the dabbler...

Apple Orchard play date

2009-11-09T15:00:00.001-08:00

We met up with some friends today at an apple orchard. Beautiful weather + busy and imaginative kids + a fantastic orchard + wonderful friends = a great day! Thanks Brooke and Becky!

Birthday gift for my Mom

2009-11-08T13:29:00.001-08:00

Since we are on day 3 of Dave gone a-hunting, there has been more sewing going on than usual around here. It helps that it was beautiful outside, so the monsters are playing "dinosaur hunter" and "camping" in the back yard, while I get my sewing groove on. I finished my mom's slightly belated Birthday gift today. Heck, it is still her Birthday month, so it is not really all that late.

My mother may have mentioned awhile back she wanted a Lickety Split bag... so the pattern (Made by Rae pdf pattern- love it) was easy to choose. Fabric selection was a bit more of a dilemma. I hemmed/hawed over what fabric to use for either side of this reversible bag. She is not a fan of LOUD funky fabric (ahem... like me...), and does not care for my vintage stuff, so most of my fun fabrics were out. She does love quality fabric... in fact she cringes that I buy fabric online when I can't actually touch it first. I ended deciding to use some fabric she bought for me on her last trip to Hawaii for one side. She loves tropical prints and it is such a nice fabric... is it kind of "regifting" to make her something of it? Oh well, she won't care. While scrounging through the stash of fabric I own for the other side, I bumped into some printable photo paper. I had used it to make these bags a few months ago. It triggered some inspiration and I decided to print out some pictures of her 4 grandkids and put them on as pockets. Then it was easy to decide on some off-white corduroy fabric for the body of the bag... so as to not draw too much attention away from the cute kids. I was extremely lucky to have photos on hand that Brooke (Tadpole Photography) took of both sets of kidlets last year. Love her shots! Here is the Hawaii side.

Here is the corduroy side. From this angle, you get just a peek of the pockets, a "tease" if you will. But if she were walking at you with the bag, you'd see whatever pocket is forward. She can decide which grandkids are her favorite for the moment each time she uses it. She'd like that...

Here is the pocket with my niece and nephew on it.

And finally, the one with my beasties on it.

Rowan had to take her Gooma's bag for a spin as well. Looks beachy to me.

I am thinking maybe a nap now (if I can convince the kids to partake as well) and them more sewing??

Seeing Red

2009-11-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Before and after a great play date/gabfest today, I finished a few sewing projects. They both happened to be in the red color genre... so they make for a consistent, if not cohesive, blog post.

I was asked by my sister in law (I have 10, btw, so if you've heard me mention one before, this one is probably a different one) if I could make a bag for her daughter Isobel's birthday. She sent the link to this tote on the Martha Stewart site - and said she'd love this in a string backpack with red tartan fabric. I mainly used the directions for the string backpack in my Sew What! Bags book - but made up my own dimensions, as I've heard from others that they can end up too small to carry much more often than not. While I took that advice and made a pretty large pack, I was not overly impressed with the home "grommeting" I've seen done before (sorry Nance!), nor was I liking the books plan to sew the straps into the bottom seam of the bag. I decided to use fabric loops to run the cord through instead of either of previous methods. Originally, I looked for a different dog silhouette online, but ended up going with the exact dog from Martha's tutorial... just printed out the picture and traced it onto Wonder Under. I used a piece of black t-shirt to make the dog applique - and some seam binding to make the leash. I interfaced the tartan with pretty stiff facing, since it is homespun fabric and kind of wilty on its own. I then used some white fabric to make a liner - more to hide seams than to add any structure. I got a little of the wonder under on the dog and decided to throw it in the wash to see what would come out. Most of the adhesive came out - and it washed well. I still see a little of the adhesive, but I can (and do) find flaws in all things I make. I had to back up and just decided it was good. I hope Isobel likes her new pack. Here is Rowan modeling the backpack.

Isn't the dog cute?

Here are the fabric "loops" that the cording is run through.

The lining is only attached at the top of the bag.

I planned to make myself a new skirt tonight, despite the fact that I am behind on my mother's birthday present. Must be karma, because after I sewed together the side seams of the skirt I cut out, I realized there was NO WAY that it would fit me. I used a self drafted A-Line skirt pattern from Sew What! Skirts that I had used before, but I must have done something wonky, or the Halloween binging has finally caught up with me. Regardless, it was not going to fit me anytime soon, so I decided to make it into a skirt for Rowan instead. Since I used one of my favorite Tina Givens fabrics for the skirt, and happened to have a coordinating piece of fabric in the stash, I made Rowan a quick shirt as well. I have eyed the Peasant Blouse tutorial over on Blueprints for a long while now. To be honest, the idea of measuring and drafting on my own was a bit daunting, but we did it tonight, or at least managed to create a reasonable facsimile. The top is not perfect, but looks adorable on... AND (drum roll please) Rowan likes it! Because she picked out how long her sleeves got to be, she felt very involved in the process. Guess that is what it takes to get her to wear home sewn gear. Hey, whatever works! Here is her new ensemble.

