marie-madeline studio

Buttoned Up.

We all love sewing (surprise), and sewing for little girls is extra fun!  Thankfully, we're blessed to have some lovely little girls in our lives.  They also happen to be cousins, and their mommies also like to dress them alike.  So, we like to sew for them.

And, cooler weather is coming (saaaaddd), so the girls could use something a bit more fallish.  Enter a long sleeve amelia dress + an ana claire jumper + Sweet Things fabric.  We are always so impressed with Lakehouse's black prints... they are amazingly saturated, and wash & wear so well too.

And, don't forget happy buttons!  We recently had the pleasure of learning about Fastenation Studio.  Hannah's just as cute and sweet as her buttons.  We sent her a swatch of the outfit fabrics, and Hannah custom made the buttons to match!  Don't they look perfect??  All of Hannah's buttons are handmade with high quality polymer clay and double glazed.  They are amazing.  

Some of our favorite buttons in Hannah's shop are the bunnies, baseballs, red, white & blue, and sew swirly.  The buttons came so quickly too!

Hannah also makes these darling hair bow clips!  We just pinned them onto the front of the girls jumpers for now.  We can't wait to see them in their little wispy hair!

Kristie (Mom) really gets the credit for making these darling jumpers.  She loves to bless other people's lives, and sewing for little girls is her favorite thing to do.  We think it must be the 20+ years experience.  We can't wait to give the girls their outfits (hopefully this weekend)!

xox Kristie, Apphia, Achaia, Abigail, and Abiah

Red, White, & Blue

It's kind of an iconic color combination, you know?  In spite of the fact that while we were growing up it was our mom's go-to for any color scheme, we still love it.  (And wear it faithfully every Independence Day, of course.)  When the color basics patriotic piece came in from Riley Blake several weeks ago, we couldn't resist the urge to mix them with an older Flower Sugar piece in order to make this sweet francie dress for Eleanor!

We're also loving the Prepsters collection from Michael Miller!  And if you just can't go with the red, white, and blue... there is a green, white, and blue colorway, too.

We made the little flowers on Ellie's dress using this old faithful tutorial.  This is view A of the francie dress, but without sleeves.

 

Right now we're busy packing up for an upcoming vacation, but we'll try to pop in again before too long!  Keep an eye on us via Instagram...  xoxo

Sample Sale!

Hi, everyone!  We've got some goodies below that need a new home.  They have been taking up space here in the studio for some time now, and frankly we want the space back.  We are also offering some samples of our brand new darison pattern!!  We're passing along some great deals and our samples go real fast so hurry!

TO ORDER: Simply shoot us an email (mariemadeline(at)netins(dot)net) telling us what you'd like!  We'll email back ASAP, figure out the shipping costs, and invoice you for your total.  We will mark it sold here on the blog so no one else can scoop it up by accident!  Orders are filled on a first come, first serve basis. 

Enjoy, and please let us know if you have any questions!!

xo the Long ladies

Francie Dress size 5 in Cara Collection fabrics        $18.00

Francie dress size 4 in Fun Flowers        $18.00      

Francie dress size 8 in Cara Collection fabrics        $20.00

Francie dress size 14 in Rhapsody in Bloom        $22.00

Francie dress size 12 in Queen Street        $22.00

Torrance dress size 7/8 originally showcased in our Market booth    $30.00 SOLD

Ana Claire jumper size 6 in Folk Heart        $12.00

Torrance top size 6 in Sugar Hill        $12.00

Route 66 skirt size 8 in sparkle denim         $40.00

Ana Claire jumper with ties size 6/7 in Flower Sugar        $26.00   

Rosa Lea size 6 in red checks        $12.00 SOLD

Ladies red ruffle skirt (size small/medium) worn a couple of times        $12.00  SOLD

Amelia dress size 6/7 in Pam Kitty Morning - originally showcased in our Market booth        $27.50 SOLD

Amelia dress cap sleeves size 6/7 in Pam Kitty Morning        $25.00 SOLD

Torrance dress size 7/8 in Delilah        $27.00

Ana Claire jumper no ties size 6 in Flower Sugar        $22.50

Ladies teal ruffle and ridges skirt (size small/medium) worn once    $16.00 SOLD

Route 66 skirt size 2 in Dear Stella -originally showcased in our Market booth     $18.00

Rosa Lea dress size 4/5 in Lecien polka dots        $12.00 SOLD

Torrance top size 6 in polka dots        $10.00

Darison skirt size 2/3 midcalf in Calypso         $16.00 SOLD

Darison skirt size 7/8 maxi in Sugar Hill        $22.50

Ana Claire jumper with ties size 6 in Flower Sugar        $25.00

Tessa bloomers size 7 in Flower Sugar        $15.00 SOLD

Rosa lea dress size 6 in Dear Stella -originally showcased in our Market booth        $25.00

