Butterfly Dress Design

Round 2: Clari versus the sewing machine attempting to create another Cassie dress...

I started thinking I would attempt to dart the top again, but after one fail and a second quasi-fail, I changed my design a bit. The top is modeled after most of the summer dresses that I wear. This is the end result.



Traveling back to the Blythe Challenge, Glenn and I took Cassie to Cabela's and kayaking at Blue Marsh Lake to get her out of town...here are some of those results!

Cassie in the kayak, and...


Cassie versus the bear!


Glenn actually helped me with this photo. I loved seeing him holding Cassie and messing with her eye chips to find the perfect "horrified" color. :) Challenge: Met. I submitted a photo collage of images that I was quite proud of, along with the story of Cassie's trip. Can't wait for the next challenge!

You have much to learn, young Jedi...

This is my first (piss poor) attempt at creating a pattern. I wanted the bodice of this dress to be fitted, and well, it fits Cassie about as well as a sack of potatos would. The skirt came out nice (usually gathers look terrible whenever I do them) the straps are too long (one is too low so that if the dress shifts, you can see her boob. Scandal!) The most irritating part is that the waistline is NOT even, and with the addition of the ribbon you can really tell. I sewed it and seam ripped it twice because it looked so bad. Then I gave up.



I posed Cass so that the dress looks the best it can. To be positive: I love the pink accent with all the blue, I love how the darkest blue in the dress is the color of her blue eye chips, and I love that I have cute little blue clips to match. I am so frustrated, but already can't wait to try again, and tweak this pattern until it is something I can make to sell in my non-existant Etsy shop!

...And now for something completely different!

This post is *not* about Cassie or Blythe. (gasps from the crowd)

This short little ditty is about my first little Bento lunch that I made. It was a super quick, easy to build Bento. It isn't really aesthetically pleasing, and it probably doesn't even qualify as much of a Bento, but it was tasty, and exactly what I was in the mood for.



Bento Contents:
-Triangular Onigiri with Salmon furikake (inside)
-Blackberries
-Cherries
-Snow Peas and dressing

The most involved part was just making the rice and shaping the rice balls. I have two very, very handy onigiri molds that turn out perfect onigiri.

I was inspired last night in the book store when I found "The Manga Cookbook." I fought the urge to buy it, as I've barely used my Kawaii Bento Boxes cookbook that I got at Katsucon.

Naturally with my affinity for buying new things, I had gotten the book, a bento box, onigiri and sushi molds, some silicone divider cups, sauce containers, and Hello Kitty veggie cutters. Before I even made this weak little bento today, I found a ton more bento supplies for way cheaper than I paid at the con. Here are some things I want...


A cute strawberry bento box (because I NEEEEED it!)

Panda food picks...

Egg Molds that shape hard boiled eggs into a rabbit or a bear (come on, that's COOL)

Two sets of Veggie/Ham/Cheese cutters

The animal cutters look sooooo cute in this pic...

Of Markets and Dollies

Two birds; one stone.

A coworker of mine invited me to come to this giant flea market that is (sort of) in our area. It's called Rice's and it only runs Tuesdays and Saturdays. Saturdays are usually a zoo...Laura and I are both off on Tuesdays. So, we decided to go, and my other co-worker/friend Rachel came too.

I figured, despite the fact that neither of them are into Blythe, that they at least had shown interest in my hobby...enough so that they would be willing to take pictures for me for...Blythe Photo Challenge #3! This one was a "Where's Blythe? (a la Where's Waldo) Challenge." I hope Cassie isn't too easily spotted! Click to enlarge it.



Cassie and I had a great time at Rice's. It was really the first place that I was completely comfortable toting her around and showing her off. When we went to Valley Forge I hid her from the people I ran into (ridiculous, since I didn't know any of them and would never even see them again!)

One of our failed "Where's Cassie" pics was at a stand that had cute hair accessories. As I posed Cass and prepared for the pic, I told the stand owner, "Don't worry, I'm going to get those clips for Cassie." She replied, "They look like they're the perfect size for your doll!" I laughed and said "Yup, SHE is Cassie." Teehee. These little clips were only $1. I will probably buy her the black set when I go back to Rice's.



I also got a great summer/pregnancy dress, a shirt for my mom (belated mother's day present) a cell phone charm, and some produce. After looking at all the knockoff Coach stuff all day, I caved at Nordstrom Rack and bought a pair of inexpensive Coach sandals that fit me really well and I really liked. That style sandal usually looks terrible on me, but the soles to the Coach ones were wide enough that my toes didn't spread over the edges of the shoe. Haha. Charming I know.



My Dollie Doll Coordinate Recipe book came the other day, and I finally decided to make a pair of jeans from the book. The free flare pattern from Puchi Collective does well for a first pair, but the ones in this book have all the pockets and detail work. I read the pattern and saw that Blythe is 22cm...however, when I googled it to double check, it said that she was 27cm. I went "oh, I must have read it wrong" (my Japanese isn't stellar) I should have had more faith in myself, because one pair of 27cm jeans later, I realized that Cassie is indeed 22cm. The 27cm fits Momoko, who is taller than Blythe. Cassie's jeans would make a great body suit, if I could get them up that high on her. I could barely squeeze her into the pair I made.



Will hopefully have a successful pair in the near future!