I used fold-over elastic on the arms...so quick and easy. Well, it was once I marked the 1/2 way point on both the shirt and the elastic, so as to make sure I was doing enough stretching as I zig and zagged.

I'm off to bed with all my sewing gear still out - and with plenty of plans to sew more tomorrow. (Hint Hint Mom - your bag is all cut out and ready for sewing!)

Woodlands Shirt

2009-11-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to be able to "test" the Woodlands Shirt pattern from Meg from Sew Liberated a few months back. The pattern is a unisex shirt - and makes anywhere from a size 2T to a 10. How great is that? One pattern that will fit for years. And it is so versatile, I am thinking up some new ways and fabrics to use on a few more of these for both my kids. My favorite parts are the square neckline, the little pleats on the neck and the buttons - LOVE the buttons.

I decided to make Rowan a version of the shirt - in a size 7, which runs very true. I used a remnant of fabric I have had for a while now (Joann's??) and it went together like a dream. The method Meg uses to attach the arm is so much easier than others I've done - and did not require sewing in a "round". When thus then required no swearing on my part.

Rowan wearing her shirt, playing in the backyard.

She preferred wearing her shirt with a brown corduroy skirt. Adorable, if I do say so myself :)

Here is a close up of the vintage buttons we decided to use. This may be my favorite part of the pattern.

The only modifications I made to the pattern were not inlcluding the pocket (I thought this fabric was busy enough as it was) and not double sewing around the hem and sleeves. Had I realized that the double hem would be repeated in the neck, sleeves AND hem, I probaby would have done it right from the get go.

I am now thinking it may be time to try the Schoolhouse Tunic for me... I love a tunic over jeans combo.

Sunday Sewing

2009-11-01T18:55:00.000-08:00

I got some sewing done today- Hooray! Some things were more "fun" to sew than others, but I am feeling uber-productive. May just be the 20 lbs of chocolate coursing through my body, but regardless, I got some stuff done.

I planned to put a package in the mail last week for a good friend that fairly recently had twins, but decided at the last minute that Mama needed a gift too. My thoughts were to save this picture to post with the other goodies that are going out in the mail with it tomorrow. Turns out, I did not take pictures of the rest of the goodies, so this is it, as the package is all taped up and ready to go. Oh, and I should state that this is a spoiler, I guess, if the recipient a) figures out it is for her (how many people do I know that recently had twins?), and b) peeks at my blog before it arrives. I whipped this tote up out of some ticking fabric I had on hand. My sister in law saw a similar bag on the Martha Stewart site, and that was the inspiration for this one. I deliberately did not sew the edges of the dog applique down - I wanted it to fray a bit, since this breed is a bit shaggy/furry :)

Next up was the more mundane task - some mending. Griffin had 3 pairs of jeans in the mending pile, as they all had torn knees. I typically hate trying to patch his knees, since the jeans are so skinny for his little 5T self. I decided to tear out the side seam, and make my life a lot easier. And it truly was - SO MUCH EASIER. After patching the knees, I just sewed up the seam and then serged the edges again. Good as new. I used a few different things to patch the holes- some other denim scraps, some decorator weight fabric and some suede-y stuff from a thrifted shirt. Looks like he won't be needing new jeans for awhile now.

I love the suede patches - I sewed big zig zagged "X's" on them.

I also love just having the one knee with a striped patch.

Last up, I had made a few applique onesies for some newly born babes a while back... but in ironing one where I did an applique neck tie (found the tutorial/template online but cannot find it now anywhere!), my iron leaked some orangy water and created some stains. I threw it in the wash, but could not get the stain all the way out. Drat! I took this out today and cut off most of the stained area (along with the snappy bottom of the onesie) and added a little skirt. A certain Miss Vada I know may need a new ensemble, and I bet her mama can get the little stain there is left out. Or she'll come up with something crafty to make it all good.

It reminds me of a school uniform now...

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T18:32:00.001-07:00

Rowan and I had a day of thrifting and shopping today - while the boys did some messing around at the hunting land. All I know is that Rowan and I came home with all sorts of treasures (to be shared post laundry) and the boys came back incredibly dirty.

Dave and his brother Jim took the kids trick or treating tonight, while I manned the treat basket at home. I may have ate my fair share of Snickers bars as well, but that is part of the job of manning the treat basket, right? Rowan was a gypsy and Griffin a T-Rex. It was mighty chilly outside, but at least no rain. Both kiddies were real troopers and were rewarded well for their perseverance. We have enough candy here to feed a small army.

Griffin is a bit crabby here - did not want to sit still to pose for me.

Rowan as a gypsy... with her "Hot Chillys" long undewear underneath her costume. The skirt was made from some sari fabric from India.

Griffin as a T-Rex. My mom bought his this costume online somewhere and he LOVES it.

Dave and his brother were then off to a Halloween party - can you guess who they are being?

