I present...Poodles & Pasta!
I've been taking a course through art agent Lilla Rogers. The first assignment focuses on fabric design. We were supposed to create a kitchen fabric with a pasta and vintage Pyrex them. I ran with it and added poodles. Because of COURSE poodles go with those other things.
Here are my coordinating fabrics:
Graters
Midcentury Yellow Shapes
Pink Salt & Pepper Shakers
Beaded Curtain
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Halloween comes and goes so fast! Our calendar was crammed full this year. Parties, carnivals, costumes, and way too much candy.
Piper's class got to scoop out the insides of a pumpkin. I did that when I was little, too! The smell of pumpkin guts snaps me right back to kindergarten.
We were a family of bunnies, and Adam was Farmer McGregor.
Uh oh...he got the littlest bunny!
When I woke up on Haloween, the girls had already dressed themselves for a (in their words) our special Halloween breakfast. That I got to cook for them. Ahem.
Pinata madness at a friend's party. We let the girls have all the candy they want on Halloween. It's one day a year. Piper went kind of insane....she jumped up and down beside the trampoline-not on it-, bit her sister, peed in her pants, then cried when we took away the gummy worms. Ah, Halloween!
That sugar rush is real, y'all.
Guess who got sprayed by a skunk on Halloween morning? Mooskies, that's who. He's so ashamed he can't even look at the camera. After much shampoo and vinegar he's bearable. But just barely.
It was a cloudy, rainy night. The leaves were skittering across the pavement in the wind.
Piper's class is so full of cuties I could squeal.
How was YOUR Halloween? Photos, please.
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Make it in May, Day #1-I wrote a quick song on xylophone to get started.
I'm a big fan of Mister Rogers, and I wrote a song that sounded like something cheerful you might hear in Trolley Land.
Day 3- Honeysuckle smells GREAT! I wear this in the spring and summer. Well, I switch perfumes a lot, but this stays in the rotation.
Day 6-Over forty ladies, many of you are on my list! Share them pearls of wisdom, yee haw!
Day #7-We made soap "scrimshaw" carvings with my daughter's group in kindergarten. We carved the soap with toothpicks, then ground up burned wood to make charcoal dust, then smushed it in the carved areas. Mine above, Violet's below-I love Mama Daughter projects!
Day 8-It may be too small by the time fall rolls around, but I'm glad to be close to done. And that yarn makes me look forward to autumn.
Day 10-I added some summery, bright butterflies and feathers in a globe to the studio. You can't tell, but there's a petrified egg resting in the feathers. I found it in the woods.
Day 11-I made another storytime video to add to my YouTube series. This is Piper's favorite story lately.
Day 12-We made photos at Violet's school's Spring Fling.
They had an open house and set up photo booths outside every class. Great job, LOISD teachers!
Make it in May, Day 16...I finished the poster for my daughter's kindergarten class. It's not perfect because I'm far from a Photoshop expert, but I did the best I could.
I think it's fun, and I hope they like it. I got a big refrigerator box, and had everyone pose inside it.
Then I cropped all the photos in Photoshop and stacked them together, Brady Bunch-style.
Day 17-Violet and I made cards and small treat bags for her kindergarten's end-of-the-year picnic.
Day 18-I wrote a song to sing and play on harp to accompany Edward Lear's poem "The Owl and the Pussycat". (I'll record it one of these days and share it.) I visited my daughter's kindergarten, and their lovely teacher turned the pages of Jan Brett's book while I played. I came at snack time, so I made blueberry muffins and brought clementines. It was fun to sing some songs, and teach the kids a few that they could sing along with. They're such a happy group!
Day 19-We made supply boxes for some of the victims of the tornado in Van, Texas. It felt disrespectful to take photos while we were there, so I'll share some images of the destruction and clean-up effort I found on Van Texas Tornado Recovery. The community still needs aid and volunteers.
Day 21-Didn't make much, but it was my daughter's kindergarten graduation, then she got out of school all day and we had a Mama-Daughter Day. It was Date Night, so Adam and I are picking blackberries on our country road. I could eat ALL the blackberries...blackberry ice cream, blackberry cobbler, blackberry port, blackberry jam, blackberry smoothies, blackberry EVERYTHING!
I'll share the rest the rest soon!
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Ready for some Halloween overload?
I'm a little behind this year, but I'd rather be doing than blogging most of the time. Especially if it involves my kiddos.
Violet wanted us to be a family of deer, so they are fawns and I'm Mother Deer. One of Violet's favorite games is to pretend I'm a mother deer and she's my fawn. Her name is Honeysuckle, I'm Mother Deer, and we live in the woods. OR...she's Violet, and I'm the deer who doesn't understand the ways of people. Like...I'll ask why she doesn't eat grass, or I always forgot the word for "shoes", or I get confused about light switches. She thinks that's hilarious.
Violet has been friends with Brylee since they were two. I'm so happy they're in the same kindergarten class! Also-Piper's photo bombing cracks me up.
I'm glad I got to be her class room mother this year. I made our carnival game..."Feed the Cat". We had the kids throw those rubber squeaky rats through the cat's mouth. We had a bunch of great parent volunteers from the class-thanks, other parents! This is the lovely and very involved Shawna, mom of another sweet girl in Violet's class.
I am such a fan of carnival games. Good ones, bad ones, hokey ones-I love 'em all!
Spinner games are fun! I want to make one for myself.
This is a bit blurry, but I wanted to show the back of their costumes. I love the little white spots. I just painted them on with craft paint. I made the ears with felt. I took old Santa hats and dismantled them...the band became the cuffs and the ball on top became their tails.
I dressed up, too, but we only have one shot of us together. I was making a ridiculous face and having a major costume malfunction. But darn it---I had on antlers! Getting sugared up kids to be still is nearly impossible, isn't it?
Spooky Plink-O!
I like the sound Plinko makes.
Violet and her friend Lily Rose...such cute flower names!
There were a bunch of Elsas!!!
Our friend Marcia made a lovely version for Violet. She was so happy she held out the "prissy hand".
Violet had trepidations about the "Nose Picker Game".
"What was that?" She was horrified when green silly string "snot" sprayed out on her hand. "I do not ever want to play that game again."
The bouncy house made things better.
Bouncy fawns. Poor Piper can't stay upright very long in the bounce house.
Violet kept lunging. I have no idea why. Maybe she thought she was getting on all fours like a deer? She'd just suddenly bust out into a lunge all night.
Did you guys go to a carnival? We're about to watch Charlie Brown-it's not Halloween without it!
Do you have a favorite Halloween special? Le snort. Like they even have "specials" anymore. You have to be fairly *cough* mature to even know what a "special" is.
To me, it's not Halloween with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
This is the Paul Lynde Halloween Special.
I'm not sure who this Paul Lynde is, but he is something else. He has that heavily made up, frantic, slightly fruity and smarmy air that men who hosted these things only seemed to have in the seventies. It features Margaret Hamilton in her only reprisal of the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. And Betty White, KISS, and Danny & Marie Osmond.
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Look! It's Piper in Violet's old owl dress.
They're so different, aren't they? That's Violet above at about the same age.
Piper's a mellow little Buddha baby and Violet is a ball of energy. Half of Violet's photos are blurred because it's hard to capture her being still.
I made that dress from a super soft mohair sweater of mine I accidentally shrunk. I did a tutorial on it a while back.
If you want the link, here it is:
Toddler dress from adult sweater in 30 minutes.
Here's a video of Piper playing her favorite new game...pretending to eat. In case you care.
