HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUTFIT!

There is no better way than to spend your birthday in style! I made this ensemble for my daughter's first birthday! I wanted a cute pattern and something that was frilly with bright colors! So with a little personalization on the tee, some ribbon, and tulle, this shouts HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me!

Making the perfect Birthday outfit!

After looking around at different clothing brands for the perfect birthday skirt and top for our soon to be 1 year old, I decided to just make it myself to be a little more cost effective. Practically $50 for a new birthday outfit doesn't fit a birthday budget! So a little fabric, matching ribbon, and this pretty purple decorative trim will do the trick! Bippity, Boppity, Boo! See what I am about to make for you!

Handmade presents are gifts from the Heart!

Any gift that is handmade is truly a gift from the heart. It means a lot when someone has put the extra time and effort into making a gift whether it be for a baby shower, wedding, or a birthday! Handmade is a way to express that you are giving the very best of you! A very good friend is having her first baby (a girl) and I am going to make her a special gift from my heart! Can't wait to finish it and post it here soon!

Fresh Lemon-Made, Anyone?

Sew happy with how these two dresses turned out! They are just as refreshing as a glass of lemonade! Meredith is modeling a size 5T.

Evelyn is wearing an infant size 9-12 month in the same bright lemon printed fabric. And if that doesn't stop you in your tracks to say "how cute", check out the matching infant shoes she is wearing with it!



When you find a lemon fabric, you make Lemon-Made!

The beautiful Daffodils that are blooming this week gave me some inspiration for the girls Easter dresses! I love how bright and yellow the flower is and I wanted to find a fabric that would be just as bright.

 I ended up finding exactly what I hoping for! A bright fabric with lemons and many different hews of yellow and some orange. Throw in some sunny day yellow thread and some frilly ribbon and I can't wait to show you what I am about to create. With each dress I dream up, it is easier and easier to go to the store and find coordinating fabrics and treasures to make a perfectly unique and one of a kind Claire Reese design!

White Eyelet Tiered Top

I love this top! I was inspired by a local children's clothing store who had a similar top. After looking at the top and the way it was made, there was no question that making something just like it would be easy and definitely cheaper than what they had it priced in the store. I added a flower eyelet rosette in front for some extra flare! Plus, I know this top was sewn in the USA. It is sad that a majority of our children's clothing is made in China or Malaysia. There will be one thing that will remain true about Claire Reese Clothing. It will always be sewn and created in the USA!

Vision in White

For anyone who loves white eyelet material, you'll love this as much as I do! I can't wait to put this gathered tier eyelet top with shoulder straps together! A white eyelet dress or top is a must have for a children's spring wardrobe!

A Dress That Screams Summer and Fun!

After cutting out the pieces of fabric, laying them out, and studying the pattern carefully, I began to assemble my first creation! The dress flows beautifully and has little ruffled sleeves! On the lower tier of the dress there is an embroidered flower for detail! On the yoke of the dress is another flower emellishment! The embellishments on the dress is the part of the dress I enjoyed making the most! The hardest part was the finishing the yoke (nothing to do with an egg) of the dress at the top! And yes, there are some new terms in the world of sewing that I must get used to also.  All in all, it was a great accomplishment to finish my first creation! This is the first original Claire Reese!

Our daughter, Meredith, is the best little model to help me show this great dress off! When putting it on, she whirled and twirled in it! It truly is a dress that screams summer and fun!

Letting The Creative Juices Flow!

When I went into the local fabric store, I couldn't wait to find some bright and colorful fabric that I could make my first creation with! I loved many of the fabric designs and textures there! I could see making many things with the amazing selection they had! But the summer dress design I choose needed something bright and flowing when the dress would twirl! As soon as I saw the bright colors and pattern on this incredible fabric, I knew this was it! When I was having it cut, the storeowner informed me that there was a striped coordinating fabric that went with it! For the dress design I picked, I knew these two coordinating fabrics would be perfect! I knew it was meant to be! I was ready to make my first creation!

Some Good Ol' Fashion Inspiration!

At Christmas time this past year, my grandmother, Lucille, handed me this box of old patterns. These patterns are Vintage! She used these very patterns to make clothing for her children when they were younger! My aunt Linda and my mother both commented on the clothing grandma used to make them and we talked about it for over an hour when we were together for the holidays! Just talking about following in my grandmother's footsteps and making clothing for our children made me want to hop in front of the sewing machine and get started! .....and sew with a little help from my husband on what to name the clothing line this is how it all began!

Ready, Set, Sew!

I have officially set up my own sewing workstation! An area of my own to help me get inspired, keep organized, and keep me sewing! It has been a dream of mine to have my own business one day and run it from the comforts of our home while raising our three wonderful children! My hope is that this blog will be a journal for me and show my progress along the way as I start to make dresses and other cute fashion accessories that someday soon I hope to sell!  As a mother, I can't get enough of the adorable clothing available to dress my little girls in. I hope everyone will someday soon hear of Claire Reese Clothing.....inspired from my two daughters middle names!