If you guessed Cheech and Chong, you are right. It has been awhile (since college?) since I've seen a Cheech and Chong movie, but they did make me smile! Dave looked a bit like the painter guy on PBS, and a little like Weird Al in the Amish song video (can't remember the name now), but they sure got into it! I'm staying in with the troops to watch Harry Potter. Happy Halloween!

Disclaimer: They are holding props - just plain old paper... cross my heart...

Bag (making) Lady

2009-10-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that I had an extra dog, 2 extra kids and a missing husband, I managed to get some sewing done today. My mom and step-dad dropped off their dog yesterday morning on the way to jump on a plane to Florida. My sister and I met 1/2 way between us on Friday night to get me her kiddies- and Dave was busy doing hunting stuff today. All the prep work for hunting makes the season last EVEN longer than it already is. A weekend to clear brush, a weekend to build stands, a weekend to site rifles ... you name it, they've got to do it. I've stated in the past that I feel that these weekends are more often than not really "a weekend to drink beer and hang out with brothers"... but it is not that big of a deal. Especially since the kids are getting big enough to truly entertain themselves. So while the 4 monsters were busy destroying the house, I finished 2 bags that I had started for our nieces, Sam and Alexa. Both girls had spent some time perusing my blog to find what bag that they wanted me to make them, and then they shopped and picked out their own fabrics. They did a great job with their choices, I think they turned out adorable!

Sam wanted a Pleated Beauty tote. (Sigh). I love this bag. It is from the Bend the Rules Sewing book, which is a personal favorite. I've made so many now of these bags (here, here, and here)but it is still enjoyable to make and goes together very quickly. By the time you think you are ready to sew it for real (after attaching the pleats) you are just about done! I use this one I made a while back 90% of the time as my daily purse/bag/tote. Sam also went with 2 fabrics on the main panels and a coordinating pleat fabric. I lined her bag with corduroy, since that is what I had on hand, and made the straps a little longer, in case she uses it to haul books to and from school. Here is her finished bag...

And a quick shot of the pocket inside.

Alexa wanted a Lickety Split bag (pattern by Made by Rae). This one also sews up super quick and easy. Before I made it, I made sure that I could fit school notebooks and folders in my own version. This baby can hold a ton of things, and is reversible! I had some green chenille rick rack that I added to the pockets, I lined it with a layer of flannel to make it extra sturdy- and because (I think) she mentioned liking flowers, I added a flower pin that can be removed and pinned to the reverse side on this bag.

Here is Alexa's finished bag...

And the reverse side..

A close up of the pin. I used this tutorial to make the flower.

Now, I'd better clean up some of the disaster that is my house. Night!

Vintage Swap Joy

2009-10-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

I received my Vintage Swap package from Kiran today. Honestly, the swap gifts were so PERFECTLY me. For real. Buttons in a glass jar (sigh), a vintage homemade 1/2 apron, as well a vintage apron pattern, an embroidered tea towel and a dainty hot pad... It could make a grown woman (vintage loving one at that) shed a small tear of joy. On top of the vintage goodies, she threw in a jar of Grapefruit Lemon marmalade and a recipe for some homemade white bread. Both of these look so good, that I think Wednesday morning, before G goes to school, just may be baking time. Delish...

Here is a picture of the entire package....

Hooray for buttons!

Here is a shot of the vintage pattern (excuse the glare please). Isn't it fun??

I should have taken a few more shots of the individual items, but I was too busy putting everything in the perfect places. The button jar went to live with my others - now forming a cute, close knit little community of buttons. The apron was hung from the apron tree in my kitchen. All the better to grab one and use it, I say. The towel got a prominent spot hanging on the oven door handle... everything so perfect.

I'm not sure if Kiran got what I sent yet - so in case she is reading, this is your SPOILER ALERT. I'll be posting picture of what was sent your way last week now. Read at your own discretion! I'm guessing she should have the package any day now... should probably check the tracking number tomorrow just in case though....

Kiran had written that she liked vintage linens - and used them in both the bedrooms and kitchen. She also recently got a sewing machine. I myself love a vintage sheet - either for sewing or for using as an actual sheet (I know, the irony). While thrifting, I found a yellow twin sheet with a cute edge. I confess to thinking little girl pj pants when I spotted it, but it could be so many things :) I also picked up a little fall themed tablecloth. Looks to be homemade - hope it works for her house. I rounded things off with a yard of ribbon and 3 vintage embroidered hankies. I had one hankie in my stash and found the other 2 while out thrifting. I deliberately went with the embroidered ones as I know she has hankies of her own. I am surprised with how often I find duplicates in vintage goodies, and did not want to give her something she already had. I wrapped up the goodies in tissue paper and used vintage sewing notions to decorate the packages.... thinking the snaps and what not may come in handy with the new machine in use.

Here is the package all wrapped up.

