I flickr-posted pictures of my dress in process last night and this morning I found a comment from Emira:

So you're telling me that eventually there will be time and space in my life to sew again?

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! And you don't have to sell your soul to do it! But you do have to brush up on your negotiating skills and hone your selective hearing skills.

Between me and C, our negotiations went something like , "I'd like to take my motorcycle over to Tom's to switch out the bearings. Would that be okay?" "Yes. And I'd like to work on this new dress pattern I just got, but I need uninterrupted time to do it. Would that be okay?" These negotiations work better if you have a gleam in your eye that says, "I really need to do something for myself, please let me do this, please!"

Sometimes stinky diapers help with negotiations, they add a little leverage. The hardest part is if I'm sewing/drawing/having me time and I hear M crying in the other room. The urge to go find out what's going on is very strong, but I have to tell myself I need and deserve me time and I have to let Charlie stay in charge. {And also don't run into the other room every time you hear something that sounds cute and/or exciting.}

The details: Colette Pattern # 1004 {Eclair}; Alexander Henry Fulham Road Bluebells for the outer shell and an old calico sheet for the lining {not seen}; Hancock Fabrics Madras Plaid for the contrasting sash. The dress has gatherings, hidden pockets, a lining, and a hidden zipper, so it threw me right back into the ring of challenging sewing, but it's fun to watch it all come together. I'm not sure why I thought a dress with so much gathering at the hips was a good idea, though. . . hmmm.

{PS I put a few ready made etsy shop banners up in the ol' etsy store yesterday. Check 'em out, they're cheap!}