Favorite

Butterick Retro B5209

Lots of people say that their favorite part of sewing is project planning, picking out fabrics and patterns. For me, it's the first time I can sort of try on my piece, pinning it together to get a feel for how it's going to look, and getting excited.  That "ohmygoshthisisgoingtoworkandbesocute".  I actually get butterflies.

Thank You

Thank you all who supported Team Stroller Strides at March of Dimes today! Thanks to you, we far exceeded our team fundraising goal.  If you have yet to give, feel free to hop over here and do so, it's quick and easy.  I know the March of Dimes organization is still a little shy of their goal this year, so feel free to show some support for this great organization fighting for premature and lost babies. 

What a great experience today! Soph and I personally walked for a little friend named Lena who we'll never get to meet.

Mom and Soph yucking it up after the walk

Support the March for Babies!

This Sunday Sophie and I will be walking in the March of Dimes March for Babies. At work I see lots of little ones being born too soon, so I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to support this cause. It's so important to help high-risk mamas go the full 40!

If you'd like to contribute, please head over to our team, Stroller Strides Ann Arbor, website:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1884199

Thank you so much in advance!

Also, this

and this

Why Sewing Makes Me a Better Mama

 

This year for the first time I made a serious New Year's resolution and actually kept it.  Three and a half months down and still going strong.  I resolved to spend at least 5 minutes a day in my craft room, all by myself, making.  I really think that choosing to craft over dishes, laundry, and all the other things I could be doing with naptime has made me a far better wife and mother. I'm nicer to Jon and Soph, less frustrated, and more centered.  

 

I should go back a bit.  I think I can legitimately claim that Sophie was a "difficult" baby.  We had serious nursing problems, and I spent ten weeks pumping 8 times a day without results before calling it quits.  She had a milk intolerance, which resulted in months of nonstop screaming before we got her on the right formula.  I used to walk her for hours, and when I went out on the deck I could hear her screams echoing off the other houses.  Then I would think, "I'd better go back inside before one of us goes sailing off this deck." We had a couple episodes of croup, landing us in the ER. And we still don't sleep through the night.  Combine that with me working nights and, as a result, Jon doing almost all of the nighttime parenting duties, and we were kind of a wreck by the end of the first year.

On a real date!

On New Year's eve, Soph's first birthday, Jon and I sat down to take stock and we realized we both felt really lost.  I didn't feel like myself.  I didn't even know who 'me' was.  So we resolved to take time for ourselves.  We were no good to each other or to Soph like this.  (the fact that the f-bomb was Sophie's third work might indicate to you that tempers were running a little short.) For me, this meant quiet crafting.  For Jon, it's prioritizing running and hockey.

Sewing has given me a center like nothing else could.  I feel quiet and peaceful when I'm sewing.  I usually don't even play music, and I thoughtfully take my time.  I enjoy all of the "boring" things I used to rush through: pressing, seam ripping, tracing and augmenting my patterns.  It makes me feel valued by myself and by Jon, who will take baby duty so I can sew if I didn't get the chance to during the day. I in turn try to value his workout time, and do extra Soph time so he can run, even though I've been with her all day and want to throw her at him when he walks in the door.

No way was she gonna touch that guy

Prioritizing ourselves is not selfish, it's just the opposite.  It's the best thing we can do for our baby.  Not only are we nicer to her when we're with her, but we're showing her that it's important to be a whole person. When Jon tells her as she gets older, "don't bother Mom right now, she's sewing," and when she sees us going out with friends and pursuing other interests, it will teach her how to be well-rounded, and how to value herself and pursue her interests.  When we prioritize our marriage over her every want and whim, it will help her to know what to look for when she is seeking a good relationship with a good man (or woman) who treats her with respect.  To help my daughter grow into a strong and independent woman, I have to BE a strong and independent woman.  Maybe sewing doesn't seem like it accomplishes that, but to me it means so much more than making clothes.  It means valuing myself, and not getting into the habit of putting myself last. I leave the dishes for later because I don't want to look back in twenty years and have the dishes define my life. It's a simple enough realization, but after spending the last year pretty unhappy and lost, this is a pretty big deal for me.

And that's why I think sewing makes me a better Mama: spending time away from my girl might just be the best thing I can do for her.  

Shopping My Closet: Colorblock Cardi Refashion

This cardi started out life as an all-pink concoction with ruffles down the button placket, from AT Loft.  It's several years old and I never wear it.  The fit is just kind of awkward, slightly short and too crew-necked:

I've honestly never been a huge fan of the color-blocked look, but I'm pretty happy with the way this turned out. It's not going to be my favorite sweater, but the length is great and it will definitely get more wear that it used to.  I had to go online to find some color-blocking inspiration...

trouve

wet seal

craftbaby

Then I used my rotary cutter and cutting mat to slice 'er up.  I also used them to cut the black and white panels, and I think the final product turned out a lot more neatly because of the nice straight lines I got...cutting knits can be a challenge!

I had a little trouble with buttonholes, and I found that putting tissue paper (just ordinary stuff left over from gift bags) on top and bottom of the material while making my buttonholes helped the fabric to not stretch.  

Top two are done with tissue: nice and tidy.  Bottom two hack jobs done without, and the presser foot really stretched the fabric out of shape.

The breakdown:

pink cardi: from my closet, free

Black patterned sweater knit: $8 from fabric.com

buttons: $11 from Jo-Anns

Total: $19

'Wearable Muslin" sundress, finished!

I am really excited to have finished up this little number! After some consideration of keeping the peplum, i decided to stick with the straight-up sundress, and I think it's a lot more wearable for my life (although still a bit fancy for taking the baby to the park...). 

The Breakdown:

Fabric:  bedsheet from a garage sale, probably $1

Pattern: Vogue 8849, $15

Notions: boning, lining, zipper, seam tape, thread, bra pads all from jo-anns; about $20

Belt kit from afashionablestitch.com : $17

Total cost: about $53

Modifications: Added the self-fabric belt and a kick pleat in the back to give myself a little walking room.

The plan for this pattern eventually is to create a bridesmaid's dress...I've been invited to be in a wedding in September and am instructed to wear any navy dress as long as it's sleeveless and short...music to my ears 'cause it means I get to come up with something on my own! The plan is to use view D of this pattern, with the underdress in a solid navy, possibly silk, and the sheer layer and peplum in a sheer plain navy (not the weird pattern styled on the envelope...)

I have assured the bride that if the dress turns out to look less-than-profesh I will be wearing something else, so she needn't worry about my mad skillz. I suppose I should get her opinion of peplums though...

My only real problem with the pattern is that the skirt is a bit tight, which I think is due to it's shape, not just that I made it too small.  This will probably require some more muslin-ing before cutting out the real deal.  And maybe it's my new mom-sensibilities, or the fact that I've been covered up all winter, but I feel like it looks a bit, well, how do you say...slutty?  I think that for all but the fanciest dates I'll be styling it with a cardi and flats, thus:

Besides, that way it looks a little better with my favorite fashion accessory:

What I Wore/Book of Mormon

 Two! Two! Two me-mades at once!

We went yesterday to see The Book of Mormon at the Fischer Theater in Downtown Detroit.  It was (offensively) hilarious, and we had a grand time!  I wore my beignet and my sorbetto, along with a cropped cardi and tights, both from AT Loft.  I don't really love the fit of the sorbetto at all, but tucked in and covered in a cardi, it added just the right pop of St. Patty's green I needed.

Handsome date!