I bought this fabric on clearance from a website last year, and honestly, I apologize, I have long forgotten the maker or the pattern.  I just loved the bright orange and blue watering cans set against the sunny yellow background.  The tiny red accents in the fabric made in a perfect pairing for red thread, and really, can you ever use too much red thread?  I had intended to make a peasant dress, but when I ran across No Big Dill’s tutorial for the Maxi Tube Dress, I knew this fabric was a better fit for a sundress.  While I can’t tell you where I got the fabric, I can tell you how to get Sara’s arms: swimming.  Lots and lots of swimming.

If you don’t read Katy over at No Big Dill, you must.  You see her in my margins because I hit “share” on many of her posts.  Her original designs for girls clothing are just unreal, and she is so generous with sharing her genius.  At first I was intimidated to try one of her designs because they are so unique, but let me tell you….EASY.  This was SO EASY.  Her tutorials are written so smoothly, you’ll think she’s sitting next to you, guiding you through it in person.  I’ve always wanted to try elastic thread, but read somewhere in error, to put it on top?  I could never get it to work.  Katy instructed me to put the thread in the BOBBIN and then wave a steam iron over the finished seams.  So cute!  It came out perfectly.

I wish I would have made the sleeves from her tutorial.  They called for 2 sizes of trim, and I only had 1, so I thought, straps?  Heck, I can wing straps.  3 tries into it, I did indeed, wing the straps.  It would have been faster for me to drive to the fabric store, buy the 2nd trim, drive home, and follow the tutorial.  Live and learn.  Sara tried it on, and we both just loved how it fit her frame (I did try it on her about 10x as I made it…talk about couture Miss Sara!).  Greg immediately gasped, told me she looked way too old, and where did I put his 5 year old daughter?  He then told her there was no way she’d be happy wearing it to a bounce house birthday party, because it went to her ankles (this Momma would never forget the kick pleat).  So Sara proceeded to “model” all the different ways she could jump and squat and bounce.  Oh Daddy…I’ve told you 100x: you can never separate a girl from her new dress.  I’ve had to wash it twice already, because she won’t wear anything else.  It’s so comfortable, and yet so fashionable with its length.  She decided her ballet slippers were the perfect shoes, and that’s all she wrote.  Good thing I sew the girls’ clothes to last!

When I pulled this fabric from the stash last week, eyebrows went up.  Not mine…I’m perfectly comfortable with my project ADHD.  I’ve been out of my sewing room for over a month now, and thanks to the healing powers of Glucosamine, I can now return with minimal pain.  I’ve done everything on earth to keep my mind busy…good Lord I bought a kitten…but I need to create in order to feel balanced.  With mending and curtains and a list of projects behind schedule sitting patiently next to my machine, I’m certain I could have kept myself busy with more pressing things.  But I wanted to MAKE something.  I wanted to reignite the reason I started sewing in the first place.  And more importantly, I just wanted to sew some easy straight lines and see if my hand could do it.  Thank you to Soulemama for reminding me that it’s OK to give into my wish to just create.  And a big thank you to Katy over at No Big Dill for sharing her inspirations!  Best of wishes for Baby #6! I am all over the Paper Doll Skirt Tutorial…well, you know…when the curtains are done, and the skirts are taken in…