And, unveiled. Did not realize how "yellow" it looks until now :)

This swap was so much fun. I have loved reading the blogs of all the other swappers. I confess to finding some comfort in discovering others that love vintage as much as I do.... I'm not as "odd" as I may feel some days. Or, maybe I am, but at last I have awesome company!

Gypsy skirt and ruffles

2009-10-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

After taking the day off to be with the kids (Rowan is off of school), Dave met my mom tonight and gave her Rowan for a night at "Gouma's" with her cousin. Then Dave and Griffin went to visit his mom and dad for the night. I got home from work with NOTHING to do. Well, except that I thought we had been robbed, the house was so torn apart from Dave spending the day with the kids. Serious, I started to look for the valuables, until I remembered that we don't have any. Well, we do, they would be the kids, but I knew where they were :)

So after cleaning the house, with still NOTHING to do, I watched Glee on Hulu (as usual, I forgot to tune in last night when it was on TV). Then, feeling smiley and humming Glee songs, I suddently remembered that I had to make Rowan a gypsy skirt TODAY since we are doing "Boo at the Zoo" in Duluth this weekend to celebrate her birthday. While I had signed on to make the skirt for Halloween, I forgot about her needing a costume 2 weeks before hand for her party. Lucky, it went together fast. I used some sari fabric that my friend Kim brought home from India and crafted up a quick tiered skirt.

While sewing the skirt, my mind wandered to what I would wear to work tomorrow. It can actually wander quite freely when there is not a little boy screaming dinosaur sounds at you and pouncing around you looking for "predators" to eat while you sew. (Sniff - kind of miss him while I'm writing this). Anyways... since I could think of nothing to wear, I decided to doll up another t-shirt. No, this one was not even stained first, just boring. It is yet again, another 3/4 sleeve V-neck from Target a few years ago. I have been drooling over the fun t-shirt modifications I've seen here on the My Mama Made It blog . I took a strip of tulle and a strip from another black t-shirt and made a quick ruffle from them sewn together. Then I added it to the neckline. It maybe took 10 minutes to do... well, maybe a smidge longer since I pinned the ruffle to 3 different shirts before I went back to this one.

Here is a ruffle close up.

And the upper body shot to show it on. Does it look a bit like a racoon tail? I had to crop out my jammie pants in this picture :)

Now I am gonna crash about 2 hours ahead of schedule. Bliss. But I do miss them all...

more thrifting - and yes I know I have a problem

2009-10-14T19:35:00.001-07:00

It seems I've done much more thrifting of late than sewing, embroidering, crocheting or any other crafty endeavor. I've got a project hanging over my head that I NEED to finish this weekend. It is sucking all the other creativity out of me - and causing tremendous amounts of guilt as it lies incomplete. Once that is done, I've got a traffic jam of projects that will be flowing out of me - just you wait and see.

In the mean time, I thrift. I made one more quick stop today at my favorite thrift store in search of a few last minute items for my Vintage Swap partner. I did find what I was looking for and I've got this all ready to go out tomorrow, but won't blog about it until after it is out in the mail. I managed to find a few things for myself as well (ahem). But really, they were/are necessary! Dave and I closed on the cabin next door to my mom's last weekend. While we've been staying there for years, now it is officially ours.... so of course it needs more bed linens. And a full size bed is a little harder to find sheets for in department stores, right? Except when you visit a thrift store and then they are vintage fabulous! Look at this sets I found today - sheets and pillowcases. They are in such good shape I had to slap myself to NOT cut them up and make clothing out of them.

I also found my first ever vintage quilt. I see people in blog land get glorious vintage quilts all the time... but all I ever see are hideous polyester ones that are falling apart. Today, I found one that I really like. It may not be the most "pretty" quilt ever, but it is random and wonderful.

I mended a few tears, but it is in great shape for the most part. It is twin size and will look great on one of the bunks at the cabin.

While searching the toy section for more dinosaurs for G, I found a big old bag full of wooden blocks. For some reason, I swiped them up without having much of a project in mind. Then, I played around to see what I could spell with them. Look at the inspiring words I made...

Oh, and then you can see the juvenile tilt my brain also has.

A few words ended up on top of my sewing hutch... along with my other favorite treasures and my crafting books.

Last up - I had to feed my new found Pyrex addiction. I found a groovy white dish with black designs. It had the glass lid still, and is pristine. In this picture, you can also see the 3 yards of fabric I found for under 3 bucks. Love me a good thrifted fabric deal! I am seeing a skirt for Rowan for Valentines day out of this.

Hopefully the next posts I make here soon will be to show some bags I'm making for 2 nieces, some skirts and dresses I've got lined up for some little ladies and some Halloween decorating and costumes I've got to get done!

Birthday girl

2009-10-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

My daughter Rowan turned 7 yesterday. S-E-V-E-N! I'm having a hard time believing that I have been a parent that long - where has the time gone? Seems like just yesterday Dave and I were dating and just thinking about getting married, let alone having a family that included not 1 but 2 kids. I know it is cliche, but having kids has made the time FLY by. Instead of posting all the pictures of her through the years (which I did here last year in case you want to ride the memory roller coaster with me), I opted to just show her as she is now. Here is Miss Rowan in a shot Brooke took a few weeks back.

