Why I've been absent and more bubble shorts

I haven't been posting much and for that I apologize.  I've been sewing up a storm, though!  I recently launched an etsy shop to help with my sewing addiction.  You see, I love to sew so much that I can't stop even though my daughter's closet is packed full.  It's an addiction and not a cheap one!

I've been spending a great deal of my free time figuring out branding, packaging and product for the shop.  There's not a whole lot in it right, now, but I'm feeling pretty good about what I've done so far :)





Here is a sweet ensemble I made using a self drafted pattern for the top.  It's a basic peasant top but it's gathered into a circle yoke and held together with a button in the back.  It ended up being a size bigger than I expected.  I'm not sure why.  I suspect someone forgot to take into account the extra length that would be added by the yoke.  I have no respect for sloppy pattern making...





The shorts are Elegance and Elephance Bubble Pocket Shorts but without the pockets.  I love their structure and fit.  These 3T/4T fit much better than the blue 18/2T that I made.  I might even make a size bigger next time.  I love how forgiving making your own elastic waist bottoms is.  You can make the elastic any size you want!  I don't know why I was afraid of sewing bottoms for so long!  To help differentiate the front from the back, I sewed a little twill tape tag to the back.





To accentuate the nice lines on these shorts, I added contrasting top stitching on every seam.  I love how they turned out!  Although, my stretch twill was kind of a pain.  Sometimes, it would stretch a bit and then my topstitching would look uneven or puckered.  I've been struggling with the tension on my machine and I think that might be why or maybe I'm just incompetent.  Either way, I still love them.