angry chicken

knitted item for my neck

So, after the booties, I knitted this neck scarf. This pattern was in a Martha Stewart years ago and I was directed to it from a fellow (famous) knitter, the one known as Kay, not only because it's a cool little project but also because I had been talking to her about knitting this shawl. It's pretty dang similar to the shawl/wrap, only a lot smaller. All the info for this neck scarf project is here, including the free pattern.

Action shot—

And a different way to wear it—how jaunty!

I do love this and have worn it quite a bit. It's nice to tuck in my purse for when I need something for a cold neck and don't want to pack around a long scarf. I used more of the unfinished sweater yarn. That's the unfinished project that keeps on giving.

I am madly knitting, sewing, and making perfumes for gifts. Some early holiday gifts I have bought that are squeal worthy:

• This mini letter set. I already gave it to Grammie. It's for making little fairy letters and packages for the girls. It's called The World's Smallest Post Office and it's so cute we are dying.

• I just bought this book, Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop for myself. So beautiful! I haven't baked from it yet, but am just marveling at the scalloped pages. And all the cake recipes are for 6" pans, which I think is so wonderful. There are a lot of reviews (and an errata page you can print out) at this link.

 

small knitted items

I knitted these little baby booties a couple weeks ago (and tucked them in a metal tin) to give a friend expecting a little girl very soon. All the details are on my Ravelry project page. I have been knitting more. I think I mentioned this. After I frogged my 3-year unfinished sweater I was finally able to start knitting again and readjust my expectations about what I can do. I realized small projects (very small) and quick, are my speed. These booties are made from that sweater yarn. I love the yarn! Good thing, since I have about 7 skeins of it. Many small projects have been started and finished in the last 2 months. I still have notions of trying something larger, like something very similar to this Eileen Fisher wrap, but I am going to pace myself and I have promised myself I won't even buy the yarn for it until after the holidays.

Thank you so much for the enthusiastic "yes" to making the matching santa dress for myself and maybe even a santa tunic for pete. We shall see. I'd love to, and just might, but I have some sewing projects that need to come first, like as of 2 hours ago, the two angel doll dresses I just volunteered to sew in the next 4 days for the girls' Nutcracker production they are in. Oh, it's heating up around here.

In the midst of all this I am reading The Marriage Plot: A Novel and am enjoying it a whole lot so far. I had read a bit too much about it a few months ago, so I couldn't get it right away, but then caved and bought it and I am so glad, despite being sick of seeing it reviewed about 100 times. I have read Middlesex (which I really liked and still think about often) but not The Virgin Suicides.

And the Tie One On gallery is up—please have a look!

White Christmas Dress

Last year the girls saw White Christmas for the first time, and while they found it at times repetitive and long (and just plain weird in some parts, which it is) they were mesmerized by the scene at the end, the LONG musical number (where many of the participants look bored) by all the different Santa-style dresses. Especially the ones on the little girls. Grammie and I have seen this movie so many times over the years that it is a source of many weird observations. We all love it and I feel like we are on MST3K when we watch it. She referred to it last night as the ultimate sleep aid.

Upon request I had scored 2 of these Santa-style dresses (for the 4 and 7 year old) over the years from second-hand shops. The 4 year old often wears hers in July. But I had never seen one for Sadie, size 9/10. I thought maybe she didn't mind but I recently found out she was bummed that she didn't have one. It's so much fun to dress in 3's I'm told. And it is so much easier to put on a spontaneous White Christmas musical number in the living room when all three girls have matching Santa dresses.

I went to Joann's and picked up the red poly/velvet stretchy stuff, some white trim (not the hairy kind, but white fleece fabric, it was yardage, not on a roll) and used one of her jersey pullover Tea dresses as a pattern guide. It came together without a hitch. Super easy and super inexpensive, which was appreciated by my crafting budget. I realize the white trim on Sadie's is much smaller in scale than shown in the movie, but so much more practical for eating in.

Okay, I just re-read this whole post and thought, for a millisecond, how funny/wrong it would be to make one for myself. Oh no! Now the badness of this idea is going to consume me. The girls would die! I should surprise them wearing one Christmas morning. Dare I?

I have a new winter banner, and some new links. And the Autmun Leaves aprons for Tie One On are due this week! Thanks for all the great submissions so far.

advent calendar

I am so happy I finally made an advent calendar for the kids. This was a project that had a lot of parameters—I had to use what I could find in my craft room (I bought a few things), and wanted it to be fun, inexpensive, not involve sugar (and it involved sugar), and not involve small toys. I love small toys, but I feel like our house is full of small toys. Over the years, we have accumulated so many stocking stuffer type small toys, we have drawers of them. I kind of have nightmares about all the small toys we have, so I knew I didn't want to add to that.

What I ended up using was small envelopes (used for gift enclosures/business cards. I have a ton of these I use for thank yous and for items I sell) and then I had Pete get some cool stickers downtown at Powells— they have a great selection. I cut them up and stuffed them in the envelopes. I also added gold chocolate coins then used my 1" hole punch to punch out numbers and my big splurge was the $7.50 I spent on the digital collage sheets, which I printed and then glued on the envelopes. I love using these sheets and the price is totally worth it to me to have repeated use of these images for all sorts of craft projects. I added some twine and 24 small clothespins (which were hard to find around the house, but I managed)

Okay, then. The girls will have to take turns opening these every 3 days. It will work out. I hope to make a different one next year, it was really fun and felt right. It felt like a good project, not like a "I have to make this and it stopped being fun 20 minutes ago" project.

in other happy news:

I was excited to buy these new cards from Eireann and received them last week, they are even better in person. (Don't look, Grammie) I am a huge fan of Eireann's watercolors and have been using her cards and looking at her calendar every month all year. She has a new one this year, too. And in this lovely post she provides a discount code good for a few more days.

camouflage!

I was able to sew the nightgowns out of the sheet sets over the last two weeks. I have made so many nightgowns now, I have it down. They like 3/4 sleeves or sleeveless in the summer, and long sleeves (with elastic at the cuffs) for winter. These washed up all nice and fluffy—I had no idea what a huge hit the matching set would be. They LOVE to be invisible in their beds with the bottom sheet, nightgown and pillowcase. So easy because all I had to sew was the gowns. Sadie's is not shown. It's a lovely lavender plaid. It also, at this moment, has a huge toothpaste blob on the front. After looking at the newest Garnet Hill Kids, where I get a ton of sewing/craft ideas, I gloated a bit when I saw the prices of their cotton flannel nightgowns, and sheet sets. I saved a bundle getting these sheet sets at Target.

Okay, the Advent calendar is done! I am so happy I made time for this project. I will show it very soon. We are off to get the tree today and finish watching Auntie Mame (instant on netflix!), which we love so much—Pete and I both grew up watching it and it formed much of our humor.

I am about to start a new knitting project. I am so happy I have admitted I just need to work on small projects, and not go for the big ones. This is a huge relief. I finished the legwarmers last month, then started and finished a little gift for a friend (a surprise which I can show later), and I am now looking to start this little project which I love for its detailed silliness.

fortune coins

I challenged myself last week to put together a craft project for 6 girls for my 7 year-old's b-day party using materials only from my artroom. I realize this room is already like a craft store in many ways, so it wasn't too challenging, just a matter of finding everything I have squirreled away. I hide a lot from the small people for gifts/surprises, but then of course, I can't find these items later. Or worse, forget I have them—like the 6 lockets, 8 key chains, 3 packs of shrinky-dink film, and unused rubber stamps I found all when I was looking around for the 6 packs of wooden coins I had bought about 2 years ago for another project.

I had a 1" paper punch on hand, the wood coins were 1 1/2", which was handy, because it meant the kids didn't have to worry about gluing the papers on perfectly. We came up with some fortunes ahead of time, I printed these out, then when the guests came they got to choose a little bag (sewn ahead of time), the fortunes they wanted, and decorative paper to punch and glue on the backs. My original fortunes were much more out there, but that was shot down. Then everyone got a glue stick and there was no problem sharing the one punch between the 6 kids. It worked out great. A little easier than the sketchbook project from the month before.

When they were finished, they used these two ways—either pulling them out of the bag direct, or laying them all out, face down, and turning one over. That's why it's a good idea to have all the back papers identical within each set. I'm sure I got the wood coins and punch at Jo-ann's or Michaels. Now that I am all out of coins, I might have to make a seasonal order over at Casey's, the mecca of woodcraft shapes and fun. That site makes me so happy. I get so many ideas clicking around over there.

 

muffin the cat & notes involving sewing

So, I don't post many cat photos but I felt these needed to be shared. This is Muffin, one of the 3 young cats we have. They are all sisters and look almost identical, which is pretty funny. Muffin likes to get into small things, she steals wool socks and knitting, sleeps in the bathroom sink (only if it's wet) and doesn't mind being wrapped in tissue and tape.

