Spring dress

Even though Easter fell on the Sunday of General conference (meaning no church) I still wanted to make her an 'Easter dress.' It's lucky there was no church because the dress wasn't finished until 5 days after Easter. So, I'm calling it her 'spring dress'.

I have to say...I love this dress. And I really like the pattern (McCalls 5791) I made view B. This was an easy dress to make. I wouldn't say it's a beginner project, but I think anyone could give it a go and end up with something cute. The dress is fully lined, with a zipper in the back.

On a lot of sewing blogs, I see beautiful dresses and tops made without a pattern! I really envy the women who have the talent to do that. I'm still stuck in the land of patterns. Maybe one day I'll become a little braver...

addiction

Here's another Sweet Little Dress. I think I might be addicted to this pattern. It looks so cute on- the little sleeves are feiminine but not frilly. Also- it's wicked easy to make and comes together quick. As in...you can be just sitting there thinking maybe you'll make another sweet little dress, and two hours later you're looking at the finished product. Not too shabby eh!

I do make a couple of modifications each time.

I've come to claim...

I made a 'zippered pouch'! It's something I've been meaning to do for a while, and my brother's birthday gave me the perfect excuse. I used this tutorial. And just like Dana, I filled mine with edible goodies- specifically Reeses products which are not available in England. I hope Lee likes it.

You might be wondering about the lettering I have on there. It's freezer-paper stenciled. This was another thing I had been meaning to try for a while. I used these tips. Of course, you can always trust me to complicate things by choosing a difficult design. so it did take a while to cut out all those little letters, but I think it's worth it.

'What's Rightfully Mine' is based on something that Lee used to say when we were kids. He's five years older than me (the next child after him) so he was somewhat of an idol for the rest of us. He would sometimes let us have things from his bedroom- toys, books all kinds of stuff. Before you admire his generosity, though, I must point out that every now and then he would come hunting for the things he had given away, with the famous line 'I've come to claim what's rightfully mine'.

So, there you have it, a little story from my childhood.

birthday skirt

Here's the skirt that Lainey wore on her birthday. It was inspired by this skirt over at Pink Picket Fence. (Dana has recently made the style popular with her Can-Can Skirt, but I saw the Pink Picket Fence version a while ago and tulle seemed easier)

It was so easy! I simply cut strips of tulle and sewed down the middle with a long stitch. Then I gathered them and attached them to some pink fabric. Added some elastic and....job done!

blankies

For Lainey-

Simple blankies...to snuggle dollies in, for peekaboo, to have on hand for unexpected messes, for 'picnic' blankets, to become attached to- whatever she chooses to use them for I'll be happy.

These are backed with soft flannel. They measure approx. 21in x 24in.

Luke's quilt

hot stuff

This was supposed to be for Trev's grandma. Her favourite colour is green, so I pulled out an array of greens from my stash and began piecing. I was really pleased with the pieced front part, but when I stitched the layers together, things went pear-shaped.

It's at times like this that I wish I was truly talented. I get so many ideas for things I want to make, but the execution of those ideas always falls short. Still, all I can do is keep trying, so that's what I'll do.

I was afraid that my gift would be late if I tried to make another potholder, so she got these covered button magnets instead.

At least they're green. And as a grandma and great-grandma, she has an abundance of pictures on her fridge, so cute magnets are a must!