More re-fashions

What to make, what to make??? I saw a tute where they made onesies into outfits for little ones and making them new. I will find where I got the inspiration from and when they're done I will post them on here.

I know they're going to look adorable when they're done and have a new lease of life

Happy days.

Oooo I'm so much more productive now that my eldest is at school and I have a napping baby :)

Refashion

An old shirt into a new dress for my little princess. The shirt was headed to the op shop, as it's an old one of my Mums, but using vegbees tute I made this little dress. The dimensions are slightly different as my Mum is slim so there wasn't a huge amount of fabric, but I love this dress and because I used the buttons for the back of the dress it is so easy to get on and off my daughters head - she hates getting changed :) Win win all round I would say

Starting out Green

Where do I start on this topic??? I would love to move to a commune and drop out of modern life completely. However, I have a wonderful husband, whom I love, who does not feel the way that I do...so we compromise!

Luckily, he supports almost all of my ideas. He embraced washable nappies, mainly because they are so damn cheap. Alright, they were a little expensive to buy initially, but after two babies they are still going strong. I try my best to buy homemade, local items for my babes and I have successfully phased out the chemicals from my home...although this is very much a work in progress. We try to use products that contain only natural ingredients and I love chatting to the market sellers at the local craft markets and find the best of these products. I adore Nirvana naturals http://www.nirvananaturals.org/ they do more products than are available on their website. I love their mandarin shampoo and consitioner and their washing up liqid makes the house smell like lavendar when you wash up...it's the only good thing about washing up :)

I have done a little research on the plastic debate and will post some information when I can. I was concerned about chemicals leaching into my children's mouths and environment. I heard a while ago about water bottles being left in the car leaching chemicals into the water. I wanted to know the finer details. It's funny, when you have babies, you start thinking about things that you would previously have dismissed as 'oh yeah, something else that causes cancer blah blah blah'... now I feel genuine concern when I hear these things.

What else...I'm sure I had more to say. Oh yeah. I am also doing some research into environmentally friendly ways of decorating your home. Milk paints etc. I will post the information as I find it.

Capped sleeve Dress

This is such a lovely dress, it has a very traditional dress. It shows much less skin, which is great in the harsh Australian sun.

The capped sleeves are such a pretty trim, but this dress can be made without the sleeves. It has a lovely sash tie that goes around the back to give a fitted look. I like the circle skirt design - all little girls love to twirl.

Simple summer dress

This is a great beginner project and this little dress is so versatile. I always make them a little wide at the sides, which means it can be worn as a dress and then as the little princess grows she can wear it with leggings or jeans.

It is essentially a summer dress, but I don't care, it can go over a long sleeved top in winter too to 'pretty up' a grey day!!!

Halter party dress

I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite party dresses... red polka dots are my absolute favourite when it comes to party dresses. If you want your little princess to stand out then red is definitely the way to go.

This one is made in a very simple design with a halter front and shirred back, with a circle skirt - perfect for twirling.

Since my little girl can't twirl yet, I borrowed my friends little girl... a little cutie don't you think!

If you would like a tutorial on this dress just ask :)

I have sold heaps of this style at the Craft Markets. The dress itself is simple to make and with the stretchy back it will fit for longer - I do like to get wear out of my dresses. Also, a change of fabric changes the way this dress looks.

This is a picture one of my lovely customers sent me of her gorgeous little girl in one of my halter party dresses.

I adore the fabric on this dress.

Welcome to my new blog

Hi,

I have ventured into the world of bloggness. I am very happy to be here. I am hoping to make some new friends with people who have similar interests to me. I have been fascinated by some awesome blogs... I will link to them when I work out how to do it!!! :D

Currently I have a small business making little girls dresses. Please check out my website for further information www.charliecharlie.com and I plan on getting myself and Etsy shop too.

I love making new clothes but feel that there has to be a balance. I adore fabric, there are some amazing designers...Amy Butler, Michael Miller etc...but you probably already know that! For me the balance is making some clothing from old clothes. Either by adapting clothing that I already have or by searching through local op shops (thrift/charity shops) and finding clothes that I can hack up and make into something new.

I have made a few items recently and will add these details, as well as how I did it as soon as I can.

I tend to make clothes mainly for my little ones and other people's little ones, but I am determined to make more things for myself this year too.

I welcome ANY comments, I would love to hear ideas from those of you who are more experienced in the blogging world.

Thanks for reading,

Have an awesome day xxx