I've noticed a pattern developing. For two out of the (now) three dollhouse apartment kits I've put together, I've used them as distraction/stress relief while my real-life housing is in flux.

As I alluded to in my last post, some big life changes have come. Namely, I've decided to leave my current job, and move closer to Rachel. It wasn't an easy decision to make, both because of the current pandemic, and because it means no longer working in a library. But I knew once I made the decision, it was the right one.

Life has moved quickly! I will have approximately 20 days between the last day at my old job, and my first day at the new one. In those 20 days, I will need to pack and make moving arrangements, find new accommodations, and do the thousand chores it takes to move house and change address.

So, what do I do first? Finish this kit that I started shortly after completing the last one.

As with the last kit I put together, this one has you make all the elements for the different rooms before putting together the shell and filling the space. First up was the bed for what I deemed the "spare room".

The bed for the spare bedroom, along with the shelf and desk was completed before Christmas. But I still had the rest of the furniture and accessories, along with the shell to finish.

Having this little kit to focus on in the evenings was a great way to keep my fingers occupied while my brain whirred. I began to hope that whatever my new accommodations would be, I would be able to make them as cute and inviting as this kit.

And here it is, all lit up! I think the acrylic dividers do a nice job of giving the illusion of walls and separate spaces without closing anything off. 

The pictures on the cover of the instruction booklet highlight the green and grey tones in the kit, but now that I have it all together, I'm not sure what is the main color theme. Regardless, I enjoyed imagining myself into this little apartment while making it, as I hope you've enjoyed coming along with me for the ride!

I think, like many of you, I lost the entire month of April to COVID-19. Shortly after my second full post about the red renaissance dress project, I got the okay from my boss to work from (not my) home. Once it looked like working from home would last at least a couple more weeks, I knew I needed to make other arrangements. So, I packed up my improvised home office, and temporarily moved in with my (retired) parents. This turned out to be a good thing for all of us. The pandemic has brought on a lot of introspection, and a big life change for me is in the works. But more on that in a later post. 

Thankfully, none of us have gotten the "'Rona-virus" yet. However, life has still kept us busy. My dad had the misfortune to take a tumble down some stairs and break his leg in two places, but thankfully is recovering well

The other big thing to happen in our family is the arrival of our much-anticipated niece, "C". Originally she was due the last week of May. But, we got word that doctors would prefer if she made her appearance two weeks early, on May 4. 

Fortunately, we just had time for the small, social-distancing approved baby shower - which gave me an excuse to make the cutest little baby romper. The challenge, of course, was that I would need to use what I could find in my Mom's sewing room.

After a quick search online for free baby clothes patterns, I settled on this one, which seemed easy enough

I couldn't tell you what the fabric was originally purchased for, but it was only about a yard or so. I think the purple and white flowers are perfect for a spring baby.

The romper is based off an OshKosh design, and has a self-lined sleeveless yoke on top, that closes in the back, with a baloon-style bottom that snaps at the crotch, leaving the arms and legs bare. 

Along with the fabric, I found some rick-rack to add some decoration. The rick-rack came from my Grammie, who absolutely loved the stuff. I think it will make for a special outfit - it will have a touch of C's great grandma on it.

And here it is, all finished! I can't imagine her being tiny enough to wear it. Hopefully, she'll grow quickly enough that she can only wear it once or twice. At any rate, I really enjoyed the excuse to make it. 

My sister-in-law was kind enough to send me these pictures of little miss C wearing it a few weeks after the shower, with a matching yellow hair bow. She's so cute in it! Soon after this, my brother told me her head had grown too much to for her to be able put her in it - three cheers for a growing baby :)

Ta da! This is the trim design Taylor chose! It was secretly my favorite too, but I didn't want to impose all of my design ideas. It was a WHOLE LOT OF HAND STITCHING but since the faire was cancelled for the spring I had time. 

It honestly took me a little while to work up the creative energy to get it finished. Pandemics are no joke, even if your local area isn't affected too badly. However, I even had enough trim to do the exposed chemise sleeves and the back where it laces together. 

You might be wondering if the bodice laces in the back and the skirt ties in the front, how is it held together? I tried brass rings to lace them together, but it sagged weirdly. I settled on dress hooks (think hooks and eyes, but on steroids) all around. I may need to add more when it's worn. 

Until the general health of the public at large clears up this is Schrodinger's dress - both finished and not. I can tell some re-fitting will need to happen with the sleeves, but I won't be able to tell what needs to happen until the final fitting. Good thing I always build in the ability for my dresses to fit through several sizes - I know I've put on a few stress eating pounds.