any hint of bagginess!

The faux pockets may confuse littles for the first few minutes, so grab some popcorn while they're getting dressed and be careful while you're chewing ... you're going to be giggling quite a bit! ;)

I personally love the faux pockets (though there is a tutorial for transforming them into real pockets instead). They're so quick and easy and they give the look of a step I just don't always have the time to do!

The Practically Perfect Tee pattern from Muse of the Morning, is one of my very favorites that I have owned since Missy was about 2 years old! It always fits her beautifully but I've only ever done the regular short sleeve with it. This time I went all out and did the super adorable puff sleeve. I am so glad I did. The tee came out perfectly and she absolutely loves her puffy sleeves!

Even from the back this set oozes girly cuteness! 

The Carnival Skort and Shoreline Tank

Fishsticks Designs has a whole new series of patterns out: The Jersey Love Series. They are all fabulous but I knew I just HAD to sew up The Carnival Skort for Missy asap. She loves to wear skirts but she simply doesn't have...ahem...decorum (is that the word I'm looking for here?) in public, or even in the privacy of our home! So short leggings underneath all her skirts and dresses or skorts is a must!

Before my month long break I cut out a couple of these Shoreline Tanks from Jocole, only I made the very silly mistake of being distracted while cutting them out, and I didn't cut them on the fold. Which means instead of a solid piece for the front and another for the back, I ended up with two pieces for each! Oops!

I just seamed the back of the tank together because Missy has only recently moved into a 5T, and I knew that the seam wouldn't take away all the wiggle room in the width. For the front I didn't want a plain seam distracting from the look of the outfit. Thanks to a few suggestions from my sweet friends I cut a length of the same fabric as her skorts (almost double the length of the front, from neckline to hem), gathered it, and stitched it down the center between the two sides I'd cut for the front. I hemmed and then applied the FOE for binding and straps as per the directions. 

Don't like or don't have FOE? Jodi (Jocole) includes several options for the straps and binding. I'm willing to bet you'll find one in her directions that works perfectly for you!

The Carnival Skort requires no hemming and so it goes together really quickly! I opted to serge the skirt panels together with seams hidden, and the leggings underneath are the same solid brown stretch jersey as the waistband. They fit perfectly and I can tell they are so comfortable!

She was so happy with her pretty new set that she decided some spinning around and dancing for the camera was needed to show off her delight! Can you believe how much she's grown just in the past year and a half? She's such a big girlie now.

Thanks for stopping by! Now off you go to make some Carnival Skorts for someone dear to you!