Why So Serious...

Another home schooling family in Sooke has organized a ball hockey/ soccer/fun play day at one of the schools on Wednesday afternoons. Well this is right up our alley. Jai LOVES hockey, and all sports. The littles love kids, so this is perfect for us. There was a really good turnout. 

I took the two littles to the back of the school so they could play at the park, while Jai and the older kids played ball hockey. When I went back to check on Jai, he had a big red mark on his face. He told me he was hit in the face with a hockey stick.

He kind of looks like the Joker, from Batman and I asked him "Why so serious":

I told him to give me a sinister look.

Half sinister, half trying not to smile.

We applied Arnica and Caledula cream when we got home. The swelling went down, and the scratch will heal, but for now Jai looks like he has a half smile.

A Day at the Beach

Wordless Wednesday

What I Made This Week-How to make a smocked sundress

This week my allergies have taken OVER! I have had no energy to do any sewing until today, and so I thought I would share how to make a smocked sundress. I have been wanting to share for a while, but I always am so eager to start sewing I forget to bring my camera with me. 

What you need:

*Elastic thread

*Regular thread

*Fabric

*Sewing machine

*Scissors

The elastic thread needs to be wound onto the bobbin by hand.

This is a scarf I found in with my fabric. I have decided to make this into a sundress. I cut the measurement I needed. Which would be the chest measurement plus 2-4 inches then the length you would like the dress to be.

I used one piece of fabric, and folded it in half. You can also use two pieces of fabric.

Sew up the seam

and iron down the top hem

pin it to keep it in place

and sew as close to the finished edge as possible

Now change the bobbin thread to elastic thread, and sew right side up, so the elastic is on the inside, sew straight lines. You can use matching thread or contrasting thread for the outside. Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of the row. Also, to conserve thread and save time, I don't cut the thread after each row. I just move to the next row. You can see the elastic thread starts to gather right away.

I use the foot to measure the distance between each row.

This is what it looks like without cutting the thread after each row.

This is what the elastic thread should look like on the inside.

Once you are finished your rows you can go through and cut all the adjoining threads on the inside and outside of the dress.

This particular elastic thread doesn't gather much after sewing

so I steam iron it

and it scrunches up nicely.

For the straps cut 4 strips. I used 1.5 inch by 15 inch, but you may want a wider strap.

I used the instructions from Lil Blue Boo in her new tutorial today, because I also do not love making bias tape. Check out her tutorial too. It's a good one. Iron the strip in half

Jude wanted me to take a picture of the cool cup he found:) Please ignore the mess in the background.

then sew as close to the edge as possible

Then flatten out with the seam in the middle. Iron.

fold in half and iron again. I had to use plenty of pins, because this fabric just didn't want to stay flat.

and again sew as close to the edge as possible.

Then pin the straps to the dress

and sew them into place. I make sure to go over them several times for extra security.

And voila. Finished!

This is my first tutorial, so it is likely that I haven't been completely clear. If you have any questions please do ask. I would love to see what you make, so please share.

Our Garden is Growing-Update

I love our garden, and it's so exciting to watch it grow! Because I love my garden so much I want to share with you, so here is a picture tour of my garden.

Here is some kale that we had to buy, because we had critters eat all our seeds. This is one of six plants.

This is yellow squash next to the red leaf lettuce

and zucchini on the other side of the lettuce.

We bought a black current bush a couple of weeks ago

here are some of the currents growing.

We also bought a yellow rose bush, which is now getting some buds!!!!

Look at this beauty! We have one red strawberry almost ready to be picked!

And lots of white berries, which will hopefully be turning red soon.

One of our tomato plants finally starting to bloom.

Blueberries! 

And more blueberries.

My peas are so happy:)

A little pod. They grow so fast, it will probably be ready for eating tomorrow or the next day.

Look how big the red leaf lettuce is. Ready for salads.

Rob wanted flowers in our garden. I want food, but I like flowers too, so I let him get some.

A starburst squash

pumpkin

Dahlias. They are just so pretty.

Lupin, which I selected.

and pink dahlias

oregon grape

and hives from picking a few weeds.

My hay fever has prevented me from spending more time in the garden, and I am very tempted to dig up the grass and replace it with moss like this article suggests: Swap Out Your Lawn's Grass for Moss. Unfortunately it wouldn't make much of a difference for my hay fever as we have neighbors with large lots, that grow their grass out, and the wind blows it everywhere. I can't leave my house. It's really disappointing. This was not how I planned to spend the summer.

Oh well. It's still worth it to live away from the city. I just need to make a trip to the doctor to get help for my breathing. I can deal with the rest of the symptoms, but I need oxygen!

Hope you are all having a great week!