Pokemon Part I

As "the Cool Aunt," my SIL loved to play Pokemon Go with my kids. Now that she's a mom, I wanted to gift of those memories back to her own child. One of my favorite fabric hosts has a really active Buy/Sell/Trade page, and one day on a lark, I offered up a panel I wasn't planning to use in exchange for one I might.

This led to the acquisition of a fun "Gotta Catch Em All" panel. I haven't quilted in years, but I figured a blanket might be a fun gift to give back. Of course the panel only came in Cotton Lycra, but people online assured me that I could back C/L with Minky, and it would be "fine".

In practice... not everything you read on the internet is true. After a teeny trial run that turned out mostly OK, I found that some problems (like fabric spread) scale up just fine. My first make of the blanket grew as I stitched it until the sides took on a not-so-lovely clamshell appearance - and after several hours of stitch removal, ultimately I was forced to simply cut the area off and try again. I didn't take pictures of this process, because I was in "heavy troublehooting mode" at the time, but it turned a one-night project into a 1.5-week drama.

That said, the end result did work out, mostly:

The second time I got smarter about lengthening my stitch length. I also hand stitched the blanket closed rather than relying on topstitching close to the edge I'd left open for turning. Topstitching through only 2 layers of fabric rather than 4 made a really big difference, and if I ever get brave/foolish enough to sewing with minky again, that's what I'm going to do the first time around.

Emphasis on if, mind you.

In the end, I think this will be a blanket loved for the beauty of the artwork, and appreciated for the time I spent identifying just the right fabric for my nephew. The craftsmanship is... not as elegant as I would have liked, but some projects are meant to be loved, not displayed. And with the bright colors and soft backing, this one is being loved for sure.

A Little Helper

After seeing me at the sewing machine so often over Christmas, my 6-year-old daughter A started asking me when I was going to let *her* sew a dress. A dress seems like a bit much to start with, but after some cajoling by her - and some critical thinking by me - I came up with an idea for a skirt that she could make.

I designed this skirt for a 1" hem on bottom and an elastic casing on top. Since my daughter has a 22" waist and I have a stash of 45" wide fabric, it was easy to decide on a 2x gather for the skirt. Being me, I added pockets borrowed from the SLPCo Isla because why not, but the design would work just as well without them.

My daughter was given access to my quilting stash (which, I confess is less sacred than it used to be now that I do more knits), and she selected a fun pink leaf print from my LQS. She waited patiently while I cut and ironed the right creases in it. Then she got to work!

I handled all the ironing and cutting, but she helped me put the pins in, and she managed the fabric (with help) as it went through the machine. Her main job was to pull the pins out as we sewed, and by the end it was a job she performed with gusto. We sewed the pockets to the skirt front/back, then we sewed the sides of the skirt together, and finally we hemmed it and made the casing

And once I put the elastic in, she was thrilled with the result! She's still a dress person so this skirt doesn't get *quite* as much action, but she wore it to church the next day to show all her friends, and then *again* to school to show her teacher on Monday.

and now I have a quick-make project to do with her. It seems the next generation of sewists is in the works!

Happiest Place Dress

It'd been a while since I made something nice for my aspiring PA friend, but when she told me she and her family were taking a trip to Disney World, inspiration hit. I'd recently seen a preorder for some "Happiest Place" Balloons - which I adored - and my friend's kiddo has a taste for classic A-line dresses.

So, I indulged.

The Peek-a-Boo Patterns Violet is one of my go-to "quick makes," and I love the way it can simultaneously showcase, tone down, and conserve a colorful custom print. Now that I insist on topstitching, serging to close seams, and using a double needle on the collar and hems, I'll admit it's a little LESS fast than it used to be. But it's still an easy make with a classic silhouette that I knew my friend and her daughter would love.

And love it she did! She wore this the day she traveled out to Disney world, and I got pictures of her wearing showing it off at the resort. Sounds like a fun way to get excited for the trip, and a fun souvenir to bring home!