Fun on the Fourth

We got billman's burgers, Mexican corn on the cob, and (not that great) strawberry lemonade down by the river. It was super hot. It seems like it's been much hotter this summer than any of the other summers we've lived here.





I made my dress by tracing one of my cap sleeve shirts and extending it to the widest possible width on the bottom (half of the fabric width). The stripes actually lined up, which is pretty awesome. I used knit stay tape on the neckline, sleeves, and the bottom hem and it worked perfectly. Ansley didn't want to wear her fourth of July dress and the fabric I used for mine was sold out so she wore this one I got for under ten dollars from Crazy 8. I'm thinking I should make a matching skirt for me. . . . The bucket hat is from last year, using the oliver + s pattern.





We bought some fireworks and snaps. Ansley had a lot of fun.









I didn't take any pictures of the local fireworks b/c we didn't camp out for a great spot and I already had a lot from Celebrate America. The next night our neighbors set off some:





And we had some of our own.

My Nephew's Birthday Party

My adorable nephew recently turned one. My sister threw him a fantastic baseball party!!!



I made a little blazer with suiting fabric for the exterior and baseball fabric for the interior. The pattern is by Melissa of Blank Slate Patterns. (Ansley's blazer blogged here). I changed around the way I sewed up the lining and exterior so I could eliminate hand sewing (not my forte ha), like in this post. I debated whether I should topstitch the coat so the corners and notches always look sharp or if I should leave it untopstitched (which looks better) but then the corners won't always look as great. I ended up topstitching it. I made an 18 month size and it's just right. I guess he won't need a suit coat in the summer. :) Also, I would like to point out that this is the best buttonhole I've ever made.





Moving on. . . . I semi-homemade baseball style tees for us. I started with basic tees that were on sale at Joann and cut off the existing arms, with a diagonal going through the armpit (which is key- yeah, I totally messed up mine since I practiced on mine) and drafted raglan long sleeves. I also sewed the binding around the neckline and though I only used a strip of rib knit that was about 80% the size of the neckline, I probably should've used a strip that was closer to 60% b/c they don't lay completely flat. They aren't bad, but they can be better next time! (Ansley's skirt blogged here).









I loved the decorations and it was fun to see family and friends. :)









I tried to get Ansley to turn her cookie around so I could take a picture of the baseball and this is what I got. The cookies were so good! There were also hot dogs and burgers and other basebally foods.





Not a fan of the cake.



Presents with a little "helper."











Sleepy.









Luscious hair.





































Loved the pictures of his first year.