Crunchy Peas

Whoa Mama

Just keeping my head above water. It's good stuff these summer days- but we are going, going, going. From one thing to the next. Time for a little iphone dump. Here's a peek into our week:

Swinging at the park.

Picture of the sunrise (through my buggy windshield) as I drove home from a birth on Tuesday morning.

Ice-cream pick-me-up after two nights without sleep.

Hannah made the swim team. Her first meet is tonight. She's gonna kill it in backstroke.

She practices at 7:40am. Oy.

Laurel and I take our seats on the sidelines and soak up the morning sun.

Golf comes next. You're actually looking at The Birthday Girl. As of 1:09am this morning she is now 9. Can you believe it?

We celebrated early! Canteloupe + mint, cinny rolls, and oj.

Oh! and I made a new strap for my new camera (loving it). The leather was hard to work with. Don't look too close. My machine wasn't happy about sewing through it and the nylon strap. I wanted camel colored leather to match my purse, and I always wear silver jewlery so I wanted silver buckles. You can find supplies here. Otherwise, it's just grey heavyweight fabric with a little frayed linen ruffle sewed down the middle. 

Okay, I'm off again. xxoo

saying thank you

I'm grateful for the time and encouragement the teachers have given my girls this year.  I wanted to put together some sort of little gift to say "thank you". 

I started with aprons...because who doesn't need a new apron?  The pattern from Lotta's book is simple and quick and has sort of become my go to pattern for apron making.

I love the little gathers at the top.  The apron is reversible which, for messy cooks like me, allows for more time between washings. Spaghetti sauce splatter? Strawberry jam dribble? Flip it! The girls helped a bit with the pattern cutting and aprong string sewing. I finished up both of them after all the kids had gone to bed one night. I miss sewing. I need to do more sewing. Sometimes it feels like such a waste to take up a whole corner in our school room/office/family room downstairs. Space is at a premium.  But...I keep telling myself that this season with my busy boy is short, and that it won't be long before that machine is humming away again.

I added a little potted geranium, a tall mug with straws, and some cold brew ice tea bags. Teacher aides and the bus driver are getting a loaves of artisan bread.

The 4th graders took a rainy trip to the waterslides today. Poor Emma, it was 80+ degrees on Monday. Figures. She's on her way home and I'm off to draw a warm bath and get a hearty snack prepared. 

Pants problem

What do you get when you add the following?

A giganitc cloth diaper booty that rarely fits into any store-bought pants (except for these)

Cold weather and a need for warm bottoms

A desire to have comfortable, soft clothing

A MAJOR PANTS PROBLEM!

I decided to make some.   I used this pattern, but I lined them, so I followed the directions for the lined quick change pants in this book. Does that make sense?  I used the big butt pattern, but I assembled them according to the directions in Ana Maria's book.  Got it? I was so pleased with how easy these were.  I plan to make more.  Lots more. 

I know it is hard to see in this photo, but there is this extra little gusset fabric on the back.  It really helps house those BumGenius dipes. We use prefolds and wool too which can be so bulky. 

These particular pants are made with fine wale courdoroy (very soft) and lined with flannel shirting. Warm and soft.  Problem solved!

Next problem: drool. Massive quantities of drool. I was changing his soggy t-shirts several times per day! Who needs that extra laundry?  Enter this little kerchief- AKA the drool catcher.  Simple little pattern here.  I was lazy enough to just zig-zag the edges wrong sides together. Micro terry on one side, flannel on the other.  Wa-lah.

Isn't he getting big?

Smooth Sailing

I really only "made" one or two gifts this year. I'm glad that I didn't try to do more, it ended up being a little bit crazy with everyone feeling so sick.

I was happy with the way these little bread bags turned out.

 

The instructions came from Home Sewn.  The pattern called for hemp which I had exactly zero yards of.  I used linen instead. These whipped up quick- maybe an hour for one bag start-to-finish.

The cool thing about these bags is that there is a little compartment of flax seeds sewn into the bottom so that you can heat the bag and keep your bread warm. I gave the bags of bread with some balsamic flavored olive oil for dipping.

What is Christmas without some cookies and fudge? These plates went to our friends. I thought they looked pretty. I bought the plates, ribbon, and ornaments at Target.

Lastly, I made cleaning kits for teachers. (and forgot to take pictures)

The last four days have passed quietly.  I've not left the house since Monday morning. The girls have been happily playing with the neighbors and enjoying an abundance of free time. Ian started crawling this week.  The Christmas tree is coming down on the 26th!!!

The dishes are done. The laundry is mostly caught up.  My house is fairly tidy. The last bottle of amoxicillin disappears tomorrow. There is approx 12-18 inches of snow in my back yard.  We've got sleds, and movies, and cocoa, and THE NEXT FOUR WHOLE DAYS to celebrate together. Ahhh, I'm gonna soak it up.

Reunited...

 

...and it feels so good.  I FINALLY got my laptop back just before Thanksgiving last Wednesday.  Because we live in a fairly rural community, and because my hard drive crapped out (gasp! in a mac???), I had to send it out of town to be fixed.  It was a dark and dreary 8 weeks of separation. There were some moments of axiety along the way when my operating system disks were lost and the fate of my little laptop remained up in the air.  But in the end, it was fixed and sent home to me. It was a joy-filled reunion.  I quickly celebrated by taking my coffee and very portable computer to bed.  I spent several hours resetting passwords, bookmarking pages and generally making it my own again. 

