Done.

Before the pillowcase dresses, and before the other pattern dresses, there was this project. This was the very first dress project that I started. I was told that these would be very easy dresses to make. They weren't. I have definitely learned how to 'gather' though. The sleeves are gathered, the top of the dress is gathered, and the ruffle (dang that ruffle) is gathered. -- But as difficult as these dresses may have been, the difficulty was not what the big hold up was on the completion of this project. The hang up was caused by the taller of the following subjects.

See, I don't have a "craft area" per se. I have a very nice sewing cabinet, that was my grandmother's, that folds away nicely and looks like a simple table when everything is not being used. This little sewing table is in my dining room (that does not have doors to keep invaders out) and when projects are in full swing, I am completely vulnerable to sneaky little intruders. For the most part I am able to easily clean up all the ribbon, thread, and measuring tapes that they pull out (and I let them so that they will stay away from more important things...and b/c I can't lock them out of the room), but once in a while they can really mess things up. This was the case with these dresses. Kate had gotten her hands on the lining of the dress (that had already been cut, assembled, and pressed). I figured the project would be on hold for a day until I found where she had hid this necessary piece of my sewing project. Well, after weeks of it never turning up, I had to pull my pattern back out and redo a whole new lining. Once I finally did this, I got the rest of the project banged out that day (but not without some other bumps in the road). I have come to find that every project has a bump in the road. Whether it is sewing a sleeve on upside down, running out of bobbin thread, or not having the correct settings on the machine, there is always something that I learn with each new project. Maybe one day I will actually get good at this, but for the time being I am learning how to sew the hard way, and learning from my many mistakes. It is very rewarding though and I love seeing my beautiful girls in these cute dresses. And Kate loves them too!

Sorry for all the sewing posts. Other things going on in our lives: Jake has started T-ball. I didn't get pictures at his first practice last week. He has one tonight and I will be sure to take my camera. Also.....yeah, that's about it. I'll try to think of something else. I may have to start just making things up.