Building My Summer Wardrobe

Weekly Rewind

Well, she finally did it! After weeks of making little progress in her walking skills, Audrey had a big breakthrough the last two days and is walking more and more and crawling much less. We had her 15-month well baby visit on Wednesday (scheduled right in the middle of her nap time so it didn't go too well) and I shared my concern with the doctor over the fact that the walking had not fully clicked. Of course the answer was, "She is in the range of the normal." By Friday she had decided it was time to just go for it and now,  in addition to covering long distances, she is squatting to pick things up and popping right back up to walk again. She'll be keeping up with Grayden in no time.

This week marked the end of the school year for Grayden and his school celebrated with a cute end of the year program of singing on Wednesday evening. He is an enthusiastic singer and knew all the words to the five or six sports themed songs they sang. I am amazed at how much he has changed this year. He has always been extremely verbal, but I have enjoyed seeing his language skills develop even further with complex sentences and a huge vocabulary. I also delight in getting little glimpses into his almost four year old brain through the unbelievable thoughts, observations and questions he has. He has learned a lot in school and I was very pleased with the relationship he had with his teacher. Unfortunately I do not get a good feeling about the teacher he would have next year if he continues at the same school so I've been seeking out a new place for him next year. I really want to have him in an environment where he'll be challenged, his curiosity will be encouraged and a love for learning will be instilled. My impression of the four year old teacher at his current school is that she is a day care provider, not a teacher, and is heavy on the discipline, short on praise and just not a pleasant person. I would not want to be around her all day and don't expect my child would either.We are on the waiting list for two other schools so I'm hoping something opens up soon.

On Saturday we drove to Mobile to the Gulf Coast Exploreum, a reward for Grayden earning ten stickers on his "goal chart." After the horrendous behavior he exhibited when my parents were here we've hit the reset button and we created a chart together to remind him of the rules at home and the expectations for his behavior. Besides the major tantrum over one week ago he has been doing really well and only needs to be reminded of his chart a couple of times to redirect his attitude when it starts to go sour. I've also been trying to tune into his moods better and anticipating the triggers of too tired, too hungry or too stimulated. I'm hoping to carry these modifications to California with us when we depart in two weeks.

The Project

• Fabric - 2.5 yards striped linen, $14 from Hancock; 1.5 coral linen, $6 from Hancock
• Pattern - Simplicity 3850, $1; Simplicity 2894, $1.
• Notions - 7" zipper, $1.50; 2 buttons, $1
• Total time - 6 hours pants (mostly spent on cutting), 2.5 hours shirt

• Total cost - $24.50 for two items

After my big commitment two weeks ago to try and take more inspiration from fashion forward sources such as Anthropologie, I think I went off course this week and made an outfit that has a decidedly Chicos-esque flavor to it.  I think the main factors putting this ensemble in the "yes, I'm almost 40" category is the over-sized tunic and the fact that both garments are made from linen. Do women in their 20's wear linen? I guess the fact that the bottoms are capris and not shorts is also a little conservative. Despite that I used to be a runner, and practically lived in shorts for over eight years, I actually have a hard time wearing them now. Based on what I've seen walking around in our local Walmart I really don't have anything to worry about, but the truth is I have a "fat knees" complex, super pale white legs, the beginnings of varicose veins and of course cellulite. All things I want to keep under a layer of fabric. However, it is so ridiculously hot here I think it is time to get over my "issues" and just wear shorts. Oh, and maybe starting to run again might help!

Matching these stripes nearly did me in!

I really liked sewing this pants pattern. The instructions were straight forward and the overall sewing process was easy and took about two hours at the machine. Cutting them out was a different story, as there were over 10 pieces. Since I was using a stripe I had to ponder the placement of every piece to make sure the lines would match-up. I also faced the problem that there was not an obvious wrong side to the fabric so I kept getting REALLY confused while I was cutting. I think it took me about 4 or more hours to cut them over the course of a few weeks.

Once I started to sew I made it almost all the way through the project when my machine decided to jam up  After taking it apart a few times and trouble shooting it with my mom over the phone I figured out I had to take it in for repairs. To finish up my projects I luckily had my circa 1950 Singer Featherweight as a backup. My parents had collected this machine when they owned their fabric store in Ojai back in the late 70's through mid 80's. They gave it to me when I went to college but I seldom used it over the years unless my mom came to visit and I roped her into designing a new home decor project or two. It is a great little machine that stitches very well, all be it only forward and backward - no zigzag on the old lady.

Once the pants were finished I decided I needed to make a top to go with them and had this coral colored linen on hand. The one pattern I had in my stash that seemed to suit the fabric was Simplicity 2894. After cutting it out I realized that despite the more fitted looking top on the envelope model it was a very loose fitting tunic without any real shape.  I think it looks okay with a belt and I do like the yoke detail and the front pleat. Also the sleeveless version I made it great for the hot humid weather here. It seems I am well on my way to sewing a summer wardrobe!