I made a little sleeve for my laptop.  The tutorial is here.

Very easy to follow, it was a quick project (minus several interruptions for baby snuggling, nursing, diaper changing, and fetching lost/dropped toys).

It was also great to be reunited with my sewing machine.  I'm just getting warmed up for lots of Christmas gift-making. Have you seen all the lovely Handmade Holiday inspiration here? 

I'm back Friends...in a really big way.

 

Book Slings

I love reading Meg's blog.  I've had my eye on her book sling (scroll down) for some time now.  At a glance, this project intimidated me.  But, once I actually read through the directions, I realized that it was very doable.

Laurel's.

 

(Laurel keeps asking when Ian gets to sleep in her room with her. I fear it will be a while...he's pretty cozy in mama's bed.)

Emma's.

Hannah's. 

 

We have a 15 minute reading allowance before bedtime each night.  It helps the girls settle into their beds (besides it is so light out at 8:30pm!)  These book slings help keep their favorite books close and off the floor....I hope!

as promised

Oh friends.  Thank you if you are still coming to this lonely place.  There are just not enough hours in the day!  I know many of you feel that very same way.

I'm here to show off a little sewing project.  It was very practical. Since I spend a whole of of time doing this:

(taken with the "old camera" app on m iphone)

And because we tend to be out and about a lot these days (tennis lessons, swim lessons, piano lessons, trips to the park, family gatherings and barbecues, etc.) and because it is hot and sunny and we need some shade, and because I realize that not everyone around me is as comfortable as I am about breastfeeding in public...

 

I made a couple of cover-ups.  I followed the simple tutorials that you can find all over the place if you just google "nursing cover-up"

The top one is made with a little 6 inch trim of contrasting fabric.  I also lined the back with muslin and a strip of flannel for wiping spit-up.  The bottom brown one is just one layer and has thicker straps that stay put in the d-rings better. (instead of sewing right sides to right sides and turning, I cut the fabric 4x the finished width and folded it like bias tape before top stitching the edges. Does that even make sense?)  These fold up so small in my little carry-all bag. Ian doesn't mind being under one of these little blankets at all...and I love it when he looks up at me through the little "skylight".  He sure is beefing up.  All those little folds and rolls are irresistible for nibbling. Poor little guy, mama is always chewing on him. 

(in action)

Okay, I've got posts all queued up on the status of my garden, some crochet, another fun sewing project, and some sweet pictures in between all of that. Cheerio!

finished

A few little sewing projects to show.

New pillows (the turquoise ones). Nothing fancy, just been wanting to add another color to the front room- it has been mostly lime green. I've had the 16" feather pillow forms and fabric for months.

I don't know why I procrastinated so much.  They were really quite simple, just basted that cording onto the front panel with my zipper foot before I pieced them together.  No zipper openings for me this time, just a quick overlapping in the back. Feels good to get that one off my list, and I'm loving that lime green and turquoise combo.

Next up was a shower curtain for the downstairs guest bathroom.  This is a smaller space with no natural light. It really needed to be brightened up. 

Shower curtains are so easy to sew.  Just buy about 4 yards of fabric, cut it in half, sew the two pieces together down the middle using a french seam, then use a 2" hem on the top and bottom.  I don't even bother with the selvages- I just leave them as they are.  I make button holes in the top hem for the rings and wa-lah- a shower curtain.

The last little project was for Baby. I made the cozy hooded towel from Purl Bee.  The towel itself is made from fine terry cloth.  The binding and hood is accented with soft flannel. It was all a bit squirmy to work with, but I persevered.  With the left-over fabric I made a few washcloths.  I just zig-zagged the edges of two 9"squares of flannel and terrycloth wrong sides together.  My friend bought us the Spa Baby tub that you see there.  I am so excited to see how that works out!

The countdown is on for real now.  I have a post prepared to show what is involved in setting up for a home birth. Oh the waiting!

some sewing

My nesting continues.  However, it has become necessary that it take on a more sedentary nature.  Sitting still is hard for me.  I've never been much good at it.  I'm trying to listen to my body (and the sweet baby inside) while they are asking nicely... to slow down.

My sewing machine has seen very little action lately.  It sits in my little corner, sadly collecting dust.  I thought it could use a good cleaning.  Indeed it did!

With a fresh machine, a pastry, some coffee, an ipod loaded with thought-provoking material,

even a serious sewing hair-do....who knows what can happen!?!

I hope to have some finished projects to share soon. Stay tuned.

given away

This year I really had to come to grips with the fact that I simply could not make and do what I have in years past.  It was okay really, and I learned something. Sometimes I try to do it all and do it poorly. Things are rushed, slapped together, and I don't enjoy the process.  When I am more selective with what I take on- my projects are well-finished, well-wrapped, and well-enjoyed. Am I the last one to figure this out?

