angry chicken

a sweater jacket and links

I did manage to finish the sweater jacket. I left just the serged edge on the sleeves and the front, it was just getting too bulky with the hem and I skipped the lining completely. It's cropped and cute as heck, possibly a bit floppy and dishragy, but it's done. I did use a facing for the neck so it didn't get all crazy-loose. The shape is from that same Ottobre magazine as the dress, but it's so different now, I hesitate to say it was their pattern, which was much more finished/polished.

Okay, amazing warm weather here. I have been drooling over these and the warm weather is the only thing stopping me from baking some.

Some things that have been making me very happy lately: This little kewpie doll I got from kidrobot while shopping for Sadie, Delia, and mostly myself (these little fellows have teeny tiny wieners! ack!!) And these amazing donut key-chains from our very own super genius Heidi Kenny of my paper crane- cute!

I also got this magnetic grocery shopping notepad from seamripper, which is so pleasing. It's silly how much I enjoy jotting on it. Right now on my shopping list is canned pumpkin and crackers, and they look so good on that stinkin' list.

The Crafter's Companion book is available for pre-order and I am thrilled and excited to be a part of this project. See more details at the link.Woo-hoo!

Okay, I am stuffing and mailing away. . . mailorder #4 will be mailed this week, some even went out yesterday. When you get it and solve the secret riddle, go to kingpod/mailorder/issue#4 to get your special PDF prize. And don't forget about the mailorder group on flickr for show and tell. And the pinafores for Tie One On- They are due the end of the day Saturday. . . .and then the new theme will be up! Whew.

the b-day dress is done.

Sadie's dress is done for her birthday and she hasn't taken it off. . .well, she has now, she's asleep. But until then, it stayed on. It passed the twirl test and poor miss Delia cried for her own special birthday twirly dress, which won't be made until next month, so she got an old summer dress instead, which met her approval. It was crazy hot here today, so add some sweat, and you get the idea. This is in cotton flannel, all the layers, so Sadie was one toasty potato today. You can see more here.

Here's the petticoat that goes under the dress. You can see it peeking out in the above photo. It can also be worn as a skirt just on it's own. I didn't come up with this brilliance, it's all from the Ottobre issue #3, winter 2005. The dress is super cute in there. It's shown all in one fabric with the petticoat in another. I went a little crazy with all these prints, but I couldn't help myself. A bit back I was browsing Oilily, and then all these other sites. I got all crazy about these clothes and tried looking at ebay for a bit, seeing how much these dresses go for, used even, and man-oh-man, it became quite clear that I needed to sew a dress like this, even used, they are crazy expensive.

But all that research seeped into my brain, which is a good. This dress ended up much more detailed and ruffled than I would have done originally and I know Sadie is diggin' the extra flounce. And I just can't say enough how much I am enjoying my 2 back issues of Ottobre. I feel like there's enough in there to keep me busy for a long time. The designs are sweet and lovely-- not too modern, but not too old fashioned, and so easy to customize.

Here's the sweet girl with it all on. It goes with her jacket, and I am going to wrap it all up and give it to her, even though she has been wearing it. I still might finish the sweater jacket. . but actually, with mailorder going on this week, I am getting a bit deranged and it's not even Tuesday. I do this. Schedule all these things at once and then just spin like a crazy person. The dress and jacket are done and that can be enough. (Amy, please listen.)

The preparations for the 4 year old party are going well. It's very small, mostly family, but didn't stop Pete and I from finally getting this, which we rationalized quite easily. Sadie is going to have an ice cream sundae bar, because she isn't a huge cake fan, and we need real whipped cream for that, right? And it's so much more convenient using one of these than scooping from a bowl of whipped cream. . . I am planning a topping bar with candies and nuts. I'm getting hungry just writing about it.

And as I look at this dress, I realize I am a big dork. I love the brown, burnt orange, and light blue thing so much and I just realized that that the exact combination we just had our house painted in. Brown house, burnt orange shutters and light blue trim. Which was done as of Saturday. Now we just need to ditch that old Christmas tree in the backyard and we are all set to go!

spooky Tie One On

Thank you all for the Mailorder Love! I am thrilled to have so many new members. I will leave the buy button up through the day and then off to the printers! Woo-hoo!

The pinafore for this month's Tie One On theme is done. I had been kvetching about the idea of making pinafores for Sadie and Delia's witch Halloween costumes (I must multi-task with these craft projects, especially with both their birthdays coming up in the next 7 weeks.) but how could I make witch dresses without sleeves? Will they look witchy enough?

