There are so many tutorials that people have posted to their blogs and I thought I would join in. I love making this reversible A Line dress as it doesn't take any time at all and it looks lovely on, but each time I do it, I always have to stop and re-think how to do it. So, not only am I hoping that this will be useful for others, but it will also be useful for myself! I use New Look pattern 6578 for this dress, but anything similar would do. I think, depending on how talented (or brave) you are, you could also easily draft your own. I use the 3 size from this pattern, which has been fine during the winter as Cara has been wearing the dresses over leggings. However, if she were to wear it on it's own (as I am hoping in the Summer), it is possibly a little short. I therefore decided to add a little to the length. In the end, I added 6cms (it wasn't calculated scientifically - just a rough guess!) So, pattern selected, you only need the front and back pieces. Nothing else. You now need to cut two front pieces from each piece of fabric and two back pieces. Two front pieces - one from each piece of fabric: Two back pieces - one from each piece of fabric: You now need to take the two back pieces and place them right sides together. Pin and sew where shown on the photo (the red line) Turn in the right way and press where you have just sewn. You now need to do exactly the same, but for the front. Place the two front pieces right side together and sew where shown (red line on photo) Again, turn in the right way and press and then do your button holes. You now need to sew the front pieces to the back pieces. To do this, lay each piece out lengthways - you have to sort of fold down the part you have just sewn and then it will lay out. Place the fabric right side together, but so that you have one of the patterns on the left side and the other pattern on the right hand side: Your next step is to sew the two pieces together. Starting on one side, sew the entire length of the dress (red line on the photo) - take care where you move from one dress to the other, because the better you match the seams up, the neater the finished article will look. You can now turn your dress the right way and you should be able to see it clearly taking shape. You now need to press and pin your hem. If you made your original pattern longer (as I did) then you can take the time to try it on and measure it properly. Obviously, the more time you take with the pressing and pinning of the hem, the neater the match between the two fabrics you can get. When you sew it, you need to try and get as close to the bottom of the hem as possible. Once you have done this, you can top sew it if you choose (I don't). All that's left now is to sew on your buttons. Work out where they need to go and then sew two on back to back on each strap. That should be it (fingers crossed!) Here is my finished one being modelled (whilst bouncing on the bed!)

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All I can say is WOW!! I am so excited that I now get to be a part of Classroom Freebies! I told Charity that I feel like I’ve hit the lotto. Just a little introduction- my name is Jennie Johnson and I am a reading specialist. I have been teaching for 13 years and ... Read More about Hi everyone and an RTI Progress Monitoring Sheet

Not sure what to do in Ella? This guide will tell you the 7 best things to do in Ella while you are here, the perfect Ella itinerary! From jumping into waterfalls and climbing Adam’s Peak, Ella is one of my favourite places in Sri Lanka. Ella is much cooler than other places in Sri...

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After losing another hour (or two) to pinterest the other night, it dawned on me that maybe I should turn the many future hours I’ll inevitably spend there into something productive. So today I’m announcing a new MPMK feature, Pinterest All Stars, in which I’ll be highlighting some of my most popular pins. This way …

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Prepare yourself for back to school with these "all about me" fingerprints! Each student can showcase how unique and wonderful they are! Choose 1 of the 3 fingerprint templates. (loop, whorl, arch). Students write about themselves on the lines of the fingerprint. This is perfect for the first week of school. This can be used in English, Art, Science, or any other subject. Students can share their fingerprints to find out how awesome their peers are. Bonus: includes 8 writing prompts! UPDATE! There are now 2 digital options! 1) Google Slides - students add text over a fingerprint image 2) Google Slides - students add text next to a fingerprint *Students can choose the font style, size, and color! There is also a fun version of a Venn Diagram to discuss uniqueness with a partner! And as an extra BONUS, there's a link in the PDF for a FREE editable pixel art activity! Let's Stay Connected! Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers Follow me on Pinterest Follow me on Instagram