 
Sugar cookies.  A quadruple batch. Precisely mixed, patiently chilled, skillfully cut out, carefully baked, kid frosted (here's where I had to do some letting go: neon colors, tons of sprinkles, less than perfect). These cookies have been a tradition in my family since I was a little girl.  Oddly, I don't really like them, but that is good because my recipe calls for at least 2 cups of butter!!

 

I like practical gifts to be pretty as well.  Last year I made natural cleaning kits for my friends.  This year, I made them Jane Market Bags. The pattern is so simple and fairly quick once you get going.  I made a few and I think the best way to go about it is to do an assembly line sort of thing.  I cut all the fabric and then I made each bag simultaneously as I moved through the steps of sewing it together.  In the front pocket I tucked in one of my favorite note pads.  A perforated menu planner/grocery list from MomAgenda.

My Mother-in-Law is the famous "lunch lady" at the high school where she lives.  For some time now she has been asking me to make her an apron.  I have gotten great use out of my Emmaline Apron so I decided to make one for her as well.  Because I was familiar with this project I was able to really take my time cutting, pinning, stitching, and pressing.  I had a decaf latte nearby and listened to my ipod. I love sewing when my brain is not puzzled by the pattern. Thank you to Alicia and Meg (creators of these patterns) for making them so simple!

We kept up with our school work for most of the week.  Anticipating a baby this Spring is great motivation for keeping up- even getting ahead a bit.  The girls have done so well to keep up.  There hasn't been much complaining. We also hosted two family dinners to celebrate Christmas.

With a Mama who scaled back her efforts, a Husband who generously filled in the gaps (big praise for being self-employed and the ability to work from home if need be), and Daughters who are growing up and able to help- really help (like cleaning the bathrooms, folding laundry, and mopping floors) we even had some time to enjoy our favorite sledding hill.

 

Laurel says, "cheers to simple things, done well, and enjoyed by all."

Camille's Annual September Birthday Bag

My friend Camille's birthday is September 7th.  Every year I make her a bag. The last bag I made her was from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing Book.  It met her needs so well (she is a busy lady!!), that I thought I would use the same pattern this year, just changing the look of it.

I used a polka-dot denim for the outside, and a striped seer-sucker for the lining.  I made a few yo-yos for the front using my handy-dandy yo-yo maker.  The pattern doesn't call for bias trim on the side and back pocket, but I added it and liked the way it looked.

This bag whips up in an afternoon.  I had just enough time to cut it, sew it, iron it, photograph it, and wrap it in 4 hours!! As I was giving it to her, I worried that it looked a bit juvenile- what with all the polka-dots, yo-yos, and all. 

Thankfully she didn't agree. She loved it.  She then went on to totally annihilate all of us in a fierce round of bowling.  I was the BIG loser, setting a shameful record with a score 57!  What?!? Too bad we weren't golfing.  Lots of laughter (mostly at my expense).  Happy Birthday Friend!

Sunday Sewing

 

I spent the entire afternoon in my little sewing corner.  Nothing much to show for it, but it was wonderful.  Hope you found the time to do something you love over the weekend.

new season = new bag

 

I made this little bag over the weekend.  So far, I like it.  My last bag was huge- big enough for a wide brimmed hat, magazines, sunscreen, sack lunches, and the occasional beach towel.  When I emptied it there was sand in the bottom. It was definitely time to scale things down a bit for Fall.  Most trips out of the house do not last all day as did our outings during the Summer months.

 

I used the pattern/tutorial over at creative little daisy (scroll down).  It was very simple and easy to understand.  And my shoulder thanks me! 

happy chairs

Chair problem fixed.

Taking color inspiration from Morgan I snazzed up the chairs at our school table.  The original thought was to replace the vinyl on the seats with some really cute oil cloth.  As I thought about ripping out all those staples and then considered the "skin-sticking-to-the-seat" factor of oil cloth- I changed my mind.  Instead I made a little skirt that can easily be removed and washed.  It really was super easy once I figured out how and what to measure.  I just took the length and width of the actual seat and added seam allowances, then measured around the legs to get the skirt length.  I multiplied the total length of the skirt by 1.5 and gathered it to get the fullness.

Happy chairs and a happy kitty. Success!

** a side note: we can't get enough of this song...some serious booty shakin' going on!

made to order

A few weeks back Jessie contacted me through this little blog of mine and asked if I would help her put together a little birthday gift for her daughter.  I admired her wanting to give something handmade to her daughter, but at the same time I asked myself, "She wants me to help her?"  I feel like such a novice at this whole sewing thing and the thought of making something "for hire" was a tad intimidating.

Well here is what I came up with.  I thought it would be fun for Jessie's daughter to be in on the creation of her little gift so I only finished it half-way.  I made her a smock apron.

 

I also made some pockets that she can sew on herself wherever she pleases (she will be 8 years old).

To aid in the hand sewing I also put together a little sewing kit for her stocked with fun trims and buttons to further decorate her apron.  This little egg crate idea came from a back issue of Country Living magazine. 

  

A needle book and small scissors are tucked in the lid, and down below I included some fun pins pushed into a strawberry pincushion, thread, a measuring tape, and some other buttons and trims (some are not pictured).  Isn't that a cute way to put it all together?  Can you tell what the recipiants favorite colors are?

I also crocheted up some veggies and a market bag.  Pretend food is so much fun to play with (real food is too for that matter).

