Sewing winter clothes

I've made Esme two long-sleeved dresses based off this pattern, all '3T' without any pattern alterations except 'fudging' the sleeve for the missing piece. In August when I made this for her it was too big for her to wear at all!



I think that will be warm this winter and they are a little 'big' (1/2 inch too long sleeve, adjustable zipper in back, slight 'tent' look to the whole waist) so she won't grow out of them too quickly. The 3T toddler shirts she is wearing now are already getting tough to take on and off. I only bought about three (as you can tell by how often they show up, especially the blue one) and am not feeling happy about going up to 4T for a two year old. Honestly, I think they have shrunk from overwashing.. maybe? Maybe I just like clothes with more give in them and room and they don't really plan for that now.

I also have a pattern for a fleece jacket that might come in handy. Another point is that these sleeves are bulkier than a 't-shirt' sleeve which her current coat expects.

We are off to have a yard sale today at a friend's!

Special bonus sewing time

Just woke up from a nap and
Mom is trying new clothes on me again!
At least I have Shaun

I was on a roll today so I dove into the fabric Gwen gave me and made this. It just needs the zipper sewn in - and I'll do that by hand tomorrow at my lunch break. It is a little too big, especially in the sleeves - but there wasn't a long sleeve with this pattern. There was supposed to be - and using the short sleeve and the picture of the long sleeve in the pattern directions I tried to adapt. Not too bad - and she will definitely be able to wear it around town and be warm this winter wearing it in the house. Since I didn't know if the sleeve was going to work or not I used this thin gray fabric. On the one hand - it went 'ok' with the red color and on the other hand - there was plenty of it in case I had to rework the sleeve several times to fit her.

Esme's blue dress is done!

I made one almost like it for another little girl. I know the waistbands ended up being somewhat different - but the color and style and size are the same. I'm finally done! One of those sleeves (the one with the different color thread on it) kicked my tail for about a week... everytime I tried to put it on something else would go wrong and I'd have to rip it out again. Finally she gets to wear it to Grandma's house :)

She was trying to stomp on the cat (lightly) with those boots on and I said 'Don't step on the cat with your gunboots on.' It was a term used in my family when I was younger, but I always thought they meant 'gun' boots, as in 'gunny' soldier boots, 'combat boots.' etc... I looked it up and my mom and grandma were most likely saying 'gumboots'. It is a British term for rainboots, which were what I actually wore as a kid when my mom was saying that to me. She only said the word when she was saying 'don't stomp on...' etc. It makes some sense, if this is the term, as we are from the far Northern reaches of Minnesota (near Canada, where the term is used also) and have some English roots in our family. There were lots of other British terms my family used that I thought was normal growing up - "stay and hold down the fort" etc... and found out as I got older nobody else understood. We also put milk in our hot tea and tended to overboil our vegetables and meat. ha. Anyway, it was always 'gunboots' to me.

Another thought is she could have been saying 'gunboats' - as in 'huge feet.' I'm not sure if she would even remember if I asked her.. but I'll try.

Kittens Don't Need Crayons

Esme had piled all her crayons up under this chair (where I used to take my toy photos and is now a cat sunning spot). I told her the dogs would eat them there - so she got a tablet and started piling them up for the kitten, who was very unimpressed. Eventually they headed back to the table and easel. Also take a look at the cool fix Mark came up with for the easel. One of the clips had broken that hold the paper. We teamed up on it and took a drywall saw to the little hole the original clip went in. Tada! Binder clips to the rescue again!



That drawing is a collaboration between Esme and I. She's getting really good at scribbling and I try to fill in some of the areas with color ;)

Sewing update

A picture Mark caught of me at the workstation the other night while I was cutting out a pair of pants for Esme. I was cold and wearing his big fluffy terrycloth robe. I really need to organize everything over there. The purse hanging has knitting I haven't worked on in ages, and I have bits and scraps stuffed in closet organizers to the right and left of the machine.

I went last night to the table to start on something new and found the blue pinafore dress I had been making for Esme in the pattern box, still stuck on one step that was giving me a lot of trouble. I struggled with it - got over it (not perfect but it'll work) and moved on to nearly finish it. The skirt is now pinned on, needs sewing on and then a hem and buttonholes. Then I'll start something new... at least I'll get the hem done before I start something new ;) Buttonholes can be done at work.

She'll Grow into it (note)

Heh - the shirt I made back here in August and said it was too big for Esme? At the time I was sure she'd grow into it, sooner or later -- as it looked like a tent on her then. She wore it up to Grandma's once. Now it fits her pretty good with only a little bit of 'is that a nightgown?' thought because the front billows out a little. Since that one was 'exactly to pattern' I can pull out the old pattern and try to make another one with some new fabric a friend gave me at work. She found a large stack of different floral fabrics, yards and yards each at a yard sale. She said it 'wasn't much' but wouldn't say what it was - but that it reminded her of the clothes I was making for Esme on my lunch breaks and she had to get it and bring it to me. I don't think she has the internet or I'd thank her again! So neat and I'll put it to use!

Right now Esme is running around the room with a tube from some glow sticks this Halloween. The tube is empty but it makes an interesting 'water jug' musical noise when she blows across it and she is getting a great kick out of the small toy.