And this...well, I have so many things to say about this that I get tongue-tied.
Speaking of sparkle, I found this on Pinterest. (By the way: Thanks, Pinterest. You suck up all my free time because I have no discipline. Love, Laura)
So...yeah yeah, sparkle, glitter, that shiny star trick of light. But in reality, wouldn't people just be saying, "Ew, gross. What's that crap stuck on your nails? Go wash your hands."
If you want to see what's going on over at my book blog, I did a feature on Anne Romby today.
Now on to more important things. Should I make a pair like this? I'm thinking those sharp little shells might cut your ankles to shreds. If they accidentally brushed your leg (or God forbid, your children or pets) they'd leave slices. So...I'm thinking no shell shoes. But they're so CUTE!!!!
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Oh, dear. We picked these pears too soon. They were so bitter it made our mouths pucker.
My sweet friend Marcia (also one of Violet's fairy godmothers) moved away this month. Her husband retired and whisked her away to Tennessee-sniff. She is always a 'here have THIS wonderful thing' sort of person. But...when she moved and cleaned out her house, boy oh boy. I dare say we received some super specialness. I kept asking, "Are you SURE you want to get rid of that?"
Marcia seriously wanted the fur to be Violet and Piper's. For dress up. I am one to honor such requests. And though we live in Texas and though most days top 100 degrees, Violet wanders through the hall in that thing like a little queen.
Look at this beauty. It's a flapper era (I think?) bodice overlay. Imagine the hole going over your head and the rest cascading down over a dark satiny slip thing.
And the hand beading on this cashmere sweater...oh, my heart. Does anyone even MAKE clothes like this any longer?
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This is adorable. I'd make one, but I don't think my sewing skills are up to the task. These suckers have to fit like a glove.
This
color is luscious. And the gathers are wonderful and slimming. Is this
a painting? It looks like a very realistic painting.
Look,
Marty-it's you! I like all of this, front the hair covering to the art
nouveau parasol to the bloomers. But HOW did they manage heels on the
beach, I wonder? These pointy kind that would surely get sand all in
them?
I want the flamingo one. So campy.
But could I talk Adam into it? Every now and then, I think, "It would be nice to be married to Tim Burton."
I like those lace-up sock/tights/torture devices.
Goodness.
Not a bra or lined suit to be had! These are less modest, in a way,
than our modern lined suits. But just in that very small way.
Yes. Not so practical toe shoes at the beach.
From the 1930s, but this still seems so fresh and modern, doesn't it?
He's a cutie-patootie, but KNITS????
Very Gatsby. I want a bathing cape.
There's another cape on the lady in the lower right. I like how it fastens at one shoulder. I like these old real-life shots.
I like the sea life, but the top looks like someone repurposed their husband's tightie whities.
I'd wear it. Just for the anchors.
I wish they'd show more swimsuits on "real people". Not necessarily plus-sized models, but just everyday, normal folks.
These
are all cute, but you'd have to be built just-so. I like the braids on
the lady in the middle. They look German, don't they?
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Grumble. It's that time of year again.
Fair warning: I am about to bombard you with images of vintage swim suits. It will be a virtual blitz of bathing beauties!
They look fabulous, don't they? It doesn't hurt that they're all built like the proverbial brick house.
I would seriously wear both of these. Lose the shoes.
Can we please bring this back? I want that umbrella, too.
This is nice, too. But for a certain build only. Very Hepburn-ish.
I like the fish. But I don't like bikinis.
Faux bois is cute. But something tells me this wouldn't be very flattering on.
I love this one. And it would have the benefit of modern fabrics.
I have one similar to this, but with wild flowers. I like the little skirt, but the fabric feels kind of icky. Those vintage suits are made of yucky stuff, and the elastic doesn't hold up very well.
I have one vintage suit with these strange bullety plastic bra things. I have another one that has BLOW UP BRA inserts. They look like arm floaties, with a tab you blow into, but they're boob shaped. Isn't that hilarious? You'd FLOAT!
I wonder what color this was.
Always divine.
Cute, but I'm afraid it looks too much like a nightie.
Cute, but I wish the ruching continued to the front panel.
I am not joking. I'd really wear this. I'd like more little outfits like this to just run around in during the summertime.
Rompers. That's what I need. Summer rompers. But why does this have FUR TRIM? And why are so many of these suits insanely made of WOOL?
Dig that little seahorse. And rolled down stockings. What a trollop.
Yes to both. And major thumbs up to pagoda-style umbrellas. The bee? I'd swat him in a heartbeat with a rolled up newspaper. Just for being irritating.
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"Mama, the baby is touching me. See? She's touching me. It's okay. I'm not complaining. I'm just letting you know."
My mother knitted this little dress for me back in the late 1970s. Isn't it cute? I'm so glad she kept it. The pattern was called 'Lollipop', so we called it my Lollipop Dress. There's a bit of smocking (I think?) at the top, too.
I wish I had a photo of me wearing it. This is the closest thing I could find where I was the same age.
"Look, Mama! It's amazing when I do this."
Violet is very modest, have you noticed?
Do you know how hard it is to get a photo of two children looking at the camera and smiling at the same time?
Squeezable.
Do you keep your children's/grandchildren's clothes? I'd love to see photos of you guys in your heirlooms. Even if it's just an old Star Wars shirt.
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Farewell to fashion funstress Lilly Pulitzer. She died over the weekend at 81.
Life's a party-dress like it! That was Lilly's tagline for her line of bright, comfy clothes. Lilly married into the famous Pulitzer family in the 1950s.
(with husband Peter in 1951)
After the Palm Beach socialite had a breakdown, her therapist recommended she "do something with herself".
(Jackie was often seen sporting LP A-line dresses.)
Her husband had citrus groves in Florida, so she opened a juice stand. She kept staining all her clothes with juice, so she asked a seamstress to make some summery dresses in a riot of colors. They disguised her juice stains, but better yet-women adored the fashions and her clothing line was born.
Those little kerchiefs are adorable. I think Violet and Piper need them ASAP.
Cute.
Fun furniture and a great waiting room, yes?
Here's Lilly holding court at one of her famous parties. That looks like a rocking party, doesn't it?
One of my favorite things about Lilly Pulitzer fabric was the hidden 'Lilly' in all the prints. Whenever I find a vintage LP piece of clothing, I immediately scour it for the secret 'Lilly'.
Isn't that a delightful thing? I've long wanted to design fabric. If I ever do, I am SO going to sneak in my name. Or maybe the girls' names.
Now I just have to get Adam into a pair of those pants.
This is a sweet photo of Lilly and her daughters. We may have to recreate this in front of a wrought iron gate someday.
P.S. Yes, I know Margaret Thatcher died, too. I'm not ignoring her, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Lilly.
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I decided to put a link to all my tutorials on one page. Here are a few of the ones you guys have said you liked the most:
Calm Glitter Jar
30 minute toddler dress from upcycled adult sweater
Anthropologie circus necklace knockoff
Rose Petal Fairy Backpack for about $2.00
I've been blogging for years now, so if you're looking for things, you have to go pretty far back in the archives and that can get confusing.
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Want to keep your hands warm on a chilly winter day? Make a set of hand warmers! They'd be a great gift for Valentine's Day, or any time you want to share a little extra love with someone.
(If you like this project, please share it on Pinterest!)
Supplies:
I used a permanent marker. That was stupid. I should have used chalk or a washable marker.
Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end if you use a machine. Tie a knot if you're hand sewing.
You don't have to do this, but sewing several at a time made the project go faster for me.
