Moving on...

Right. It's been a while, no? I know I said this before, but I honestly have those evenings where I'm torn between sewing, watching TV, reading, blogging, sleeping...these are a few of my favorite things.

So, I will do a super-quick recap of my sewing projects:

Totally wrinkled, I know, but you get the point. These were my very first dresses, the Oliver + S Popover Sundress. It's a free pattern, and quite lovely, I think.

I then moved on to the Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt. Also free...isn't that lovely? Such an easy skirt to make, and the possibilities to embellish & make this skirt your very own are endless.

I followed the pattern and added the ribbon to the bottom on two of the skirts. I like the idea of the ribbon, but was never quite happy with the end result. Perhaps I need to not buy cheap ribbon? The stuff I bought was stiff and didn't press well. Not good when you're trying to do a 1/2 inch hem on a skirt. So, for the third skirt I ditched the ribbon and just hemmed the bottom. The fabric is so adorable, I feel like it didn't need some silly ribbon anyway...so there!

I finally felt ready to try my first real pattern. The Oliver + S Tea Party Sundress. I was terrified, to put it lightly. It looked so complicated! Thankfully, my stubbornness has it's benefits.

Cute, right? Thank goodness for online photo tutorials. Another lovely person had taken pictures every step of the way...I actually brought my laptop into the sewing room for my first attempt. Sewing the bodice to the skirt was sooooo frustrating at first. Trying to attach something curved to something straight is not for the impatient (me). You may have noticed I love me some Oliver + S. Their patterns are pretty wordy, and can seem daunting at first. But their wordiness is actually what I've come to love & appreciate. They explain everything. For the beginner their patterns are wonderful...little mini-sewing classes every time.

Next came the All-ages Classic Jumper from the One Yard Wonders book.

I like it, but I still cannot figure out how to attach the straps. Seriously, I've read the pattern a million times. If there was just one little picture with the pattern...but nope. I sort of made it up as I went and it turned out OK. I do want to figure this pattern out, though. Wouldn't it be so cute in wool or corduroy?

Then, the Oliver + S Ice Cream Social dress. I did both versions. Such a cute dress, Lila is adorable in both (says the totally unbiased mom).

Gathers were not so hard! Lining up the seams when attaching the bodice to the skirt...wish I'd realized how important that was the first time around. Pockets? Hard. I am not loving pockets quite yet. It's tricky to get a perfect curve when folding and pressing, and even trickier to edgestitch. But I will say, Lila did notice and love her pockets. Several dinosaurs took up residence in them.

What I'm working on now? Both versions of the Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress. Also halfway through my first quilt! Very excited for that. Excited and terrified.

Oh! And will also have to do a post on my most favorite things: baby clothes and pennant banners.