Unrelated to Muffin-

• Sarai Mitnick of Colette Patterns is having a little shindig this Thursday night and a booksigning and fabric swap this Sunday at Powells to launch her new book, The Colette Sewing Handbook: Inspired Styles and Classic Techniques for the New Seamstress. Excitement! In a fit of enthusiasm I have sewn a dress from her wonderful book to wear to the the party Thursday. It's 92% done as I type this.

• Over at the Tillie Studio blog, I was touched to see this machine quilting job Grammie did a bit back—it was for a thoughtful group quilt which incorporated words in both the piecing and the machine quilting and it made it so special. She describes the process in a lovely way. What a cool idea.

that 1940s dress

Okay! Here's how that dress turned out that I sewed for the Black and White Gala we went to. It's a reissued Vintage Vogue pattern (V2787) that is much easier than it looks. I really wish I could photograph this black better—all the gathers are so hard to see. You can see the details much better on the pattern enevlope. My inspiration was here, but I really needed shorter hair to pull it off exactly.

This is probably the most fun I have had sewing a dress in a long time. I mean, I usually have fun, but the construction of this dress was like nothing I had done before and that it so interesting. I loved every second of it. Except working with black fabric. I felt like I was going blind! Oh, I need better light.

I used a lovely lightweight wool which draped beautifully and dropped the hem to graze the floor. The applique I hand-stitched on. I wanted something huge that made a statement, nothing that would be confused with a broach. I love how this one looks like a weird plant landed on my shoulder. There is a wonderful selection over at Sequin Appliques that had my head swimming—I ordered 3 different ones and this was the winner.

There is a very helpful and detailed reveiw of this pattern posted at Burda Style—thanks, Casey for the tip about this. I also thought there was too much ease, and took it in as well. I used purchased shoulder pads, but if I given more time, would have made the ones that came with the pattern. Also, because I have a smaller chest compared to my hips/bootie, I decided to not use a zipper. (Additional info—the zipper was is on the side, there is a loop and button opening at the top of the neck which I did include.) I know this sounds insane, but the wool has a bit of give and after putting in the zipper and being annoyed at the way the nylon tapes would not lay perfectly flat, I took it out. I have been omitting zippers in dresses more and more lately. I know this sounds insane, but it's amazing how often I don't need them. It's not like I am sewing these crazy tight. Also, not to overshare, but I don't wear bras with any kind of built-in form or padding, and I usually wear a slippery-slip, so getting into this was no problem. It does mean I have to do my hair and make-up after the dress is on, however.

on the boards—

I was thinking about sewing nightgowns for the girls, I made some last year, and while the matching robes and sets for their dolls was sweet—it was a bit over the top for me to duplicate this year. So, I was planning on sewing a winter print flannel nightgown and matching pillowcase. And then I saw in the newspaper an ad for a flannel sheet set* at Target, and a lightbulb went off. The girls don't use flat sheets, so I can make the nightgowns out of the flat sheet and then they would have a pillowcase and fitted bedsheets to match. Thrilling. So, I got three different sets and have prewashed everything and am ready to go. I'm 99% sure I can squeak a nightgown with long sleeves for Sadie out of a twin flat sheet. We shall see. They like them long. I am using Simplicity 9292, which appears to be out of print, but there are so many nightgown patterns out there.

other bits:

• The BUST DIY Guide to Life book signing event is at Powells this saturday, for all you local people— it should be fun.
• I finished knitting my legwarmers. I am so happy about this. It's been very cathartic to finish a knitting project. I will show them soon.
• I made this cauliflower dish, (and added root vegetables) and it was so good. The addition of the pomegranate seeds was really lovely.

*edit-

so, I accidentally linked the flannel sheets to a St. Vincent concert on NPR I was streaming today, but you know, the Target site is down, so I'm just leaving the music link up.

 

blank book fanciness

We covered and collaged on top of white hardback blank books for an b-day party craft project. It was perfect for the 7-9 year-olds and appealed to their fairy/dreamy/glittery taste. And mine. These 12 x 12 papers and stickers were part of a set sold at Michael's and it was on supersale, so a ton of sheets, stickers and an album (which I haven't used) were all had for under $8. The blank books I already had squirreled away. This particular pack I don't see anymore, but it was in a set similar to these. I am so happy I snatched it up when I saw it. I had no clue what I was going to do with all the papers/stickers when I bought it 6 months ago and now we have covered about 8 books and 10 small gift boxes with the sheets and still have some left.

I have another b-day party this week (for the almost 7 year-old) and need to figure out a craft project. Like right now. And it needs to come from supplies in my art room, because I just have too much stuff to not use it up. I need some coffee to think about this, I am still a bit sugar high from last night. Perhaps I should have more candy with my coffee.

Unrelated, I have some sewing projects finished (the dress for the Black and White Gala!) and some to start— but now I am distracted by sewing something like this nightshirt for Husband for the holidays. I find it particularly attractive. He is dubious, but game. It's amazing what a guy will wear if they know you think it's hot.

left for the faires-

Delia has some fairy friends outside our house and figured they'd like a letter.

Random bits of stuff-

• I am knitting leg warmers from this pattern (scroll down) and am almost done with one. I haven't knitted in a long time, just been working on a sweater for 3 years that I finally have decided to put away—forever. I'm going to use the yarn for other small projects and move on. It feels really good to let this one go and will allow me to work on small knitting projects without out the dreaded Unfinished Sweater Guilt.

• I really liked listening to this interview with Mike White. He wrote The Good Girl and Chuck and Buck, which are two movies I love, but they actually don't mention this in the interview only his other films. I was so interested in what he and Laura Dern were saying (I love any story about a nervous breakdown) and then I was so bummed/put-off by the listeners comments on the website. I sort of wished I hadn't read them. Next time I won't, I think.

• I am beyond excited to be going to NYC for 4 days next week (by myself!) to visit friends. I know it won't seem real until I am on the plane. Traveling alone is so good for me. I promised myself after visiting Savannah last year that I would plan a trip every year alone and then totally flaked on it until last month. I am so glad I pulled the trigger (and pulled out the visa) and made this happen. If I had known when I bought the tickets how busy this month would be, I would have never done it—which makes me even happer I went for it when I did. Thank you, Amy, from last month for being so ballsy!

 

 

inspiration for a costume & other bits

We are going to a Black & White event in early November and the theme is the Golden Age of Hollywood, so I am trying to get somewhat prepared now. I was researching dresses (I think I am going to sew one after spending too much time looking at vintage ones online) and then was thinking about hair, make-up, etc. I don't want to try and look exactly like a Hollywood Starlet, but for inspiration, Hedy Lamarr floated to the top immediately. I love the 1940s look so much but have never been drawn to the severe look of Joan Crawford. These images make me so happy. The star crown kills me! And the details on that white dress. But really, there is no way I'm going to wear white, let alone sew with it. This sewing project could be fun, but also has potential disaster and stress written all over it—so I am also looking at a plan B, which I think I have in my closet already.

• Unrelated but no less exciting are the Preztel Shortbread Snackbars that I made out of the newest Martha magazine. They are terribly good. I got a little sick. The recipe isn't up on her site yet, but thanks to the internet, it's right here.

• And related to shortbread in that it makes me want to avoid it, I have been enjoying (is that the right word?) doing these intense 10 minute pilates sessions from Pop Pilates every morning. I do one for a different body area each morning, so I don't get to sore. Then I do some yoga. It's only 10 minutes! But dang, what a long 10 minutes it is.

everyday black dress

I sewed this dress at the beginning of the summer. It's McCalls 5042 and I have made it before. I sewed a black dress like this in college and wore it all the time. I was wishing I still had it and then realized, um, I could sew another one. I made it especially to wear under blouses. So many blouses now are a bit short (as they were 20 years ago when I was in college) and normal skirts and pants, when lifting my arms or moving around at all, can get a bit drafty.

This is not lined, nor did I put in a zipper. I can pull it over my head, carefully. It's in black tencel, which has some stretch. Sort of. Kind of like rayon does. I love this stuff. I got it at Mill Ends. I added this white trim to the serged edge on the bodice. That lovely ruffle is not the dress but the best bra ever.

This is how I normally wear this dress, with vintage blouses (this lovely gem was a special gift from a friend who knows this is my 7th navy blouse) or a sweater on top. Oh, I also didn't hem this dress, just serged the edges. Super simple. I have worn so many items from my closet that were too short to be comfortable now that I have this dress to wear under—It's like I just got a bunch of free clothes!

and it's not even for Halloween

Over the years, I have sewn very few things for my husband. And now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure the only things I have sewn are costumes. And not very many from scratch, mostly altered existing clothes. This dashing tunic is sewn from Simplicity 3519. We were looking for a piece that would work in plays/living history and dress-up and would span the most centuries. You can do a lot with this tunic. I also thought it would be great to wear for solstice. You know, us ladies in the house get pretty decked-out in finery and dad is just sportin' his normal look—it didn't seem right.