Leave at least 1/4 inch outside of the seam line.
It really helps to have two people for this part. Use more rice for a fuller heart, less rice for a squishier heart.
Before you sew, make sure you're squishing all the rice back into the rounded parts of the heart.
I packaged these using treat bags you can find at any craft or party supply store. The label is half a sheet of card stock folded over the top and stapled. Have a freebie label for download below!
Download HandWarmers <---The version I'm giving you does NOT have 'from Violet' on it...that part is blank so you can type in or write in your own name.
Or, you can just grab the text here:
Hand Warmers
Directions:
1. Pop into microwave 30 seconds
2. Slip into coat pockets to keep hands toasty warm for up to half an hour
Happy Valentine's Day!
I made 17 pairs of these. I hope the boys and girls in her class like them.
Note: Don't wash these in the washing machine. Just spot clean with a sponge.
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None of the hats I found at the store fit or looked quite right. There were a few on the internet I liked, but they were all over $40, which seemed ridiculous for a Halloween costume. Just so you know, I was going for something vaguely like this, but with a bigger brim:
Halloween Costume Hat Tutorial
Supplies: witch hat with wire brim (I got mine from a dollar store), black fabric (I used an old tshirt), glue gun, scissors
1. Cut off the tip of the witch hat. If you want a taller brim on your hat, cut less off. If you want it to fit closer to your head, cut more off.
2. This is how much I cut off. My hat had an overlay of spiderweb fabric, so I cut that off the tip, too.
3. Now I turned the hat inside out and glued the cut edge together. Then I turned it right side out and tried it on. I stood in front of a mirror and just squished it around until it looked right. Pin it, put clothespins on it, whatever--just hold it into place, then sew or glue it how you want it. I hot glued the fabric into a shape that was sort of rectangular.
4. (This sounds complicated but it's not....trace the outside oval/circle of the hat, giving yourself 2 extra inches, then do the same with the inside oval.) Place the hat on top of your t-shirt and trace about 2 inches outside the brim. Trace the inside where the hat touches your head, too. Leave yourselves 2 inches on the inside of that part. In the photo above, I didn't leave myself enough room on the inside circle, so I had to do it again with another shirt.
5. Glue the t-shirt fabric to the underside of the hat. The whitish lines are my hot glue. Then cut off the excess along the edge of the brim. (Tip...I found it helped to run a line of glue just inside the ribbon of the brim.)
6. Following the same instructions in Step 5, glue the fabric to the top of the hat. Trim off the excess around the outside edge, and around the base of the head.
7. Now embellish the sucker to your little heart's content. Add trim, ribbon, feathers, flowers, spangles...whatever. The wire brim also allows you to bend the hat into any shape you want.
I'm working on our costumes again today. (What we're going as is a secret, so there. However, you're welcome to guess.) Are you all in a Halloween frenzy? If not...why aren't you? It's Halloween thirty, people!
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Hey, fellow Pinterest Junkies---I have a challenge for you. Us. If you're like me, you have an ever-growing stash of Pinterest ideas. So....let's get cracking on those. Go find one that you can accomplish in an hour or two (more, if you're brave), and let's check one item off as 'done'!
Here are some I like:
(From Craft Time Ideas)
I don't know if I told you or not, but I'm teaching a workshop in December on how to make recycled t-shirt scarves. I am going to experiment with making these mystery braid bracelets out of t-shirt knits, too.
(from Delicious Shots)
In honor of Halloween and warding off vampires, I need to get a pot of this Garlic Soup brewing on my stove.
(From TeaWagonTales)
I think Violet might enjoy these popsicle stick dolls. If she doesn't, hey--I just lost some time and a few wooden lolly sticks.
What are YOU going to tackle? Send me photos or a link--please! I'd love to share your Pinterest stash projects and see what you're working on.
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Have you seen the Alexander Henry Halloween fabric? This series is called "The Ghastlies". It's funny. And dark. It reminds me a lot of Edward Gorey's art.
The problem is, I can't find it for sale anywhere. There are a few places with odd amounts of yardage online. The vendors I've found only sell to the trade. I want! I want!
My favorite is the above print in orange. I can't find a sample online, so I (poorly) Photoshopped this to give you an idea of what it looks like. I want a fainting couch upholstered in this.
Oh my gosh! This quilt...THIS QUILT!!!! Aren't these A.H. fabrics fantastic? So witty. Thimble & Bobbin....you're a genius.
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I finished four decoupaged cases over the past few weeks....here are 2 of them. They're available in my Etsy store.
Jingle Bells train case
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The funny thing about this case---I bought the Little Golden Book, "Jingle Bells", at a thrift store. I opened the cover, and it had a name plate in it. And I knew the person it belonged to! Not well enough to call her up, but I'll definitely tell her about it the next time I run into her in town. It made me happy to think of this being her book as a child.
Vintage ABCs.....this book had the alphabet done in embroidery! Or needlepoint. Is there a difference?
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I think my favorite part is the owl in the tree. Or maybe the unicorn.
I'm fond of that boar and apple and elephant, too.
Wouldn't it be great to have a big circle skirt with all of these embroidered on it?
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Look at Little Miss Smarty Pants. She said, "Look Mama--I made 'Violet'!" That's pretty dang close. I think her understanding of letters far exceeds her manual dexterity in drawing with a crayon. I always wonder how much she understands, but can't quite verbalize.
Ug--the calendar. I've resorted to X-ing off the days in red.
I decided to make a Moby-style baby wrap. Paying $59.95 for a long rectangle of fabric irritates me, so I made one.
Here's a link to making your own from Rookie Moms.
I'll give you a super quick set of instructions, though:
1. Buy 5-6 yards of stretchy fabric. I bought 60" wide fabric.
(A good rule of thumb is to match the length to your height---short? Buy 5 feet. Tall? Buy 6 feet.)
2. Lay it all out (down a hallway is handy), folded in half like they roll it off the bolt at the store.
3. Cut it into 3 super long 20-21" wide strips. Final measurement of each: 5 or 6 feet long x 20-21 inches wide. Each strip makes one baby wrap.
That's it! If you bought a knit, you probably don't need to hem. I hemmed mine. You don't have to. If you want to, sew something on the edge to mark the center...a button, a tag, a piece of fabric, whatever.
The center front is marked by the Moby tag to help you with placement, so I sewed on a square of fabric with a cute vintage bunny.
So....I bought 6 yards of fabric at the remainder bin at Walmart for $1.50. So, $1.50 x 6 yards = $9.00 + $1.00 for thread, $10.-- total. This makes 3 baby wraps.
$3.33 per wrap vs. $59.95 - I can live with that.
Oh, and I'm going to dye the other 2 lengths to make 2 more wraps in different colors.
Here's a video that shows how to put a newborn in the wrap, kangaroo-style.
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I liked this t-shirt dress tutorial from Amanda over at I Sew, Do You?. In fact, I like her sample (orange and black) so much that I may re-create it exactly for Halloween. I think hers was in honor of her university's school colors, but it would be perfect for fall.
Amanda's tutorial is great---just follow the directions. I made everything in a little over an hour.
I was able to make the dress and bow for less than $1.00 total. Yay! Our local thrift store had a quarter sale on t shirts, so I grabbed one in pink and one in grey.
To give it a more modern look, I cut the dress longer on the sides and shorter in the front and back. I plan on her wearing this over leggings.
Amanda gives advice on using tissue backing to help you sew with knits. I didn't do that since my machine was handling the fabric OK. However, I know knits can be tricky on some machines, so give the tissue trick a try if you're machine is finicky.
