Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Can We Talk About Something New?

It's not just you. Believe me, I have been wondering the same thing: Will I ever move on from the subject of packing-moving-unpacking?

yawn

And you can trust me on this too: I have been very conservative about not documenting every last detail. I have spared you the number of times I drove back and forth

You know what? Unpacking and settling in is where we are at. That's how it is, and not much else is going on. Well, almost not much... Insomnia hit me real hard last night and, beginning at one a.m., I began pinning, cutting and sewing a dress for my niece. It's all done. At face value that might sound like super ambitious productivity, but really it was just the darn insomnia and of course I was less than effective the rest of the day.

yawn Tonight I will sleep. Honest.


This was one of those prints that I could not resist and even though I found it in July, I knew it would make really folky-sweet Christmas dresses for Maria and her cousin Izzy. What was I thinking? As though I had (have) nothing else going on? It makes me laugh. I am nuts. It was such a luxury getting to sew, and finally seeing this vision completed makes me happy. Maybe I am a bit off-course in my priorities. Maybe not.


Under the arms and fitting around the shoulders is still my weak point with this pattern. Turns out I can make my own pattern, which is not the same as being good at it. Still, this is so much easier for me than following the store bought patterns, with their obtuse directions and aggravating tissue.

Can you see the pink rick-rack peeking from the bodice? I also added a contrasting border to the hem... for length and for fun. I did not account for how much fussy cutting this print would require. I fussy cut both the sleeves and the bodice, but now I am not sure I have enough to complete Maria's dress... uh-oh. Maria may get a holiday blouse to wear with her tulle skirt.


I bought the dots somewhere else, and at some other time, but they are both Michael Miller prints. And now I am rambling and scrambling, a kind of absent minded way of avoiding the pressing chores and responsibilities that are weighing upon me.

Tearing myself away from the warm glow of iMac... I am going to aim for genuine super ambitious productivity... wish me luck.

5 comments:

Katie said...

Adorable! I have no idea how you do it all. And I like hearing about your unpacking! It's finally happening - savor it!

tara said...

Great Christmas fabric in July find. I have a hard time warming up to Christmas fabrics but that one is the best. It reminds me of my Swedish Grandmother.

judy in ky said...

We are happy to hear about your settling in, because it's your "home at last" dreams coming true!

Chris said...

The dress is beautiful and I love the fabric.

I'm with Katie, I enjoy hearing about your unpacking and settling in!

Chris

Jennifer said...

I do love the dress, and I do think your priorities sound just exactly right. And familiar.

As you'd suspect, pattern companies do not write instructions per-pattern; they have standard, set instructions that they use even when they don't make sense with the particular pattern or the fabric it calls for (like 'iron seam open flat' for a pattern designed to be used with polar fleece). I usually kind of take a step back after reading a particular instruction that might as well be in another language and think about what would make sense to do at that point....

I just found a very cool smock pattern that you could possibly adapt to use for Maria -- http://stilldottie.blogspot.com/2007/08/apron-for-divya.html