My Lady Skater Dress

I'm finally getting around to posting my Lady Skater dresses.  Before I talk about how much I love this pattern by Kitschy Coo, a few disclaimers. 

1.  I'm having trouble with my camera, so my photos are grainy.  I'm trying to balance taking large photos so I can edit and space on my computer.  So far, it's a loosing battle.

2.  on this particular day, my son has had a stomach bug for 1 week+, we've been to the pediatrician for what they thought might be appendicitis, and my 7 year old daughter has thrown up all over my car

 So, my photos are grainy, my dresses are wrinkled, and I'm feeling kind of grumpy.  Now that I've set the tone, on to the dresses.

 I love, love, love this pattern.  It's super easy to sew, and though I was skeptical, it really does flatter most body types.  I perused the Flickr group before I made mine to see what other had done and was really impressed.

 I was also really inspired by the dresses Delia and Sophie made.

 The orange dress above is a medium weight, cotton Lycra blend that has a really nice weight and drape (similar fabric).  The contrast band at the bottom is a charcoal ponte knit.

 For my second Lady Skater I wanted something more neutral that I could pair with a colorful scarf and boots.

 So I used the same charcoal ponte knit from the band on the orange dress.  The problem is, the ponte has much less stretch. 

 It looks okay on, but it's a bit tough getting on and off.  I still love it and will definitely wear it. Next time I'll be a little more aware of the stretch.  The pattern has great guidelines for choosing fabric and how to test the stretch.  So I definitely I don't have a good excuse

 Lastly, here's my super ugly muslin.  I was really glad I did a muslin because for my body, I definitely needed to make some adjustments.

I cut a size 4 initially, but ended up blending the upper body to more of a size 1 or 2.  I also cut the armscye in a bit based on my own t-shirt pattern and made the neck a little wider.

I think I've got at least one or two more of these in me.  

How many dresses is too many?  

My closet is becoming dangerously full.

Polka Dot Peplum

I've been seeing cute peplum tops everywhere lately. After seeing this post at Kitschy Coo, I thought it would be fun to try and make my own.

I used my own shirt pattern and followed her instructions to make the peplum.  I really like the result.  I paired it with a navy maxi skirt I made and a belt.  You may have noticed I've been having fun playing with my photos in picmonkey as well. 

I really like the side silhouette, though this photo makes me look much more curvy than I actually am.

The back isn't perfect, but that's okay.  I'm sure I'll be making more.

 My next adventure is trying Kitschy Coo's Lady Skater pattern.

So far I've got the pattern pieced together and cut out.  I had it printed at a local copy shop, which was really worth it.  For $3, they printed it all on a heavier weight paper.  As I was putting it all together my son was all excited that I was "doing a puzzle".  All put together, the pattern is larger than a tall 5 year old!  Definitely requires some space!

I'm excited to show you my Lady Skaters.  I have a feeling I'm going to love this pattern.

Fall in New England = Apple Crisp

Fall in New England means apples.  And in our house, apples means apple crisp.

 We got to help a special friend celebrate her birthday with a fun apple picking trip.  The season is just getting started, so we picked all McIntosh, which are great for a crisp.

 I used this recipe from Ina Gartin.

 I can't remember what cooking blog I saw this trick on, but it's a great one.  Using a grater for butter.

 The crust on this crisp is divine.  I added pecans because in our house, everything needs nuts.  Crispy, crunchy, yum.

Served warm with some vanilla ice cream.  The perfect treat for a cool fall day.