Oh The Huge Manatee

You'd think I have enough on my plate with regard to sewing, right? Obviously my childrens' new school thought I had plenty of spare time on my hands...

Yesterday, I registered the girls for school and got the news that uniforms were being required this year for the first time ever (thanks! I just spent all my clothes budget buying my oldest clothes for school because nothing fit her already yet) and I could conveniently array them in polo shirts (for GIRLS??? WTH??? Say it ain't so!!!) and either khaki, navy or black bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts or skorts). Oh yes and by the way, mom, you can get those polos at The Evil Empire.

Now let me go on record as saying I despise Wal-Mart. I understand that for many, many folks, that place is the ONLY place they have to shop and I'm sorry that is the case. Aside from that, I'm unimpressed with their so-called "everyday low prices" because at my last comparison shop, they weren't any cheaper for the same items I buy at my local Super Target. So here I am, trapped in a no-win situation. I have to give Big Box Mart my hard earned cash because it's the ONLY place to get the shirts required for school at anything resembling a *reasonable* price in the correct colors. ORANGE??? NO ONE sells them except BBM. No one. Unless I want to spend $35 for an already embroidered "eurostyle" shirt. For a child. Oh hell no. So BBM got $50 (that's ten shirts) + 7% sales tax.

And on top of that, I'm going to have to alter each and every shirt to get them to fit my children. because obviously size XS (4/5) means Muy Gordo in BMM-ese. I'm not kidding when I say that my 5yo would be able to wear these shirts well into high school. Heck, *I* could have worn them in high school. She's such a TINY little thing. She still wears size 1-3 dance tights and can wear some 18-24 months pants. When I sew for her, it's around a size 2-3 and those still have room to grow. So yeah, mommy is going to have to de-sleeve, take in and re-sleeve and then hem all ten of these mother-lovin' shirts. Because the 7yo swims in them, too.

Add to that the necessity of britches. I *could* send my kids to school in the unaltered shirts and call them dresses, but I'm pretty sure that isn't what the school admins had in mind. So britches it is. And I'll be doggoned if I am going to spend $10 to $Infinity on school bottoms. No Way No How. $5 and they might have had me. So off I go to Joann's because the rules say "khaki, black or navy" and there's NO restriction on what kind of fabric I can use. OR the style. Heh. I'm obeying the letter of the law, I promise! It's not my fault I conviently have

Simplicity 4384

and

Simplicity 5540

in both of my girls' sizes... ($1 each a couple of weeks ago on sale!!! WOOT!!!) AND that Joann's had all their bottom weights and suitings (except Sew Classic) on 60% off sale. How could I resist that? For $51 & change, I was able to get enough fabric to sew each girl at LEAST half a dozen bottoms (if not more) which will last them at least 2 years each. That breaks down to ($51/12)/2. Or $2.13 per item per year. Now tell me, is there ANYWHERE you can manage that (inlcuding sales tax?) For custom tailored pants/skirts/shorts? In really AWESOME fabric that has spandex for better ease? I.Don't.Think.So. Heh.

And I don't mind ironing on a few school patches. Not at all. Really. Because it's not as if I've nothing better to do with my time.

Hidden Treasures

It's funny how the Universe gives you little surprises.

I've been cleaning out my pattern stash. Not the "good" ones that I keep in acid-free envelopes and protected from wind, rain, sleet, snow, fire-breathing monsters from outer space and small children... You know the ones. The ones that you have no idea how you got them, where they came from, or maybe even they were the ones from when you were a kid and now they're missing pieces and parts.

I realized as I was cleaning out my last bin - hacking, coughing and wheezing all the way - that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I had NOT intentionally bought them. Nope. Because if it's a vintage pattern, I'd have all the bits-n-bobs that go 'long with. Then it came to me... There was ONE pattern envelope that didn't contain what it was supposed to. I only paid a quarter for it, so no big, BUT! Goldmine!!! THREE vintage patterns in varying stages of completeness... All Simplicity...

Simplicity 3335 which is either from 1940 or 1950. My money is on '50 based on the style. See?




Next is Simplicity 1790 which again could go either 1946 or 1956. Since S3335 has more stuff printed on the pattern paper, I'm going to say that S1790 is from '46. It also has these AMAZING little transfers for embroidery. I wish I had a picture of this one....

The next one is from 1972 - Simplicity 5214. Again with the "no envelope/cutting directions" stuff. This one is an easy pattern to figure out though. I've got 6 out of 7 pieces which means it's definitely functional.

Strictly speaking, ALL of these patterns are functional because I can always redraft what I'm missing. I can't wait to make these up. Except for one small problem... None of my kids are small enough anymore. I guess I'm going to have to wait for grandchildren. Which had better not happen ANY TIME SOON. Otherwise I'll have to kill someone. And then it will end up as an episode of Law & Order: SVU...

In Their Easter Bonnets

Or rather frocks, they were the grandest (little) ladies at our Easter function. Don't you think?

And to think it all started with two cute hairbows. Which of course we didn't get any pictures of. Drat. I'll say this about these dresses, they were really easy to make. Just a couple of hours each. The hardest part was the peak in the front/box pleat.