   

I purchased the patterns here some time ago.

So, off they shipped yesterday.  As much as I enjoyed creating all of it...I still felt a bit nervous as I shipped it out yesterday.  Hope she likes it!

What an absolutely wonderful weekend.  I hope that you enjoyed yours as much.  On Saturday I took a 2 hour nap! An amazing feat because the rest of my family was awake.  I went to my bedroom to read and before I knew it...I was asleep and NO ONE came in to wake me up.  It was fabulous. Most of the day Sunday I was downstairs doing laundry.  I didn't really mind it...I watched this 4 hour part one of Jane Eyre.  Embarassing enough, I wasn't familar with the story.  I really do need to upgrade my Netflix membership so that I can get 2 movies at once.  Waiting a few days for the second half of that show is going to be excrutiating! (remember I said that I was going to cancel my membership...so much for that!)

We have finally arrived at the last week of school.  I am so glad.  Three days to go.  Three busy days.  I sewed up a few gardening aprons for the girl's teachers.  We (the parents) are putting together little gardening baskets for them complete with seeds, shovels, gloves, hand lotion, and these aprons.

I didn't have a pattern, but a just a general idea of how I wanted them to look.  How hard can sewing a rectangle be?  I made a sample apron just to make sure that I worked out all the kinks first.  Sewing for other people is always fussy like that.  Then, I cranked out the others assembly line style.  Cut them all out, and made all the little bias trims, then put them each together.  They are made from canvas and cotton prints.  I lined the pockets with muslin just so they would be a similar thickness as the canvas.

 

I have more sewing to show for...come back tomorrow! I give up on the spacing issue #$%@&**!!

"Alone Time"- Together

The rhythm of afternoon time has been changing around here, feeling different because Hannah is slowly giving up her naps.  Selfishly, I have really dreaded this...I've seen it coming.  My first thought was, "Great, there goes my nice little quiet time that I could bank on each afternoon."  But we are figuring out how we can each have some "alone time" together.

This was our afternoon table.

Me with magazine, her with her puzzles, Barbie lounging by the pool, and some chocolate zucchini cake.  We had a conversation that went like this:

Me: So, um Barbie is just hangin' by the pool huh?

Her: Yep, sometimes she swims.

Me: Does Barbie have kids?

Her: Nope, you never bought me that one Skipper doll...we don't have any little Barbies.

Me:  Does Barbie have a job?

Her: Mmmm, uh-uh (shaking her head no)

Me:  Wow! So how does Barbie afford food and stuff?

Her: Duh, Mom she has a husband.  He works.

Me: So let me get this straight.  Barbie has no children and no job.  Her husband goes to work to earn the money and Barbie stays home and just lays by the pool all day?

Her:  Well, yes mom- like you do.

Me:  Pfffffft! Spitting out the coffee I was drinking and choking on a piece of walnut in my cake.  Where does she get this stuff?

Obviously she doesn't really have a good grasp on reality.  I feel so appreciated when I realize how she thinks I spend my time.

I don't exactly see it her way, but it gave me a good giggle.

I made this sun hat the other day in anticipation of being down on the waterfront Saturday.  The pattern is from Lotta Jansdotter's book.  It was fairly simple.  I did end up taking at least an inch off the height of the crown.  Without doing that, I wouldn't have been able to see.  I just made it from some plain off-white linen, the lining was also cream (sateen).  Now that I have the pattern down I see more exciting color combinations in the future.  If you make it, just make sure that you keep trying the hat on while it is in process. The circumference fit me just right but only because I fudged the seam allowances a bit.    It really kept my face and neck protected and I was glad to have it.  Actually, I think Hannah might look a bit better in it don't you?

I also made the backpack from the same book.  I wanted to have free hands to use my camera.  Also, my current bag didn't match my dress (this is important when venturing into the big city.  Matching bags help you look more urban.  I definitely needed help looking more urban) 

Again, I made it at 1am in the morning...so embroidery, buttons and all other decorative touches escaped me.  I just needed to finish it.  I made it with some lightweight denim.  Hannah has taken a liking to it and I may pass it onto her and make a jazzier one for myself.  This was a pretty straight forward pattern...until I got to the straps.  I think it took me almost an hour and three attempts to get it right (at least I basted- see I am learning. After ripping a few "real" seams out, I caught on.) .  The pockets in front were designed to hold my keys and phone in one pocket and my water bottle in the other. 

So, that is all for now.  Typepad has changed the buttons around here and this post has taken WAAAY to long.  Anyone other Typepad users notice the snail's pace?

a skirt

At 10pm last night I got this crazy idea to start a little sewing project.  Why does that zest and inspiration come to me so late at night ? (perhaps because that is when it is quiet around here)

McCall's 5430

A simple wrap skirt.  I chose to sew it without the optional ruffle, pockets or trim.  Black linen, plain and simple.  I am not used to wearing a waist that is so high...it took me a while to figure out that I would actually have to tuck my shirt in.  Does anyone ever do that anymore?  It was weird, I felt a bit frumpy at first.

