Wrapped Around Her Finger

Strawberry, as in Holly’s favorite must-have for sleep and comfort lovey, is missing.  We realized she was missing Monday at naptime and I’ve looked all over the place and can’t find her.  Due diligence, I even checked with the dry cleaner to see if somehow she ventured out Annie-style in a pile of clothes.  No luck.  Holly is handling it better than expected and has been able to sleep.

Trent, however, is taking it pretty hard.  He has looked in every inch of the house, car, and backyard, except for the inches where Strawberry is currently located.  I want to find Strawberry too, but I also want to have time in my day that is not spent looking for her or wondering aloud where she might be.  But that’s just kind of how Trent is with Holly.  “Daddy’s girl” comes to mind.

Trent pulled a few shirts out of his closet to get rid of and I intercepted a few of them for the possibilities.  Pastel blue and pink gingham seemed destined to become a dress for Holly.

 

I cut apart the shirts for the fabric and used a new pattern, Simplicity #1702.  Initially I thought it would be super quick to sew because it isn’t lined, but it has bias tape all around the neckline and sleeves.  My emotions towards sewing bias tape can best be described resigned apathy.  It took longer than anticipated, but I think it would be faster the next time I use the pattern.

I kept pulling out pieces of ribbon and trim, because it needed something.  Finally I realized that the perfect detail was to cut apart the strip of buttons left over from the center of one shirt and use it as trim across the waist.  It’s a little nod to her dad’s shirts.

The back is the reverse of the front, blue on bottom, pink on top.

If Holly could title the following picture, I’m guessing she would call it “The Story of My Life”.

The pattern also calls for a side zipper, which I had never attempted before.  It turned out fine, but I think in general I could use some assistance with zippers in clothing.  If it had called for a back zipper, I think I could have manipulated the shirts to use the existing buttons instead of the zipper.  Maybe next time, because it looks like Trent has a few more shirts he’s clearing out.