Halloween

This was the first year that B was interested in Halloween.  Most of the interest was fueled by her growing ability to pay attention to the world around.  First we started getting mail with catalogues of costumes.  Shortly afterwards her friends started gushing about their costume choices.  B started making elaborate plans about her own costume.  This is an unfortunate trait I think she got from me.  Her choices alternated everyday between;

1. Pumpkin

2. Snow White

3. Tiger

4. Alice from Alice in Wonderland

When this continued until there was only 2 weeks left until Halloween, I started to feel the pressure of having to get her to make a decision.  What finally helped seal the deal was sitting her down and having her flip through the catalogue until she settled on something she loved.  This took all of 5 minutes.  I don't know why I didn't try this before.

I cut out the picture of Alice that she decided on and used it as inspiration as I headed to Joann's for the fabric.  I didn't have a pattern for the dress so I just based it on other patterns I've made for her.  After 3 long days of sewing, I finally finished the dress.   As I proudly held it up for her she decided that she didn't want it anymore.  In case you were curious, her reaction made me feel fantastic.  I gave her a theatrical sigh and told her that I would just have to give the dress to someone else since she didn't want it.

You would give my dress away?!?

My response seemed to do the trick and she decided that she had to have the dress and insisted that I put it on her right away.  If only toddler logic was so easy all the time.  I just know one of these days this is going to backfire on me and I really will have to give something away.

It's my job to keep you on your toes.

We actually hosted a Halloween party the weekend before Halloween so I felt done with the day even before the trick or treating.  But B had found out about the candy and about jack o' lanterns and since I was unwilling to dampen her enthusiasm, I had to muster up some of my own.  She picked out a pumpkin of her own at the store and drew the face which my husband carved it out.  She enjoyed scooping out the seeds but refused to touch it with her fingers.

ewwwww, pumpkin guts.

Finally, the night arrived for trick or treating.  B had a blast and quickly got into the swing of asking neighbors for candy.  At one house a friendly neighbor asked her what her favorite candy was and she gave him a blank look.  I explained that she has not yet had candy before and the blank look was returned to me by the neighbor.

Unfortunately this is the best photo I have of us going to houses.

I wish I could say that I was walking around with wine in my cup, but unfortunately it was just tea.  Chamomile tea, in fact.  I party like wild woman!  Next up is B's birthday and she has requested a Snow White theme.  I'm going to try my hand at making a cake with fondant.  Wish me luck!

Hanami Top

Some time in July, An the talented blogger at Straight Grain asked for testers for her new pattern tutorial Hanami.  Although I haven't sewn anything in months, I jumped at the opportunity because An has such adorable and unique designs.  Plus her tutorials are full of details and helpful photos.  I didn't think much of it after I applied because I don't usually get chosen for things like this because;

1.  I'm an infrequent blogger
2.  I don't sew often
3.  I'm just not that lucky

But An did choose me!  I'm so glad she did because it got me to dust off my sewing machine and get my butt in motion. 

The Hanami has four different options.
A.  Top or Dress
B.  Collar or No Collar (collar cannot be combined with crossed back)
C.  Tulip or Flutter Sleeves
D.  Crossed Back or Hidden Zipper

If my math is correct, there are 12 different variations of this pattern!  Even with all the options, the tutorial was incredibly clear on which direction to go with.  An goes above and beyond with her instructions as she photo documents everything.  An even includes the cutting diagrams for different fabric widths.  She also has tables for both metric and inches.   

An also includes where you could add ribbon for additional flare.  I'm going to say that I decided not to put a ribbon on.  The truth is, I just forgot.  I had it on my sewing table but I just forgot.  I blame the pregnant mommy brain.  This is also the reason you will find cereal boxes and cans of beans shoved in the fridge.  This morning I tried to put the milk in the cabinet again.  Fortunately it doesn't fit, so I realized my mistake.  But the realization came after I got annoyed that it didn't fit.

For B I decided to go with the top, no collar, tulip sleeves, and crossed back.  I really love the results.  The tulip sleeves are so adorable on my little model.  The fabric isn't anything special, I got it from the local JoAnn's. 

Am I in trouble?  Why did you ask me to stand by this tree?

View of the Crossed Back.

I assure you she isn't as shy as the photos make her appear.  I think she really thought she was in trouble because I was trying to get her to stay still.  Shortly after these photos she was log rolling down the grass hill.  The pattern gets the toddler stamp of approval because it's comfortable enough to roll around and nap in.  Mommy brain also approves of the tutorial because the only slip up I had was with the omission of the ribbon.
 
Thanks for choosing me to be a tester An!  B loves the top too.  This morning my husband asked her where she got it from.  B said, "From sewing!  Mama made it for me!"  It might be the pregnancy hormones, but I melted just a little.

Engage Panic Button!

New Projects and a Race Question

I am saddened and horrified at the events in Boston.  The thought of what this has done to the unsuspecting families and victims makes me so sick.  Sending love to those in Boston.

My mom called me shortly after with the warning, "Stay away from large crowds!"  To which I replied, "I live in LA.  Where can I go that doesn't have large crowds?"  In truth, I'm more worried when nobody is around.  Alarm bells start blaring in my head and I head for the nearest cluster of people.  The alarm is similar to the time I was driving in South Dakota and I could not see ANY cars on the flat endless highway.  In a panicked high pitched voice, I shouted to my husband, "WHAT DO I DO?!?"  He looked blankly at the highway extending to the horizon and said, "uh, drive?"

That being said, we are heading to a LA Dodgers game tonight and I must admit that I'm just a little nervous.

Changing gears entirely, here are a few photos of projects I haven't blogged about yet. 

1. A dress of my own design

2.  An Easter dress of the Citronelle Violette pattern

The cow (Mr. Cow) is her ever present buddy

3.  Crayon piggies

4.  The short lived photo frames on the fridge, which fell off and shattered a couple of hours later.  Turns out temporary tape is exactly that, temporary.

Fail mom, just FAIL.

In running news, my husband registered us for a half marathon race in August.  He is taking this very seriously this time and wants to PR with a sub 2:00 time.  Reasons why this sucks for me include:

1. Having to negotiate morning workout days
2. The likely possibility that he will have a faster time than me
3. Not having someone to run with

This leads me to my question: When you sign up for a race with someone, do you expect to run WITH them?  Or is the expectation simply to show up and leave together?