Time for Some Catching Up

Well hello, I thought it was about time to let you all know what I've been up to these past few, or shall I say many months.

For starters, I did start working at a new place last December.  I totally love it there, my coworkers are great and our customers are super nice to me.  Plus I get an employee discount that has really helped me save money especially when used with coupons. Did I mentioned I have discovered the joys of couponing?  More on that lator. Another change is that my family moved into a new apartment last spring.  It is definitely an improvement from before (see When Life Happens, or Why I've Been So Quiet).

As for sewing, I've mainly done a lot of mending and taking things in because I've lost some weight.  That doesn't mean I haven't done anything crafty though.

Here is the dress I made for Easter.  Lovely isn't it?  I found the fabric on clearance at Walmart.  So glad they started selling fabric again.  I loved it so much I actually went back to buy a few more yards of the same fabric.  Anyways, it has puffed sleeves, criss-crossing ribbons at the neck, a wide ribbon sash, and it's trimmed with eyelet lace and braided trim.  All materials except for fabric came from SAS in Tempe, another great place for fabric by the way.

For accessories (of course there's accessories) I made a flower headband and a purse.  The headband was made with wire stem rosesbuds.  All I had to do was wrap each stem around a blank headband one by one. I then wrapped and covered the rest of the headband with matching ribbon.  I only burnt myself with the glue gun 2 times. :)

The purse is just a simple square shape with a flap added.  The strap is made from ribbon twisted into a cord.  A little bit of braid and a bow was all it needed to look cute.

Here's photo of the dress worn, fits well don't you think?

Now I did mention I bought more of the fabric, so guess what I did with it.

I made another dress of course.  I find it beneficial to make multiple dresses/skirts when I have enough fabric because then I have more things to go with the accessories.  This dress I wore to Phoenix Comicon last July.  It features ribbon roses near the straps.  After many attempts I finally figured out how to make them.  If I get better at it I might make a tutorial.  I'm afraid I never got a picture of it but, in addition to this dress I made a matching tote bag that looks similar to the purse. I thought it would be handy to have something larger to carry things like programs and souvenirs. It really came in handy.

Finally I should mention that two of my dearest friends are expecting their first child.  It's a boy and he's due next month, super exciting. I should show all the stuff I made for him, but I'll leave that for another post, or two.  Look forward to it.