A Labor of Love

In mid-May, I started a dress for Annelise that I thought would be the perfect little summer dress for her. Little did I know I would get pregnant about a week later and spend the next 3 months taking a nap every afternoon. That left little to no crafting time for me!

Fast forward FIVE months, and I finally finished the dress. "Lucky" for us, it was still in the high 80's this past Sunday, and Annelise could finally wear the sleeveless dress I made. Here she is...

 The front. And no, the empty cable spool and Daddy's mini maglite were not planned props. I just caught her being kind of still and took advantage of the moment. This little girl is almost always moving!

 The back.

The dress without a wiggle-worm inside!

 Here are the supplies I started with in May. I think the gingham is from Hobby Lobby, the white cotton from Joann's, the buttons from Walmart, and the other things you could find at any craft/fabric store. (I've slept a few times since May and do not completely remember every shopping trip 5 months ago!!!) I also remembered AFTER I finished the dress that I had planned to use black piping between the bodice and skirt and between the skirt and bottom skirt band. Oh well.

I decided to try an old (but new-to-me) technique called chicken scratch. It's basically just like cross-stitch, but on gingham. I've done lots of cross-stitch, so I thought this would be a breeze. Well, it would have been if I hadn't napped every day for an entire trimester. I found several tutorials online, and used the pattern I found at Stitch School. I will probably use this technique again, but in much smaller doses and not when I'm prenant!

I also had to make a matching hair clip and found instructions for this cute little flower at With My Spare Time. It was very easy!

If you haven't heard, the mosquitoes in Houston have been horrendous this weekend (all the store have sold out of sprays, etc.) so I haven't been able to have a photo shoot of Annelise's Minnie Mouse Halloween costume. The little pests seem to finally be backing off today (and all her bites are finally clearing up), so maybe I can get her suited up and snap some pics in a day or two. Until then...

Happy crafting,

Julie