I imagined big bell sleeves, you know, that kind of thing, and Pete suggested  a capelet. My God! A Capelet!! Perfect! Who is this man!? I have to tell you, he didn't use the word caplet, but cape, and although it my seem a bit dandy, I should mention here this is the same guy who has made me put Magnum P.I. in our Netflix queue (and he does have a few Hawaiian shirts, but would never wear them with shorts.)

So here is the capelet, which completes the witch outfit. Now Sadie can wear it all over normal clothes (hopefully with the perfect stripy tights) and be all warm, snug, and comfortable when we go trick-or-treating. I really try to make costumes that will not be too small for dress up later. Mom always made mine and I wore them for years. Seriously. Like one costume, a bumble bee, I wore for more than 4 years. I loved that get-up. I probably still have it somewhere.

So, now I just need to make Delia's caplet and pinafore and the hats for both, none of which will happen before the 15th, but I have a good start anyway. I used my new machine's fancy stitch to attach that green ribbon, giving this whole witchy-poo costume a slightly folksy look.

I have noticed that my sewing projects this year for Sadie are running a tad short. I think I am in denial about how much she has grown and how tall she really is. Sigh. The Big girl is turning 4 next weekend and I really really can't believe it.

mailorder #4!

Mailorder #4 is now available for sale! It will be available from now until the end of the day Saturday, the 23rd as subscriptions (4 issues) or as a single issue for #4. As your mailorder secretary, I am thrilled to present the following items in issue #4:

-a Halloween Garland Paper Project
-The Annoyed Silhouette Hanging Plaque Paper Project
-the Earflap Hat Sewing Project in 3 sizes (adult-child-baby)
-a special riddle (and a special PDF prize if you solve it)
-a professionally printed recipe card

So much goodness! Perfect for the weather turning colder and evenings indoors (apologies to the many Australian members!) You can see photos of the finished projects here. Okay members, if you subscribe, you will also receive (along with a little discount) an Official Mailorder Club Embroidered Sew-On Patch for your bag, hat, or perhaps even a jean jacket? Oh, how wonderful to share solidarity with other Mailorder members! Please note that this patch will come in an upcoming issue, not in this one-it's a surprise which one. . .

The subscription offer is only available now, while this sale is happening. Then each issue will go to a limited supply of single issues only, which will only be a print over run-not many copies at all. Upcoming Mailorder issues will include a needlework sampler and a rag doll sewing pattern, along with the usual recipe cards and other general crafty fun, like secret words, puzzles, and tiny treasures - sure to delight and entertain. Canadian members, please use U.S. shipping when you order.

The sale is now closed-thank you all so much!

Please e-mail me if you are having problems, or are out of town and please know that I will be printing/stuffing/packing after this sale, so allow 10-12 days after the 23rd to get your issue #4. I will be going as quickly as possible so you will have plenty of time to decorate before Halloween.

quilt monday-new small quilt

We got back yesterday from a long weekend at the coast and I was able to finish this new small quilt called, dumb swing. The weather was amazing and I stopped into my favorite needlework shop, the Twining Thread to browse, buy some charts and linen, and some amazing dreamy felt.

Hey, thanks for coat love!! I have a really good start on Sadie's dress, I hope to get it done this week. I also need to start and finish my pinafore for Tie One On, I keep debating between one for me or one for a doll. I know which one would be faster. . .

And I am super super excited that Hillary and I are in the same issue of Bust magazine this month!! (I don't think it's out yet. . .). You can see some photos here. I have a apron how-to piece with illustrations and am thrilled beyond description to be in print, very exciting! And being in anything associated with Amy Poehler, the super genius who is on the cover, makes me just burst with happiness.

Okay, cookies today, it's all rainy here and I need to bake. The outside of the house is half painted and I think it will stay that way with the rain. It looks like it's just wearing brown pants. I'm trying to not let it bug me too much. . .then getting ready for mailorder which goes on sale Wednesday!

toasty and warm for fall

I finished Sadie's Fall jacket, so we are in pretty good shape for the birthday set which will hopefully include a dress and sweater jacket. This was made on my new machine and it worked pretty dang good. The slippery quilted rayon lining and the loose weave wool outer fabric proved to be a bit tricky for the feed-dogs, making the buttonhole experience not as spiritual as I had hoped for. I did test on other fabrics and the one step buttonhole function is indeed a life changing experience, just not with these fabrics.

This was my first Ottobre sewing experience and I really love these patterns. They are not for new sewers. You have to convert from metric, trace the patterns and add the seam allowances, and make sense of very very minimal directions that are translated from Finish. . .sound fun?? But really, it's wasn't too bad and the techniques they use for kids garments are cool, more detailed, and just more euro, which makes it a really fun challenge. (If that sounds like fun to you. It might sound more like the 7th circle of Hell.)

