Floral overload // McCall's M6923

I feel like a walking garden in this dress! I love flowers and this denim floral print is absolutely perfect. As per usual I used only the bodice of this McCalls pattern. I tried my hand at pattern modification. And because the only thing I did was change the neckline to a deeper V, swap the gathered skirt for a circle, and add pockets it was a breeze. I didn't make sleeve facings because I didn't feel like it and the denim on its own was fine just folded over. Also, no lining required! Oh I love denim. Everything is so much easier and quicker to sew. Originally the front and back neckline was going to be much higher but I changed my mind. I thought the print would be too overwhelming. Then I was going to put a scalloped trim all the way around the neckline but again I changed my mind. It would have been too country lookin' you know what I mean? Plus I just wanted the pretty flowers to be the main event. Too much going on would ruin it. I'm quite obsessed with ribbons at the moment so I got an extra wide white ribbon to put on as a sash so I wouldn't have to actually make one.

4 Reasons I love this dress:

1. flowers, duh
2. it's soft not starchy
3. POCKETS. EVERY DRESS NEEDS POCKETS.
4. it swings when I walk

Next time I use this pattern it'll be for that cute little jumper!

Candy Striper // Simplicity 4402

Woo! This dress was fun to make and even more fun to wear! Remember those packs of zebra stripe gun? The flavor would last all of 15 seconds and your left with nothing but stale gum and a lil tattoo. That's what this dress makes me think of. I didn't do the gathered bell sleeve because it just looked awkward, so instead I put a band on it. I absolutely love this pattern! I find myself using the bodice over and over again because it fits me like a glove while still allowing me some breathing room.

A customer told me I reminded her of the Candy Stripers that used to work in hospitals! Ha!

The makings of a dress // Vintage Simplicity 4402

Dorothy Gale

Did you know that in the book The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy Gale wore silver shoes instead of red? Also, in The Wiz (with Diana Ross as Dorothy) she wore silver slippers- NOT ruby red.

When I was a little squirrel I must have watched The Wiz a million times. That was back when it was on VHS. Does anybody still have those? I can't find it anywhere now. *le sigh* Still it remains in my top 25 movies of all time. I've yet to read the book but one day I'd like to. It's so fun to watch and remember all your childhood movies and then look up trivias and little known facts about then once you're older. I was browsing Though Cataloge this morning and stumbled upon this little gem: 23 Surprising Facts About ‘The Wizard of Oz’ That Will Blow Your Mind. A couple facts I found hilarious:

9. The Emerald City wasn’t exactly emerald in the novel. In the original text, the characters are required to wear glasses that make everything appear green even though the city is “no more green than any other city.” The green is a deception, like the wizard’s many other tricks, referred to as “humbugs” in the novel. The city’s conception is said to be inspired by the famous White City at the Chicago World’s Fair.

12. The Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin Man, like the Wicked Witch, also had a problem of scaring people with their costumes. Their getups were considered so frightening that Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley were banned from the MGM lunch room, not allowed to eat with the rest of the cast. They were forced to lunch in their dressing rooms, in case they alarmed other MGM workers.

McCall's M6923

Ta da! McCall's M6923! I'll be honest, I couldn't get the sleeves to fit right so I swapped them out for flutter sleeves. And the slim skirt looked awkward so I swapped that out for a full circle skirt. SO really the only thing true to the pattern is the bodice. That and the fact that I used a floral print with a floral lace overlay.

Super easy pattern to follow, surprisingly I didn't have to do any bust adjustments or anything. However it is because of the fit that I would only recommend this pattern for small chested ladies. The only thing I'm kind of on the fence about id the length of the bodice. It's actually a few inches higher than my natural waist but not quite empire. It's right on my ribcage which is why I went with a circle skirt instead. Also it balances out the sleeves. The slim skirt makes me look... idk bulky? Boyish? That's probably not the right word but I just don't like it. All in all it's a good pattern. I'll experiment with it some more. Definitely looking forward to making the little romper! I wonder if I can find a polka dot/gingham fabric with fruit on it...

Goodies in the mail! (Books & Patterns)

I'd almost forgotten about the books I ordered a couple weeks ago from Amazon. I finished Shatter Me (the first book the the series) almost a month and a half ago. I'm halfway through Destroy me and I'm so juiced to read Unravel me. But a huge part of me just wants to get through Unravel me so I can read Fracture Me. I know that sounds confusing but lemme explain...Unite Me is a two-part novella. Basically it's the bridge or the in-between books. Shatter me= book 1. Destroy Me= 1.5. Unravel Me= book 2. Fracture Me= 2.5. Ignite Me= book 3. Make sense? It's kinda like how Disney had The Lion King 1 & 2 and then came up with Lion King 1.5 from Timon and Pumbaa's POV. ANYWAY I'm really excited about 'em.

