My very own Madeleine Mini Bloomers!

While finishing my quilt, I looked up some sewing information and stumbled across this pattern for a little pair of ruffly shorts called Madeleine Mini Bloomers.  The pattern was free online (just print it out and tape it together!) and looked simple enough.  Plus I thought they were so adorable that I just had to make a pair!        

When I was in florida in May, Ma Bea gave me this fantastic fabric she found for $1/yard and I absolutely adore it.  Notice the tiny hearts in between the stripes?

  

The shorts take less than a yard and less than an hour to make.  The waistband is two rows of elastic.  The original pattern called for 1/4 in, but I only had 1/2 inch.  I think with the smaller elastic it might have been more ruffly and delicate, but the 1/2 inch makes them super comfortable and snug, while still having a nice feminine ruffle and shape.

Another aspect of the pattern that I tweaked is the legs.  The pattern uses ribbon to cinch the legs (the ribbon goes through a casing and out of two buttonholes), but I didn't want to have to mess with ribbons and ties, so I simply used more of my elastic.  Using elastic makes bows completely optional and I have been playing around with where I want them positioned.  What do you think?  Waist only?  Legs only?  All or none?

I love them to bits, though part of me feels like I need to just stick them in my hope chest (wink) and make myself a pair of slightly longer shorts out of some bright cupcake fabric to wear around my house for now.  hehe :)  If you are interested in making a pair of your own (which I highly recommend!), you can check out the pattern here Free pattern - Madeleine Mini Bloomers

Gemma's Minnie Mouse pillowcase dress (and headband!)

"pillowcase dresses" have been around for a while now and are pretty simple to make, but I had never made one and decided to make a Minnie Mouse themed one for my friend's baby girl, Gemma.  Gemma (and her parents) happen to live in Florida and I didn't have her to model the dress, so I had to put it on my build-a-bear monkey (who is, in all normal situations, a boy.  hehe).   The dress was pretty simple to make, but I really enjoyed playing with the different stitches on my machine and used a fun stitch that looks like a string of bubbles to secure the yellow ribbon to the dress.  I also found a Disney font download, so I was able to monogram her name just like Minnie Mouse!  

Busy Bee!

    Happy 60th anniversary to my grandparents!  The got married on (Friday) October 13th, 1950.  To celebrate my whole family went to a cabin this weekend in the mountains and at Nanny's request I made matching celebratory shirts for all of us to wear to dinner.  Here is a picture of Nanny and Pa wearing their shirts today to celebrate!

In other news, my sister-in-law, Holly, and I have been working on baby gifts.  We've made several bibs, as well as some other cute baby things.  :)  Here's some pictures!

 Here is the little onsie for a baby sister (Aubry)

 Fleece for baby sister

 Fleece for big sister Savannah!

 The whole package!

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Adventure

I've been pondering adventure lately and decided that one of my main goals is to lead a life full of adventure.  Some people are content to live their lives the way they have always lived it and that may be all fine and well, but that is not the life for me.  Anyway, I don't really have anything to inspiring to say on this subject, so instead I'll post some of my favorite quotes on adventure.  :)

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad." - Jane Austen Northanger Abbey

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd

“Remember what Bilbo used to say: ‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”” — J.R.R. Tolkien


"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere, I want it more than I can tell.  And for once it might be grand, to have someone understand that I want so much more then they have planned" -Beauty and the Beast

Sigh of relief

*Sigh* My Futra is back!  It was just such a relief that it could be fixed so easily (and with no cost thanks to the warranty!).  Derek and I drove to Louisville on tuesday morning and dropped it off.  We decided to go look at their version of Peddlers Mall and laugh at all the crazy shirts with dragons and unicorns on them.  I should have taken pictures because they were so funny.  Anyway, as soon as we sat down to lunch they called to tell us she was all fixed and we could come pick her up. 

I have a MAJOR exam next Wednesday and I am trying to keep reminding myself to study and not work on projects - but we will see how much self-control I have ;-).  Anyway, hopefully after wednesday I'll have some more fun pictures of projects.