Little Chief

     A few weeks ago, as I was looking through my scrap pile I suddenly realized that I'm always refashioning things for the girls, but I never really make anything for James.  Overcome with remorse, I asked "What would you like me to make for you, Little Man?"  His prompt answer was, "An Indian hat."
      Having no feathers handy, that project had to be postponed for awhile.  But every time I have used the machine since then, James has come running to ask "Are you making my Indian hat?"
     Well, last week I finally made it to the fabric store, and found, not only some feathers, but a perfect piece of material in the "remnants" bin.  So this weekend we turned Little Man into Little Chief.

It was a really simple project; it only took about 30 minutes, once I finally sat down to it.  James was intimately involved in the process while his sisters were napping.  Here's a few detail photos in case you want to try it...

Just cut 2 rectangles of knit or felt (so it won't fray) fabric, place them right sides together, hold them up to your own little Indian, tip your head to one side (helps with estimating) and sew up some shoulder seams and side seams, leaving holes for the head and arms.  I made mine come down to past his knees, planning to add some tucks for "growing room".  Cut a slit down the front, and keep cutting until it will fit over the head.

 wrong side

Once your model is wearing it, mark the base of their neck, and then cut a gentle curve from seam to seam, so it will lay nicely.  I would recommend taking it OFF the child before cutting.  It helps to fold the shirt in half too, to achieve symmetry.

Now, to finish the bottom - I decided to leave it extra long and add 3 tucks, which can be let out as he grows.  I simply drew 3 lines 3" from the bottom, and 3" apart, folded the fabric along those lines, and ran a line of stitching 3/4" from the fold.  Also, the fabric I found had this great fringe already cut along the bottom, but you can cut your own fringe if you don't have such cool fabric.


For the head band I just used another 1 1/2" strip of fabric, wrapped it around his head and added a little piece of elastic in the back so it would stay in place a little better.  After he put all the feathers where he wanted them, I ran them through the sewing machine to attach them securely.  Glue would probably work just fine too.

We originally cut another strip for the "belt", but if he tied it in a knot he couldn't get it off himself, and if he didn't, it wouldn't stay on.  So we found a belt in his drawer that works just fine.  It's now the official "Indian belt".

And there you go - one very happy little boy!

Just a side note on something I discovered while making this -  Is it really bad that my son's headband has to be bigger around than his belt?  Or is that normal for an almost-five-year-old?

Fall dress

I visited my "refashion" pile this week, looking for something that seemed like autumn, and wound up with this little dress for Ailidh.
She loves it.

Here's the original skirt. When I found it this week, I loved the fall colors.  I don't remember where it came from - it was a size 16 and the lining was torn in several places.  I think that I meant to cut it down to my size and repair it.  But it seemed to be asking to be turned into a dress.

 About an hour later, and there it was!  (I ended up changing my mind a couple times as I was making it, but later on I can share a rough idea of what I did, in case you'd like to make one of your own.)

  Perfect for sitting.

Or spinning.

Or chasing shadows...

 I had a tiny bit left over, so of course I couldn't waste it.  I made it into a little infant dress, simply adding some elastic that I had.

memories...

It's finally a little cooler here, and the weeds in the garden are atrocious!  However,  I guess I've been on my feet a bit too much today, and Baby decided I need to put my feet up for a bit.  As much as I hate "wasting" afternoon nap time lying down, it's just about the only way I'm making it through this week, with Steve working so late every night!

So, instead of something productive, I've been enjoying looking back over my last couple months of toddler-isms, and laughing over the funny things they say.

Want to join me?

sisters

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Me: "Hi Sweetie! You're in a good mood, did you have a good nap?"

Ailidh: "Yes, I woke up at my bed at my side!" (on the right side of the bed?) 

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A serious conversation with James about hitting his sister....

Me: "Why did you do that to her James? Does it make you feel good to hear her cry?"

James, very honestly: "It makes me feel a tiny little bit happy and a little bit sad."

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being reindeer (yes, they tied themselves to the wagon)

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Ailidh, throwing her arms around the dog: "Wooster!  My only one!"

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James: "When I grow up, I'm afraid I might have Lydia for a wife."

