American Girl doll Bandeau Top and Jeans Shorts

It's been a while, but I sewed again! Finally. A couple of small, quick projects that at least made me feel like I accomplished something creative.

Courtney was here yesterday instead of Tuesday, and I finished sewing while she was here, and then she assisted me with the photo shoot, which we chose to do outdoors for a change. So excuse the somewhat washed-out photos which I took in kind of a hurry. There was no time to check them on the computer before she took the clothes home with her (not that I'd have been ambitious enough to reshoot them, anyway).

The top was made from a pattern I got from Pixie Faire (formerly Liberty Jane Patterns) on one of their "free pattern Fridays". It's the Bandeau Top. It was very easy to sew. Courtney chose the fabric from some grab bag fabrics I got a long time ago. (Don't pay any attention to how the print isn't straight - that was the weirdestly-crooked off-grain print I've ever seen!)

The only thing I would do differently if I made it again is to make the ties at least a couple of inches longer. It was hard enough for me to tie in the back, and Courtney's little fingers weren't even able to make a bow.

Aside: Courtney was very impressed with the little braid I put in Kit's hair. I liked how her one-and-only barrette went with the top. :)

I made the cut-off shorts from the Jeans pattern I've used a couple of times before. The fabric is from an old worn-out pair of my own capris - the knees had holes (genuinely worn - they weren't there when I bought them!), but the backs were fine. I of course did the topstitching to make them look "real".

I even fancied up the back pockets with a decorative stitch. It's a bit hard to see the detail in the photo, though.

When I made the jeans before, I used a twin needle for the double lines of stitching. I didn't this time, though, because it seemed easier to stitch two lines than to thread the twin needle. They turned out almost as good, anyway, I think.

After Kit did her modeling job, Courtney dressed her Marie Grace (who was conveniently along yesterday) in the clothes for a pic, too, since the outfit actually was hers.

I liked her pretty shoes!

And of course I couldn't leave out my cute assistant herself!

Soooo.... I'm back in the sewing mood! And I have a plan for the next project(s). Now just for the time. Summer is always so busy.

Just pretty

I took all of these photos alongside our driveway late one afternoon.

Purple loosestrife:

Yellow sweet clover and purple loosestrife:

White sweet clover:

Alfalfa blooms:

Wild roses:

Minus one

Count these kittens.....

Yep, only five.

It is with much sadness that I tell you that little Aggie is gone. Gone as in I-don't-know-where. Just gone. Disappeared.

I had left them outside for a while after dark Monday night, and when I went to bring them back into the garage for the night, only five came. No Aggie. Anywhere. I searched and called for a long time... finally gave up after the last call at midnight. I hoped the next morning she'd be snuggled up outside the house with her mama, Rainbow, but she wasn't. I searched and called some more, but to no avail. I gave up.

I can only imagine what happened to her. And I don't like what I imagine. It almost seems like it has to be some kind of predator... a fox? a coyote? an owl? The kittens never ventured far from the house... maybe only as far as the other side of the driveway that I knew of. And what would come that close to the house? So strange.

And so sad. Of course she was my favorite. Such a sweet little thing. I knew she was going to get awesome markings like Annabelle, and I was looking forward to seeing what her coloring turned out to be. I guess I'll never know.

I sure miss her little freckled face........

Close-ups

After I'd taken the first turkey photos I showed you yesterday, I noticed a weird-looking thing on the floor of the machine shed. From a distance, it sort of looked like a coconut half that had been cracked open. Upon closer observation, here's what I saw:

It was big, probably at least 3 inches across.

Yep, it was a mushroom (toadstool?). I thought it made for a cool macro (very close-up, as in me down on my knees) picture.

Here's a different look that I got by using the flash:

Also on the floor of the shed was this:

It's the white-tipped toes on the back foot of an otherwise all-black cat named Climber. :)

Almost missed it

This post has been updated. See below.

Saturday morning as I went out to feed the cats, I noticed this hen turkey clucking around by the lilac bushes. 

As I got closer to her, she seemed to get very wary, and suddenly I heard a little "cheep" from in the bushes. With one eye on the hen, I started searching the bushes, but they're so thick, I doubted I'd be able to see any little ones. To my surprise, a little turkey flew up into the higher branches of the lilacs!

I ran back to the house for the camera, hoping the baby would stay put. When I got back, I couldn't find where it was, but then it flew to a more distant part of the lilacs. I tried to find it, hoping for a photo. Rainbow (the cat) had followed me, and mama turkey got very upset and chased her off. Wish I'd gotten a photo of that. :) Or a photo of her coming at me after that, but I was too busy sticking out my foot and shooing her off! Thank goodness that worked!

I finally gave up. The lilac row was too long and too thick to be able to see any babies, and mama turkey was getting very distraught and I didn't want to upset her more or have her come at me again!

I proceeded into the machine shed to feed the cats, but as I got in there, another little baby turkey flew from the rafters and out the door! I guess they weren't such 'babies' as I'd thought! Then I wondered if there could be any more in there.....

Lo and behold, I was in luck! I spotted another one still sitting in the rafters! It allowed me 3 shots before it flew to the back of the shed and into the wall (ouch!) and disappeared under some machinery.

Unfortunately, in my haste to get a photo, I forgot to check the exposure reading on the camera, and the pics I did get were waaay too dark. Bummer. But here's the best one, enhanced as well as I could, just to prove there really was a baby turkey there (center of photo):

I cropped it for a closer look, but of course the quality is terrible:

So the mama had at least 3 winged-and-able-to-fly babies. I then left her to her clucking trying gather them back together. I hope she found them all. At least I haven't seen any evidence that any cats made a meal of them.

Here's a photo I took a few years ago of a turkey baby that happened to be right outside our garage. They're easier to photograph when they're this little. :)

Update: I no more than got my comment below posted (from my iPad, while still in the comfort of my bed), when I heard a strange thumping sound coming from.... somewhere! It would thump a bit, stop, then thump some more. Grandpa had already left, so I knew it wasn't him. The cats were supposed to be still locked in the entry, but I thought they might've escaped to the basement while Grandpa was down there, as it's happened before. But the sound continued too long for a cat. I hopped out of bed to investigate, but still couldn't figure it out. Then I looked out one more window, and voilà!

I grabbed the camera and rushed to my sewing room, and this is what I saw out that window:

This crazy gobbler was pecking at my window!

It's not the first time a turkey has done this. If you want to see one in action, there's a kind of fun video here.

Take another look at that pic above. Down in the right-hand corner.

Yep, she wasn't alone! And here's a much better shot than I got Saturday:

There were two hens and another baby in the background. Soon they were on their way. Thank goodness! I wondered if the window would hold up!

When I got back upstairs and finally looked out the window, they were already out past the garden. I couldn't see too well with stuff in the way, but there were at least six babies! Ugh. At least they were beyond the garden and not in it destroying my crops. I guess the distress of Saturday morning didn't deter the hen from coming back. Darn it.