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Sew Much Fun!

2011-08-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

I've unpacked ~~most~~ a lot of things for the sewing room, and the sewing bug has bitten me again!

Here are a few more things I've made in the past few days:

"At Liberty" tote, made with sheer purple silk, white twill (interior) and Liberty of London tana lawn print.

A couple of makeup bags; one for me, one for my friend Debbie!

For moi:

For Debbie:

And a kids' apron, reversible, for Debbie's son Corey:

This post is short on words and long on pictures because I need to get my bags packed...Leith and I are going to visit Debbie in San Diego and we leave in an hour!

k

cute little sun hat

2011-07-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Little being the operative word!

Made with coordinating Heidi Grace fabrics from JoAnns. It's been curing in my stash for a couple of years....pattern was Mamu Elin. Cute pattern, and I like that it's got several styles and each has multiple sizes, but the directions are pretty much non-existent. A confident beginner could probably figure it out.

Here's the reverse:

Definitely cute, and I'll make more (there's an AG doll clothing swap going on at Sewing Mamas), at least doll size. Probably won't make another adult hat. Actually, I probably will....

k

miPhone4 case

2010-11-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

So, I have an iPhone4. I hate it. But it will stay in my life for a little while longer, so I have learned to deal with it (not with much grace or charm, but I haven't tossed it out a moving vehicle. Yet.)

Anyway. Due to the dropped calls issue, I purchased a case for the phone. It had a purple plaid fabric back, which was really the main reason for getting it. I told people it was because, although I hadn't made it, I *might* have....

Which leads to today's post. I didn't make the case, but I did make it mine! A little Liberty of London, a little Mod Podge, a bit of painstaking snipping later, and here is the best thing about my iPhone:

All I did was peel out the old fabric from the case and use it as a pattern for the new fabric. Then a little bit of Mod Podge to hold it down and a little more to seal it...the bumps are from the original glue, and yes, I did trim off a little too much from the bottom corners. It's much more obvious in the pic than the actual case.

Like it?

k

Pirate Pumpkin Tote Bag

2010-10-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

Fun seasonal bag I "whipped up" one evening -- after having thought about it for, oh, six months or so!

He's adult-sized, so let's hope I get a lot of candy while I'm out trick-or-treating....erm, out taking Leith trick-or-treating!

The little gussets flaps were brought up and stitched with cute little vintage buttons.

Made with orange, fine-wale corduroy (cut cross-grain, so the wales run horizontal), black silky fun fur, and some black vinyl for the face shapes. Lining is a turquoise/lime squiggle cotton fabric.

k

You think Halloween is Scary?!

2010-10-23T13:10:00.001-07:00

How about the fact that "I'm Back!" after five months of no posts?! Now *that* is scary!

Just because there have been no posts doesn't mean there's nothing post-worthy to report. It's more of a moving-house-summer-time-gotta-make-another-life-changing-decision situation that kept me from posting. Or maybe it was just laziness. Nah. Couldn't be just laziness. ;-)

But now there are things to do, places to go, and people to see....some of it's even worth posting about!

First up: an autumn dress with an interesting trim feature.

Made with Onion pattern number 20026. This pattern is *fantastic*! I've made it several times in wovens, but this was my first try with a knit. It's as good in knit as it is in woven! The pattern also has a terrific shrug (one piece plus trim) and harem-type pants (haven't attempted them, they're not quite my style...).

My initial thought was to use the orange the 'normal' way and bind/trim the neckline and sleeves and do a folded hem, but the jersey has lots of curl. I didn't want to either waste a bunch of fabric trying to cut from areas that weren't already curled, and I wanted to avoid the hassle of trying to keep the fabric un-curled. That's when the lightbulb went on! Why fight it at all? Knit doesn't (un)ravel, so raw edges would be all right. Especially since this is an obviously seasonal dress (i.e. it didn't have to survive several years and several wearers).

So I played with the curl. Twin stitching holds the trim to the base fabric. Doing the hem band was the hardest part. I learned that adding after the dress sides are sewn would make for a much nicer finish. (I really do hate that the hem trim is stitched into the seam on one side.)

But the curling trim is super cute! There will definitely be more like this.

Detail from the neckline.

Detail from the sleeve.

Done in a size 110 with extra length added.

k

Triskaidekaphobia meets ambulosubscalaphobia

2010-05-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

There are 13 stairs up to my sewing room....good thing I'm more of a Triskaideka*phile* than phobe!

The drywall dudes needed a ladder to patch the walls....ambulosubscalaphobia is the unofficial latin for fear of walking under ladders. I really do fear that, so I made John take the picture!

k

Books, Books and More Books!

2010-05-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

We have a library in our now-old house. Well, a pass-through bedroom that we made into a library. Filled with book cases and added shelving. There are also more than a few book cases throughout the now-old house.

Lucky for me, John's in charge of moving all things Library-ish (and Kitchen-ish!) to the new house. You can see he's been pretty busy.

Saturday we'll dismantle the *huge* book case and take it to the new house. It'll be installed in the formal living room and carefully re-filled. Well, not totally. John's been pruning. He has set aside about 25% of the books we own. He says for "further review" -- meaning that he will double-check to be sure we don't "need" them. I think he's hoping I'll take notes for when it comes time to move the little bit of fabric stash that I have.

k

Catching Up

2010-05-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

We did manage to close on the house (wayyyy back on April 22!). It was a rather dramatic finish, I must say. What was supposed to have happened at 10:00 a.m. actually got put on hold while bankers discussed how to handle a last-minute negotiated credit. At 4:30 we got a call that everything was ready so we hauled butt down to the title company's office and signed on oh-so-many dotted lines. *whew*

So, it's officially our "new house" now! We're slowly moving things over. Getting estimates for things, having some work done. The list is, thankfully, short:

*roof -- we'll do it in stages; the flat roof first, late next week, then the shingled bit in a couple of months, after our "old house" has sold

*wall paper -- ugh. was not "awful" but definitely NMS (not my style), so we had it professionally removed. Bad news: there's a bit of work to be done on most of the walls. *sigh* Here are a couple of "Before" pictures. The first will be my studio and the second will be Leith's room.