Emerson pleated skirt with sash size 6 in Pillow & Maxfield        $15.00 SOLD

Darison skirt size 10/12 knee length in Liberty         $18.00 SOLD

Street Fair Skirt size 2 in Pink Solid with trim -originally showcased in our Market booth        $20.00

Darison skirt size 6 midi in Folk Heart        $15.00

Kitty Mae + tee set size 6 in Flower Sugar        $35.00 SOLD

Ana Claire jumper no ties size 6 in new Flower Sugar        $22.50

Emerson flared skirt with sash size 6 in Dear Stella        $15.00

Darison skirt size 7/8 in Sugar Hill knee length       $16.00

Amelia dotted top + Emerson gathered skirt size 6/7 in Pam Kitty     $30.00

Darison skirt size 2/3 knee length in Sweetcakes        $15.00

appliqued birdie short sleeve tee size 6/6x         $9.00

appliqued cupcake long sleeve tee size 6/6x        $10.00

Ana Claire jumper with ties size 6 in birdie Flower Sugar        $24.00 SOLD

Kitty Mae skirt + posie top set size 6 in Pam Kitty/Pillow&Maxfield     $35.00

Darison skirt size 14/16 midi length in Garden Party        $22.00  SOLD

Happy Girl Apron for little girls size medium in 4 Girls fabric    $18.00

Happy Girl Apron for ladies in Pam Kitty Love -originally showcased in our Market booth        $22.50

Happy Girl Apron for ladies in 4 Girls fabric        $22.50

Happy Girl Apron for little girls size small in Pam Kitty Love -originally showcased in our Market booth        $15.00

Chic Sisters Apron size medium in Crazy Love mustard        $22.50

Chic Sisters Apron size medium in Crazy Love brown/pink        $22.50

Little Chic Sisters Apron size 4/5 with ruffle in Pam Kitty Morning/Lecien -originally showcased in our Market booth        $12.50 SOLD

Introducing... the darison tiered skirts pattern!

      hello, darison!



We are SO over-the-top excited to show you our new pattern!!!  The darison tiered skirts pattern is at the printer now and should be shipping out in the next two weeks.  But as usual, we will be offering a pre-order option (and we'll give you free shipping on the pattern when it gets here!).

Here is our sweet little friend Darison modeling view B of the darison skirt (named in her honor, of course!).  The third tier of this view was made using patched pieces of fabric from Jennifer Paganelli's Happy Land collection!

And here is our Eleanor modeling view A of the new pattern!  Special thanks to our dear friends, the Pearlstein family, for these lovely photos!

View A is knee length, with two tiers and a baby ruffle accent.  It's perfect for everyday -- just add some leggings for a fun play skirt!

(Could she be any cuter?!)

We love how the darison skirts pair so perfectly with the amelia peasant top.

Here is view C -- the maxi length version!  This skirt packs a LOT of twirl power.

Darison (love her to pieces) couldn't decide which view was her favorite.  And we thought that was a really good thing!

Okay!  So here are all the darison details...

-shipping mid-June, but available for pre-order now

-girls' sizes 2/3 - 14/16, all in one envelope

-printed in the USA on sturdy paper for easy tracing (printed on one side only)

-fully illustrated instructions (this skirt is easy-peasy)

-view A is knee length, with two tiers and baby ruffle accent

-view B is mid-calf length, with a funky patched tier and short ruffle

-view C is maxi length with four long tiers

-elastic waist

We hope you love this skirt as much as we do!!!

xox, the Long ladies

 

Eleanor's skirt and top - Old New 30s collection from Lecien

Darison's maxi skirt - Pam Kitty Love from Lakehouse; applique template from kitty mae M079

Coming Soon!

Doing flips!

We're doing flips and spinning around in circles over here because our francie dress and happy girl apron patterns HAVE ARRIVED!!!!



If you didn't pre-order them, but want a copy you can purchase them now right here and here! 

As you might expect these kinds of things always seem to take longer than you expect them to.  Hopefully they are well worth the wait!  We spent yesterday evening stuffing patterns and packaging them up so they could go out to all of you who pre-ordered (thanks for your patience!).  We plan on sending them out tomorrow!!  Woo-hoo!

Happy Friday to all of you!

xoxox K,A,A,A, & A

Applique + Embroidery

Most of the time, when it comes to little girl clothes, we just can't help adding more to them.  We bought these cute denim jackets at Target for some girls we love with the direct intention of fancy-ing them up a bit.







We were actually sort of pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to do the appliqueing and hand embroidery on the denim.  The flower is an applique included in our own rosa lea dress pattern --- we just downsized it a bit via our printer/scanner.  Since the jackets are different sizes we opted to make the flowers different sizes too, since we didn't want Emerson's jacket dwarfed by an extra huge flower.  We chose to splash it up a bit by choosing colors (pink and lime green) instead of one specific fabric line.

