Pillowcase Dress Tutorial

TUTORIAL NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE IN MY ETSY SHOP
When I first wanted to make a pillowcase dress I started looking all over the internet for tutorials. Some were good, a few were "eh", but I never really found one that provided me with instructions for a FINISHED garment (ie. no annoying raw edges) that had a professional look. Since then, I have made close to 150 dresses and learned a thing or two about the construction, which honestly, is so easy and straightforward. I am doing things quite a bit differently than when I started; I've simplified and streamlined! I LOVE these dresses; they're simple, don't require a "pattern", just some simple instructions, and take under 1 yd. of fabric to make- depending on the size. Of course, if you're looking to just buy a dress instead of making one, just stop by the SHOP.

Have you seen it?

Um, yeah, can November get here sooner?

After forever and a day . . .

Finally got some new stuff in the shop! Actually, its not all new, but has been sitting in my armoire waiting for a quiet enough day with good light that I can take some pictures and put them up . . .

Happy Mother's Day!

Motherhood is not for the faint-hearted. Frogs, skinned knees, and the insults of teenage girls are not meant for the wimpy.-- Danielle Steel
I don't enjoy wrapping presents, so here it is! Call me if you want me to drop it by before church . . .

Happy Mother's Day to all. I have a great mom, and here are a few things you might not know about her:

*She never stays mad. That's a good thing for a mom, because there are lots of things to get mad about.

*She sings really well. Okay, so if you know my mom, you probably know that. We give her a hard time sometimes because she sings kinda loud, but so do I :)

*She makes the best pie. Peach, rhubarb, sugar cream, pumpkin, chocolate, etc. Her crusts are soooo good. Mine are good, but hers are always better.

*I am in awe of how well organized she is.

*She's no wallflower. Seriously, I made that purse just for her and that's not a purse for a shrinking violet.

*My mom can accessorize like nobody's business.

*Some the best advice my mom has given me:

-Pull back your hair and put on some lipstick

-Don't overwork your pie crust

-Don't wear shorts unless you have REALLY good legs

-Short hair can be really feminine

I love you Mom! Have a great day.

Grandma meets Nathan

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Originally uploaded by macyaugustus

We went to visit my grandma last week and Nathan got to meet Grandma Staller for the first time. I wish that we could have made it there sooner, but between the trip to Utah and some of the crazy weeks following our return it just didn't happen. It was a gorgeous day and I loved being there. Grandma lives way out in the country and her house is up on a small hill, so you can see all around. It is so peaceful and quiet. I don't think I saw a single car drive by the entire time we were there. I love my Grandma so much, and here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. She loves shoes, and expressed specific regret that they don't make orthopedic shoes in red. She once told me that when she was younger that she had been eyeing a pair of red shoes and had made plans to purchase them. Her mother informed her that only a certain kind of girl wears red shoes. I remember my granmda wearing red shoes; I currently own 2 pairs and Vivian has a pair that are red AND sparkly. Must be in the genes!

2. She's really smart. Grandma is a retired English teacher and she still stays really busy reading and writing. Amazing. Also, I've seen some of the crossword puzzles that she has finished and they're mind boggling.

3. She makes the best gravy in the world. I make gravy, my mom makes gravy, and I've eaten a lot of gravy. None of it is as good as Grandma's. I've watched her make it, and I still can't figure it all out. My most recent theory is that it contains drugs, OR that she "understands" salt better than I do.

4. Grandma reminds me of dad. The older I get I see more of my dad in her, and I love my dad.

5. She thought enough of herself to find a really wonderful man to marry who must have had a high opinion of her as well. My grandpa LOVED my grandma, and even though I was still really young when he passed away I could tell.

Grandma doesn't have the internet, so I doubt she'll read it, but maybe I'll print it out and send it out . . .

It's DONE, DONE, DONE & ,I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!

Yes, I finally finished Nathan's quilt. It was done 3 months to the day after his birthday. Never mind you that the entire top has been sewn together since a week or so after Christmas . . .but you all understand, right? This might be my favorite quilt that I've made so far. For one thing, the "pattern" was uncomplicated, ie. there was no pattern. I just cut some strips of random widths and stitched them up, used some corn blend batting (I know . .corn???), did a decent job of quilting it on my little machine and then did the binding. I think I like it so much because it looks EXACTLY how I envisioned it would when I went shopping for the fabric. I wouldn't say that rarely happens, because it NEVER happens for me. I'm excited for little Nathan to use it and I hope he doesn't spit up on it too much.

Easter Fun

So, the sad kind of thing about Easter (and other holidays) with a new baby is that they don't really get to do much. No coloring eggs, no hunting for eggs, and no stuffing their little faces full of chocolate. My girls however- not a problem! I wish I had better pictures of their outfits, but that just didn't happen in the craziness of the day. Sophie's dress has been made for a few months now, but she has only worn it once, and Saturday night I was lamenting to myself about being a "bad mom" and not having anything special for Vivian to wear, so I went into my stash and grabbed the last of that wonderful Amy Butler Lotus fabric that I've had such a hard time cutting and made Vivian a super cute skirt and then a little applique for her top. It turned out cuter than I had hoped! Check out that pose! We watch Top Model, and Miss Tyra would say that is a FIERCE broken doll.

Little Sophie's dress. You can't see the bottom, but it is trimmed in the same orange polka dots.

Decorating eggs was messy business. I think we'll do stickers next year :)
The girls on Sunday morning. It didn't take long before they were in all the candy. And do you see those bunnies? They're the poseable ones! I had to get them as soon as I saw them. I totally remember having something similar when I was younger. All in all, it was a really good day. Church was wonderful as always and then we got together at mom and dad's for dinner. Whitley and Brent are here visiting for a while and our good friends Rachel and Matt joined us for dinner too; along with their adorable little boys.