a little inspiration

I've been working on this dress since March.  Intermittently, slowly.  Trying to do things as well as possible instead of my usual rush job. I even made a muslin and decided to size down, knowing this satin would show every crinkle where the fit was wrong.  I am looking forward to finishing the muslin into something wearable too.  It'll be fine a size up in a light weight woven stripe.  I've put it off because of the buttons I think...  There are a lot of buttons. This is Colette Patterns again .  They really write a beautiful pattern.  I want to go back and put smaller buttons on the collar to convince it to stay down on both ends and up the men's wear details on it.  I didn't have time to get matching buttons before the wedding when I realized that the collar just wasn't going to behave.  When my mother in law asked me to be in her wedding I knew I had to find something special.  Something pretty and simple and that I...

I could hardly resist the title.  Two is not quite enough for a flock but perhaps three will be.  Moving two sizes down from the last Tiny Pocket Tank  I found a nearly perfect fit.  And I was a little surprised (though I had been looking at them both for many days thinking of these tanks) to discover I had picked two bird printed fabrics. This one is vintage from a gifted stash.  The binding is part of the immense amount I got at the beginning of my sewing all those years ago.  This shirt cost me nothing but time to make. There was exactly the right amount of the binding to do the neckline.  If I do say so myself, I think it is very anthro.  I still want to drop the darts an inch.  These children have certainly rearranged my body but I am getting used to it and trying not to mind too much.  All part of growing up, accepting the changes for what they are instead of fighting back so hard. Also, perhaps it is time to clean my...

Well hello!  Look at these little lady bunnies!! Mable and Sable are twin sisters.  They like many of the same things but each have their own sense of style and character.  Mable likes pretending to be a mouse ( Mrs. Frisby to be exact), playing with dirty children (you can tell by her already dirty dress), and having her ears nibbled by teething tots.  Sable is a little more reserved with my children, she is ready for an adventure and has just gone off to make her way in the world. I felt one day that I had to make a little bunny doll for Anjali and when I said it Emerson suggested making a second one for our newest little friend in Baltimore.  I thought it was the perfect idea.  I'd like to make about a dozen more for the many little friends we know.  I can tell they are good toys because everyone in the house wants to play with them. Of course, once they were here I knew they needed dresses.  Crocheted sweater dresses to keep the c...

 A few weeks ago we got out white t-shirts and just started drawing.  I think we both had a really good time and no one was harmed in the process.  It took time.  And then there were two fun new shirts he is excited to wear whenever he sees them.  I hear about kids who have distinct preferences on their clothing, those who will only wear one shirt or dress.  I am happy that Emerson's only display of that kind of behavior is a preference for hand made (or embellished.)  I know it won't be forever that he really likes the things I have made him, but I hope through the work we do together he will at least always be interested in making things for himself after he outgrows the love of mama-made.  Isn't his monster brilliant? The packing and getting rid of and organizing continues over here.  I am so thankful for school so that I may have a chance to do some alone and some with help.  Both kinds of packing and sorting are needed....

We finally have a library with a story time worth visiting.  Right around the corner with a librarian who is kind and understanding of children.  Emerson is rapt with attention while she talks and reads.  He talks about her during the week when we aren't there.  She allows him to help and participate and he just adores her. He is also learning about checking out books and returning them as we simplify his library at home down to just the essentials.  When you can't put books away on your own it gets a little silly to have so many.  We plan to cycle them in and out as needed, but for now, one small shelf is more than enough. In order to keep track of the library books I thought it was time for a dedicated bag where the books could live while visiting our home and so he can carry his own back and forth.  His book bags aren't quite right for the job (oddly enough) as children's books vary so much in size and the zippers aren't as friendly to little ha...

Surprisingly I have been getting some quilt blocks together between the breakdowns and the calm seconds.  Mostly because I have had some seriously good help.  Thank goodness for grandmas and husbands.

          I've been working on a quilt.  With wool on the inside to keep me nice and toasty. And big summer flowers on the outside to keep me cheerful all winter long.  I got this fabric about year ago.  The wool that I used for the batting in actually a fabric someone gifted me from an old stash.  It was a huge plaid I couldn't imagine ever using but it is so warm and such a nice wool.  I knew it must have some use.  And 60" inches wide even after washing! I practiced my embroidery to keep it in place.  I finally got the chain stitch down.  I think it is funny I waited so long....  it is so easy and pretty.  (I always say this.  Why did I wait so long to try x?  It is so easy!) Desi liked the quilt from the beginning.  You can see the evidence on all the pictures....  That white hair really does stick. (ps- there are even more pictures if you click on any one of these.)