So, this came together quite well. I did have to make it harder by using what I had on hand—a top sheet. But it was jersey, and while this makes it quite soft, it was like sewing with pancake batter. The belt is his and the sword is my brother's, of course. We actually had 3 swords to choose from for this photo, which I think is pretty impressive considering we have no boys and Pete has never been a sword type of guy.

He reminded the girls several time this was not his Halloween costume. He says he's going as Jim Rockford. From the Rockford Files. No one will know who that is and even if they do, his outfit is so un-notable that the whole thing is perplexing, so I am choosing to ignore this whole topic when it comes up. Like last year when when threatened to go as Dorf.

I was remembering his past costumes (we have always ran with a Halloween lovin' crowd): A pirate (back in 1991 before they were everywhere) Ed Wood, Evil Knievel, Robbie Knievel (Evil's often injured son, so it was the same costume, only with blood and a cast) Magnum P.I., Carlos Santana (in casual day wear) I'm trying to think of others and they escape me. Oh, a samurai that ended up looking like Freddie Mercury, which was not good.

*And the oils are shipping! Thank you again for all your support. I am still mixing and bottling and working on that video.

fall coat in red for the almost 7 year old

I finished Delia's coat this week. I love this pattern so much. It might be my most favorite sewing pattern of all time. I have made this 3 times now, last year for Sadie (who can wear hers again this year) and before that, for Delia. The variations on the collar and gathering on the side and back make this so fun to sew. It's Simplicity 2534.

I lined this one in a heavy cotton. The outer fabric is a wide wale corduroy. The winters here are really mild, so this will be plenty warm. There was much discussion about the lining material. She likes to put on coats fast—shooting her arm in, and the cotton creates a drag. But, I didn't think a slippery lining material was going to be warm enough, and I didn't want a quilted lining fabric because that would get too bulky with this pattern. So we decided on the cotton. Mostly because that's what I had on hand. She has to slow down her coat dressing anyway with the buttons. I am betting I will have to secure them often. She dresses with speed and stealth—like superman in a phone booth. Action fast!

I didn't realize how much makeup she had put on until we got outside.

Unrelated, I listened with a HUGE smile on my face to this interview with T-bone Burnett over on NPR about the 10th anniversary of the O' Brother, Where Art Thou? movie and soundtrack. Both of which were such a big deal in my life when they came out. And still are. There's a new release of the original soundtrack with a whole new disk of songs. This version of "I'll Fly Away" is killing me—I think I've played it 10 times in a row.

some ink and other bits

The new Fall issue of Stitch magazine is out and is full of great sewing projects—complete with patterns and directions.

I was flattered and so excited to be featured in the Sew Inspired column, which appears on the last page, about my sewing process and what keeps me going. And it's double triumph to me to have a photo in a magazine wearing fake hair.

I love this quilt project designed by Kevin Kosbab and there are directions for how to make it! You can find Stitch magazine at local fabric shops—both independant and chain shops, I believe. You can also get it direct from Interweave. Looks like they have good prices on back issues, too.

Unrelated:

• I am now on a 1920s kick from regular watching of House of Eliott and it's making me notice the abundance of ponchos, capes, and loose fitting blouses with bat wings/kimono sleeves that the youth are now wearing. Or, at least, the shops seem to be selling. They have these 1920s vintage shapes, with completely 1980s fabrics—which vexes me. In that vein I want to sew something like this. I want it to be sheer and totally impractical. Something the cats and children would surely destroy. This blouse over at BurdaStyle would be lovely to sew up a 1920s look as well. With embrodiery, perhaps?

Random family quotes of the week:

Me, talking in the car: 

Oh, it's one of those things I just know I'd be good at. Like poetry or roller derby.

Pete, upon waking up this morning:

I was terrified of the buzzer on Family Feud. It was too loud.

 

Gunne Sax fever (the new dress-up obsession)

I scored these vintage Gunne Sax dresses for a steal on ebay and they have been getting so much wear—an absolute hit in our house. I bought a vintage Gunne Sax blouse for myself as well and have been wearing it for plays and dress-up and also just to wear as normal clothes, which I feel like I can get away with about 80% of the time without looking totally bizarre. But, I might be delusional and it might look bizarre 100% of the time.

We have been reading and doing a lot of related activities from the American Girl Samantha books (they take place in 1904) and these dresses are perfect for that. I wasn't up for sewing 3 of them, hence the ebay search. I did find a vintage sewing pattern that I'm going to sew up for Sadie because I still can't find a vintage dress for her. I know there's a creepy V.C. Andrews vibe with these, maybe it's just my late 1970s association with prairie revival clothes, but in that way, I love them. And the girls really love them because they don't itch so they can wear them all day. Which they do.

And now I just found there is a group of Gunne Sax collectors on flickr. Of course there is!

Completely unrelated:

• The girls have been enjoying printing out, coloring in, and putting together Phee's fairy and mermaid puppets.

• I have my baking mojo back after throwing out 2 baking projects gone bad last week. And one of them was a 4 ingredient no-bake cookie! What the?

 

nightgowns from bedsheets

I have a stack of new flat sheets because they never get used on our kids' beds. They get tangled up around the girls, and so I just use a fitted sheet and duvet for them and keep the flat sheet for forts, tents and, if they are super soft combed cotton, making into clothes.

The fist photo is mine, then Delia's, and then Sadie's. Liddy's is still in good shape. I made these a little differently than the ones from last year. The shoulder seams kept getting blown out and were not mending well, so I just left the sleeves off and I think it was a smart move. These get pretty thrashed so the fewer seams, the better.

We have been watching The House of Elliot and I am in love with all the sweater jackets I am seeing in that first season. I had forgotten much of the series — I watched it in college when if first came out and only remember the last half, so it's really wonderful to see it from the beginning again. And the clothes are so lovely. That 1920s look mixed with some ethnic/folk elements makes me sit up on the edge of the couch and grab a sketch book. So beautiful.

And unrelated to anything here:

This video of Sesame Street Characters doing the Beastie Boys Sure Shot has made my day.

new summer dress (with peplum!)

I bought this pattern (Simplicity 2282 ) a long time ago and finally found the time and right fabric to sew it up. I wanted something that had some structure, so this cotton was a good choice, it holds the pleats in the sleeves and the shape of the peplum really nicely. It also was a great price, $5 a yard at the outdoor sale at Fabric Depot. And I am laughing now at how much it looks like the fabric on the pattern envelope.

I changed the shape of the neckline, making it a bit deeper and added a bias trim (this vintage green and white stripe) which I really like. I love sewing vintage styles, but usually feel compelled to mix it up in some way and the bias trim gave it just the right amount of weird to make it feel like me.

So, as much as I like this dress and for as much as I have worn it already (a lot!) I think this pattern is hard. Really hard. So hard I would be very reluctant to recommend it unless you have a lot of patience and have the time to make a muslin first. It was the detail of the peplum meeting the bodice with an inside corner that made it very tricky. It worked out fine but I am very happy I used a print with this pattern because any miniscule errors would be really obvious in a solid color.

Having said that, I loved sewing this. I love the challenge of new patterns and details and I just get a thrill out of cutting out new shapes. I do think if I want another dress with a peplum, I'd just trace this peplum piece and add it in the seam line between the bodice and the skirt of another dress pattern. Much easier.

Next up on my sewing boards are unnecessary things like a poncho or cape, another costume, and replicating a Gunne Sax dress for my eldest child and perhaps wide leg trousers for myself. I just bought a vintage Gunne Sax sewing pattern for Sadie, after looking for second-hand dresses with no luck. I scored big time with the other two girls. We are looking for an all white one, girls size 10. If anyone has one they need to unload, let me know.

Related to sewing: Did you see this free shrug pattern over at Burda Style? Excellent. And this dress is so wonderful. And peplum related, this dress has the most elegant peplum style. You have to zoom in to see it—it's a stunner.

dress for the 4 year old

I made this dress for Lydia's fourth birthday. I used a silk/cotton (from Fabric Depot, I love this stuff and have made quite a few items from this fabric) and the trim is from the outdoor sale.  

I didn't use a pattern—just drafted up a bodice and skirt (exactly like I did for her Cranberry Girl Dress) but this time for the skirt, I used the ruffler foot (using the pleating setting, like I did for Grammies scarf) instead of gathers and I am so happy with how elegant and easy it was. I also added little cap sleeves and an over skirt.

