Kitties and sewing

As usual, we're busy!

A few weekends ago we headed north for our last load of hay. I dare say we'll have plenty but with the way things are, one can not be too prepared. I certainly hope this was just a funny year with the lack of rain. Next year I hope to be baling our own hay, scythe cut (by hand) and baled by hand as well. More on that later.

While up getting hay, we also spent the day at Jo's helping install a bathtub. They adopted 2 kittens and while the kids did not specifically ask for a kitty of their own, they sure did like them. Who couldn't love an adorable kitty? I sure do, at someone elses house! So this non-asking on the part of the children turned into these...a "Beauty" and a "Heidi". Don't ask me how it happened but those are our kitties on our bed! Exactly how does one drive 90 miles to pick up hay and help install a bathtub and come home with 2 kitties? Yeah, I'm kinda stumped too!


I managed to barely get done with fair sewing in time to turn my projects in. Jo and her kids came down Monday and we went to the fair for the day. My diaper took a 3rd place ribbon in the "other than classified" category. As far as I can tell my dress did not place at all. Who would of thunk that a cloth diaper would take 3rd when they probably didn't even know what it was???

Had I known they were into pretty and not function in the dress category, I wouldn't have bothered. Yes, Rachel did get a nice dress out of it but it seems the winners, in this great state of function and form and grit, prefer a wear once, stay the hell out of the dirt and sit quietly with your hands folded in your lap type of outfit. Am I jealous? Not really, just more determined for next year. The other outfits were nice, no doubt. Next year I need more lace and frills apparently and I'll go smaller scale with it...a concentrated form so as not to use so much fabric while making this stay the hell out of the dirt, sit with your hands folded in your lap type of outfit.

Sewing project

Rachel's attended 3 birthdays in the same number of weekends. The last 2 parties I made a dress for each girl for Rachel to give as a gift. This is the latest one, cherries!

Poor thing got into poison Ivy. More than likely she touched/picked up the goats and then touched her face. The last time (a few months ago) she was tramping through the woods and I was able to curb it at home, this time we weren't so lucky and Saturday landed us in urgent care talking to a doctor who tried to convince me it wasn't poison ivy but hives from something else. Fortunately the treatment is the same (Prednisone and antihistamines) so I didn't argue with him but I won't go out of my way to see him again either. He was the kind of doctor you'd like to throw your full bed pan at and hope you hit square in the face.

Christmas Sewing

Love this pattern...well, not really. I like the end result from the idea of this pattern. It's Simplicity 2306 if you care. But after all was said and done, I totally threw the pattern out the window. It's terrible! They normally are. Why I bothered with it in the first place is beyond me...it's so simple I've made oodles of dresses just like this by free hand cutting.

The size 6 I cut the first dress at was way too big and the skirt...I could have cried about its lack of fullness. I pilfered the buttons from it to finish this dress since I made this one a few hours before church on Sunday. I ended up cutting the bodice way down from the pattern. I took out literally about 3", doubled the skirt width at least (which is hard to tell in the photos how full it really is since it's windy) and lengthened the sleeves. I also flared the sleeve ends a little which made them bell shaped a bit. The pattern called for elastic at the wrist, I liked it much better without for this particular fabric.

This dress was for the children's church program this past Saturday and I made it from start to finish (cutting to sewing the last button on) in exactly two hours with approx. 15-20 minutes thrown in to go out and feed the goats. The bodice is lined, all seems are sewn and serged. It's a quick quick pattern and come summer (since this dress' sleeves will be too short for her next winter more than likely) I'll cut the sleeves to make them short and she can wear it for summer.

I love little girls in dresses and she doesn't mind them either but she especially likes the skirts full so it makes it fun to twirl in. I'd like to take a stab at making one with buttons all down the front which won't be difficult, I just need to buy enough buttons!!