First Day of School

So, B and Charley started school in August. B started FIRST GRADE! I can't believe it. I don't know who was more nervous, B or me. And school starts early. B has to be there by 7:55. Mike wakes her up around 6:45. Let's just say, by the end of the week, we are all tired.

Breakfast of Champions?



See Charley smiling? Yeah,not going to last when she realizes she is going to Montessori without B.



B was so excited and nervous. She wore one of her favorite dresses (that I made - the Figgy's Scirocco Dress) and had her new backpack and lunchbox (with a unch inside that I fretted over, the kid eats nothing!)



Here is the little sister, in her favorite dress, which I have hidden because I just can't look at it again.



B had to bring something to school with a couple of clues. She brought a dimetrodon. A prehistoric reptile from before dinosaurs.



We walk (ok, sometimes we drive, but for the first couple of weeks we walked to and from school).



B with some of her friends from Montessori.



Another Montessori friend.



There she goes... She is so little! ANd she had a huge growth spurt this summer!




This is the sissy when she realized she had to go to school without B.



Yeah, not much better when we actually got to school.



And one last thing, I made this cute little art smock fro Charley. It is from Oliver and S's book, Little Things to Wear?




And one more of my cutie. Charley has her own style and wanted me to do her hair with color and clips.





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Butterfly Release Party 2013

I have mentioned what a great park district we have.  They have all sorts of fun things for kids.  One that we haven't missed in six years (OK, one year we didn't release butterflies because they were late coming from the airport.  The president was in town and had the highway shut down. We were there though.  Probably did a butterfly craft and had cookies and a juice pouch.).  The butterfly house release party.  Everyone who registers gets to release two butterflies(or four- we have been lucky in recent years and got extra).  My kids as well as their friends love it.  And it is even better when a butterfly lands on you.

Let's start with what Chatch is wearing.  This is a Figgy's Scirocco dress I made.  The skirt is different because I serged into the original flouncy skirt.  This is what happens when you are in a hurry.  I was lucky to have enough fabric left to do a circle skirt.  Both girls have a Scirocco dress (B has two I think) and they love the back.

 

Charley and I picked B up from school and headed out to the farm.  This is the first year Mike hasn't come with us.  Maybe he had a meeting?

B opened the package, which is amazing.  Not that she opened it, but that the butterflies are in little wax envelopes.  I asked how they got into the envelope, but no one knew.  That is how they come from the butterfly factory in Florida.

B got a big surprise when the first one landed on her (too big) tee. 

She was even more excited when the other joined the first.

  Here is Charley releasing hers with the help of the volunteer.

Let's talk about who has a hissy when the butterflies didn't land on her.

Sissy came through and got Charley a butterfly that perched oh her finger.

Our friend Robin took this one. 

Next time I need a picture of my girls together.  Or some with their friends.  I guess I should have brought my actual camera instead of relying on the ole' iPhone.
 

Cute dresses I made Chatch

I have been sewing a bit.  The girls need some fall things, and most of what B wore when she was three, Charley wont wear.  Namely jeans and tees.  That and Charley is so little through the middle, she needs a three length and a 24 months waist.  The kid needs to eat!  So dresses and leggings are the answer.

This dress (or Ebeneezer's nightgown) is a modification of the Figgy's Ayashe shirt. 

This is Leila and Ben's Sweet Dress where I gathered the neck and trimmed it in bias, lengthened the sleeves,  and added a sash to the seams to begin it it.   It is so cute, and so big (hence no live model).  Next year maybe?

I Made Stuff! Clothes for the Girls

I have been a busy little beaver making stuff for the kids for summer.  It seems like I should have more to show for it, since I feel like any spare moment (except now) I am at the machine stitching away.  I have been cutting a couple of projects at one time, then sewing them when I can.  I am actually in the middle of making B a dress similar to Charley's in the photo below.  And my photos stink.  I bought a how to for my camera, so they should get better with time.  Plus, half the pictures are taken in the evening.
 

First up:

Valentina Dress pattern - Made by Lex

Nightgown using a modification of the  Sienna Pattern from Lil Blue Boo

(yeah, this is the best I have...)