I couldn't just leave the front plain like the pattern was. The worm and apple are wool appliques I added using the machine's blanket stitch, my new best friend. I think doing it by hand would have been easier with applique this small, but I had to use it because we had the technology. This pattern is from Ottobre Winter 2005 (I got my copy here at SewZanne's and she shipped really fast and has lots of unusual kid's patterns) and I was sort of confused with the lining part. I wrote to the Ottobre yahoo group, went on a long walk, and it all got worked out. You actually sew the lining in right sides and turn the whole thing inside out like some crazy puzzle, easy enough, but I couldn't figure how to do it on the sleeves. It's easier to do than explain, but it worked! I was able to stitch the lining in (you have to cut it shorter for this to work) and then when I turned it right-side out, the sleeves were lined with a nice 1/2" hem of the wool on the inside, so it looked all professional and stylin'.Very cool

The fabric came from Mill End here locally and I am really happy I made the special trip. They have a lot of wool and jacket material (the rayon came quilted.) The loose weave on the wool made made ripping out a seam a horrible experience, which ended in me cutting not ripping, but it's all good. And it fits her! Whew. Sadie seems to like it, and especially liked hiding the buttons before I got them sewed on. We are now getting to the point where I really need to have her pick out the fabrics and be a part of all this from the get-go because I think if I worked this hard on something and she didn't wear it I would freak big time. We don't want to have a special mommy moment.

mailorder #4 coming soon!

Fall is almost here and so is mailorder #4! It goes on sale next week, for 4 days, September 20-23 and will be available as a subscription for the whole year (4 issues) or as a single issue for #4 and here's a sneak preview. We have a Halloween garland, and a lovely Halloween Silhouette plaque. . .

 

And an earflap hat sewing pattern (3 sizes included) just in time for the cold weather and the holidays. More info will follow next week, like all the pricing ($43 subscription/$12 single issue within USA and Canada) and oversees info with the prices for that, how to pay,etc. Excitement abounds I say!! And the hat does come in an adult size, just so you know.  There will be the usual secret stuff and the professionally printed recipe card--all that goodness. I will write an email reminder next week to the mail list. If you would like to be notified when you can buy, please sign up on the mail list over on kingpod.

What else. . .oh.I am doing the sale for 4 days and then the subscription offer closes for the whole year. You can then only get single issues as they come out and they will be only a print overrun, so there won't be very many. I do this not to be annoying, but to deal with the printing and package quantities upfront. . hope this is cool and it doesn't create too much frustration and/or cursing at your mailorder secretary.

quilt monday-cute book style

This amazing patchwork book in the Gakken series (ISBN4-05-604283-7 use this in the advance search-the link is acting funny, sorry) was given to me by the generous and sweet Sally when she came over on Friday for Hannah's BBQ. It's got wonderful patchwork and small quilt projects and made me nutty all weekend. This placemat and juice glass cozy is making me super crazy right now. Labor intensive and impractical. . .sign me up!

super sweet hearts with photo transfers. . .

And this amazing felt bag. Ugh. I have to make something like this. It's too flippin' cute! Thank you for making me a crazy person, Sally!

good times. . .

Hannah, David and Arlo rolled into Portland and we had a little BBQ for them at casa de Chicken-- Complete with a junky looking house exterior (no new paint yet) and an assortment of rubbish in the backyard that I didn't call attention too, like the empty kid pool, scrap wood, ladders, and a dried up Christmas tree from last year. Thank god there were wonderful guests and cute as heck babies to distract. . .

Hannah and David are as funny and sweet as you could imagine and such a cute Arlo, I almost ate her. We also had Stephanie, Melissa, Mariko, And Sally with family and kids (who I would name individually, but man, that's a lot of names, but husbands, you do matter, really.) And speaking of husbands, um, did anyone notice the thin guy with short hair and glasses thing? Thank God Pete wasn't wearing his glasses, which looked exactly like Paul's, David's and Jack's or we might have had some real confusion.

Food! there was a lot and we did pretty good. Sadie changed into Thing 1 pretty quickly and will be talking about Mia for weeks. There's nothing better than a big girl to play with. Of course there were gifts, because that's what bloggers do. . Hannah, I am eating the chocolates now. Some other details; I found a huge rock in the cat dish (why not?) Melissa left her camera, and 3 of us were wearing red flats-hmmm. Thank you all for a lovely evening! And Hannah, you rock.

wanty, pushy, and inspired.