Me: "Why do you think you might have Lydia for a wife?"

James: "Because I just like to BE with her, so that's why I'm afraid I might have her for a wife, but I like Lydia, so if I did I wouldn't mind."

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trouble

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Ailidh: "Where is my Bessie?"

Me: "I don't know. Maybe she went to the market?"

Ailidh: "I think she didn't. She don't have feets Momma!"

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James, sobbing: "I'm having a hard day! I just want something to be perfect, but nothing can be perfect!"

A frustrated perfectionist already?

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I always knew Ailidh was her Daddy's girl --

James: "All babies come from their mommies bellies, Ailidh. Joy came from Mommy's belly."

Ailidh: "I comed from Daddy's belly."

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James: "We're playing that I'm a wicked boy and Ailidh's a wicked girl; that means she's my wicked wife!"

Me: "What does wicked mean?"

James: "Um.... I don't know."

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taking the family for a walk

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I was playing with Horatio as James was climbing into bed -

James: "Hey, that's MY lovey!"

Me, sadly: "But where's my lovey?"

James: "DADDY is YOUR lovey!"

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At the supermarket this week, I called James, who was wandering a bit. As he came running up, Ailidh yelled from the cart: "What good obedience!"

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When you attempt to use 2-year-old logic...

Ailidh: "I need Bessie! Where's Bessie!"

Me: "I don't know. We're in a rush - Bessie can stay here today, you can get her when we get home."

Ailidh: "I need Bessie!"

Me: "Bessie has to stay here. She's tired. She needs a nap."

Ailidh: "Why she need a nap Momma?"

Me: "She's so tired."

Ailidh: "Why she so tired Momma?"

Me: "She was up all night... coughing."

Ailidh (with a look of scorn): "She can't cough Momma, her mouff don't open!"

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 sunshine girl

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I was listening in on a conversation between James and his friend yesterday...

James: "God is the only one who can hang in the sky."

A: "And people that die. They hang in the sky too."

James: "No, when people die they bury them."

A: "Well, on the first day Jesus goes to church, and after church is over he goes out to where they bury people and he unburies them!"

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J: "Daddy and I have blue cups because we're both boys!"

Daddy: "And Mommy has a white cup because she's an angel."

J, a little skeptically: "Yes, but she's also called a girl."

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J: "Mommy, come look, I caught a chicken all by myself!"

Me: "Oh? Where is she now?"

J: "I put her in the kitty carrier!"

Me, getting a little worried: "Then what did you do?"

J: "I pulled her in my wagon and pushed her on the swing. She loved it."

Hmmm. I don't expect we'll be getting any eggs from that lady for a few days...

 

who needs a parakeet?

Refashion - silk tank top

Today's refashion project was a 100% silk top that I got for $1 on a clearance rack somewhere.  The cut was really strange - it was an extra large but had almost no coverage up top, so I knew I would never wear it, but I loved the material.  And today I turned it into a fun summer dress for Ailidh!

Want to try one?  It only takes about a half hour...

Start with a cute tank top.

Compare it with a dress of the size you want to make.  Mine was about 4" too big on each side.

Cut that amount off the center back.  I cut down the middle back, and then cut off 8" from each side, tapering it out near the hem.  Cut off the old straps too, and take out any elastic (mine had a piece along the top in the back)

Pin your new back seam and sew it up.  Overcast the edges to prevent fraying.

Out of the extra material you cut off the back, cut 2 3" rectangles, as long as possible.  These will be the new straps.

Fold each one in half, right sides together, and sew up the long edge.  Turn and press.

Now, put your elastic thread bobbin in the machine and run 2 lines of shirring all the way around the waist.    Run more lines of shirring from the top edge to the waistline across the back, from one old side seam to the other.

Almost done!  Try the dress on and fold the front corners down at an angle (leaving room for the arms), however fits nicely.  Pin on the straps in the front.  Be sure to get both sides the same!
 Top stitch along the fold, and across the strap ends, securing them in place.

 Try it on again and pin the straps down in the back.  Topstitch those in place also.

If you have any scraps leftover, try making a matching headband, using a piece of elastic at the back.

 Go play!