Procrastinating

 I mentioned in my last post that I was working on a shirt for my husband. Since then, I really haven't done much on it... I finished multiple washes of the fabric last week, but I've been too scared to cut this out. A woven shirt in and of itself is a big deal to me, and making a proper button-up is more than a little intimidating. I finally cut it out last night:

  Well, excepting the interfacing... and most of the pieces still need to be marked properly. We'll see how long I procrastinate on those parts. By the way, cutting out fabric on a scratchy carpet while pregnant can lead to rub burn on knees, shins, elbows, and forearms.

  Other sewing stuff: I have this beautiful dress that I bought on sale online, no returns accepted. I knew it would be short, so I was planning on wearing it as a long tunic. However, it is ridiculously tight on the hips... waddling tight. The rest of it fits beautifully. I am planning on shortening it into a shirt. The neckline also hits a lot lower than I expected, so we'll see what I can do there. Care to see?

  Also, I am beyond excited not to be sewing at the dining table anymore... we found a folding table for sale a few days ago, and this is the setup I have so far:

  It's right in the middle of the living room, so I'm going to have to make an effort to keep it clean, but look at how much room I have! Enough for my sewing machine AND serger to be set up at the same time! And all of my fabric and other supplies fit neatly beneath the table, so I don't have to go rummage through the garage every time I need to find something. Also, see the thread rack? $23 at Walmart, and completely worth it, in spite of being slightly flimsy. I currently have all of my spools and all of my bobbins on it with quite a lot of empty pegs. The tablecloth is just a length of pretty grey fabric (The same fabric I used for Booper's hat), and is temporary, since I want to use it for a skirt eventually.

  One more thing. =) I bought a gift for a wedding shower but didn't have any wrapping paper for it... so I used freezer paper (not the shiny side), gold craft paint, and a silkscreen to make this:

  I love the way it turned out, and I am really happy that I got the chance to re-use the silkscreens after my Navy and Lace shirt.

And that is what I have been up to, besides all the cooking going on while I procrastinate on sewing.
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Cowl-Neck Shirt

   I've been gone for quite a while! We moved last week, and it took me most of the week before to pack, and most of this week to unpack. Honestly, I still haven't finished the little daughters' room. And that is why I've been rather absent... I not only had no time to sew, but my sewing stuff was packed up! I can't tell you how nice it is to have a pretty white wall for photographs though... ;-)

  Anyway, today I finished this shirt that I've been thinking about for a while. I've been working on it, off and on, since I posted my Navy and Lace shirt, and I'm so happy it is finally done!

  I used this tutorial from Made with Love to draft the cowl neck using my basic tee pattern, and it worked pretty well. I did notice that the shoulder seams tend to slide backward, but I think that may just be a problem common to cowl-necks. I also didn't have enough fabric to cut full long sleeves, but I managed to eke some trapezoids out of the remainder and added them for a slight bell sleeve.

   I hemmed the sleeves and shirt with a twin needle... and I have yet to press them, hence the waviness. The fabric is a from Joann's, with a nice subtle print on it. It's also nice and thick and incredibly soft... much nicer than the other knits I've sewn with.

  And that is all that I've sewn lately! I did buy the Negroni shirt pattern to attempt to make a button-up that will actually fit my husband, and have printed out and traced the pattern in his size. I need to wash my fabric a few more times before cutting it though, since I am using a lightweight 100% cotton twill, and it shrinks quite a lot.

  I also invented a recipe for what I call 'creamsicle pie', and it was delicious! It includes jello, which isn't on my usual list of ingredients, but was interesting to work with. If anyone is interested in the recipe, let me know and I'll post about it. =)

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Booper is 3!

   This one turned 3 yesterday:

Scroll down for more information on the hat

  It's a little shocking that my first little baby has already been here for three years! She is a very sweet little person, the first to sympathize with any affliction, and somehow still full of energy and sass. She LOVES playing outside, tossing rocks or just sitting in the sun. She has an invisible friend named 'Gong' who she talks to regularly, and bosses around energetically. Even though her room is always a mess, she loves to put things in perfect rows and in the proper spot. That's my little Booper, my three-year-old daughter. =)

  We celebrated Booper's birthday with chocolate cupcakes, freshly-grilled hamburgers, and some fun gifts at her grandparents' house. She was happy... she loves going to her grandparents' house, and seeing all her aunts and uncles makes it even more fun. =)

  In addition to buying her a set of markers that she has been enjoying all day, I gave Booper a few options for a gift I could make her. She chose a hat, which was surprisingly easy to sew. =)

  I also made her a dress, a size larger than her usual so it will fit all summer:

  The dress was also fairly simple... a pre-made shirt cut shorter and some strategically gathered pieces of fabric added with a waistband and bow.

   She's a little messy because she wore the dress all day before I took a picture of her... =)

  I added a little fabric flower to the hat to match the dress:

  I used this tutorial from I Heart Jenny's Art, with a couple modifications.... I added a couple inches to the band length so I could add elastic in the back, and I used fusible fleece to stiffen the brim, since I couldn't find transparency film in the stores I usually visit... it is still stiff enough, although a little more stiffness wouldn't hurt. =) My final band size was 24x2", and the diameter of my circle for the crown was 8". On the inside, instead of serging I pressed the edge of the inner brim in by a scant 1/2" before sewing.

  I also changed my brim slightly from the hat I used to trace, since this hat was for a little person and not an adult. In case you don't have a hat to trace and want to make this, I scanned my pattern in so you can print it out: Kid-Sized Hat Brim Pattern (Oh, the joys of having a printer!) If you do use it, just make sure the white space inside the small square is 1" square when printed, and cut on the inside of the black lines. =) Anyway, I definitely recommend this tutorial! It was really easy to follow and I love the finished hat. I'm thinking of making one in my size. =)

  Happy birthday to my sweet and spunky, clever and obstinate Booper!

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