A few fuzzy cell phone pictures of his first moments and first day until my old school film is processed:

We're all well and back home again. More details and pictures later, but a few lines from the excitement will give you an idea of the story to come: 

Me: (On all fours in the jacuzzi tub, experiencing what I think is the start of transition) Daaaammit these really hurt now!!!  OH. My water just broke!

Sweet Cheeks: Okay, Okay. I'll go get someone!

Me: (Still on all fours) I'm pushing! I have to push! 

Sweet Cheeks: Don't push Don't push! We don't know if you're ready!

Me: (Feeling head pop through) It's too late! He's coming out!

Sweet Cheeks: Oh my God Oh my God!

.....

Afterwards: 

Sweet Cheeks: I NEED A DRINK. 

Patter was born at 4:04 pm on August 31 and weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

I am very happy with how it turned out & am taking a break to post some pics & the tutorial before I finish the 2nd one up. This is an awesome way to recycle those old t-shirts you have sitting around. Anyways first the pics, then the tute! It only takes a few seams & can be done on a serger or a regular sewing machine. It is stretchy & easy to get on, so kiddos can easily dress themselves. I will say that its not the best for crawling as it gets pulled down a lot, but otherwise it is great & can grow with them! First has a fun summer dress... then a summer tunic top & then a skirt!!

So here are the pics of little miss Carlie :) She is standing good & taking 3-8 steps in a row now!

And on the mannequin as a toddler tunic...

Finally on the OTHER mannequin as a skirt :)

Now for the FREE tutorial!!!! This dress was made with a mens XL jersey t-shirt... the finished product is about 14.5" long. It also works as a tunic top for taller toddlers & girls & if you fold the neck peice inside (or skip it) it makes a great skirt for bigger toddlers, girls, teens & adults too. It is a perfect light weight summer peice! I plan on making a matching yoga waist shorts tutorial out of the sleeves too... so check back soon!

T-shirt Summer Dress or Shirt or Skirt :) Tutorial

Supplies:

XL mens t-shirt that stretches both ways (pull collar & bottom & then pull under both armpits... it should stretch all ways) you can use smaller & bigger shirts... a mens XL with make a dress for a 1-2yr old, a tunic top for most 2-10 or 12yr olds & a skirt for a toddler, girl, teen or adult! Jersey knit cotton is ideal.

3/8" elastic 18-20"

Pins

Safety Pins

Scissors

Thread

Sewing Machine or Serger

And of course an adorable little monkey to try it on :)

STEP 1: Take your t-shirt & cut it all the way across right below the armpits...

STEP 2A: On the top remain part of the shirt cut out your neck piece... this is a rectangle that is 2" wide & as long as you need to pull over your little ones head! For most 15"-18" should be more then long enough (remember it will stretch). If you are just making a skirt you can skip this & all neckband steps!

STEP 2B OPTIONAL: If you have a serger you can now finish the short ends of your neck peice & the top raw edge of the dress body. This just gives is a little more professional look. If not its okay!!!!! Knit does not need to be finished as it does not unravel!

STEP 3: Fold your long neck piece in half with the 'right' side (outside side of the t-shirt) is touching each other inside... you should now have a long 1" piece... you know want to sew a 1/4 seam the full length to form a tube. This MUST be a stretch stitch... sergers work best, but most sewing machines have a stretch stitch... & if not you can use a narrow semi-long zig zag stitch... all 3 will work fine. You then want to turn the tube right side out so that the seam is inside & you have a long tube...

STEP 4: You know want to grab the bottom of the t-shirt that we are turning into the body of the dress. You want to fold the top edge in about 3/4 of an inch & pin... this is to create the casing... you want to do this all the way around the shirt.

STEP 5: Sewing the casing! You will want to sew about 1/2 for what will be the 'top' of the dress... this will make a 1/2 casing to hold the 3/8" elastic. Make sure to start by the side seam from the tee as it will now be the side seam on the dress. You want to leave about a 1" opening at the side seam so you can feed the elastic through. This is done on a regular sewing machine with your stitch length set at 4 or longer.

STEP 6: Find the center front of the dress... I do this by grabbing the 2 side seams & folding in half & marking the top edge... then transfer the mark onto the inside of the casing.

STEP 7: The neckband... this is when you need to bribe your assistant with a banana cookie so you can safety pin it & test it over their head! You want it to fit over their head but still be short enough to allow for good front coverage. If you child has a really big head you can add a button hole at one end & a button at the other... you then only attach the end with the button to the dress. When you get the sizing right pin it to the front middle of your dress on the INSIDE of the dress (note you see the casing)

STEP 8: Now take it to your sewing machine & sew it in the same place as your casing seam, & then sew at the very top edge as closed to the edge as you can... you only need to sew a few inches, just make sure to back stitch on both ends! I used brown thread so you can easily see the seams on the back side...