The patterns pretty much speak for themselves. Aren't they great?! Ovbi the first three and the last one are vintage (shout out to Etsy!) from the 50's-60's. Can we take a minute to appreciate the handwritten card? There's definitely something to be said about someone who takes the time to write a thank you. That's true customer service. The middle two I actually bought myself from the fabric store on sale. Burda almost never goes on sale around here so I was happy to find it for only $2.50! And if you follow me on pinterest you know that I have a whole board dedicated to aprons. I don't cook very often but I love to bake from time to time. I already have one apron but I saw this one that included a heart theme and I couldn't resist. Plus there's two of each- mommy and me style! How could I possibly say no?? I know for sure that I won't get any done in time for Mother's Day (this Sunday! Eeep!). But I know that my sister, aunt, and cousin asked me for some way back in July oops. So this can be a super late Mother's day gift.What do y'all got going on for Mother's Day this weekend?

8 hours a babysitter

Sunday was day two of babysitting, this time it was just the girls. I hadn't intended on babysitting again after the crazy day previously. Actually I hadn't intended to do much of anything. But I was more than happy to do so. As usual we started with breakfast and a movie (have you seen 'The Tooth Fairy' with 'The Rock'? It's pretty good!). I found an origami kit in the back of my closet and let them get creative. They made little fishes and drew me a sweet picture of ladybugs. We got out some old school board games and played hungry hungry hippo. Only now it's called farmville or farmhouse or something like that. Same concept, same everything, but instead of hippos it's random farm animals. But I still couldn't believe kids still played that game! I wonder what other games are being recycled for this new generation...

In the afternoon I got them dressed and they helped to pack up the car with all their toys so we could return once again to the park. We stayed for nearly 3 hours! I was thinking dang, aren't they tired yet?! NOPE. They made more friends and I got another workout. I even got to chat with a couple of parents! That was pretty nice, being able to talk to another adult after seeing no one but kids for two days.

When lunch time rolled around O and M were jumping for joy when I rewarded them for being so good with McDonald's. We ate and ate. They talked and talked. Once we finished their dad met us there, chatted for a bit, and went our separate ways. Everybody had a great time. I'm feeling pretty good about my babysitter skills!

Now it's time for clean up...

12 hours a babysitter

Saturday was very hectic. I left my house and got the kids at 6am and everyone went home around 6:30pm. That's 12 full hours! And I mean FULL. If you've read my last post you know I like to have an itinerary. Most things went according to plan, others not so much. We started out with breakfast and a movie. Immediately followed by doing arts and crafts outside on the porch. The sun was so bright and warm! I let the girls take some pictures throughout the day. I love letting kids use my camera to see what things they find and see the world through their perspectives. In fact, the majority of these photos were taken by a 4 year old!

We played outside for a few hours to burn off the morning energy and when they got sick of that we came inside for a few rounds of dress up. What little girl can resist dresses and heels? Certainly not any I know. I cannot tell you how excited they were to raid my room! I can't blame 'em though, my wardrobe is pretty great haha. M's eyes lit up when she saw my prom dress, once I got her all zipped up she didn't wanna take it off! O tried it on next. They both looked like little mermaids; they were swimming in all that fabric! Complete with a sash, wand, and tiara. Watching them waddle like penguins in my too big shoes was the funniest thing. We listened to music and danced around for what seemed like forever.

Around noon my little cousin was dropped off and added to the party. J's a boy so dress up came to an end. I took them back outside to draw so everyone could get acquainted. The three of them got off to a rocky start but we headed to the park as planned. It was a great decision. They had more room to play and even made some new friends. I, however, got a workout. Endless pushing of swings, running around chasing kids, lifting the little ones when they couldn't reach, I was everywhere they were. But it was so great. I felt like a little kid myself and it's always a joy to watch children have fun.

We came back to the house around 4:30 and had a late lunch. J went home and it was back to me and the girls until their dad came back. We filled the time with iphone games, music, and another round of dress up. As you can see in the last two pictures I passed out at the end. Haha! I have never fallen asleep while babysitting before! O had laid down to take a little nap and I guess I did too. Luckily my mom watched M for a bit. I was only out for about 10-15 minutes, but that's a true testament to how exhausted I was! Never in my life have I had to take care of more than one child at a time. Yet there I was with three!

It was confusing, trying, and draining. But above all it was so much fun.
I love children. I'm learning so much about them and through them.