Cashmerette Washington Dress + Lekala 4119 Frankenpattern

I should call January productivity month. Or maybe I should hope that this creative surge will last for the rest of the year ;-) I always used to take weeks or even months to finish any kind of sewing project. I still have some shirts lying around that just need to be hemmed, a cardi that is all cut and ready to be sewn, as well as a handful of soft toys that are just waiting for some finishing touches. And now I've finished a second dress within two weeks, and one with considerable alterations to the original pattern. I don't know if I should be proud or scared... Anyway, here it is, my Cashmerette Washington + Lekala 4119 Frankenpattern Dress:

Cashmerette Appleton dress

So here it is, the very first piece that hopped off my brand-new sewing machine. And it couldn't have been a better choice than this perfectly fitting wrap dress!

I had considered adding a few centimeters to the skirt, but it turned out to be the perfect length without that alteration.

The curse of the U.F.O.

It's been quiet around here. Too quiet. For way too long. And let me tell you - I've been meaning to write this post for weeks, if not months. I've written and rewritten it in my head time and again. So let's find out what becomes of it when I actually write it down.

You see, there's this project - and I'm not going to go into detail here - that I've agreed to sew for someone I know. It's large. Huge. It turned out to be unsurmountable for months. It's not especially difficult to sew, but it included a lot of measuring, planning yardage, then being given fabric (cheap, ugly fabric!) to sew with, sitting down to plan yardage yet again (ugh), hours of pre-washing, ironing, cutting, and finally sewing. We are talking about 10 meters each of fabric and zippers, by the way.

... and even more summer in Germany

Okay, so I might still be in a summer holiday mood (when actually, ahem, I should be preparing my classes and NOT writing two blog posts in one day...). I might perceive the weather as slightly better than it actually is. I might even have gone grocery shopping in my new summer dress yesterday despite the pouring rain. But hey, I had just finished sewing it, so it couldn't just be hidden in the closet, waiting for better weather to come (or not...), right?

Yes, I know.

Summer in Germany

...is unpredictable. As usual, we're getting really hot weather, cold weather, sunshine, rain, nice breezes and storms. It's not easy to plan and pack suitable clothes for a summer holiday, and as usual, for this year's trip to the sea we packed everything. Shorts and jeans (and dresses for myself), tees and pullovers and jackets, sandals and rain boots, light pjs and extra blankets, rain gear and beach clothes.

But no matter how unstable our weather can be, there is one thing I know for sure: black car seats are torture in hot weather.

For the cutest little niece in the world :-)

Imagine me hopping up and down and clapping my hands, smiling from ear to ear. I'm an auntie :-))

I had almost forgotten what it was like to hold such a teeny tiny baby, with the cutest little nose and mouth and fingers and ears and... Okay, you get the idea. Only three-and-a-half years ago, my boys were just as tiny - no wait, even a tiny little bit tinier. Now they're so grown up, telling funny stories and singing and jumping around and giving me the biggest bear hugs in the world. Three-and-a-half is a wonderful age, but holding that cute little girl brought back memories of holding my own two babies for the very first time. I nearly cried.

Of course I made something special for the newest addition to the family - tadaaaa:

More pinafores

Isn't it amazing how different fabric qualities, colors and details can make the very same pattern into completely different items? For my boys, I sew every pattern at least twice, of course. But even when I sew gifts for other kids, I tend to make varieties of the same patterns over and over. I've sewn several varieties of cozy car caddies, a number of hats, tons of neckerchiefs... And one pattern I just adore for little girls is the pinafore by Smashed Peas and Carrots. I've already shared the first one I made a year ago, and here are two more I've made since:

On a pattern like this, where everything is cut in one piece, fussy cutting is somewhat limited,