STEP 9: Feed your elastic through! This is where the safety pins come in handy again. Then this time you bribe the little monkey with some water melon so you can test it out & get the elastic adjusted just right! I cut 20" of elastic & when I sewed my elastic together I had a 1" seam allowance so my finished dress is 18" wide at the elastic. The dress fits my skinny 11.5 month old twins... who wear a 6/9 month width, but it stretches to fit me as a SKIRT! It could easily fit a 32" waist. I just used the cheap soft stuff from Wal-Mart. Anyways once you feed the elastic through you sew the 2 ends together where ever you want it to fit. Then trim the excess elastic leaving about a 1/4 inch tail & push it back inside. Now you need to pull the gathers out of the way... & sew the casing closed! I have also found that to keep the elastic from twisting or the end lump from floating around I like to run a quick stitch on the side seam up to the top edge (see photos below)

Thats it YOUR DONE!

If you try out any of my free tutorials & have any pictures that you would like to post in my new photo gallery please email me. Enjoy & happy crafting!

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Ja, så er det åbenbart lykkedes de "frigjorte" feminister at få gennemtrumfet, at de må hive deres hængepatter frem i svømmehallerne. Det er sandelig godt, at søstrene har noget at gå op i - tildækning af patter i svømmehallerne er jo et samfundsmæssigt problem af en størrelse, som næppe kan undervurderes.

Flot, piger - i får garanteret en masse ægteskabstilbud ud af det - fra romantiske, mellemøstlige mænd med brune mandel-øjne og hedt blod, som - hvis de lykkes, vil tillade jer helt selv at bestemme, om I vil dække hele kroppen til, eller have halsen skåret over.

Dumheden på venstrefløjen er tilsyneladende grænseløs.

Det drejer sig selvfølgelig om fyre! Inden jeg går videre med min fortælling, vil jeg lige beskrive mig selv. Jeg er almindelig af højde, og har et rimeligt pænt ansigt. Så mangler jeg bare at fortælle, at jeg har meget store bryster. Det er faktisk det, min fortælling handler om.

I en alder af 25 år har jeg efterhånden været sammen med en del fyre. De har stort set alle sammen været mest interesserede i min bryster. Hvis jeg er til en fest, er der altid én eller flere fyre, som hurtigt bliver interesserede i mig. Jeg kan altid mærke det, fordi de begynder at stirre på mine bryster, mens de smiler frækt til mig.

Måske er problemet, at jeg ikke går med bh. Det har jeg aldrig gjort, men jeg ved da godt, at mine bryster er ret tydelige hvis jeg kun har en T-shirt eller en tynd skortebluse på. På den anden side kan man jo ikke altid have en stor sweater på, vel?

Hvis jeg alligevel falder for en fyr, viser det sig næsten altid, at det bare er mine bryster han er interesseret i. Det kan være, jeg skal give et eksempel. For ikke så længe siden, var jeg til en stor fest hos en gammel skolekammerat. Der var selvfølgelig masser af fyre og piger, der var ude at more sig. Jeg havde taget en almindelig sweater og en nederdel på. Men alligevel - så snart jeg bevægede mig rundt i stuerne, kunne jeg høre fyrenes bemærkninger:

- Hold da kæft nogle store nødder! eller:

- Se hende med de store patter!

Og så er det altså, man føler det er et kødmarked, og det er lige før, jeg begynder at hade mine bryster!

Senere på aftenen kom en fyr, der hedder John hen og snakkede med mig. Mens vi snakkede, gloede han selvfølgelig på mine bryster. Men ikke lige som alle andre fyre. Han gjorde det ligesom mere naturligt og uden at grine frækt. Det endte med, at jeg faldt for ham og tog med ham hjem.

Efter et par glas vin havnede vi så inde i hans seng. Han klædte mig af og begyndte at lege med mine bryster, mens han kyssede mig. Når en fyr behandler mine bryster på den måde, er det bare helt naturligt, og jeg bliver især ret liderlig, hvis han tager lidt hårdt på dem. Mens han legede med mine bryster, tog jeg fat om hans pik, og så sagde han:

- Du har kraftedeme et par skønne store patter! og så var jeg var færdig!

Jeg troede, han var anderledes, men det var han selvfølgelig ikke! Jeg blev så vred, at jeg sagde, at han til gengæld havde en utrolig lille pik, og det havde han altså også! Så blev han gal, og det endte med at vi diskuterede store bryster og små pikke. Til sidst satte han sig ovenpå mig, så mine arme var låst fast ind til kroppen. Han klemte mine bryster hårdt sammen og begyndte at støde sin pik ind i kavalergangen.