*wall repair and painting -- we have estimates, widely ranging estimates. We're having a remodeler sand and skim the worst bits, and repair a couple of speaker holes (the house has a non-working intercom/speaker system). Hopefully that work will be done by early next week. Then we can figure out the painting thing. We have picked out two of the three necessary colors. At least I've got a little more time to decide on the studio walls!

Great news: there is some *amazing* landscaping. Amazing. I'll get pics this week, since it seems the clouds and cold seem to have moved on....

"Meh" news: the tennis court's in less-than-stellar condition. Several large cracks with weeds growing. lol We'll get it cleaned up and filled in, but we're probably going to have it ripped out at some point and put in some additional patio, a play ground-ish area and some actual lawn.

I'm excited to have some new projects! Yes, it's a hassle to move, deciding what to keep (and where to put it) and what to garage sale/donate. It's also kind of fun to review what we have, where it came from and think about using it in a new space.

Leith cried today when I sold "her favorite toy EVER" -- no worries. It wasn't even a toy! It was a Little Tykes book case. She was consoled with a bit of brownie.

Picture tour coming soon!

k

Much Randomness

2010-04-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Have had a couple of good/fun days lately. Super excited about our new house -- we close next Thursday!

**The local craigslist has been a great source for new-to-us items. We've purchased a sink/faucet/garbage disposal from a guy who was doing a remodel. Which means that we can get rid of our old, dodgy sink/faucet from the '80s and leap into the 21st century (yeah, I *know* it's 10 years old!), for less than the price of a new-new faucet. So, the incredibly heavy sink is in the back of the truck until the handyman gets here. Which won't be until some time after I call him....where's that number again?

**Great Find #2 on craigslist: I've purchased two shelves to use as a base for the cutting table! Great price, perfect size! Pretty sure I'll be building/buying two more, longer shelves for the rest of the base. Great storage, eh?

**Leith is growing by leaps and bounds. It's (usually) so much fun to talk with her and watch her mind at work. A couple of things she's said lately:

She and I were in the car, waiting for John. Leith took off her shoes and, for whatever reason, was smelling her feet. I know. Then she says: "hey mom. my toes smell like hotdogs." (why she thinks that I'll never know. Pretty sure she's never, ever, had a hotdog!)

Today she said: "hey mom. when do we cancel again?" I say: "cancel? cancel what honey?" She says: "cancel and move to our new house." I about busted a gut laughing. She meant "close" -- but "cancel's a good substitute.

k

Happy Birthday Christy (Nelson dot Net, TM)!!

2010-04-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

What better way to give a first look at a birthday-present-for-a-blogger than through a blog post?!

Today is my friend's birthday. Christy is an awesome blogger and crafter, a great mom to her two adorable kids, and a good friend. She is also crazy about Neil Diamond.

Christy's husband Carl (a great guy in his own right) is out of town today doing super cool, top secret, work stuff. Okay, not top secret, but the point is he's out of town and now Christy has to spend her birthday without him. [awwwwwwww]

Even though your husband's out of town, and Neil isn't returning your calls, it doesn't mean you can't have a huggable substitute!

Just so you know, Christy, it took a lot of money, time and effort to create this pillow case. (HA!) Actually, the main part is a t-shirt from the thrift store (yay GW 99c day!!), a hot wash and dry, a few cuts and serged seams, then voila! An envelope-back pillow case that's just perfect for a snuggle while listening to Neil crooning and missing your husband.

Have a happy birthday Christy and I hope you like your present!

k

Under Contract

2010-03-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

For a House!

John and I have signed on the dotted line and are under contract to buy a new-to-us house in Lincoln!

So many good things about it: size, location, condition. Specifically, it's almost 3,000 square feet, we gain a huge garage. It's in the Sheridan Elementary school district, soclose to the bike trail, and it's still in central Lincoln (which we *love*). It's a 1947 ranch with additions that include attaching the garage, a room above the garage (can you say sewing space?!), and an updated kitchen/great room.

We'll be doing some minor updating and a few DIY projects, but it's pretty much move-in ready. Closing is in April. I'm so excited!!

k

Found: My Crafting Mojo!!

2010-01-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

It's been lost for a while. Since October some time....loads of reasons why, but they don't matter anymore. It seems I've found it again and that's what's important!

I'll be busy making some toddler aprons tomorrow and Monday. Will be delivering some to a bakery in Fremont (Alotta Brownies, you should check it out!). Owned by a friend of mine from High School. So about five years ago now. ;-)

Also need to re-stock at the Pleasantview Gallery in the Haymarket and B Inspired in Central City. I'm so excited that the aprons are such a hit! Well, it shouldn't be too surprising. They are super cute! I use a much modified version of the Montessori By Hand apron. She has tons of great patterns available on her website. I'm the proud owner of several of them! I hear great things about her book, too...it's been added to my Amazon wishlist...

In other crafty news: I have finally decided on a pattern for Leith's 4th birthday quilt!! This is very exciting because I knew sort of what I wanted, but somehow nothing was really clicking. I've been hoarding scads of Japanese novelty-ish fabrics, especially fairy tales, and Heather Ross (esp. Munki Munki) fabrics, just to make this quilt.

Inspiration struck yesterday. I was flipping through my current issue (Feb 2010) of Quilter's World and there it was. The Diamond Candy quilt! Pretty sure it's a version of the Irish Chain (maybe Triple?). I've modified the magazine's pattern a bit, and figured out the "easiest" way to assemble the block. Now I'm in the process of auditioning fabrics. Whooo hoooo!

I'll update the blog as I go -- a sort of quilt-along if you will! Hopefully that will keep me on track because I need 48 blocks and each has 13+ pieces...plus a small border that may have additional pieces. Soooo 48 times 13 is (mmmm, 24, carry the two, 12, 14, one, hmmm) 648 pieces. At least.

