Nursing Cover
finished!

Kimono Robe
Geh. What a disaster this one has been. I'm blaming it on the pattern selection. Stupid McCalls. First of all, they had me sew on the pockets FIRST. And I matched the dots. But now that the robe is together, the pockets get completely covered up when you wrap the robe. So I need to tear out the seams and move them to where they should be.

Second, the directions have you attach the hood first, and then attach the lapels. But in the photo and drawings, the lapels are BETWEEN the hood and the bodice portions. Now how could that be? If I sew the hood to the bodice first and then attach the lapels, how on earth would the lapels be under the hood?? I had to goof it a little and make my own modification on it. But it's a robe, not a dress for the Govenor's Ball, right?

Third, I should have thought through my fabric selection a little better. I forgot that the underside of the fabric would be face-up on the hood. Duh. In the photo they give, they used fabric that doesn't really have a "wrong side" - but my cotton print is definately ugly on the backside. Shouldn't they have designed the pattern so you'd line the hood to avoid this problem??

Finally, I'm stuck on the arm scye (for the sewing impaired, that means the arm hole - why don't they just call it an arm hole??) This is the first time I've sewed a sleeve, so I may be ignorant. But it seems like the sleeve is much larger than the arm hole - requiring a gather to make it fit. I'm not sure I'm a puff sleeve type of girl. Do I trust this (already proven to be terrible) pattern and sew it the way they intend? Or do I trim the sleeve down to fit as it should without a gather? I'm deciding to put this on hold until Christmas when my fab sewing mom can help me with the problem.

Overall though - I think this robe will still be cute. I've been trying it on as I sew on the pieces and it's coming together well even with all these hang-ups.

Maternity Jeans
Haven't started, but I have good intentions and a massive lack of pants that aren't constricting. I wish I could just go without pants like the models for North Face (who are dancing around their store windows with a pair of furry boots and a puffer jacket sans pants). Alas, my husband would prefer pants. So I need to move this project up a little.

Christmas PJs or a Tree Skirt
I was ready to start making three pairs of matching jammie pants for us for a christmas tradition. But I got sidelined with a better idea. For six years, we've gone without a tree skirt, just using the plastic bag that comes with the tree to cover the stand. This year, I think I'll make us a tree skirt.

My idea is to use a plain, light colored fabric for the top and a colored fabric for the back - trimming the edge with ribbon. Then each year, Lucy and our subsequent kids will use fabric paint to print their hand and name along with the date along the edge of the skirt. Instead of having a generic store-bought skirt, ours would become a family heirloom.

I have an old cream colored sheet and a couple yards of fabric on hand. Just need the ribbon. And the paint. And the time.

I have a lot of ideas. It's a burden I bear.