Savvy Toddler Mom

Needless to say, this last weekend was all about The Pirate Costume.  (I capitalize it, because it is a proper noun.  There is one and no other.)  Well, The Pirate Costume and conference — the bi-annual LDS General Conference.  I love conference.  Also, it is a great opportunity to multi-task with things like… sewing!

Thanks to conference, The Pirate Costume is finished, except for some buttons and the sash.  The top gave me some trouble when the interfacing caused the collar piece to shrink (grrrr…), but it worked out in the end.  VERY cute.  I’m still a little uncertain about my choice of red pleather for the pants.  However, I can’t think of a really good reason to make another pair.  These are all ready!

I also made a super-cute (not a very pirate-y adjective) head scarf out of black fabric with little skeletons on it.  The sash will be black and white striped satin.  We picked up an awesome pirate sword at Target last week, so I think we are set.

Looking back, will I sew next year’s Halloween costume?  Probably.  The Pirate Costume didn’t take that much time, and it wasn’t hard to find the time — especially with conference going on and three weeks until Halloween.  It cost about $25 (plus buttons, I still need to get those) and it really is super-cute.

I also found a new desire to sew things that aren’t quilts.  I don’t remember the last time I sewed something with arm holes. 

I want to thank my mom for my latest new-to-me sewing machine.  (THANKS, MOM!!!!)  She just passed on her top-of-the-line-twenty-five-years-ago Viking to me.  It’s my first electronic sewing machine!  My mom upgraded a year or so ago to Viking’s current top-of-the-line machine.  That thing has a computer touch-screen, does embroidery (REAL embroidery), has a million stitch designs, and will even do your laundry.  It also has a price tag you wouldn’t believe.

So, I am very grateful for my free upgrade.  I’m giving my last new-to-me sewing machine to my sister-in-law.  That one was my grandmother’s when I was growing up.  I received it from her just a couple of years ago.  The one I had before that was an old, old White sewing machine that weighed about 50 pounds.  It was my mom’s when she was a teenager.

Now that I think about it, the machine I just inherited was the one I sewed my finger with when I was seven years-old.  I still have a scar.  It was CRAZY… I just touched the foot pedal and before I knew what had happened, the needle had gone through my finger and back out again.  I had a thread going THROUGH my finger!

My mom was on the phone at the time, I remember.  She can’t hear in one ear, and since she had her good ear to the phone, she couldn’t hear me yelling and crying.  I couldn’t go to her, since the thread held me captive.  It was awful.  I finally got her attention; she hung up and came over to cut me free.

But I digress… so, I’ve got to get some buttons and finish the sash and then I’ll take some photos to share.