Wednesday, June 27, 2012

My girl has an opinion of her own now...

First, I've been meaning to post this for at least two weeks.... but I've got a lot going on now, no time to breath...
And it's gone get worse before it gets better, probably.
I'm about to switch jobs (probably, haven't signed the contract yet). It took some time and effort to find this new job, not everyoe is happy to hire a mother of four.. (why?????? so unfair!), and it'll require a lot of dedication from me to prove that I can do it. I will not have a lot of time to craft soon.

I hope I'm doing the right thing...

Anyway, I've gathered quite a few things I want to blog about! (not all of them now, because I really don't have the time now to expand as I want to).

First, this little romper. I don't like rompers. At a certain age, when a toddler is out of diapers, a romper just makes life harder.
But my girl is almost 9 years old. And rompers are IN right now (yes, IN! they are ELEGANT!)
So I made her one.
I looked for a pattern with closed back (for sun protection), no ties, no back zipper or buttons (so she can ware it on her own).
Here's what I got


The pattern is from etsy.

The pattern review:

Great explanations, very easy pattern.
The one thing that was a bit difficult is to place the waist elastics evenly.
Changes from the original design
1. The pattern calls for sewing with elastic thread for the waist gathers. I don't like elastic thread, so I sewed in elastic instead.
2. I didn't do that - but if I make it again, I'll use the pattern but cut it to two poarts - one for the uppoer part, one for the bottom. This will enable both using two fabrics, and prevent the need to place the wait elastic (I'll put in the elastic, of course, but on the seam that connects both parts. Am I making myself clear???) 3. I narrowed the upper part a bit, it is very big even now though...
My girl really likes this romper. She says it's comfortable and pretty. I'm glad, but if I find another romper pattern that is more fit (less roomy and casual) I may have to try it...

On to another issue...
almost two months ago my husband and I celebrated our 10 years Anniversary! How about that!!! After some hints (OK, I sent him the link :-)) he baught me this cute little thing...
I know, I don't really quilt, but really, it's because I can't think of cutting all those little shapes. I want to quilt!
I hope I use it a lot! (I have a quilt in progress now)

So I started with just a little project, just to get the taste of it...

Cute, right?????

Monday, June 4, 2012

The Jamie dress... Yes, another one for me!

Dressing up the girls... Spring is here... I figured it is time for me to get some new clothes too... And this time I wanted a dress.

Unfortunately, I rarely wear dresses, I love seeing them, I love to have them, but I rarely wear them. A dress for me is not a casual or work outfit, only special occasion...

So I baught several dress patterns (as if I don't have enough already) and had real trouble deciding which one to use first. As always when troubled... I avoided decision. Then I sew the Jamie dress on the net.


I had to have it!
Forgive the pictures, my 5 years old took them..

This is my first attempt. I followed the instructions to the letter. I used my waist measurements in order to figure out the size I needed, which is Large, but I took the shoulder straps as Medium. It came out too wide... but totally wearable, don't you think?


So I tried again. This time with some changes. I took out a bit from the waist strap, the front and the back. I did NOT make the folds in the waist strap, because I wanted some other features there (the black ribbons), and I also didn't cut the shoulder straps on the fold (frankly, I didn't have enough fabric). This is what I came out with..




I know, the zipper is shown, I need to iron and fix that. But it fits nicely, don't you think? I'm happy with the dress. Now, let's see... when will I wear it???

The Pattern Review:

Instructions - great! The pictures are great, every step is well explained and photographed.
The fit - It took me two attempts to get it right, but then again, the brown dress, though a bit wide, is very comfortable and nice and I will wear it...
The sizing: I think the pattern goes up tp XX or mayne even XXX.
Will I sew it again? not sure, I already have two dresses, and I don't wear too many dresses as is... but I will keep it. Maybe a few years from now one of my daughters will want one :-)

So, go make a dress too!!!