I turn squares into dresses and look good doing it.

I have really gotten interested in this sewing business.

In fact, I really like it!

I can absolutely, positutely, not-half-assedly check off #8, to make a dress I will actually wear.

I made this dress:

Turns out I didn't take a good picture of my dress that night.
This is it - just take that green fabric down to my knees.
(... I'm on the left.)

for my birthday this year. And it looks cute 'n all, but at the time I was not all that excited to wear it again. Partially because I was cheating and hadn't really finished it - the zipper didn't match up, I didn't actually hem it, and it fit funny in the bodice.

I cast it aside, but was nowhere near giving up. I am simply amazed, every time, when this long stretch of folded fabric becomes something wearable. I found another pattern and some beautiful fabric from bon bon and made this cuteness:

[Picture coming soon, lo siento!]

I wore it to my cousin L's baby shower and her sister (another cousin, of course) complimented me, saying it was cute. When I blurted (with pride!) that I made it myself, she absolutely inflated my ego and asked if I would make the flower girl dress for her wedding in September. How do I properly illustrate bursting with sunshine and happiness in a blog? It's basically that I felt like this:

but all of that colorful wonderfulness was inside. Pictures will be up soon, but I haven't felt this proud about an accomplishment in a long time. I look at it and beam. It's hanging up in my loft just so that I see it when I wake up and affirm that I am freakin' awesome.

PLUS I have turned birthday dress into a kind of Franken-dress; adding pockets, taking in the sides, and basically trying anything new on that dress. And I like it enough that I wore it to work, so we have us a checked-off #8 !

Update: #8 - Not going so well.

Let me explain.

I made a dress to wear to my birthday dinner a few weeks back. (I'll post a pic soon!) I like it well enough but if I am completely honest with myself, I won't wear it that often. That means I can't in good conscience check this one off.

Why, you ask? Two main reasons:
1. It's shoddy craftsmanship. I got anxious to finish and it shows, from the zipper being uneven to not hemming it and quite a few places in between. When you start looking closer, you wouldn't wear it, either.
2. It's dressy enough that I would want to wear it somewhere nice. Dinner or a banquet or something. Trouble is I don't get to many of those in my old age. And if I were attending one, I probably need to look professional at the same time... which means your bra strap can't sneak out (they're conniving little buggers!).

So I begin fresh! New pattern, amazingly wonderful fabric from Bon Bon Atelier, and a refreshed excitement to check off an item! The picture in this post is the main fabric that I'm using. I hope to post more progress pictures soon!