The Four Seamstresses

It usually starts sometime in January, about every other year, when someone comes up with a bright idea. Someone will ask, “Hey, why don’t we sew Easter dresses?” This year that bright person was me, and no one could think of a reason not to make dresses, so we made them. We knew what we were getting ourselves into (or did we?) as we trekked to Joann’s to pick out the pattern and fabric. Our Joann’s is notorious for its disorganization, bad customer service, and dirty floors. Nevertheless, we finally found the perfect pattern (Simplicity 3745), but it wasn’t until we had toured two more fabric stores in Portland that we finally found a fabric that we could all agree upon, one that our Joann’s had had all along. (Funny how that works!)
Then the real work began. The plan was for Mikaela, Melanie, and I to sew our own dresses. Then Mikaela would help Susanna sew hers, and I would make Mama’s. We had many adventures, including staying up very early ;-), putting in invisible zippers, and Melanie sewing through her finger. (The needle went all the way through, and as she screamed, Mikaela had to pull it off. Sorry, I should have warned you queasy ones! You will be happy to know that she is fully recovered, and that I didn't get a picture of that.)
I know you’ve already seen the finished product in my Easter post, but I wanted to give you a taste of our time making those five dresses.

Mikaela pauses in cutting out her dress to smile for the camera.



Melanie is hard at work!




Great! We now have 14 yards of fabric cut into jigsaw pieces--now let's put it back together again!


I'm doing-what else-cutting out Mama's dress.



Sewing: A creative mess is better than tidy idleness. ~Author Unknown



Hmm... who's that laying down on the job?

Scissors in action!

Hallelujah! We finished them (barely)! It was so fun to sew with my sisters. (By the way, Susanna really did work hard, although for some reason we didn't get any evidence of it on the camera!)

In closing, may your bobbin always be full, your needle ever easy to thread, your scissors continually sharp, and your machine always in a good mood!

Note: This weekend is the annual Washington Christian Heritage Homeschool Conference, so Mikaela won't be posting on Friday. However, she will be prepared to give you a full report and an insider's look at the conference on Tuesday. We would appreciate your prayers for the conference as well!