angry chicken

it's a start.

I was griping a bit back about having some lovely Debbie Bliss cashmerino and not getting a chance to do a thing with it. My first thought was granny squares, then I thought, no, a ripple baby blanket, and then, realizing that, um, I actually have never crotched anything before and don't really know how, a single crochet baby blanket seemed like the wisest choice. (okay-see that typo?! my god. mariko made me promise not to change it. awesome.)

I had crocheted a bit, so I told Alicia when she was teaching me, but then I realized that it was back when I was about 10. . .and it was just a chain. So, on her bed, we giggled like 4th graders and I promptly learned that I was a tight crocheter, used way too small of a hook, can't see anymore in low light, and can't seem to talk and learn anything at the same time. I left with a big smile on my face, but not getting past the chain point again. . .

So, a day later I pulled out some books, and after a good night's sleep, started figuring it all out. Whew. It was almost getting embarrassing. So, this is for baby. I am looking at this photo and it seems clear to me now I really do think I am having a boy. I have no idea what we are having. Perhaps a tomboy girl. The blanket is wider than this now, but I don't know if i will get it done. It could be a long scarf. Oh, I really want to finish my first crochet project, I need to stay focused and not let this go. . .

On a very important cake note-the girls and I made this vanilla/chocolate marble cake in a loaf pan and it was sooooo good. Not too sweet, for a cake, and perfect for snacking. I would show it but they did the "swirling" part and it was not at all a photogenic result, but a good time was had, and that's the most important thing. Somehow the loaf shape makes it seem more healthy. I am delusional. I did bake if for a lot longer (about 15 min) than it called for, and didn't have buttermilk, so I used plain yogurt, just a FYI.

new stuff to want.

I got a press release last week from MSL about a new crafts line they are launching that will sell at Michaels, but there were no images with the release, and it was all supposed to be out in May, so I just decided to wait and see. .then a partner in crime told me that it's already there, with new items being added everyday. So, I went last night and saw the goods and picked up some stuff. Good stuff. Very good stuff. There's a lot and it's a bit overwhelming. And kits galore, and glues and glitter and photo albums. . .yes, you can make a lot of it with everyday supplies, but a lot of it you can't. And whoever they hired to design the stickers should get a big fat raise. It's so nice to see such well designed stuff there at Michaels. I will be back.

In the release, it said that independent shops can carry the items later this Fall, which would be great, So we can support the little shops too, hopefully the minimum orders aren't too high. . .

**update-on an unrelated note, don't forget to send in your rick-rack aprons for Tie One On theme this month and check out my new post over there about adding shop links. .

quick gifts for the smalls.

There are 2 baby girls I need gifts for. I had bought a pack of these onesies (That baby head peeking out there freaks me out!) and they have been sitting around for, I don't know, about 3 months. Seriously. I was going to do some freezer paper stenciling on them, but the paint and x-acto knife seemed too hard with the girls running around during the day. . .so I just did nothing.

Then, yesterday, I kept thinking about how I really did need to make something, pronto, and made these fabric patches, and they worked like a charm! I had everything on hand and just went for it. It took about 15 minutes total, for all 4. Now I want to put these little homemade patches on everything.

Here's what I did:

1. Used Heat N Bond Light to make the fabric patch. It's like a double-sided light glue for fabric.The directions are easy. Then cut out the patch shape and ironed it on to the onesie. Using the "Light" Heat n Bond is key here because the fabric retains it's soft hand and it's machine washable.

2. Then, I machine stitched around the edges. The Heat n Bond should be thought of as a very light glue the stitching is what keeps it there, the bond keeps it from stretching and shifting as you sew. So, when you stitch, you have to go around all the edges.

3. Looked at them, got all happy, and ate a piece of cake.

Normally, I shun this kind of applique with glue thing, but you can't really stitch the patch on without it, and with this method the onesie stays soft on the inside against baby's skin. You could use a jersey interfacing on the inside instead of the bond product on the outside, but I think the extra layer would be too scratchy for baby.

This is one of those projects that I have seen before-in shops, online, and I even got a sweet onesie as a gift with a fabric patch on it for Delia years ago, but I always forgot to try it myself and I am sooooooo glad I did. As if I didn't have a reason to save all the sweet fabric scraps before. . .these fabrics are almost all superbuzzy fabrics, BTW and I think one from reprodepot. I think this would be so cute on kids shirts and well, you name it. If I do hear of any issues with multiple washing, I will report back. But I think, with the stitching, we are all good.

prep work.