For her bow, I used a simple stretch elastic band, then made a rosette of the leftover ruffled fabric. I sewed on a big pink enamel flower that was at the bottom of a garage sale bag of broken costume jewelry. Do you guys go crazy over a big bag of broken jewelry? I do--and I end up using the stuff for years.
So there---a quick, cheap, upcycled dress. Good for your wallet and the environment.
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Yes, I'm still pregnant. This is starting to remind me of being pregnant with Violet. After all the trouble trying to keep her in, now it's looking like it may take a while to get her out. Nonetheless, I'm very glad to be considered full term and not have to worry about having a preemie.
We finally had our hay baled. Due to the drought, we haven't had it harvested in over a year.
I like seeing those round bales sitting in the meadow. They're so cheerful.
My mother gave two dresses she knitted and crocheted for me when I was a little girl. Violet will be able to wear them soon. I remember wearing the green dress with cowboy boots.
Ug. My poor herb pots are so dead and neglected. I look forward to being able to have pots of thriving herbs again some day. Maybe I can manage some by autumn. We'll see how things go with the new baby.
Auntie Grandma Marcia found Violet a car with appropriate people.
She loves that there are 2 car seats. Violet seems to be working a lot of things out through playing with the little girl and the new baby. Violet Doll spends a lot of time telling Baby Doll 'the way things are around here'.
If you have kids, you know how careful you have to be around them. They pick up everything you say and do. It's sometimes a little disturbing to have a little person mimicking your every action. It makes you pretty aware of your good and less-than-good habits. Apparently, I say "O-Kay" a lot.
Someone watches Daddy like a hawk. Note the yogurt shaving cream beard at breakfast this morning. Goodness.
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I have a question for you guys:
What blogs do you LOVE?
I have my tried-and-true favorites, (I never miss A Fanciful Twist, Posie Gets Cozy, and No Big Dill) but I always like to check out new blogs. Especially now that I am in 'hurry up and wait for the baby' mode.
I like blogs about families, crafts, art, photography, sewing, knitting, cooking, traditions, fashion, decorating, and Halloween.
Any suggestions?
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Violet is enjoying the Amelie Soundtrack during lunch.
Hello, Mister Ant! I wish you weren't in my kitchen, but you're very cute.
He was doing this odd thing where he stood on his hind legs, then squeegeed his antennas with his front 2 legs. I guess his antennas got wet. It was really cute.
Did I mention I've been sewing a lot? A LOT?
I made matching Mother/Daughter patchwork hippy dresses. I'm trying to make things I can wear now and post-baby. If I can find a yellow onesie, I'll make one for Baby #2, also.
I have tons of scraps I like that weren't large enough to sew a whole project with.
These needlepoint roses were on an old seventies prom dress.
It took a while to sew this sucker, since I sewed every single little piece on each row.
The fabric range from new to scraps from the 1940s. Detailed patchwork stuff keeps Violet busy, especially when we have to wait somewhere. She likes to play 'Find the Whatever"....I say, find the blue bird or find the bear holding a bowl or find the lady under an orange tree.
I still have a ton of these scraps left. Does anyone want them?
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Oh, boy-the first roses are blooming! We picked the biggest, deepest red one to put on our table while we eat.
I forget the exact variety, but it's a tea rose, and has that signature spicy scent.
Here's a recent thrift store find----a lined and embroidered Asian jacket for $2.00.
I had to fix one of the frog closures, but it took me less than 5 minutes. I really like intricate embroidery like this, especially with metallic thread.
I have so much scrap fabric it's not even funny. I decided to mix some scraps and old nautical scarves into a summery little sailing dress for Violet.
I'd started cutting this already before photographing it, but I've always like graphic scarves. This one shows the Bodensee Lake area in Europe.
I cut a bunch of rectangles, then sewed them into 3 rows. Each row had more squares than the previous one.
I took a tank top and cut it off just above waist height. I chose a tank with adjustable straps so she could wear it a little longer as she got taller. I added a few cherry red buttons and red and white striped trim to the bottom.
It's very 'swingy'. I couldn't get a non-blurry swing picture, but you get the idea. Little girls seem to like twirly dresses.
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I finished Violet's "Heidi Dress". (You can always click on any of my images to see a larger version.)
It's pretty close to what I was envisioning, which is always nice. Sometimes projects meet your expectations, and sometimes you throw them into the 'donate box'.
She said, "I no like it. I don't. I don't like it...take it off." *sigh*
She never stays unhappy for long, though. I ignored the 'don't like it' comments for two minutes, and she was back to happy.
It's a little too large-see the shoulder slippage? That's all right, though. The last time I spent a long time sewing something, it was too small--argh! I'd much rather have made something too big.
It's nice and roomy.
She's taking a bow. In case you wondered.
I like being able to turn the fabric to the other side to get a different look. It harmonizes well, and is still in the same color family.
One nice thing about sewing little bitty clothes is that you can use up your smallest scraps of pretty trims. So....I'm pleased with it. It's not perfect, but my sewing skills are improving. I'm trying not to be such a perfectionist. Better is good, yes?
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I have some tiny roses I want to make into bows for Violet. The color was too vibrant for what I wanted, so I soaked them in strong coffee for a few hours.
They must be made of polyester, because the coffee didn't altar their appearance. I had some silk flowers that turned a great vintagey shade after being coffee-dipped. I wish these purple flowers had been made out of a dyeable material. Maybe next time.
Here's the fabric I'm using for Violet's "Heidi Dress". I'm crazy about reversible fabric, although this dress won't be reversible. I will be using each side for different parts of the outfit, though.
Dinner-
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Regarding the post below (about mixing pattern pieces to make a dress)...I'm envisioning a Heidi-type dress. I want to get all the girly dresses out of my system before Violet decides she's a tomboy or something.
I like the style of the Heidi illustrations from Jessie Wilcox Smith. They're so full of fabric, but made of nice, light cottons.
Here's a nice understated style by Gustaf Tenggren.
I like vintage boho Jessica McClintock gowns and prairie dresses. (from VioletFolklore)
Gunne Sax always had such nice lines and details. The clothes were so uber-feminine, too.
(from GreenMarketVintage on Etsy)
I want to make Violet something like the Von Trapp children would wear for a bicycle outing.
The Sound of Music is one of my mother's favorite movies. I grew up watching lots of musicals. Maybe that explains a lot.
Throw this into the mix, too.
I have great double-sided calico-ish fabric I've been saving. It's in autumny shades of orange, brown, and soft smoky lavender. Ooooh----I'm getting excited about sewing! Don't you like really looking forward to a project? Those usually turn out better, in my experience.
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No, not like this. However, this would be a great maternity Halloween costume, huh? That's not going to happen this time around, since I'm due in early June.
I am always buying the cheapo patterns you see at thrift stores. They're frequently in perfect condition (never even cut), but the styles are too old fashioned. Old fashioned eighties or nineties styles, that is.
So...I've been looking for patterns with particular pieces I want. I'm going to mix them all, using the same children's size. I just hope the pattern sizes are consistent from pattern to pattern. We'll see.
I've cut out the pieces, and hopefully the sewing will go quickly. I dislike cutting out pattern pieces. What's your 'yucky' part of the sewing process? I love the actual sewing (if it's not too advanced for my skills), but my favorite is picking out and adding trims and buttons and such.
I'm going to take the body of the dress from this one. It's nice and swingy...a great 'twirl dress'.
I'll add the short sleeves from this one.
...and the pants from this one. (This is a new pattern, by the way.)
