KCWC #2

4.29.2012



Hello.  Please allow me to introduce you to the easiest pants to make on the face of the planet - the Oliver and S Nature Walk Pants.  They consist of just three pattern pieces, they can be sewn together in no time flat, and yet they're as cute as can be.


Needless to say, I heart them and amazingly so does O, who often refuses to wear many of the things that I make her.  In this case though she actually picked them out of the hamper and asked to wear them again (and, of course, I said yes!  Dirty pants never hurt anybody, right?)


Pattern: Oliver and S Nature Walk Pants
Size: 3T - although I sewed the entire pants with a 1/2 inch seam allowance rather than the called for 1/4 inch because I was too lazy to walk upstairs and check the pattern.  Fortunately they still fit and I kind of like the slimmer fit that I got with the larger seam allowance.
Fabric: Cotton jersey

And an extra special thanks to Elsie Marley for hosting KCWC once again.  I'm ridiculously behind on reading blogs but once I get caught up (say around 2014) I can't wait to see what everyone has made.

One Month

4.27.2012

If I had more time and brain power I would write a little something about what this past month has been like.  But since both time and brain power are in short supply nowadays, let's just go with the saying that "a picture's worth a thousand words," okay?







KCWC

4.25.2012

I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be my sole KCWC project.  Apparently it was overly ambitious to sign up for an event that requires you to sew everyday when you have a toddler and a newborn at home (especially when said newborn is going through a particularly fussy stage).  Go figure.  I'm glad that I was able to get at least one thing done, especially since the idea for this dress was swimming around in my head for quite some time - ever since I saw this gorgeous dress.

Source: Pinterest
If my brain were working above 50% capacity I might have something insightful or witty to say about this dress, but instead all I have to say is that I'm not in love with my version.  


I think it came out a little more sack-like than I was imagining, most likely because O is not quite big enough to fill out the 3T size that I made.  Oh well.  I guess it just means that it'll fit her for longer.  I do still love the idea of a dress with alternating stripes though.  Perhaps I'll attempt another one and hopefully next time I'll make it in the right size.


Too big or not though I do love the back of this dress.  Look!  The stripes actually match up!


Pattern: Oliver and S Ice Cream Social Dress
Size: 3T
Fabric: A quilting cotton.  And if I were a better blogger I'd know who made it...but I'm not a better blogger so I have no idea.  And if you have a problem with that, please take it up with O.


Woot-Woot!

4.19.2012


Ever seen me do a happy dance?  Well, that's what I did yesterday when I saw that my top was chosen as one of this week's Top of the Tops in the Spring Top Sewalong, along with some other gorgeous tops of course.  Care to take a peek at the picks and vote for your favorite?

This Is Your Hair

4.16.2012

And this is your hair when you come down with a case of mastitis and end up laying on the couch for two days.


On a more positive note, while I was moaning about how sick I felt, guess who became a cowgirl?



Yee-haw!

Not So Amazing After All

4.12.2012

Well, it's official - you guys sure know how to make a gal feel good.   Thank you!

I probably shouldn't share my secrets and just leave you thinking that I'm completely amazing but what's a blog for if not for over-sharing, right?  So, here are the reasons that I was able to get any sewing done in the two weeks after C was born.


1) We were really fortunate to have a lot of family help in the week after little baby C was born and that  help allowed me to sneak a little sewing in here and there.  An extra special thank you to my parents who watched O while we were at the hospital and for two days afterwards and a big hug to my mom who left the most delicious shrimp creole at my house for us to eat.  Just how good was it?  Well, I ate it for five consecutive meals - including breakfast - and I think I may have cried when it was gone.  And a super big thank you to my sister who took O for a cousin sleepover party and then didn't even complain when O threw up at her house in the middle of the night.  Thank you!

2) In addition to having family around to help, Ben's taken three weeks off of work and so he's still at home and helping out a ton.  God help me when he has to go back to work!

3) On top of that, we're still sending O to the babysitter's house two days a week to maintain some consistency with her routine during this crazy time.

So you see, I'm not such an amazing person...I just have amazing people around me.

Selfish Sewing? Sign Me Up!

4.10.2012

There are several things that every one-week post-partum woman feels, two of them being:

1) I never want to push anything that large out again
2) Don't bring a scale or tape measure anywhere near me

And yet, that's exactly what I did - I broke out the tape measure one week after this little nugget was born.


I blame this insanity on an insatiable urge to indulge in some selfish sewing but of course before doing so, I needed to know what size to sew for my current shape (hence, the tape measure).

In an attempt to make things a bit easier on myself I chose to make what was supposed to a be a loose, flowing tunic that I figured would work well with for a body shape in flux.  Unfortunately, I didn't pay much attention to the design ease when choosing what size to sew and the top ended up far more fitted than I intended.  And if you'll forgive me talking about my boobs for a minute, I have to say that I also didn't take into account my new cup size, which again changed the fit of the top dramatically.  Oops.


On a more positive note, I'm really happy with how the two fabrics that I chose work together.  I tend to be a bit of a fabric wimp and only sew with cotton because I'm not all that familiar with how to work with other fabrics.  But knowing that I love to wear other fabrics, I figured that I better suck it up and sew with something other than cotton (and I turned to this book for some guidance).  In this case, the yoke is made out of silk dupioni that I just pre-washed in the washing machine resulting in it having a less shiny and more crinkled appearance that I really like.  And the tunic portion is made with some voile leftover from this project (and you know how I love using leftovers!).


So the top may not be perfect, but it's done and it mostly fits and hopefully will fit better as I continue to lose some of the pregnancy weight.  In any case, it feels good to be doing selfish sewing.

Oh, and it feels extra good to be submitting something to Rae's Spring Top Sewalong!  Yay!


Pattern: Simplicity 2922
Size: 8
Fabric: Silk dupioni for the yoke and Tina Givens voile for the body

Little Baby C In Her First Handmade Item

4.09.2012


She does not look impressed.

Wishing You A Very Happy Easter

4.08.2012



From our family of bunnies to yours.

Thankful

4.02.2012

- for a healthy pregnancy

39 weeks pregnant...the night before I went into labor
- for a fast labor (two and a half hours from start to finish...so I'm actually quite thankful that we made it to the hospital in time too!)


- for this little cutie (who is an absolute angel)


- for a toddler who has been extremely sweet to her new little sister (but oh so devilish in many other ways)


- for a husband who has the patience of saint in dealing with said toddler


-for all your kind words and congratulations

-and for our new little family.


Thank you.