When I saw the name of this week’s theme, my mind immediately went to warm, sunny southern beaches. But then, I read the description : “Design an outfit inspired by your favorite vacation spot”. That would definitely NOT be a warm, sunny, southern beach. I spent a week at one years ago and I wasn’t a fan. It was too hot and crowded for me. So what? I’ve seen plenty of places I loved. Munich, Brussels, London, Peru, Budapest, Normandy… They were places I would gladly live in for a while but they don’t say Spring break to me. There’s one place where I was able to relax completely. I slowed down and enjoyed the lazy days. It was absolutely lovely.
Cape Cod.
We rented a house on a beach. We had our own private slice of beach. Quiet, not crowded. Hot enough in the sun but not too hot. Mr. Mouse cooked a lot of fish and seafood. And I was able to stop and relax. We were all able to stop and relax. An amazing feat.
Cape Cod.
It has a slightly dressy New England feel to it. I had to make a dress. And I had this leftover seersucker with embroidered lobsters that I used for me and souricette 2. Come on! Could anything be more Cape Cod-ish than lobster seersucker?
So I made the oliver + s birthday party dress. I made the dress as written, using some red cotton for the center panels both front and back. A sailboat button in front, and heart shaped mother of pearl buttons in the back.
I tried to get the lobsters to line up properly. They aren’t embroidered in a perfect straight line which makes it difficult. I tried my best and it worked out pretty well.
Except in the most obvious spot. Of course.
When I put the dress on souricette 1, she told me it reminded her of that place we went to where we had the house on the beach.
Cape Cod.
Even in Summer, it can get chilly in the evening. The sea is cold and the wind is cool. A little cardigan is a must. I tried silk but it’s expensive and a beast to work with. So I went with my tried and true Jaggerspun superfine merino. It’s soft and warm and knits up wonderfully on the machine.
I adapted a lace pattern from a Barbara Walker stitch dictionary. I designed a deep V-neck cropped cardigan with the help of Design-a-Knit and knit away. I had to use the cut and sew method this time because the lace carriage can be a little… cranky. Best to just knit up a rectangle and cut it afterwards. I knit a strip of jersey to use as binding along the neckline.
And then I knit three strips of 1×1 rib to use as cuffs and a bottom band. And a little crochet loop for the button (yes, the same mother of pearl hearts as the dress). And a button for each cuff (just decorative).
My finishing isn’t as good as I would like but souricette 1 loves it. It’ll be a great ballet sweater too…
Cape Cod.
I hope we get to go back when it’s warm again.
Creative mommy at home to two wonderful little girls, trying to juggle family, sewing, exercise, family, knitting, photography, and did I mention family?
This dress is so cute!
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Thank you!
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Wow! Really beautiful! I love the pleat detail on the front of the dress. Great job
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Thank you! It’s a great pattern. But then, could we expect any different from Oliver + S?
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SO pretty!
Amy
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Thank you!
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That lobster fabric is fabulous! I love all the details you put into your work.
http://xoxograndma.blogspot.com/
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Thank you! I fell in love with those lobsters right away when they first showed up on fabric.com. I may have to go back for more of that embroidered seersucker. Maybe whales this time?
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Very impressive! Beautiful job.
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Thank you!
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I love this!! That little sweater is so lovely. I can’t believe it’s done on the machine. You’re making me want a knitting machine 🙂 I am from cape cod so of course I’m in love with this!
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Thank you! I’m loving the sweater too. The merino is so soft. My daughter never once complained of scratchiness on her skin. And she’s one who sometimes finds cotton scratchy…
I knew you were fom MA but Cape Cod? You grew up there? It looked like such a lovely place to be a child. Or an adult. I seriously loved it there. We were in Sandwich (well, on the coast but close to there). Such a cute little town…
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I love Cape Cod and that dress definitely is Cape Cod. The sweater is perfect for Cape Cod weather. Beautiful the red and stripes together!
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Thank you! I’m really happy with the outfit too.
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Love the dress, definitely very Cape Cod. The shrug is perfect too.
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Thank you!
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I cannot believe you made the little sweater. It is so pretty. The dress is great, too.
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Thank you so much!
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I’m ajaire’s sister, so I too love it and it’s definitely Cape Cod. I love that souricette 1 knew right away that it was a reminder of the Cape!!
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Thank you! It made me so happy that she recognized my inspiration. She says the sailboat button is what did it for her.
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Pretty outfit, and the lobsters add fun element at the same time! Beautiful job!
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Thank you!
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That dress is beautiful! The color and details are just amazing together.
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Thank you!
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Beautiful job! I love seersucker and you used it just right in this dress. Makes me want to travel north and visit Cape Cod myself.
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Thank you!
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I’ve had my eye on that dress pattern for awhile…I think your version just clinched it for me!
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It’s a great little dress!
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love the lobster fabric and the dress!! But OH MY!! the tiny knit of that sweater!! WOW! I’ve never knit with such small stitches… beautiful! I love this weeks Project Run and Play theme! I linked up a beachy outfit! Emily@nap-timecreations.com
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Thank you! It’s the machine that helps me knit this small! Though I did once hand knit a lace weight sweater for myself…
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I love the O+S Birthday Dress…..and the nautical vibe you gave it was wonderful!
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Thank you!
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I love this! Why is red, blue and white so lovely together? Your dress makes me sad that Millie has outgrown the sizes of the O+S birthday dress pattern I have!
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Such a classic color combination, right? I love anything that feels nautical. I’ve taken to buying both size ranges when I buy Oliver+S patterns. It gets expensive though…
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This dress is gorgeous! One can never go wrong with red + blue color combo, and the pattern is awesome!
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Thank you!
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Darling and perfect for your theme!
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Thank you!
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I keep coming back to this because I can’t believe you made the sweater, too. I’d love to see you at the Inspire Us Thursdays! link party.
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Thank you so much! Will do!
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I love the pleating and the sweet little sweater!
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Thank you!
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The entire outfit is wonderful! I love the classic colors and lines of your dress. The red centers make such a bold and beautiful statement. I am always impressed with your knitting!
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Thanks for linking up at Inspire Us Thursdays!
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