Last week I was picking up my superbuzzy order, a perk of living in Portland, and coerced Mariko into selling me this amazing fabric that she hadn't put up for sale yet (it is available now!). . .I felt guilty about it later. I mean really, I am so pushy and wanty, but I had to have it and it's her fault (partly) for telling me new stock had come in. . .anyhoo, my thought was to make something up in it and post it in all it's wonderful glory lickty-split, so I could gloat (again with the immaturity) that I had this awesome fabric before it was on sale. . . .then I got stuck. It's so good. Too good. I normally don't get so funny about special fabric. I do have a bit that I can't seem to cut into and I just stare at, but only about 3 pieces. This one, and these two here. So. I am doubly lame. I am pushy AND indecisive. But at least I am showing how cool it is, right? I just keep patting it and refolding it. Good lord.

On a linky note, Hillary tipped me off to this amazing artist Amy Earles (wool and water on flickr) last week. Um, hi. . .this is so incredibly cool it's making me go crazy. Crazy I tell you--and her paper dolls also make me crazy. And Jennifer Murphy has updated her site and I can't stop looking at it, especially her gallery page. So very inspiring.

I started a Fall jacket for Sadie and have a sweater, petticoat, and dress cut out and waiting in the wings. This is making me jumpy because I really need to finish up mailorder first. My hope to to get it on sale this month and ready to mail by October at the latest because there is Halloween time sensitive material in this one. . .

quilt monday-donut eating horse.

It's been in th 90s here for the last 4 days and I think it's supposed to stay that way, but I can't stop thinking about Fall. Wool, apple pie, pumpkin bread, all that. I am adding cinnamon and allspice to everything lately and wearing way too much clothing. I love the late summers here and am happy for the heat, actually. More tomatoes. It's not really Fall until I switch back to hot lattes from iced, and that hasn't happened yet.

Here is a new small quilt called, I want that donut. I am really enjoying these. I took a break from working small for a bit this last year and it feels so good to be working at this scale again. I hope to frame these up soon and get them over to Art Star. I am thrilled to be sending them their way to sell in their gallery and am even more thrilled to have the opportunity to have a solo show there of my large quilts in late next year. Very exciting!

Okay, I am trying to play it all cool, but I got a new sewing machine yesterday. I have had the same machine since I was 18 and I love it, but I decided that I needed a new one, with all the bells and whistles, especially now that it is a legitimate business expense that I can write off. I still got all weird about the $$ and ended up getting a sort of "back room special deal" type thing because I can't just buy a machine like a normal person-but couldn't be happier. It's a new machine, a Bernina Artista 165E but they have stopped making that specific model-so I got it for a song and can I just tell you the decorative stitches alone are worth it. And I haven't even tried the button thingy yet or the crazy embroidery stuff, which came with it and requires software I don't have yet and an external card reader (lame) which I may not get anytime soon. I am using the blanket stitch on everything. I have always wanted to make a penny rug, but man, that's a lot of hand-stitching, so I am totally cheating and using this new machine blanket stitch. Excitement!! I need to get some good black felt. I'm also going to buy a ruffler/pleater foot and a invisible zipper foot this week. I am writing this so I really do it. I mean it Amy, don't wait!

little skirt with lace, horses, and trim

I love this time of year, when the summer turns into fall and I start sewing clothes for Sadie. Poor Delia gets the hand-me-downs but her grandparents usually kick in some pretty cute outfits for just her, so I will remind her of that later when she is 12. I was looking for kid shoes the other night, online, and stumbled upon this Dutch clothing company, Jottum, which I had never heard of. It made me a bit freaky, in the best way. No shoes, bit plenty of sewing inspiration. .

This skirt actually finally uses up that raisin mini corduroy. Not that this skirt has anything to do with the fantastic wonderful clothes over at Jottum, but I was inspired to make it, anyway, after visiting there. I am trying to make projects, from beginning to end, without going to the fabric store for anything at all, even notions. So, I have to have it on hand and use up what I have, because good lord, I have a lot. I was going to make this skirt all mod and minimal, but the horses, lace, and trim won out. The pocket is the most popular part with Sadie. She seems pretty impartial to the horses.

I am starting her fall jacket next week. I have a pattern all ready to go from Ottobre. It's my first time sewing from this magazine and I was having a laughing fit the other night when I was trying to trace the pattern from the magazine. It's like a bad LSD spirograph freak out--so, we shall see how it goes. I am actually buying wool for this, I do have some on hand, but only enough for hats. I have read some good sewing tips over on the Ottobre yahoo group. Yahoo groups, man, they have one for everything!