I am about 70% sure that I did not take the pictures in this post; Brandon did.  However I have taken the liberty to play around with them on picnik (don’t worry; I saved the originals!)  Back in September and shortly after Adeline was born, we went for a walk in a city park about 20 minutes from our house. I think this was one of the first days we had our new camera and we spent plenty of timing playing around with it at the park.

I like the pumpkins in this picture (it is Fall, after all), and I think they are a timeless subject.  I used a “vintage” style to edit this photo and added some texture to add to the older feel of the photo.  Of course the rounded edges top it all off.  I think the rounded edges are currently my favorite way to edit my photos.

The picture of the outhouse is begging to not be so centered, but even with cropping this was the best I could do.  I still think it’s an interesting subject for editing, especially with the opposing colors of red and green being so prominent.  I just wish I could see off the the left of the photo a little further!  Oh well.  We learn as we go.  Now we’ll just have to go back to the park and get another shot.  I warmed up the tones a bit in this one then used the “cross processing” edit.  I am not really sure what that means, but I like the way it looks.  It definitely amplifies the rustic quality of the outhouse–which I happen to think was painted within the last few years but made to look like it hadn’t been painted in 20!

I could (and sometimes do) spend hours browsing through patterns and fabrics online.  I would do it in person if I had the time.  I recently found some patterns by Romeo and Mae that I fell head over heels for.  What’s a girl to do when she falls head over heels for a pattern but buy it?  (How materialistic does that sound? yikes!)

I purchased the Milla Modern Pinafor pattern and haven’t looked back.  I made three dresses in one weekend and another dress this past weekend but couldn’t get the pictures because I had this huge ordeal with trying to get the snaps on.  The short version of the story is that I finally had a coupon for Joann’s so I bit the bullet and bought a real pair of snap pliers.  It was the best decision I made since buying this pattern.

The pattern comes as a .pdf straight to your inbox so you don’t have to wait a week for the mailman to show up.  You can also print it out in every size rather than messing around with folding the right size from your pattern.

The pattern and directions are very straightforward; there were no points of confusion for me, and that is saying a lot. I really do not do well with directions, but this pattern may be the first exception.

My one complaint–and this is a small one–is that the sizing seems a bit off.  I have an average sized two month old, and when I made the first dress using the 0-3 month size, it was too small for her.  So I have been making one size up for her.  I still need to make a few adjustments to the sizing because even the 3-6 month size is border line too tight around the chest.  If Iwant her to be able to wear the dress for more than one month, I will need to widen the chest area a bit and lengthen the straps. I would say that a 1/2″ addition to all seems would do the trick.

It takes me about 1.5 hours to make one dress from start to finish.  I think I am getting it down to closer to an hour though.

One thing I love about this pattern is how versatile it is.  The dress would be really cute in the summer as a stand alone outfit, but it can also be paired with long sleeves and tights or baby legs for the fall and winter months.

I also love that I can mix and match my fabrics.

This pattern is a great pattern for anyone who can sew at an intermediate level or above.  It does take a little know-how with maneuvering the neckline through your machine, but other than that, it is very simple.

Adeline wore the pink one to church last weekend.

This one is probably going to be one of Adeline’s Christmas party dresses. She is a popular baby, so she will need more than one Christmas party dress.

This is the first one I made.  It would be perfect for a newborn or very petite 0-3 month old.  It is currently in my shop.

Want to make a Modern Pinafore?  Check out Romeo and Mae’s SHOP.

Want to buy a Modern Pinafore? Check out my SHOP.

In my pre-college days (which is beginning to feel like a long time ago) I worked in a photo developing station at a drug store in a quaint village  of northern California (that’s the PC way of saying small, rural town).  This was back in the day when the majority of people still developed their photos from real film and a select few used digital cameras.  This was also during the days when the county fair was a BIG deal.  If you didn’t go to the fair, you were truly square.  And if you didn’t enter something, anything–a rabbit, a quilt, a photo, some flowers, just something–you were almost just as square.

Back in those days, people would come in to get their photos developed for submission in the County Fair.  And there was a lot of talk behind the counter of which photos would win prizes and which wouldn’t.  Then there were the conversations about the digital photos and *scandal of all scandals* which ones had been edited!  That was my first brush with photography and for a long, long time after getting my first digital camera, I was too scared to edit my photos or at least to admit that I edited my photos.  It would be like admitting I had a nose job (which I do not have).

Things have since changed.  Most people edit their photos, and the editing has become part of the fun.  There are so many programs to help you edit your photos, and I am in the process of looking for a great one that won’t cost an arm and leg, or just an arm or just a leg for that matter.  I have no limbs to spare.

