Finished birthday presents

I have been working on some birthday presents for my 2 YO niece. I made her a dress first, although I am not that happy with it. The design was from an older book...I think McCall's Crochet Treasury. Here's a picture of it:

My niece also currently has a Minnie Mouse fascination, so I wanted to incorporate this into one of her presents. I looked at the available patterns and did not want to make her another blanket or a doll, so I decided to make her a shirt with a minnie on it of my own design. Unfortunately, I didn't know where to start, so I kept procrastinating. One night, though, I ran into an insomnia problem, so I sat up and got out my graph paper and my crochet supplies and went to work. This is what I came up with:

As you can see, I made it adjustable size-wise by using buttons in the back, which I think will hold up better on a toddler than ties, although I left ties around the neck. I will change them out for straps with buttons if my SIL prefers them. This is a versatile, top, though because any thing that fits in a 20 by 20 graph can be crocheted into the pattern.

I am debating whether or not its up to being submitted to a crochet mag as a design or whether I should just list it as a free design. Let me know what you think!

Jenny

Update

Ok, it's been a while since I posted, but a lot has been happening:

• I took the FL bar. As with NC, I have no idea how I did.
• We took a vacation after the bar.
• I have been job hunting. I have have had one interview, but they went with someone with more experience (isn't that always the case?). I do have another interview in the works, so cross your fingers for me!
• Life has intervened...yard maintenance and resulting back pain, eye appointments (I am trying the new Night and Day contacts that you can sleep in...I love them!), much belated house cleaning, a few sewing projects, etc.

As for my crocheting:

• I finished one of the dresses that I was planning on making my youngest niece fore her birthday. Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out as expected with the dress...we'll see if it actually fits her (I made it in the proper gauge, I swear!). I will post pictures soon.
• I have also been working on the design for the shirt that I want to make her.
• I found out that my cousin had a baby 6 weeks ago and nobody told me! You can tell I am out of the loop (for some reason, the family members with children talk to one another but tend to forget those of us without kids...I wonder if they are trying to hint that we need to start working on our own kids...). Anyway, I was first told that my cousin had a baby girl, but my dad was wrong, she had a baby boy, named Gage (sp?). So, I need to whip up a baby blanket. I have been searching for an easy and quick pattern and have decided to go with the car seat blanket from the "Happy Hooker" book only in 3 shades of blue.
• Finally, I have started sketching out some of my own designs! I currently have one sketched out for an umbrella/purse buddy to connect the two in case of unexpected or sudden showers (It's easier than it sounds). I also have a couple other ideas rambling around my head that I want to try out for Christmas presents for my nieces...I will update you later.

Well, off to get dinner on the table!