Whoa Baby(Lock)!

Christmas came early at the Housewife household this year! Well, for the Housewife at least. I have really been down since I took my sewing machine to the repair man and he did not deliver the best news. There was no point in repairing her. (Sigh.) So bless the Turtle he told me I could go ahead and get a sewing machine. He must have been tired of seeing me have the sads. In the world of sewing many of the machines go on sale in the fall because they are trying to make room for the new models. So I took #1 over to K-Woww's one day and ran some errands and was able to stop by the sewing place where a sweet old lady helped me find a machine. I introduce you to my BabyLock Grace........

Nickname: Stitch

She is a computerized baby and I love her. She is certainly not the top of the line but she is the middle of the pack. The great thing about where I purchased Stitch from is that if I decide to upgrade next year for any reason they will give me a credit for my trade in. It's very similar to car dealings. Who knew? Unfortunately for the Turtle I will now be unstoppable in my desire to buy patterns and fabric. I will get #1 in some things so you can see that I have some sewing skills. Well, at least some skills for someone who never took Home Ec and has mostly self-taught herself ("taught" equals experimenting and praying I don't make too huge of a mistake).

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Dress to Impress. And eat some protein for goodness sake.

Hi. I hope the Single Gal kept you entertained while the Housewife family was on vacation. Everything was wonderful with a few minor annoying details. Good news is #1 started walking while we were away. I mean, I guess it's good news. Someone asked me about it and I said, "Well either she's chasing me around the house or I'm chasing her."

We vacationed with Turtle's entire family and we had decent weather for most of the week. The only storm cloud seemed to be that certain family members didn't think we feed #1 enough protein and her pajamas were too small. I JUST bought her new 9 month pajamas people. I can't help that she is a little long for them in the feet and legs. I will take you to the baby store and show you the 12 month size that frankly looks like it's meant for a small giant. They are way too long for #1 right now. While I realize these comments were meant with love in their hearts I did get tired of the protein question by the 5th time it was mentioned. AGAIN. Over and over. Then the comment "I guess there are vegetarian babies out there" comes out.  Look, #1 just won't eat a lot of meat right now and generally the pediatricians say they get most of their proteins from the formula/milk. I'm not worried about it. Peace protein.

LOVED the beach. LOVED it. 

Back to the point of this post. The first birthday party is quickly approaching and I promised a sneak peak of the birthday girls attire. Again, it's not perfect but it's not too shabby for someone who didn't know how to sew a button on anything before making it. For real. Before I started sewing I mentally made a list of all the things I knew how to do. I can cut the grass, blow the driveway off, weed eat, and drive a five speed. (Obviously I can do more than that but I was thinking more of the "life skills" that I have.) I figured I was more suited to learn how to run a tractor than figure out how to use a sewing machine. But now I can sew. I clearly need to acquire more "housewife" like skills.

Ignore my dirty front door. 

There you have it. And can I get any shout outs for it not being pink??? I think the birds are darling. It reverses to polk a dots. She will probably have to wear some little white bloomers under it because the hem is a little shorter than I would like in the back but that's okay.

The sewing machine repair man called yesterday. Looks like it will cost more than what my vintage machine is worth to get it in good working order. Please send donations for a new sewing machine.

The Housewife

I Dream of Seams

I wanted to introduce you to my new friend. This was bequeathed to me from my sweet mother-in-law and has sat unused in my home for quite some time.

1973 Singer Sewing Machine

#1 will be turning 1 in a little more than a month. It's hard to believe. Of course I've been trying to stir up my creativity to come up with a theme for her birthday party and the plans that go along with that. (In our family that means coming up with a date that will sort of work for all of the major players. In short, the equivalent to getting Congress and the Senate (or whoever) to agree on a plan to reduce debt/raise the debt ceiling for the country.) The date was set months ago. I have also decided to try to make a birthday dress for her to wear, which is insane. Do you know why it's insane? I never took Home Ec much to Turtle's dismay, and much to my dismay Turtle actually made an A in Home Ec and neither one of his sisters were very good at Home Ec. 

So I got a pattern off the internet for a reversible jumper dress, ordered some fabric online and enlisted my mother-in-law to help me with this project. Bless her. I'm proving to be a quick learner but at times I feel like the Karate Kid as she gently reminds me, "Presser foot. Presser foot." It tends to stay a little warm in our bonus room where the machine is but it creates an atmosphere similar to a Vietnamese sweatshop. Hey, good for productivity right? 

I'm apprehensive but hopeful about the dress project. I'm afraid we chose the wrong pattern size for #1 and project #2 might end up being matching bloomers to go under the dress but it's all about finding solutions and not dwelling on problems. I'm sure it won't be perfect. I keep reminding myself it's not about being perfect but more about the effort and the memory that it will create. 

A few things I didn't realize. Picking patterns online is difficult because you don't have a true concept of what the "scale" of the pattern really is. You can use almost any fabric (quilting, etc) to make clothes. A seam ripper might turn out to be your best friend sometimes. I know what a backstitch is. I am excited to sew more and even though my machine is a little elderly it appears to be able to do lots of things. The original manual was still in the drawer. 

I'm sure that this will not be my first/last project at all. I'm planning on doing the matching bloomers for the dress in case it's too short for my liking and I'm hoping to DIY #1's Halloween Costume. I'll be sure to post the finished product soon. I'm sure the Single Gal wants me to figure out how to construct some simple curtain panels for her too. 

I told the Turtle he has now been assigned to create the "smash cake" for #1. I'm sure I will micro-manage it, like all good housewives. Anyone else trying something new?