Since creating the diamonds takes an additional piece for many of the blocks, there will be many more than that, depending on whether I want diamonds only in the middle bit or also on disappearing on the edges....so let's give a conservative 730 pieces. yowza. And since I want very few duplicates (other than the 'base' pieces), that's a whole lotta cutting and sewing.

My hope is that it'll be a "bed time" quilt, where we can wander the paths and make up stories about the characters we meet on the pieces of the blocks.

Corny? A bit. Totally me? Absolutely.

k

So Long 2009....Hellloooooo 2010!

2010-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

I can remember a time when New Year's Eve meant all the "usual" things: parties, drinking, kissing at midnight....

This year, not so much! It's been a long few weeks, and I'm still recovering from having the flu (right before Christmas! I lost so many shopping days. grrrrr. Not that I'm still bitter.)

Which means that last night (NYE) while getting Leith to sleep, I also fell asleep. My sweet husband tried to tempt me with Christmas cake and Champagne, but I was having none of it. Couldn't be bothered to get up. He also came in at midnight to give me a kiss, and says that we had a little chat, but I don't remember it at. all. Poor honey. He deserves so much better than that!

Honestly, the past six months have been a little trying. Cooper was born prematurely. In and out of hospital for *weeks* -- poor guy. He's doing so well now, though. Then GiGi died. Not really unexpectedly, but still very sad. December was all about stomach bugs, snow days and flu. Suddenly, it's the new year.

Lots of possibility for good things this coming year. We're planning a vacation in Scotland (with visits to Wales and Ireland!). I've gotten several requests for more aprons/sewing. Leith continues to amaze us every day. That girl is smart as a whip and too clever by far. She'll be four in a few weeks and I am constantly wondering where has the time gone? Where's my *baby*? lol

Here's hoping that 2010 is a good year for all of us.

k

Grocery Bags for Peace

2009-12-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

Well, sort of...Sew, Mama, Sew has had several "Quilting for Peace" blog posts, and now they're challenging you to make re-useable grocery bags. Make at least five and you're eligible for one of their prizes!

I've made so many of these "uglytotes" -- using upholstery samples! They're quick and easy. Maybe 15 minutes, including cutting...pockets add a couple more minutes, but not much!

Grocery bags are super easy to make, and there are dozens of styles. Loads of free tutes, as well, so you don't even have to buy a pattern! Grocery bags are a great way to improve your speed and skills, and try out new techniques.

Whether you make one or fifty, whether or not you enter Sew, Mama Sew's giveaway, you'll be helping keep plastic bags out of the landfill. Plus you'll be having fun!

k

Autumn Quilt Swap

2009-12-10T18:13:00.001-08:00

Sure, it's just a few days until Winter, but I wanted to post the Autumn Quilt I made for a Sewing Mamas swap. It was a little late, but not this late. Just late posting it here!

It's called "Turning Over a New Leaf" -- because of the fabrics, but also because the binding is made with the back side of the leaf fabric. I'd wanted something that complimented, and didn't just blend into, the backing.

The backing fabric inspired the zig zag design of the front.

The quilting is simple: just four lines inside each zig-zag, using a varigated thread called "Autumn Leaves" (or something like that). It's a doll-size quilt, about 18" x 20" or so.

k

Crafting on the Radio

2009-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Want to hear a fun radio interview? Check it out!

Christy, Korinne and I recently got together and chatted with Jerry Johnson of NETradio. He was interested in how etsy brings together crafters, and of course we were happy to talk at length! We even encouraged him to put his music in an etsy shop!

I do believe that hand crafting will be more and more popular as people take stock and realize that mass produced doesn't mean "better" -- it just means "not unique"

My hope is that we'll become less "big box" thinkers and more of a "unique is beautiful" society.

k

Christmas Tote

2009-12-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

It's been an exhausting week. My tyke's been "sick" -- not terribly, just enough to have her stay home from Montessori. Which means that crafting time is just not there. Don't get me wrong, we do crafy/creative things, but I don't have the ability to do my cutting/sewing/ironing while she's underfoot.

Last night, in spite of the exhaustion, I had an idea for this tote bag. Granted, it's probably not terribly original; what is truly original anymore? But I digress. It was too late to start it last night, because I know better than to try cutting/sewing/ironing while it's late and I'm exhausted. So it had to wait.

But not for long! My sweet husband put off his Saturday office time just so I could craft! I managed to draft, cut and sew up this tote within a couple of hours.

I totally love this bag! The applique. The size (huge!). The *look*. Even that crazily-shedding silky "fun" fur didn't make me curse (much)! It's made with bright red velvet and is fully lined with a Santa "vintage postcard" fabric.

What a blast! I'm soooo looking forward to doing some Christmas shopping now!

I'm thinking about doing a tutorial for it. Would you be interested?

k

Quick Selvedge Project

2009-11-29T09:18:00.001-08:00

Whether you spell it selvedge, salvage, or selvege, you've probably seen some really lovely projects made with those printed fabric edges. (Like this dress. Wow!! She really does some amazing projects, check out her blog Ric Rac.)

I do not, however, have the patience (or skills) to save up so many selvedges and put them together in such a fashionable way. I do have crafter ADD, and this project is well within my short-attention-span capabilities. (Okay, I'm not really that incapable, but I do like to see the fruits of my labors sooner, rather than later.)

A few close up pics:

Cute, eh? I totally love the little sewing machine!

k

PBK Style

2009-10-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Let me start out by saying I love Pottery Barn style and quality. Those prices, though. uh uh. But their catalogs are are free and sooooo pretty. Lots of inspiration in those pages.

Several months ago I was flipping through a PBK catalog and totally fell in love with this desk, but seriously hated the price (sure, *now* it's on sale! lol). But I'm thrifty and crafty. Figured there had to be a DIY way.

Probably the next day, kid you not, I was in a thrift store and found this:

It's a little shabby, someone half-heartedly painted it white, but has some pretty bones. Plus it's a true roll top desk. For a kid. Best part? It was only $10! Of course I took it home. Where it sat on the porch for about two months. (Where's the shame faced smiley?)

