Time flies!

2013 was an event filled year for me. My fourth grand, Cayson, was born April 5, 2013.
My Daddy fell, breaking his hip, while having a heart attack one week after I started the school year. Sadly, he passed 8 days later on August 29, 2013. He died on the Thursday evening before Labor Day. The cemetery would not open and close the grave on the holiday weekend. So, his funeral was on Sunday, his burial was on Tuesday.  Long, long time for the process.
5 days later, Buck's dad was in the hospital with pneumonia. He was in for two weeks, including almost a week in ICU.  A month later he had to have triple bypass heart surgery, with another 2 week stay.
 During the heart stay, Buck's mom is diagnosed with two broken vertebrae. She had surgery on Jan. 9. 3 days for this hospitalization.
I had left knee arthroscopy to smooth out damage from arthritis on Halloween. On Dec 26, the Dr gave me a diagnosis of severe spinal stenosis, sending me to a neurosurgeon. I'm in a second round of PT, one for the knee and now one for the back. The neurosurgeon will inject steroids where a bulging disc is impinging my nerve roots at L4/5.
I started this school year teaching SpEd fourth and sixth graders. I was moved to fifth grade math and science general ed the first week of Dec. On February 3, our administration reorganized our fifth and sixth grade teachers, putting me in science and social studies for Fifth and Sixth Grades. We have a very difficult group of students this year. I have 115-120 students, two grade levels in each subject, two sections of each grade. I teach eight classes each day.

New baby Cayson David Jones

I have a new grandson! Cayson David Jones was born April 5, 2013.  Jenn and David are now parents of three. Brayden and Abby are over the moon. Joe is campaigning for him to live with him, not at home.

Easter 2012 Pictures by Emmy Fusilier, Brayden is said the rabbit ate his flower.

 Abby found the butterfly print. She insisted that he wear it today.

Go way, it's my picture!

Vaness need 'little man' panamas for Joe

Pillowcase dresses are so cute. I'm sewing quite  a few this week. I have a new go to dress!
My dresses have a ruffle at the top and a band at the bottom. They also have a button and buttonhole elastic for growing room. I use a steam iron as much as a sewing machine during constuction of these dresses.

Here's how I do things:
Measure the target child from armpit to knee. This is your finished length (FL).

A little figuring will determine the length of fabric to cut for each dress.
The ruffle at the top and the seam at the band adds 2".
The only variable is the width of the elastic for the chest. Add the width of the elastic (WE) to the total.
FL + WE + 2" = cutting length
For example: Abby needs a dress that is 18" long. I am using 1/2" buttonhole elastic. So 18" + 1/2" + 2"= 20 1/2". I will cut a piece of fabric 20 1/2" long.

My dresses use the entire width of the fabric. Abby's dress is cut 20 1/2" by width of fabric (wof).
Now for the band. I like the looks of a 4" band. So I cut the band 9" by the width of fabric.

On to the sewing! Fold the dress right sides together matching the selvedges. Sew a 5/8" seam making sure to backstitch at the beginning and ending of the seam. Fold the band, and sew as for the dress. (NOTE: make sure the dress and the band are the same width. One seam may have to be a bitty bit bigger than the other.)

Press both seams open. Fold the band wrong sides together matching cut edges. Press flat. I use lots of steam, but that's just me.  Pin the band to the dress right sides together. Stitch using a  1/2" seam. Press seam towards the band. Press the band towards the dress. Sew a straight seam around the band, a generous 5/8".  (See pictures.) The raw edges of the dress and band are enclosed within this seam.
This makes sure that the dress won't ravel, and the hem will NEVER fall out.

Now for the top of the dress. I put buttonhole elastic and a button in my dresses.
Fold down, wrong sides together, the top edge of the dress 1/4". Press flat. To make the casing for the elastic, I fold the pressed edge down the width of my elastic and 3/4" more for the ruffle. Press this flat. No sewing yet.
At the seam, mark for a buttonhole near the bottom fold of the fabric. Sew a buttonhole that your elastic can fit through. Sew a button beside the buttonhole. I put my elastic under the button as I sew it on. (The elastic goes inside the casing with a safety pin attached. The pin will allow the elastic to be threaded through the casing once it is sewn.) Cut open the buttonhole. All this is done before sewing the casing for the elastic.

Pin the casing into place taking care not to catch the elastic. While pinning the casing, pin the ribbon ties also. Sew a straight seam around the dress at the pressed fold. Moving the elastic as needed, pin the top edge of the dress. Sew a 5/8" seam to create the ruffle. Thread the elastic through the rest of the casing and out of the buttonhole. Button the elastic on the button.

New Dress

Nooooope, don't wike it.

Thank goodness for Easter break! I've been sewing for Abby again.

She has wanted to wear the butterfly fabric since she has seen it. I had several pieces to show her.                                                                       "Nooope, nooooope, noooooope, don't 'wike' it. Noooooope, I wanna wear it, Mamaw!"

  I bought several yards of each in order to make some pillowcase dresses to sell. Several people are asking for my dresses. I'll sew some up and see. I found buttonhole elastic in the local Wal-Mart. Now the dresses can be adjustable.

My favorite dress pattern for Abby



Lots of variations can be made with this pattern. Its Simplicity 2574.