It's been a few weeks now, but I made this dress for my friend Shannon. We went down to Lake Street Mercantile and she picked out this lovely blue and black plaid from their sale vault with every intention of making it for her and teaching her a little bit about how to sew.

I whipped this one out in a few hours, but considering it's the third time I've used this pattern, it was pretty much a cakewalk.

The pattern is from New Look. I love the cut and the way the bodice fits. Of course there are 3-4 different ways you can make it, but I've been pretty much using the same style every time and changing how I put the back together.

For Shannon's I used a criss-cross in the back so that it gave her a little more support. I also ommitted the zipper because it's just a casual sundress and, really, do you always need a zipper in these dresses?

Apartment Gardening

For years I have tried to grow things in an apartment and failed. Usually small herb gardens in little pots that die halfway through the summer because they're not getting enough light or I forget to water them...or earwigs eat them in the night (yuck).

This year we are very lucky to live somewhere with a community garden. We got our plot rented and weeded and last weekend spent the afternoon planting the many fruits and vegetables that we acquired the day before. I even splurged for the frost protecting fabric because, as we are in Michigan, a frost or two in late April is bound to happen.

We ran into a snag though. In the excitement to be growing our own food and hungry bellies anticipating future fresh veggies and berries, we had far too many plants for a plot that became full fast. And we had bought seeds too, so there was no room for the seedlings. Alas! What shall we do?