Upcycled Sweater Dress, By Me!

I finished my dinner and I had to get my project started, I knew I would be restless until I finished it. Now I just need to find my E-Book and I will be ready to sleep tonight so I can work tomorrow, oh and clean my living room. My kids are soooooo messy!

Back to my project I started by cutting off the remaining sleeve and neck from the green turtleneck sweater from my Christmas stocking project back in December.  Then I flipped the sweater inside out and laid a dress that currently fits my preschooler on top of it so I could pin the sides in.  I also pinned around the arm holes.

I sewed around each arm and then down the sides.

Next I pinned and sewed the neckline.

Then I put the dress on my daughter and put some pleats in the neckline both front and back and sewed them in. And I ripped out the seams at the bottom of the armholes far enough to stitch in a ribbon as an empire waist.

I plan on sewing a button or finding a brooch of some kind to add to the front of the dress on the ribbon.

I also made matching leg warmers from the sleeves. I measured my daughters legs from the knee down and cut the sleeves the same length measuring from the cuff.  I hemmed them and took some of the width out of them.

I am debating sewing some elastic into them to stay up, but the with I took out seems to make them fit better and/or adding some embellishments. They are worn with the cuff at her knee.  I wanted to make them fancier, but I wasn't sure how. I am open to suggestions!

She had such a great time posing for me in her new dress!

Pretty swell for completed sewing project number 2! (I mean all by myself, my mom has helped me with a few projects in the past, but not much on my own!) What do you think?

New project!

I have been stalking Etsy for a DIY project that I might be capable of completing on my own that I have the materials for. I got an idea, remember the sweaters I used here? Well I have almost a whole green one left and it is perfect for what I have thought out. I took one of my preschoolers dresses on top of it and it is the perfect length to make a sweater dress! and I don't even have to do that much altering! I can't wait! I may get started right after dinner and document the process with pictures so I can post about it later! I was so excited I just had to get it out! I even have some thoughts for embellishments! I can't wait!

Another Anniversary

This week was my and hubs 6th anniversary. (that sentence sounds wrong, I don't know how to fix it!) I cannot imagine life without him:) Believe me it is not sunshine and roses, but I still love him. I have been  wanting to share my story about my two weddings and get it all written out somewhere for my kids. We got married twice. I'm sure people do this all the time but a lot of people get confused as to why we celebrate our anniversary twice six months apart. While I was in college I was not able to get financial aid because my parents make too much money, which isn't saying much, as I have talked about before they are business owners on the side. Their primary income is a state job and a general contractor. My dad has a head for business and my mom has been in bookkeeping for 30ish years, kind of a perfect match for that sort of situation. However this post isn't about my parents, it is about me and hubs.

So in college I couldn't get financial aid, and I couldn't find a high enough paying job to cover my tuition. My dad came up with a solution: GET MARRIED. I was already engaged, we were going to wait till the summer to have a wedding, I always wanted a summer wedding. So we called the courthouse (justice of the peace?) and set a day Jan. 26, 2005 and it was done. When I finished with my classes for the day I changed into my nicest clothes and met my parents, brother and sister, hubs, and the kids at the courthouse. Bing, Bang, Boom done. (I have always wanted to say that!) I was married; I now had two kids and a husband, deny my financial aid now Mr. Government guy who decides who is entitled to financial aid or not!

And then we resumed planning for the real wedding. It was small and simple, just like I always dreamed and it was in the summer in a church. The only down point of the entire day was the fact that it was the HOTTEST day of that year, that made for some great pictures though! If I had to do it all over I would have had my wedding at the beach. There are some fantastic beaches here in U. P. (that is Upper Peninsula of Michigan for those of you from out of state.)

And then we went to Aruba, for the best honeymoon ever!

Thats our story. It's not quite so complicated really, and something lots of college students should think of doing. It got me more in loans, but it also helped me not stress about paying for school.

I don't even currently have a digital picture to share, I will have to find my disc that I copied from my old computer :( I will look soon!

The Big D

Grrrr..... I am having a moment of pure frustration. We have a friend who just started the divorce process, and his spouse was the one who initiated it. My heart hurts about the whole situation. I want to write it all out, but that wouldn't be fair to the parties involved even though I wouldn't use names and such. I just really saddens me when problems can't or won't get worked through. It made me realize that I need to work on my communication skills. I fear divorce with all my heart and don't want to live through one of my own. I severely lack in the ability to express myself with words when I am upset/angry. I shut down because I suck myself into a spiral of irrational thoughts and comments. It usually leaves me either yelling or biting my tongue so I am not yelling. I will have to write another post on this and not publish it so I can let out my frustration. 

On an lighter side I have been working like a mad fool, or like me as a mad fool, up until recently I haven't subbed more than 2 days a week, but the last few I have been working non stop. Let me tell you the paychecks are nice. I have been working for my parents a bunch as well.

I also have been itching for a DIY project, but I can't some up with something I want to make. I did do a page in my scrapbook and I helped my daughter make a picture to send to my sister in college, but that took me only a few minutes. I love working in my scrapbook, but I need to print more pictures to work with. I want a sewing project to work on also. 

Oh and my baby turned 1 last weekend so I will share an adorable cake picture. Of course it is chocolate cake! She has gotten incredibly fun since Christmas. She has been walking for over a month now and is almost running, and is trying so hard to talk.

And I have just been informed that I will be watching The Care Bears with my daughter so I need to finish this up. Apparently this is my favorite movie (according to her).