Bike Basket Liner for My New Ride

While everyone around me is talking centuries, Tour of Utah and triathlons, I'm just happy to have a liner on my new bike basket (on my new bike!) that will keep my cell phone from falling into the storm drain ever again.

My new bike happily pulls the trailer to the playground and other places in the neighborhood. It is so fun and comfortable to ride, unlike my previous bikes where I was stretching to hold the handlebars. My bike's not titanium and I don't wear spandex (thankfully!) while riding, but I love it.

Pattern: My own design that still needs some tweaking.

Fabric: Marcus Fabrics, Al Fresco (from my stash).

 

Update May 2013

 

 

Veruca gets some new accesories

It seems that the diva tantrums have subsided, at least temporarily. My last post was not to complain, put down, or label my daughter. I really am trying to handle this new phase with humor. To be truthful, after watching a few bratty grown women on Say Yes to the Dress, I've been a little concerned about how she'll turn out.  Comparing a real person to an over edited, highly scripted, reality TV character isn't completely fair, I'm aware. Still, I wish nothing more than for my daughter to be well grounded, smart, fun, kind and have more substance than just the cost of her wardrobe (or wedding gown). Really, she's a sweet kid and in fairness, we all have our moments. And she's three. So before anyone goes calling DCFS for me comparing my child to a horrible literary character you should know that I love Miss A dearly.

In other fun, I made her some new hair accessories (they were planned before the week of whining and tantrums). I think they would also be cute as an accent on a dress. They were super simple to make too. And cheap. A winning combination in my mind.

I'm glad this new book came out. It could be the solution to my "how to create stuff without overflowing closets/storage space" problem. I'm so glad someone else thought of it.

Keeping it all in balance

I had an experience yesterday that made me wonder if I'm turning Miss A into Veruca Salt. While I love to sew and create things for her to wear, I fear I'm unconsciously over emphasizing appearances. I definitely want my children to be more than the clothes they are wearing.

Finished!

I'm excited to have accomplished something besides breaking up sibling spats this week. School starts in a few weeks and we've hit the point in the summer where everything but teasing your brother is boring. Someone tell me I'll miss this someday, I dare you ;)
The dress is one of my favorites, and she looks so sweet in it (even if she is hiding her brother's favorite Lego pieces).
Getting a picture of her these days is impossible. What 3 year old wants to pose when there are bubbles to blow, bikes to ride and brothers to make scream? So please excuse the strange pose and washed out colors.
Pattern: Oliver + S Birthday Party Dress. I added 2 inches in length, and it hits at her knees perfectly. I also left the pleats loose to make it more "flowy." I know that's not a word, but I was looking for a soft look and even thought about gathering the front panel instead of pleating it. I chickened out at the last minute so I have some softish pleats. Someday I will get daring, just not with my nice fabric.
Fabric: Liberty Lawn (Lauren in aqua/pink) and Pimatex dot for the front tab.