Day 2-Diary of a Sometimes-Seamstress

Having kids really gets in the way of sewing (or any other "me" time, even if it's really not for me.)  I managed to get down to my sewing machine around 9 after watching the weigh-in portion of The Biggest Loser (go Moses!!) and playing with my happy baby.  I made a lot of progress on the bodice.  The 2 front pieces and one side are all sewn together and raw edges surged.  The other side has been left open for the zipper.  The back piece has both darts in place.  The tie is very nearly done.  (Husbands don't help with the get-the-sewing-done either.)  And it's all pressed.  Pressing really makes a difference.  If you sew, do it.  You'll be glad you took the extra time. After my progress today, I'm glad I gave myself 2 full weeks to get it done. :)

Diary of a Sometimes-Seamstress

I've been on a little bit of a hunt for a modest, cute, age appropriate (read: not for grandma or my babysitter) dress for church.  It has to be long enough.  It has to have a high enough neckline (ok-and backline) to stand alone or use minimal help from some sort of layering tee.  It has to be cute.  It must be a dress (not a skirt-not that I don't love my skirts). And mostly it has to be affordable.  My results turned up..........nada.  Nothing. Zilch. Oh-I've found plenty of cute, modest dresses.  But they're too rich for my blood (budget-whatever). 

My mom passed on her can-do attitude, and my sewing skills have improved immenseley over the last several years.  So, why not?  I'll try my hand at sewing myself a cute dress!

Today is day one. Here's what I've accomplished so far:

Pattern? Check.
Cute fabric (on sale even)? Check.
Mom and friend on speed dial for help? check and check.

After picking out my pattern from my stash, I loaded up 3 cute girlies and headed to Hobby Lobby.  It wasn't my first choice because their cute fabrics are well-known.  I didn't really want a "Hobby Lobby" dress.  Fortune was with me, though, and I found exactly what I wanted and for 30% off.  There was exactly the amount I needed left on the bolt.  Sweet.   After laundering my 4 yards of undescribed cotton, I set out to do my least favorite part.  The cutting.  Ummm...yeah.  There were a lot of pieces.  Which was okay.  Then I looked closer.  Several pieces needed to be cut out 4 times.  One piece 8 times.  Phew.  Little break.  Ok.  Back to business.  Pattern cut, pinned, and fabric cut.  (all 1 million pieces) The left side of the bodice took me 10 minutes to sew together correctly.  The right side took 10 seconds.  :p  I feel like I accomplished a lot on it already. 

My goal is to have it finished in time to wear it to church the Sunday after General Conference. Assuming it turns out well, that's when I'll reveal it here as well. That gives me about 2 weeks.  Plenty of time to take it slow and do a good job.  Wish me luck!

Rose Petal

This morning Sophie was cooing over Chloe continuously calling her "Rose Petal." Which made me first laugh.  And second remember.

Do you remember her?

No?

Maybe this will help


This was one of my favorite cartoons growing up.  I'm so going in search of it now!  What are some of your favorite cartoons from your childhood?

Top 'o the marnin to yeh!

May your day be filled with rainbows, pots of golds, four leaf clovers and lots of kisses

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

The House: Part III

I was waiting for a more spring-alicious day, but I had time and was actually thinking about it.  There's some (a lot) of yard work to be done out back.  Maybe we'll just call these the "befores."

The outside front:

The side backyard:

The outside back:

The playground:

A Beautiful Day

After reading my cousins facebook post about all the fun and wonderful things she was anxious to be doing outside, Sophie and I were inspired to get out and ride bikes. 

She did really well on her bike.  We've never had a great place to teach our kids to ride bikes, so we've been really slow about it.  However, this house has a fairly flat and wide driveway. Perfect for 4 year olds learning to ride their bikes. 

I even got my bike out and rode around the circle a few times!

(Sorry-no pictures.  Imagination will have to suffice for that.)

Chloe was confined to the stroller.  Look at those yummy cheeks!

Sunshine

makes all the difference.  It even makes folding laundry seem more appealing. 

See? It was my brilliant 4-yr-old who placed all the baskets in front of the sunniest window in the house.  I guess she knew that would be about the only thing that could entice mom to fold all that laundry. ;)