this is why.
ok. let's back up a minute. the girls are my sunshine, don't get me wrong... but those dresses! working with elastic thread has been swirling around my mind ever since i saw heather ross on martha stewart making that cute little sundress from her book. i kept thinking elastic thread would be this big scary monster, but her chilled out approach eventually had my mind filled with possibilities. all i needed to do was try. so last friday i started in on my picnic tunic prototype using that big happy red gingham. i really liked where the piece was going, but knew it wasn't perfect. time-out for a few days to knit + think. then came tunic number two on tuesday.
lowered the neckline and incorporated seam binding thinking it would give a cute ruffle around the collar once the elastic thread was in there. um, no. more thinking in the form of organizing my yarn stash late into the night. tunic number three emerged on wednesday.

raised the waistline a few inches, fixed a sleeve seaming obstacle, and made seam binding from the leftover fabric to create a casing for 1/4" elastic to gather the neck instead of the thread and... we have our winner.

in fact, i liked it so much, that i went back to fix number two's neckline and simplified the process at that. at the end of the day - a day that should have been spent getting everything and everyone ready for vacation - the girls have three dresses they absolutely love, and mama got learned. this is pretty much how i work.
try. try. try.

and with that, we're off. headed to the sea for some time together + away. the plan is to keep up with my 365 on Flickr via the iPhone, but otherwise taking a break from this space and the shop. when we're back, all sandy + freckled + rested + full, i'd like to work up this tunic pattern and would love a few test-sewers. if that is something that interests you, send me an email [jchandmadeATyahooDOTcom] with your info (name, email, blog URL and a general idea of your sewing abilities - please note, this is intended to be approachable by everyone, newbies as well as more experienced sewers). i'll be in touch in early september.
be well + enjoy your days! xoxo