I was glad to have a black slip to wear under this.  I was wishing that it wrapped a bit more (maybe if I lost a few inches of my non-existent-boyish-waist that would help :) The overlap portion of fabric was only about 8 inches, on a windy day that can be dangerous! Other than that, I really like it.  The waist band puzzled me for a while, I kept thinking I was sewing it on upside down.  And yes, I had to rip out a seam- twice.

This viewpoint makes me smile.  I am glad to have captured (by accident) the little bodies of motion that are constantly whizzing around me.  Even Sophie The Cat got in on the action.  So, if you need a quick spring/summer skirt this is a pretty easy pattern.  I am thinking of making another one, only this time I would make a contrasting waistband and matching bias trim around the edges of the skirt...no hemming that way.

Can you believe it?

Don't faint, but I have some actual finished projects to share!

First off, after 4 months of crocheting a row here and a row there....I finished Laurel's cardigan.  The pattern is here and was super easy.  I just love everything that Alicia Paulson creates.  I think that Laurel liked it too (either that, or she was just fascinated by that extra cute girl looking back at her).

Next is a shower wrap that was born out of necessity.  You see, my bathroom is not just my bathroom anymore.  It happens to be the hub of activity each morning.  There are a total of 3 bathrooms in our house, but only one gets used- mine (oh yeah, I guess it is Carl's too).  I am all about "being open" and "celebrating our God-given bodies" and all- but I just felt it was time to be a bit more discreet, if for no other reason than for my own personal esteem.

You know that feeling you get when you can feel someone is staring at you?  I think it wouldn't creep me out so much if I were more, ahem, decent. "Mommy, why is it all lumpy on your buns?"  "What are all those blue stripes on your legs?"  "Is that floppy skin on your stomach where I used to live?"  "Mom did you remember to exercise today?"  The honesty was just too much and the world is a much better place hidden under some soft white terrycloth.  The pattern is from Simple Sewing with a French Twist, and was indeed very simple.  I haven't had the opportunity to make anything else from the book, but I have several pages doggie-eared.

Also simple is this.  I am feeling too lazy to write it out again...but it is definitely worth a try!!

A baby and a bag

Remember my friend Saci from Hungary?  Well, this morning at 6:40am she had her little baby boy.  I was so fortunate to be with her and husband for a second time as they welcomed this sweet peanut into their family.

Her labor was about 3 hours start to finish, Jared was born in two pushes! Sarah, their older daughter was not so accommodating...so I was glad this time was easier for her. "Easier" is of course a relative term.  Labors that are short tend to be fairly intense.  Saci did a beautiful job of staying calm and relaxed while her body did some major work in a short period of time!  I have been doing this doula thing long enough now that some of my moms are having baby #2 and that is so fun for me.  I was tickled to again be present at such special moment and, of course, had a few happy tears for them.

(left to right: Stephanie-birth assistant, Me-birth assistant/doula, Saci, and Dzhan-midwife)

I wasn't on call this morning but was glad to be invited.  And hey, these short little 3 hour in-and-out births are fun. I could get used to those. However long they last, it doesn't seem possible that I will ever tire of being a small part of such a miraculous event!

And, last night I finally snuck in some sewing.  I have still been carrying around this bag and the wool fabric was all wrong for spring. 

My new favorite color is yellow.  I was trying hard to find a color combination that allowed me to have some yellow without being too annoying.  I wanted the bag to be something that would go with almost anything.  I used the pattern for the Pleated Beauty Handbag from Bend the Rules Sewing.  I bought the fabric and then realized when I opened the book that it was very similar to the one in the picture.

I like the way it turned out and especially love the little button that I added for a closure at the top. (I like my bags to close...you never know what might fall out of it :)

Anyways, we are gearing up for a freezing cold weekend.  The weather was unseasonably warm last weekend and now tomorrow we may get snow.  I was planning to move my seedlings outside this weekend- but maybe I'd better wait.  No matter, there is more sewing to do!

yo

I have been pretty preoccupied with the task of preparing for an infant resuscitation course that I took today.  Please, if I ever say that I want to go back to college- remind me of this post.  Man, it was so hard to study whilst being a mom!  My ability to retain information has really gone down the tubes.  I would almost venture to say that my brain in turning to mush.  Happy mush.  I love learning, but on my own terms...and yes, learning to help non-breathing babies is a valuable skill- but it wasn't my first pick in books to read or subject material.  Thankfully, I passed with flying colors (you would be amazed at what some of the Family Practitioners don't know, there were some in my class today).  Glad its over.

A few days ago I did manage to crank out a little bag for Hannah's best friend.  If it weren't for the accountability of all these birthdays...not sure any sewing would get done around here.

 

I used the pattern from Lotta Jansdotter's book for the Simple Tote, then just added some yo-yos.  I loved how it turned out.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that there will be several more of these made in the future.  We filled it with sticker books, nifty pens, and a fun little pair of flip flops. My children just bless me so much when they proudly offer handmade gifts to their friends.  When I suggested to Hannah that we make something for her friend, I expected her to roll her eyes and ask if we could buy her a pink Barbie with glitter eye shadow or something.  Instead, she lit up and said, "I was hoping you would have time!"  Sweet, sweet girls. Sweet bag too, no?

feathering her nest

I am off to a bit of a slow start this morning after coming in from a birth at 3:30am this morning.  It was a sweet scene to behold as the parents welcomed their little baby to life outside the womb.  I love it when the sex of the baby is unknown...it is always fun to watch the new parents discover if their fresh bundle is a boy or a girl.  Little Grace was her mother's prize after 20 some hours of labor!! 

