My gosh. We’ve had another one of those fortnights. I feel like I’m just hanging on for the ride, at the moment. Elena had a short bout of gastro, my parents visited, I’ve had a very bad gastro experience – and there’s been a bit of sewing snuck in along the way.

A Frizzle update too – he  (she?) seems to be on the improve and is about to start hanging out in his own little pen outside for the first time in a month. It has been a loooong month.

We’ve just had our first week of autumn here in Canberra – one of my favourite times of year. The skies are clear, the mornings are crisp, and it’s balloon spectacular time.

Elena wasn’t so keen on Yoda.

As the weather turns cooler, my mind turns to the children’s winter wardrobes. Elena’s still stuck in the dress/skirt rut, so I thought I should give pinafores a go this year. She can wear them over short or long sleeved shirts, over leggings, tights or pants. Basically, a dress for not-really-dress-weather.

I couldn’t find a pattern I liked so I decided to have a go at a slight Made by Rae Charlie dress pattern hack.

I altered the armscyes, trimmed down the yoke and took an inch of width out of the bodice and skirt. I bound the armscyes and hem with bias binding and added a pleated patch pocket (based on the great tutorial here).

I sewed this one on the tail end of my gastro bug – when I still couldn’t face food – so the sewing’s a bit dodgy but I don’t mind given I wasn’t even sure my pattern alterations were going to work.

Elena and I went on a button finding hunt after I picked her up from preschool on Friday. As we were driving to the fabric store, I told her we needed to find some pink buttons for her new dress. ‘But Mummy, I want a green dress’, she piped up from the back seat….followed by peals of laughter. What a tricker! My cheeky girl is learning her mother’s dry humour.

The fit is good, Elena is happy, and I’ve managed a coffee this morning. All is good.

• Pattern: Made By Rae Charlie Tunic & Dress Add-on – pattern hack as described above.
• Size: Size 3
• Fabric: Corduroy from Spotlight (in the stash from a sale a few years ago) and fabric for bias from Addicted 2 Fabric. Facing from a scrap sent by the lovely Fee.
• Variations from pattern: Left sleeves off, altered armscyes, trimmed yoke facing, took width out of the bodice and skirt, finished armscyes and hem with bias binding, added a pocket.
• Also sewn: I sewed the tunic up for this pair of pjs last year, and this nightie.