I'm thrilled with the result, even if I'm not overly excited with the way the fabric drapes. It's REALLY stiff. I'd expected cotton to eventually soften up. And it may eventually. The up side of it being so stiff is that I wasn't really worried about them running around the yard and playing with their cousins.

The Intrepid Seamstress: She Sews, She Scores!

My darling Mother-in-law gave me a gorgeous sarong and shawl with coordinating fabric a while back and while I don't have the knowhow to wear a sarong, I dearly love the fabric and have wanted to *do* something with it for ever since she gave it to me. So, I decided that I was going to tame the beast and start sewing for myself rather than just for the kids. Partially because of Wardrobe Refashion and partly because I'm disgusted with RTW stuff.

I posted a poll over at SewRetro to see what should be my next project and unofficial result was a Very Easy Very Vogue pattern that used to be my Nana's. It's never been used before, so I wanted to make something from it. I took it down to my local FedEx/Kinko's and had them run it through the large format copier. $11.24 later, I had my pristine pattern ready to be altered. And boy-howdy did I have to do some alterations.

I had to add 6" to the bodice, 11" to the waist and 6" to the hips. Luckily, the empire-ish waist and A-line skirt made that a fairly simple endeavor. I didn't even swear ONCE! I guess that's why it's called "VERY EASY". I omitted the sleeves and pockets since I was going for a nice simple line and short sleeves and I don't coexist well. I've got fairly large biceps for my height and getting the ease right is twitchy.

The bodice is made from the front of the sarong:

I used the zig-zag pattern that used to run lengthwise down the sarong as the front and the back of the sarong makes the back of the bodice as well as the front of the skirt. The back of the skirt is made from the coordinating pink fabric while the hem is actually the border of the sarong cut and sewn along the bottom edge of the skirt.

The dress got the seal of approval from the Mini-Fashionista known as my oldest child. She's suddenly turned into an expert on anything fashion-related. Which doesn't surprise me since she's got an eye for color and so on. At 6 years old she painted an amazing rendition of koi fish. Look out world, she's coming. She's the one on the left.

Back to the topic at hand, not only does the dress fit like it was custom made for me (der), it totally matches the shoes I bought in Indonesia to wear to my brother-in-law's wedding. SCORE! I picked up some gorgeous beads at JoAnn's with a 40% off coupon and I'm going to make some matching jewelry to go with. Go me!

A Sew Retro Posting

Click the link above to see my post over at Sew Retro on my most current sewing project.

You know how it is, right? You see something so perfect - so right and you know you Must Have It! It all started with Lanetz Living and the New York Pattern. And then I had to get the boy a haircut. And that's where I saw the hair bows. Wouldn't you know that I can't FIND the pink one? Anyway, here's a picture of the turquoise one:

I'm disappointed I can't find the pink one. Really. But I know it's around here somewhere.

I'm hoping to get these dresses done by Easter. I've only got 40 days of Lent to work on them... If I'm feeling REALLY adventurous, I'll make their "Melody" dolls (American Girl Clones) matching dresses. But don't count on it!

Thank God I have at least another year for the Elder Princess Ella's First Holy Communion dress. Because that? Oh my goodness. I've got an idea in mind, but it's going to be a LOT of work. I've got the fabric and some of the stuff to go on it, but I'm still not satisfied with the patterns I have. I want something *special* and unique and memorable and ... and ... well, HER. She's not the frilly, flouncy type. She's the stylish, sleek, modern type. Poufy sleeves and butt bows are not her style. Mei Mei (Little Sister aka the Younger Princess Ella) is more the froofy type.

Happy Holidays...

Yeah, yeah, I know it's WAY too early to be thinking about anything other than Halloween costumes, candy corn and that sort of thing. But in the world of a procrastinator, if you want to get anything Christmasy related *done*, you better start right around the first day of fall. Especially if you are as picky as I am.

I've blogged before with much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the lamentable state of little boy "fashion". I swore my son would only wear suits and ties and so on. And he does when it counts. Little dude has SUCH an affinity for Thomas the Tank and Uh-QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN (Lighting McQueen to the uninitiated) that in order to stop embarassing meltdown moments in the store, I've caved and bought him some of it. It all started with the unfortunate incident where Little Dude peed himself and his carseat right before grocery shopping at the SuperTarget. I ended up with a diaperclad boy looking desparately for ANYTHING that was cheap and fit. When he saw Uh-QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN it was all over for me. I was desparate and it just snowballed from there.

What does that have to do with Christmas? Well, not a whole lot. However, while I can find a zillion and one licensed shirts, hoodies and shorts, finding a vest and tie for Christmas portraits to be taken October 29th, has been a challenge to say the very least. Especially when I needed LIME GREEN. And shiny. To match the girls' fuschia and purple sparkly dresses. You try finding something THAT specific in Vacation Central where it's still 95 degrees and people are still wearing shorts despite it being "Fall". When you give up like me, you're doomed to make it yourself or go without. It's a good thing that costume fabric is 40% off at JoAnn's. I scored a yard of shiny green satiny polyester that has a nice stiff backing for $6. Enough to make a vest and tie with a bit leftover. But getting fabric was half the battle. You try finding a pattern small enough to fit your 2.5 year old who still wears 12-18 months in most stuff and has had to wear a belt for over a year to keep his britches up. You're in luck because McCalls makes such an item. It comes in size 2-3-4-5. Size 2 is just about perfect. A wee bit loose, but it's a vest so I can safety pin it in the back and be happy. Here's the final product:

OK, so it's not final final since it has no buttons and the tie thingy doesn't have a fastener, but close enough for government work. I have to make a run to the store to find the *perfect* buttons. But I will. And it will be good.