Rowan is my sassa-frassing, 7-going on 32-year old. Full of kindness AND stubbornness, she is equally likely to be pouting about not getting to choose her outfit as she is to be cuddling with her little brother and reading him a dinosaur book. We've taken bets in the family as to whether she will be a Project Manager when she is older, because of her strict policy of following the rules and doing only things that are right, and then only in the correct order. She is my little monster. Love her.

Of course she needed a fun t-shirt to wear to school commemorating her big day... and her very advanced age. Here is Rowan in her Super Seven shirt.

She had only worn the lime green long sleeve t-shirt I opted to embellish one time, but somehow managed to get a small stain on the belly and tear a hole in one sleeve. I took another t-shirt that was much too small now and cut off the sleeves and a hunk off the back. The black shirt became new black cuffs and a big old oval to the front. I cut a quick "7" out of the oval first... and then sewed around this and the oval shape... kinda of a reverse-reverse applique.

a quick thrift stop

2009-10-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've mentioned the Vintage Swap I joined a few weeks ago. The premise being we pair up with a fellow vintage lover and swap goodies. I've had much fun perusing all the blogs of the swappers - these ladies are talented folks who love vintage goodness as much as I do. While these ladies are seemingly quite wonderful, I am blaming them for my purchase (OK, purchasES) today of some vintage baking dishes and bowls. It wasn't until I started seeing some of the collections of Pyrex or Corningware that some of them have that I began to covet them myself. While my husband may think they are unnecessary - they will allow me to purge some of the icky plastic bowls we have in house. Oh, and they are so pretty. The bowls remind me of my Grandma's house and making cookies.

We were truly in and out of the thrift store real quick - since G had to be to preschool by noon. I still managed to find some retro sheets - which always come in handy (pj pants, quilts, etc).

And best of all, I found some thrifted burlap. Well, it may not truly be burlap, since there seems to be a plastic-y coating on the back side, but it worked for the project I had in mind. After seeing this and this, I wanted to make my own burlap banner for Halloween (though I shamelessly copied the exact wording from my inspirations). I used freezer paper stencils for the letters, thrifted ribbon (the orange gingham) and buttons on the "Boo" one, and some polka dot ribbon on the Spooky one.

Please excuse the fact that I have no other fall/Halloween decor up yet - now I'll need to get a move on to accessorize with my banners :)

Another embellished T

2009-10-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned that my aunt did not like my corsage t-shirt. It may be more honest to say she did not "love" it... but from her, that means she thinks it is hideous. To get back at her, I made her one of her own. (I'll sure show her.) Anyhoo... while trying to change my Aunt's mind, I ended up having some left over magenta knit circles. Oh, and I had another stained v-neck t-shirt as well.

I know - I sound like quite the slob. What, with this stained shirt, as well as admitting the stain was the reason d'etre for my own corsage t-shirt - you may have the (partially correct) idea that I am a messy girl. Honestly, it may really have more to do with my inability to throw things away. No - for real, I know that these shirts I've been re-doing (for myself only, I am not gifting my Aunt an old stained shirt of mine - hers was new - I swear) are at least 2 or 3 years old. How do I know/remember this when I can't seem to bring the garbage to the curb each Tuesday? Well, it is because they are the perfect shirt. Not too thin, or too tight, or too long. Target now seems to only produce t-shirts that are incredibly light weight and thin, way too long for anyone under 5'11" and extremely narrow - so narrow that they accentuate any and all muffin-top one may have. Eee gads- I am not a fan. For that reason, along with being too cheap to splurge for higher end ones, I've hung on to these v-neck beauties (stains and all) from years past.

Enough 'splaining, let's talk t-shirt modification. I took two of the magenta circles, stacked them up, crimped the corner and sewed them to the shirt... just like the corsage. But, I only did 3 of these, evenly space up the neckline. Then, I added a large thrifted button on top of each that coordinated with the shirt. Ta Da- another embellished t-shirt!

I know - I know. Amazing, right? Please try to keep the applause to a minimum. HA! But honestly, it is allowing me to wear this shirt for another season, so I am a happy camper.

Here are the "flowers" close up...

And my moody, pensive stance... bored super models have NOTHING on me.

I believe I have about 7 more of these t-shirts in various colors, and in at least 3 different sizes. I may have to make a few more mods to them to spice up my 'jean and t-shirt' uniform that happens when I'm not at "work" work. Any ideas??

Colonial Apron Jumper

2009-10-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Last week (the week before maybe?) I picked up a piece of home decor fabric from a thrift store. It had autumn colors - brown, gold, red - and had odd, little colonial scenes on it - weather vanes, clocks with gun racks, covered wagons, lanterns, Paul Revere-type guys on horses, etc. Just kooky enough to be right up our alley here. After a quick wash and hang on the line to dry (and a rain shower or 2 and a few more days on the line to dry) Rowan and I decided it should be reincarnated into a dress. I say reincarnated because it was obviously used as something before. It was serged up either side, and had small holes poked through the top. Maybe a curtain of some sort? Which is somewhat ironic, since the fabric I chose to line and make straps with was actually curtains in our last home. Huh.