We'll see how it turns out. The more pregnant I get, the less patient I get. Not to mention mood swings. BOY am I moody these days. If this turns out crappy, I may just throw it out the window in a fit of rage. Or cry for an hour while eating pumpkin muffins. I am running out of energy earlier and earlier in the evenings, so I don't want to commit to a project that isn't going to turn out at least semi-well. This may be more potential frustration than I want to deal with right now. I'm going to try anyway, so wish me luck!
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Oh! This t-shirt rug project from Family Fun is intriguing. It would be a great project to work on as a family. And it's extra special to recycle and pick out your own colors. If you can't find t-shirts in the shades you want, you could dye them.
I can see kids getting tired of doing it after 5 minutes. However, if they have to wait in line (a la Tom Sawyer and the fence), they'd fight over who gets to go next. Then, at the end, everyone can say, "I made that."
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Happy Halloween, everyone! This is going to be a pretty random post covering things we've done over the past few weeks.
Violet is still deciding what to wear trick-or-treating. It's down to: autumn fairy, knight, dragon, ladybug, or witch. Oh---or a Carebear. I'll check in 10 minutes before we leave for trick-or-treating, because her mind changes about that fast.
Remember Violet's nap mat made of vintage Sesame Street sheets? I had some leftover scraps, so I made a little outfit. On her left leg, I put the Oscar the Grouch patch I found in one of The Jars a few weeks ago. She calls it her Nap Mat Dress. Oh! And my sewing machine has a great button hole function that I finally sat down and learned to use. I hate reading instructions, but sometimes you just have to. I'm glad I did, but at the time it was like pulling teeth.
The chef where Adam works came to visit this weekend. (Adam works at a huge facility, and they have a few different cafeterias, and each has different chefs.) Chef Jerry brought us a small fig tree and a delicious banana coffee cake---yum!
We've been practicing 'trick or treating' everywhere we go. "Knock knock, trick or treat, get candy, say thank you." Violet says it all run together. There is a store in Greenville that has a 'kids only door'. Isn't that cute?
The one in the middle is a Carnival Squash. I usually see them in the decorative section, but this one came with cooking instructions similar to preparing an acorn squash. I'm excited to try it. Have any of you had one before?
My friend Sarah shared a good trick for cooking with kids.....let them be the 'designated sniffer'.
Chilly mornings and raisin bread are a nice match.
If you soak the raisins in orange juice before you add them to the batter, they get nice and fat. If you're adventurous, soak them in spiced rum.
Violet expresses happiness lately by donkey kicking one chubby little leg into the air. I got her mid-kick.
See my kitchen? I'm having kitchen angst. It's a perfectly functional kitchen, I'm just not pleased with the aesthetics. I'm a shabby chic/modern country kind of gal, and I'm thinking of whitewashing all the cabinets. I also loathe the blue 'marble'. I've seen kits for resurfacing formica (laminate? whatever counters are called) that are a fraction of the cost of a new top. The results on the packaging look good, but you never know what they'll look like in real life when you do it at home.
So...what do you think? White cabinets, vintage pulls and a slate-y counter refinish? Boy, that makes me tired just thinking about it. That would probably take 2-4 whole weekends, given all the necessary drying time. I don't want my house torn up over the holidays. That might be a good January project.
This is SPARTA!!!!
The poor dogs. Adam gave Violet her first fencing lesson. (With a real fencing foil, not a plastic sword) He's really good, so if she's interested, he can coach her for many years. Adam fenced growing up, but I'd never tried it. He got me some fencing gear when we first got married, and we took some lessons. He's good. Me, not so much. Well.....it was more like, Adam slaughtered me every time and I got impatient. Maybe I'll try again with Violet when she's a little older. That might be more my speed.
Some recent meals:
-Bean and mushroom stew, baked chicken, spinach, carrots, & homemade bread
(By the way, I'm not showing you the nights I eat cold pizza or mac and cheese with half a banana and a scoop of yogurt.)
-Bacon-wrapped steak, sweet potatoes filled with Brussels sprouts, dried cherries, pecans, and blue cheese, and salad with pumpkin seeds
-Tomato based clam chowder, lemon garlic scallops over angel hair pasta, edamame
I saw a grackle pick up a lollipop stick in a parking lot.
What a happy grackle!
Little White Riding Hood
I think it's going to be a fun night of trick-or-treating. It's the first year Violet really understands it and is excited about it. She keeps telling me, "I'm ready, Mama."
Violet's sitting on my new laptop case. I decoupaged one for myself as an autumny treat. I'll show you more photos soon.
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It's here!!!! Fall is finally here! I was happily surprised to wake up to fog and a 55 degree morning, since it was over 100 earlier this week.
Violet as the Acorn Squash Fairy. I decided to take her outside and just follow her with a camera and see what happened. She decided 'the pumpkin needs a nest'.
We started the day with an autumn breakfast. See the tiny owls? Their eyes are tiny bits I cut off a piece of candy corn.
Violet was overjoyed to get a piece of candy corn with breakfast. I need to take that kid out more.
It's officially fall when you see candy corn at the market. My jars are dusty. Don't look at that. Pretend they're freshly sparkled with Windex, ok?
They're so tiny and happy that I end up eating too many. Do you have that problem with candy corn?
To celebrate the best season, I made Mommy & Me autumn scarves.
Is that photo any better? They're of a super soft, translucent fabric. I used this tutorial from Jenny at Anything Pretty. (By the way, what an awesome tutorial, Jenny! It was concise, well-photographed, and I will be back for more!) I made it take about 3 times as long since I used fabric that needed hemming. I used the overcast function on my new machine. I like how it gave the edge a slight scalloped look. However, if you use knit fabric, you don't have to do any hemming----just gather the ruffle, sew it down, and you're done.
This is one of my favorite days of the entire year.
Here are some stunning fall foliage clips accompanied by Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1. Satie's music is so haunting yet tranquil. Perfect for autumn. If you can't view it above, click here to see it on YouTube. I hope you're all taking a hike through the woods, drinking cider, and getting out your sweaters!
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I started picking through some of my yarn, and the Little Unraveler decided to help.
"Yook! Issa jelly fish!"
Thanks, Violet.
I used only what was in the fridge for dinner.
I made Mommy/Daughter headbands from velvet scraps. I sewed beads and buttons for centers. It's a good project to use up little scraps of fabric you like. There are tons of tutorials on fabric rosettes out there, so just Google one. I'm not in a tutorial mood.
I'm off to detangle.
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SOA Project: Let's spend a day or a week using only things we already have. My stash collection keeps growing, so I need to put a dent in it. Yarn, fabric, food----abundance is nice, but at some point, too much is too much. And, hey--it's too hot to leave the house. Let's save some money, free up some space, and crank out some creative goodness, shall we?
I have some food I need to use due to kitchen mistakes:
I accidentally opened a can of condensed milk when I meant to open evaporated milk. I don't know what the cans look like where you shop, but in my store, they're practically identical.
\(photo from Jan Norris)
Walmart----a word with you about your strawberries please. They sucketh. Seriously, the last 3 clam shells I've purchased have all looked fine at the store, then are covered with mold in the next two days. Two days? I have to devour all my produce within 2 days or it goes bad? And no, it's not my fridge. It's your yucky strawberries, Walmart!
So. A can of opened condensed milk and a clam shell of strawberries that will go bad if I take my eyes off of them. I will try this recipe for No-Cook Strawberry Ice Cream since I have everything else on hand. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm already liking the 'no cook' part.
