triplets

Happy Father’s Day George!

| Pam Kocke

Really this is another sewing post disguised as a post about Father’s Day. Because I made George a shirt for Father’s Day, and gave it to him early because I was excited that I made a complicated shirt with buttons and a collar and stuff. (It’s Kwik Sew 3484.) Next time I think I’ll make the view that looks more like a bowling shirt, with the contrasting panels.

Anyway, he likes it. So yay!

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Tardis print, next to the Tardis at the pub.

A few other pics of George and the boys, just because.

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Summer so far

| Pam Kocke

It’s the start of the second full week of summer break, and finally I have some peace and quiet! Ahhhh. I told the boys they could have a couple of weeks at home before camp started, and so they don’t start that officially until next week, but the fitness center near our house has a camp that allows drop-ins and this week’s theme is World Cup so I brought them there today.

We haven’t done a whole lot, really. I took a few days off last week so we could hang out, but one of the days was spent on set (ARE WE NOT FANCY?) while two of the boys filmed a scene for Claws (watch episode 3 in a few weeks!) and the other two days were pretty lazy, spent at home or at the pool. Not the worst thing in the world.

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Yesterday, Oliver and I had a little day to ourselves and went to an escape room and saved the world from nuclear annihilation. You’re welcome!

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We also had beignets. Look, saving the world requires carbs, and lots of ’em.

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I’ve also been sewing. Mostly stuff for other people. Hats and gifts for certain nieces who had birthdays last month. Will post pictures after they receive them. (It’s not so much that I’m very late with their gifts, but it took a while to find juuuuust the right fabric, and believe me, it was worth the wait!)

Grandee’s LSU hat:

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The boys have also started summer soccer, which is pretty intense. I think it’ll be good for them, as long as they don’t have heat stroke. They’re the youngest kids there, but as I’ve told them, playing with better kids will only make them better. And I ordered my canopy chair like the one in the picture. Woo!

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Well, that’s about it for now. A busy week coming up. Soccer of course, and we’re going to a double feature of Incredibles on Wednesday night, plus the dentist YAY, and I’m getting a haircut on Friday and oh just all sorts of fun stuff. Oh, and next week I’ll be heading to Portland for work. There are lots of fabric stores in Portland, you know. 😀

Wrapping up Me Made May 2018

| Pam Kocke

I did it! Every day in May, I wore something I made. Now, granted, near the end of the month, I didn’t post to Instagram every day because I was sick of taking pictures of myself in the same clothes I’d already posted 15 times before. (Always clean. I do a lot of laundry.)

So here’s how I rounded out the month:

May 22: The striped P4P shirt:

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Last day of Fourth grade!

| Pam Kocke

I cannot believe how fast this year went. I mean, this year really went by in a flash. Even the boys thought so. I think partially because they rode the bus and partially because third grade went at a snail’s pace because of whooping cough. But I am already predicting that fifth grade is going to go by even faster because my sabbatical starts in December, so by the time that’s done in March the year will be practically over and OMG MY BABIES ARE ALMOST IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

First day:
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Last day:

Okay, they don’t look that different, except for their hair.

At the bus stop with the girls:

Mary Catherine was excited on the first day about the bus, today was my turn to show my excitement:

Our golden steed, driven by our knight in shining armor, Mr. C…

On to fifth (!!!) grade!

Month 125

| Pam Kocke

Don’t worry, I took this on the right day, just didn’t have time to post until now.

The smiles were purchased with pastries from Gracious Bakery on the way to school on the last day of LEAP testing. It’s been a grueling week, so they needed a little treat for getting through it. (Not riding the bus was an added bonus.)

Only 3.5 weeks of fourth grade left! I can’t believe it! Those memes about the end of the school year are so, so true.

Sewing and soccer

| Pam Kocke

I started to make this just about sewing, but there’s more to life than sewing, you know.

There’s soccer, of course.

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Speaking of, my latest post for NOMB came out today.

