Project: Rompers

This is the romper pattern that I'm going to use for that amazing alligator/crocodile fabric that I was going on and on about before. How strange is this? I bought the size 4 at a thrift store up in Pittsburgh and my MIL had the size 2. The cheaper one is from 1970 and the more expensive one is from 1972. It's like they just "updated" the hairstyles and changed out the applique. I love it. Check out the beret on that kid.

Project: My invisible zipper

Here is a sneak peak at my shirt. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have cropped out the part of the zipper that's not quite straight. This fabric is super slippery and I did not do a perfect job. But I think the best way to learn how to do something is to learn the hard way.

When my Dad taught me how to drive did he let me learn in the family sedan? No. He made me drive the monster Dodge Ram full-sized pickup truck through the tiny streets of our neighborhood. Were pedestrians leaping off the sidewalk and into the safety of their shrubbery? Yes. But I honestly think I'm a better driver because of it. And I'm not making that part about the sidewalks up. I really did drive up on the sidewalk. Listen, that's a big vehicle and that was a tight corner.

Anyway, if you're going to sew in a zipper after never having done it before, why start on muslin or thick cotton? That's too easy. Around here, we go for the gold (or in this case faux satin shantung).

I read a million tutorials online and watched 400,000 videos on YouTube but the most helpful piece was this one on Sew, Mama, Sew.

Project: cool buttons

I saw these cool buttons for sale on a website that was not Etsy. I don't remember where it was but I am thinking that it might be pretty easy to make them (these are commercially made -- if they were handmade, I'd just buy them). Maybe a different shape because you'd have to use a covered button maker and I've only seen round ones. What do you think?

Apologies to the owner of this photo. I did not plan to write about these so I just pulled the image to my desktop in order to not forget about them (figuring that I would actually forget about them but I can't stop thinking about them) so now I'm in quite a predicament.

Project: I finally spent my Christmas money

So now that it's March, I finally got around to spending my Christmas money -- and in one fell swoop at that. I went nuts on Spoonflower and bought these rad Heather Ross gnome and mushroom prints that I have been drooling over for ages but could never find. Best of all, I got this fantastic alligator (crocodile) repeat from Anda of boosterseat.

I don't know what I'm going to do with the gnomes but I got a yard of each and a yard of the mushrooms. The mushroom color matches both gnomes so it will be a nice border or trim or cuff or collar and I should have some left over no matter what.

I'm going to make a super cute romper with the alligators. I'm using a vintage pattern that I borrowed from my mother in law who made a few for my husband's sisters when they were Zadie's age. I don't know why but Zadie is crazy for alligators and crocodiles. Do you know how to tell the difference? The crocs have a severe underbite while the gators have an overbite. Chomp! (I once saw a gator fly out of a small pond and eat a sunbathing turtle. I am not lying. I have a witness and I will never forget that sound).

Check out Anda's gallery at the bottom of her spoonflower page. Zadie is nuts for school buses (and thanks to my local BOE closing the historic school we can see from our house [and the number one reason why we moved to our otherwise third-choice neighborhood], she'll be lucky enough to ride one every day grrrrr....).

4 yards of fabric plus shipping was about $79 but I can do whatever I want with my Christmas money and a new living room rug is so boring.

Project: Awesome loot

Today I spent the afternoon at thrift stores with my good friend Sandi. We haven't hung out in months since she lives far away now (and there has been more snow this winter than any other in the last 35 years). It was gorgeous outside and we had tons of hand-sanitizing fun (I can't stand the way my hands feel after rifling through the discarded goods of strangers).

I picked up a ton of vintage books for Zadie, some weird clothes to tear up for fabric (including a red velvet bolero jacket from the children's store Limited Too that was huge on me -- I'm not lying), and a small plush carton of orange juice. The best find, by far, was this Ready to Wear Designer Collar (ready to wear where? the Salem witch trials? a Thanksgiving Day parade?).

I bought this cute little alligator pattern from andwabisabi on Etsy after having seen it on Feeling Stitchy. I want to make a little pocket for a romper I'm going to sew and this alligator is going to make it work.

Anyway, why go to Michael's and buy weird and expensive cross-stitch fabric when you can buy this hilarious collar for $2 and cut it up?

Project: Soundtrack

I'm not sure why but I have not been into music for a few years now. It used to be something that I felt really defined me. I was all about what I was into. So I don't know why I stopped listening. In fact, when I traded in my Toyota Echo over a year ago, I didn't even bother to put my fully stocked CD case into the newer (used) Corolla.

Yesterday one of my friends posted on Facebook that Alex Chilton died. He was 59. Big Star was pretty much the soundtrack of almost every summer of my college years (it was the early 1990s and they had just gotten back together). I have not been able to stop listening to this album, recorded live.

I actually started listening to my CDs this past weekend. We needed to move a shelf to make room for Zadie's new little table and chairs and it was full of CDs so I started copying everything I wanted to my computer so that I could get rid of all that plastic. I have fallen in love all over again. I think periodically I will post about what I'm listening to. And I promise I will never have anything that plays as soon as you load the page. I absolutely hate that.

Project: Polka dots and ruffles

I bought the pattern to make this super cute ruffly dress from Etsy during the great series of blizzards earlier this year. The directions were super easy to follow and this was quick to put together. If my sewing machine had a longer stitch length, it would have been even easier (add that to the list of requirements for my future upgrade). Instead, it takes me years to make a ruffle perfectly ruffly.

I used fabrics from the Nicey Jane line by Heather Bailey. I think the polka dots are just perfect for a little girl.

The pattern called for an extra row of ruffles on the bottom but I think I had enough going on that one more would have been one too many. I still have the ruffle and I'm thinking about turning it into a flower or something.

As you can see, the dress is hanging off of Zadie but it was also really hard to get on (and off). There's definitely something wrong with the fit. The pattern didn't call for a closure but I'm going to have to cut it open in the back and add a button and elastic so this will be easier to manage during toddler-wrangling-getting-dressed time. I'll probably just tack up the straps with a longer stitch so that it will fit better but allow for some growth.

Does anyone have any suggestions for alterations that might be better than these?