Recharging the batteries

I'm taking a few days off work this week to try and recharge the batteries, so to speak. I thought some time well spent with friends, a walk or two and a little sewing was in order.
I still have ample fabric to make some more girls dresses and noticed on Facebook that the organisers were particularly requesting the peasant style dresses, rather than pillow case style. They also mentioned that the US site has stopped accepting pillow case dresses as people keep making them from their old worn out thin ones,rather than nice new ones. Can you believe it? Why would anyone do that?
But I have nice new fabric I'll be using. Naturally I needed to buy a little something extra though!

I bought this patterned fabric (on the right) in a sale last summer but never got round to making a dress from it. Now that I'm planning on doing a dress with cap sleeves, I needed something to make the sleeves with as there wouldn't be enough of the main fabric. I popped to my local fabric shop and looked at lots of pretty coloured fabrics that picked up on the flowers and leaves but they all had so much contrast that all you'd see with the finished dress would be the sleeves. So I decided to go for the simple tartan pattern on the left that almost matches the background colour of the main fabric. I may get it cut out today but probably won't have time to sew until Tuesday but I'll try and post some photos when it's finished.

I was considering taking lots of pics along the way so you can see just how easy they are to make but I think rather than do that, it would be simpler to give you all the links to the websites with the free patterns and tell you which are my favourites. I've also set up a separate tab, which you'll see at the top of the page, where I'll put pics of the dresses I've made and links etc, so everything useful is in one place.

I also came across a very moving prayer/poem which I have posted in full rather than just a link. Go and read it. NOW. Then make one dress and post it off.
Back again soon...