Sometimes I think I have it together....

And then there are nights like tonight. As I write this it is 9:30 PM. My 3 year old is still awake.  I've been dealing with trying to get kids in bed since 7:00. My son is going through a "screaming bloody murder unless someone is in the room with him, preferably holding him" phase and taking forever to fall asleep even when he is exhausted. It never fails that just as he is about to drift off my 3 year old will yell something out in the hall and get him worked up all over again. By the time I am done with him, I have no patience left for her typical pre-schooler bedtime shenanigans. You can put your pajamas on all by yourself? Well F'ing put them on already and stop playing with that damn hand towel. Then I speed read a book chosen for its brevity. The Princess and the Pea tonight, as story with no redeeming qualities that I can discern but it's short so I picked it. And then I feel bad because she hasn't done anything to deserve my snappishness and probably has no idea why it's pissimg me off that she won't just put the damn toothbrush in her mouth.

I don't whether to drink or cry.

Deep thoughts...from my 3 year old.

C: Grandma, I am getting so big!

GMa: You sure are. You are big girl.

C: Yeah, but not my nipples. They are not big like my mommy's. When I get bigger, my nipples will get big and a baby will drink milk from them. Grandma, you have big nipples. :pokes her grandmother in the boob:

* by nipples she means breasts

Polka Dot Pencil Skirt

Like sew many sewistas I love Gertie's blog and had to have her book on sewing retro fashions. I love it and plan to make everything in it even, though I shudder at the thought of me in a wiggle dress. Anyway, I just finished my first creation from the book, the pencil skirt.

Can I just say, I love. this.skirt! Not only is the pattern great, I love it in this navy/white polka dot cotton sateen. This may be the first clothing item in my new post-kids plus size that I truly love. I even think it is, dare I say it, flattering. 

I got the fabric at G-Street Fabrics in Rockville, MD. It was normally $19.99/yd but was on sale for $12.98. I scooped up three yards and used two for this skirt. I have no idea what I am going to do with 1 yard of stretch cotton sateen but I'm pretty sure it will be for my three year-old. 

I also lined this skirt. This is the first time I have done a lining. It wasn't too hard and certainly did make the skirt seam more luxurious. I used a navy rayon lining from Joann $4.19/yard.

Modifications:

I modified the waist band to be straight across the front. It just seems more comfortable that way. I may make another version with the high band complete with boning.

I converted the back slit to a back vent using the tutorial on the "A Fashionable Stitch" blog. It was an easy change that I think really takes the skirt up a notch. 

Other:

I inserted the lapped zipper using the method taught in the free Craftsy class "Mastering Zipper Techniques" taught by the same Sunni that gave me the back vent tutorial. She was very useful in the making of this skirt. Anyway, the technique worked perfectly. The class is free. Check it out.

I hand basted all the seams before sewing them. I have been having lots of trouble with my fabric getting out of alignment and this helped a lot. It didn't really take too long. 

I know that you don't technically have to finish seams in a lined garment but I felt the need to do something, so I pinked the seam allowances and ran a line of straight stitches down each piece. It was less than the overcasting I would have done on an unlined item but still made it seam more finished. 

I added a some red bias tape to the hem allowance on the vent. Just a little something flashy on the inside as a surprise. I uses my blind hemmer foot to do the hem. It's the first time I have used it on an actual garment and I think it turned out well.

Errors and conundrums

My waistband ended up not having enough length to overlap and put in a button. I guess I shouldn't have done 5/8 seams down the ends? Next time I'll do 1/4 there. I ended up putting a flat hook closure there. 

Speaking of the ends of the waistband, one of the corners keeps turning back inward no matter how many times I push it out. I 'll have to do some research to find out what is causing it. 

I'm not really sure how I was supposed to finish the back vent. I just kind of winged it and overcasted the edges. I don't have a serger.  

I'm still working on proper fitting. This one is pretty good but it could get quite a bit better. The waist definitely needs to be tightened up a bit. 

But overall I think it turned out pretty well. 

Did I say I love this skirt? Cause I do! I plan to make this pattern several more times. The total cost of this one was only $36!

Help is here

As a child, I didn't grow up with my grandparents nearby. By the time I was five years-old, I was down to one grandparent, my mother's mother, and she lived in Florida while I was growing in Tennessee. She died when I was 10, so there was never the option of having grandparents nearby. But I was always jealous of the other kids, who not only had grandparents, but had grandparents they saw all the time because they lived locally. To be honest, I was also jealous of the idea of getting presents from grandparents too, they always seemed like the best gifts.

