Basic Square Yoke

To answer kbenco's question, my daughter only has a small stash.  She does raid mine but since it is stored in a big old trunk, it isn't very accessible.  Plus I don't really stash quilting cottons since I don't quilt.  I guess that's a blessing, since it's one less category to acccumulate!  We won't discuss the home dec stash...!

Slow and steady goes the sewing.  Life has been busy so I've only had time to sew a few minutes here and there on the blue dress.  I am pleased that I've made progress although it is slow!  However, I am also making slow but steady progress on sanding walls--a yuck job, but someone has to do it.  Wallpaper stripping is easy, but you never know what you'll find after it's off.  I found I still had lots of glue stuff.  This happened on my last project, too.  So I sanded and then primed the walls (and the  paint has stayed on so I guess that worked!).  I only have 1 wall left on the foyer now!  yippee! 

The Random Automatic Pruners, otherwise known as deer, have made several swipes at my poor, pitiful azaleas so that this is all that's left:

sigh.  A little spray from the home improvement store and they seem to be leaving them alone...for now.

A Mermaid for a Mermaid

I have completed preparations for the Little Mermaid project.  It's nice to have some handwork to do while waiting on the kids or relaxing in the evenings.  It will take me awhile to get this done since I really hate picture smocking...but this was so cute and the youngest dd likes it a lot.  I'll try not to whine and complain too much while working on it!  Here's all the stuff:

I'm not entirely committed to the pattern yet.  It would be nice to sew up something different in a girl's smocked dress.  Plus this pattern is more modern than the classic smocked dresses and variety is good!

Here's a more classic smocked dress.  You can never go wrong with these, that's for sure!

That's the Basic Square Yoke Dress pattern by Chery Williams and the dress front all completed.  It was smocked using "Karen" by Ellen McCarn.  I need to decide dress details--embroidery on the collar, no collar, sleeves, lace or not, etc.  Lots of decisions after the smocking!