Staying Busy!

Happy springtime! I hope you are enjoying the beautiful world around you as I am. My favorite flowers are in bloom (peonies) and I am thrilled to be able to fill my vases around the house with their perfume. I will be so sad when they are gone...we were never able to grow these in my home state of Mississippi because it does not get cold enough there. When I moved to Tennessee I discovered these plants and immediately became a fan. ( I think I also love them because I know when they bloom my summer break from school is not far behind!) I heard tonight on our news that this area of East Tennessee is the number one place in America for allergy sufferers to suffer the most...I am so sorry for all of you that sneeze and cough...but I guess that is our trade-off for so many lovely flowers blooming in our home town.
I have been deadlining my latest sewing projects because I will be sewing some Roman shades for my daughter's new home. I had 3 or 4 sets of cloth ready to be put in dresses before summer arrives and I have been busy. I want to get them completed before I begin the shades. I LOVE the cloth that my friend Gina has in her store...her selections make me want to create something. I found 2 patterns by "Pink Fig" that looked cute and unique...so I tried them both. I am including the picture of my favorite one. The long dress in 3 different brown designs is that pattern. I learned to "sheer" with elastic that you thread through your bobbin.....a totally new experience for me! I like it...except that when you are doing it the size of the dress looks like it will fit only a Barbie doll....it looks SO SMALL! That is why the second dress pictured looks so TINY! Sewing these dresses long distance does not help....I am waiting for my granddaughter to look at it and think it is a doll dress! I got discouraged while making it but made myself complete it because I love the butterfly fabrics in the dress....who knows...maybe by luck it will actually fit her! I think the brown one will be fine...we will see if the yellow/butterfly one can even fit over her head!
The third dress is one exactly like another that I made for winter. My friend Chyrl told me to make this dress with a tank top...you may remember that the dress I made for winter was attached to a long-sleeved t-shirt. This tank top look really is cute for summer...and this is super easy to do! If you want more explicit directions to make one send me an email and I will be glad to talk you through it. It works up so fast and will be so cute with summer flip-flops.
I need to change modes now....from clothing to Roman shades...wish me luck!