Returning to our regularly scheduled programme.

I know I said I was going to make myself a dress, but then I was idly surfing the web (as you do) and found a link to Your Style Rocks latest free pattern. And it jumped up and yelled at me to be downloaded and made NOW PLEASE! (The pattern intrigues me - separate upper and under collar pieces allowing for turn of cloth, separate lining patterns, interfacing extensively indicated, differing seam allowances for different seam types - I hardly knew what I'd struck!)

I checked their measurement chart and decided that a size 10 should fit my bust, but I would probably need some extra room over the hips. And I wanted to add a chunk to the back so that it is a racer back rather than halter, so I needed to toile it. (After spending a very long time taping the 56 pages together section by section because I don't have room for the whole thing in one place, and tracing the pattern). Once again in the bargain red lining, of which I still have a considerable amount.

I used the left front twice rather than the asymmetrically pleated right front since I was only interested in the fit. To my surprise, I don't need to add any extra to the hips. That made me feel good! I'm not 100% sure about the bust princess seam, but I suspect most of the (not very serious) problem I saw on me was due to this being flimsy unsupported lining.

To work out how much to add to the back I just pinned a chunk of fabric to the back panels and the collar,
And cut away what I didn't want. (I've now added half that shape to the centre back panel pattern piece)

I'm now ready to actually make this, if only I could decide which fabric to use.....

People who make cheeky comments about glue...

...get presents like this for their birthday.

My dear friend J is the glue queen. There is no problem she isn't convinced could not be fixed with glue. (I'm sure she feels that World Peace could be achieved if only we all used more glue). Her birthday was a couple of weeks ago and last night we went out to mark the occasion. Several days ago I'd discovered that Urban Threads sells hand embroidery patterns for download (reason #2,847,486,844 to love the internet) and I found this one. It made me laugh, so I bought it to make for J in every shade of pink. I even did a properly mitred quilt binding, which gave M the opportunity to give me a hard time about not squaring it before binding, about which we'd had a knock-down drag-out hair-pulling cat fight, I mean 'spirited debate', at craft night recently.

On a topic other than craft sewing, I think it's well past time I shook off the winter blahs and made myself a new dress. I have fabric in mind for the woven Pattern Magic top I started working on a while back and I think I know how I'm going to put a skirt on it. Now, how long till the kids go back to school?

Evidence that I am also a slow learner

I took the teeny soggy bunny (and this toy to work on) to Monday's craft night, and my so-called friends laughed to my face at the incontrovertible proof of my insanity. Thanks for that girls!

Despite their derision (or probably because of it) I forged ahead anyway. (Only 13 pieces for this toy!) Only to have this toy look like a deer (according to the teenager) when the ears were attached. I generally find that if I stare blankly at a problem for long enough a solution will present itself, and this time it was to undo the ears (which were folded and inserted into slits on the head and stuck pretty much straight up) and sew them on as flaps. I think I'll round off the points a little, but at least this time Nicholas could identify the species when I showed him! I'm not particularly happy with the back of the head, but to redo it means cutting new main body pieces and if I'm going to do that I might as well just make a whole new dog. Well girls, guess what I'm bringing next craft night?

Further proof that I need my head read

Exhibit #435, a teeny copy of Isabella's favourite soft toy, Soggy Bunny. Approximately 6.5cm tall, comprising 14 separate parts.

Nicholas reckoned that he and Isabella need their whole family represented in mouse form for their Christmas present. Fair enough, I can do that. (Currently six down, one to go, plus wardrobe, plus house.....) Then Georgia thought it'd be great if Isabella Mouse had a tiny Soggy Bunny of her own. So I thought - "Yeah, I can do that!" and dug out Bean Bag Buddies, (which is a great book!) and found a suitable rabbit pattern. Traced it for ease of scanning, and used the computer to reduce it to 20% of it's original size and made it out of felt. 14 teeny weeny pieces of felt. And now I'm thinking that Nicholas Mouse might need a soft toy too. Good thing Christmas is months away because this project might not ever get finished.