Tag Archives: boni ashburn

i had a favorite dress/snip, snip, sew, sew

11.18.2013

I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn, pictures by Julia Denos.

Doesn’t everyone wish they could sew? Some people can. And those people are perfect for kids’ constantly outgrown wardrobes.

In Boni Ashburn‘s delightful book a girl outgrows her favorite dress. But not to worry. Her DIY mom transforms it into a ruffly shirt instead. Snip, snip, sew, sew, new shirt, hello! Problem solved.

Until girl outgrows shirt. Not to worry. Mom continues making that dress into new things: shirt to tank, tank to skirt, skirt to scarf, and so on.

And Julia Denos‘s illustrations? They’re a perfect match. Full of whimsy and creativity and fun. (I loved Denos’s work that was so suited to Just Being Audrey as well.)

Thanks to Abrams for the images.

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I desperately wanted to do something DIY in the spirit of this book. Only I’m one of those people who doesn’t sew. Or have kids. So I turned to friends who are pros.

That’s where 10 year old twins, Nola and Ziggy come in. Nola’s outgrown a dress she wore for a wedding and Ziggy’s pants and button down no longer fit. All of it’s cute but now simply too small.

Here the clothes are BEFORE, a bit forlorn, just longing to become something wearable again.

That’s where uber talented Los Angeles-based designer, Jill Aiko Yee comes in. Jill has a signature aesthetic, creating a “uniform for creative women” that’s functional and stylish at the same time. (And I’m the proud owner of this entire outfit.)

Photo by Jesper Norgaard.

Jill snip, snipped, sew, sewed Nola and Ziggy’s outgrown items into these…

Festive, ruffly, contrast top, hello!

And fashion-forward cropped pants, hello!

Not only are Nola and Ziggy stylish, spunky, and adorable, they’re loads of fun too. Let’s just say there was a What Does the Fox Say? dance party during a good chunk of this photo shoot.