The 20 minute skirt

What is with this sudden increase in sewing, you ask?  School is ending!  Summer is starting!  Our time is becoming more our own (as it should be).  It feels good just being able to do nothing if nothing is what I want to do.  (Of course I should be cleaning and organizing...but what fun would that be?!?!)

Actually, this started BECAUSE I was cleaning and organizing.  I started sorting through old clothes and such to donate...and before I knew it I was taking things out of the donation bags to breath new life into them as Laurel's summer wardrobe.

I made one like this last year (below) after seeing a tutorial posted on Pinterest.  I made a more subtle color choice this year though, which will help match more of her wardrobe. Plus I made a few adjustments this time...for instance, making the pockets big enough to actually put a hand into (oops!), and making it long enough to be comfortable for anything.  I'm not a big fan of skirts that don't play well.

I used the scrappiest scraps, making this skirt FREE.  The tan came from the striped curtains I made last year from Walmart sheets (which were only $5 to begin with), and the contrast on the pockets is from the skirt I made for myself last week.  This is why I don't throw scraps away!

I still had a hemmed edge on the sheet scrap, so I just lined it up and cut out a rectangle.  Then I cut out the pocket, and a length of trim to match.  I just folded a 2" strip of fabric (about the same length as the curve of the pocket) in half and pinned the cut edge of the strip to the cut edge of the pocket and sewed it in place.  Then you can snip the curve, press it back and top-stitch it to make it look/sit nice.  Then place a rectangle of fabric behind the pocket and sew it to the front panel.  Then sew the front panel to the back panel, make the casing for the elastic...and...done!

(For one added detail I made the casing a little too big and then sewed an extra line of stitching at the top...I don't know what you call that, but I like the way it looks)

RIP Daffy Duck

I think it's a good lesson in life to deal with death in small doses.  It's a real lesson, one that I think we shy away from in our culture.  But the truth is, it does happen, and it's awful.

Daffy was only 4 days old when he passed, but he was the duck that Laurel had bonded with the most.  He would sit and cuddle with her for long stretches.  (Likely the first sign of his coming demise)  As every day passed he became progressively less able to walk, and mostly just sat and peeped weakly.  Laurel did her best.  She came up with a special food plan, opening his beak and feeding him a few drops every hour or so.  She tried her best to nurse him to health, and to love him back to life.

On Daffy's last night Laurel decided to sleep downstairs to keep a closer eye on him.  But no matter what she did, in the morning when I woke up and went to peek on them...Daffy had passed away.  My heart broke for Laurel.  I let her sleep longer, mostly just to keep that innocent little girl innocent for a few more minutes.  But when the time came, I told her.  And she cried, and Luke cried, and I just held them and let them cry. 

It was kind of beautiful in a weird way.  As a parent, but especially as a homeschooling parent, you really get to experience everything with your kids.  And that's how it should be.  We help shape the way they handle life, death and everything in between.

Here's to Daffy Duck.  Rest in peace sweet little duck, you will be remembered by a little blonde girl for the rest of her life.