CHRISTEPHI

Since I have to make a flower girl dress for Miss M for my sister's wedding in May, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone as they say and make the mock-up be her Easter dress for this year.  I used Simplicity 4337 view A, sort of.  I completely redrew the sleeve so it'll match the style of sleeve on the matron of honor's dress.  I also shortened it and reduced the width of the bodice (by 4 inches!) to fit my petite girl. It'll make a great summertime play dress too.  It's made from a vintage bedsheet and is fully lined with soft bleached muslin.  I'll probably remove the tulle that's currently attached to the underskirt for ease of play and laundering.  I debated even attaching it in the first place, but I'm glad I did because I got a feel for the construction of the "real" dress.  I actually like this pattern and style a lot and I'd love to make a few more for summer.  I can envision one of lightweight denim...

In addition to starting preschool with Miss M, I also recently joined a women's Bible study and am trying to stay on track with the wedding sewing. Sadly that means my blogging time has been nixed. I'm enjoying school with Miss M very much and am making progress on the wedding sewing. I'll have something to show soon...if I can get it photographed and posted!

This makes me want to cry. Children having children.  Cruelty to Innocents.  In our own backyard.  I was mere miles from there when it was happening. A nearly-two-year-old is a remarkably intelligent creature despite his inability to communicate fully. Kids take in a lot more than most people give them credit for.  It breaks my heart that people treat their kids with such merciless distain.  Why is it fun to throw someone off balance, take away their boundaries, make them feel small, cause them distress?  Even in non-criminal ways. Today I hold my own wee ones a little closer and speak to them a little more gently.

We're finally getting some decent weather.  I couldn't be more ecstatic!  The only problem is I need to make Miss M's flower girl dress and my bridesmaid (er...bridesmatron?) dress this month...including mock-ups before cutting into the silk. Between yesterday and today, I got the pattern pieces all traced and cut out for the mock-up of the bodice of my dress.  I'm using some weird fabric my sister gave me for that purpose (unknown content, strange mauve-ish color).  It's about the same weight and hand as the silk, so hopefully it'll work well.  I plan to use a vintage sheet for Miss M's and make an actual wearable dress for her muslin. So while I need to be inside sewing every chance I get, the songbirds are enchanting me with their melodies.  Come out.  Feel the warmth of freshly liberated sunbeams.  Sing with us the songs of Spring.  Come out.  The dancing wind is waking the groggy trees.  Soon it'll be green again.  Come out.  Come out!

My educational history is...interesting.  I am a kindergarten drop-out.  (We moved across the country mid-year).  I went to public school for 5th grade and half of 3rd grade.  I was homeschooled the rest...including two years of 6th grade since we kind of didn't do anything one year.  I went to private school 7th-12th and to college for 5 years, but still don't have a degree*.  The one year of homeschooling when we ended up not doing much was largely due to my mom trying out a new curriculum...or lack of curriculum.  It was the put-it-together-yourself type.  The rest of my homeschooled years were done with Calvert  which I loved! (Though I do remember hating Composition and crying over Arithmetic!)  I always got in trouble for reading ahead in my history and storybooks...I didn't mean to. I just forgot to stop at the ends of chapters, ya know? I've got a 3 year old and a 3 month old.  I have trouble keeping up wit...