Next up... Halloween Costumes. Because I'm NOT spending over $100 for three costumes made of cheap crap by slave labor in China. I'm just not.

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

Or a rant on Why I Hate Modern Patterns.

Let me preface this posting by saying that I am NOT a n00b. I'm actually a decent seamstress and would call myself intermediate/advanced. Now that I've established my creds, here goes:

Modern patterns (a veritable snore of the devil) are NOT made with the same attention to detail, quality and general re-usability of patterns a mere 20 years old. Yep. Whoda thunk I was praising the 80s?

Going back further, patterns from the 1970s - especially childrens' patterns - are superb. If not for fashion sensibility, at LEAST for the fact that once a pattern was cut, you could use it again and again. Why? Because the paper was a MUCH better grade of paper. Thicker and easier to refold. Has anyone tried to refold what passes for patterns these days? Trust me, you don't want to try. All you will get is M.A.D. Or be left with little shreds of paper where it refused to cooperate. Or both.

My favorite patterns are those that range from the early 1940s (how I love printed patterns) to the 70s. Why? Because they came in ONE SIZE. Not FIVE. Multi-size patterns are yet another snore of the devil and the bane of my existence <--- which I've spelled three times and figure "e" in the middle looks better. Especially CHILDRENS' multi-size patterns. Help me boab! When you have five sizes ranging from 1/2 (yes ONE HALF) to 4, it's quite obvious that the cutting lines are going to be ridiculously close together. And don't try actually cutting out the notches. So HERE is the offender:

It looks deceptively simple. There's a mere 21 pieces to the pattern. Yes, you read that correctly TWENTY ONE pieces for standard pajamas.

You could scoff and say "just transfer the pattern to paper and THEN cut it out". And I'd tell you BTDT ThankYouVeryMuch. That was just as much a PITA as doing it the "normal" way. So now, I'm back to the cutting table to finish New Year's Resolution 7.128: DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THAT FABRIC THAT IS SITTING IDLE IN YOUR STASH. AKA: Just make the darn outfits before your kids outgrow them.

pediped shoes

Their claim is that they are the next best thing to bare feet. And they can make that claim shamelessly! Not only are they shoes excellent in quality and workmanship, there are enough styles for the fashionista in all our little ones.

Now let me say that BP (before pediped shoes), I was anti-soft-sole shoes. Not because I didn't believe the studies about them, but because they are the fugliest things I've ever seen. And I will not apologise for feeling that way about Robeez, Jack and Lily and their ilk. They look like leather socks. And I have a thing about socks. Can't stand 'em. So when an online acquaitance turned me on to pediped™, I was hooked. My only complaint is that I did not know about them when the girls were tiny because I could have spent a mint on them as many shoes as they've had.

Lorenzo has these three pairs:

I love these shoes. I will sing their praises from the rooftops. And I will buy more. Oh yes I will. Because you can never have too many pairs of shoes.

Let me also say these shoes are incredibly durable. The leather bottoms can take a beating and still look like new. The shoes are so well constructed that you can abuse them and they will last. Lorenzo wears a 0-6 months size at 13 months old. He's been wearing the brown and black ones since he was 6 months old and they look great. The leather is buttery soft despite being thrown in the bathtub! Don't ask. Lorenzo has a habit of throwing things into the bathtub while his sisters are bathing. Gel inserts for my shoes, books, his own shoes, you name it. So even with being completely submerged in bathwater, the shoes still look and wear great.

Mini-Me

Mini-Metrosexual, that is.

I'll be honest. I LIKE the MS look. I like a guy who can comb his hair, knows how to dress to go out in public and has decent hygiene. Everyone* knows that THOSE are they guys that get all the girls. So, what's a mom to do? Groom their son from infancy to BE the guy that all the girls want. And I'm all over that like putih on nasi (aka white on rice). Now, I know it's what's on the INSIDE that really counts, but it can't hurt to have a nice exterior to go with.

Lorenzo already has the flirting part down. Twinkling eyes? Check! Lashes that go one for miles? Check! Charming smile? Check! So it's just a matter of grooming. He has some cute curl in his hair and so I'm experimenting with pin curls on the top. I'll post pictures of the result, but for now, here's the before:

As for clothing, I'm the mom who takes her 13 month old out in dress slacks, dress shoes and sweater vest to go to the cosmetics counter. See?

He wears a blazer and tie to Church. He uses as many hair care products as I do. And there's nothing wrong with that. When he's old enough for dance lessons, he'll be there, too. So don't be surprised when all the little girls in nursery school are swooning.