chevron bettine dress

I made another dress! This pattern is the Bettine dress by Tilly and the Buttons, and the fabric is a printed rayon challis. I made a size 3 in the top and graded to a size 4 in the waist and hips. I also modified the skirt slightly, drawing the side seams straight down from the hips and adding a lining. I wanted this dress to work with tights so I can wear it through the fall. Lining will prevent the dress from sticking to the tights.

I made a few small modifications to the sleeves. I understitched the dress at the cuff and also rotated the cuff so the seam lined up with the underarm seam. Then I stitched-in-the-ditch to secure the cuff instead of hand stitching (I haaaate hand stitching). I added interfacing to the cuffs and tabs, since this fabric is very flowy and I wanted a bit more structure at the arms. I also added a strip of interfacing to the pocket facing on the skirt to add a bit more reinforcement to that seam. I applied the interfacing to the fabric before cutting to make it easier to deal with the small, shifty pieces. You can sort-of see the cuff tabs in this photo though they are somewhat camouflaged by the crazy print.

I'm not quite as obsessed with dress pockets as the rest of the universe, but they are pretty handy for carrying my phone. Plus, as a mother, I am morally obligated to be carrying a half-used tissue at all times, with which I will indiscriminately wipe any child's nose that comes within a 4 foot radius of me.

So, there it is... a fun new dress! Hopefully it will get lots of wear this holiday season!

busy bee

Happy Halloween!

Last year Dan got to pick Mae's costume (and she was the cutest little football ever.) This year I got to choose, so I made her this adorable bumblebee costume!

The romper is the Happy Frog Romper by Puperita which I pieced together with strips of black and yellow poly/cotton blend fabric. I finished the closures with my brand new Kam snaps set. I was looking for an excuse to buy plastic snaps and a snap tool, since they are so useful for baby items! The hat is the Purl Soho sunbonnet without the visor. I added little antennae topped with homemade pom poms. Pom poms are super easy and fun to make!

Mae got to wear her costume several times: to the zoo last weekend, to her day care party this week, to a Halloween party with Ollie on Saturday, and of course while trick-or-treating around our neighborhood!

In preparation for Halloween, we've and been practicing bee sounds. I say, "Bee says Bzzz!" and tickle her belly with my index finger. Now if I ask Mae, "What does a bee say?" she doesn't make any noise but tickles her belly with her finger. I guess we're half way there!

divide and conquer

Dan, Mae, and I each had our own social commitments this past weekend, and each of us spent Saturday in a different city!

Thursday afternoon, we all got together at Mae's day care for her toddler Halloween party. She looked super cute sharing her cup of goldfish crackers with the other little girl buzzing around in a bumblebee costume. Then, Mae and I said "bye byeeee" to Dada and drove to visit my family for the weekend. We arrived just in time for Christopher's birthday dinner. Friday morning we went to the Children's Musem with Mom, Emily, and Oliver. The little ones loved playing in the dinosaur caves and train tunnels (and getting completely soaked at the water table).

Saturday was when things got a little crazy. Dan went to see Penn State play at Ohio State. The loss was heartbreaking, but he had a good time visiting with friends and living the college kid party life for one night. I drove to Notre Dame with Mom, Dad, and Kevin to see the game against NC State. We froze our tushies off tailgating in the misty rain, but we witnessed a good game and stayed pretty warm in the stadium. My tickets were in row 6 of the end zone, so we were protected from the wind (and enjoyed an interesting view of the field).

Mom finished chemo a few weeks ago and had her surgery on Monday, so she was moving a little slower than usual. Since she's usually operating at a super-human pace, this just means she's acting like a normal person now and has to take (gasp) breaks during the day. She still managed to prepare tailgate food for 20+ people, hang out in the cold weather for 8 hours, and stay awake with me the whole drive home!

Mae spent Saturday with Christopher, Emily, and Oliver. They had a blast playing with Oliver's cozy coupe and play-kitchen, getting lunch at McDonald's, and going to a Halloween party in the evening! The babies looked suuuuper cute in their costumes. Mae's bee costume even sort-of coordinated with their Pooh, Tigger, and Christopher Robin costumes. (Pooh bear, honey, bees... it's a bit of a stretch but I think it works).

We got home pretty late from the football game, but I stayed up to wait for Christopher and Emily to drop off Mae on their way home from the party. It felt so funny to wait up for my kid to come home from a party, even though my kid is a 17-month-old! I'm so thankful that Christopher and Emily agreed to watch her all day and that she had such a fun time playing with her cousin! She has been asking for "Ah-yee" (Ollie) frequently since the weekend. Sunday afternoon, we drove home where Dada greeted us at the door and received a big, smiley hug from Mae. We are happy to be all back together again!