Sew What?!?

If you had asked me a year ago if I wanted to learn to sew, I would have laughed in your face! But there is something about looking at adorable $50 little girls clothing and knowing that it can't possible cost that much to make them that made me want to learn. I might not ever be good enough to sell the clothes I sew, but they will definitely be good enough for Gracie to wear for the few months she'll fit in them!

A few weeks ago my mom, Megan, and I were sitting around drinking wine on a Saturday night, and my mom asked what I wanted for my birthday. I mentioned that I had thought about asking for a sewing machine so that I could learn to sew for Gracie. Thirty minutes later, after finishing our bottle of wine, we were on the internet looking at sewing maching prices! We headed out to Target and Walmart around 10pm and came home with a $100 machine!

The next morning my mom and I went to Joann's and bought a pattern, material, and the necessary supplies to teach me to sew! We thought making Grace a 4th of July outfit would be a good first project. As an aside, my mom made my whole family matching 4th outfits one year, and we were one good-looking family! Unfortunately, our shorts fit us for about 5 years... much longer than any of us wanted to match!

That afternoon Mom and I sewed for quite some time. I was pretty slow at the beginning, but I started to get braver as the afternoon went on. By the end of the day, I had made pretty good progress on the bloomers. Ironically, they looked quite large, as Trinity is demonstrating!

Over the next week I worked on the outfit after putting Gracie to bed each night. It took just over a week to complete the top and bottom, and I was so proud of my accomplishment that I decided to make the matching hat!

Although my seams aren't always straight, I was generally pretty surprised at how well the outfit turned out. It was a lot easier than I expected it to be, and I definitely think that I have already improved from the beginning to the end of my adventure.

Gracie wore her darling outfit to Erin and Craig's cookout on the 4th. I was so glad it fit! I wasn't able to get a great picture of her with the hat on because she just doesn't like things on her head.

This project was so much fun, and I cannot wait until I can start on the next outfit for Gracie! I already have some material waiting for me to start, and I have plans to make Grace's dress for her first birthday party!