Regardless, we used the Everyday Chaos Apron Dress tutorial and gave this fabric new life. The tutorial was wonderful - I love when people who take the time to grace us with their sewing wisdom have children the same age/size as mine! Hooray! I was able to make it using the exact dimensions (to make a size 6/7) for Rowan. I ended up having to cut a bit more off the hem than I had planned- forgot to take those odd holes into account when I cut the back of the skirt. I had to hem them off. So now it is really more of a tunic than a dress... but we are "dress with jeans underneath" kind of people here anyway! Here is what I'm calling our Colonial Apron Jumper...

And here is the back.

Seriously - there are clocks on this fabric...and lumberjacks and cannons. Strange but somewhat wonderful at the same time.

Instead of knotting the straps, Rowan wanted to have buttons. She spent the entire hour (or so) while I was sewing choosing buttons from my stash. She wanted the shiny, diamond-like clear plastic ones so badly - but I had to stick with what went well with the fabric and nix them. I felt bad- but promised they could be part of her Gypsy ensemble for Halloween.

While posing for pictures, Rowan kept closing her eyes. That is the reason for the possessed, stepford-esque gleam in her eyes here. Still cute, though, if you ask her biased mama...

Very belated gift...

2009-10-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

I felt justified in asking for a day of sewing today- it being my birthday and all. We are having a spell of terrible weather - rainy, dreary, cold... blah. Perfect sewing weather though, so I was able to finish a gift for my Aunt Nancy's birthday - which occurred just under a month ago. Ironic that I finished her birthday gift on my birthday, huh? She mailed me a fantastic package last week - some retro oilcloth and a corrugated metal pig (I'll blog it later - you gotta see it to believe), so the guilt was KILLING me.

With one of the amazing family pictures that Brooke took of Nance's family when they were home this summer, I made up another Tadpole photo tote. I used printable fabric for the photo and Tina Givens Cloe's Imagination fabric for the exterior. The interior is some thrifted floral fabric - I added 2 large pockets inside and I closed it with a magnetic clasp.

Because she did not *love* my corsage shirt of last week, I am passively aggressively trying to change her mind. I found a clearance shirt at Target this week, and I added a mini corsage to the neckline out of some thrifted knit fabric.

Maybe a smaller flower will change her mind?

This will all be popped in the mail Monday morning - along with a vintage pillowcase. She liked this shirt I made, and since I had the matching pillowcase, I thought she could make her own to match (if she wants!). Happy belated Nancy!

Scrappy Scarves

2009-10-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sew Mama Sew is hosting Scrap Buster Month this month. They are posting daily ideas on things to make using your scraps. I have a plethora of scraps and the posting of a patchwork scarf over there is adorable. Add that to the 50 degree weather of late we've had, and I was sold. Rather, Rowan and I were both sold. Due to some misadventures had by Griffin today, it was a "no TV" night around here, so Rowan was actually bored enough to want to bond with me a smidge. I had her pick out the scraps she liked first. While I manned the iron (why oh why would I use those words together in a sentence? "Man the iron"? HA! Dave isn't even sure we have one... let alone how it works! Oh, but I digress...), Rowan organized her scraps. She sat on my lap while I did the pedal and she fed the fabric through the machine - lifting the foot for me when needed and cutting the thread. She picked purple fleece for the back side of her scarf, so she can stay toasty warm. For the first time EVER she was sewing with me. I am not naive enough to think it will be a daily activity now, but she did great and is excited to wear her new scarf to school tomorrow. Baby steps. Here is Rowan scarf.

I opted to "bust" some thrifted quilt squares (kind of scraps) I picked up a while back for my scrap busting scarf. I chose all blues and reds - and backed it with some thrifted aqua knit fabric I found last week. I did not want a bulky, heavy scarf. I am fairly warm blooded and don't need the heat that the scarf produces, I just like the way it dresses up a coat. I think it turned out fairly retro-funky. A bit grandmarm-y, but I love it.

Here is a close up of one half...

And the other.

Much too tired and late to blog my nighttime look for y'all. But I wanted to show the size of it on. (I have a couple friends who crack up when I cut off my face/head in pics I post - so this is for you guys! Believe you me, it is a favor :))

Now I'm off to vacuum up the zillion threads on the floor... nighty night!

Recent thrifting

2009-09-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

G and I went to a few thrift store last week... seems we do best when we stop in FREQUENTLY. We find a little each time. Here are some of my recent favorites....