It's kind of a regal/folk/space princess look. Which I am really digging. Liddy seems to like it, but she got a haul this year, much of it new clothes—so far this hasn't been in heavy rotation, but I am not giving up hope. I am just moving it to the front of her closet often. Look at those bruises! Oh, she is an adventurous girl.

Other items:

• The Storybook Apron Gallery is up! They look awesome, please head on over and comment. And the new Tie One On theme is set as well.

• I love these shoes. Gah!

• I made this slaw and it was delicious.

 

sort of a different salad and a sewing project

This salad (asparagus, red onion, and pecorino cheese) was made for me last year by Sarah when I came to visit and I had forgotten about it until I had a bunch of asparagus in my hands last week. I usually have asparagus cooked but this was raw and so good. The recipe is right here. In the comments I noticed many people found the flavors too strong so I made it a little different—with less vinegar (but added lemon juice) and less red onion. Also, if I were to make it again, I'd pre-soak the red onion in ice water for a bit to take the edge off. The vinegar does the same thing, but only after a few hours. It mellows with time. We had it alongside some salmon. Delicious.

Unrelated:

I am very excited to show a new project I have just sewn and posted over at Modern Domestic. It's for Grammie's birthday. Grammie, don't look I mean it!

on a rainy day

To make this project, a stapler, white paper, crayons and cotton balls were used. We drew clouds, stapled some key areas leaving an opening to stuff, jammed in the cotton balls, then stapled it closed and then cut around the cloud shape. A crown was added along with some taped-on rainbow streamers.

Unrelated:

• I have another ruffle project over on Modern Domestic. They have a handy tutorial up on using this wonderful foot, too. Thanks ladies!

• I sure love the general vibe and styling of this Esty shop, Little Byrd Vintage, who also happens to be local.

• I am loving the look of these handmade shoes from The Generation, also on Etsy.

pleasing dishtowels and good for them

When I was at Fabric Depot this Moda dishtowel fabric jumped out at me. It's already hemmed on the selvages, so you just cut and sew (or serge) two more hems and you get awesome dishtowels! I kind of freaked out at the lovely simplicity of this. I spent a long time just patting this fabric. Fold, pat-pat, fold, pat-pat. Handling fabric is so meditative. I figured that 3/4 yard was the perfect amount for a dish towel. I'm not sure where you can find this fabric online. If you know, please feel free to mention it in the comments.

Unrelated to dishtowels, I was thinking about a friend who had some great success recently and my reaction to her. I thought "good for her!" and it was such a genuine and real response—to feel good for her. And then I had to admit, I don't always feel that way about all the sucesses of others. Sometimes I feel sensitive, hyper-critical, and prone to comparing and all that. Blogs, flickr, facebook, and twitter make it so easy to compare with everyone all the time, without even realizing it. I do this with all kinds of things, from researching homeschooling to wanting to put out an album of phil collins covers on ukelele and realizing everyone has a uke cover album out. But, this comparing predates the internet for me, so although I am all for taking a break from the computer, as long as I plan to have interactions with other humans, I feel I need to keep looking at this honestly and working on my reactions and emotional response.

I do a pretty good job of keeping a balanced perspective, but every once in awhile I am hit by the achievement of someone, and I do not think "good for them." I don't think anything horrible about that person, but it gets me going, feeling like I need to do more—read more, create more, utilize more of my potential, or something like that. It's not just online either, it comes up with so many things in life. The constant need I have to improve. To be goal oriented. It's a slippery slope and so very detrimental to my creativity and overall contentment. So, recently I started saying to myself "good for them" to everyone the phrase can apply to. It's amazing how much it comes up. And it's amazing how much better I feel. Instead of  trying to figure out what I think about someone's situation and have an opinion about it, I just say, before anything else, "good for them." and you know what? I believe it. And then I am done. I can move on. I don't need to figure out what it means for me, for them, or if I need to do anything with that information (like start a  new business? make a movie? travel the world?) My brain is free. I don't need to form an opinion about what anyone else does. It's so liberating. Good for them.

Saying to myself "good for them" also reminds me what I have believed for a long time now—that there is enough. Enough creativity, success, achievement, accolades, attention, for everyone. The achievement of any one person doesn't take away the potential or realized achievements of anyone else. There is enough for all. By saying "good for them" I take myself out of the comparison—it has no bearing on what I do. Or what I choose not to do.

And now I realize that I can only say "good for them" and believe it when I can also say "good for me." and believe it. And I do. Usually. When I actually remeber to say "good for me". I need a magnet or a mug with that written on it. (A new business!?)

 

a bias-cut skirt

I had been wanting to sew a longer bias-cut skirt and had this great ikat cotton/linen fabric on hand. I used a pattern out of print now, but it's just 2 pieces, a front and back with an invisible side zipper. Very easy. Inside, I used grosgrain ribbon to stabilze the waist so it wouldn't stretch out too much. The zipper was a bit pesky and would not lay flat—but after some hanging and wearing and pressing, it settled down. I purchased the fabric here in town at Mill Ends. It has been so cold here I need layers. Jenny* and I wore it out a few weeks back. I haven't been able to wear this skirt with bare legs yet. Hopefully I can soon.

I haven't had a real bad case of the wanties lately but a few things are perking my interest:

• The perfect orange lipstick. I know this is super trendy right now, but I am so curious to try one. And I mean orange. Not red or anything color that could be described ar red. The girls will be disturbed.

• I am still reading the stack of comics and books I got at the glorious and action packed Stumptown Comics Fest I went to a few weeks back. I went to some panels and heard some great comic artists talk and met some lovely people. I went solo so I didn't worry about the kids digging though the awesome and wildly inappropriate (for children) comics for sale.

• I am terribly excited to get the new Fleet Foxes.

• I have been revisiting both Arrested Development and The Tick (not the cartoon, but the short lived live action show) and am still amazed at how much I love them.

• I must make this—the worldness smallest photo postcard!

*Jenny, my dark brown fake bangs. The blonde set is Astrid.

new sewing patterns to try

all photos from colette patterns

It's sort of getting warmer here. Kind of. I am excited to try these new patterns, Ginger and Violet from our local talent, Colette Patterns. They are available directly from Colette Patterns online but if you are in Portland, you can also find them at Bolt, and get some fabric at the same time. I promise I wll not sew either of these pieces in navy. That's my new rule. I have a dumb amount of clothes in navy. So much so, any new pieces would never be noticed, even by me. I'm thinking the blouse first in a dove grey or lilac.

fake hair update:

Randomly, I can not stop watching these tutorials on using linkies for inserting fake hair highlights over at DoctoredLocks.  What the?! I need some. I think these would be perfect for the girls using no chemicals and all. I know I can just buy a colored clip-in extension too. I have always dyed my streaks, but these seem very cool and much easier for quick mood changes. I know this is how the feather extensions I keep seeing all over town are attached as well. I also am now wearing my second set of fake bangs (I have named her Jenny, she's a darker brown and a bit longer, more of a beatnik) and we go out quite often. Usually on weekends.

spring dress with a red ribbon

I bought this fabric last year for myself (for a dress? I don't remember now) and I thought it would make such a nice spring dress for the 8 year old. She's not so into florals and has kind of a junior Kate Spade style, which I adore. We were also inspired by these sweet retro-style dresses at Mini Boden. She had strong feelings about adding a red ribbon sash (grosgrain ribbon, specifically) and then she modeled it beautifully, despite it being freezing in the house. Then the heater went on and she had to race to get over the vent to create the Skirt Tent which is a frequent activity in our house.

The red grosgrain ribbon sash detail—big discovery!

For the girls' dresses I usually add sashes that tie. They last so much longer that way, because then I can make them a little loose, so there is room to grow, and they also can tie them tight. They like the look of fitted dresses. I prefer to sew the sashes on, because they get lost being only threaded through loops. However, when I sew sashes I'd get some buckling problems, especially if the ribbon was wide. I noticed on a purchased dress that the ribbon sash wasn't sewn down on the bottom, so there was some give and movement. I copied this detail and am so happy. It lays flat and doesn't pull funny at all. I only sewed it on the top edge of the ribbon until it reaches the side seams, leaving it completely free in the back.

For some extra volume, I lined the skirt in white muslin. Once again I can't say how glad I am I have an entire bolt of white muslin. Every year I wonder if I will use it all and I always do. It's so great to have for test muslins, aprons, linings, small projects, you name it. I buy a bolt at Joann's and use the 40% off coupon so it's crazy cheap. I actually didn't line the bodice for this dress, and I probably should have, but the serger does a pretty good job, so I get lazy sometimes.

