Your child is wearing a pillowcase.

Pillowcase dresses for little girls are all the rage in the sewing world:

Simplicity 2391

Now, there’s no denying that the child in the photo is adorable. There’s no denying that the fabric is darling. But… there’s also no denying that this little girl is wearing a pillowcase.

I’m completely on the fence about pillowcase dresses. I love the idea of taking one thing and turning it into something completely unexpected. I also love the idea of a sewing trend that is simple enough for a beginner. These dresses have such a loyal following in the sewing world that I have to wonder if there’s something wrong with me.

Would I feel differently if I saw one of these in person? Or if I actually tried to make one myself? I want to love these dresses, but there’s a huge barrier in my brain that can’t get past the fact that these children look like they are wearing bed linens. Sure, the Von Trapp children were wearing curtains, but it certainly didn’t LOOK like they wear wearing curtains.

I know they weren't REALLY wearing curtains, but still.

Here’s another pattern included in “Pillowcase Fashions” – a little pants and tank top combo. I think I’d be much more likely to go this route if I ever decided to whip up pillowcase apparel.

A little less pillowcase-ish

Has anybody out there ever made a pillowcase dress? Is there something that I need to know that will sway me to the pro-pillowcase-dress side of the fence? Please share!

On a (crayon) roll!

Google the phrase “crayon roll” and you’ll be inundated with images, tutorials and etsy shops featuring this gem that allows kiddos to tuck crayons into little pockets, roll ‘em all up and take ‘em on the go. As someone who is constantly on the hunt for free sewing tutorials, it finally got to the point where I just HAD to try making one of these little guys. They’re famous in the online sewing world!

As luck would have it, my friend Brie was about to celebrate a birthday – and Brie LOVES crayons. It should be noted that Brie is an adult, but if you are an adult who does no longer finds joy in a set of brand new crayons, you’re clearly not living your life to the fullest.

So I set out to find the most ideal crayon roll tutorial and settled on The Pleated Poppy - a blog tutorial featuring super-clear instructions and stunning photos.  I whipped up my first crayon roll in just an hour or so, impressing even myself – new projects never have such a quick turnaround! There were some slight mish-moshy stitching errors here and there, but overall, the project was a winner!

Notes about this project:

• It uses very little fabric! I was able to use some scraps leftover from my Friendship Bag and my nook cover  for Brie’s crayon roll.
• The tutorial linked above uses an elastic and a button to secure the roll closed, but I opted for ribbon ties instead.
• Precise measurements are crucial for both the fabric pieces and the seam allowances. If the seam allowance is too big, the crayon pockets on either end of the roll will be too small. I learned this the hard way!

Since then, I’ve felt inspired to whip up a handful of crayon rolls, assembly-line style, for all of the kiddos in my life. Messy crayon buckets be gone!

A not-so-great sewing milestone

Funny story! After giving myself that elaborate “keep moving forward” pep talk, I closed my laptop, started working on a project and promptly broke the sewing machine needle for the very first time! It was a stupid mistake that I’d read about thousands of times in the manual, yet it still happened. I’ll never forget to remove the zipper foot again!

So… now what?

1) Watch that “Keep Moving Forward” clip for the zillionth time.
2) Pull out the manual and learn how to change the needle.
3) Keep. Moving. Forward.

Keep moving forward

It’s been more than a month since my last blog post. In general, the longer I wait to write, the more and more pressure there is to write something astounding, similar to when an antsy crowd is waiting for a speech and goes silent as the speaker steps up to the podium. That pressure just makes me procrastinate more as I prepare my next what’s supposed to be my next earth-shattering move.

But truthfully, a lot has happened in the past month, and I’ve been wondering how to address it. When I started this blog, I wanted the focus to be on sewing, not my personal life. But obviously, my sewing is intertwined with my personal life, and the things I experience day-to-day will affect how, when and why I sew.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about the major themes woven in and out of my personal life lately, whether it be my empty blog, exciting changes at work or horrifying letdowns in my personal life. And I realized that lately, my mantra for all of the above has been the following: KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

One of my favorite Disney movies of all time is Meet the Robinsons. If you’ve never seen it, PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch it immediately! The screenshot above showcases a phrase that is used over and over throughout the movie: KEEP MOVING FORWARD! Here’s an inspiring (non-spoiler) clip from the movie to wet your appetite and show you the emphasis of the phrase throughout the movie.

So, what does “KEEP MOVING FORWARD” mean to me?

It means that no matter how wide my blogging gap, my goal should be to simply pick up where I left off without feeling pressure. Each day deserves equal opportunity for a blog post, regardless of what happened yesterday or the day before. Keep moving forward!

It means that when exciting changes at work come with a bigger margin for error as I try to learn the ropes, I shouldn’t live in fear or making decisions, meeting new people or trying new things. Keep moving forward!

And when I experience the ultimate betrayal in my personal life , all I can do is continue to put one foot forward at a time… hoping, trusting and having faith that happiness is just around the corner. Slowly, slowly, slowly, but surely… keep. moving. forward.

Getting me through it all have been a variety of creative endeavors, whether it be sewing or making silly videos with friends. But more importantly, I’ve taken on a handful of new sewing projects throughout the past month which I anticipate that you’ll be hearing about very, very soon!

Stay tuned as I KEEP MOVING FORWARD!