Saturday, February 12, 2011

Valentine's Day Submissions

 Happy Valentine's Day readers! Have fun voting- the poll will close at midnight on Monday the 14th.

1- Lindsay's Little Love Bug

The idea for this dress popped into my head several weeks ago.  I wanted to make something that could be worn for Valentine's Day, but could also be carried through into spring/summer.  I thought the idea of "Love Bugs" (aka Lady Bugs) would shout Valentine's Day, but would be neutral enough to wear on other days of the year.


I love a well-fitted, a-line jumper and this one fits the bill.  The jumper is fully lined with coordinating pink and red fabric.  There is baby ric-rac running in a curved shape up the front of the pink, inset panel and at each curve there is a little tiny lady bug button that is hand-sewn in place.  The pink, inset panel is trimmed with a 1" red ruffle on each side and the bottom of the dress is finished with a matching red ruffle as well.  The dress buttons with two medium-sized, red buttons at each shoulder.


Finally, I wanted to add some accessories so I made a wide-brimmed, floppy style hat to coordinate with her dress.  The hat has a matching red ruffle, black baby ric-rac and is finished with curly, korker ribbons in red, fuchsia and baby pink.  My little lady is carrying her Valentine's Day purse that has a variety of different trims.  To finish the entire look, I layered the jumper with a pink and red polka dot knit shirt and paired it with a pink, ruffled ballet flat.  There is no doubt that Miss Savannah is my "Little Love Bug"!

2- Kelly's Be Mine Dress
This week, to get the creative juices flowing, I decided to write a list of what comes to my mind when I think of Valentines. Immediately victorian images popped into my mind. Lace, Champagne colored fabric, bustles, high necklines and of course a touch of red. This all translated into the Be Mine dress:
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Due to the none existence of a real fabric store on the island I dug around in my now 7 yards of fabric to find something I could use. Then I remembered a fantastic bit of vintage lace sent to me by a lovely reader. I pieced it together and made my own pattern for a Sabrina/ Bateau neckline. I backed the lace with some champagne colored extra soft suiting material I had. There is a hidden zipper on the side and the waist is accentuated by pleated grosgrain ribbon, which is used again on the bottom of the sleeves.
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The back of the dress is bustled, but only slightly so that it is still comfortable when she sits down. (I am not a fan of dresses that are gorgeous but completely impractical, if you are going to take the time to make it she needs to be able to wear it right? :)) She can also undo the bustle completely if she prefers it simple. I hand stitched an invisible hem so that it hangs lightly to avoid pulling on the bustle. On both the upper right and left sides of the bustle are hand embroidered XOXO (which you can only really see in one pic, sorry)
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This dress was literally a labor of love. Creating the pattern from scratch, piecing together the lace for the bodice top, hand stitching the hem and my first ever embroidery, a lot of patience and love went into this dress. To see more pictures hop on over and check out the Be Mine dress on Sewing in No Mans Land and of course have a Valentines bursting with love!


3- Katy's Chocolate Delivery

Doilies and chocolate, what more could a girl want?

I painted a series of buttons to look like chocolates.  I had them sitting on this plate and was tempted to eat one every time I walked by!  "no big dill" is more subtle than my previous projects...can you find it?  The fabric is actually made from strips of lace, dyed all at the same time for the same amount of time, but with their varying contents, some accepted the dye more than others, creating this variegated look.

Do you know how much self-restraint it took for Clover not to tear that chocolate bar open at the beginning of the photo shoot?  Lots.  
And lots.
For more shots of Clover downing that chocolate, go to no big dill.


4- Ashley's V-Graffiti
For this outfit, I reclaimed fabric from a vintage-inspired floral sheet and used some leftover drapery lining. I used several colors of fabric spray-paint, silk screening and marker graffiti to add color and design:


The dress is 2 layers on the bottom and a soft knit tank-style on top....comfort is always my first priority when dressing my daughter. The skirt of the dress has a decorative ruffle on the bottom layer and the top layer is cinched in several places with ribbon. Additional ribbon detail was added around the skirt layers.


Styled with a floral headband, pink "super hero" rain boots, and some basic striped leggings....it's the perfect Valentine's Day for Boo: quirky, comfy, one-of-a-kind! Come over and visit Lil Blue Boo to see more photos from our shoot!

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26 comments :

  1. I have this window open because I'm thinking about who to vote for. This is the first week I've hesitated. There are two that I love and just can't decide which to vote for ...

    Thinking ... thinking ...

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  2. I'm with Em, this is a TOUGH one. I'm gonna have to think about it a bit too. :)

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  3. Wow ladies. You really are so amazing! All of them are really great!

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  4. This is the best week yet . . . it was so hard to vote for just one! Excellent work ladies! I'm so impressed!!

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  5. Wow. Just my mouth is gaping WOW! All of you are amazing. Just amazing. The ideas, the time, the execution, the details, the beautiful children, the fantastic photography. All the little details--(and probably late nights!). Thanks for letting all of us enjoy and appreciate your talents. All of you should know that truly each of you are gifted and inspired and it's impossible not to love every single bit of what you have created!!!! It almost seems unfair to choose one over another because each of you have such a flair. Hooray for beauty, creativity and fun people!

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  6. this is a tough one! I love them all!

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  7. P.S. I love that when I vote now it shows how everyone is doing. LOVE THAT!!!!!!

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  8. OK. This week it is practically impossible to vote for just one. UUUUUgggghhhh! TOO HARD!

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  9. ugh.. this one is so hard! Gotta think on it. I am quite impressed!

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  10. i LOVE all of themª!!!!! I have 4 girls!! the would all look cute on them!!! cute choices!!!!

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  11. I've really enjoyed voting all these weeks but this one was the hardest! Everyone has done such a great job!

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  12. I was really torn between the two romantic lacy dresses, but my 6-year-old and her friend both had no trouble picking their favorite - V-Graffiti all the way.

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  13. They are all wonderful, this was a hard one to only give one vote to!

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  14. Wow, I'm not going to vote this week because I can't choose. This is an incredible week.

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  15. they are all amazing! this is my first week voting. But I have to go with my heart! #2 is my favorite - the Be Mine dress. I am a complete romantic, and it's just gorgeous!

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  16. I dont know... such a tough choice.

    loooove the two lace dresses. the be mine dress is lovely, especially the contrast to the pleated ribbon. the chocolate delivery dress is seriously yummy,katy, are you trying to bribe us with that giant slab of chocolate?( its working...) , adore the little love bug's hat and the sweet understated ruffles, and I am blown away by the sass in the graffiti photoshoot. which to choose... which to choose..

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  17. LOVE Katy's incredibly original Katy's Chocolate Delivery dress!!

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  18. Love the 1st one...Lindsay's...I love how great it is for Vday yet it can carry out throughout the summer...that hat is ADORABLE...2nd I would say Katy's...that is precious for church or pics...

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  19. #2 is my favorite - the Be Mine dress, it's sooo pretty

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  20. they are all done so well! Kelly & Katy's are more my taste- romantic and classy- but i love the sassy graffiti look too:O)

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  21. Love them all...but my dd would definitely pick v-graffiti (ashley). Although the others are gorgeous as well. Very talented ladies

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  22. Oh my, this was a tough pick for me between Kelly and Katy! In the end I went with Kelly's. The romance of that dress sealed the deal for me!

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  23. this is such a tough week. they are all amazing and so different!

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  24. V Graffiti all the way! LOVE it! They are all so wonderful though.

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