 Nightgown from Leila and Ben's Sweet Dress

 

Layered Skirt by Dana Made It for B

Same Skirt for Charley

 

Reversible Bubble Skirt for Charley

I made the same skirt for B, using a skirt from Lil Blue Boo as a model.

I want to do some shirts too (either paint or heat transfer), but I am lacking time.  I also still have a stack of fabric just waiting to be used, including some Liberty of London. 


For those of you looking for the gratuitous pictures of my kids:

I Made These!!!! Bathing Suit, Cute Dress, And Two T-Shirts

So, you know, it has been a long time since my last post (I mean besides the introduction of Heart Shell). And, I know you have been waiting on pins and needles to hear what has been happening in the Brady House.  Well, Gentle Reader, we are having our floors done, and really, your ears are way to delicate to hear what I think about that particular subject.  Do you know what I call the floor guy (Don't worry Mike, I am cleaning it up)?  Remember Mash?  Hawkeye called Major Burns "Ferret Face?"  Well, replace ferret with another 4 letter "F" word.  Criminy, this guy, Ole' FF has been here since the 2nd of January and the floors are still not finished.  IT may have something to do with the fact that he didn't show up today until 9:45.  Where did we find him?  We can thank Medium Tony.  Or not!

So, we have the TV set up in the basement with all of my craft supplies.  So while the girls play or watch TV, I sew, or paint or eat chocolate and drink green tea, anything that keeps me sane (and no, it really isn't working).  Still, a good thing is I made some stuff.  Like the photo below.  I made that bathing suit B is wearing.  I used one of her crewcuts suits as a template, made a pattern and voila!  Bathing suit.  Lined and everything.  What I shouldn't tell you is this is the second fabric, and the third top.  And countless flower and ruffle tries.  I am currently working on a suit for Charley, so hopefully, it won't take as many attempts (though, I had to cut out a second suit.  The serger ate my first one.

 
And seriously, how cute is this one?  Despite the basement surroundings!

Next up, when we were moving, I found a little beach dress of mine that was a bit too short.  I used the Dixie Version of Leila and Ben's Sweet dress.

 My friend Nicky and I talked about challenging ourselves to make our girls a t-shirt inspired by Boden.  Nicky at Bluebird and the Boy replicated this shirt.    Me?  Nada, zilcho, no way.  I didn't like my fabric, the tee I had chosen to work with, I just couldn't make it work.  However, I saw this Boden Shirt, and thought, well, I can do that.  And I did.  Using my Silhouette and there fabric paint vinyl plus some Jacquard Lumiere fabric paint, I made this shirt.  (If you are using a darker color, use the Lumiere, the regular colors don't show up well.) And to top it off?  I mixed some Fabric Mod Podge with Martha Stewart glitter (about 1 to 1), and like magic, I glitter the pink fix and the bubbles!  However, I would heat set the paint and then glitter.  And don't forget, if you try this, to wash the shirt on gentle.  B's shirt got mixed up with the regular laundry and some of the glitter washed off. 

Since I made B a shirt, I couldn't let Charley feel left out, so at Mike's suggestion, I did a skull and cross bones for her, in the Lumiere purple.  She wasn't sure about it, but add a tutu and some sparkly shoes and Charley is all over it!

I have another dress made -  this one is for Charley.  I used the same Dixie version of the sweet dress and some cute lady bug fabric I bought at Joann's 2 or 3 years ago.  It was when B was into ladybugs.  But then, for some reason, before I could make her anything, she was afraid of them.

Sorry, bad picture.  In the basement you know!   I used foldover elastic as the straps.  I have never used it before and I don't know if I'll use it again.  It is a bit slippy.  Anyway, I am working on Charley's suit and hopefully will have it done by her swim lesson on Monday.  I have a ton of ideas.  I am trying to make all their dresses for this summer.  I know I will buy stuff too, cause really, I love crewcuts and Mini Boden, but I also like the unique stuff I make too.  I have a Pinterest Board for my ideas.  I also want to try printing some fabric or spraying it or something.  I am not a fan of ordering fabric, but the knit choices at Joann's stink!  I will probably order some bathing suit fabric as well as this,

though it is spendy.  I don't think I sew that well!