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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

adventures with sweetie pie bakery
Showing posts with label adventures with sweetie pie bakery. Show all posts

12.14.2011

Check out this gorge Erdem-inspired red lace dress!

Lace dresses are everywhere this holiday season!  And they are awesome.  You see them everywhere, in sexy, girly, sweet, festive, and funky looks, and yes, I made one myself out of vintage lace yesterday!

Which is why it's so funny and cool that my blog friend Jessi at Sweetie Pie Bakery (she used to be a regular poster here!  Thanks, Jessi!) just shared an awesome lace dress she made!  Inspired by this Erdem gem:


Sooo cute.  Famously worn by Michelle Williams...


Now worn by Jessi!


Awesome DIY, eh??

Have any of you made anything with lace recently?  Or any great holiday party dresses?  I wish I had more parties to go to so I could make more dresses! ;)
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5.03.2011

Sweet as Honey, Little Black Dress

Get ready to get inspired from this week's Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery post from guest blogger Jessi...


If you love Kate Spade, watch Glee or read Grosgrain, I'm sure you've seen this sweater by Kate Spade. It is both sophisticated and whimsical, two factors which I love in a garment.

I used inspiration from this sweater to make this Sweet as Honey, Little Black Dress. Buzz on over to check it out!

How cute!  Thanks, Jessi!!
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4.28.2011

An easy-to-wear seersucker dress for spring!

Another cute project from Jessi of Sweetie Pie Bakery!


We aren't lacking for April showers here in Chicago. This past Sunday we had sun, thankfully. Other than that, rainrainrain!

I didn't plan well. I should have had my hair done and a pile of dresses next to me as I started out the window this week so I could have hurried outside for that window of sunshine in between all this rain. I'm just itching to get outdoors to take some pictures with green grass, flowers and sun!

Until then, I have to improvise and take them indoors...poor lighting and all!

As for the dress, (I suppose that is what you're here to read about!) I used the Evening Empire Dress pattern from Anna Maria Horner. This is my second attempt at this dress. The first time I used the full length, strapless version. This time, I went for option A-straps and shorter.

I kept pulling up the bodice on the strapless version, afraid it would fall right off. I'm sure it wouldn't have gone anywhere, but it still made me so nervous. This version is much more comfortable to wear with the kids.

I chose a seersucker for the fabric. Very summery and very child friendly. It washes up beautifully, every time no matter what they seem to get on it.

I'm definitely a fan of this pattern. The bodice detail is nice and looks great with the stripe fabric, I think. Simple detail. Perfect for a summer dress. The only thing that would make it more perfect: pockets. And maybe some sunshine!

Soooo cute.  I love the classic blue and seersucker stripes!!  Can't wait for that warm weather here in Oregon, either.
Readers, thanks for checking out Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery!
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4.19.2011

Sewing for him!

This time on Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery, Jessi shares a great project she did for her husband! I guess we can sew for men, too, huh... ;)

Not sure about you, but my hubby definitely gets left out of all the sewing that goes on around here. Just as I was working on some final details of a dress, my husband said, "You still never made me that shirt you said you were going to...last year..."

I felt guilty immediately and put off the details of that dress to work on his shirt. After all, it's only fair to sew him a shirt for every ten dresses I make myself, right?

Come on over to read which awesome fabric I chose, which pattern I used and which one I actually recommend...

Thanks, Jessi!
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4.12.2011

Nightgowns!

Time for another Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery, where guest blogger Jessi shows off her awesome sewing projects!!
This week...

Nightgowns. They're dresses for bedtime, yeah?

It's fun to mix things up so I made a little nightgown. Using an old sheet and a free pattern from Burda (obv.) I whipped this up in a couple of hours. I was lazy and didn't take care to match the plaid on the bodice, but eh, it won't get seen too much.



Honestly, I wear pajamas a lot. Like, sometimes I get out of bed and basically put on different pajamas and end up wearing them all day. In the summer it's easy to throw on a dress and be comfy on the floor with the kids, but in the colder months, sweats and fuzzy socks are just the way to go!
As for the pattern itself, it was easy and quick. Rather than create elastic channels on the back I just popped in my elastic bobbin and did some shirring on it. I really don't like the seam down the middle of each side of the top. I suppose it might be helpful if you actually had something to fill out the top...but I don't, so it just wasn't necessary. A flat triangle would have done me fine! But, like I said, being pajamas I wasn't into technicality so made the pattern according to my size and waited to see what the result was. I probably won't make this one again though, without modifications at least. I purchased the Jane pattern which would probably would have been a cuter nightie for me.


