I've been sewing, but I can't show you...

That is the problem with Christmas time. And yes, I am now using the store calendar as my own. I am doing this because if I didn't get started on Christmas gifts in September and October I would never get them done. So, believe me I have been sewing lots.

For instance, this dress for Sophia.

Talk about easy-peasy! My sewing circle friend, Jodi, told us about this one. You just start with a tshirt (this one is from Target, of course) and cut off an inch or two. Then add two or three ruffles making each ruffle 1.5 times the width of the previous level. In other words, the first ruffle is 1.5 times the width of the tshirt. Next time I might go for 2 times the width since I don't think this one ruffled very well. Unfortunately it might also be my ineptitude at gathering. I try, but I NEVER get an even ruffle.

Along with Christmas, birthdays have been coming fast and furious. I bought Eric an iPod nano for his birthday and gave him a couple of bags to gather all the accessories in. I have been threatening to take his picture for the blog since I gave it to him, but have never done it. While I was making his bag, I got jealous and decided to finally make my GPS a bag too. It took me two tries but I ended up with this.

It fits perfectly in the compartment of my car where I keep it. Yes, I know. I am just asking for someone to steal my GPS. Oh well, I really can not carry that around with all the other stuff I have to carry around for the kids AND carry the kids on top of that. I am a SMALL person people!

Both bags that I made for the GPS are from Projects by Jane. I found them both on this cute little site called DIY Bag Lover. I really like the Bag Lover site because it gives you a picture of each bag, not just a name or description. The only thing that I will add in the future is interfacing. Most people don't add it, but I like the sturdiness that it adds to the bags, but especially to the handles.

That is about it for now. The circle is working on some dress-up scrubs. They should be done in a few weeks. I am looking forward to Halloween so that I can take pics of Sophia in her costume. It turned out well and that was only a day or two after my last post. When I say that I have no grace that is what I mean. If I could have kept my concerns private for just a couple more days, you guys would have thought that I was a sewing genius. Well, maybe next time!!

Amelia's birthday is in just a week and a half. I am super excited, not only because she will be ONE but also because she has some cute stuff to wear and decorate with. I am excited to write about them...but first I have to finish them. Gotta go.

May have bitten off more than I can chew.

So in my desire to be awesome I decided to make Sophia's Halloween costume instead of buying it. There are actually two other reasons for doing this. First, a lot of the animal costumes are really thick and hot. For Texas it is just impractical because we hardly ever have that cold of weather in October. The poor girl has sweated through two Halloweens (yes, I am not opposed to reusing costumes if the girl allows it) in a dragon/dinosaur costume without complaint, but I don't know if she would do it again. She is more vocal now. The second reason is that if she wanted to be a princess, and I thought she might, the costumes look really itchy and not as fabulous as their price tags seem to think. And of course, I thought that I could do a better job.

Well, HA! We ended up after one Cinderella moment and a week or so of Ariel as a ladybug. Not one of those thick costumes that I spoke of early. No, this one she saw in a magazine and it was more cutesy ladybug like the bee below.

Well, I thought it would be simple enough. I just needed to find a pattern that had a similar top and then a cute skirt. I could even wing the skirt, if necessary. I looked through all the patterns and found NOTHING. So I eventually, after being enticed by a $0.99 sale, I chose to just modify this pattern.

I am making the blue one, but in red and black. I must say: I HATE SATIN and TULLE! They are just so much more difficult to work with than cotton. Satin slides while cutting. It slides while sewing. You can not even IRON it and make it stay. And then the darn tulle. Aaarrggh! is what I have to say.

Today, after getting the hem done on the satin underskirt and trying to pin some tulle into place, I had to take a break and iron. I chose ironing over sewing. This is a sad day.

Thank goodness there is always tomorrow.