Then the weather started to change. There's snow in the forecast. Snow. It's hard to paint furniture in the snow. Yesterday, however, was windy and sunny. I got out my spray paint and the drawer pulls I got at Target a couple weeks ago.

Now my shabby, thrift store find has become a gorgeous, PBK-inspired piece of furniture:

Now it happily resides in my tyke's bedroom. I'm ridiculously happy with how this one has turned out.

Cost comparison:

PBK - $249 (okay, it's $149 on sale, but still), plus delivery

Mine - $10 desk, $12 spray paint, $8 drawer pulls, elbow grease

Bonus: the book rack above the desk is also inspired by PBK. They wanted about $99 for theirs, mine was $1 at an auction, plus some spray paint.

What do you think?

k

These feet were made for Walking (and Darning)

2009-08-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

If you have purchased a new machine, it probably came with at least a couple of alternate feet. You probably thought: "There's no way I'll use all these feet. What are they for, anyway?" Believe it or not, there are actually dozens of types you can get, whether brand specific or generic. Some of them are pretty pricey, too. Be sure you can justify the cost by using them often and well.

My most used sewing machine feet are the walking and darning feet. They make my sewing life so much easier, and more interesting.

Walking foot (generic):

The walking foot has long been a favorite of quilters. The white plastic feet on this foot help to keep multiple layers from slipping apart. It also is a joy when you're trying to match plaids or stripes.

To be honest, this is my most used foot. It has taken the place of my "A" (basic) foot, simply because it is such a helpful tool. Those pesky 1/4" seams are so much easier, and it's a must-have for quilting "in the ditch" (along seam lines).

Darning foot (Janome, open toe):

Lately though, I've been having a little fling with my darning foot. Also called an embroidery foot, this baby lets me go to town and do some free motion quilting (FMQ); all I have to do is drop the feed dogs, set this foot on the shank and off I go!

It's not just for quilting though. I have also been using it to do some free motion lettering. Embroidery, if you will. It produces a sketchy, jittery looking stitch, which must be repeated in order to get a thicker looking letter.

My first experience with free motion lettering was a lot of fun:

I did use stabilizer inside the bag, so there were two layers. Then I fused some interfacing inside the bag, to cover the stitches (it's not a lined bag) and keep them from coming loose or getting caught on anything in the bag.

The pink pirate fabric is attached the same way, essentially. I call it a "chaos" stitch, just some random back-and-forthing along the edges. No heat-n-bond or anything, either, just the stitches.

Each letter has about five up-down/back-forth sets. They're not meant to be terribly neat-and-tidy, they're meant to evoke a loose scrawl. Takes a bit of practice, and patience. I'm looking forward to using it in some near-future projects.

k

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping....

2009-08-12T09:07:00.001-07:00

into the future!

It's been a crazy, hectic and nerve-wracking summer. Still is, actually. Haven't done much sewing or crafting at all. Been a bit depressed, which keeps me introverted, which means I don't do much posting/chatting/interacting with people. *sigh*

Let's recap, shall we?

*Cooper was born early, went home relatively quickly, but is once again hospitalized. Initially with whooping cough (I seriously did not realize how awful this can be in an infant. Scary.), and continuing with a secondary infection. He's at Children's Hospital in Omaha, with loads of specialists and all, but it's rather far away, especially when you know his mama (my dd, Jessica) and family would rather be holding him at home.

*John was offered a job with Google, in Mountain View, California. There was a *lot* of discussion between us about whether or not to accept it. Ultimately, we decided not to go. Now of course we're dealing with the thoughts of "what if" and a bit of regret.

*My laptop bit the dust. Okay, not completely, just couldn't log on to the web. But what other use do I have for it?! lol There was about a week it was not usable. John saved what he could, then wiped the hard drive. It then took a few days to get everything re-loaded, re-installed.

*Last week I tripped and fell. (Feel free to skip to the end of the post...there's just some whining in this bullet point!) Hard. On to my right knee. Now it's swollen, sore and badly bruised. Very badly bruised. Like all the way down to under my ankle! It's rather disturbing, actually. Hoping it clears up quickly.

Anyway, those are just a few of the "highlights" of our summer. I'm making an effort to do more posting...okay, it's true, "any" posting would be more than I've been doing! Even neglected the LincolnHandmade team blog (I was supposed to post on Sunday. oops. Sorry ladies!).

Leith goes back to school on the 24th. (Not that I'm counting the 12 days until then or anything!) She'll be doing three full days and two half days. That should be plenty of time for me to be churning out some lovely pieces!

Oh, one last thing. I've decided to avoid the CPSIA hassle all together....the only kids' clothes/item I'll be making will be for Leith. I will, however, be making some gorgeous quilts and wonderful tote bags for folks ages 12 and up. Yay!

k

Seven Little Dresses!

2009-06-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

The Anna dress pattern by farbenmix has to be one of my all-time favorites! It's easy enough for beginners and so easily modified or embellished that even seasoned seamstresses can enjoy it!

I really enjoy making these dresses and tunics, Leith has several in her wardrobe. I had a request for seven matching, four-way dresses for the granddaughters in a family. They'll be having a family reunion later this summer (and I'm hoping for action shots!).

Here's what seven little Anna dresses look like:

Each dress has four different main fabrics (plus the pink ties and straps). Each fabric can be the front of the dress, for four different looks!

Here you can see the black/colorful fabric to the front, and a hint of the blue/dotty fabric inside.

This shows the blue/dotty and blue/floral fabrics.

It took well over 20 yards of fabric for these dresses, for girls ranging in size from 12mos up to 7/8! I hope they enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!!

k

There's a new kid in town....

2009-06-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

Cooper Wayne Chrisp!

That's his 'grumpy old man' look.

If you're wondering where I've been for the past two weeks, well, the answer is Cooper.

On the 28th of May, Jessica called me and said she was at the hospital, thinking her water had broken. Cooper wasn't due until July 31st! Turns out, her membranes *had* ruptured, and they were admitting her.

