Happy Sunday!
Ahhh... Sundays. I look forward to this day every week. It's a day for rest, spiritual rejuvenation, family time, and inspiration. By the time I get to Sunday every week, I feel drained and tired and just overwhelmed by chores and work and everything going on. Sunday always seems to come right in time to create a "pause" and recenter me + my family.
This Sunday is especially special because I'll be watching this. It's one of my favorite things to happen twice a year. I always
come away feeling uplifted, encouraged, and with a new resolve to be a better me. You should take a listen -- I know you'll hear something that resounds with your soul! You can watch live here starting again at 2PM MDT.
This morning as I listened, one thing that was said really stuck out to me ---
"Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate." I'm thinking about this phrase a lot today as I look at my sweet baby boy. Not that I expect G to become a blogger, a seamstress, or a baker someday - though I suppose he could, haha. But, I do hope that he sees his mom pursuing her passions, developing talents, continually trying to improve, exploring the innate desire to be creative, following inspiration, reaching out to others, and ultimately trying to be the best version of herself. I'm thinking about the things I can do better. And I'm thinking about the other children and young ones who might be watching, waiting to see what we will do. I hope we can all strive to be better, to be kinder, to be more patient and more sincere, to be more anxious to disconnect from our phones and reconnect with the people around us. I hope we choose to love others around us, to appreciate their talents and uniqueness, and embrace the differences that make us each beautiful. I hope we make a greater effort to be what and who we want the children around us to become.
Just some of my thoughts today! :)
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Kay. So, I promised I'd share the DIY projects I did for G's blessing day. And here is mine. :) I found this gorgeous blue + white fabric at the LA Fabric District last Thanksgiving and it's been sitting in my fabric basket... just waiting to be turned into something beautiful. I've been saving it for warm weather + sunshine. And spring came just in time. One of the spring trends I've seen a lot and been loving this year is the keyhole neck. So, I decided to make that the focal point for this dress. The rest of the dress is loose and flowy and these peasant sleeves are my jam!
This dress was super fun to make guys. I feel like it stretched me. Incorporated a few elements I'd never sewn before. Shoutout to my mama who was visiting while I was making this and helped me brainstorm and introduced me to different sewing tips and tricks. She's the best. :) We all need a sewing mentor or two!
I'm really happy with how this dress turned out. For those of you who read my last post... I'm looking at this dress now and thinking about the story it tells. This one is laced with a story of pushing myself and trying new things, asking for help, celebrating the newly returned sunshine, and gathering with family + friends to love on our little boy. It's a good one. One I'll read again and again. :)
** Read below for the full tutorial **
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Things you'll need:
-2 yards fabric (mine was a cotton blend, very minimal 2-way stretch)
-matching bias tape (or make your own! Here's a good tutorial...)
-1/8" to 1/4" wide elastic, about 1 foot long
Kay. Let's get started!!
Take your DRESS FRONT and your DRESS BACK and put them right sides together. Sew along shoulder seams.
Step 2.
Unfold DRESS FRONT and DRESS BACK. Lay them out, right sides up, pulled apart at the shoulder seams you just sewed. Pin your SLEEVE piece to the arm hole, starting at the point of the shoulder and working your way down both sides. Pin with SLEEVE right side down, as pictured. Repeat with second sleeve. Sew.
Step 3.
Turn your dress inside out, matching sides together. Sew up along the bottom of the sleeve, to the armpit, then down the side seam of the dress. Repeat for second side.
Step 4.
With dress inside out, fold up your SLEEVE opening, about 1/2" inch. Sew with 1/2" seam allowance, around the sleeve, leaving about 2 inches open.
Measure your elastic around the size of your arm where sleeve ends. Cut. Insert your elastic into this new casing (attach a safety pin to one end of elastic to make it easier to feed through the casing. Sew elastic ends together to make circle. Finish sewing the casing closed. Repeat for second sleeve.
Step 5.
Hem your dress.*Sewing Hack!* My mama taught me this while she was visiting this past week. When doing a hem (which is seriously my least favorite part of every project) it can be tricky to fold & iron perfectly. The fabric can roll & just be tricky to work with. So, if you just stitch across the bottom where you want to fold the fabric, when you go to fold and iron, the fabric just becomes more...stabilized and folds exactly where you want it. Easy peezy. It's so great! Try it!
Turn your dress right side out. Lay your NECKINE FACING piece on top of your dress, matching the keyhole, right side up. Sew around the keyhole, with 1/4" seam allowance.
Cut slits in the seam allowance, up to, but not through the stitches. This will help remove bulk. Fold your NECKLINE FACING around to the inside of the dress. Iron. Topstitch.
Take your bias tape and wrap around your neckline edge. Pin all the way around the neckline, pulling tight as you go (because bias tape is stretchy, it is important to pull taut so as to avoid a wavy neckline). Sew around neckline + bias tape.
Press seams, and you're done!
P.S. I made Dal take these photos in front of one of my faaaaav houses in our city. It's gorgeous. I want it.
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