It has gotten so ridiculously hot that I've resorted to lying to myself about it. Adam and I sometimes have a little conversation like this over dinner: "It sure was chilly out today, wasn't it Laura?" "Yes, dear---I'm so glad you remembered your sweater this morning." "Goodness, yes. And I'm also relieved I got the rest of that wood chopped before this cold snap." Then we snicker and wipe the sweat from our brow. Brows? Collective brow?
Anyway, as part of the trickery of self, I've decided to knit something. Perhaps preparing for cooler weather will help encourage it to arrive. I have a bunch of yarn scraplins to deal with, so I'm going to make one of those slouchy berets. I want it to be a warm 'walking in the woods beret'. I have a few balls of this alpaca/acrylic mix called 'Galaxy' yarn by Bernat in the color 'moon'. Hmmm, my moon isn't that color, Bernat. Maybe it is in your world. What's Bernat been smoking, huh?
I will use a free pattern from the internet. Voila! Here's one. It's called Simple Slouchy Beret, by Wendy Harman. Thanks, Ravelry! (They have a mountain of free knitting/crochet patterns. It's too amazing to describe. If you're a yarn person, check it out.) Is that Wendy, I wonder?
Maybe it will look a little something like this, but in a non-moon color. And nubbier. And chunkier. Oh, who am I kidding? I just liked the photo. Blythe beret by SSmartRaggs on Etsy.
Dinner? I will go through my mountain of clipped recipes and find something I can make with ingredients I already have. I will then go deep condition my hair. If I'm out of conditioner, I'll use mayonnaise. Or olive oil if I have to.
I'm off to Use What I Have. Bye!
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Violet gave it a cursory spin, then flung her arms out, and said, "OK." She's so dramatic. I hear I was a little drama queen, too, but I doubt I could hold a candle to this one. I may need sedatives when she's a teenager.
"I'm going to take some photos now." Then she gives me the look. Doesn't she look like a Grade A Brat in this picture? Soon enough, she forgets I'm taking photos and perks up again.
"I thinking, Mama--yook! I thinking!"
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I felt the urge to complete something today. So many of my projects are long-term, store-in-a-box until I can get all the supplies out kinds of things. Those lengthy projects are so satisfying when they're done, but sometimes a girl needs some instant gratification. So, I decided I would make whatever I could during Violet's nap time.
This isn't me. That makes me giggle. How funny would it be to randomly wake up one morning and be this lady? I used this exact same shirt, though, and this was the only photo of it I could find on the internet. I didn't want to waste my precious project time taking photos.
Anyway- I simple put a dress of Violet's on top of the shirt, and drew around it with a marker, adding 1/2 and inch in all directions for a hem. Then I sewed it up around all the seams. I sewed some lace under the sleeves and onto the hem.
I had a little time left, so I made a quick headband. I tried to use the colors that were in the little girl's hat. It's a little ugly around the green stem part, but hey! It's done. And, she's pretty good at destroying headbands.
I always liked this shirt, but that printed style is looking a little out of date. "Mother and Daughter" by Renoir is such a sweet painting. I thought it would be a great upcycled project to share with Violet. I hope she likes it. We'll see when she wakes up. Sometimes she squeals and wants it on that minute. Sometimes she says, "Is yucky," and runs away.
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Just a few quick photos today---
These aren't spectacular, but they are in my size, and Violet's size, and are the same color. I thought they might come in handy as the base of a Halloween costume. Maybe they can be hacked and embellished into cute dresses for everyday.
Again, two gowns that are great for costumes or play clothes. Also, for froo froo portraits, these can be gussied up with feathers or faux jewels or other props. I never really grew up out the 'dress up' phase....did you?
Long, satiny gowns for a quarter--I just can't turn them down. I think I'm going to have a little girl with a very fancy costume wardrobe. I would have loved that as a kid--I hope she does, too. Violet may turn out to be a tomboy, though. Either way, I'm glad I have them around.
Grand total for 6 dresses---$1.50
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Hey there! How's your Summer of Awesomeness going? I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing. If you have a link to anything you've done or want to do, let me know. Or, just say hello in the comments and let us know how your Summer is being Awesome.
Remember this jumper? I made Violet something similar from my stash of vintage lace. I like how it turned out, except it's pretty hard to get on and off. I think I'll have to redo the straps to make them either elastic or have buttons.
Here's another view. (She's making duck soup. In case you wondered.)
I put a tiny vintage cameo brooch on the front. I like a bit of bling on a baby suit.
I'm not sure what this is, but I think Devil Bug will work. Isn't that the most evil looking insect? As it was chomping the other bug, it kept making the most revolting undulation of its abdomen and stinger. What a gross bug! Thank goodness bugs are small. Can you imagine an eight foot version of this out on your porch? Sheer terror.
Naughty! This is what happens when I turn my back on her to answer the phone. I am still cleaning yogurt spray off things in the kitchen. I had no idea how far a 2 1/2 year old could sling yogurt. Impressive.
Violet, thank you for being neater this time. And, thanks for being so willing to eat anything! It sure makes her easy to cook for. We tried smoothies made from cucumber, avocado, basil, lime, and a handful of spinach leaves. I wanted to try a super healthy smoothie, but these ingredients made me nervous. They were actually good, though! She slurped this up in about a minute.
This is from a while back, but can my friend Amy wrap a gift or what? Yes, that is a light up Jesus key chain.
Did I ever show you my birthday cake? It was a 'family cake'....Violet helped me make the cake, then Adam made the icing and frosted it. It was fun to have everyone help.
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I'm going to come back to the jars when I'm done showing you my super-special-scored-stash of quarter clothes. Deal?
I got all these for...........$3.75!
Lillipulitzer sundress. I love her prints.
That was $3.75 worth of clothing!!!!
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I found a really pretty silk robe at a church garage sale. Unfortunately, I hand washed it and ruined it. At least I think I ruined it. The dark fuchsia embroidery dye bled onto the white silk----ARGH!
Have any of you ever successfully removed this kind of dye from a light colored fabric?
It's pretty bad, huh? Do you think I could dye it that deep pink and hide the stain?
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I went crazy at the Quarter store, so I'm going to break my finds into multiple posts. These may take place of my What's in the Jar Wednesdays until I'm done.
This batch was mainly clothes that were....hmm, maybe made in the past 5 years or so. I only buy things that are in pretty good shape. If it has a small defect or a stain in a portion I'm going to cut off, I don't care. However, I only get things that are in good condition. Sometimes they even have new tags on them.
A lot of these things will be victims, I mean materials, for my sewing experiments. For a quarter per item, you can't go too wrong. And if you ruin something, oh well- there goes a quarter and some thread. In fact, I think I have more fun with these projects because there's no pressure. If I buy a really expensive bolt of super nice velvet, I freak out about sewing with it. Are any of you that way with really nice fabrics? They make me nervous. These feel more like PlayDoh clothes...fun and disposable if ruined.
Grey wool long cardigan by Moda International. It's missing the belt, but I usually removed the belt and loops anyway. A pair of rust stretch cords from Old Navy in my size. (Poor Violet----"No more cwose, Mama."
The left is a burnt out velvet with a purple poppy print. I think I'll cut it up and make something else out of it....I love poppies! A long wine colored velvet romper. I don't know why, but I liked it, and it has pockets.
WDNY lined blazer with ginormous gold buttons and built in chunky necklace in my size.
Sag Harbor faux suede top and skirt, and a nice creamy gold brocade to repurpose-maybe a little dress for Violet?
I liked the embroidery on the top.
