Wednesday, June 22, 2016

FATHER'S DAY AND CLAIRE'S OUTFIT IS FINALLY DONE!


I am trying not to flip out that I had typed QUITE A BIT when suddenly this old dinosaur computer of mine turned off and I lost the whole thing...sigh.  Haven't had that happen in quite a while, but still...sooo annoying.  So I am not going to go back and try and remember everything I said, but rather just jump in and try and get er done, lol.

Father's day was a total delight for us.  We went to my oldest son's house to celebrate ALL the dads we could, and it was a great day.  Swimming in their pool, feasting on bbq hamburgers, sweet corn on the cob, and juicy watermelon was wonderful, plus the conversations and visiting were enjoyed by all.  On Sunday after we had listened to our old Pastor online, but before we went to our son's house, I decided to make Lindsey up a make-up bag.  She had mentioned when she was here that she needed one, and since I was looking for something to make out of the mini charm squares I had bought anyway, this seemed like the perfect thing.  The little zippered pouches can of course be made any size you want, and out of any fabric to give it a totally different look.  I had not made one out of mini charms before, in fact I've never made anything out of mini charms, and I thoroughly enjoyed doing so.  I got a little carried away with the quilting, which made it take A LOT longer then I planned, but I really liked the way it came out.  We were actually running a little behind because I wanted to finish this up and bring it along to give to her, since you never know how long it might be between visits, and so therefore never remembered to take pictures of it until we were sitting in their driveway.  I whipped out my I-phone and snapped a few as it sat on my lap.  Let me show you...

ALL THE DADS, GRANDPA'S,AND GREAT GRANDPA'S IN OUR FAMILY....ALL GOOD MEN AND DADS, WE ARE SOO BLESSED!

LOVED THIS PIC OF MY SON JOE WITH HIS DAUGHTERS ANNABEL AND LINDSEY [JOE SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME IN THE POOL, LOL]

SOPHIA TOOK HER NAP ON GREAT GRANDPA'S LAP


THE PICTURES ARE REALLY NOT THAT GOOD.  THE BOTTOM AND THE TOP WERE MADE OUT OF THE CHECKERED MINT GREEN AND WHITE FABRIC, AND I QUILTED IT ALL IN A CROSS HATCH.  AND THEN THE LITTLE MINI CHARMS WERE QUILTED IN JUST 1/4 INCH LINES.  I ALSO PUT HER NAME AND SOME HEARTS ON IT WITH MY DECORATIVE ALPHABET AND STITCHES.  THE BACK IS IDENTICAL MINUS THE NAME AND THE HEARTS

THE LINING

THE SIDES WAS THIS DARLING BIRD FABRIC, AND THEY WERE QUILTED IN SQUIGGLY LINES

BOTTOM OF THE BAG...YOU CAN SEE CROSS HATCH QUILTING BETTER....AND ALSO MY LOOSE THREADS, LOL.  I DIDN'T GET THEM ALL PICKED OFF I SEE....I WAS IN SUCH A HURRY

CLOSER LOOK AT THE QUILTING ON THE MINI CHARMS.  THE FRONT AND BACK HAD A FUSIBLE FLEECE ON IT SO I COULD QUILT IT. 

