FO: Seersucker Puppet Show Shorts

More Puppet Show Shorts. These are so easy I literally made 1.5 pairs in a day that included all the regular daytime activities. In other words, I worked on them at naptime and evening, and I even did a little writing, too.

Here, A is singing “Gymbo’s going up! Gymbo’s going down!”

The seersucker is so adorable. All she needs is a bowtie (and a mint julep) and she’d be ready for the Carolina Cup. As it is, it’s already so hot that we mostly confine ourselves to splash pads and trips to Barnes & Noble.

Inadvertent chevron stripe-matching.

If you see something like “AOE;HIRA;LGKJ,” don’t worry: that’s just my head hitting the keyboard. I’m putting myself through a Dissertation Boot Camp, where I wake up at 5 every morning to get an hour and a half of writing in before things get going. In between multiple freelance projects, trying to beat a thrice-rejected article into submission, cleaning the house, cooking semi-regular meals, taking care of a toddler, and–oh yeah–prepping for an interstate move, the diss kind of loses that sense of urgency.

Those are almost little-girl legs!

There’s another pair of these shorts in the future, already cut out and waiting. I’m also working out some kinks in the Sorbetto top. Fitting: it’s a total mystery. I wish I had some nice wizened old tailor to teach me … or at least a dress form.

I managed to get the shorts to gather into the bias binding this time. Turns out (big surprise) it was user error.

FO: Oliver + S Puppet Show Shorts

I finally broke in a new Oliver + S pattern: the Puppet Show Shorts. (The Puppet Show Tunic looks a little too involved for me to handle right now. I’ll tackle it after the move/ dissertation/ giant contract writing project.)

In action and covered in sand.

This pattern is everything I expected it to be. It was easy, quick, and even fooled my friend/ A’s future mother-in-law into thinking the shorts were RTW. What more could you ask? I immediately went to Jo-Ann’s and bought fabric to make two more pairs–a gray seersucker and a striped linen.

Before I get to those, however, I have to finish my second Simplicity 2226, which so far has involved three zipper insertions and two broken needles. I don’t even know how I broke the second one, but that’s when I packed it in for the night yesterday.

I’m finally almost recovered from my plague, but my parents are both sick so I’ve only had three hours of drop-in daycare time to work for the past week. Then what am I doing sewing or blogging, you (or my editors) might ask? Well, it’s cheaper than therapy.

Notes and Mods: Evidently there’s some errata–the hem bias strip is too long, so the shorts aren’t actually gathered. I could unpick and fix it, but I’m not going to. I will, however, take an inch or two off the length next time. I also edge stitched along the center seam to give them a slightly more RTW look.

FO: Yes, Another Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress

I thought making the colorblock version would get this dress out of my system, but I think I’m just going to have to force myself to move on to a different pattern. (Like maybe Simplicity 2226? One version made already and another cut out waiting for a zipper.)

The colors of this version are adorable. It’s not my favorite of the makes–that would be the original linen one–because the fabric is just a little stiff. The blue I think is a stretch poplin, a remnant from my mom; the gray is a Kona cotton from Jo-Ann; and the pink is the Jo-Ann house cotton, whatever that line is called. Linen gives the dress a really nice swing, and that’s missing from this version. Maybe using the double band at the bottom would have helped?

In any case, it’s still super cute, even if it does wrinkle if you breathe on it. I have a lot of projects in the works right now, but A and I have both been sick for six days now, and I haven’t even wanted to pick up my knitting. Today is the first day I’ve felt even close to normal. But! I came down with this plague when I was on a two-day trip with my dad to seek and find a house. We found it, offered, accepted the counter-offer, and now, pending inspection, it looks like we’re all going to have a place to live next year!

The house needs a little love, but don’t we all?

FO: Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress

Even better the second time. The last one I made was an 18-24 mo and it just fits her now:

So I went up to the 2T for this one. The airplane fabric (Moda, from Purl Soho) has been sitting in my stash for a long time, since way before A appeared. I originally meant to make something boy-related, but, well, I didn’t have a boy.

It was going to become an Oliver + S bucket hat, but after tracing and cutting the pattern, I realized the print needed a larger canvas–perfect for this dress.

Not our cacti.

Then I couldn’t figure out what fabric to use for the yoke and hem. I bought some gray and pink solid cotton that I was going to use, but it was a little too lackluster for me to get excited about.