A comfy tank that matches the rust colored cords from Old Navy, and a turquoise faux velet tunic. I liked the color, and it may get turned into a scarf this winter. Or, it might look nice with a few big velvet roses in pinks and oranges sewed along the collar or in a swirl down the front.
This dress is Ug.E.Lee, but there's tons of fabric to reuse, and I love green. It's a very soft polished cotton.
I figured I could always cut off this bit of silliness and attach it to something of Violet's for Christmas.
Sweaters from Banana Republic and Old Navy. I think these would be comfy in the winter with leggings and tall boots. I'm short enough they could also be made into sweater dresses with some thick wool tights.
By the way---I found a bunch of winter stuff I liked this time, but the store has a mix of everything. Some of it is so nasty you would want to cry. You would not believe it unless you saw it....it's such a mad house.
That was $3.25 worth of clothes. Yay!
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Marty sent me to Happy Chickadee. I'm glad she did.
This is one gorgeous romper, yes? It turned out to NOT be on sale. Sniff. Big sniff. It was only $42, but I'm cheap. Perhaps I'll try to make a similar one, but those ruffles look a bit daunting.
It comes in about a jillion color choices.
Sometimes, when I'm trying to decide from a million different colors, I do this in Photoshop. I do it crappily. And as fast as possible. So--it doesn't look too hot. You get a fair enough idea, though.
I like this grown-up version from styleceo, too. I'd want it in yellow, though. Maybe white.
Oh! This looks comfy. If it's knit, that is. It's only $30 from Rewind brand found at Kohl's.
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Violet is going to a 2 day a week Parent's Day Out program at a different location for the summer. We loved her old school, but they don't meet during the summer. At Violet's new school , she will be sleeping on a nap mat. At her old school, each child had a crib, but I guess she's too 'grown up' for that now. Sniff.
She's "practicing".
I decided to make her one out of stuff I already had at home. I loosely followed this tutorial on Craftster. I made our nap mat quite a bit longer and a little wider than the tutorial's measurements.Violet's pretty tall for her age, and I wanted her to be able to use the nap map when she's older, too. It will come in handy for sleepovers, camping trips, traveling, etc.
I made the 'mattress' by taking an old velour blanket and folding it over several times. It wouldn't fit through my machine, so I hand basted it. Most tutorials I've seen use heavy quilt batting or foam, but they didn't seem like they would be thick enough to be comfy. I tried this out on the hard floor to make sure it was nap-worthy. It was quite cushy.
Then, I made a long pillow out of an old set of sheets and stuffed it with fiber fill.
I've had this great vintage Sesame Street sheet for a while. I've been saving it for something special. I thought Oscar the Grouch holding a 'Quiet' sign was particularly appropriate for her nap mat.
I cut out a big rectangle to accommodate the pillow and mattress. I sewed it together like a pillow case with two openings. You could sew the pillow and mattress in to the rectangle--that would be easier. I wanted to be able to wash the sheet, though. So--I sewed a zipper at each end. I also added 4 ties to one end, and a reinforced carrying strap. If you want detailed instructions, go to the tutorial link.
Here is the end with the pillow. You just unzip it, pop the pillow out of one end and the mattress out of the other and throw it in the washer.
Here it is unrolled on a queen sized bed to give you an idea of the size. I've seen nap mats that have a blanket sewed into them, but we live in Texas. Maybe I'll attach one this fall or winter. I also don't like the idea of a blanket rolling around a germy kid room picking up microbes. It's like a giant tissue. Gross.
Nicely rolled up and ready to go.
She approves. She even came out of her tent to try it out.
Adam and I tried it out, too. We thought it was comfy.
Now getting her to actually take a nap is a whole different ballgame! She is nap-resistant.
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Alas....more junk.
I think it's weird that 'hog roasts' share top billing with weddings and banquets on this promotional ruler. Maybe it was based in Arkansas?
Violet appreciated the violet crayon and silly pegasus and plastic frog.
I like this grumpy lady. I think I've seen her at Walmart. Does anyone know which of the billion Disney movies she comes from? I don't know---I'm really asking.
That's all for the jar. Now on to other goodies:
My friend Marcia is always digging up fun vintage patterns. I think I'll give this A-line dress a go. Their poses crack me up. They're so snazzy and on the go to their happenin' secretary job. "Can't stop to chat, Janice--Mr. Hopkins needs that report typed by 10:30 sharp!"
Aren't these pretty and feminie? I got them for a grand total of $4.00--yay! I'm saving the super pretty one with violets for (obviously) my Violet. Giving this to her now would end in disaster, but I think she'll like it in a few years.
Stacy gave this to Adam for his birthday. Isn't that a cool old tin ambulance? The hand control lights up the light, and turns the wheels and everything. The name scratched on the control says, "Marty". I wonder if it belonged to a little boy or a girl?
It opens up to reveal a little boy on a gurney! Stacy and I actually fought over this at a thrift store a long time ago. No--that's totally inaccurate. It went more like this:
"Oh, Stacy, look at this little ambulance!" "Oh, that's adorable, YOU take it." "No, no---YOU take it...it matches your kitchen." "I do love it, but you found it first, Laura." "I know, but you should really have it." And on and on and on.
You know what I've never understood? Those descriptions of women at New York department stores sales fighting over purses and nylons. Maybe it's just because I grew up in the South, but I wouldn't dream of tugging a bag away from someone. Nothing would ever sell because everyone would be too busy being polite to each other and offering each other the last pair of kidskin gloves. Yay for politeness!
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I'm skipping this week's jar in favor of a magical bag of goodies. The always lovely Marcia that teaches the library sewing class called and said someone donated a few gigantic sacks of vintage fabric to the group. THANK YOU, MARCIA!
After double and triple checking that my greed was all right, I stuffed a ginormous black garbage bag full of fabric. I was worried I was taking too much, but she said they were just going to donate what was left over. Here it is all folded and sorted by color.
I'm seriously considering making a postage stamp quilt.
I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again---I'm not a traditional quilt person. They can look great in other people's homes, but they don't work for me. I do like more modern quilts with my house, though. I prefer simple, squares only types of quilts. Or all-over-the-place-no-order-whatsoever crazy quilts.
(Crazy quilt pillow from KittyandMe on Etsy)
I've been collecting fabric for a Halloween crazy quilt for years. Like I said earlier, I've also been toying with the idea of a postage stamp quilt. I realize that would be quite an undertaking, though.
This ROCKS from Colorful Creative Ideas. That wasn't what I meant by postage stamp quilt, but it's adorable. Get a load of that pillow! I still have a ton of stamps left over from a previous Wednesday Jar.
I think grown-ups and children alike would enjoy looking at all the details on this quilt by Nancy Cole. I hear these referred to as "I Spy Quilts". I guess this is a reference to the I Spy book series where you hunt and peck for tiny objects among a chockful page of images. Those books are GREAT, by the way.
I remember sitting under my grandmother's quilts with tee-NINE-see squares of fabric. I loved searching for my favorite blocks. I particularly liked ones with squares that had animals or holiday things. OH! A quilt with all-holiday-squares would be neat, huh? Easter and Halloween and Christmas and St. Patrick's Day and all the rest!
Check these out from AudreyPawdry. I love the rainbow order of the blocks. It's still a little more 'quilty' than I want with the spaces in between the blocks, though. I like them all squished together.
More like this.
Isn't this AMAZING? That would be so fun to gawk at. Imagine being sleepy and sitting under your pillow fort sucking your thumb and touching all the little pieces as you get ready for your nap.
Back to my fabric!