I go for weeks, sometimes even a month or 2 without plundering my paypal account and then all at once, in a few days, I go crazy. It's totally not my fault. The most recent (of several) splurges was this t-shirt for baby #3, which obviously, I HAD to have. I mean look at it! It's from the small object, only available at artstar. There are kid and baby sizes, and other amazing designs available, and they are limited. . .

And then, over the weekend, I also scored a pre-order for a momma sized t-shirt to match, directly from the genius of the small object herself. She is selling t-shirt as pre-orders until this Thursday only. Then they will be long gone. This is brilliant because I highly endorse limited editions of anything and also because Sarah is only ordering the shirts after the pre-order, so she isn't left with bunch of overstock, which means she is charging crazy-low prices for these. Like only $18 bucks, sweet!

new threads

Sadie got a new outfit this weekend-of the preppy/beach fun variety. I am getting so sick of seeing her low-rider pants fall down. (Why are girls clothes cut so inappropriately?) She is a bit tall, so wears a 5 now and they all seem to be low riders with boot cuts and I think they are creepy and way to "mature" looking. Also, they are not that fun to play in, she's always hitching them up. So rather than buy another pair of boys pants, I finally pulled my head out and sewed some linen pants for her and a matching top to boot. I had always made her pants until about a year ago, not sure why I stopped. . she did have quite a bit of snap and zipper pride with the store-bought pants her relatives got her, but now it's all about comfort. She asked that these be "loose and comfy" and wanted cropped pants with pockets, thank you very much. She also insisted on keeping her socks on for this photo.

I used Simplicity 4206. I have about a zillion toddler patterns like this, but I loved the top (although I need to make it longer next time) and when I get to sewing bigger sizes, altering toddler patterns doesn't really cut it. So, this pattern rocks. Every single option I would make--super easy and fast. I got more linen for the second pair of pants and am waiting for the perfect fabric for the top/pockets (and yes the pockets have to match per Sadie) and I suspect it will come from superbuzzy. I saw a bit of what they just got in that wasn't unpacked yet, and wow. I am really gonna have to to watch my wallet here. I have no idea when the next update is, but it's gonna hurt. Just a warning. Especially for you mamas of little boys.

So, on the money front, the yardage for 2 pairs of linen pants and one top, notions, etc came to about $20. (there was a good sale happening) I got about 1/2 yards extra of linen too in that amount, just to have on hand. So, would Old Navy have been cheaper? Perhaps, on sale, yes. But I love linen and cotton, love the real kid cut of these pieces, and I always maintain that you can't really sew "cheap" clothes and save $$, because it's too hard to compete with the overseas labor, BUT you can save a ton if you are making quality clothes and comparing them to expensive kids clothes. . (I think this goes for adult clothes too) which is why I always stick with the nice fabrics. Plus they feel so much better. This is where I justify making her next top from awesome Japanese fabric. . .

new fabrics from Heather Ross

I just got a sneak peek of the new Heather Ross line of fabrics from Freespirit. I love them. A lot.

Like these 4 prints here-ack!! Very excited by these colors and patterns. . .

I have no details yet about when they will be available. They aren't up on the Freespirit site yet, that I can see anyway, but as soon as I get some details I will update. I can only assume they will be out soon, and I can't wait!

matchy anyone?

I made this top a few weeks ago. I was just telling myself that there was NO WAY I was going to sew any maternity clothes, with only 2 months left, and all that, but in keeping with my habit of contradicting myself, promptly made this top. it's a copy of an Old Navy maternity top I wore all summer when I was carrying Delia and whenever I wore it, people would ask me if I had sewn it. (I can take that several ways.)

So, after rediscovering this original favorite top, I made a new one. It's only 2 pieces, a front and a back. The band ties in the back (you can barely see the wide band here, but there is one) and the whole thing slips over my head. It fits closely and it isn't blousey (on me that equals a tent) so it's pretty flattering. To finish it, I just used a bias trim at the neckline.

I actually made the top from left over fabric from these pillows. So, I feel really silly sitting on the sofa when I am wearing it. A few kind friends have already point out to me that I match my pillows. Thanks guys, by the way.

The fabrics are Moda, I got mine at Josephine's here in Portland, but I think I saw some at Bolt too, (online it is here at Cia's, but I think it's in different colorways) and aqua print is Moda also (online here)

Last night I scored the Tiny Showcase Jen Corace print which also comes with a Jen Corace t-shirt! How can this be? Amazing! And what's even more amazing is that there were some limited quantities still available as of posting this. . .