On Monday after I straightened the house and started the laundry I sat down to sew.  It was supposed to be 110 that day [and it was!] so it seemed like the perfect day to STAY inside with the air and the fans cranking, and not think about how hot it was outside!  Let me just say this about this little outfit. Pretty much everything about it was kind of a pain.  Only because I am soo stubborn did I press on as I really wanted to light a match to it, rip it up, toss it in the trash, forget I'd ever started it more then once.  Monday as I sat down I was to the point where I had just attached the skirt part to the waist band, and was ready to put in the buttonholes down the back and on the waist band where it was to attach to the romper.  But as I held it up the skirt to the romper I realized something was VERY wrong.  You would have to sew to know what I was talking about, BUT if you have gathered a skirt onto a waist band, or really just gathered anything, you KNOW it is important to get all of your gathering as even as you can.  Let's just say while I do TRY I am not a fanatic about it and truthfully it has never mattered much.....until now!  Bottom line, because there was two pockets on the front of this skirt, it was VERY VERY important that I had gathered it VERY evenly and made sure the center of the skirt between the two pockets was exactly on the center of the waist band.  Typing this out it would seem like OF COURSE it had to be centered.  Trust me, it should have been.  But I am always in such a hurry.  Anyway, there was NO WAY to fake this.  If I didn't completely take the skirt back off the band and start ALL OVER putting it back on [and this time carefully centered of course] the whole thing was pretty much ruined.  Sooooo needless to say I had to do it.  And considering a couple of those seams had been trimmed and clipped, and OVERCAST to finish off, it was really quite the wahoo!  I could have seriously just cried.  But I turned on some praise music, picked up my seam ripper, and just tried to mindlessly go about it.  I finally got it done, and then still had nine buttonholes to put on it between the skirt and the romper!  And yes, you heard me right... nine! AND the ties that go on the back had to be made and put on as well.   WHEW.....ALL of this took me about 3 hours, but I officially finished it up by noon.  I took a break after that, and then decided the longer I lingered over that break, that I had sat there long enough for one day.  Let me show you the little outfit BEFORE I tell you of the nightmare of the matching shoes, lol, that happened on Tues.

TA DA!!  LET ME SAY THIS TOO....THIS PICTURE DOES NOT DO THIS JUSTICE, LOL.  IT REALLY DOESN'T LOOK THAT DIFFICULT.  BUT JUST LOOK AT THOSE POCKETS FOR INSTANCE.  NOT YOUR ORDINARY POCKETS...THEY ARE NOT ONLY GATHERED  AND THEREFORE PUFFY, BUT THEY HAVE A BINDING ON THEM.  THE RUFFLE ON THE STRAPS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT WOULD BE VERY HARD EITHER, BUT IT IS A BIG RUFFLE, AND FITTING IT THROUGH THE HOLE WITHOUT CATCHING IT ON EITHER SIDE WHEN SEWING AS WELL, WAS REALLY PRETTY FIDDLY.  AND YOU CAN'T TELL FROM THIS PIC., BUT THERE ARE SHORTS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO THE BIB UNDER THAT SKIRT, AND DID I MENTION THAT THE SHORTS WERE PLEATED FRONT AND BACK [WHY ON EARTH CONSIDERING THEY WILL NEVER SHOW?  JUST WONDERING] OH AND A NAP FOR THE SIDE OPENING ON THE SHORTS AS WELL.  AND CONSIDERING THE WHOLE THING WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE REMOVED FOR A DIAPER CHANGE, I ADDED GRIPPER SNAPS TO THE CROTCH TOO.

AND HERE'S THE BACK...I AM SHOWING THIS HERE WITH THE TIES UNTIED SO YOU CAN SEE HOW CUTE THE BUTTONS UP THE BACK ARE AND HOW THE STRAPS CROSS IN THE BACK AND THEN BUTTONS THAT HELP ATTACH THE SKIRT TO THE ROMPER.  OF COURSE SHE COULD CHOSE TO JUST WEAR THE ROMPER WITHOUT THE SKIRT TOO.

AND TIED IN A BOW
LIFTED THE SKIRT SO YOU CAN SEE THE SHORTS

GRIPPER SNAPS
Sooo then I Tues I just wanted to make up the shoes and possibly get started on the hair bow so I spent most of the morning it seemed chatting on the phone, lol.  Mistake one.  First off I had to search high and low for the pattern.  I FINALLY found it, but by the time I had I was already annoyed and frustrated.  Then, as I got into it I remember that I did not like the directions that went with this particular pattern, but for the life of me couldn't remember what I had done instead.  You'd think I'd simply write these things down, but of course that would require organization and smarts, and apparently I am short on both.  I started and began again, ripped out and flipped out, fiddled and fussed, actually stuck myself with a pin soo hard I bled on the fabric once, and FINALLY got one I kind of liked.  And only one, and only kind of.  I left the whole mess just sitting there and quit for the day instead.  This morning I got my daily chores done and sat down there again determined to take my time, and try one last attempt I had actually thought of in the middle of the night, and low and behold it worked!  Success!  It was really pretty cute, especially after I added on the little bows on top.  Now, truthfully I have NOT re-done the one I did yesterday but that's is because I honestly don't know if I have enough fabric scraps left over of the one fabric [plenty of the others] to make another shoe.  But is it bugging me?  YES!!  I really want to make it again.......right!  However, there is the fabric issue, plus I have NO IDEA if these shoes will even fit her, or if she or my daughter will even like them, or how often she even keeps shoes on her feet anyway.  Details right?  I decided to stop and put this post up before the whole week gets away from me again, but I will probably be searching through my scraps to see if I don't have enough after I am done here.  It really doesn't take much.  Let me show you these shoes!

