Remember a million years ago I was bragging about the Boy Scout getting better at gifts? Well, since then we have been all in upheaval and madcap antics. Which is just another way of saying that the Boy Scout got Lord of the Rings Online and I haven't been anywhere near this computer for at least a week.

BOYS!

As promised, here's my first attempt at using what he got for me - screen printing stuff!

 Pardon the smudge, if you will. The butterfly is actually *really* clear. I just didn't realize that someone (probably me) had left the camera where small, sticky hands could reach it.

So, this stuff is great. The Boy Scout found it our local big-box store and bought it for me. He was really chuffed from the time he bought it until he gave it to me and was nearly unbearable. But I see why now. They are called Zip Screens. They have little paints and screens and everything on their website. But I've had more fun screening stuff!

This dress is just the same old Simplicity 2377 that I think I've made twelve million times now. It is going to be Elizabeth's Valentine's Day dress. I have a sneaky suspicion that I'm going to have to redo the neckline. I shirred it, but the thread is really making the neck bigger than I like. The sleeves are fine, but the neck is iffy. But I have time.

Also, I have this little dress to share with you today. I got the fabric and cut it out back in September but I did not actually sew it up until early December. We had a shot of warm weather (mid-50s) so I decided that I'd go ahead and make it up. And if her Christmas dress failed, this could be a backup.

She was so surprised by her red shoes. Love this kid!

The dress is Rae's Pierrot pattern, no ruffle, about 4 or 6 inches longer. The fabric is a flannel that I picked up a Joann's. I bought a LOT of fabric that day and didn't have the sense to realize that flannel is sold in 28 or 30 inch widths. So the long sleeves that I had planned and the bias cut? Yeah. That didn't happen! Also, to even make the dress, I had to piece the back. Yikes! Still, she loves her dress. Her most recent wearing was with old-sweater-sleeves red leggings and brown fuzzy-topped boots. It was so crazy adorable, I had to laugh.

I made the tights as well - using this tutorial from Thrive. Elizabeth has about four pairs of warm, snuggy tights thanks to that tutorial!

I bought this flannel because I wanted a warmer dress for Elizabeth to have. It didn't quite work out as I had planned, but it is her favorite dress in her wardrobe right now. It is a little long, but it only touches her at the neckline. As she has recently discovered twirling, she is thrilled beyond words.

(In the background of these pictures, you see the bear. I couldn't let any more time pass without introducing my online friends to Blue Bear. Blue was the bear from daddy at Christmas in '11, and from moment one, she has gone *everywhere* with Elizabeth. I've put arms back on, removed the 'I Love You' recording because it went crazy after being washed, sewed her neck back together and even bought another blue bear in case we have to do some franken-bear repairing. We all think that our small girl will give up her pacifier before she will give up Blue Bear. If I was Blue while she is awake, she constantly goes to the laundry room and watches while Blue spins and fluffs, all the while telling Blue how she will be 'all better' and 'all clean' really soon. And while Blue is special all the time, a warm Blue from the dryer on a cold day is just about enough to induce a euphoric nap. Love this kid so freakin' much!)

 Guess who didn't take a single picture of all those wonderful things she made for Christmas gifts?

If you guessed me, you are so right! Good job you!

Sorry about that. I nearly forgot to make my uncle's rice pudding. Then I nearly forgot to give it to him! So see, it was a forgetful kind of day.

But, on December 23, one of my new friends here had a baby! They did not know if they were having a boy or a girl, so I manfully waited to start sewing for tiny people until she arrived. That's right! A girl! Yahoo!

I decided last night that I would make two outfits for this new baby. Initially, I thought that I would do two Itty Bitty Baby Dresses, but I thought better of it when I couldn't decide what fabrics to use. Also, it is cold here. Thirty-three degrees is cold in Tennessee. I had a nice long think about what to make and decided with another couple of Rae's patterns - The Pierrot Tunic and her Basic Baby Pants.

First up, I lengthened the tunic into a dress. I've done this before for Elizabeth (I'll photo dump later on, I promise.) but I've never done the ruffle at the neck before. I gotta tell ya. It's stinkin' ADORABLE. I think it is a little much on one this small, only because the neck is a little stiff. But that may fix in the wash.*


I have to confess that I don't remember Elizabeth ever fitting in to things this small. But I think I have a box of tiny baby things in the basement that would prove I just have a faulty memory. I cut this one to the 3t length and hemmed nothing. That's right, nothing. I just serged the edges on everything. I think it keeps it pretty casual and ties in the serged edges of the ruffle.

Next, I did the tunic at tunic length and a pair of matching pants. These are flannel and so cosy! One thing that my friend and I agree on is not wasting stuff. So the fabric for both of these is from receiving blankets - the good kind that aren't stiff.


Maybe it's just us, but Elizabeth's blankets were always so rough to the touch. We couldn't use fabric softener at all with her (still can't. Boo!) so that could have had something to do with it. I shirred the neck and waist on these and toyed with the idea of doing the legs and sleeves. I actually didn't make the decision not to do that - the elastic thread ran out. I see a trip to Joann's in my future.

 I hope I can deliver these things today. I'll call my friend and see if she's up for a quick stop-by to leave them.

*I never wash things for newborns. And I tell the parents this. We learned the hard and terribly painful way that Elizabeth can't be near fabric softeners at all. Ever since, I just don't even try! Most folks wash new-baby stuff first anyway.