There were two rounds of steriods (Thursday and Friday), lots of antibiotics and talk of doing a c-section on Saturday (May 31). Jess was required to stay in the hospital, with lots of monitoring of her and baby. On Saturday, the doctor decided that Jess was doing really well, and it would be in Cooper's best interests if he stayed inside for a while longer. We were all hoping for another week, but Cooper had other plans...

Late on Monday night/very early on Tuesday morning, Jess called and said they'd decided to do the surgery right away because she was having contractions. (She'd had a previous c-section, and they didn't want Cooper to go through trauma of labor.) So at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 3, little Cooper made his debut.

He weighed 4lbs 12 oz and was 17" long. Pretty good size for what they think was a 31w/3day gestation!

He was immediately whisked away to NICU. Doing very well since the beginning, breathing all on his own (yay steriods!). He did have two IVs and the NG tube. The IVs are gone, but the NG tube is still there.

What looks like a skin condition is apparently just the amniotic fluid that dried/stuck to him. It's all gone now (by 12 June), and his skin looks terrific. He has sweet, wavy blond hair, too. Lots of it!

They're working on getting his temperature regulated so he can move to a regular hospital bassinet, but he's currently still in the temperature/humidity controlled isolette.

So. That explains a little bit of my time away from blogger....

k

I left my heart in San Francisco

2009-05-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

Finally, some pictures of our recent trip! We were more into experiencing the trip than photographing it, so not many pictures. But here are a few:

Kelly & Leith at Union Square

Leith was fascinated with the flowers being sold on the street corners. We let her buy a daisy one day...the next day she insisted on stopping at another flower vendor. He was so sweet and generous. He offered her the pretty yellow rose and refused payment.

Early Sunday afternoon we went out for dim sum, then we stopped by the Museum of Modern Art. Literally stopped by it....went in to the gift shop, then popped across the street to check out the fountains at Yerba Buena Park.

The taller building is not part of the SFMMA, but sure makes an interesting photo!

The fountains were a big hit. It was *hot* that day!

Our flight was in the afternoon on Monday, so that morning we went to Chinatown for some red bean cakes and a little window shopping.

All in all, we had a blast. Plenty of good food, lots of things to see and some fun memories. We can hardly wait to go back!

k

Heart Melter

2009-05-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

I love sewing for Leith. She's rather easy to please, and it's fun to make pretty dresses and things for her. The other day I made a peasant-style dress out of knit fabrics (it's a pattern for wovens). I should have made a size smaller, because the dress is too big -- but I know she'll grow into it!

Anyway, I took it downstairs to show John, and lament about it being the wrong size.

Me (holding up dress): "So, what do you think?"

John: "Pretty. Is she really that big?"

Leith: (hugs the dress) "Mommy! Is that for me!?! Oh Mommy, I love it!! Thank you so much for making it!! Can I wear it to church tomorrow?"

She was so excited and sounded so happy!

Unfortunately, it is way too big so she didn't get to wear it. Still. That conversation is one of the main reasons I like to sew!

k

Postcard from the Edge....

2009-05-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

We're in Berkeley! John's attending a conference here, so we decided to mix a little business with pleasure and have a little family get-away.

Leith and I have been out exploring a bit today; walked around quite a bit, took a bus ride up to a favorite area of town, and had a 'top dog' for lunch....all this while John's in various seminars/talks/panel discussions.

It is absolutely gorgeous out here. Mountains. Palm (and other) trees. Perfect weather. The hotel is pretty cool, too, and really just a couple blocks from one of the most beautiful college campuses. *sigh*

We'll be heading to San Francisco on Thursday morning, and staying there for a few days of actual vacation for all of us.

k

Warning: This post may make you uncomfortable...

2009-05-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the second Sunday in May. Here in the US, that means it's Mother's Day. Meant to be a day to celebrate television's/movies'/media's perfect, loving "Mother" figure. Why so much pressure? If you aren't, or don't have, the perfect mother, you're forced on this one day to essentially give your mother a pass.

Don't get me wrong. I don't have a bad mother. She's pretty good as far as mothers go. But I'd like to do sweet gestures and phone calls throughout the year, and not be made to feel bad if I don't send flowers or buy a card on the Second Sunday of May.

That's why I think it's time to do away with Mother's Day. (Father's Day, too, for many of the same reasons.) Or at the very least how about we re-work it? Not sure how, but I'm taking suggestions!
Think about it. There are actually a lot of women who hate mother's day. Those who are Infertile. Multiple Miscarriages. Otherwise Childless (not by choice). Those who've had toxic mothers and survived. Those who've lost wonderful mothers. Women who've given child/ren for adoption. Women who've *lost children*! My gawd, how do they stand the day?!

UFO sighting!

2009-05-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

It *was* a UFO, but now it's a quilt! The top of this quilt was pieced over a year ago. It started life as an alphabet panel. I cut apart all the letters and the stars, added sashing and some tiny little novelty prints. It's a super cute Alphabet I Spy quilt now!

The colors are loads of fun. That bright green and the black? Very much like Leith's bedroom (bright green walls, white trim, black dresser and crib/toddler bed). The quilt has so many fun, bright colors that it's going to be a wall hanging in said toddler's room!

There's a stash game going on over at Sewing Mamas, so it was the perfect time to pull out a UFO and get to work! I've been admiring the pieced backings on so many lovely quilts that I decided to try it out for myself. Must say, I was wavering there after it was pieced. Too much somehow? Too *something* anyway. But I know that lots of things 'quilt out' so decided to go with it. I am so glad I did!

I *love* the backing. Love it. It's got almost a rainbow effect, which I hadn't anticipated. The binding, orange with tiny white dots, really sets it off.

It's quilted in a grid...approximately 1/4" inside each letter block, both north/south and east/west, to the inside of the orange border, then one line through the middle of the larger, outer border. Used black thread on both sides. That was a hard choice. I knew it would show in the pieced back, and initially it looked a little harsh. But it was definitely the best choice.

