Stumped

My fun projects aren't really working out this week. I haven't yet touched the sideboard doors. The baby sweater is actually coming along, though slowly. Worst of all, the dress I'm making for Minna has me lost. I am usually very good at following instructions and having a garment just work out. I'm stuck at the neck facing. I could just wing it myself, add a 1/2" and hope for the best, but I really like to follow the directions. 

This is what the instructions say. But as you see in the photo below the facing does not overlap 1/2", it lines right up to the back fold.

This is a quick screen shot of the pattern piece. No notches 1/2" into the inside curve of the facing. Maybe that's not the issue but I'm clearly missing something.

HELP! I'm stuck and just want to keep sewing!

To Do Queue

Sunday the family drove to NH for the afternoon to celebrate my Mother-in-law's birthday. Tiny Minna had a great time. She's adores the chickens!

Holding one of the baby chicks (Scout) that we chicken sat for two weeks.

Kissing Scarlet, one of the year old laying chickens.

And she got to go on a "tractor ride" with Papa. Ok, it's a riding mower. What does she know?

This week I'm going to try to FINISH 3 projects. I'm terrible about finishing. In fact, I'm only very good at just barely starting. Here's a little glimpse into the intended works.

Baby sweater

Minna dress

Pesky sideboard

These are not priorities unfortunately. But I'm going to spend time doing them so I can feel a little like myself. The sweater is a gift for a new baby. The dress is for my own baby. The sideboard is technically for me, but it's really something of a home improvement that will benefit all 3 of us. I have only the doors left to finish sanding the little grooves, stain and poly. Then hardware and it's complete! I guess when I say I'll finish the sideboard I mean just short of the hardware. I haven't decided on what I'll use yet.

You can take bets on how many, if any, of these projects I'll finish. Or work on. Or find.

Best Dressed Easter Egg Hunter

Even without an accessable work space I knew I wanted to make baby Minna an Easter dress.  I really haven't sewn anything for her yet besides her quilt.  Come to think of it, I haven't made much of anything for her.  I need to remedy that.  For her Easter dress I used the oliver + s Fair Tale Dress pattern.  It's crazy adorable with a Peter Pan collar and tulip shaped short sleeves (why didn't I get pictures without the sweater!?) 

I also borrowed a little diy from The House That Lars Built.  Baby needed twisty bunny ears!  I could hardly believe she kept them on for the entire egg hunt.  What a kid.

Her first Easter egg hunt was a great success!  GUJay (that's Great Uncle Jay) filled all her eggs with Teddy Grahams, Goldfish & animal crackers, none of which she had tried before and all of which she crammed down her throat, one egg at a time.  In most if not all of these photos her mouth is very full.

Next up for adorable Minna dresses, I'm sticking with oliver + s because they have some adorable patterns and I'm going to try the Family Reunion dress in a cute white fabric with tiny colorful raindrops.  I'll post some cutie pics of it and maybe some more detail pictures of this Fairy Tale dress.  As soon as I find my sewing machine in the mess...ugh.

Just the beginning

2 years ago my husband took the reigns as the owner of great landscape gardening company. 15 months ago we had our first baby, the best thing that has ever happened to me. In November I "started" my little company, Homebird Studio. So far my business has entailed just one holiday craft fair and technically a net loss. But I want more!

What I want from Homebird Studio is to do what I love (making!) and be able to contribute financially. While I don't know the best way to go forward, I know a few steps I will need to take. First of all, my online presence. I know it's important but it seems so hard. Spending time on the internet?  Not generally an option. And if I do have 5 minutes on the computer I really like to spend it looking at other blogs with great ideas and lovely photos (Design*Sponge is like a drug). But if I want to do this well I know I need to get my etsy store going and have some semblance of a regular blog.

Also very important is my work space.  Right now I do not have one.  We rent an adorable little 2 bedroom house.  We have one room that serves as our dining room, my husband's office and my "studio."  To make my studio work better we thrifted a sideboard to refinish but between a one year old and some rainy days (and a Zumba-thon!) I haven't even finished sanding it properly.  But here it is as sold.

And with some sanding.

Maybe this weekend I'll get it finished?  Until then my work station looks like

Need I say more?  At least I've started working on my work space.  And now I've started my blog!  Baby steps...