I didn't use a pattern for this dress, because it's so basic and so similar to ones they have (I just trace them) but I think the Simplicity 5704 pattern would be similar, along with so many others out there.

outstanding items for all ages

We are all loving the newest rubber stamp sets from Sarah, of The Small Object. This creation combines the Francine & Simone and the Bernard & Tipton sets. (The names just kill.) I was going to squirrel them away for Easter gifts, but couldn't resist so they were given for Spring Equinox gifts instead because, come on! They are so fun. There is much experimentation with stamping first and then drawing the head and bodies vs. drawing the head first and then stamping. Both supply hysterical results.

And these patterns of Hillary's are perfect for Sadie's handsewing work and for Grammie who is a hand sewing addict—the smaller the project the better. We are working on the Bunny and Turtle right now. Small, adorable, and so pleasing—perfect for Spring! Plus Sadie just loves to draw these as characters in her artwork, so that's an added bonus.

a new silk dress has been sewn

I am really happy with how this silk dress turned out. It's made from Simplicity 2615. I struggled a bit with the pattern design. Not that the pattern was hard, it's very easy. It's got no closure, I used a narrow elastic piece stretched around the inside to cinch the waist but there is also a sash/ties included in the pattern. I have mixed feelings about dresses that tie in the back. Wearing them makes me feel like an 8 year old and the knot  annoys me when I sit. I prefer a belt for sure.

The sleeves are kimono style so there are no sleeves to set in. What I struggled with is the style. It was a bit too modern for me, but I really wanted a simple shape to show off these stripes. I didn't want darts breaking them up. So I made a few changes but I realized it could only go so far away from the original before it went bad and I was fighting to make it something it could never be, so I tried to work with it. I added pleats to bring up the sleeves, added this floppy bow, and cut the dress front a little different. I made it one piece instead of two, to avoid a center seam.

I love the length. I only tacked the bow at the top, so it can easily say hello while I am wearing layers. The shoes, which I mentioned a bit back, are I guess nearly not as granny as I thought, they now have them at Urban Outfitters, so there you go. I will mention that I do love them and am not wearing them in an ironic way, (same goes for dr. scholls.)

Unrelated-

• Apron makers, I am accepting your apron for the Paris theme over on Tie One On through this week! The new theme will be up on April 1st. Thanks so much for your submissions already!

• I am currently trying out samples I bought from Strange Invisible, a natural perfume company. It's so hard to find companies that don't use synthetic fragrances, and this one really doesn't. I can't decide on what to get, the 5 samples I have are all amazing. For really simple scents, I want to try blending my own. So far, I have not found the right balance yet and am tryng not to waste a ton of essential oil.

• In a steady stream of learning around here I was delighted to find out about water clocks and flower clocks. Who knew?

Modern Log Cabin Quilting

I have been looking forward to Susan Beal's newest book, Modern Log Cabin Quilting: 25 Simple Quilts and Patchwork Projects for a bit now and our publisher (Potter Craft) just sent me a review copy, not that I wouldn't have run out to buy it anyway, it's fantastic.

This one is a favorite of mine. The colors!

 

This book is all about log cabin quilts and how to make them. It has complete patterns and directions for both quilts and smaller projects using the log cabin piecing technique which Susan explains clearly. There's also information on the history of log cabin quilts and beautiful photography featuring the projects in a clean unfussy way. (I am biased here, I worked with her amazing photographer Alex Grablewski on my two books and I admire her work so much.) And I just gotta say, for those of you who have never met Susan, she is a wonderful woman—an enthusiastic craft and sewing supporter and champion of the creative arts here in Portland and online. Congrats on a lovely book, Susan!

Portlanders, come say hi to Susan at Modern Domestic this Saturday from 5-6 (hands-on! make your own quilt block!) and she will be at Powells this Sunday at 4, and because she is so awesome and so organized, she has a handy list of all her events right here. They look really fun, She is doing great stuff out and about all the way through September. Here's a link to her blog tour as well, which has some book reviews and interviews with Susan.

And, to help Japan, she also has set up a website for her Quilts for Quake Survivors project with Daniela. Very cool.

a cranberry girl dress

Liddy has her new costume on. It's much simpler than Sadie's and Delia's—much more fitting for an almost 4 year old.

The design comes from a family favorite, Peter in Blueberry Land. Warning, this link is for a mini version, not the nice big one I am holding here. At times all three girls have asked for a Cranberry Girl dress. I never got around to sewing one for Sadie or Delia, but when Lydia asked for one a few weeks ago, I realized it was the perfect dress for her costume and she got to choose it! Just like her sisters did. And boy am I happy it was an easy one. We have been sick, Pete's been working way too much overtime, and I have been working like crazy on birthcharts, so a nice simple dress was the perfect project. I sewed this in a day.

Here are the Cranberry Girls. The book falls open to this page, of course. Sadie and Delia have made it very clear they are still wanting Cranberry Girl dresses. Liddy is thrilled with her outfit. There is still a search for light green tights (!?) and red shoes, but I'm also pointing out to her how similar it looks to the picture, and trying not to dwell on what we are missing (like 4 more dresses).

This photo breaks my heart.

She was having a hard evening right before I gave this to her. Being almost 4 is pretty hard, especially when your older sisters are not so into the loud crayon requests over and over and over again. When I gave this to her, her face lit up. I had the polishing cloth all ready, she ran to get an apple, (her version of a large cranberry) and the bonnet we already had—I'd sewn this for Sadie years ago. I had the fabric already for this project. It's white muslin and some really nice red cotton sateen. The binding on the neck is satin and there are three white buttons in the back. I drafted this pattern, but so many patterns would work for this, like McCalls 6197, but I'd save the yardage and just gather a rectangular piece for the skirt. She is now sick and slept in this dress last night. She woke up and said "it's wrinkled, but that's okay, I smoothed it out" and went back to sleep.

Unrelated:

I have a new banner up (hello spring!) and new links and a new handy shop button taking you to a page showing everything I sell. All the PDF emailorders are hard to keep track of, hopefully this helps.

a very cool way to catalog my sewing patterns

Screen shot form PatternFile showing a new pattern entry

I little while back I got an e-mail from a woman regarding PatternFile, a program she had written to catalog sewing patterns. She asked if I'd like to test drive it for a possible review and having, um, a lot of sewing patterns, and thinking this sounded like such a cool idea I said yes indeed! About 30 minutes after downloading the program and using the PatternFile Plus features, I had cataloged over 60 of my patterns, complete with images and line drawings (including the back of the envelopes) by only entering the pattern number. That's it. Magic! I didn't have to enter anything else. It was ridiculously fun and by adding tags as I go I can now search for "sadie", for example, which wil up any pattern I have sewn for her as well. All the big companies are represented with this auto fill feature—McCall's, Simplicity, etc. and also some smaller indie pattern companies, like Colette Patterns and Amy Butler.

 

Screen Shot from PatternFile showing a pattern collection

There are more cool features other than this autofill-magic feature (which is only available with the subscription price level called PatternFile Plus) that allows you to enter a pattern so effortlessly. There's a search feature so you can see all your patterns by type—dresses, skirts, blouses, etc, or by size, and also a friends feature, so you can see what patterns your friends have.

The site is really informative and describes the program really well. I'd start by reading the Press Kit description here to see what all this program does. There are so many free services online, and Morgan, the software designer, has some great thoughts on their blog about why paying for this product makes sense and she is offering a 10 day free trial, which is awesome and would allow you to have some fun and see what you think. And there will be an app soon for your iphone so you will have access to your whole pattern collection at the fabric store. What a handy way to check your yardage!

I've already used this program a lot, not just for looking up what I have to get ideas about what to sew, but also as a quick check when I want to buy new patterns (on sale, when they are .99!) and don't want to repeat any. I do my pattern shopping online at the manufacturer sites and then jot the numbers down so when I get to the store I just go right to the drawers. With this program I can easily check my collection first, because I have been known to buy the same pattern before. And now I can keep tabs on what my friends have, too, so we can compare notes. It's pretty dang cool.

3 mice live here

Vernal Equinox is this weekend and it feels like it could snow around here. It's not that cold really, but you know what they say in Portland—it's a wet type of cold. We still plan to celebrate the first day of spring as usual but this might be putting on rain jackets and boots and visiting the few daffodils we have blooming before running inside for hot cocoa.

Some links:

• Grammie is showing some fabulous customer quilts she has machine quilted over on her Tillie Studio Blog. The photos showcase the machine quilting patterns so nicely, and the quilt tops are looking so good.

• Casey over at  Elegant Musings has a great tutorial on making fabric covered belts.

• Maison Bouche now has their Easter chocolate collection up and it looks wonderful, of course. I am dying over the wrapper on the chocolate bar with the picture on the little dog coming out of an egg!