So. What do you think? Is it a keeper?

k

Couple of new things and a question

2009-05-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Actually, the question first: have you (or has anyone you know) made a coin quilt using some woven and some knit fabrics? I've been thinking about making memory quilts with tyke's baby clothes, and I *think* the coin quilt is my choice....but since some of the fabrics would be knit, I'm not sure how it'll work. Mostly wondering if I need to use some stabilizer on the knit pieces, but thinking maybe not since the pieces will be pretty small (essentially 2.5x5 or so).

It's likely I'll make at least three of them, one for tyke, one for us and one for my parents.

Now for the new things: there has been sewing! I've made a couple of AB swing bag style tote bags and an apron!

I'll definitely be making more of these things...especially that bag! It's really easy, looks great, has a terrific feel (there's a canvas lining, so a wonderful weight), and can be modified very easily.

One modification I'm planning is to bind the bag's curve. This picture gave me the idea -- what you're seeing is actually the lining fabric, but it looks like it's bound.

k

Garage Sale Season has begun!

2009-04-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yep. It's here. The local craigslist is littered with garage sale announcements.

Don't get me wrong. I *love* garage sales! When I was a (verrrry) poor, single mom, garage sales furnished my apartments, clothed my kids and even gave me a ride to work (yes. I bought a car at a garage sale!).

Leith's Montessori school is having a garage sale FUNdraiser on Friday and Saturday this week. It's been a lot of work to get it going. Tonight's the pricing party -- lots of fun, pizza, music, friends, and most importantly first dibs on other people's crap, erm, cool stuff.

I've already claimed a stroller for our SF trip. Planning to make a wrap/cozy/holder for it, so it's easy to sling across my back and whip out when she's ready to ride. Stay tuned for instructions!

Happy Garage Sale-ing!

k

Two weeks?!

2009-04-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been over two weeks since my last post. Oops.

I've been fighting allergies *and* a cold for a while. blegh. I tend to be quite a bit more introverted when I'm not feeling well....so even though I've been getting lots of computer time, I just haven't felt like posting.

The added bonus of not feeling well is that sewing gets set aside. There are just too many mistakes made when my head's in a funk. I have absolutely no desire to cut myself with a rotary cutter!

We will be going to Berkeley and San Francisco in a couple weeks. Part work (John's attending a conference) and part play -- I <3 San Francisco!

k

Easter Dress

2009-04-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

This was the first year I've made Leith's Easter dress. I'm really happy with how it looks., and I'll probably use the same pattern(s) again in a different fabric. It's a super cute spring/summer dress, and fits *really* well.

I used a couple of Ottobre patterns, the bodice of one and the skirt of another, both from the 3/2008 issue. The shrug is an Onion pattern [#20026]. *swoon* I totally heart the shrug! Have already made a couple more, with plans for others in different sizes. Hello Etsy!

Even managed to match up some of the plaids! The buttons are a pretty yellow that perfectly matches the stripes, too. And you can never go wrong with a wide, long ribbon at the waist.

A couple more pictures, and that's all. I promise!

Sarah thought I'd bought it at Von Maur. That makes me happy, actually, in two ways: that she thinks it's 'professional' and that she remembers how much I like to shop at Von Maur! lol

k

Good-Bye 'er'

2009-04-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! (Okay, not really, I mean, we all knew it was going to end....)

Watched the last episode last night (or was it Saturday?). Good episode, but....well, there's always a "but" isn't there?

Where was Dubenko? (Because he's a surgeon, not an er doctor?) Why no reference to Banfield's new-baby life? (Or did I just miss that?) How sad were you when Ernest Borgnine's 'wife' died?! Not for her, for him....*sigh*

I really appreciate that they ended it without "ending" it, you know? Plus, the final few seconds, giving us our first look at the whole hospital was pretty cool, even if it was pretty photoshopped.

Now to figure out something to fill that Thursday night hour....

k

A trip to the fabric store(s)

2009-04-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty good about using stash and not buying new fabric, not even stuff from thrift stores. Until this week anyway. Sheesh. I found some great stuff at one of the local thrift stores, *and* it was 1/2 price day! Several yards of fabric, including 1.5yards of white linen, for less than $10!!

Yesterday was a fun get-inspired-while-picking-up-necessities day. My friend Christy and I went to the local JoAnns and Hancock Fabric shops. As I was leaving the house, John said "Don't buy any fabric at Hobby Lobby." So I didn't. heh heh

I have managed to leave shops without buying any fabric, but yesterday wasn't one of those days. JA had almost no sales going on...I think it was just one of those funny in-between-sales days. I did manage to score some really cute remnants. One of them cried out to become someone's lovey, so I had to buy some coordinating flannel backed satin....oh, and there happened to be two spools of wooly nylon (for 1/2 price!) that will coordinate *perfectly* with the lovey-to-be fabrics.

Christy got some cute wants-to-be-a-purse fabric, and we both got purse handles. I'll be making a FQ Purse -- you can find the tute here at Sew, Mama, Sew.

Speaking of Christy, she's got a *fantastic* giveaway going on right now. You could win one of *five* copies of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts books! Well, one of four anyway, since I'm planning to win one!! Check it out for yourself (scroll down a bit). But hurry, enter before 10pm on Friday.

k

2009-03-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week...Leith's been out of school and John's been at school. Toward the end of the week I was really wondering if I'd be able to make it to Saturday without curling up in the fetal position and drinking half our liquor cabinet. Not really. Turns out I don't like drinking anymore! Cosmos just don't taste the same as they did pre-Leith....

Anyway. It's Saturday. What a nice Saturday, too. The weather's cooperating (not 70s yet, but it's a *lovely*spring day.) John and Leith are currently at the Children's Museum and planning a grocery shopping trip on the way home. It's been a blissful couple of hours already. (That sound you hear is a relaxed sigh.)

I've already managed to get some sewing done, and am preparing for more. My goal is to make a cute peasant dress for Little Miss this afternoon, and decide if I want to make more to stock my etsy shop and B Inspired (the cooperative in Central City).

