hmmm…. should I do this next year for halloween?

There’s enough time, I could probably figure out how to do it!

By golly, she’s got it!

Took the glitter glue princess to the American Girl Place in Chicago to celebrate her birthday this week.  More pictures from that later…

One sewing related thing that happened is the girlie saw this outfit:

http://tinyurl.com/agflutterskirt

She absolutely LOVED the skirt, but couldn’t bear to spend her own money on it – she earned money from donations to Goodwill, from the americangirl surveys we take, and from relatives.

She started looking inside to see how it was made, noting the elastic used to make the gathers.  With much excitement in her voice, she described in exact detail how it could be made at home.  It just clicked, and she realized that she could make one just exactly as she wanted, in the color that she preferred, and long enough to get to her knees. (Tall girlies have trouble finding things that feel modest enough, you know….)

Guess what lined a-line skirt is coming up on our sewing together time?

I live with Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Sigh….  They grow up too soon.  Nothing I like in terms of style is acceptable anymore. Here are the newest clothing rules for school as of today:

All the euro stuff in ottobre is unacceptable – it’s not “normal” enough to fit into 5th grade.  In fact, just about every pattern I have in my arsenal is unacceptable, except maybe for the Jalies.

No more khaki colored pants.  Only blue jeans (no whiskering) and dark brown pants. Black pants *might* be o.k., but brown is better.

No dresses.  Long sweaters and tee shirts are o.k., but they can’t be embroidered by Mom.  Tie dye is still o.k, at least for today.  Shirts need to be LONG – like tunics – no belly baring stuff (well, at least we agree on one thing…)

Of course, all the rules will change again tomorrow…

I just have to not give up and keep offering options.

Dressy Pants for Skinny Kids – a sewing challenge

Glitter Glue Princess had a county-wide recorder concert that she had to play in for school. Every Fourth Grader in the county played the same song with the City Symphony. Of course, every Fourth Grader (at least the ones in MY house) had to dress up for the event too.

She already had a lovely dressy silky shirt that she felt would be “sooo grown up” for the event. Being that it is still chilly, we didn’t find skirts to be quite warm enough, so we went on a hunt for some dress pants. She is reaching that age where she thinks she needs to fit in to the crowd, and that means store bought clothes. I knew that she’d need an adjustable waist, and so we tried on what we could find, which was very little in the dressy category. After she tried a bunch on, she finally relented, and allowed me to sew her something.

I made her a pair of black stretch woven boot cut pants over the weekend. The issue is that she is about a size 7 in the waist and a size 12 in the length. I used Kwiksew 2666 for the pattern. They have an invisible flat waistband, yet have elastic to be comfortable while she is sitting in the auditorium for the concert. Here are pictures of the final outfit.

Happy girl, happy smile, off to have a recorder concert.

A Big Foundation For A Small Plantation…

That statement is what my father used to call me, and well, now it appropriate for the Glitter Glue Princess.

We were looking at the Hushpuppy outlet at the Merrell shoes for her yesterday, not finding any that she was happy with. Her feet were getting a bit big for her size 3′s, so it was time to find new shoes. The 4′s were o.k, but we could not agree on any that were acceptable. I looked in the womens 5′s and found a pair she liked – they were *too small*! Finally, we found a similar pair in size 6 that she could get her foot into -I’ll say it again – size 6. I’m totally freaking out here – is it normal for 9-year-olds to have this big a foot?!?!?!

Of course, after she realized that she could fit in women’s shoes, she decides to try on heels. I warned her – “Oh mom, they are only kitty heels, they will be o.k” she says as she rolls her ankles around and can barely stand. Umm, me thinks the child has seen too much “What Not to Wear”. Then she tries on some harley davidson wedge sandals with fire embroidered on them, laughing the whole time. I’m still freaking out.

She settles on some of the most boring gray Merrells I’ve ever seen. They look like work shoes to me. At least they fit, have a nice wide toebox and they make her happy, as they look more “grown up”. The world of shoe possibilities has now cracked open and my daughter is not looking back.

I’m still freaking out.

Swimshirt done- now for some skirts & shirts for me.

I got the waist adjustment figured out using the cut to bust point and then cut to the edge radially to the side seam and open it up.  Worked like a charm – did this on both front and back due to her shape.  Fit is great, with even a bit of room to grow in.  Her mom and dad are happy with it too.  I bartered it for a day of babysitting.

Now onto my Jalie patterns and the Barcelona skirt.  Yay! It’s amazing what I can accomplish when no one is here to interrupt.

So many plans, but a necessary project first.