I even gathered up tiny scraps of fun fabric from the bottom of the scrap pile and sorted them in sandwich bags by color. I'll at least have a start on my someday-postage-stamp-quilt. Fabric can get really out of hand, so I like it to be organized just so.
Look at the bunnies!
There is a big piece of fabric with inked-out figures. I think you're supposed to embroider over them. The handwritten note on the fabric reads, "Stuffed toys, pocket motifs, and panholders".
Oh, how I hope this circus fabric cleans up well! It's my absolute favorite of the bunch.
I'm digging the blue strawberries and frizzed out pink lion.
Thanks, fabric fairy-I'll try to make something fabulous with these gifts!
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I hope you all had a nice Easter!
We started our morning with some 'mush'. Mix your favorite oatmeal with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, fresh ginger, walnuts, and frozen cherries. Yum.
I got really luck and saw a rabbit--a real one--on the driveway outside our kitchen window. I grabbed Violet out of her high chair and said, "Look! It's the Easter Bunny!" She saw him just as he hopped away into the woods. Then the grown-up chicanery began.....
I left 'Easter Bunny Tracks' I made with two fingers and flour. (I made the photo tiny to hide my hideous carpet.) Violet was very excited that the Easter Bunny had been hopping through the house. She kept saying, "De bunny maked de tracks!" Then she would hop on top of them. She was confused about how he got in. "Easter Bunny go in de door?" We told her it was a kind of magic door that only opened on Easter. Kind of like the dog door, but for rabbits.
Oooooh......faux food! Violet kept saying, "Thanks, Bunny!"
Violet loved her dress!
She likes hunting eggs, but she's more interested in opening them than collecting them.
She tried to climb gigantic trees.
I had my friend Sarah over for a pre-Easter lunch. We had carrot soup, spring risotto, and chicken salad sandwiches. I like chicken salad with dill, red onion, red grapes, red onion, and red potatoes. Here is the recipe for spring risotto from Cooking Light.
I made silly place settings that I stuck in a strawberry in an egg cup. Like I needed place settings....there were two of us. Still, they make me happy. So I make them. Good enough reason, right?
I made peanut butter chocolate bars, but they were too dry. They just never wanted to set up in the center, so I left them in too long. So, I smeared them with a layer of peanut butter, like icing, then smothered them with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and chopped up Reese's cups.
I had a great package from my friend Bettina--thanks! And I'm working on tons of bracelets and a suitcase for a new project. Photos coming soon!
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These would make pretty Easter corsages, or look nice as kiddie bows, or attached to an Easter basket.
OK--I tried the flowers from a few posts back. Again, it's not MY original idea, but I'm showing you how I did it.
I had some scrap fabric from Violet's Easter dress. Isn't that a nice color? It was $1.99 a yard at Walmart. It's slick and very light polyester. You have to use a synthetic fabric for this project.
I cut 7 roughly circle-shaped pieces. The largest was about 5 inches in diameter, and the smallest about an inch.
I practiced the burning part on some scraps first. I found that the 'sweet spot' is about an inch and a half above the flame. Hint--to get the flowers to curl in the same direction, hold the flower in one direction and turn it like a clock. Don't flip it over and burn different sides, unless you want it to curl in opposite directions.
Lay out your flowers from largest to smallest.
Start stacking them, holding them tightly in the middle.
Using a similar colored thread, sew through all the layers in the center. Sew until it feels secure, then tie a knot in the back.
Here's mine. I stuck it on my hand so you'd get an idea of the scale. I think I'll sew a brooch pin on the back so I can stick it on a purse, a dress, or thread a bobby pin through the pin and put it in my hair.
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How cool are these? Here is a link to SimplyVintageGirl's very crafty faux flower tutorial.
You cut circles of synthetic material, then snip random cuts around the edge.
Theeeennnn......what do we do with flowers? We BURN them! (Any Monty Python fans out there?) Obviously, this is not a kid-friendly project. Don't those singed edges look all curly and perfectly natural? I think these would be great splashed all down a long narrow scarf.
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My friend Sarah sent me a link to a great fabric site called Hart's.
The girls swinging are sweet, the Matisse fabric is so colorful, I like the old fashioned sewing machine, and that little kids' village print is fabulous.
Fabric seems to have gotten so expensive lately, though. Most of their stuff is about $9.99 per yard. Am I cheap? Maybe I'm cheap.
Mermaid and Scooters
I remember growing up with cool fabric being had per yard for about the price of a candy bar. It was $.40 on sale when I was young, maybe $1.00 a yard when I was in college, and now.........much higher. It gets as expensive to make a dress as it does to buy it.
Now I would definitely pay more for this since it's indoor/outdoor fabric. This would make an adorable outdoor mini chaise for the pups.
What will you pay for fabric? If it's just a quick dress I'm pretty frugal. I'll consider more for upholstery or a really fancy coat or dress, though.
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Kristin over at No Big Dill is hosting a very fun project called 'Once Upon A Thread'. Each day, a new blogger creates a sewing project based on a favorite children's book. Here are some of my favorites:
"Hansel and Gretel"
Adorable Gretel outfit....check out those crazy Alpine boots!
"A Bad Case of Stripes"
Super cuteness.
"Harold and the Purple Crayon"
Harold's Purple Crayon Jacket
How cool is the inside of this jacket???? The far right has Kristin's daughter, Pearl, made into a tiny pillow that can get in and out of bed. GREAT!
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" felt food.
I'm telling you, these are all worth a look. Thanks for such a fun project, Kristin!
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I finished Violet's velvet romper/jumpsuit. They're lined and everything. The above hat was made by my friend Jenny. That's the cutest little hat--hand felted! (Say, "Oooooooh".)
I made a matching rosette headband, but she likes to change headgear every hour or so.
I think this was made in the 1950s to cover up pin curls. Kind of like a swimming cap covered with bright pink petals.
I love seeing this little face pop up while I'm doing daily things. Don't get me wrong...she can throw an impressive tantrum. In fact, she's been pretty whiney today. Most of the time, though, she's a little ray of sunshine. And I'm very, very grateful for that.
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(Added NOTE: I only glossed over the steps here. I am assuming you have at least beginning to intermediate sewing skills. You need to know how to make gathers and sew a seam.)
I've been wanting to try a fashion recycling project with old t-shirt material. The upside is that it doesn't unravel and doesn't require hemming. It's also light and great for spring or layering.
I took a comfy tank top and an old long sleeved t-shirt, and ended up with this. It has an airy Anthropologie feel to it, don't you think? I used this tutorial from Sachiko at Tea Rose Home almost step by step. She has more in-depth photos, but I wanted to share my project photos with you, too.
1. Hack off the sleeves. Then cut into sections across the body----I did 2 - 2" sections, then 3 - 4" sections. I just eyeballed it and cut.
2. Sew the skinny strips together to make one long strip.
3. Using your biggest stitch size, sew a seam down the center of the long piece, then pull one thread to make gather the ruffle.
4. Find the center of the long ruffle, and pin to the center back. Pin and sew around the neckline, leaving a gap in the front center for the larger ruffles.
5. Lay out the larger strips to get an idea of how far down you want the ruffles. I decided to go most of the way down the bottom of the shirt.
6. Sew 1/2" from one edge of the rectangle using your biggest stitch size. Pull one thread to make it ruffle. Center it on the front center of the shirt. Sew each additional ruffle under the first. I made the top ruffle overlap the next one by about 1 1/2" to hide the stitching.
7. Make rosettes, and sew on near the neckline. You can find tons of good rosette tutorials online, just Google them. And you're done!
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