Going to have a photo day soon-promise!

I've gotten lots done that I haven't posted...a few skirts and hats/headbands for E for fall out of some yummy baby whale cord. A green argyle print cord dress...a couple more tees for me. I never did photograph mom's tees, we'll see if she's willing :P I'm thinking there was more, but can't remember right now.

E got a new doll set from her Great Grandma Betty...Grandma had put her name in a raffle along with a few other great grandkids and E won! She's been playing with it a lot...that reminds me that I need to take a few pics to send :) The same day she received a cute hat and matching shoes from Aunt Lyzzy...it felt like a birthday here!

I'm expecting a box of yummy fabrics soon- velour and stretch french terry for some fall sewing...among other things. With school starting back up for E I should be fairly busy...but I love the fall and though school brings it's own stresses I'm looking forward to getting back in the thick of it :) We'll be getting into a few activities as well, like swimming lessons and possibly (possibly!) gymnastics or some other fun activity for E. We'll also be looking into either a homeschool coop or group for activities and hopefully that'll garner me lots of advice on starting out as far as reporting goes...and just feeling more comfortable with it all.

The garden is out of control too...I should have taken pics of our latest cucumber gathering- holy cow! Mom is pretty sure there was only ONE cucumber plant...but at the most it was 2 and it's c-ar-aaazy how many we're getting from it/them! Beans too. Tomatoes are here and there still, but we're expecting those to turn pretty quick and all at once. The squash is coming in nicely. Our last planting of lettuce is fairly pathetic, but hopefully it'll grow a bit more and provide a decent fall picking for a couple weeks. For the first time we seem to be keeping on top of the produce coming though...well except for the crazy cukes. We've gotten rid of a bunch to other people though so at least they aren't going to waste!

Anybody else ready for fall?

Easy Breezy Linen

Last week I decided to take a quick detour and whip up these simple handkerchief-weight linen dresses. I had the linen in my stash already...it's a greyish-blue color and so light! I planned on only my dress, but there were enough scraps leftover for a dress for Em as well...I don't plan on ever wearing them together :P I don't mind a cute matchy skirt to her dress combo thing, though I'd still feel odd. But 2 dresses? Nope. Not gonna do it. I could definitely learn to love dresses though...much more comfortable than shorts. I would have to get over my feeling self-concious in our dressed down society. And find a suitable bra. Nothing I had worked with this...hence the shirt!

Can you see my new shoes?? Target $5.74 :D And yes, I cut off my head :P

A fun little photo shoot at the farm for E's dress:

The garden gets crazy this time of year...you can't pick beans fast enough and the tomatoes are always straining to free themselves from the stakes. We're down there every time I'm over tying a few stray limbs back up! It'll be nice though when the season hits...very soon. We've gotten quite a few early ones already. The chickens dug up our new crop of lettuce (grrrrr!!) but we hope to still have a 2nd round for fall. Yum-yum!

Mom's flowers out front are looking good; I took some pics when I was over just for fun...here's a little sampling of what she's got out there:

I had to include this last pic...as soon as J saw it he said Sammy's expression looks exactly like mine in photos...the whole 'I'm unimpressed by this all' look :)

Raglan finished...I think

I'm finding that the better I get at sewing the pickier I become. That is why, after a 3rd trial of the raglan pattern, I have put it away before I tinkered with it some more...it looks pretty darn good I think...seems to be about at the level of a pattern I could have bought. I know, I know...I'd have wasted a lot less time buying one to begin with, but this is a learning process for me. Besides, then I can go ahead and draft my own raglan from my basic tee pattern. It's all good. At any rate, my french terry isn't here, and the more I stared and critiqued the more I wanted to change it just one last time...just a bit less of a curve in the bodice is all...make the line a little straighter whilst keeping the sleeve the same. I wouldn't even bother with a test-shirt as I feel confident enough that it wouldn't have a huge impact either way...I'm just picky. I may do it before using the pattern for that dress I'd mentioned earlier...but I just couldn't pick it up again quite yet :P


Pics of the navy showing where I took the excess out from (didn't find much help around the internet...just kinda went at it on my own):

3D to 2D...after this step I retraced and smoothed the lines/trued the side hems with the prev. test pattern:

3rd and final trial (told ya I'd use that awful red rib! I'll be painting a heart and calling it a valentines shirt...not sure what else I'd do with it! It's pretty girly with the lettuce edging) See the fit where the bodice meets the arm? Much better! :


The first two trial shirts finished...the turq. we are calling her amoeba shirt...it was a paisley stencil I'd had...but bleach tends to travel :) It's a grub shirt so we didn't care...maybe it'll be her art & science shirt! The 2nd I made a stencil out of the Twins logo:
So! Onto the next projects...I'll be posting my latest one after this. To leave off, here are some twill tags I'd done...not totally happy with them (ok really...what am I ever totally happy with??). I have hopes to improve the process though and may just be sticking to the skinnier/flatter tapes. Someday it'd be nice to order 'real' tags but whatevs...we're just happy there's a tag telling us which side goes where! A few turned out pretty cute though...they look rather sad all lined up in the pic.

These'll be the ones you sew on the sides:


And these are for the back neck (the folded variety):

Off topic: Em lost her SIXTH tooth the other night...she now looks like a hockey player. Can't say her s's...wonder when the top ones will come in? Her other one fell out months ago and nothing yet... She has her two bottom ones though (adult)...and her six year molars...found that out at our last dentist appt- didn't even know! I'll have to take a pic :)