Photo Friday: Week 23

Week 23 of ProjectLife 365......here are the prompts......

I only missed one this week (I don't always get them all. It's actually kinda rare when I do) #creature.

Enjoy!

#unforgettable

#masterpiece

#action

#cement

#bliss

#too_much

 

Challenge - Week 3 & 4

Here I am, late AGAIN with my sewing challenge entry. ….lol. I was completely ready last night to sit down with the ipad and type out my entry. I even have a sweet app on the ipad for blogging (Blogsy…and I paid for it too!).

But, while I was rocking Liv, I got a text from my sister in law asking if she could borrow the car so that she could go out with her friends. I told her I didn’t care (I really don’t) and she said she would be by with her friends to get it in a little bit.

After Liv went to sleep and I tip toed (and I mean tip toed, this kid is the lightest sleeper ever), down the stairs I realized that the sink was full. Not wanting the friends to see the squalor I live in, I mustered up all my housekeeping strength and did the dishes. But, the trick was on me….they never even came in.

So the dishes were done for nothing, except cleanliness. What a waste! Somehow we have been living in our house for over a year and it still looks like we just moved in. Can I just keep blaming the toddler? Please? pLease?

Alright, It’s probably time for the actual topic of this post now. Since I was a delinquent last week with the challenge post, I am going to do #2 and #3 here.

Challenge #2 - Polka Dots

I GREATLY, GREATLY underestimated how long this dress was going to take me to make. It honestly looked so simple to me, and even seemed simple the first time I read through the instruction. I was wrong.

 

The pattern that I used was the Oliver & S Birthday dress. This was the first time I had ever used a pattern from an independent pattern maker. I have basically always made Simplicity or McCall’s, with a few Butterick mixed in (but they aren’t really my style for the most part). I thought this garment came out absolutely beautiful, but I felt like I had a really hard time visualizing what they were telling me to do in the directions. I had to read through them a bunch of times to actually understand what I was supposed to do.

 

Attaching the Hem facing nearly killed me. I just COULD not understand how I was supposed to do it. It seemed from the picture in the instructions that you were supposed to unfold the overhang on each side, and line it up to the edge…. But then it was just way too short. I sewed, and unpicked, and sewed and unpicked and sewed and unpicked. Finally, I actually thought that I may have cut out the wrong pattern size. I pulled out all of my freezer paper patterns (I’ve been doing this lately, and am not quite sure how I feel about it yet), and the actual patterns. Turns out I did make a size Three….I was absolutely stumped.

 

Out of sheer desperation I decided to Google, “Oliver and S birthday Dress Hem facing”. Turns out they have a user community on their website!! YAY!! I was able to find a forum post about the dress, and FINALLY understood what to do!!

Also, I had a hard time with the pleats. I never mark lines on the right side of the fabric when I’m supposed to. I’m okay with how they came out….but I wouldn’t say I’m in love with them.

I am excited to try my other Oliver & S patterns. I thought that the dress looked so finished and professional looking. Mass produced patterns just don’t take the same care to make sure that the inside looks nice.

Finally, the more clothing I sew the more I feel like I need a serger………….

Challenge #2 – Zip me Up!

I know you are all going to think it….so I’ll just say it….I called it in on this challenge. I KNEW that I wasn’t going to be able to finish a project from scratch this week, since I was working on the polka dot project until Wednesday. Zip it up was more of a refashioning project for me….

I was shopping in the clearance section of Target (baby free…one of life’s great pleasures) and saw this cute high low tank top. I thought to myself, “This would be just adorable with an exposed zipper”. Eight dollars and an hour later and TA DA!! Sewing challenge #3 is done!

 

I think it looks really cute. Thanks to Hubs for taking the pictures, and to Olivia for just having to be in them.

Next week’s challenge is Swim Cover-up. I’m pumped. Already have my fabric and pattern picked out. My fresh husband actually said to me, when I told him I was stopping at the fabric store on the way home from work yesterday to get the fabric, “Wait, you aren’t just going to sew zippers onto already made clothes from now on?”. Freshy ……..fresh………….. fresh.

Don’t forget to head over to my sister’s blog and look at her projects (she’s way more on the ball than me)!! I want her polka dot project by the way………

 

Sneak Peek

So......I'm two days.....almost three on my sewing challenge post/project this week. 

Oops!

Lots of factors have gone into this delinquency. To start things off I GREATLY under estimated how long it would take me to sew the garment I chose.

 Also, I greatly OVER estimated how easily I would be able to get Olivia into Minnie bed at night. This girl has been acting like the typical two year old for the last week. I used to be able to get her to sleep really easily if I wore her out during the day or she skipped her nap. Lately, this has only made her more cranky and harder to get to sleep. 

Finally, I chose an Oliver & S pattern as my inspiration this week. I'd never used an Oliver&S pattern before, or anyindependent  pattern maker for that matter. I found some of theinstructions difficult  to understand. 

That all being said, its coming out beautifully! 

Here's a little sneak peek...full post with   pictures soon