Okay, onto the curtains I made!

They were incredibly hard to photograph against the glare of the window.  The fabric for the valance was left over from my Emmeline apron- red polka-dots (and the little red pom-poms as just enough whimsy don't you think?)  The other fabric came from a sheet that I thrifted, it is always a bit tricky for me to work with such big lengths of material.  Her window is huge so each panel was 60" wide by 100" long! I used the pattern for curtains in Bend the Rules Sewing.  It was so easy- straight line sewing!  My only regret was backing them in muslin vs. blackout fabric.  Emma's room gets the bright morning sun and heaven knows we would all like her to sleep in a bit longer on the weekends!

(shhh don't tell Emma that Laurel Baby was in her room while she was at school- a full fledged flip out would ensue. also, the curtains touch the ground when they are not pulled open.)

This project has been on my "to do list" for quite some time so I was very pleased to get it finished. I was also glad to appease Emma who would ask me about getting them made every time she walked past the fabric on my sewing table. Relentless I tell you!

Onto the next project: dining room drapes (in yellow)

emmeline apron

Ta da!

 

It was fun and fairly simple to make.  The most tedious part being the bias tape (making it).  I love this bright colorful fabric from Alexander Henry.  I think my favorite color combination right now is this red and aqua.

The contrasting fabric is red and white polka-dot.  Those tiny dots are hard to photograph.  Photo credits go to Emma. I made her take a bazillion and yet we still didn't get very good ones.  I did not hand sew the bias tape on.  I used the machine and if I were to make this apron again (surely I will) I would make that same decision again.   Next time I will use thread that is the same color as the trim.  I was trying to be all artsy fartsy and I used an aqua thread-- it is far too revealing of my lame sewing skills. The reverse side is a little blue dot pattern.  You can see it in yesterday's post (it was the liner in the little clutch I made.)

This apron is pretty cute on, especially flattering in the area that I am, ahem- lacking.  Now its your turn.  Get the pattern.

monday already?

I am fairly certain that I missed something...I thought it very rude when my alarm went off this morning.  Can it really be Monday again?  The weekend seems a bit of a blur, although I do remember having a fair amount of time to sew on Saturday.  I made the Emmaline Apron and tried to photograph it last night.  I just hate using the flash, and couldn't get a good picture.  So, guess you'll have to come back tomorrow to see that. 

Emma's best friend turned 7 yesterday. 

Bowling and pizza ensued.

Can you pick up on the black light effect? What is cooler than seeing your teeth glow?  Taking pictures in that lighting also proved to be difficult- that, and the fact that they never stop moving.  All that giggling and fluttering about...I remember what it was like.  Emma (above in blue) was funny about what ball she would use.  It took me a while to catch on, but I realized the reason she would not come and sit by me in between her turns- was not that she found me to be "uncool" (to my relief) but that she wanted the pink ball. She would not leave its side.  She stood there coaxing it to herself through the entire 10 sets (am I saying that right?  I know nothing about bowling!)

I made The Birthday Girl the "artsy" clutch from Bend the Rules Sewing and we filled it with a ribbon belt (which took exactly 5 min to make!!) and bubblegum, chapstick and nail polish.  Emma jumped on the "handmade" bandwagon and insisted that she also make the card.  We both had such joy working together and giving away our handiwork. 

Oh they are quite a pair! Seven years old is the limit.  I will not allow 8.  Stop it already.

Okay, Monday begins, apron tomorrow- see you then!

I made something

My niece turned 11 over the weekend.  For me, this is a tricky age to buy for.  I really struggled with what to get her.  She is at that "in between" stage.  Not quite a teenager, not a little girl anymore. And too, I always go back and forth between gifts that are practical and gifts that are totally frivolous and fun.  I wanted to make her something because that is my thing now, right? Handmade.  A couple of months ago I found Meg's blog  (don't you love it how I use her first name like we are close personal friends) and bought up a few of her patterns.  More recently I snatched up her adorable apron pattern! When I went searching through my patterns for something to make Haley, the pattern for this reading pillow caught me.

I thought it would be fun/easy to make and that she would enjoy it.  I already had all the supplies that I needed so I set out to work.  The pattern calls for making you own cotton cording...I cheated and used a package of ready made.  Attaching this was the trickiest part of the whole deal.  My zipper foot saved me and I made it through just fine.  The rest came together fairly easily,  which is more that I can say for my selection of a book for her.  Do you have any idea what kind of garbage is out there for girls this age?  Maybe I was my selection was limited but it seemed that I had to choose from stories about hooking up with guys (again, she is 11), dragons/magic/witches, or Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  Don't get me wrong, Little House in the Big Woods is our current favorite (along with the show Little House on the Prairie which we rarely miss each day at 4:00pm) but I didn't really think this kind of book was Haley's style.  So, I fell back on good ol' Nancy Drew.  I thought it would at least keep her attention in a wholesome way.