Som jeg fortalte tidligere bliver jeg altid liderlig, når en fyr tager lidt hårdt fat, så mod min vilje begyndte jeg at stønne i takt med hans stød. Jeg fik den ene hånd fri og begyndte at spille fisse, som aldrig før. Samtidig med hans sperm sprøjtede ud ovre mine gyngende bryster, fik jeg en vild orgasme. Bagefter undrede jeg mig lidt over, at sådan en lille pik kan levere så meget sperm!

En anden gang, hvor jeg mødte en liderlig brystfikseret fyr, var på stranden, hvor jeg altid solbader topløs. Hér har jeg oplevet en del fyre, som spillede den af oppe i klitterne, mens de lå og gloede på mine bryster. Lidt irriterende blev jeg som regel alligevel liggende. Senere om eftermiddagen kom en ung fyr gående. Han havde cowboybukser og en løsthængende skjorte på. Mens han gik, kunne man tydeligt se, at han var på udkig efter piger.

Da han kom hen til mig, gloede han uhæmmet på mine bryster. Han gik videre hen ad stranden, men efter en halv time kom han tilbage igen.

- Vil du med en tur op i klitterne? spurgte han, og selvom jeg blev forarget, blev jeg også lidt liderlig.

Jeg tænkte på at spille kostbar, men et blik på hans bukser fik mig hurtigt til at skifte mening. Hans pik fik bukserne til at se ud som om, de var et par numre for små. Jeg rejste mig og gik efter ham op i en dyb gryde. Han tog hurtigt tøjet af og stod dér foran mig med den største pik, jeg længe har set. Dét var noget andet end ham "lille-John".

- Skal jeg smøre dig ind i solcreme? sagde han, og jeg nikkede, mens jeg lagde mig ned. Han satte sig hen over mig, så han kæmpepik strittede op i mit ansigt. Med bestemte bevægelser smurte han cremen ud på mine bryster, mens han klemte de strittende vorter. Jeg stødte underlivet op mod ham, og han smilede frækt til mig.

Hans pik var efterhånden helt blå i hovedet, og jeg spurgte om vi ikke skulle se at komme videre. Det syntes han var en god idé, og han foreslog, at jeg lagde mig op på alle fire.

- Det ser frækt ud, når dine patter gynger, sagde han, og placerede derefter en hånd på hver, mens han stødte sin kæmpe pik op i min våde mis. Dét var den største pik, jeg længe havde fået, og som sagt har jeg alligevel prøvet en del! Han stødte et par gange, mens han klemte mine store bryster, og jeg stønnede højere og højere.

Så trak han dyret ud, og jeg vendte mig om. Jeg satte mig på knæ foran ham, og klemte brysterne sammen, så han kunne presse pikken ind mellem dem.

Efter et par hurtigt stød, brølede han højt og sæden væltede ud over mig. Jeg tror nærmest hele stranden kunne høre os, men det tænkte vi ikke lige på. Da han var kommet lidt til sig selv, smurte han sæden ud over mine bryster, og sagde, at jeg havde de dejligst patter han nogensinde havde mødt, og denne gang tog jeg det som et kompliment. Jeg svarede, at hans pik også var den bedste, jeg længe havde mødt.

Det var ikke sidste gang, vi sås, men dét er en helt anden historie...

Dagens indlæg er faktisk en tak rettet til først Ekstra Pladder for, at forsyne mig med billige grin, og derefter skal der så lyde en større tak til Camilla Sys Tygesen for at få smilet tilbage på mine læber! Hun er åbentbart en kendt dansker (ja, jeg kendte hende så ikke, men nu er jeg heller ikke målgruppen for de to tv-realityshows "Paradise Hotel" og "Robinson Ekspeditionen 2007", som hun har været med i...)

Nå, men grinet har sit udspring i en fotosession hun var med til på mandesitet Hotjug.dk - læs nogle af hendes meget intellektuelle udtalelser i artiklen "Troede ikke at det var gennemsigtigt" - hvor de fik den geniale idé, at dyrke bodypaintens fine kunst... Hvad Camilla ikke lige havde tænke over var, at når man kropsmales, ja så har man ikke som meget tøj på (?)

