Follow my blog with Bloglovin Just letting you know, I've joined bloglovin' to keep up with the blogs I read. I'm the worst about updating the list on the side, so that will come soon!
I've not been having a very good week. Things have gone wrong, been stressful, and generally unsatisfying. In the throes of a week like that, sometimes it is the things you think are going to fail miserably that end up being the nicest successes.
First there was this dress. I started it after finding the pink in the remnants at Joann's. I still think the neck is a bit big, and the dress itself may be too big. I cut it as a 4 instead of my usual 3 in this style. And it is also knit. But, even if it is too big, little girls grow. I like how this one turned out but all along the way I kept saying, "Oh no. Oh NO! This isn't going to do at all!" And who knows, maybe it isn't all that great, but it is cute and Elizabeth likes it. Those are the things that matter, right? It is a little heavy (it is interlock knit) so it may be better saved for fall.
Then there is this. I have no idea where the pattern came from, but you better believe that I'm going to make a blue-million more of them. I wasn't sure about it because of the tucks in the front, but now I am converted. Tucks are in, pleats can go rot. But this fabric has been laying around since I first started sewing. It didn't really go with anything and there wasn't much of it. There was barely enough for this dress, and that is with piecing the back! I'm probably going to do a facing instead of bias tape at the neck though. I'm NOT crazy about bias at the neckline anyway. And the buttons are three from the pile-o-buttons that I got from my grandmother's sewing room. And no. The Boy Scout did not pick them this time! He cried off at having too many options.
Really? He just wanted to play Final Fantasy 7 and be left alone.
I did a ton of sewing this week, but the weather has been very Tennessee and I only have pictures of one project. However that project is the one I am most proud of!
I got the PDF Puppet Show pattern last fall and made a dress from it out of stuff I just had laying around. I have wanted to make another because the purple one is WAY too short now. But that just isn't to be, it seems. I keep having mismatches of fabrics AND I'm on a buying freeze right now too.
But, Elizabeth needs neutral shorts. I made the mistake of starting my shorts making with some very limiting (but extremely cute) options. So now we need solids and basics - like brown. And denim.
First, let me start by saying that I always get intimidated by all the little bits and bobs in Oliver + S patterns. I *know*! It isn't hard, follow the directions, it's really all very logical. But it gets me every time! That's why I never made these shorts. All those teeny pieces were overwhelming.
After making six basic shorts, I figured some of her more boring basics could be less boring with a cute pattern. And boy was I right.
I love being right. Don't you?
Ta-da! Now, they are sitting a little low on her in this pic. She's wearing a disposable diaper and the poor child has *no* hips or booty to hold her pants up. And the denim - yeah. Maybe not the best choice for this pattern. I had to trim out bulk til I was green in the face and the waistband still isn't snug enough. But, she wears cloth diapers most of the time (we were stripping them yesterday) so they will be fine with her artificial backside.
And they cost me next to nothing. After the pattern, the shorts themselves are made from a pair of jeans that a good friend of mine gave me to chop up! FREE! Whooo! Thanks Renee!
And yes, cold bribes are used in this house. Especially when it is 80 degrees outside.
I can't believe how big she is getting. Those legs are little kid legs! For real. You can't see it in this pic, but she had a BAD fall at playschool yesterday. There's a big bleedy cut on her knee, a big old purple bruise complete with road rash on the inside of that knee, and her opposite shin is scraped. GAK! went the mommy in me. She seems unphased.
Okay, so no stuff I've made this week. Sorry. Not that I haven't made stuff, but I'm just LAZY and want to talk about other things.
The title of this post is a direct quote from one of the other playschool moms. About a week ago, we were all talking about school and where we live and where we are zoned for Elementary school. Also about all the stuff kids have to know before they even start school. And she just said what we were all thinking as we waited to pick up our 2 and 3 year olds.
So where we live now has an interesting policy in it's public schools. There is a uniform. Now, it is a very relaxed uniform policy compared to what I've heard about private schools - but it has to be. After all, these are public schools.
And I recognize that public schools in Tennessee are pretty unimpressive in terms of instruction, but public schools in general are pretty unimpressive right now. But I'm not talking about that stuff. You want that debate, go elsewhere. I know how to sew, not how to fix a broken system.
But, back to the task at hand. Uniforms! The kids on our street all head off in their little outfits every day and surprisingly, there's not a real notion of them all looking like little clones. Cause it is a pretty relaxed policy. It states that Navy, black, or any shade of khaki pants, skorts, shorts, skirts, jeans, capris or jumpers. And it goes on to define the fit of those too - straight leg; if there's belt loops, wear a belt; no cargo pants; shorts and skirts no more than 3 inches above the knee. And shirts have to have to be collared and in approved colors. Likewise with sweaters and sport coats.
Every bit of which is reasonable as far as I'm concerned. Hairstyles and jewelry are limited, too. But they are limited to the realm of reasonable - if it is distracting, don't do it. Common sense.
Well, I'm just over the moon excited! Because there are no specified brands in any of this stuff! They list Dockers as an example, but go out of the way to make it clear that there's no brand requirements. This means that I can make Elizabeth's uniforms! WAHOO!
Not like it is going to be happening any time soon, mind. She isn't even three yet and won't start school until a few days before she turns five. But I have been worried about this. I really love making her clothes and going to school 5 days a week would cut way back on what I would need to sew for her.
Not anymore!
And as if to celebrate, I got an email from Oliver + S offering 50% off my next order. So I used it to buy some uniform-like basics. Now, I have the Puppet Show set in the smaller sizes and the shorts and top from that will be good for Kindergarten I think. And I have the Sunday Brunch (skirt) and the 2+2 (again, skirt) in the smaller sizes too. But I ordered the Music Class and Hopscotch sets for the top and skirts options in the larger sizes. After all, we've got two-ish years.
And the rule on dresses follows the rules for tops - collars, solid colors as dictated by the school. So you know how many dress patterns I have that have a little Peter Pan collar on them? SCADS. But even so, the Fairy Tale dress and the Jump Rope dress fit the requirements. Although the Fairy Tale might be a stretch - no buttons on the front.
At least one of my friends thinks I'm crazy. Probably all of them do - and maybe I am. But if our bug is going to be in school here, then I am going to make her clothes to be there.
Except the polo shirts. If she wants them, we buy them. I HATE that material and those collars give me hives.