Always find SOME fabric and/or linens. The top right side is a yard or so of an Amy Butler fabric - yep, 99 cents. Some pillow cases (the green one bottom left looks like IKEA and wants to be pjs for Griff, while the one on the right is vintage fabulous), some knit fabric and a large retro sheet. So many ideas... so little time :)

Also found this painted red picnic basket. It is not as shiny in life as this picture looks...I love it. It is holding my current sewing projects.

I found enough buttons to fill about 1/2 of the left most jar...

A large serving plate (with our muffins from breakfast today)...

Grace and LuLu (Rowan's dolls) got a new wagon for their toys. (The bunk bed was a previous find... and I whipped up the mattresses from some ticking).

Rowan learned all about Perler beads this summer when her cousins were in town. I found tons of beads and some of the molds/forms... 6 bucks for it all. Now we just have to keep sorting the dang beads!

I love her first Perler bead design... peace out!

Corsage T-Shirt

2009-09-28T07:47:00.001-07:00

I saw Adrienne blog here about making a corsage on the neckline of a t-shirt a while back, and filed it away (ahem...mentally) for "someday". Yesterday became someday when I discovered a small stain on one of my favorite (read: most comfortable) t-shirts. I found an old blue shirt in the "scrap" pile and cut out 2 sizes of circles - one the size of a jam jar lid and one the size of my 1/4 cup measuring cup. I cut out 18 of each and then set the smaller on top of the larger. I followed Adrienne's directions - putting a small fold/crimp in them and then sewing them on to the neckline of my shirt.

Here is a shot of the cutting. I'd recommend NOT using a fabric marker to trace, as I had to wash it prior to wearing it. I think a pencil would have worked fine.

And a close up of the finished corsage...

I showed Dave the finished T and he asked "But what shirt will you really put the blue thing on?". Guess he is not as enamored as I am with it?

Not sure if you can see, but as few of the upper flower "petals" have writing on them. I thought it would add a bit of character.

Family Photos

2009-09-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

One of my bestest BF took family photos of us last weekend. We have been talking of doing it for quite some time, but it took until the first leaves started changing for me to actually set a date with Brooke. We had a fun time- my kids are so comfortable with their "auntie" Brooke that they really did not realize we were doing an actual photo session. She posted a few pics of us on her blog this week, so I'm borrowing (umm..stealing, but they are watermarked with Tadpole Photography) a few of my favs to share. I love LOVE love what she does... she really captures my kiddies being who they genuinely are. And me too, I guess, as you'll notice since I'm more comfortable coaxing Griffin's eyes up or trying to make Dave smile and relax, than actually looking into the camera myself.

I got my "green grass" shot...

Love this one. I can't help but think as I look at it how very soon the little ones on the left side will be taller than at least one of us on the right side.

I love Rowan's eyes in this one.... so serious... or was she glaring at me?

Love my sweet boy who picked the dandelion himself...turns out he was quite the poser.

Sometimes I wonder how one person can be so genuinely nice and extremely talented and beautiful - BL you are AMAZING. If I did not love you so dang much, I'd probably hate you! You may remember, she took photos of just the kids last year. Loved these... and probably would have just opted for new kid pics this year, but after seeing some of the great shoots she has done of families lately (like this (my Aunt's session) and this (my sister's session)), I wanted to get us all in a few pictures. Can't wait to see all the finished pics!! Thanks BL - LOVE them!

Quick Serged Birdie Shirt

2009-09-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Since I've grown some confidence with my serger (even decided to finally name her! The kids and I christened her Nessie), I decided it was time to try serging some knit fabric. I have been told that is where a serger comes in REALLY handy, so I've been anxious to give it a shot. I picked up an odd piece of magenta knit fabric at a thrift store. Odd in that it was a large tube of fabric with no seam. Anyone know why or what it was meant to be? I've never seen fabric sold as a tube before, but since it was thrifted, who knows what it started as?

Anyhoo... I decided a quick, down and dirty T-shirt was an easy answer for my first try. I simply laid one of Rowan's favorite shirts on top of the fabric and cut out the shape. No separate sleeves or anything... I just serged up the sides and on top of the shoulders. I then added a cute piece of Alexander Henry's Birdseed fabric as an applique and voila - it was done.

Here is Miss Rowan in her shirt - along with her banged up knees :)

Well, it was almost done. After Rowan took it off, I experimented a little with a lettuce edging on the hem, neck and sleeves...

So NOW it is really done. Voila!

First Day... continued

2009-09-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Griffin started preschool this week. Monday was orientation, but today was the first day I actually left him on his ow. OK - so we are talking about 2 hours here, but still... he is my baby!

Jumping for joy... for real.

This pic is too dang dark, but his smile is perfect. He is so proud of himself and excited to see all his friends. To him it is just a formality that he has never met them before. I love how he goes in with the mindset that they are all just friends waiting to happen.

He totally loved it. They had a box of costumes to play with and he quickly confiscated a "daddy tie" to wear. He drew me a picture and played with blocks. Life is good when you are 5, huh?