Easter part deux.

Both cakes fit in the pie carrier basket. It was such a satisfying experience, plopping them in and toting them all cozy to the belated Easter Family event Sunday. It was actually thrilling. I realized I could fit 2 pies or 1 double layer or a cake and a pie, or 2 single layer cakes. So awesome.

I used this recipe for the upside down pineapple cake but added of 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom and a bit of almond extract and it was lovely. The chocolate ganache cake was a shocking success. It's from Ina's Parties book,(the exact recipe is here) and I was doubtful because it looked WAY too easy and it's main ingredient was an entire can of Hersey's syrup. It seemed too weird, so I had to try it. The cake itself was not all that chocolate-y, Hersey's syrup not being the pinnacle of chocolate flavor in my book, but the super easy chocolate ganache on top made it unreal. The whole cake seems so 1980s to me, (it even has gold leaf as a garnish in the book) and it was so gooooooooood, I will definately make it again.

Okay, I know these look a bit messy and perhaps even unappetizing, but it's only because I couldn't stop messing them up as I ate them. Made not by me, but by my aunt, they are a Henniger family tradition, (as is the fiercely competitive Easter egg contest that has been going since 1970 and deserves its own book, I'd say, full of family lore and craziness) never in my life has an Easter come without these deviled eggs garnished with the olive bunnies. The way Grandma (Grammie's mom) did it was with olives with the pits still in them, sliced long-wise, and the ears stuck on some how, but these did the trick and were easier to eat without the pit. I need to document these here because I can't stress enough the importance they have to me.

Grandma was big on garnishing and having fun with food. In an odd ironic, sly, way. Not in a goofy way. Hard to explain really. . .and my family does their best to carry on the tradition. I don't know if we will ever make a rat shaped meatloaf however, I don't know if we are that cool. Perhaps one day. Grandma's holiday was Easter, and we miss her so, it warms my heart that the craziness continues.

And good god, I just read about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Ugh. my heart goes out to all those families.

rick-rack and no crochetin'

Here's my rick-rack apron for Tie One On. . .I made only one, for both girls to share, which is going okay for now. This lovely mod fabric I got from Cia's Palette and I love it so much. I have a little pile of other fabrics from her shop waiting to be made into something, I just am waiting for the right project. . .

The photo shoot here was getting pretty funny. They both have to line up against the wall and have to hold hands and then complain when it's not of all of them. I totally understand. There's about 20 more pics of them hamming it up which is hysterical.

Crafting blog trends, oh how I love them--the doll quilts and now the granny squares (the purl bee have a great tutorial too) I think the granny squares revival has been going on for a bit. . .I got yarn especially for learning how to make these (debbie bliss cashmerino, thank you very much) and that was 3 weeks ago-possibly 4. The yarn hasn't even come out of the bag yet. I was orginally stricken with a crochet illness upon seeing Alicia's squares and now the stunning blanket she has so generously provided the pattern for is hurting me even more. . .and I also find myself thinking, gosh, can't I just BUY it?  Bad me. I so badly want to make something crocheted or knitted for baby #3 and the clock is ticking. .

We have a delayed family Easter event tomorrow and I plan to take 2 desserts and hope that they both fit in the 2-level pie carrier basket I got from Grammie. I will report soon on how they turn out and if they fit in the carrier.The potential for disaster makes it all the more exciting.

a comic and some links

I was siting around the last few days looking through my well worn copies of Everyday Fashions of the Twenties, Thirties and Forties (Dover) and got the urge, again, to start a comic project. Yet another thing on my "want to try this in my lifetime" list. I admit this might fall by the wayside, but it's a start. I don't have a hand sewing project right now, and need to do something while the girls play (the computer and phone are not okay by them at all.) It's very Henry Darger (old timey style) and Dan Clowes (tentacles and fur) inspired. I also found this great tutorial about coloring drawings in photoshop via Drawn. I didn't follow the directions because that would have involved reading and way too much concentration, but it inspired me anyway. I ended up just drawing by hand, scanning, adding the color in Photoshop the way I always do, but good to know a better way is out there.

I also found a great photo editing site via my husband called Snipshot. Great for all of you who want to edit your photos and make them look all pretty but don't have photoshop. I do have it, but not on my main computer (long story) so I use a lame program most of the time and Snipshot is WAY better. It allows you to "enhance" your photos with a miracle one-click button! (you can also do it with more control) You can then upload directly to flickr if you want to. 2 things.