• This huge list of links on book binding complied by Craftstew is outstanding! And I was happy to be included, thank you.

bias-cut blouse

This is a bias cut blouse I sewed and is a new favorite pattern of mine. It's based on an existing blouse I have which has no darts and is only 3 pieces, one front and 2 back, all cut on the bias. Oh, there is a collar as well, so 4 pieces. And I added a bow, so 5 pieces. But still.

I sewed it up, after drafting the pattern and fussing with it a bit, in a navy rayon and it was perfect—but was a horrible candidate for photographing. All the details were lost and it just looked black, so I am showing this spring-like one instead, although I wear the navy one at least once a week. I changed the direction of the stripes on the collar and on the bow because I really nerd out on these kind of details. The removable bow can be worn on the side or front. For a closure, I used a vintage button and a loop. This is a silk, but it's not slinky, it's brushed, so you would mistake it for rayon. I got it at Mill Ends.

How much do I love my fake bangs?! Really, they are ridiclous and I need 3 more sets— for different lengths, you know. The girls love wearing them, too. They have always loved the man wigs we have (from Carlos Santata and Magnum PI costumes) and the craziness and screaming that happens when the kittens run off with them should be recorded.

Regarding stripes, bows, and blouses:

• Gertie's amazing striped dress!

• Super cute fabric bow tutorials at Colette Patterns Blog, by Caitlin

• Melissa's lovely blouse

As I post this, I am reading about the earthquake in Japan and reeling. So happy to hear from a few friends that they are okay and feeling so sad about all the loss and pain there right now.

making toys and learning to sew

The 2 older girls have had a surge in sewing interest the last month or so. Sadie made this amazing inchworm from one of our favorite books ever, Hillary's Wee Wonderfuls 24 Dolls to Love and Sew. She sleeps with the book in her bunk. For this project, she cut out the pieces and sewed it all herself. Delia got help with her dinosaur, but also did a lot of the handwork herself, including the ever-popular stuffing. Delia is actually more interested in cross-stitch which is thrilling to me.

I remember actually worrying a little about giving them opportunities to try handwork—building, sewing, knitting, and all that. For many years, they seemed not too interested. I didn't push it, but just always had supplies around. When their skills caught up with their ideas, they took off, and now devour all craft books and sewing books and are starting to knit as well. I think just having books around them helps. I don't really talk about it much but they always see me making something, so it's in their daily life. I was so excited to have them start sewing, like when they were way too little. I wanted so badly to do projects with them. Now I can barely keep up. It's pretty awesome. And what an incredible book Hillary has written! I keep singing her praises out loud when we sew another one of her designs. Her directions are so clear and amen to full size patterns!

Sewing with them is a homeschooling dream because of all the steps, planning, math, and problem solving that happens. Because it's me with only 3 of them they can tackle much more exciting projects because I can help them as much as they need for as long as they want and they get to decide on exactly what they want to do, instead of being told what the project is.

Unrelated-

• I got these shoes and I love them so much, as do my feet. I am wearing them with tights right now. They are vintage cute and yes, some might find them incredibly ugly, but others (myself included) will appreciate the granny-chic of them.

• Speaking of grannies, Grammie is blogging! Check her out over at the Tillie Studio Blog and see what she has been up to with customer quilts and musings on machine quilting.

around 1775

After about a month of slowly sewing, I finished Delia's special dress. She calls it her Marie Antoinette dress, or her Felicity/Elizabeth dress, after the American Girls. I took my time and I have to say, it came together really well. There were some good vibes with this sewing project. I had some issues with Sadie's Guinevere dress, but Delia's dress had no such surprises, which was nice.

I used McCalls 5414 and she was smitten with the photo on the pattern, so insisted on the same colors. This happened with Sadie's dress too, so I just sucked it up. I did suggest not using the bows on the bodice, which were really garish and she agreed, so we used a ribbon/bead detail I had seen in various books. We are learning about Mozart, the 1770s, and Felicity in Virginia right now, so the timing was perfect to research details for this dress.

I went all out for this one—the bodice is both underlined for stability and lined, and the skirt is also lined and has a crinoline sewn in it that can be bunched up around the hips to make it really full on the sides, which is fun. I added ribbon bits and buttons on the sleeves and made a matching bag with the same detail. Then I had to make a choker and pinner cap as well. I had a ridiculous amount of fun sewing this dress and deciding on the trims. I really tried hard to add all the details before the skirt and bodice were attached, because it's a bear dealing with this much dress through the machine. I used buttons instead of a back zipper which gives it a little more wiggle room. Fitting for a 6 year old's body is so funny and sweet—it's like dressing a hotdog.

All the fabrics came from Fabric Depot, thank god for the sale! This required more than 5 yards of the green fabric alone. Delia came with me to pick out the fabric, she was so patient. I really am amazed how into this the girls are. It's awesome and surprising. I remember being a pretty impatient little thing, especially when it came to Mom sewing for me.

She wore this dress when we did our play recently. There are plays you can perform from the American Girls books and the girls are obsessed with putting them on. They are usually kind of serious plays which makes them that much more funny when chaos ensues. The best part is when Sadie asks if we can work on our blocking. Liddy (3.5 years old) always has a part and lines, too, which is priceless. She emotes like nobody's business! My brother was our special guest this time and played the part of the Angry Loyalist with much flair and wore a tricorn hat which was way too small. We do the best we can.

I love how the dresses both Sadie and Delia chose for me to sew are so them. They are different people of course, and their dress selections really reflect that and the magical creatures that they are. Now, for that baby. I'm still tempted to dress her up and not let her decide. Hmmm.

a plaid jacket and a book review

Here's the wool plaid jacket I sewed using Built by Wendy Coats and Jackets: The Sew U Guide to Making Outerwear Easy, by Wendy Mullin. I was able to use my early review copy to work from I wrote about it a bit back. It seems like ages ago now, why does February seem to move so slow?

This wool was from Grammie's stash from about 1976 or so. She never used it and saves all her fabric, unlike me. So I was very excited. I lined it, altered the collar shape, shortened the length and omitted the shoulder epaulets. I also used lovely vintage leather buttons from my Grandmother's button tin. The pattern I used I have marked in the photo below with the red circle and the arrow. You can see how different it looks— it was an army jacket style that I made into 1940s/60s kind of look. I wish I had enough fabric for a matching skirt. I'm so happy with how it turned out.

So, a book review. I decided to keep this brief because I can go on and on about sewing books and the details, format, patterns, directions, all that. Having written 2 sewing books myself (ahem), they are pretty close to my heart and I feel like I see them differently as an author than as a sewer and am not sure what is always the most helpful to write about. So, in this case I think less is more.

In a nutshell the book has 3 basic patterns and is very similar in layout to her other books, all of which I have reviewed, Sew U, Home Stretch, and Dresses. There are a ton of variations based on these 3 basic designs. Patterns are included, sizes xs-xl, and her sizes are pretty standard, her medium has a 29-30" waist, to give you a sense. I believe this goes on sale online today. So if you are looking in stores, it might not be there yet. Call first.

Some things to consider-

• *There are no seam allowances on the patterns. This can trip some people up and although she includes small diagrams showing exactly where you need to add your seam allowances—be careful, they are hard to read and not the same size, even though they are drawn that way, so pay close attention. This can be confusing.

• I noticed an inconsistency in the directions vs. the diagrams while sewing my jacket. Most sewers will just read it twice, note the error, and move on, but it might be frustrating for beginners. When in doubt using common sense will be the best guide.

• This book, unlike her others, is really for intermediate to advanced sewers in my opinion. Not because the projects are hard, but because of how this book is put together. It's more like a design book with very brief directions. For instance, you have to find the section on lining if you want to do that, it's not right there with each pattern. So, if you have made a few coats/jackets before, its not a big deal, just an extra step, but if it's your first time sewing a jacket, I'd probably suggest using a commercial pattern that really holds your hand and then use this book next.

Some very cool things about this book-

• The front matter is great. The chapters on fitting, alterations, linings, fabric choices, pattern storage, and basic jacket and coat construction make this book a wonderful reference guide to refer back to repeatedly, not just to use the patterns.
• No seam allowances are included on the patterns, which I find very useful* (I realize I also list this above as something to consider and the potential problems with it, but still, I do prefer patterns with no seam allowances included.)
• The designs, while leaning toward the 1980s in style can be altered very easily to achieve a lot of different looks. There are quite a few classic designs. It's look is basic preppy with some twists thrown in.
• If you like to design your own clothes, this is a really fun book because it breaks down the parts of a coat and jacket clearly, making it easy to imagine and design your own new creations.

Okay, then! A spring jacket is next on my project list, 'cause you know, it's supposed to snow here tomorrow.

a greenish skirt

Sadie, can you take some photos of me in this green skirt? I want to show the waistband. It's ribbon, can you see this? Okay, I will stand very still. Thank you, these will be perfect.