One more bit of good news: I get to participate in Christy's Craft Challenge for *free* in April! Thank goodness for random drawings! lol

k

challenge entry

2009-03-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out the challenge entries at christynelson.net?

There are some amazing crafts. Seriously, the competition is fierce this month! Lots of Easter-themed projects. And then there's my little entry.

I decided to do something goofy. (Really? go figure!) We bought a doll house for Leith a few weeks ago and we're wanting to paint it up and make it a little bit like our house. Haven't actually gotten around to painting it, but the craft challenge is a perfect excuse to make some funky furnishings!

Since we're given an odd assortment of items, it makes for an interesting room. Well, maybe not *interesting* but definitely interesting. You know?

So. March 2009 Challenge Packet contents: pastel plastic eggs, pearls, pastel buttons, several lengths of pastel curling ribbon, and a loverly pink fabric. We must use some of each of these items, and can use whatever else we want.

From my stash and supplies, I used: glue, a bit of cardboard, a business card, and some green and white dotted fabric.

What I made: a hanging lamp, a side table, a bed with pillow and quilt! I even staged it in the doll house!

Here's one where you can see the little pearl and button feet:

Make sure you get over there and vote for your favorite. (It won't be mine, trust me. There are some amazing entries!!)

k

Finally, a little accountability!

2009-03-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing, just not showing so much! My current obsession is the apron. They are so much fun! These toddler aprons are a pretty quick finish, and as we all know, instant gratification is *very* important!

The weather has cooperated a few times (not so much the last couple of days!), so I managed to get some modeled shots. Some are modeled by Leith, some are modeled by my patio furniture....don't worry. You'll know which is which without me spelling it out for you!

Pretty little baby blanket.

(oh yeah. turns out the mannequin also helped model...)

There's been more, but that's enough pictures for now. Some of the items are in my etsy shop, some are available at B Inspired, a little shop in the town where my parents live.

k

Toddler Apron Giveaway Winner!

2009-03-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

What a fun week it's been! Lincoln Handmade Team's week of giveaways has been loads of fun, and today I get to announce a winner in the Toddler Apron drawing.

Congratulations to The Holdaways!!

Thanks to all who entered!
k

Whoooo hooooo! Lynette Fast's got a giveaway!

2009-03-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

Have you seen her shop? She has *amazing* jewelery. I especially love this ring. Ohhhh it's pretty. I've seen it IRL!

She's doing today's Lincoln Handmade Team giveaway. You can win a set of magnets! Check out her shop, then leave a comment at one of her blogs. Check out the Lincoln Handmade Team blog for more information about her and where to sign up.

k

Wait, wait! It's not done yet!!

2009-03-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Did you get to Lincoln Handmade Team's blog today? Have you been to crafterella's blog?

What are you waiting for?!

There has been so much crafty goodness and fun giveaways from the Lincoln Handmade Team on Etsy. Plus, Lynette Fast is having a giveaway starting tomorrow. She has some *amazing* jewelery. I am the happy owner of her ART LUV earrings. I'm also in love with her rings...(hint, hint, honey). They are absolutely beautiful.

You also still have time to enter for a chance to win the adorable toddler apron -- you know your monkey needs one! -- right here at refibered. Scroll down or click here and leave a comment. Drawing will be Saturday afternoon, and a winner announced on Sunday.

k

refibered's turn for giveaway goodness!

2009-03-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

You've heard the hype...Lincoln Handmade Etsy team is hosting a week of giveaways. Today is your chance to win something fabulous from refibered! Lucky you. Well, lucky tot-that-you-know!

Every monkey needs an apron! There are a couple in my shop, and more on the way, but you can enter to win this adorable apron (adorable toddler not included!). Monkeys and jungle animals make for a super cute apron. It's fully reversible to banana yellow. Best of all, it's easily washable!

There is elastic in the neck band, so your tyke can just slip it on over his or her head, and there's one waist strap that closes with Velcro(tm). Super easy for a toddler to do "all by myself" -- fostering independence is mighty important!

How to enter? Just leave a comment and let me know how you heard about refibered and/or the Lincoln Handmade Team giveaway. That's it.

What's that? You *really* want to win? Well, you can get an extra entry by blogging about this giveaway and the Lincoln Handmade Team Week of Giveaways! Entries will be accepted until Noon on Saturday, March 21, and the winner will be announced on Sunday.

That's all there is to it! Come on. You know you want to!

k

ps: don't forget to check out crafterella and Lynette Fast for chances to win on their blogs, too.

Go Team!

2009-03-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

Lincoln Handmade Team is hosting a week of giveaways. But you already knew that!

Did you get in on Christy's giveaway? Three months of her craft challenge!

Julie had a St. Patrick's Day beauty on Tuesday -- green in more ways than one! You have until Thursday night to enter, so go. Do it.

Wednesday is Lisa's turn. You could win anything from either of her etsy shops! How's that for fun?!

Luckily for me (and for *you*) tomorrow is your chance to win a kid-sized apron! Check back in the morning for a picture and info about how to enter.

k

More giveaway goodness!

2009-03-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

Just snuck a look at the crafty conservative, and noticed she has a link to a fabric giveaway on MandMStudio. Well, you know I'm a sucker for free fabric, but WOW! What gorgeous fabric. Plus, it's four yards of gorgeousness. Yes, I said four yards.

k

Are you ready for some Giveaway Goodness?!

2009-03-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Starting in just a few hours, some members of the Lincoln Handmade Team on Etsy will be hosting daily giveaways on their blogs! The Lincoln Handmade blog will have members' links and information. So check it out for yourself!

Thursday is refibered's turn to host. What'll it be? You'll have to check back on Wednesday to find out! I can tell you this though: it's super cute and refibered.etsy.com will begin stocking them on March 21!

Each participant has different rules and requirements (gee, that sounds more brusque than intended! It's really more laid back than that, I promise!), so check out the blogs for details.