But it wasn't to be for me.

After becoming an adult and moving from Tennessee to Maryland (with stops along the way) and then having children of my own, I was once again jealous of in-town grandparents. My husband's parents had both, unfortunately, passed away before I ever met him (his mom during his senior year of high school) and my parents lived 600 miles away in Tennessee. Right where they had lived their entire lives.

Until last week. 

I had never ever considered the possibility of my parents moving. I could see my mom being on board but my dad, no, I just couldn't see it. Even when my mom mused about the possibility. I paid her no attention. When she talked about getting rid of stuff and putting the house on the market, I didn't think they would pull the trigger. 

Then they did put their house on the market. And then they bought a house five minutes from where I live. And then last week they moved everything out of the house they have lived in for the last 38 years and drove it all to Maryland and became my neighbor. 

I still can't really believe it. My kids have grandparents they can see if not everyday then almost everyday. My husband and I have a babysitter anytime we need/want it. Free! 

I have help. If one of my kids is sick and can't go to daycare- they can go to grandma's. If I get the call from daycare 11 seconds, after I walk int he door at work- grandma. If I need somebody to be at my house so a repairman can come in the day- Grandpa! The list goes on and on.

My parents aren't quite up for taking care of an 18 month-old and a 3.5 year old 40+ hours a week, so they will still go to daycare, but Caroline will cut down to 2 days a week and start going to part-time preschool 3 days a week. This is a possibility only because Grandma is now available to take her and pick her up. 

And it goes two ways. They have us to help them with all of the things that get hard as people get older. Repairs around the house, lawn mowing, navigating this and that. And down the line (hopefully, years and years down the line) care during sickness and beyond. I am so happy that they will be near me for however many years are left. 

The truly best part of it all though is that my children love them so much and vice-versa. Nothing makes my day more than seeing my "grumpy-old-man" father break into a huge smile as my little runs to him yelling,"'Pa! 'Pa!"

Wordless Wednesday

Things I've been sewing

So, naturally, I haven't been blogging but I have been sewing. I'm really enjoying sewing and find it a great way to unwind at the end of the day after the kids go to bed. Even better, my husband thinks it is a great hobby and doesn't get too bothered at the money I spend on it. Such as:

My new sewing machine!

My old machine was a super cheapy from Target. My new machine is still a super cheapy but it is a better super cheapy, read: computerized. It has a lot more stitches and is so much smoother than my old machine. It's like buttah. Best of all, it has a speed control. That pedal is like a gas pedal to me and I have a hard time not pressing it to the floor. But with the speed control, I set it to slow and I can press the pedal to floor but still have the control of slow sewing. It is fantastic for sewing curves. 

So what have I been making?

Well, I am enrolled in a Craftsy class, Sewing With Knits. It is great and I no longer fear the stretch. Our first project was a fleece hoodie. I made one. It turned out great. And then I left it at my sister-in-law's house before I could get a picture. 

Scoop neck tee. I swear I don't look this bad all the time

The second project was a scoop-neck t-shirt. Sewing a t-shirt isn't particularly exciting but it was a great way to learn some knit techniques and t-shirts are handy when you are chasing kids around on the weekends. The fabric is cotton interlock and the total cost was around $9.00 (I never buy fabric at Joann without my trusty coupon).

Last night, I finished up a shirt for Caroline. It is the Oliver and S Ruffled Halter. It's a free pattern and and after you get the huge pattern pieced together, traced and the fabric cut, it is a really quick and easy project. I like it so much, I'm planning to make another one for my niece.  I really love Oliver and S patterns and I especially love free. The total cost of this shirt was only $7.00. The fabric is a poly/cotton blend with puckers. I originally bought it to make Caroline a dress but it just seemed to be a little too much in your face for a full dress. It is perfect for this shirt though. The ruffles are cut on the bias and the edges are left unfinished. This fabric does not fray at all so the ruffles with continue to look good. 

Oliver and S Ruffled Halter. Bad pic. She does not understand what "stand still" means. 

I also have another work in progress. It is Oliver and S's popover sundress (Again O&S. Again free) with appliques. The appliques will mark the first real use of my Silhouette SD since I bought it 2 years ago. 

I also have a v-neck t-shirt, a 4th of July dress for Caroline, and a whole list of other things on the to-sew list. All I need is the time to get it done. 

Wordless Wednesday: The Gardner