I own this bronze colored silk skirt I bought about 7 years ago from Max Studio and wear it way too much. It's always a bit too dressy for everyday wear which makes me love it even more. I wanted another so I sewed this one I am modeling and added a few extra details—like vintage velvet green ribbon for the waistband and a tiny bit of trim on the hem. It's the simple skirt pattern (from Sew U) with two darts in the front, two in back, and a invisible side zipper.

I realized after sewing it the color of this new skirt, greenish/brown, is very similar to the one I bought. Almost too close. I always do this—sew things in similar colors. I have about 5 navy skirts and about 4 navy blouses I have sewn over the last 4 years, so I thought this was a huge departure for me.

Unrelated, I was realizing this morning when I was talking to the girls that when I was growing up a huge amount of my family's favorite movie quotes were from Time Bandits. I love that movie. Oh, Benson... Dear Benson, you are so mercifully free of the ravages of intelligence.

Okay, I just discovered Time Bandits is on Netflix Watch it Instantly, so I guess I know what I will be doing tonight.

delia's own monkey

Delia fell in love with a paul frank sock monkey that is owned by her sister and needed her own. But she wanted to make one herself, not buy one. Alright then!

This was sewn from some old t-shirt jersey, not a sock, but the effect is the same. We just made a tube and stuffed it. The limbs and other pieces are hand-sewn onto the body. I love making toys from jersey or socks because it's just so pleasing and forgiving and they always have so much personality. Making this reminded me how much fun I had making this soft dish/silverware set.

Two tips for sewing toys made out of jersey:

• Use a sewing machine needle for knits (ball-point)
• Mark the piece shapes on the fabric first, sew on the line you just drew and THEN cut away the excess fabric. Know what I mean? Don't try to cut out tiny pieces and keep the edges lined up. Much swearing will occur.

Delia is quite proud of herself. She was mostly the stuffer and cutter, which she did with much enthusiasm and speed.

Unrelated-

• This dress on sale over at Built By Wendy is killing me. I have been all wanty about it since it came out and now it's been marked down twice! It fits in so well with the high-neck Russian/military look I have been into the last few months. But it's 100% polyester. Hmmm.

• I saw this Kate Spade dress in person this week and I might need to go back and try it on. The details are so lovely. It's silk, which makes me very happy. I'm crossing my fingers for a sale on this piece sometime in the future.

 

I get to say decoupage

We had some fun (and a little frustration) making some decoupage items. We were into a long Victorian England and Charles Dickens theme before and after Christmas and made these Victorian craft inspired decoupage boxes and frames using unfinished wood items from the craft shop, mod podge, and some excellent ephemera sheets from Digital Collage Sheets on etsy. I really like this shop. There are so many shops out there selling digital scrapbook/collage sheets, but I seem to find exactly what I need here. This is my favorite one right now.

I printed out quite a few of these and then we all cut them out and adhered them to the wood with the mod podge, which was okay, but it was hard for the girls to get them to stick. They were on to other things before there was total coverage. I made the heart frame, and I covered the whole piece, gosh dangit. It took a long time! I glued some of the stubborn hang-y off bits afterward with a glue stick and that helped. They love them. They do look and feel really nice.

• Unrelated to glue and paper, I have a little interview up over at Sewmoblie about my sewing machines. Thanks Michelle!
• $400 shorts at J. crew. What the? The Colette blog has a very interesting post and discussion (in the comments) about this. I love this blog.

valentine's day type items

I was remembering the kids quotation cards I made a bit back and made some Valentine's Day versions, although this one is a quote from me. But it could be from them. I want to ask them about love and then make cards with what they say. Simple, but so powerful! I am always struck when I just use their words, not their drawings, to make cards.

I just found these. I made them a few years ago. I love finding old crafts and thinking, "wow, cool! I can't believe I made these!" which is usually what I think. I just have them up hanging from nails around the house, but I originally made them for a feather tree. Yes, I made a feather tree. This was before kids.

links:

• I love the custom sewn sleepwear/lingerie over at Sandmadien on etsy. This set is outstanding!

• This is so funny and awesome to me—Grammie is a bit of a fan (understatement) of Daryl Hall's show, Live from Daryl's House, which is online only. Of Hall and Oats fame. So, after hearing about it quite a bit (she pointed out, very casually, he's the exact same age as her) I watched it and this episode with Sharon Jones is incredible.

 

solstice cloaks for 3 girls

Here are the Solstice gifts I sewed for the girls last month. They are in a lightweight satin with self-lined hoods and fancy ribbon trim. I serged the outer edges with a rolled hem, saving some time and fabric. I made these very long, they appreciate the drama of that. These are more for magic dress-up than for warmth. They are lightweight enough for summer play, too.

They were fun to make, but again, I really don't like sewing under a deadline, nor in secret, and these were done with both constraints. But seeing them on all three girls is magical. Like little pagan fairies, they immediately put these on when we went out for our Solstice moonlight walk, draping them over their winter coats. So awesome. They were so taken with the magic of them and are so excited when they, all three sisters, have matching clothes.

I drafted a pattern for these, and was sort of fussy about them. I didn't want capes cut from a circle, it requires too much yardage, and would make them too full, since I wanted these so long. I used one back and two front pieces, making room for the shoulders. More of a cloak than a cape. Okay, who knows the difference, here? Cloak vs cape. These seem to be what I would call cloaks. I say this with no real research behind me, just a gut instinct. I did find Half Moon while looking for cloaks vs. capes and their wares are making me very happy.

the stretch velvet project

Stretch velvet. I mentioned this project a bit back. I sewed this right before the holidays for a party we were going to. It was a perfect project. I had a back up dress all ready to go, to take the pressure off. Fortunately, this came together easily. It's sewn from McCall's 6069. I am showing it here without a belt, but I really like it better with a belt. I also have to admit that it's not the most flattering dress for me. It was really too loose in the top, like I could store a lot of items in there if I were shoplifting, let's say. But the drape is really pretty and I love the back. I opted for full length sleeves (not the 3/4 sleeve version) because I get so sick of having cold forearms, and I love dresses with long sleeves, and this is virtually impossible to find right now.

I'm not even sure how this came to be, this project. I think I got obsessed with a velour dress I tried on in a vintage shop but felt it was too 80s and looked like a dress from a golf club, and then thought I'd sew one, only different, and before I knew it I ended up here. I found the fabric first and then the pattern. . . I love sewing this way. I mean, I love knowing exactly what I want to create, but I also like just wandering down these random roads and seeing where I end up, which is I guess at the door of Studio 54 this time. I wish I had gold heels to wear with this, but I do not.

The stretch velvet was a bit tricky, the way knits can be. I used special a sewing machine needle for knits, which made all the difference. Also, this pattern is meant for knits, which was really important, the fewer seams the better. I anchored the tops of the shoulders to my bra straps with safety pins, so it was secure which made chatting with people much more stress free.

*Unrelated— to celebrate this Monday, I was happy to find this Martin Luther King Jr. educational site by the Seattle Times with info for us to read, print and talk about, like this study guide we can discuss. There are some really great resources the link to as well.

quinoa muffins & sewing links

I finally got around to making these quinoa muffins that I remembered seeing in an old Everyday Food a bit ago. Here's the recipe. They were good! They were my type of good, mind you, not everyone in the house thought they were good. I made a few changes, used butter, not oil, and whole wheat flour, not white and didn't add the raisins, but I did add 1 teaspoon of spice mix, which I definitely recommend. Or at least some cinnamon. I eat them for breakfast with a lot of jam. They freeze quite well and 2 out of 3 of my kids will eat them, also with a lot of jam.

Totally unrelated sewing news-

• Casey has organized a Swing Dress Sew-Along that looks very fun. It's using this pattern and seeing as she has made this stunning dress several times now, it's bound to be a great resource for anyone wanting to sew one. Very cool. (She has a FAQ up and other posts with tons of info for this sew-along, so look around a bit while you are there.)

• Peter is hosting a Men's Shirt Sew-Along over on Male Pattern Boldness using the lovely Negroni by Colette Patterns which I blogged about last week AND he has a discount code for the pattern over there as well.

• Gertie has a very interesting post on home sewing and the ethics of copying dresses available for sale—especially ones that are out of our price range. The comments are terrific and thought provoking. Some commenters linked to this talk about fashion and copyright over on TED Blog (it's a video of a lecture, about 15 minutes long) and I found it fascinating.

coming soon-new Built by Wendy book

I have had the distinct pleasure of perusing the newest book by Wendy Mullin, Built by Wendy Coats and Jackets: The Sew U Guide to Making Outerwear Easy right before the holidays. I received an advance review copy. We share the same publisher, Potter Craft. It's coming out at the end of February, but you can pre-order it now. I am a huge fan of Wendy's previous books and while the fashion designs might not be exactly what I would wear, her sewing knowledge is spot on. This is an ambitious book, and better suited for intermediate/advanced sewers.

