"Summer Ends, and Autumn Comes...."

It's officially fall. Even though it's still hovering around 100 degrees here. And that means time to break out fall fabrics in those great fall colors.

What's my favorite fall color? Why, that would be orange. Who am I kidding...I like orange anytime of year.

The other day I was at my local fabric store getting a few things I need for another upcoming project when I spied something that just screamed my name. It was cute. It was kind of "retro" looking. It was fall-ish, it had orange. I had to have it.

I carried it around in my cart for awhile trying to think of a way to justify buying it. What did I need it for? Hmmmm. Well, luckily my daughter has grown quite a bit over the past 6 months, so a lot of her stuff from last fall/winter are going to be too short. So I bought some, along with another cute coordination fabric, and brought it home to make something for her.

Luckily, she gave her "Princess Picky Stamp of Approval" when I showed it to her.

And here is the cuteness:

I just love it! The colors, the birds, all of it. Here it is with the other fabric I chose to go with it.

So what exactly am I making with these? Well, you'll just have to come back and find out!

UPDATE!!!! Here's the finished product! I picked up this cute Simplicity pattern awhile back when they had a 5 for $5 sale at my local fabric shop.

It came out a little big, but she's at an awkward inbetween size right now. Since I made this while she was at school, I didn't have her around to make any drastic alterations.

[Side note: this is her new favorite hairdo...she calls it her "hunny buns." ]

I just love the bodice and sleeves on this dress.

And then my kids wanted a picture together....and I was happy to oblige.

Do Your Best

Boy, is this a long overdue blog entry! I'm sorry I've been a little M.I.A. lately.




My grandfather passed away very unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago, and I had to travel out of town for the funeral. I've lost two of my other grandparents in years past, but this one hit me much harder. Partly because he was healthy and his death was sudden, and partly because it made me realize just how much you miss out on when you don't live close to family. Needless to say, I wasn't feeling very inspired to sew. But I'm feeling much better now and seemed to have come out of my funk.



And now that I've completely depressed you (sorry), let's move on to what I'm up to now!



Once again, my husband volunteered me to make something. But this time the task wasn't too bad.


Our son is in his second year of Cub Scouts and is working on his Wolf badge. This year their uniforms include a vest that they can sew their patches on. There is a traditional red vest, but many Dens wear their own versions of the vest. The boys in our den wanted camouflage vests...desert camo to be exact. And my husband volunteered me to make them.




So I picked up several yards of desert camo in a nice, heavy weight cotton.






Using the Den Leader's older son's vest as a pattern, I got to work. After I cut them out, I just serged all the way around the edges. Then I just folded the edge under and top-stitched. This made things quick and easy, with no ironing involved.




And after just a couple of hours (with cutting and sewing time), I had seven vests!




Here's my son, showing off his new vest and his Cub Scout Salute:




Why do Cub Scouts wear uniforms? Equality, Identification, Achievement, and Commitment.


What is the Cub Scout Promise?

I, (name), promise to do my best
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people, and
To obey the Law of the Pack.

What's the "Law of the Pack?"

The Cub Scout follows Akela (their leader, whether its teachers, parents, etc).
The Cub Scout helps the pack go.
The pack helps the Cub Scout grow.
The Cub Scout gives goodwill.

Scouting is helping us teach our son about citizenship, character development, and personal fitness.


And one of the things I like most about Cub Scouts? Their motto: Do Your Best

Not bad words for all of us to live by!

Happy Sewing!