Camilla udtaler til Ekstra Pladder:

" Jeg havde ikke troet, at det var så transparent,..." &

"Det så ellers ud til, at jeg var dækket, men på billederne er malingen meget gennemsigtig, haha."

our featured crafter today is the lovely erica of ericalyn designs. erica has been creating her wonderful items on etsy since 2006.

now. you might be wondering: why on earth is she so excited?

may i present to you this weeks item:

these bright and colorful boots have a geometric pattern on the outer fabric, a dark brown inner lining and an olive green soft velor sole. they are sized to fit up to approximately 6 mos and are perfect for a baby shower gift or to welcome a new baby home.

as someone who has 2 nephews, 3 friends currently pregnant, 4 friends with newborns and young babies, and the plethora of friends with kids...i think i have the baby gift giving thing down pat. and these will definitely be added to the list of things to buy.

and the best part of all...you can have them custom made! meaning, you get to pick what they look like. amazing. that is, if you can't find something in her shop that you like already. she sells boots, pacifier clips, hair accessories, and more.

if you want to enter to win these adorable little boots, leave a message with your favorite baby gift (does not have to be from ericalyn designs).

all entries must be posted by midnight on thursday, 1/24. winner will be announced on friday, 1/25.

Way no. 1: Disregard the importance of patter.

Practice your sleights, movement, choreography till your heart's content. Be wary of your angles. Determine in advance your "out" when you mess up your trick. But don't give your patter the slightest thought.

Patter is mere talk. You talk every day. You have been talking all your life since you were a toddler.

So what's the big deal with patter, then? Why sweat it out? All you need to do is just think on your feet and sparkling words will flow beautifully from your tongue.

Think that way, and your patter will suck big time---guaranteed!

Way no. 2: Don't plan your lines.

Find no reason at all to build up your inventory of stock lines.

Drivers fill their gas tanks when they take an important trip. Airline pilots fill their planes with jet fuel before they fly, lest they crash. But magicians---the ones who pitifully grope for words while performing---go to a performance with empty tanks. No ready lines, no learned ripostes, no tucked-in-the-back-of-the-mind repartees.

Ever wonder why they crash even before they lift off the ground?

Way no. 3: Think you can wing it!

Think improvisation. Be convinced that thinking on one's feet is a skill. Improv is artistry, right?

Right, but only because those who do improv acts are already skillful and experienced artists. They have been in the business for many years, performing from scripts. A performer who has reached a high level of experience and skills can do away with prepared scripts and still slay audiences.

A neophyte magician, lacking a seasoned performer's experience, cannot do that, unless he is a genius or a precocious marvel endowed with an extraordinary gift of gab.

Think about it. Even experienced motivational speakers plan their speeches. Bro. Mike Vilarde, one of the most charismatic speakers in the country, has his notes. He already has a master plan of his talk before he even talks.

Most so-so magicians, of course, don't have a clue what to say when breaking-in a new trick. Most resort to a literal patter like, "Now, I cut the deck (he says this while cutting the deck of cards), I shuffle it like so (and he shuffles the cards), and snap my fingers (he snaps his fingers), and the Queen of Diamonds is now on top of the deck (he shows the Queen of Diamonds on top of the deck).

Hmmm, literal patter...the most hypnotic part of a magic performance. It induces people to sleep.

Way no. 4: Don't write a script of your act.

Yes, 99% of magicians don't write a script of their act. Eugene Burger, Jamy Ian Swiss, Ken Webber and a few other notable thinkers of the art have been shouting about it for years on top of roofs, but their words have fallen on deaf ears.

Maybe 99% is an exaggeration. What I'm trying to say is that many magicians have been afflicted with hearing impediments when it comes to the Gospel of Scripting.

I've heard the Doubting Thomases say, "But scripting the patter will make the act look rehearsed."

Well, the advantage of scripting is that you can make your act look (or sound) the way you want it to be. If you want to perform as an elegant performer, you can write a script filled with elegant language. If you want to perform as a street performer, you can adjust the choice of language accordingly. I know, because my script for close-up performances are studded with short, even choppy, sentences. The script is differently written from the script I use for more formal platform performances.

Way no. 5: Don't practice your script.

This is where the non-advocates of scripting are right. Pre-written patter will sound stilted precisely because it has been pre-written.

While this may be a valid observation, the drawback is not beyond remedy. All the magician has to do is practice the script as zealously as he practices his sleights, so he can deliver effortlessly his lines.

Surely, Al Pacino's words don't sound stilted when he mouths his lines in The Godfather. They don't seem stilted at all when he delivers them as another character in Scarface.

Of course, not many magicians have the acting and speech skills of Al Pacino. But if we approach our art as methodically as actors approach theirs, I'm sure we can find some marked improvements in our performances.

Stay magical,

Leodini

www.leodini.com

Watch Magic 'To (The Next Level), September 8, 2007, 8 PM, Philamlife Theater, UN Avenue, Manila

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