Aug. 27, 2008 - I finished Katie's corduroy dress!
I had a few hours this afternoon with my chick-a-dee and I assembled Katie's dress to match her 2 sisters. Rachel was a big help to me today. 
She has a runny nose and so she needed me to be within touching distance of her all afternoon. ( I actually find it harder to be alone with her and not have any one for her to play with.) So she sat on my lap while I ran the sewing machine, learning how to sit still. Which is probably a good trait to learn anyway. Then, she helped me to pull ALL the yellow tipped pins out of the material as we sewed. She loved pulling them out and I loved telling her what a good job she was doing. She really understood and appreciated me telling her that every time she pulled one out. I just had to keep her from pulling out the pins from an unsewn section!
I love how Katie's dress turned out! It is just like Lily's style just longer. Each girl should get 2 winters out of these dresses. It has a set of ties that will cinch it snugly in back, a scoop neck front, two pockets for trinkets on the front skirt, and a delightful ruffle on the bottom hem. Katie loves her new dress too. I think she just likes having matching dresses like her sisters and to have something that I worked on just for her.
Here are some fun pictures of Katie bug modeling her new dress.
Aug. 18, 2008 - More and More Dresses!
Tonight I cut out the pattern for Katie's brown floral dress and then laid all the pieces out on the table. I was able to fit all my pattern pieces with a few inches of material left over. Yikes!
Katie is pleased to see progress being made on her dress. I think it was watching Lily prance around all day long in her new dress that aggravated her! Lily did look cute in her dress. I am really glad I added the ruffle to the bottom. It adds a little femininity to the dress.
I found about 7-9 yards of material I bought last summer in a green and brown plaid pattern and I never got a chance to use it. Well, since I love Rachel's new dress pattern and it was still handy I cut out a new dress in the same 18 months size. I have plenty of material to make Lily a dress, and Katie and I, a long skirt each.
I promise I won't go over board in matching the girls but I love to have 2-3 matching or complementary outfits each season. they usually happen to be the outfits I sew not buy. :)
That's all for now, no pictures for today, I just wanted to update on my sewing progress.
Aug. 18, 2008 - Two Dresses Down . . . 4 to go
I finished Lily's dress last night. I cut out all the pieces Saturday night and began to assemble the pieces after church yesterday. I made ties for the back on this dress and two pockets for the skirt. Lily's has a zipper on her dress too! Her dress is lined in the bodice and gave me fits when I was putting in the zipper. I decided to add a flirty ruffle to the bottom hem.
Katie is being very patient, waiting for her dress. She wants it to be the same style as Lily's just longer. I offered to make her a twirl skirt but she wants the jumper style.
My goal is to cut out her pattern today, cut the fabric tomorrow, sew it on Wednesday and Thursday.
I took a few more pictures from around our house to keep anyone from getting any ideas that I am Super Mom. When I decide to sew I have to give up something temporarily, this weekend it was house chores. So I have a ton of chores to catch up on today. Just thought I would keep things in perspective! 
Aug. 16, 2008 - One Dress Down . . . 5 To Go
As I posted here, I intend to sew each of my 3 daughters two dresses, matching each other.
I took afternoon rest time and John's good humor, and made Rachel's dress. I spent 3 hours, reading the pattern, learning how to use a zipper, making bias tape for the neck, hem and arm holes, and just sewing the dress together.
Overall the pattern was simple to follow. It did require a zipper which I have never done before but I was determined to learn. A zipper has to be one of the easiest closures I have ever put in. Much easier than button holes I think.
The only problem was that Lily started demanding that I make her dress next. :)
Rachel was so confused by her long sleeved shirt, which by the way I picked up at the thrift store for $.75 a few weeks ago. Gotta love The Children's Place.
Aug. 16, 2008 - Seaside Rose, Portugal, Mulberry, Paisley, Carnival Bloom,Sugar & Spice
For some of you, the title is a list of interesting nouns, but for the ones in the know, well, I hope your heart skipped a beat like mine did when I first held these fabrics.
