Creative Efforts Win the Weekend {Gail}



I posted on Friday that I was being overwhelmed trying to figure out which projects to work on.  I thought laziness might win, but even if I hadn’t worked on anything, it would have been Creative Paralysis from Overwhelm, not laziness. Like my label? LOL ;)   Anyway, I managed to focus on 2projects after tidying up my sewing room from some frantic button and ribbon searches.

I ended up sorting through and organizing (once again!) my buttons and trims. This is not a hardship for me! Last week, I had to dump some full containers to find what I needed, and getting them put away right then was too much mental effort. I had fun re-sorting and trying once again to find a storage method that allows for easy access, easy recovery, but doesn’t take up any unnecessary space.

On to the projects. First project, finished! Crocheted infant ballet slippers for Samantha’s photo prop box. Actually, I finished 1 1/2 times, as I made 3 slippers instead of just a pair. I figured they are kind of like socks and one may go missing, right? These work up really quickly if you aren’t confused by slip stitching. I’m a math and numbers person, but crocheting in the round always gives me fits with counting my stitches! More experience is helping. It would also help to keep my stitch markers handy.  I chose Caron Simply Soft yarn for these, as it has a satin-like sheen to it like a real satin ballet slipper. I am really happy with the way they turned out.

Project supplies and finished slippers.
One more bow to add.  Aren't they cute!?





Infant ballet slipper . They're so tiny.



 Second project, progress made. Sewing a sister-dress to a dress I previously made. They will go to two adorable young sisters I know.

The big sister dress has been finished for a while now.

The little sister dress is all but done. My progress this weekend included finishing the barely-started bodice, cutting out and prepping the skirt, getting the back of the skirt put on, inserting the center lap zipper. I was planning on putting in an invisible zipper, then realized I didn’t have one. Since I DID have a regular zipper, I went ahead and put it in. Tasks remaining: front skirt, side seams, hem, and embellishing. This one is not going to be an exact match, embellishing-wise. Tomorrow I need to see if I can find some sky blue ribbon or trim, or possibly the pink or peach, to go with the brown mini-rickrack. No flower appliqué for this one. They are sisters, not twins!

Big sister dress, just a few touches on the embellishments to finish.

I made the pattern for the flower appliqué from the fabric print itself. That’s one way to get a very coordinating embellishment! You can scan the fabric, or stare at it long enough to understand it. I then use Auto-shapes in Word to create a clip-art style pattern. Add hem allowance all around if needed, trace, cut, and apply! This appliqué was traced onto Steam-A-Seam Lite from the computer printout, cut and fused in place, then the edges were zig-zagged. I will be adding some hand-stitching and some tiny white buttons on the brown flower appliqué to make it resemble the flowers in the print.

When I sew, I let my perfectionist tendencies take over. I love taking the time and effort to get the best results I can. Things like the way the seams meet up across a zipper (see picture) make a difference to me. I know that no-one else might notice this, except for another perfectionist sewist. I’m still going to take the time for these details because it makes me happy! 



Detail of the back of the dresses.
Matching seams like this make me happy!


See my sample card? I’ve started making project cards, so I can spontaneously shop for pending projects. As long as I remember to take them with me, this has been working really well! I also can keep a file of finished projects to smile about!



My swatch shopping card for this project.
Written info is on the other side of the 4"x6" index card. Cheap, easy!