Apphia wrote the names directly on the jackets with a water soluble quilt marking pen, and Achaia just did a simple back stitch with all 6 strands of floss (Lecien's Cosmo floss is some of our very favorite!).  Ta-da! 

We hope our girls love them!  They are on the studio counter ready to be Christmas wrapped along with some yummy Lip Smackers (and we just saw that Lip Smackers is celebrating their 40th anniversary {since 1973}... how fun is that??)

Happy Thursday! xox

We call her francie...

...our new girls' pattern for this fall!!  We are SO excited about this little dress.  It's the new favorite around here, and we've been itching to show her off. 

This is view A - the short sleeved dress.

We've added funky fabric flowers to this one, with bright ric rac stems.  And the francie has side pockets, for storing little treasures!  View C can be worn as a sundress or jumper...

But we sort of have a soft spot for View B.  This version of the francie dress has three-quarter sleeves and a faux button placket.  (Making it out of fun Liberty prints and pairing it with tights a purple-y moccasins really was a good idea.  Just ask Darison.)

So, here's the scoop on the francie...

    -Shipping from the studio in November, but available for pre-order NOW!

    -Girls sizes 2-14, all in one envelope

    -Full size pattern pieces, fully illustrated instructions

    -Printed in the USA on sturdy paper (ready for tracing)

    -Short gathered sleeve, gathered three-quarter sleeve, or sleeveless

    -Back wrap closure (no pesky button holes or zippers)

    -Optional front faux button placket

    -Optional hem band

    -Includes templates and instructions for several sizes and shapes of fabric flowers

    -Side seam pockets

    -View A or B falls to mid calf; view C (no hemband) falls below the knee

    -We love francie!!!  And we hope you do, too.

And you can pre-order the francie right now!

hugs and smooches,

the Long ladies

the happy girl apron... coming soon!!

Say hello to the happy girl apron – a sweet confection that’s nothing but fun! With four layers of girly ruffles, this apron was designed to make baking cookies (or throwing parties) just that much more happy. Adult size fits most. The girls’ apron includes sizes Small (3, 4, 5) Medium (6, 7, 8) and Large (10, 12, 14). Our little girl friends even like wearing a matching happy girl apron over their clothes as a boutique-style addition to any outfit. And since both adult and children’s sizes are included in this one simple pattern, it’s the perfect Mommy and Me apron, too!

Some of you may recognize the adult happy girl apron as a rejuvinated version of our frilly fandango apron pattern that retired long ago.  Now it's back with an updated size range, because we just felt like every little girl needs a ruffle-y apron at some point in her life!  And this one fits the bill, for sure.  (We made ours out of Lecien's 4 Girls Collection Berry Doll.)

So... what do you think?  More pictures coming soon.  But if you've already decided you'd like to add the happy girl apron pattern to your collection, it's now available for pre-order on our website!!  (And if you pre-order within the US, we'll ship the pattern for free when it gets here.  Just add it to your cart and check out now as normal.)

By the way, that cake really was delicious.  It was chocolate inside!

xo, the Long ladies

P.S. Watch the blog next week for our biggest pattern reveal of the year!  We're SO excited!

30-Minute Doll Clothes

We were so delighted when Nancy Ziemman invited us to join her 30-Minute Doll Clothes blog tour!!  She generously sent us a copy of her new book - 30-Minute Doll Clothes - and we had lots of fun pouring over all of her adorable designs.  We have admired Nancy's talent for many years, so we were excited to get started on our own interpretation of her "Speedy Sundress"... especially since Darison received a new American Girl doll for her birthday.  We loved getting to make them coordinating outfits!  The Speedy Sundress goes beautifully with our rosa lea dress.

Abigail is our biggest doll lover, so she had the honor of sewing up the sundress.  It couldn't have been simpler to whip up!  But it looks absolutely precious.  Achaia added hand embroidered blanket stitches around the tiny flower appliques on both dresses for an extra-special finish!  Seeing Darison's excitement over their matching dresses was the best thing of all.  We all LOVE 30-Minute Doll Clothes!!

Be sure to finish the blog tour with...

July 19    Ingrid Pinto  (freddiesfriendsblog.blogspot.com)

July 20    Page Hill  (rileyblakedesigns.com/blog)

July 21    Joan Hinds & Nancy Zieman  (nancyzieman.com/blog)

But of course, you really should start at the beginning!  We have been amazed at the lovely creations these gals have come up with!  Also be sure to enter the 30-Minute Doll Clothes giveaway.  Prizes include...

• $25 Nancy’s Notions Gift Certificate from Nancy’s Notions
• 30-Minute Doll Clothes book by Nancy Zieman with Joan Hinds from Nancy’s Notions
• Dress Up Days Fat Quarter Fabric Pack and Panel from Riley Blake Designs
• Dress Up Days Fat Quarter Fabric Pack from Riley Blake Designs

Run over here to sign up.

Enjoy!