Back to work, back to daydreaming

I survived the return to work. I'm getting used to my new routine, with early morning feedings, daycare dropoffs, and endless pumping at work. Can you believe Henry is already three months old? He's huge! And check out that quizzical eyebrow!

I finally finished reworking the disaster that is Simplicity 8125 (aka the shower curtain fabric dress) into a wrap skirt. My plan was to complete the outfit with a simple top made out of the extra orange cotton and a very simple unlined bolero jacket out of the extra white floral fabric. Then I realized it might be just a little too matchy-matchy for me, so I stopped after I finished the skirt. Pictures coming soon.

Now that I've sorted out Simplicity 8125, I've started pondering what to wear for a wedding in October. (It's my nephew Ben from Matt's side of the family - the one who made the nightstand for Henry.) Since I have so much time to ponder during my commute on the train, I've been obsessing about it. The line between pondering and obsessing is a very thin one for me. Here are my thoughts:

- Not too fancy. The wedding is outdoors at a lake in Southern Illinois, so my dress shouldn't be too fancy. Ideally it would work with the sensible-yet-fabulous ankle strap wedge heels I already own - a black pair and a brown pair.

- Fun to dance in. There will be dancing at the reception, so I'd like something swishy or twirly. I'd also like someone to dance with me (hint, hint!) so that my dress can swish and twirl, but that might be asking too much. I suppose I can act my shoe size instead of my age and join the flower girls for spinning and running around on the dancefloor.

- Not too far from the mainstream. This wedding is in a very small town with my husband's extended family and neighbors - the kind of thing where many people may know "of" me but don't really know that I'm a little odd. I'm pretty sure I'm "that girl that married Murl and Shirley's youngest" to most of the people in this crowd. If I make a spectacle of myself it may haunt Matt's family for years. And of course, there will be pictures. I could be "that girl that wore the ridiculous dress with a big petticoat to Ben's wedding" for the rest of my life. I could handle it, but I'd hate for anyone else to have to defend/explain my weirdness in my absence.

- Flattering on my post-baby body and accessible for nursing. My weight is holding steady now, with a couple extra pounds at the bust and an extra 10-15 at the lower belly and hips. I suspect that my cave-woman body is holding on to this fat as insurance against a long winter with a shortage of mammoth meat. I also suspect my body will hold on to it as long as it believes that Henry's survival depends on my fat stores. Damn you, hormones and evolution! Get with the program! I can't wear an empire waist forever!

Here are two patterns I really want to add to my collection. Even if I don't use them for Ben's wedding, I definitely want to make them soon.

Marfy 1654
I think this is a nice simple pattern to get into the Marfy pattern experience. The patterns are so much more interesting than the Big 4 pattern companies! Marfy always gets a difficulty rating of "Expert" because no written instructions are included. I think I can handle this one even without instructions. The skirt is just begging for me to use a fantastic table cloth from my stash. It has a very bold floral border print that is oriented toward the corners. It will be perfect for this pattern! If the pattern fairy is listening, a size 44 would be just right and it's OK if it doesn't arrive in time for my birthday. I can be patient. I understand it takes time for things to be shipped from Italy.

Vogue 1086 - Tracy Reese
I love this one! The reviews say this one is super low-cut, but for once that might not be a bad thing for me. I think I might be able to make it work for pull-to-the-side nursing access by leaving it low in front but adding a few tiny decorative buttons and loops to keep it decent until it's time for Henry to eat.