Dear Daughters...

Is anyone out there in blogland? Yes, it is me and I have been away FOREVER! You can tell that summer is almost here and school is winding down...or I would not be doing this. I have missed posting and hope to be much better...at least for the next few months when papers are not calling on me to be graded and corrected.My brain is switching to summer mode very quickly, especially with the warm weather. I have been sewing like crazy, trying to get grandchildren ready for a warm change. I love seersucker...maybe because it reminds me so of summer and backyard fun. I have especially loved seeing all of the adorable embroirdered seersucker cloth in every color. I have bought 3 pieces lately-2 for my girl and 1 for my boys. I will post the picture of the sundresses I made and you can see what I chose to make for my granddaughter. I was able to find the Kelly's Kids sundress jumper online at a sewing site ( Twirl Dress-Lateedakids on an Etsy site and also on "Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops")and that is the pattern that I used......very easy and cute. I wanted the hem to be a little different so I chose a scallop edge decorative stitch on my machine......most machines have these....and put that scallop on the raw hem edge to finish the dress with a little color. I love how they turned out. This just adds a special touch to the dress hem and adds a little color. You will see in the pictures posted where I sewed on the raw edge using adding machine tape (at Staples) as a stabilizer and then coated the scallops with Fraycheck. Then I trimmed each scallop to give a more finished look. I also want to let the moms of boys know that the oliver+s pattern of shorts called "Sketchbook Shirt and Shorts" is a great pattern for little boys shorts. I wanted to try it out this spring and have been very happy with it. I do not have a finished product picture of these yet to show you but I will soon.I hate wasting my time sewing something that I end up not liking so I hope this passed on to you saves you some time!They are a little more difficult to sew than just a turned-down elasticized waist...but they finish looking very professional and are worth the time invested. I promise to be back with more ideas and pictures.I love sewing and creating and hope this encourages you to do the same!