Bravo Puperita!

Do you love surprises? I love surprises!

About three months ago Emi, Kate and I started working on a little project. We were like three school girls whispering and giggling in the corner, planning something super exciting.

Surprise, Annalisa! 

What? You don't know who Annalisa is? She is a heart and soul of Puperita patterns.

Annalisa, your patterns are absolutely impeccable and we love them. Emi, Kate and I wanted to showcase as many patterns as possible, so we gathered a few more Puperita admirers and today we would like to thank you for all your hard work. Each one of us created something using a Puperita pattern.

It did not take me long to decide what to make. The Yummy Dotted dress was the first Puperita pattern I used for my big girlie. You can see a couple of Yummy dresses I made for miss R here. Well, now her baby sister has one :)

This girl, oh! She is a little ray of sunshine. When baby L smiles, her entire body radiates happiness. Her arms are waving, her legs are kicking, she makes funny happy groggily sounds. Complete strangers start smiling looking at her.

Baby L looks so deliciously chubby, but she is actually smaller than average. Her measurements put her into size 3-6 months. I usually sew my girls' current size, however this time I decided to size up and made size 6/9 - 12 months. Baby L is on the verge of starting crawling. Crawling and dresses don't mix very well. Baby L will be able to show off her Yummy dress properly when she can walk. Until then I can put a couple of layers under the dress to keep her warm during cooler months. Oh, and I promise there is no puckering under her arms. Baby L wore the dress prior to the photo shoot and it required washing. While I religiously press every seam when I sew I obviously don't do a really good job ironing things once they have been washed.

The Yummy Dotted dress has a classic shape and features the cutest pockets. I decided to keep things simple and made the dress from denim chambray. A little piping really brings out the shape of the pockets. I am noticing I am really enjoying simplicity and clear lines lately. 'Less is more' seems to be my current motto.

I used zero pins to secure piping in place while sewing. Yep, zero. None. I went very slowly and used my fingers to keep piping in place. My hands looked like giant spiders carefully feeding piping under the needle. The result was amazing - not a single wrinkle! This might be absolutely wrong, but it worked for me.

I didn't have a matching zipper, so I used a cream one I had on hand. It is almost invisible :) I am not sure how I managed to mismatch the bodice line. Also, does anyone have tips on how to make zippers lie flat at the top? Mine always kink out a little.

Now, the vest.

I used the Matryoshka vest pattern. In previous life this vest was baby L's bassinet liner. Yes, an ordinary sheepskin liner. The vest is lined with cotton poplin.

The vest, just like the dress, is size 6/9 - 12 months. It is perfect for our current weather. I hope it will still fit her just fine when spring comes in a few months time.

This vest was inspired by Mie of Sewing Like Mad. She used faux sherpa on a few outfits lately, like this one for example, and I just loved the look.

I used a large wooden button and an elastic loop instead of ties. Because...

Everything goes into her mouth! I don't think soggy ties are a current trend.

We had a photo-shoot at one of the local parks. The leaves just started falling and baby L was in heaven playing and tasting leaves, sticks and grass while we took photos. This activity is supposed to build up her immune system. Right?

Thank you Lauren and Abby for tips on sewing sheepskin! Or whatever this material is called.

Following the advice from my sewing buddies I trimmer the pile along the seam allowances to minimise bulk. I don't think I trimmed it enough though as my machine struggled sewing through two layers of sheepskin. I had to physically pull it through at times.  I used a larger needle and increased the stitch length on my machine.

The result? An absolutely adorable and super warm woolen vest. I was so proud of it when it was finished I had to share a photo on Instagram. I did not tag a pattern at the time as I was trying to be secretive. I will edit my post shortly.

Annalisa, hats off to your wonderful work and amazing talent!

Please take a break, get a cup of tea or coffee and check out what the rest of the members of our secret society have created.

Emi ~ Just Add Fabric     Jaime ~ Made By Jaime      Janice ~ So-Cal Sewing Mom
Soso ~Moineau & Petit Pois     Nuala ~ clootie dumplings     Pam ~ Threading My Way
Maria ~ Fairies, Bubbles & Co.     Shelly ~ Sew Shelly Sew     Chari ~ Take time to smell the rose
Helen ~ The DIY Fox     Karly ~ Paisley Roots     Sanae ~ Sanae Ishida

Janet ~ 7 Pine Design     Jenya ~ While she was sleeping

You can see more wonderful creations posted in Puperita Teamwork on Facebook.