Anyhow, with Mother's Day coming up I thought it would be nice to share some pj's with you... since I know you're all going to get some awesome breakfast in bed and have to look super cute while not getting burnt toast crumbs, prepared by your children, on the sheets!


How about you guys? Do you sew pajamas for yourself or not bother?


...and I can't leave you on this fine Tuesday morning without a bit of Wilco!


Thanks, Jessi!
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4.05.2011

A daytime lacy dress!

Welcome to Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery!
Today Jessi shares an amazingly cute ModCloth-inspired dress she made for a friend's bridal shower.  Soooo cute... I want one!  Check it out...

I'm so very excited to share this dress with you! It is by far my most favorite dress I've sewn so far!


I'm pretty confident in sewing garments for myself now. Meaning, I'll look at a dress I like and analyze things differently, rather than just whether I can, or should, afford it. I look at the price, then the materials, then the construction, and decide how much time and money it would cost me to make the garment.


When I saw this particular dress at ModCloth, I was all set out to buy it, and then ended up making it! Click on over to read more and find out how to make your own!

Thanks, Jessi!
That would also be cute with a soft pink or peach lining... or with a tiny shrug cardi!
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3.29.2011

Springy polka dots on an easy dress!

Time again for Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery!  Take it away, Jessi!



It is finally spring! I'm not sure whether Spring knows it yet, but it is...We've had some chilly weather and even snow the other day! Regardless, I can't help but sew for the warmer days. Besides, when you can make a dress in a couple of hours, why not?

I worked with the Tara top from BurdaStyle. It's one of their most popular patterns, as it makes a very simple sun dress. There are no closures or fancy notions involved, just some elastic under the bodice, making it a perfect pattern for beginners!


The only intimidating factor may be that the dress is derived from a top pattern. However, all you need to do is take the main section and cut it on a straight line, then line up the diagonals with the length you'd desire for your skirt.
You can use this trick to turn most any top pattern into a dress. (Kathleen did a sew-a-long with this little number as well, so you can get step by steps from her if you'd like to try it out and are newer to sewing)


It's comfy and cute which are two pluses in my book! I made a few of these dresses since they are so fast. Do you have any favorite summer dress patterns?


Thanks, Jessi!  I myself have several fave summer dress patterns, and some of them are super easy... read about them here.

Readers, find more Adventues with Sweetie Pie Bakery with this button!
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3.22.2011

"You know how to sew, right? Can you do me a favor??"

Here's something Jessi from Sweetie Pie Bakery has to share this week... an awesome project the likes of which many of us seamstresses may be approached with from time to time!  Do you ever get this kind of request?

The funny thing about knowing how to use a sewing machine is that people often assume you can do just about anything. I often get strange requests from friends and family members and try my best to follow through. Last month I got the most unexpected request from my sister.
She had asked me if I could help make her costume for her high school musical, Beauty and the Beast. So please, be my guest (ha) and check out Babette's costume today at Sweetie Pie Bakery.

Wow, what a project!  What a cute feather duster--and very similar to the Disney film depiction, actually!  I like it better on a human =).  But probably a more complicated project than the basic cute, contemporary dresses we usually make!  Have you ever been approached to do something you have no idea about??

Thanks for the inpsiration, Jessi!  Readers, see more Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery here.
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3.15.2011

Happy St. Patty's! How about a festive dress?

This week on Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery, Jessi shares her festive St. Patrick's Day date night dress--for all of us out there who don't want to be pinched this Thursday! ;)

Maybe you haven't heard, but we take St. Patty's Day very seriously here in Chicago. So serious that we like to dye our rivers green!

So it should come as no surprise that my husband and I make it a special date night.

There's this fabulous local Irish restaurant with the best Irish soda bread, and I can't wait to get my hands on some Thursday.

Of course, I had to have a new dress to wear and love any excuse to make a fun party dress! I fell in love with the City Lights dress at ModCloth a couple of months ago, but $312? No, thank you. It's sold out though, so many people were fine with that price...
Using inspiration from the skirt and bodice, I created this dress, with no pattern. It's not perfect, but it's my first dress sans pattern-and I'm proud! It fits and is pretty much wearable-so yay! success.





I used satin so the draping is different from the inspiration dress. I figured it was a special occasion dress so why not be soft and shiny. The bodice is gathered at the shoulders and chest. The skirt is a simple a-line, and I just bustled up the bottom.


The dress is super fun to wear. It's short and flirty and fun for a night out with my husband and no kids.