AS I LOOK AT THIS PICTURE THERE IS NO WAY I AM LEAVING THAT OTHER SHOE.  SURELY YOU CAN TELL WHICH ONE IT IS?  I AM LAUGHING ALOUD RIGHT NOW ALONE IN MY CHAIR....IT'S HYSTERICAL...LOL  BUT ANYWAY, YOU GET THE IDEA.  

WITH THE DRESS...NOT AS OBVIOUS NOW....PROBABLY ON HER FOOT NO ONE WOULD NOTICE??!  LOL

OH AND I PUT LEATHER ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SOLE SO THAT SHE COULD WALK AROUND IN THESE
Welp, that's about it for now.  The weather has cooled back down to the upper eighties, but I see it's heating up again for next week.  Guess summer is here in all it's force.  My cleaning woman will be here tomorrow so guess I will venture out in the heat to pick up some more fabric, but don't worry, I don't have anything HARD, or FIDDLY, or FRUSTRATING planned, lol.  Hope you all are having a good week, and enjoying your summers.  Many blessings to you all!  Debbie

PRECIOUS CLAIRE...CLAPPING THAT GRANDMA HAS FINISHED HER DRESS...notice her feet are bare?  lol  usually are!

LUKE AND SAM ENJOYING ICE CREAM CONES AFTER THEIR SWIM LESSON...THEY ARE DOING SOOO WELL I GUESS.....REALLY MISS THEM!

AND PRETTY SOPHIA ROSE WEARING ONE OF THE OUTFITS I MADE HER.  LOVE THE EYELET TOP ON HER.  SHE IS SOOO PRETTY!


9 comments:

  1. Don't hit me, but now's the time to whip up a couple more of those adorable outfits because now you know how it goes. And it is adorable! Can't wait to see her wearing it. You have the most photogenic, good-looking family!

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  2. You really do have such a beautiful family. My goodness. What cute kids. Now, I am not a seamstress, but I know from having sewed in the past how complicated that little dress and shoes are. Great job. You made me laugh though describing your efforts and laughing hysterically. But my, the little girl will will be darling in that. Big thumbs up to you!

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  3. Precious photos as always! And beautiful hand mades!!!
    xo Kris

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  4. I love that little bag. So very cute. And the dress is totally adorable. So are the pictures of your grandkids.

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  5. You are an amazing seamstress, Debbie. Just beautiful, all of it. And, yes, I agree with the others, your family is just beautiful.
    Blessings!

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  6. Oh, my goodness, I can't get over the amount of time you spend behind the sewing machine. I would probably have a nervous breakdown with all the exactness of sewing. But, you produce such adorable outfits. I can't believe how big Claire is now. You have a beautiful family.

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  7. Debbie, As always you are one busy lady! So glad you are still blogging. I had a hard time this week getting around to everyone because hubby's sister and friend were here for the weekend. Your sewing is amazing. You are such a giving lady and I know so many in your family and outside the family are blessed by your gifts.
    Have a fantastic weekend.
    Love,
    Noreen

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  8. Hi Debbie, it sure has been awhile since I visited blogland, and what a joy to see all that you have been up to, and to catch up on those beautiful grandchildren, and now you have a great granddaughter, congratulations to all, she is beautiful!
    I pray you get some relief from the knee pain, my dh is experiencing the same, but also has some other health issues!
    I want you to know that I think you have such a wonderful family, it shows in all the photos! You are so blessed to have them near, even though Mel lives away, you all make such great efforts to stay close, this truly blesses me!
    Have a great weekend, I will try and stay in touch more often, I sure miss all my blogging friends! I have been so busy this spring and summer!
    Love,
    Sue

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  9. Your grandchildren are getting so big and little claire is so precious. Your sewing skills are amazing, what a blessing you are to your family.

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!