I've been dying to share this Christmas gift.  I have such a hard time keeping secrets.  Our little Bug is very Papa centric.  He often tells me to go away when they are playing together and I show up.  One day when Papa was out I pulled out this big canvas and had him paint the whole thing yellow.  After waiting for it to dry I asked him what color he'd like to paint with over the yellow.  He said purple.  I mixed up some red and blue and came up with this color.  I let him paint however he wanted until the paint was gone and then directed him to other paper to get the rest of his painting desires out. I had the goal of keeping the canvas simple and not turning it a sea of mixed brown paint.  I had gone through a whole bunch of quotes looking for the best one.  When I came across these words I knew it was the right thing.  I printed it out in a font that looks like my handwriting, only neater.  I pulled a light box out and...

This morning I was told it was "santa hat day" at school and asked to whip something up.  I didn't have any red or white around that would do the trick.  Only an old black sweater someone had felted by accident and handed over to me.  I had just read the other day about machine couching and so I grabbed some red wool roving and added that.  Senor insisted it needed a pom-pom so I made two. The scarf is his Solstice gift.  I cut into some beautiful wool and cotton blend plaid from Liberty of London that had been gifted to me from a vintage stash.  Papa got one and I made myself a shawl.  Now we all match!  I am so happy to have found something so everyday useful for this beautiful fabric. After getting ready for school we had to drop by a neighbors house and give her a Christmas card. Happy Solstice everyone!!

A dozen lavender and chamomile eye pillows off to doubledutch Boutique tomorrow.  Buy local.  Support handmade.

Cindy is one of my favorite people.  Full of passion and energy, she can be a force to reckon with.  Today she shares two amazing ideas for treats that will leave you satisfied and feeling good about yourself!    What could be a more perfect summer treat than a frozen goodie? But let's skip the sugar-and-fat laden dairy-based products in favor of creative treats that taste great and give us a healthy dose of things that are good for us. Homemade popsicles are the standard, sure, but I love something I can spoon out of a bowl, or drizzle with honey and nuts. Top with berries and mint. Or enjoy on its own for what it is. The following recipes are simple and quick, and involve basic, natural ingredients and a food processor. Banana Splitsville I learned this one from a mom with a lactose intolerant child. Her kids love it so much, they don't even beg for ice cream out on the road because it's "not as good as mom's." Three cheers for that, right...

I know you've heard all the buzz about antioxidants in the last several years, but do you know what an antioxidant is?  It is a substance that helps protect and repair natural oxidation (caused by free radicals) of your bodies cells.  This can happen through exposure to things like cigarette smoke or sunlight but also is part of the processes of the body (like inflammation and metabolism.)   So basically, there is no way to avoid the bombardment of free radicals we all face each day.  Enter the anti oxidants. There are plenty of medical studies out there that say that people who eat antioxidant rich foods live longer and have less incident of illness (like cancer, Parkinson's, heart disease, Alzheimer's and more.)  Less conclusive are studies that use supplements as the source for the antioxidants.  I tend to believe, as I think Micheal Pollan once said, that there is more magic in the carrot than just the beta-carotene.  Taking just one pie...

I know you have all been waiting with baited breath.  So I thought I wouldn't keep you in suspense any more. Here it is!  I want to tell you about how it came to be- are you ready to listen to a convoluted history of how my brain works?  If not, just look at the pretty pictures. First- I love Alicia Paulson .  You all know her, right?  She makes all these beautiful things with little squares full of flowers and pink and purple.  I always want to do one of these projects when she shows them but let's face it: one- I am not so girly, two- I live with a grown (very wonderful and sensitive but still a) man and a little boy who is showing me each and every day how little boy he is.  Yesterday he bit into his first earthworm.  Today he wanted to go find more.  I did make that last quilt , which was very likely Alicia's fault.  I love it too. Two- I then found this basic quilt style done for boys.  It was already sold when ...

And Opa is here of course.  We are visiting for a few days this week in hopes of some time by the fire where the Oma and the Mama can tie up about 300 squares.  Remember this ?  The top is finally all together and ready to be sandwiched into a quilt the Bug can actually use.  The minky fabric is really what held things up (and you know, all the rest of life) because it is slippery and I am a lazy pinner.   But, this project may have cured me of that problem. Here are a couple views of the top so far.  I hope to be back at the beginning of next week with finished-on-the-bed pictures.