They are luscious! Absolutely delicious. These are not your average fabrics. Don't expect to run to Hancock Fabrics and find material of this quality. I would look online or at a local quilt shop for fine quality. You pay a little more to begin with but you won't be disappointed by the feel or weight of the fabrics. These are seriously smooth and luxurious.
It has been over a year since I have bought fabric. I have been diligent in using my stash at home and being content. I have been daydreaming about quilting and sewing again and decided to take action. It soothes my soul to sew for others and for our family.
Out of this stash, I hope to sew 6 dresses, several burp cloths and bibs for gifts, 2 throw sized quilts for our sunroom, and one surprise gift for a good friend. I also bought the self healing mat, 2'x3', for $25! It was 50% off and I am thrilled to have a new mat that is 3 times as big as my other one.
Each of the three girls will get 2 new dresses, one in the mod foral with hot pink and chocolate brown corderoy and the other in the Seaside Rose florals by 3 Sisters (Moda). I intend to make the corderoy fabric into long jumpers for this winter and the rose floral will be a dress with an apron over the top. Very feminine!
The yellow and red fabrics, Portugal, Mulberry, and Paisley by April Cornell (Moda), will be the fabrics for two new quilts in my sunroom. The colors will look great with all our paint colors in the surrounding rooms. I can't wait to snuggle in my swivel rocking chair and cover up in one of these quilts and hold my little ones. I may try and hand quilt these. It is much faster to quilt "in the ditch" on the machine but there is something to be had for quilting by hand when the weather outside gets cool.
Quilting is one of my hobbies that teaches me patience. You'd think that 5 kids and homeschooling would teach me all there is to know about patience but I have so much more to learn. Cutting out each piece and sewing straight seams over and over again to create a beautiful quilt top is time consuming. This is not a quick weekend project. I really want these quilts in my home though. I can just picture them draped over the back of these two chairs.
Jul. 22, 2008 - Recycling and Repurposing:A Skirt
Last week I made a new skirt for Katie using fabric that cost about $6/yard, on sale. Now it is a beautiful skirt but I would love for her to have several more skirts just like it. She loves them and I love to see her walk through a room. She moves like a little lady, her skirts swishing side to side and her countenance a bit more feminine.
So this brings me to the skirt she is wearing here.
This was an adult sized, at the knee length skirt that my Grandma Joyce didn't wear anymore. I admired the skirt for it's fabric several months ago and Grandma gave it to me. Isn't she the sweetest Grandma! She knew I was going to cut up a perfectly useful skirt that probably cost a bit. Anyway, I got an idea to repurpose this paisely wonder. :)
Jul. 12, 2008 - Katie's New Skirt!
I have been putting off sewing for many months now for no good reason, ok I can think of five! :)
Despite my busyness in raising my children I know that I have to sew. It is not a hobby that can fall to the wayside, never to be picked up again.
I love to sew. There is something about creating a useful object out of a simple length of fabric. Unfortunately, it is becoming a lost art for all of our daughters. I intend to teach my children how to create items they need. I want them to become resourceful individuals who don't have to depend on someone else to create what they are dreaming. My girls believe that I can make them anything. If they see a beautiful fabric they are confident that I can transform it into a work of art. This brings me to this skirt.
I told Katie I would make her a long, flowing skirt of her choosing. So off we headed to the fabric store and she and I browsed through hundreds of fabrics. I don't know if she loved the fabric first or if her love for me prompted her to choose this one. This color combination is my absolute favorite. Lime green and periwinkle blue were designed to go together!
Even at my wedding, almost 11 years ago, I had to choose between the two and chose the periwinkle blue color for my bridesmaids dresses.
So, back to my story, Katie now has a cute new skirt made by me.
For those who are interested I cut a pattern out of newsprint and made a shape that was about 6 inches across on the top, 25 inches long, and about 12 inches long at the bottom. I made 6 panels and it has an elastic waist band. In the future, because I will make a point to keep sewing, I will cut out 8 or 9 panels to make it more full.
The end result is a content mommy who has rekindled an old love and a daughter who feels very loved. :)
Apr. 27, 2008 - Sweetly Tied Up
Here are some pictures of the burp cloths I made this week. I was in the mood to sew and so I have a gift ready well in advance for my gift stash.
