I attempted to get a lot of work done at my sewing machine this last weekend. After I dragged my lazy bones out of bed and got that magic cup of coffee, I headed upstairs to the big stack of prepped fabric/patterns waiting on the ironing board. I put down the coffee and picked up the iron to move it away. Unfortunately I mistimed the use of my hands and the coffee ended up over the stack of pressed fabric. If you have seen me move through physical space, this will not surprise you at all. There is a reason I don't wear high heels. Or dance.
Apparently the large stack of fabric also proved to be the most absorbent fabric EVER, so everything went straight into the washing machine and the momentum of possibility was lost for Saturday. Again, those of you who have spent any time around this house, will know that this happens 4 or 5 times a day. In an effort to avoid cleaning the bathtub, I pulled out the new Ottobre and a yard of Anna Maria's Voile and decided to go off the map. I had been working on a dress from her new book (which I'll have a lot more to say about on the 18th) and had been thinking a lot about little girl sewing and how I need to do more of it. There are little girls in our lives. They just don't live in our house. No problem.
First of all, I like this issue of Ottobre quite a lot and I think there's some great boy stuff in there-- especially on the pants/shorts front. Hillary's hat is adorable, and I'm working on some of the more masculine versions for my boys. But the girls clothes will always win right now, because flirty florals and drapey voiles are not going to do it for my people. Secondly, some of these patterns are cut pretty generously, and when you trace them you can adjust the ease as much as you'd like. I kept this straight from the paper (making sure to add seam allowances). Finally, I'm going to make some short pants out of coordinating dark brown, fine wale, corduroy to go underneath. Girls get scrapes on their knees, too, and I consistently feel bad for toddler girls who's dresses don't have the same rough and tumble capabilities as most boy clothes. I (of course) have more to say about this pattern over at the Bolt blog.
So, yes, I know that I'm running the risk of future embarrassment by having the Augster try on the dress. But like I said, we have no girl children in this house and Paul (quite desperately) would like to keep it that way. And it did not look right just hanging on the hanger.
