Seam Allowance

     I have had this yummy, organic, gingham check yardage from Merchant & Mills in England sitting in the studio for more than a few weeks now- earmarked to become something Springish for this Momma. Of course there was birthday week, school and all the other business of life- so there that fabric sat- and sat- and sat- until finally I decided to put aside sewing for others and make something for myself! Spring is coming you know!

     If you are a regular here to this little space you might remember a blue chambray shirt dress I sewed for myself last fall- I decided to use this same Merchant & Mills pattern but hack it slightly. I shortened the dress into more of a tunic (perfect for wearing with shorts), I raised the "bib" up about 3" and added handy pockets- you know for my chap stick and coffee money- the necessities. The thing about hacking something is that you need to be flexible for when the pieces do not fit together properly- hence I became pretty intimate with my seam ripper.

    

     I love this pattern but seriously almost pulled my hair out several times over the past few days- my lack of attention may have something to do with not enough carbs but that is a story for an all together different post. Needless to say when I sewed the sleeve on inside out - twice- I was ready to throw the entire project off the deck! The pockets proved challenging on their own and I almost scrapped the idea of them- but the thought of those cute little bows kept me moving forward- lets just say that there will be no close up shots of the button holes!

    It is so easy to find examples of beautifully finished projects- and it is easy to get frustrated with the constant perfectness of Pinterest taunting your every malformed button hole or inside out sleeve. As someone pointed out to me last weekend blog envy is a real thing- I had not thought about it before because surely readers know my life is far from perfect! I wanted to share that although I love to sew sometimes it does not just happen perfectly- I struggle- I throw things on the floor- I also have a basket of shame- full of unfinished projects!

    So since it is Friday again- Spring is in the air and as of Saturday evening I can eat carbs again- life is good! I hope whatever you get up to this weekend it is fun and filled with friends and delicious bread! Happy Friday Friends!