robe

Thank you all for your good and sound advice regarding my discount dilemma. In the end, I wrote what I hope was a kind and nicely worded email back, explaining that I would not be able to discount my goods. Frankly, I think my work is well worth the small dollar amount I charge, and besides, I already include shipping in my prices. If I make 4 items instead of 1, I realize no savings (no "economies of scale" for my fellow business majors), because it just means buying more yarn and spending more time. If she wants cheap, fast product, I'm sure she can find something on diaper swappers or ebay, and I kindly suggested she look there as well.

Moving on...

So. February. Every year February tries its hardest to take me down. I fight it, but oh man, the dark gray days, the boringness, the squirrelly kids...it is hard to keep from going crazy. I don't want to go shopping and spend unnecessarily, but where else can we go besides the mall? We are restless and bored. And sick. Did I mention the sickness in the house? Oh my word. First I was sick over the last couple weeks of January, then Hubs picked it up, then Daughter (and this is the sickest she has ever been, with a deep chest cough and clogged head), and now of course the littlest member is hacking, coughing and gagging while walking around with twin streams of you-know-what running down his face. I wander around the house, breaking up arguments, wiping noses, doing dishes, washing snot-encrusted sheets and pillowcases...I pick up my knitting and put it back down, I look at the sewing machine and sigh, thinking I'd much rather curl up under an afghan and close my eyes for just a few moments while Daughter watches a video...

Yeah. February. It sucks.

I've been slowly, ever so slowly, finishing up a few sewing projects. First up, the bathrobe I posted about last week.

This pattern is a size 5, and Daughter is turning 5 in a couple months, but it is still enormous on her. What a little twig! Commercial patterns are often like that, though. As you can see it is quite long, and the shoulder seams are falling off her actual shoulders. The sleeves are too long, requiring rolling. But it's all good, because when I make something like this, I like it to last, and she will wear this for several seasons.

Despite how crooked it looks here, it is sewn properly and is straight. The too-bigness causes it to hang unevenly in front. Also, the belt carriers are missing because when I finished it late at night, Daughter was sound asleep and I couldn't measure for where to place them. They are made...let's see how long it takes me to actually measure and stitch the silly things.

Back view. Overall we are both quite pleased with this robe. And the best part, for me, is that there are no characters on it. I can't stand sleepwear with Disney crap all over it, nor can I stand the feel of that polyester fabric they use to manufacture it (though we do have some of it...Daughter has received a few items as gifts).

I'm also stitching up a Valentine's Day gift for her, and that's almost done. I should have it finished up tonight or tomorrow. I had another eureka moment while cutting out the pattern, which I'll share. Then it will be on to planning some summer dresses and shorts - I swear the kid has grown like 6 inches over the winter, and her shorts were all too short last year as it is. She'll need shorts, sundresses, new sneakers, socks, a new sunhat...and then there are the school clothes...oh goodness. Time to go stash-diving and see what we can come up with.