Apparently someone really likes mermaids in this house | Week 37 | #52wonderfilledweeks

I thought I would get so much sewing done this week.  P went back to school and I knew I would have almost two hours to myself while Bubba napped but somehow my alone time went *poof*! I had my big recital this week and then other things, like LIFE, happened and I just looked at the clock and it's 7pm Saturday and I only got two things of the several I had planned on! Well...sort of planned on, I had every intention to proceed with the party planning, costume making roll I was on but my favorite pattern company hit 100K members and so they are having a sale and a contest this week.  For every new make you sew up and post to social media between the 10th and the 19th you get a chance to win...and boy do I want to win! It's a whole arsenal of machines that I would just eat up.  I had intended to make P a back to school dress last weekend but she threw a fit (actually one of the biggest fits she's ever thrown) and basically had everything taken away from her so I couldn't turn around and just give her a new dress, but I could make her some new items for her birthday! Remember her Easter dress back in Week 12? I loved that pattern (P4P Me Hearties) and so does she and with out the color blocking it's a really quick sew so I got to work.  If I had already had the pattern traced out it would have taken no time at all but she's grown so much I needed to measure her and ultimately decided to trace out a size 6.  She can still wear her heart dress but since I was going to be using some fabulous custom print mermaid fabric I wanted to make sure she could get as long a life out of the dress as possible.  

Once I had the new size traced out it went really quick. I also found my left overs from her "Ariel" Easter dress from the year before and had just enough to squeak out a peplum (not a full skirt) style "Me Hearties" and I am just in love with this version.  I tried my hand at a lettuce hem for the peplum but it didn't turn out quite the way I thought it would.  I think because a circle skirt or hem in this case goes with and against the grain so there are parts of the hem that stretch more or less than others.  It was cool to get to try out the technique and I am glad that I did because I quickly decided that I didn't want to do that on my custom mermaid dress.  I also just added a regular band to the "Ariel" peplum neckline.  Looks great and was easy.  P had earned the chance to earn something that had been confiscated but I gave her the option of choosing a surprise item that I had made and she choose the surprise.  When I showed her the peplum it was the cutest thing ever.  She was soooo excited.  That "Ariel" fabric (it's part of the doodle line at JoAnn's) is one of her most favorite things ever.  She wore the dress I made for her until I quietly retired it in the middle of the night a few months ago.  The look of delight in her eyes was amazing.  I live to make my kids that happy! 

I don't style these photo shoots much...or I try to and am often out voted and have learned to pick my battles so when she choose fruit shorts and pink glitter rain boots (on the wrong feet I might add) I just went with it!

The second mermaid dress is made from some custom fabric from Sahara Fabrics, one of my most favorite fabric shops.  She picked out the panel and was so excited when it arrived and just kept asking me for a dress out of it.  I decided to hem the sleeves (just like the peplum) but used some pale pink lingerie elastic for the neck and had just enough (I think I had four inches left) to go round the entire circle skirt.  It.  Is.  So.  Cute! and I cannot wait to show it to her.  I had to sneak it out to take pictures!!! I think we will surprise her on her Bday with it.  

So the coming week might find me making a few more P4P patterns in the hopes of hitting the jackpot in their celebratory contest! Until then...have a WONDERfilled week!