When my girls saw how this pillow works, they immediately started requesting one of their own.  I definitely see more of these in my future.  At the party, this pillow was up against other gifts like a Karaoke machine, American Idol dvds, gift cards galore, a mp3 player, and on and on!  I was proud to offer something so low-tech and heart-felt.  I am not sure that it was received with the same enthusiasm...but that is understandable I guess. When she opened it, Carl was so sweet. He read my mind.  He gave me a little pat on the leg and said, "It was really neat, Honey- you did a really nice job on it." 

I had fun making it.  The pillow turned out cute, and it is the thought that counts right? Happy Monday.

a.m.

Mornings are good aren't they?  Saturday mornings are even better.  I have always been a morning person.  After about 8pm I am not worth very much- things start to go down hill.  Usually I have to ask, "so how did that movie end last night?" I get this trait from my father.  We have no need for alarm clocks.  For the most part we seem to just wake up when we are supposed to.  Setting an alarm makes me nervous.  It is typical that I wake up at 15 minute intervals before the set time waiting for the "beep".  Even though I am not much of a sleeper-inner, just knowing I could if I wanted to makes Saturdays something to look foreword to. 

So, this Saturday morning we indulged in puffed oven pancakes.

Growing up we always had a "real" breakfast on Saturdays in place of our cereal on weekdays.  I always looked forward to watching cartoons.  (Whatever happened to Looney Toones?  Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Coyote and Road Runner were the best!)

Some of us ate our pancakes with orange marmalade, which we pronounce "marm-a-lawd" in our best English accents. Others opted to eat their pancakes bare.

I have been doing some sewing the last few days.  I was feeling a bit sheepish after such a kind feature over at Sew Mama Sew.  Thank you to all the people who visited!!  It was fun to read all of your comments.  I do hope you come back often!  Anyways, I really haven't sewn very much as of late.  I have been on more of a crochet kick these days.  Hannah is hurting for clothes.  I hate to buy anything for her knowing that spring will soon be here.  So, I whipped out a few skirts for her. (that is all that she will wear)

This is the twirly skirt from houseonhillroad.  I used a light-weight denim and some vintage trim I have been saving.  I love this pattern.  It is so easy.  I especially love that it doesn't require a double fold hem- those are the worst.  I will do almost anything to avoid them.  Like sew ribbon on the edge as you would bias tape.

Not the greatest picture, but a super easy pattern from the Autumn 2005 issue of Ottobre. And yes, I finished the edge with ribbon.  I have had this fine-wale corduroy since October.  Better late than never I guess.  I made it a tad big so that she can wear it again next fall.

I took Mama K's advice and turned one of the thrifted sweaters into longies for Laurel.  They work great over cloth diapers.  Wool absorbs wetness especially when it is lanolized (I use this and this).  Normally I would use the sleeves and make pants using this technique...but I wasn't sure that they were long enough so I used the britches and bloomers pattern again.  Whew! That was pretty linky.

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday morning!

mending

My sewing machine has been in the shop twice in the last 2 weeks (I have a newer model, but have had a couple of quirky issues with it.)  I've missed it.  However, the break did us both some good.  My machine now weighs about 10 pounds less because all the lint and dust that has been cleaned out (sorry Mr. Repair Man :)  He gently reminded me that things might be helped if I did that myself- and a bit more often. I used the time away from Singer to recover from my "Last Minute Christmas Sewing Freak-out" and found a new desire to jump back in.  It was a joyous reunion.  Hannah was excited to see that it had returned to it's rightful place on my sewing table because I have been promising to make her some new jammies with the flannel she picked out at the fabric store.  Inspired by this post- I decided that we would work on them together.

 

I let her push the pedal and I did the steering.  This process reaffirmed what I already knew about Hannah.  That is- she basically has two speeds, major lolly-gager or crazy fast.  We struggled for a while to find our rhythm, laughing a lot! She also had some very specific requests as to the color of her thread (red top-stitching, and pink bobbin), length of her pants (she wanted her slippers to show), and the tightness of her waistband (we had to readjust a couple of times to get it just right). After chatting, teaching, some learning, and lots of giggles, she had her pants.  We used this pattern- so simple.  Because I didn't want to bore or worse frustrate her- simple was good.

She wore them for 2 days (and nights).  Then, the requests started coming in for more.  Laurel's are blue, longer, and with some zig-zags.  Thankfully, for the last 2 days we didn't have much reason to wear anything other than our softy flannel pants and slips.

Frankly, after last week (our first going back to school since the Holiday break) most of us felt like this doll- worn, ragged, and with our stuffing hanging out.  We spent much of the weekend mending.  Its always nice to give and receive a little more of each other during these quiet times.  Recharges the batteries a bit, you know?  Hey did you also know about this?  The popcorn is on deck and I have a very cozy companion who is sure to appreciate the romance of Jane Austen (as opposed to others that dwell here- you know who you are :)

wearing babies

I love having Laurel close to me.  Do you know how yummy she smells?  How soft her cheeks are? It is so intoxicating. Even better, I know how much she likes being near me.  I think it comforts us both to be close.  From the time she was very small we have enjoyed babywearing.  The benefits to us both are endless.  I have free hands (free in the sense that I can grab onto my other 2 daughters in busy parking lots), NO STROLLERS, no germ laden shopping carts, cozy naps in the middle of noisy family weddings, discrete nursing, no lugging that 50 lb. infant car seat into the Dr's. office, and finally- my pony tail makes a great toy! I am constantly telling my mamas-to-be that a sling or baby carrier in one form or another, is my #1 must have baby item.  I don't know how I would live without mine.

