Flannel, Wheelbarrows, and Baby Goats

"Wait, just one more picture!" My sister said as we finished photographing her new dress and began to walk back to the house.
"Ok?" I agreed, as my sister flopped down in the wheelbarrow and posed.

My sister had spent most of the morning pushing that wheelbarrow back and forth across the yard, loaded with hay, as she prepared our kidding shed for the new baby goats due any day now. And it did make a fitting backdrop for the new plaid flannel dress I'd just completed for her.

I found the blue plaid flannel fabrics at a thrift store about a month ago. They were soft and I just can't resist a good plaid, so they came home with me. There was only one problem - the amount I had of each. With only half a yard of the large plaid and barley a yard of the small plaid, I wasn't sure what these flannels could become. Neither one was large enough to become a garment on it's own.

Inspiration finally struck one day when I was looking through one of my journals from the World Race and I found this sketch. 

I don't remember when I drew it, or what country I was in at the time, but as soon as I found that sketch I knew it was just the design I needed. I could use the large flannel plaid for the bodice, the small plaid for the skirt, and some scraps of navy corduroy (left over from my brother's shirt) for the waistband. The resulting dress would be soft and comfy - the perfect work/play dress for my little sister.

So, I cobbled together some patterns from my stash to get the bodice pattern I needed and went about using nearly every square inch of my flannels. I breathed a sigh of relief once everything was cut out and I could begin sewing!

The dress came out a bit roomier than I'd envisioned, but that just makes it extra comfortable and easier to wear!

Perfect for playing in, working in, and waiting for baby goats to arrive in!

And those baby goats have sure made us wait! My sister readied the kidding shed last Saturday, and we expected it to be occupied within a day, but the mama goats have their own schedule and will not be rushed! So, that kidding shed sat empty until this morning, when Giselle began our kidding season by presenting us with twins!

A doe and a buck! Soft, sweet, beautiful, adorable, healthy, and strong! 

Kidding season is finally upon us and I couldn't be more excited! I may be less productive in the sewing room over the coming weeks, but these baby goats are absolutely worth it!