I had never really liked the end of summer when I was little.  I loved the hot sun on my skin and the cool grass on my feet.  Now I feel like I betray summer as I rejoice for autumn's arrival.  Maybe because I love making quilts and sweaters.  Maybe because of the soft crispness in the morning air.  The golden light and the butterflies and the frantic squirrels. The last few weeks I have been imagining a little boy's vest.  A warm piece that keeps him warm inside before we break down and turn the furnace on.  That will keep him warm while playing in the leaves. I made up this pattern myself and just finished it today (sitting on the porch, in the sun, where it is 90 degrees!) I made the stitching run a bit the opposite direction most sweaters would have.  I am going to have to wait for a cooler day to put it on him.  I'll get better pictures of it (perhaps in use?) because it seems all of my pictures taken of finished work lately are terrib...

Weirdly, at the end of this weekend I felt as if I hadn't gotten anything done.  This must mean I am insane cause looky here: I made three blocks for this month.  I couldn't help it.  I didn't like how the first one was going and then once I decided to go with a more traditional log cabin style I knew I would need one for myself too.  Because I am very selfish about log cabin blocks.  Especially pretty, contrasty ones.  This was the first try.  I wanted to do the log cabin once I had found the fabric and came across this wonky style.  It turned out too wonky for me to like enough to send it away.  And it will NOT lay flat.  But it is interesting.   The second try I went ahead and made two of them because making two is as easy as making one if you know where you are going with it.  I ran out of strips and so only one of them is 10" and the other one then stays here with me.  I LOVE how they turned out. For Barbara: ...

In the last couple of days I started a sweater (ravelry link) for Senor. Already, 1593 stitches. And I have done other things including visiting the farm which is growing our food this summer. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures there. The food was so beautiful and we also got to see piglets, peacocks and geese (oh my!) The Bug loved looking at the animals, he wanted to crawl into the area with the piggies so much. I did too. I have no idea how you people eat these creatures! I mean, I do get it, and I don't mean to judge- but pigs are so cute! It is really, really cool to know the women growing our food this summer. The really amazing part is they used to work for me about a million years ago. What they are doing is astounding. The amount of work they are putting in just boggles the mind. I really am so thrilled to be able to be some small part of what they are doing. After showing us around they sent us all home with some broccoli, spinach, salad gre...

May Block- Dance , originally uploaded by Mr & Mrs Speeed . I think it kind of looks like a head with the brain exposed. Dancing thoughts. I might be crazy though. In other, completely insane crazyland, do you want to know what I am thinking of making while it is 90 degrees outside? A wool coat for E- the one by Oliver + S perhaps... Also, while adventuring in my folks neck of the woods I stumbled upon a yarn shop and bought about a million yards of merino silk blend gorgeousness. And so I have sweaters on my mind too. Um- can you tell me whats wrong with me? I am trying to think of it as planning ahead, but it is hard! The sweaty part of me thinks this is just plain nutty. I am looking forward to this weekend being at home and finishing up a few things. We also are going to our CSA's potluck to open the season. I can't wait for all the goodness to come! Yum!

In an effort to get some started projects converted to finished projects I have been trying to sew or crochet a little each day this week. I finished the bloomers I need for this coming weekend first (you know, since I will be using them :) and then moved on the this block. I knew when I made it that it needed to be a pillow. I already had it mapped out in my head. Last night when I went to finish it up I had already had half a glass of wine and none of my (already poor) math skills could see through the haze. So it is different than expected. And then I sewed one of the back panels on backwards and I decided to walk away... Luckily the haze cleared and I finished it today after doing some seam ripping. Lesson learned.

I have been doing plenty of sewing and making and have taken no pictures. There is a wedding coming up for my very best friend and his darling darling so you know, I had to get in on it. I made them a little tiny ring pillow. Very simple, a square about 4" with a pretty ribbon making an "x" in the center and two ribbons to tie the rings on. And then I found out she didn't yet have a veil so I had to make that too. Also, très simple, just a double layer of tulle gathered and of course I had to put in a few glass beads to give a little glimmer. For the dress I bought with Cindy the other week I decided bloomers were needed. It is just too cute not to have them and it will make chasing the Bug around less scary if I'm not so worried about my unders showing and no one else has to look at them. :) I am using this pattern . In a aqua to match my shoes. I also made a little turquoise bead necklace with silver accents. I can't help it, the dress needs it. ...