I should have about 11 yards of fabric arriving tomorrow via UPS. Fabric.com had an amazing sale that I heard/read about on the everyday chaos blog. How can you ignore Tina Givens fabric for $2.79 a yard??? Seriously people, I realize I might have a slight fabric addiction, but finding it for under $3/yard is like Christmas in July....er.... September! I am lining up the projects in my head and plan to get a kick start on the holiday gift making.

Zippered Wristlets galore

2009-09-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

I spent the better part of today trying to find and perfect a zippered pouch/wristlet pattern. I tried the Zip Pouch pattern in my trusty Bend the Rules Sewing book and added a strap... I tried this one here I found googling "Zipper Pouch Tutorial". Both were good patterns/directions, but neither of these produced the sharp, pretty corners I was looking for. Since these versions were trials, I made them in kid happy fabric, thinking that the monsters could use them for something if they bombed. Rowan thinks hers (the one with ducks) will be a great place to store her guitar picks. Griffin mentioned putting "needles" in his frog pouch, but I think that was due to me having to pick a needle out of his sock as he walked near my sewing land, not due to some nasty drug habit he has. Here are the "Trial" wristlets...

After many more google searches and some flickr stalking, I decided to buy Oh Fransonn's Wristlet 3 Ways pattern.

It is one thing to admire the pictures of a pattern, it is another to make it look nice yourself. I am happy to report that my own version turned out pretty dang good. Not perfect - but nothing is that I make. I keep telling myself that is the beauty of homemade, right? Regardless, here is the one I just finished. These may be on my Holiday crafting list this year...

The zipper corners on these babies are so nice. I realize that for those who have not spent an entire day searching for the perfect zipper corners, this may sound odd, but take my word for it, these rock. Oh, and I used a D-ring for the handle. Tres professional, non?

I love these Good Folks fabrics. No trial fabric for me :)

Now that I've cracked the case of the imperfect wristlet zipper corners, I'm off to bed!

Birthday Shirt

2009-09-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen in the post from yesterday, my son just turned 5 years old. Griffin is totally enamored with his father and wants to emulate him in every way possible. One of his various quirks is to wear a "daddy shirt" and tie almost everyday of the week. Here he is last night after his Birthday dinner - note the ensemble.

We've sized down plenty of Dave's ties for him...and I scour thrift stores to find new (to him) button down shirts whenever I can. But let's face it...it is not always practical, comfortable or reasonable for a five year old to wear a necktie.

After recently seeing a nephew's t-shirt with a neck tie screen printed on it, I decided to make up my own version for Griffin's birthday. I had a spare t-shirt from Joanns hanging around and used reverse applique and a piece of an old shirt of Dave's that was in the scrap pile to create a tie.

Here is a close up of the tie.

While he does not like it as much as the real deal, he did tell me it would be ok for playing in. Such love ;)

Happy Birthday G!

2009-09-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

My baby turned 5 today. He woke me up by climbing into our bed and asking "Am I not 5 yet until it is light out?". Love him.

I borrowed this picture from his cousin Maddie - who appreciates his naughtiness.

Best buds and drooly monsters - Oliver and G - both under a year old.

Here is the other best bud...Sissy and Griff on his first birthday.

A mommy smooch for Griffin at 3 months old.

Lucky for us this sign of temper (below) was not permanent, or even normal.

We love you G.

First day...

2009-09-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Rowan did amazing getting on the bus, but I'm a bit of a mess this morning. I was up til way after midnight worrying about everything that could possibly go wrong for her today...while she slept like a log. When I said to Dave "Don't you remember staying up thinking (worrying) the night before the first day of school?" he gave me the crazy woman look. It was 1 a.m by this time, but I take from his expression that not everyone did this? I remember thinking and re-thinking outfits...down to the appropriate shoes and necklaces... or neon lace hear ribbon... worrying about where my locker would be and who it would be next to...wonder if we would sit alphabetical or randomly... wonder if we'd have to actually do phy ed activities the first week or not...and if we did, would I sweat a lot....etc, etc, etc. Some of it was pure excitement, but there was plenty of worry mixed in as well.

I guess Rowan is her father's daughter. She bounced down the stairs fully dressed and smiling at 7 a.m. This is not normal behaviour for her - mind you - as she normally comes begrudgingly down after being called for about an hour and then has a laundry list of grievances to report. We only had one argument about her hair and compromised fairly quickly on pig tails. I'm forever fighting the battle to keep her hair out of her face, while she hates having it pulled back in any way.

Rowan picked out her clothes for today, with minimal mom input. You'll notice she is not wearing a single homemade item... sigh. She was most excited to wear her new DC shoes that Dad bought her. You may also notice (below) that little brother can't seem to get his thumb out of his mouth until 9 a.m.

I chopped her head off in this pic, but you can see how excited she was here!

I teared up after she got on the bus, and asked Griffin if he thought we should hop in the car and follow her bus to school. He gave me the crazy woman look as well and said "But isn't the bus just taking her to school? How 'bout if we go and buy doughnuts instead?". Glad I have him to distract today!