Thanks, Jessi!  What a fun way to celebrate the holiday.  Readers, see more from Jessi at our Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery feature or on her blog Sweetie Pie Bakery.
What are you doing for St. Patrick's Day?
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3.08.2011

Simple skirts for spring!

With slightly warmer weather and a little bit more sunshine than last week... are you thinking about spring skirts yet??  Check out a great list of FREE skirt patterns and tutorials on guest blogger Jessi's blog Sweetie Pie Bakery for a simple skirt to make this week!
Thanks for sharing, Jessi, as part of Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery!


I am just itching for the snow to melt now after that last dress I made. I took a few hours this weekend to work on a fun new pattern of Anna Maria Horner's. I'm also sharing some links to my favorite simple spring skirts so come on over to read more!

Thanks, Jessi!
Click here for more Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery!
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3.01.2011

A spring-ey dress a la ModCloth and 500 Days of Summer!

I'm happy to share with you today a super cute and inspiring post from guest blogger Jessi from Sweetie Pie Bakery!
Perfect timing, since yesterday I shared a red plaid dress on the last day of February.  Now it's March, which gives the impression, anyway, of warmer weather...

The other day the snow began to melt and I got so excited about warm weather!...and then it snowed, and melted, and snowed, and rained...but now, it is sunny and I am hopeful of warmer days sooner than later.

This dress was inspired by a little ModCloth number and "500 Days of Summer."
I really liked the dress, as is, but had planned on making a similar dress in a color I thought I would wear more often so switched some things up. I kept the knots on the sleeve and the button down top of the dress, adding a gathered skirt instead and losing the bow around the waist.
To construct the bodice I used Simplicity 2403. I used the shorter, puffy sleeves and then added the ties to the bottom to create the knots. For the back, I left the detail but took out the gathers to keep it clean.
This dress is super fun to wear! It's light weight and a bit shorter than skirts I've been wearing through winter so it just makes me want to walk down the street dancing with my glittery shoes on.
The best part is that I got the pattern for only a buck at JoAnns on a Simplicity pattern sale, the fabric only cost me $10, and the shoes were a DIY project for a total of $8. With notions, the entire outfit cost me less than $25!
And just to make your day complete, I can't not share these dancin' tunes!


Yaaay 500 Days of Summer! SUCH a cute movie. It's great for lots of clothing inspiration (I've thought before about Zooey Deschanel's vintage-inspired wardrobe in it)! And that dress inspires me to start the spring and summer sewing!! Thanks, Jessi!
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Thoughts on designing and sewing...

2.22.2011

Thoughts on designing and sewing...

This week on Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery...
Jessi inspires us to make our own cute springy dresses!  Using BurdaStyle and other sources, you can totally emulate those amazing dresses when you can't justify buying all 10...
I don't have a garment to share with you today, but I do have some tips to share on how I design dresses. I'm fairly new to sewing garments, so I rely heavily on patterns to familiarize myself with construction and technique. Just recently I've felt comfortable enough to begin to draft my own patterns, in part, allowing me to make more and more modifications on patterns. Come on over to Sweetie Pie Bakery today to read more about how I Design for Less.

Thanks, Jessi!
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2.15.2011

A fun weekend-ey, ModCloth-ey BurdaStyle dress!!

Thanks again to Jessi for sharing this darling "Weekend Wenlan" dress with us!! So ModCloth-ey... read more to learn how to make one yourself!


Sometimes you need a dress that you can move in. A comfy little number that you can throw on and feel cute and just be done with it. That's how I feel about this Wenlan dress. It's perfect for weekends and just hanging around...
It was pretty simple to extend the length of the dress and eliminate the collar. I even added pockets but sewed them in a bit too low. Of course, I was making the dress last minute so my option was to have funny pockets, or no pockets. I hurried up and removed them so I could get out the door on time, annoyed at myself for not measuring correctly. You think I'd learn one of these days...
I'm usually more of a fitted dress person myself, so depending, you may want a more fitted version of this pattern. Kathleen did a fitted dress and Novita did one similar to this version. There are also a couple with exterior pockets and ruffles. I love basic patterns that you can do so much to.




*images via BurdaStyle, users Grosgrain and VeryPurplePerson

The dress is super comfy and quick to sew. I used a light wool suiting I picked up at an outlet in Minnesota over the summer and only ended up paying about $4.50/yd! I think it would be nice in a voille for late spring or summer, as well...so you might see a few more of these. I'd love to have a budget for some Liberty prints!

Go make yourself a 'happy weekend' dress!
Thanks, Jessi!  Readers, click here to see more Adventures with Sweetie Pie Bakery from Jessi of Sweetie Pie Bakery!
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