Thing 1: If you do upload to flickr, you will get a warning from flickr that says Snipshot then has access to your account-if this bugs you, just save as a jpeg to your computer and upload yourself.

Thing 2: I thought at first you could only edit photos if they were already on a website-this is not the case. You just have to "open" a photo in Snipshot and then you can edit from wherever. I can't tell you how cool I think this program is-cropping, resizing, color enhancement is so easy. It's free (why does that seem suspicious?) for now anyway. . .

And my husband swears ask a ninja is the funniest thing ever. I haven't watched it yet, but it sounds promising. Because I haven't seen it yet, go at your own risk. (We can blame him later.)

books and stuff

I picked up The Runaway Dinner for the girls for Easter and LOVE it! I was in a hurry at Powell's and not really able to actually read it very much (which has really come back to haunt me in the past) but had to buy it 'cause, come on-it's a flipping running sausage on the cover!

What I didn't know when I bought it is how amazing ALL the illustrations would be and that the very British conversational story telling is an absolute crack up. This is an awesome book-I think I will buy more copies as gifts. It's too funny. Like possibly the funniest children's book we have.

And here's a few unrelated things:

-Woolfnanny has started up a The Purse Project, a bag challenge/make-a-long. Check it out and join the fun!

-My Paper Crane has made these insanely cute petite pineapple upside-down cakes that I HAVE to try. The problem is, I will be the only one eating them in this house-it's not a favorite desert around here, except in my book. I guess I have had worse problems.

-Kuky Ideas posted her ragdoll from mailorder on the group in flickr-hooray! Please add yours, or any other mailorder silliness as you see fit. She also has some helpful notes in making the doll, which is awesome. If you haven't started yours yet, don't forget to print out the boots.

quilt monday-for a wee one

We had a great Easter and are now eating chocolate for breakfast. The little break last week was good, a little crafting, a lot of reading and sleeping, and watching my ankles swell. Hmmm. I also had a lovely time with our out of town friends, who seem to have taken the good weather with them when they left. Shame on you.

This quilt is for Miss Hillary's new abode, specifically for her wee one's nursery room doll quilt wall. I was so taken with her inspirational photo, that I kept this pretty vintagey. Almost all of the prints and the solid peach are truly vintage--they are from a unfinished quilt top I found long ago, so this was a perfect way to reuse them. The blocks are called "waterwheel" and I made these tiny things using paper piecing, a method I love for small work, and I blogged about this method here, where my very fist small quilt makes it's appearance, using this exact same block pattern, I made that quilt about 8 years ago. . .I am getting old.

This one is about 13 1/2" x 11" and I did a normal binding, machine stitched on one side and hand stitched on the back. I did just a little hand quilting around the edges. .

There is a lot of doll quilt love going on right now-make sure and check out what Vicki has going on over at Turkey Feathers. . .

So back to the paper piecing thing, if you don't know what I am talking about, (I do explain it a bit in that blog post I linked to above) it is really easy once you get it and is a great way to make blocks that aren't log cabin, or 9-patch style. Like stars, and other shapes that otherwise seem really hard.

So, it got me thinking. . .about the next mailorder project, the last one until next year (I have that little baby coming ya know). . . I am thinking about designing maybe 3 different paper pieced block patterns with how-to directions and then have illustrated ideas for projects using these small blocks like coasters, pot holders, pockets on skirts/bags, you name it. . . .thoughts? I promise even if you have never made a quilt in your entire life, you could do it.

we seem to be all better-

Thanks so much for all you kind words--we seem to be on the mend. Pete is the toughest guy ever, in case you are wondering. In between going to the ER he was spreading mulch on the garden beds. Crazy. And now I am really tired. You know, that kind of tired you have been holding in for awhile. Like so tired you can't sleep? That kind of thing. I just hope I don't get sick now. 

I did have fun last night playing with some swatches from Denyse Schmidt's new line Katie Jump Rope with Freespirit (you can see all the fabrics here and I am sort of freaking on how much I love them.) They aren't out yet-but I am waiting. . .I'm on a brown kick as usual but there are lots of other colors too.

Okay, I'm gonna take a blogging break for the rest of the week, but please don't hesitate to e-mail me if you have a mailorder issue. They all should be in your hands by the end of this week. . .

On the netflix front, we just watched Half Nelson (which was weird with Pete all drugged up on the meds this weekend) I liked it okay, but found myself wondering why this story was being told. . .next up, Art School Confidential.