Thus far, picnik has been my editing site of choice.  It is amazing that I can take an ordinary photo like this

And turn it into this

Or this

Take this boring old close-up as another example

It is much more appealing to the eye when it looks like this

While I am not overly impressed with my photos or the edited versions (I’m not submitting any of these to the county fair), I do think that photo editing is an art form just as taking photos and developing photos is. Perhaps I could say I am an artist in the making (and this is where I would use a smiley face I weren’t too ashamed of the nose that would show up)

If you would like to recommend a good photo-editing website or software that would allow me to retain all limbs, that would be welcome.  For now, I’ll stick with picnik and just wait until I get a Mac (that is a whoooole other post that I probably won’t write any time soon!)

There is something about having a baby that makes you spend money.  Lots of it.  toys. diapers. cameras. clothes.

Actually, that would be camera–singular.  We bought a fancy new camera that neither of us really knew how to you, so along with it, we bought a book about using digital cameras.  I’ve been reading the book a little, looking at other people’s photos a lot, and just playing with the camera in between.

Today I took Adeline for a walk and strapped the camera to the back of the stroller–you know, just in case.  It is fall in Louisville, which means everything out of doors is featured in stunning color.  Because the clock fell back last night, the sun was already beginning to set during our walk.  As we were walking along and saluting various neighbors, a tree with some pretty little berries caught my eye.  It also caught the sun.  So I caught the camera hanging from the back of the stroller and then caught this:

And this:

Romeo and Mae (formally known as Lil Peas and Carrots) have some of the cutest patterns for little girl clothes.  A friend of mine has a dress for her baby that is made from this pattern, and it is absolutely adorable.  This is at the top of my list of items to buy next for Adeline.

I want to make some clothes for Adeline, and I am already thinking about making her First Christmas dress.  I bought the Milla pattern this week and can’t wait to get started on it.  Depending on how it turns out, this just might be the dress for her.  I love this style because it is so simple but could look really cute with a long sleeve onesie and tights underneath.  I also have lots of ideas for different fabric pairings to make the dress.

*Photos are from the Romeo and Mae shop.

Everyone, this is Adeline.  Adeline, this is everyone (actually it is the computer, but there are others looking at you from behind their computers).

So it has already been 8 weeks, and now my teeny tiny little baby already looks like this

Yep, she smiles, grunts, coos, bats her hands around, and does all sorts of things little babies like to do that result in lots of garbage and lots of laundry!

I have been able to do a little sewing but of course pictures of Adeline are much more exciting than pictures of sewing (that’s a fancy way of saying I haven’t taken any!)  I dropped off more zipper pouches for the Female Art Collective last weekend, and I even managed to patch some pants for my hubby.  Perhaps more to come on that (the pouches, not the pants) later.

I am beginning to think about what I am going to be making folks for Christmas this year (and buying for those I can’t impress with my sewing machine skills).  I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but a few ideas are spiced up kitchen towels, cosmetic bags (maybe for a gift exchange I’ll be participating in) and a few custom items I know some family members need/want.

For now I should probably take care of business and leave the sewing and scheming for when I have time!

Irene Design is now on Facebook!

I have actually had this page for a while but never took the time to figure it out.  Now you can keep up with ID here!

In other news, Free Shipping ends on Sunday August 9, so take advantage of it while it lasts!

Tomorrow is the New Roots benefit show at Derby City Espresso in Louisville.  My new line of spiced up zipper pouches will be available as well as (possibly) some baby items.  You may even be able to spot me in person!

Etsy Treasuries are a great place to look for random items when you’re bored (that would never be me!)  I happened to go do a little browsing today when the treasury was at 333.  That happens to be the magic number just before the list drops to 332 and there’s a mad dash to create you very own treasury.  I patiently waited the three minutes for the last treasury to expire and then jumped in line to make mine.  It worked, and here it is.  Be warned though…it may make you hungry.

I was recently contacting by “B” who has a blog about the “irreverent look into a jobless 24 year old’s surprisingly chaotic life.”  I appreciate the honesty in that statement and am glad she has an outlet for the adventures that arise from the “aftermath of pressing the reset button,” as B describes it.  She is starting a new series on her blog about local artists and crafters, and I was honored to be the first one.

You can read the interview at B’s blog, Polka[dot]bop.

As I mentioned last week, I dropped off my first batch of goodies for the Female Art Collective.  I spent the weekend before that crafting these super handy little bags specifically for FAC.  I had a great time going through my fabric stash challenging myself to not go buy more fabric but use what I already have.

I would say I did pretty well on that part but of course congratulated myself with an order of new fabrics from an Etsy seller who is closing up shop and getting rid of a bunch of really incredible fabrics…I just couldn’t pass that up!!

This last weekend I made 6 sets of burp cloths, which will also be going to FAC.  These items can be found on the FAC Website or at the New Roots benefit show coming up at Derby City Espresso on August 8!