Back from Blogging Vacation

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I find it hard to get a lot of sewing done in the summer, especially since I don't have a sewing room and I have to set up camp in what would be the dining area, but is really the piano room/den.  Plus you throw in 2 weeks to visit family in Utah, 3 weeks covered in poison ivy (I'm super allergic and had it all over my arms and legs--boy was I miserable) and then 2 more weeks to visit my family in Pennsylvania (I did get to raid my mom's stash though--more to come on that) and all of that adds up to more than half of the summer gone.  Here's one thing I did accomplish though:

My husband's department is not the big money maker (as opposed to something like cardiology which you have to order lots of test and procedures--infectious disease not so much) for the hospital and therefore has to have an auction to raise money to help send their fellows to conferences and stuff.  His contribution to the auction was to ask me to do something.  I made 2 pies (which actually went for more than the dress) and the offer of a custom made dress for someone's little girl.  The request was for something in floral and pink and here is what I made.  The yellow is left over from this project.  The pink was something I picked up at JoAnne's.  The dress is from my favorite pattern.  I think the little girl that received it was pleased.  I hope it was worth the $80 bid.

Another thing I've been up is designing the outfits for the color guard for the high school marching band.  They make their own to save money.  My son is in the band, so I'm helping out.  I wish I had a picture.  They are wearing these hoods and guess who gets to make 30 of them.  I'll have to share more of this story as soon as I get my mock-up back and get a picture of it.  It's funny, they are really trying to save money, yet they are using this crazy $23 a yard fabric.  My challenge was to get as much as possible from each yard. It was kind of fun to come up with the pattern though.

When I go up to PA, I get to raid my mom's sewing room.  She doesn't sew much in the way of clothes anymore so there is usually a lot up for grabs.  Both she and my grandmother worked in a sewing factory at one point in their lives.  When it went out of business, they got to take some of the trim and stuff that was left over.  This stuff is all from the 50's and 60's.  There is some awesome stuff.  I need to pull out all that I brought home this time and take a picture.  This pre-gathered white trim was something I dug out. I tried my hand at the ombre dying technique with a fun project in mind.  I'll share the results on Monday.