So, I made these grandiose plans for sleeveless shirts and skirts.  Got the new Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt and a lovely piece from her charm collection with paisleys.  But…  that is all on hold for now…

Saturday night our neighbor, L. asked if I could make Miss Kate a rash shirt like the Glitter Glue Princess’s.  Her little shoulders are getting fried from the summer.  Of course, who am I to turn down someone who I know appreciates my sewing – if I don’t start now, the summer will be over before I get to it.  We have all the fabric ready to go, deep blue and sky blue lycra.   I took her measurements and looked at the charts.  She is pretty much the same width from bust to hip, which is a new adjustment I hadn’t had to do for many moons since I used to sew for people – I’ve been making things skinny for so long for glitter glue princess, I think I’ve forgotten how to do it…  If anyone has any tips, send them in the comments section.

I have to find a way to make this look great so my little neighbor feels good about herself in my outfit – girls at this age need to feel great about themselves, and I’d hate for a 10 year old to feel constrained by sizing.

Rippin’ and Rantin’

So, I finally got the chance to make the Cabo Halter for myself.  I selected a lovely Michael Miller Paisley for it.

I’m happily chugging along, draping the pieces across me as I sew darts and the kid is sitting 15 feet away laughing her brains off – I ask what was wrong, and she inquires if the bits I’m laying across my shoulders are all that the top is made of.  Ummmm…..Noooooo…  I get it – she doesn’t want her mama going in public in a bra.  O.k.  Hahaha.

 I’m still chugging on this thing after a couple more of my early morning sessions and I get to the invisible zipper.  No problem, except *this* zipper decided to commit suicide as I was trying the top on the first time by splitting open – it wasn’t tight enough to split from force, so I still don’t know why it did that.  O.k.  I’ll rip it out.

The second zipper decided to stay alive this time.  But….  The upper bodice is not good – it gaps in the sides by the arms and *much* too low cut.  The kid’s solution for the low cut issue – tie it up soooo high that I look like a hunch back.  Um… No.  I’ve currently got the center front ripped open and trying to rotate the gaps from the side front by bringing down the overlapping part in the front.  There MAY be a chance I can save it yet and still be modest enough that the kid doesn’t attack me to tie my shirt up again!

I’m not thrilled, and had read about how some people had loved this top.  Who am I fooling? This top won’t work on me…   I can always tell when there is no hope – my brain automatically starts planning the next project as soon as issues like this come up.

I think I need a new skirt next.

Running girl, running pants

Well, it looks like the cabo halter is not meant to be. Late Sunday night, Glitter Glue Princess says she needs more running pants for Girls on the Run (self esteem program where 3rd to 5th grade girls run a 5K). I say o.k., like every sewing mama would and whip up some.

Made her a pair of KS3498 , with the v-waist in a lovely red cotton lycra from Sewzannes. It had just the right amount of body for these. So….. I did my standard waist adjustments to a bigger size, assuming the length would be fine…. I was….soooo wrong. When she tried them on before hemming, they were JUST the right length – absolutely no allowance to hem. I kept suggesting we make them cropped, but NO that would not do. I laid them on a chair intending to sew the hem tonight with a bit of stabilized ruffle.

When I went to pick her up after practice, she was wearing them! I was a bit gobsmacked – I said “but those are not hemmed!”, Princess says “Yeah, I just trimmed the threads and they are fine!”. She was so proud to have fixed them up, but…. It is so against my policy in sewing to leave them undone. I think my sewing ethics are being challenged, but then again, I’m happy that she loves them. I’m torn as to whether or not they should be hemmed now. I realize that unfinished hems are fashionable now, but…. either you will understand this internal debate or you won’t.

Here are action shots – she is in perpetual motion now that the snow is gone, note the perfect length of the hem…

Playing and planning

I am so sick of snow, it is terrible – I actually had to snow blow today! I think all the counties are out of money here to plow the roads, based on how the roads were on my drive home. It is not right to be sliding on the road in April…

What I am playing with right now. Reminds me of warmth, and green, not sludge and gray.

What I just finished listening to in the car today, borrowed from the library.

Been pondering tie dye, which will not be happening till it is warm enough to work in the front yard. I want to dye a few baby outfits for some folks at work that I’ve been holding on to. I also think I need some funky, funky shirts for work, since they do not seem to mind my LWI fire and fog shirts I enjoy making. I’m inspired by these – any thoughts anyone? Here are a few of my oldies that make me smile…

On the sewing front, I’ve stalled a bit. I’m pondering a cabo halter to brighten my desire for summer out of this fabric… I just worry about lining up those dots to all the wrong places….. On second thought, maybe this should be a skirt instead… Along the lines of sewing, I’m watching a top of the line embroidery machine on Ebay that I’m secretly desiring to win – new and 60% off – even got the seller to agree to escrow before I bid. *sigh* Now I just have to wait…