Pretend you can't see the gathering stitches that I forgot to remove.

Enter the bright red cotton. This was in a stack of remnants that my mom passed along, and I was afraid the whole time that the color would end up too bold. But I actually love it! She wore it yesterday to the park and already got a compliment. I took these pictures at the end of the day, hence the wrinkles and mac + cheese stains.

Mac + cheese stains optional (I hope).

The next one is going to be the colorblock version. I’ve already got the fabric laid out, but it’s going to have to wait until I get back. I’m leaving early tomorrow morning for whirlwind West Coast trip that’s going to involve three meetings, two presentations, and one video interview. (And hopefully one visit from my sister!)

A has learned to smile on command, with questionable succes.

Oliver + S is genius. Their patterns are so well made and so carefully explained that the finished product is just guaranteed to come out beautifully. Expensive, sure, but I think absolutely worth it. I can’t make up my mind which one to buy next. I think maybe the puppet show blouse, especially because A is currently obsessed with puppet shows.

FO: Oliver + S Bias-Trimmed Apron

Oliver + S are true to their word: these are little things to sew,with small amounts of fabric and manageable construction. I want to make everything, but I started with the bias-trimmed apron–not because A needs an apron, but because I had these two fabrics lying around and I’m desperately trying to destash.

Look, someone else's backyard for a change!

The polka dots are leftovers from a fairly successful pillow project, which I’ll post eventually. Now, four and a half yards of bias tape is a lot of bias tape, but, with my trusty bias tape maker in hand, not so bad. Here are a bunch of versions, super cute!

That red car in the background is hot property.

I could *not* get the wrinkles out of the canvas. I also am not very good at applying bias tape, unfortunately. It’s always a lot harder than I expect it to be. Other than the bias tape, this was a very easy project. When I held it out for A to try it on, she screamed, “No! No!,” and I had to bribe her. Luckily, she’s easy to bribe: I said, “Put it on and we’ll go outside,” and then she didn’t want to take it off.

My mom informed me that A needed a haircut. That makes two of us.

And in exciting circle-of-life news, I think we found A’s nursery school: Namaste Montessori. It reminds me so much of my childhood Montessori School that I got a little teary when the director was describing the toddler class.

OMG, look at her adorable little scrunchy face.

And just a short quotation today, from the perennial Happy Golden Years:

“I’m so glad Ma told me to bring this big apron … I like a real big apron that covers your whole dress, don’t you?”

FO: Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress

I traced this off on Friday, cut it out on Saturday and Sunday, sewed most of it last night, and finished up the hem today during naptime. It’s too big for her, as you see, but I think I’m in love.

You can see one of the pockets here.

The fabric is some linen (possibly linen blend?) that I got, along with a massive parking ticket, in the LA fabric district a few years ago. I was planning to make some sort of lined tote bag with it, but I think this is much better.

Boring button. Perhaps I'll replace it later.

The pattern–what can I say about Oliver + S that hasn’t already been said? The pattern was ridiculously clear, so that even I only had to rip out two seams. That’s practically a miracle. All the little helpful tips really made a difference.

She's really into sticks lately.

I only got confused once when I was covering the back of the dress with the back yoke. I think I was supposed to unpick the yoke seam, which is what I did. That seemed a little inefficient though, and I’m not 100% sure I did it correctly.

Sad baby.

Abby was a cranky little monster after her nap today, poor thing. We had a busy morning: dropped Chris off at work, went to the university library, hit up Gymboree, and then stopped at Publix. Plus, she woke up three times last night.

Pattern: Ice Cream Dress, Oliver + S

Fabric: Linen/ linen blend, unknown source

Mods and notes: No mods. This is a beautiful pattern. It’s probably a good idea to measure your baby, as they suggest, because I made a size too big. Also, listen to them when they say to mark the wrong side of your plain fabric. That would have saved me probably half an hour of turning the pieces over and over, trying to figure out which way to pin them.

Busy busy: I have a chapter draft due in three weeks, a class starting in four weeks that I have to write a syllabus for, and a house to keep. The crafting’s been a little slow around here, but I try to get my hands on something every day. Also, I’ve just discovered a knitting needle stuck in my hair. A bad sign for things to come, I think.