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Generally tongue in cheek, as I am wont to do. Check it out!

Okay, this is probably really, really wrong of me. But I was videoing some of the soccer game because I knew the boys would want to watch it, and I just happened to get a video of this kid on the other team getting knocked over by a ball. He was FINE. But the video is VERY FUNNY. SO I can’t decide if I should share it or not. Hmm. How about I won’t embed it, but I’ll put a link here so you can click on it if you want to be as evil as me and watch a little kid get conked in the head with a soccer ball? Fair enough. (And yes. I slowed it down so you could see it even better.)

Last weekend, some long-lost (not really) cousins were in town and we had lunch with them. I wish I had some pictures. We were half an hour late because the French Quarter was packed so it took us forever to park so I was too frazzled to take pictures. Except of my barbecue oyster poboy. Mmmmmm.

Oh, and my Uncle Lee was here and he showed me a photo of my Aunt Nancy from when she was younger. She was my dad’s big sister, and of course I only knew her when she was older so it was lovely to see this.

Oh, look at these adorable sailors in the FQ for Navy Week!

Sewing-wise, I made this dress and this dress and both were fails (one was WAY too big, and I don’t feel like going back and reprinting and taping the pattern in a smaller size, the other was just…meh) and then I decided I needed to try the Cashmerette Springfield top again because by golly I wasn’t going to give up on it, and I was much more successful the second time. Except the bust darts were too high and the arm holes a smidge tight.

Try three was a winner! My friend Jessica sews kid’s clothes for a living and had two full boxes of adorable fabrics that she gave me and I am in HEAVEN. I made both of those Springfield tops out of fabric she gave me. I love the plaid!

Not bad.
Much better!
SO MUCH FABRIC!

And then last night I decided to try the Cashmerette Washington dress and as seems to be the case with these patterns, they don’t fit right the first time so I am going to re-make the bodice in a different fabric tonight and see if it works better. I hope so!

I also am excited about trying out this dress pattern and this skirt pattern. This weekend, I hope I can get to at least one of them!

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or dress
or skirt

Oh, but my nieces’ birthdays are coming up and I want to make them things too. So much to sew, so little time!

Ooh, and look at my cute shoes!

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Also I’ve been to Orangetheory five times in a row now because I want to get this stupid t-shirt that you have to earn by completing “a marathon” in April. Which normally, fine, 26.2 miles over the course of a month’s worth of workouts wouldn’t be so difficult except that I was out for about 10 days of the month because of travel and a funeral last week. So I might fall apart by the end of the month but BY GOD I WILL HAVE A SHIRT THAT IS PROBABLY TOO SMALL.

Some nice things

| Pam Kocke

I have a longer post coming soon, but for now I wanted to highlight these two nice things people said to me on Saturday.

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Nice thing #1:

Scene: The boys’ soccer game had just ended. Their team lost (barely) but they played really well. 

Coach: Pam, can I talk to you over here?

Me (thinking): Uh oh, what’d I do? I’m in trouble.

Coach: I just wanted to tell you that your boys are a delight to coach. They’re so well-behaved and are really supportive to their teammates. They just have great attitudes, unlike some of the other players on the team. I just wanted to let you know.

Me (is it dusty here or what?): Thank you, that’s so kind!

END SCENE

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Nice thing #2:

Scene: Cute little sewing store.  I went in “real quick” to pick up some fabric since they were having a sale that ended that day. Miles came in with me, the rest of the fam was in the van outside, frothing at the mouth because I was “taking so long.” Pleeeeease. But look at the pretty fabric I got!

Fancy Uptown older lady: Did you make that shirt?

Me: This old thing? (Not really, I didn’t say that.)
Me: Yes!

FUOL: That’s really nice! What pattern is it?

I tell her. She looks carefully at the seams and admires the bias binding. I self-deprecatingly say it’s not perfect, and I only started sewing recently. She says some more complimentary things, and some of my imposter syndrome around sewing fades. (Some, not all.)

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