An Update and Some Costume Sewing

Oh friends, it's been a long, long time.  Let's see, where did we last leave off?  I was in a cycling frenzy and attempting to shed some pounds and get healthy.  That was when the sun was still shining warmly down on Michigan, and I could cycle down the road without getting wind burn.  So what's been happening since then?  Well, a lot.

As summer came to a close I was preparing myself to send my daughter back to public school.  She was going to be a 1st grader this year.  As we reached "18 days before school starts" on our countdown calendar, I panicked.  I couldn't do it.  My husband had wanted me to homeschool her from the beginning, and all of the sudden I felt God pushing me towards homeschooling.  I didn't think I could do it.  Last year, I was certain of it.  But this year, I just couldn't bear to send her back.  My babies belong at home.  And so believing fully that God will fill in the gaps and make me fully adequate to teach our child, I leaped towards homeschool, and I haven't looked back.

What an awesome adventure it has been!  Awesome.....and a lot of work.  I'm not gonna lie, my health and fitness journey has sort of taken the back burner now that I have this new role to fill.  I'm happy to say that I've been maintaining my weight loss - I've fluctuated a few pounds up or down.  Even though I've maintained, I have to say I am starting to feel the effects of a poor diet and no exercise.  I hope to break my bike out of hiding in the next week and start using my trainer.  I'm going to need to start moving again if I plan to indulge in any of my baking this winter!

And so that's what's consumed my life for the past few months.  Well, that and this new little sewing project I picked up...

That's right folks - my daughter convinced me to sew her Halloween costume this year, and she chose to be Elsa from Frozen!  Mind you, I am NO garment sewer and I've certainly never sewn a costume before.  Aprons are the most complex project I've sewn, but I felt semi-confident that if I followed the pattern and watched enough YouTube tutorials I should be able to conquer this task.

I started with over a month before Halloween, which was very smart on my part.  This way, I could sew to my frustration point and set the project aside without fear that I was running out of time.  And that's just what I did.  One night I cut out the pattern pieces.  Then another night I started sewing the skirt.  A week later I tackled the bodice, and so on.  Last night I sewed the sleeves on.  This was the final major step of the costume, and boy was it a nightmare!

I don't have a serger, so I'm trying to encase the raw edges in a French seam - something the pattern doesn't call for.  It was added work and planning, and when it came to the sleeves, this extra step proved challenging.  But I figured it out, and in the end I'm very glad that I took the extra time to do the seams this way - it will help the dress last longer, not like a cheap store-bought costume.

Little Brother Photo-Bomb

My little chicky tried on her costume this morning and loved it!  This is the second fitting, and I'm still surprised that it fits.  That I MADE that!  I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment.  And though I keep swearing that I won't ever stitch sequin fabric ever again, I probably would make my daughter's  costume again next year if she asked me to.  It's totally worth it to see that pretty smile and hear her say, "Mom, this is just exactly what I imagined it would be!"

Next step is to hem the skirt, cape, and sleeves, and then it's done!  And in plenty of time for Halloween festivities.  So there you have it, my first ever (and probably not last) costume sewing project!