Thursday, November 25, 2010

It seems to me that I most often blog to complain.  I don't mean to, really, I just don't have much available computer time.  It goes hand-in-hand with caring for and sewing for a toddler.  I did finish that last project--and a few others besides.  Now, aside from Christmas presents, I'm working on Gracie's Christmas dress.  I'm making an early 90s this time-- Butterick 4404
I've made a few changes.  I put lace on the pinafore straps, changed the collar to a lace one, added embroidery to the fancy band of the pinafore skirt and pinafore waistband, added lace to the bottom of the pinafore, lengthened the dress, and did some double needle pintucks on the dress bodice.  (I'm making view A)

The embroidery is a heart and holly motif that echoes the holly in the holiday calico I got out of my stash.  My only problem is that I messed up.  I grabbed two skeins (I thought) of dark gold metallic effects DMC floss.  It turns out that one of the ones I grabbed was white gold.  I have three holly leaves left to do in gold and no thread.  And there's no way in hell I'm going near the mall (Joanns is on the same street here) on black Friday.  I'll have to brave it on Saturday, but I'm going early.  It opens at six and I intend to be there.  I can see the end in sight, damnit!  It took me four days to get this far and I'm finishing the project this weekend so that I can cut out everything else that needs done and get it over with.  I don't own an embroidery machine, so any embroidered decoration I do is with my own two hands.  Which means that this really makes me mad, because I could finish tonight if I had the thread!  So my finger ends are sore and cut (but luckily not bloody) and I haven't been sleeping because I don't have much time and have lots to do.  I'm going to cut out Evie's dolly dress, transfer the design, and hand it to my mom to embroider it.  I don't have time and it's simple.  She *did* teach me, after all.  I'm not looking forward to doing the dollies' faces.  Crap.  I'm buying a yard for the skin just so that I don't have to look for it.  I have two dolls to make before Christmas.  And a turtle, three pairs of footie jammies for the kids, the Christmas dress, four and a half pairs of womens jammies, three mens...

At least I'm not doing quilts this year.