There are 3 basic patterns in this book, similar to her last books, with many variations included.

I'm going to do a much more thorough review when this book is available for sale. I am 90% done with a jacket from a basic pattern from this book, so I will have much to report. Stay tuned!

Unrelated, I was thrilled to see this Iron and Wine concert from NPR. So very cool. My middle child has always been obsessed with beards, hence her Tomen love. She wants to make a Sam Beam doll. (Warning, there are swear words in some of these songs, in case small people are listening.)

nightgowns and robes (small and smaller)

I knew what I was getting into. But still, it did take a long time. A flannel nightgown and robe for one daughter, and then a smaller matching nightgown and robe for the favorite doll. Multiply that by 3. That's 12 garments. 

Trying to sew for all 3 girls has been really interesting. If I had one daughter, it would be insane. But with 3, I pace myself and I think it's a good thing.The key to sewing for them (I have recently figured this out and hope it doesn't change) is to NOT do it for a birthday or holiday gift*, take my time, (like these took about 8 weeks) and let the girls have them as I make them—because then they can appreciate how long they take and that I can't just whip them out in a weekend. They pick out the fabric with me, if they want to, and decide if they want a matching doll version. (Who says no to that? No one. I'd make miniature versions of everything I sew for myself too if that weren't just too weird.) I also alternate who gets the first completed project, so they all learn to wait and know theirs is coming. This means I can sew these without grumbling and have fun. I also sew for myself during this time—these projects for the girls are sort of in the background of my sewing, not always front and center.

I used Simplicity 9292. The only change I made was to add elastic on Liddy's and Delia's on the neckline. The doll versions (for their American Girls) are just drafted up using other doll clothes we have lying around as a guide. I have a serious love of sewing doll clothes, which I think I inherited from my Mom (grammie) who has a serious love of making miniatures in any form.

*There are exceptions to this. I do sew something for all 3 of them for Solstice each year. This year it was capes which I will show soon. They were way more stressful to make because I broke two of my rules—they were for a deadline/gift and I had to keep them a secret, which means I couldn't work on them during normal life. I can't image not sewing for them for Solstice, but it's still a mixed bag. I'm always super happy I did it however, and am this year as well.


 

 

 

Happy Holidays!

I realized I designed a cross stitch 2 years ago as a gifty PDF, but didn't last year—and I missed making one. So here you go! Please grab this PDF and have fun. I am thinking this would make a lovely box top or a small framed piece. I hope to curl up on the sofa after the celebrations and just do some stitchin'. And get some knitting in, too. I really like doing handwork right after the holidays. I think it helps me slow down. I can really get the sewing machine going fast, you know what I mean? And I want to go s-l-o-w.

Thanks you guys for reading this blog, sharing tips, telling stories, and being so funny and wonderful. Have a safe and happy rest of the month and see you in 2011!

sewing pattern excitement!

Photos by Colette Patterns

I am very excited to try this band new men's shirt pattern, Negroni, by Portland's own Colette patterns. I was itching to make a men's shirt a bit back in a jaunty Liberty fabric and it's still on my to-do list. This is a camp shirt (no collar stand) and it's full of lovely details that have me so excited.The Colette blog is a treasture trove of inspiration and there are some really nice images of vintage men's shirt details, along with a free PDF of pocket variations here. This kind of thing has me giddy. I love little details like this when I sew, it really makes me happy. And when I was browsing I remebered the sassy free mini-bloomers pattern they posted last year, which is crazy cute. I don't have this pattern yet, but know you can get it in Portland at Bolt (other local shops? let me know if you all know.)

**update, action hero melissa was a tester for this pattern ('cause she is THAT good of a sewer) and look how flippin' good this shirt looks!

Photo by Wearing History

This fabulous hooded jacket is from Wearing History's reproduction pattern line. It's called the Ahwahnee Coat, and it's so cute I can't get over it. There are some really nice patterns over in her shop, both updated from vintage patterns, and then straight-up vintage patterns as well.There's quite a bit to read about this pattern in the description, like sizing, sewing tips, and things to consider—it's not a beginner project, mostly because of the alterations that you might need to account for. I haven't sewn from one of her patterns before, but there are sure some nice looking ones, like these adorable sailor pants. Casey made these trousers a bit back and and did a pattern review as well.

 

winter napkins and more thoughts

I serged some winter napkins. I got this fabric in July (this officially makes me crazy and old) and was going to use it for holiday pillowcases for the girls, but decided to use flannel for those instead and thought this fabric would be perfect for napkins. And it is. It's so gratifying to have such an appreciative audience when I sew. The girls notice everything, which is really lovely.

I just cut some squares and used a rolled edge to hem them. Whenever I use my rolled hem on the serger (Babylock Imagine) with that wooly nylon in the top position, I get so happy. It fills so nicely and makes these so pleasing to sew. The blue print is by Michael Miller and the red stripe is by Riely Blake Designs.

Notes from the brain:

• I am in the middle of a stretch velvet sewing adventure.This is for me, not for my children. I will report back soon, but I will tell you it does not involve making an ice skating outfit—which is surely the most popular use for this fabric, per the internet.

• Eireann, of ohbara, has some truly lovely watercolor prints in her shop. They make me sigh with a smile on my face, wanting to make some hot tea and settle in with a good book under a warm quilt.

• Is my next sewing project going to be a cape? Quite possibly, although it's really an inconvenient type of garment—impossible to carry a bag with, etc, unless I am using a little vintage handbag and trying to cram a ton of kids crackers in there (while swearing) which I have been known to do. And the new Urban Outfitters catalog came yesterday. It had me perplexed and feeling old—and being just fine with that.

 

Little Hills Quilt and random items

photo by Stewart O'Shields from Simple Contemporary Qults

Hello old quilt I haven't seen in a long time!

I was e-mailed about this quilt of mine from about 4 years ago and the free-motion machine quilting pattern  "hills" which I designed for this piece and was machine quilted by Tillie Studio.

This quilt, called Little Hills, appears in this book Simple Contemporary Quilts: Bold New Designs for the First-Time Quilter, by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader. I was sad for this quilt realizing I had never shown it here on the blog, it's one of my favorite quilts. There is a chance I have shown it, but I don't think so. My archives are a mess. I suppose I could look through my blog books, but that would require getting up. Anyhoo, I am happy to show it now. I miss quilting! I think I need to start a new one. I haven't made a quilt since this one about 2 1/2 years ago.

This one I pieced with hand dyed fabrics and some printed ones, then machine appliqued the hills (in the polka-dot fabric) on top. I then added some free motion stitching in red, and some hand stitching as well—and then the whole top piece was machine quited (by Tillie Studio) with the swoopy hills/scallop pattern.

There is a free-motion quilt along over at A Few Scraps, and her inquiry about this quilt is what made me realize I had never shown it. Thanks for the e-mail, Christina!

Some random items:

• The Apple Cider aprons for Tie One On are due today. (But you know I will take them until this weekend.) Please take a peek at the book giveaway this time—it's a great one!

• Alicia is having a book signing here in Portland at Modern Domestic this Friday! See the details over here.

• How do I NOT get these tape dispensers shaped like donuts from Jet Pens? Tape is a hot commodity here (my middle child can make anything with it, I swear) so these are a must have.

 

the wool leggings tutorial

Okay, the video is up right over here. I sewed these with wool jersey, but you can use any knit you like that would make good leggings. I have sourced some things below but please shop local first. Try calling your local fabric shops to see what they have for some of these harder to find items.

• My washable wool jersey was purchased at Rose City Textiles, here in Portland. Annette is the one you want to talk to. Here's her e-mail: annette_leiser@rosecitytextiles.com (they will ship) Mine was about $18 a yard.
• This is my favorite marking tool made by clover which you might need if you want to skip making a tissue pattern first and mark directly onto your jersey, tracing your existing leggings. (You crazy sewer!)
• Swedish tracing paper is available here and about 100 other places online.
• If making your own pattern seems like a drag, here's one by Jalie. Often commercial legging patterns run small—so cut big, you can always make them smaller.

Hope you all dig this. I know these leggings are shown shorter in this photo (so you know they are leggings, not tights) but one of my biggest gripes is leggings that aren't long enough. I like them really long and scrunched at the bottom—so if you do too, don't forget to add the length.

Happy Thanksgiving this week. I'm going to take this week off from computer (kind of) and get a head start on some cooking. And there's this Phil Collins song I am learning on uke I need work on. I'm having 7th grade choir flashbacks. Sorry to put THAT in your head.