I made a new pouch last night following this pattern. It took less than 1 hour to stitch it together! In the past I have sewn and used ring slings which worked well when Laurel was a bit smaller.  I was worried about this pouch feeling as secure and tight without the adjust-ability of the rings.  With careful measuring (distance from your shoulder to hip determines the size of the pouch), this was equally secure.  Currently, we use a beco backpack.  I like having her on my back at this age.  She can see out, and I feel like I have a lot more freedom of movement.  However, with the "bulky coat" season upon us, the waist buckle has been weird.  Because she is on my back, I have to wear her over my coat and depending on what thickness of coat I am wearing that day, we are always re-adjusting.  With this snazzy little pouch I could still wear her on my front (she will NEVER be too big, I won't let it happen- I totally think that I could carry her down the isle at graduation- don't you?) allowing my coat to go over the top of both of us.  Also, it is easier for Laurel to get in and out of this pouch without having to loosen the rings on a regular sling.  We do that a lot (in and out).

Making your own baby carrier is totally safe, and a lot less expensive.  If you can sew a straight line, you can do it!  Plus, there is the benefit of choosing your own fabric.  Believe me, I have one in every color now- and you should too!  If you decide to make one let me know how it turns out!

stupid list

Have you ever had a "to do list" that laughed at you?  A list that provoked a challenge?  One that dared you to try and check off each task? Mine was scoffing at me last night.  I danced around it for a while, trying to figure out what to do about that "to do" list.

I tried thinking of ways to get out of a few things, I tried prioritizing and time scheduling...eventually I just gave up.  11 o'clock rolled around and I was so tired.  It had already been a very full day. I started walking towards my bedroom with the intention of scrapping my list and heading to bed.  Just about the time that I started to crawl into bed, I heard Laurel crying from her room.  It was an "I am sick" type of cry.  Yes, she has had a bit of a cold- but now it was definitely at a whole new level.  Croup.  Before long, I had humidifiers, hot steamy showers and boiling pots of water all going at the same time. Finally, she found her way back to sleep- in my bed.  On my side of the bed.  Propped up on my pillow.  And I was awake.  Wide awake.  In the far off distance I could hear my list.  It was taunting me, "ha! now it would truly be impossible for you to conquer everything on this list- there is a sick baby to deal with."  Little did my list know that I am not to be taunted at 2am.  I looked that list square in the eyes and said, "you wanna piece of this?"  And so it began...

What? Your kitchenaid mixer doesn't look like that?

48 gingerbread house cookies for the girl's Christmas Parties today. (I don't want to eat/smell/roll/cut/eat/mix/decorate/eat another gingerbread cookie for a long time!)

I downloaded this from itunes in the hopes of burning 22 CDs for Emma and Hannah to give away as gifts to all their classmates.  Yeah, did you know that you can only make 7 copies of each download?   I didn't- until after I had burned the 7th disc at 3am. That wasn't going to work for 22 students.  Quick, what to do?

Instead, Emma's classmates are getting little books.  There has been so much book love out there these days, I was grateful to have that idea tucked in the back of my brain.  I made ours with over sized index cards (1st graders love to write on lines.) The "binding" is just a straight machine stitch running down the side.  I never thought the needle would go through 5 layers of card stock!  Address labels slapped on the front made for a perfect place to write a title or your name.

Hannah's class will be receiving a "Thank God for Pinking Shears and Felt" ornament.  No, I did not sew all those buttons on- why do you think they invented hot glue?

It works don't you think?  So, onto the next task on my list.  Tired?  Pshaw, I don't know the meaning of the word. Overwhelmed?  Nonsense, there is no such thing.  "All Nighters", sick kids, Christmas Parties, weekend travel- mole hills. I refuse to go down with a box unchecked! Take that you stupid list!

broccoli bag

Remember this bag?  Well, sadly- I have still been carrying it around.  Do you know how horrible it looks with my black wool coat?

Everyday when I fetch it from the hooks by the door I think, "ugh- I really need to make a new bag."  But I was struggling to find some inspiration. This thought of a new bag has been intensifying as I look forward to a girl's weekend away in the big city.  Overnight.  Shopping.  So, what's a country mouse to do?  

For a long time I have loved this. 

So I made this:

(This bag was so difficult to photograph on such a gray day.  I finally had a measure of success after I hung it from the dining room chandelier)

The pattern is found here.  I modified the straps.  The bag body is made out of wool, the applique from wool felt.  I am in love with the fabric that I used to make the straps.  It's made from silk linen and came from a skirt that I picked up at Goodwill.  (It was a size 2...the lady at the counter looked at me like, "yeah right lady!") 

When they woke up this morning, I proudly showed the girls what I had made.  Hannah bluntly blurted out, "Looks like broccoli to me" and returned to her cereal.  Emma agreed in a disinterested sort of way and of course Laurel copies whatever anyone else says, "Boccy" she giggled.  They are usually so encouraging!?! 

Better don't you think?