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Happy New Year! I've spent the first 48 hours of 2013 bedridden with a violent stomach bug that has made me feel, at many points, like I was on my death bed. There was no glorious run along the Mount Vernon Trail to kick off the New Year. I didn't hang up my art work in my apartment or finish unpacking. I didn't post my 2013 goals on my blog. I stayed in bed and The Pilot took care of me as best as he could. Definitely not how I anticipated starting the New Year, but hey, it happens. Today, I'm finally starting to feel much, much better. Unbelievably dehydrated, but much better. So there's my fabulous start to the New Year. At least, I was able to ring in the New Year in proper DC fashion. My stomach bug didn't hit until approximately 1am which left me ample time to party all over the District. With all of that being said, it's time to talk goals. I don't make resolutions, I make a list of goals I want to accomplish. You can check out how I did with my 2012 goals here. So here's what I have planned for this year: 1. Run a Sub-4 Marathon: I have got to get this monkey off my back. I ran a 4:01:05 at Richmond it was my 3rd attempt at a sub-4 marathon. I still haven't decided on a spring marathon (or if I even will run one yet) but I have a fall race in mind and would like at least two shots at making this happen. via 2. PR the Half-Marathon Distance: I have a lofty time goal on here that I'm not planning on disclosing just yet. Right now, I'm training for the Cowtown Half, which is the first Half I've trained for since New York City in 2012. If I don't end up running a spring marathon, I'm going to use the spring to just really amp up my Half performance and then segway into Fall Marathon training. Current PR - 1:54:14. 3. Run a Sub-25 minute 5k: There's a Friday night 5k series in Crystal City during the month of April and I plan on running each of them and finally getting my 5k time below 25 minutes. Current PR - 25:09. via 4. Complete a 30 Day Yoga Challenge: Whether it's at home or in a studio, I want to do it. I saw my running improve dramatically with regular yoga this past year and I want to keep that up. I'd love to do it in-studio but I know that can be tough, especially with my travel goals for the year (see below), but this is one goal that I don't want to neglect. 5. Fly at least once per month: The only month I didn't fly in 2012 was January! Considering I wasn't trying to fly that much, I'll call that a success! So far, the only months this year which I don't have travel plans are July and September-December. I'm sure that's bound to change though given my propensity for spontaneous travel! This view alone is enough of an impetus to get me in the air. via 6. Explore AS MUCH of DC as possible: I love DC. I think that has been evidenced by the amount of times I've been there since I've started this blog. Now that I'm finally living here, I want to see and do as much as I possibly can while I'm here! I have no plans of leaving any time soon (shocker!) but I still want to see it all and The Pilot is right there with me. From the super touristy things like the museums and the Cherry Blossoms to the super fun things like cooking classes and Friday night 5k series, I want to do it all. I was like that when I lived in London and Boston, to an extent. New York? Not so much. 7. Study for the Foreign Service Test: The Foreign Service Test is a challenging one and takes quite a bit of time to study for. Passing the test lands you on a Register which doesn't guarantee you a post in the Foreign Service, but leaves your name out there for posts that do open up. One is typically placed on the Register for 18 months during which time you may or may not be called up. I'd like to take the test some time towards the end of the year/beginning of next year. 8. Save 1/3 of my Salary: This is the big, lofty ambitious goal on my list. I know it won't be easy but it's a big goal and I'd like to work towards it. If I don't make it to 1/3 but am able to put away some 20% of my salary, I'll consider this a success. I'm not saving for anything in particular, but I'd like to start setting a good chunk of money aside so that one day, if I decide to buy a house, I can. If I decide to take a wild 3 week trip to Fiji, I can. What this will require is bringing lunch to work every day (except maybe once or twice per month), having date nights because we want to go out, not because there isn't any food in the house, and just being a bit more frugal. I'm excited to see how this one goes. via 9. Finish my College Scrapbook: This was a big, giant fail in 2012 as well as on my 25 Before 25 list. This May, I'll have been out of college for 4 years. I need to finish my scrapbook before that time rolls around so I can start doing things with all of my other photos. 10. Continue on my Ballpark Journey: I'm at 18 with 12 more to go. With a new job, I might not be able to see them all this year, but if I can get to 3 more, I'll be happy! via So there you have it, my 2013 goals! Some are big, lofty and ambitious, others are fun. That's just how I roll. I'm so unbelievably excited for this year, it's not even funny. New city. New job. New goals. What's not to love? Bring it on 2013. I'm ready for you. What are some of your goals for the year?

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