Project Limbo

I've been working on lots of projects. Problem is, they are all in various states of unfinishedness. (Look at me--I'm so crafty that even when I'm not making stuff, I'm making up words.) Project limbo, I call it.

I've been meaning to post. I really have. But Eliza has been getting up earlier than usual, cutting into my morning "me time." And if I try to post when she's awake, she always climbs on my lap, forcing me to type one-handed (like I am right now, for example). That makes the process of typing up an in-depth post more daunting. She has been taking nice naps, but I'd rather use that time to work on projects, or more often, get a nap myself. On top of all that, my carpal tunnel is acting up again. My right hand tends to go numb if I type for too long. Not fun.

Still, I've been keeping busy sewing. The weather turned hot for like a day or two here in Minnesota, and I got all inspired to make Eliza a bunch of summer clothes. Then the weather turned cold again, and I haven't been able to put her in the clothes so that I can take pictures. Pretty soon, though, I'll have a little tutorial for making an adorable crossover back shirt. You're gonna love it. 

(I've been working on it for more than a week now, way before Smashed Peas and Carrots posted her tutorial. Mine is put together a little differently, so I'll still go ahead and post it. Great minds think alike, I suppose.)

I also made her some pants and a pair of shorts to go with her new shirts, but I ran out of elastic so they're unfinished at the moment.

I did finally finish one project though. I followed the tutorial on Craftiness Is Not Optional for the miniBoden Knock-off Dress by Vanessa from Little Big Girl Studios. Look how cute it is:

 

I adapted the Leila and Ben sweet dress pattern (seriously--this pattern is so versatile!) as directed in the tutorial. I left the elastic off the sleeves to create flutter sleeves (and also to avoid threading more elastic).

It's hard to see in the pictures, but the dress is shirred around the waist to give it a little gather. This was my first attempt at shirring with elastic thread. I'm not going to lie. There were some tears and a few swear words involved. It still didn't turn out perfect, but I was running out of elastic thread to try again. It still looks cute, I think.

I was also a little intimidated about adding the pockets, but let me tell you that it was really quite simple. And I love the extra detail!

Well, my hand is numb and my baby wants to read some books. I'll be back soon with that tutorial I promised.

Until next time,

Megan