March 16: christynelson.net
March 17: Kundi Creative
March 18: Chimera Crochet
March 19: refibered
March 20: Crafterella
March 21: LynetteFast

Check out their etsy shops, and remember to check out Lincoln Handmade blog for links to the giveaways!

k

SWAT

2009-03-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yep. SWAT. Just like on TV.

There have been police cars blocking the cross street just to the South of us (1/2 block away!) and in the alley (adjacent to our house/property).....there are two officers standing at the back of a property two houses down and across the alley from our house. We can't see the front of that property, but we can tell that the street is blocked off. There are six duplex/cottages, and it looks like they're focusing on one of the middle cottages, so we can't exactly see what's happening...

This has been going on for at least three hours. I'm curious, but not alarmed. [5:15 pm]

Jessica, who lives next to us on the North, just called and asked what's going on because *her* friend called and said that SWAT is out front of the cottage property! [5:20pm]

At 5:45, Jessica sent a text message that her friend can see that the police are escorting neighbors out...we haven't been contacted, but are calling the PD to find out if we should leave, too.

LPD dispatch put me through to the Sgt. in charge. He contacted the SWAT commander and asked if we should be leaving....answer: we're not considered for escort, but if we feel unsafe we are welcome to leave.

Soooo, what would any nosy neighbor do? yep. Stay. We can see a lot of what's going on through the attic window.

It's really kind of creepy to see SWAT dudes, with real, *actual* guns, walking up and down the alley just 10 feet from your kitchen! There are a bunch of people outside, some news cameramen, some neighbors, looky-loos, too....

John and Leith went outside to maybe get a little more information. [6:30]

A flurry of activity about 6:40...the police dog straining at his leash...the SWAT dudes moving quickly toward the cottages...

Then it just seemed to be done. What was done? Don't really know!

John and Leith just came back into the house....apparently it was a guy upset about a breakup. Initial report was of someone vandalizing cars in the neighborhood, and apparently the responding officer became concerned and the call turned into a not-so-routine situation.

Looking out the window again, from a slighly different angle, I could see a guy, mid-20s to mid-30s, yellow tshirt, shorts, being handcuffed in the alley. Ultimately, he was loaded into an abulance.

Guess we'll find out more at 10 tonight! (That's when the news is on!)

Whew. Rather exciting, in a strange way. I'm just glad that no one was injured, and am hoping the guy gets whatever help he needs.

k

Lincoln Handmade Team Giveaway Week is Coming!

2009-03-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

Some of the Lincoln Handmade Team members have gotten together and will be holding giveaways next week! Each participating team member will have a giveaway on their blog. The Lincoln Handmade blog will have members' blog links and information. Or check out the blogs and shops yourself!

More details coming, just wanted to give you a heads up about who and when:

March 16: Christy Nelson/craftyconservative
March 17: Kundi Creative
March 18: Chimera Crochet
March 19: refibered
March 20: Crafterella
March 21: LynetteFast

Check out their etsy shops, and remember to check out Lincoln Handmade blog for more information!

k

spoonflower

2009-02-28T06:46:00.000-08:00

heard of it? Spoonflower is a company that allows you to create your own pattern and they'll print it on fabric for you.

thelongthread is doing a giveaway for two yards, and they'll even help you create the file from your own artwork. Yowza! Just leave a comment at thelongthread to enter.

Even if I don't win (please pick me, please pick me!), I'm planning to order some fabric in April, and I'll let you know how (and how well!) spoonflower works.

k

mmmmmmmm, cake

2009-02-22T09:49:00.000-08:00

John made an amazing birthday cake for Leith. "Death by Chocolate" cook book. This cake has it all: chocolate, cashews, chocolate, ganache. Did I mention it was chocolate?

Take a look:

But wait, it gets better.....

Told you it was beautiful.

k

Oh my, how time flies!

2009-02-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to the most adorable little red-head on the planet!! Seems like she was a newborn just a few days ago!

We had a wonderful day. Leith woke up and we could hear her, in her room, chattering away to herself. Then we heard her go into the sewing room (John and I were sort-of awake in bed). We could hear her opening a door and saying something, so we called out to her. She trotted into our room and said "Where's mommy?" John said, "She's right here." "Oh," says Leith "I thought she was in the sewing room, but she's in here with you." Yeppers.

We had a great day: breakfast of brownie cake and milk, spent some time at Morrill Hall (natural history museum) with Tyson, Jess and Corey, then back to the house for chips, dip, veggies and fruit.

Oh, and a glorious, delicious chocolate and cashew cake baked by my own personal chef. Leith opened a ton of presents! Clothes, toys, movies and a train set.

John and I will be putting together the train table later tonight (who am I kidding....it'll be tomorrow at the earliest.)

We're very lucky to have such a sweet, adorable, beautiful and loving little girl. Big girl, actually. *sigh*

k

ps: I made the skirt and embellished the shirt. My fave otto skirt pattern, and a quick fussy cut rectangle for the shirt. Babywale corduroy with an elephant/Indian vibe print.

Coming up soon....

2009-02-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

Feeling much better, and the blechs are pretty much gone at our house (knock wood, eh?), so I've got some ideas and plans to get back into regular blogging.

Look for a couple of tutorials before the end of the month. One is a fun dolly blanket that you could make any size, and it would be a great blanket for a *real* baby, too! I'll also have some quilting ideas, as well as some links to more great online inspiration.

There'll also be a sneak preview to my February Challenge entry. Make sure you sign up for the March Challenge. I hear Christy will be offering an awesome prize!

Since it appears we'll be pretty much snowed in this weekend, I'm hoping that a lot of crafting/sewing/baking will get done. oh yeah, and laundry. Mostly crafting, though!

k

still kickin'

2009-02-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Things have been hectic (not really more than usual), and kooky. Just not feeling up to posting much.

Here are some links, though, for your surfing pleasure.

*JustTutes -- make a Dashiki!
*tinyhappy -- make a fun bag!
*Sewing Mamas -- make new friends!

k

Did ya vote yet? Didja?

2009-01-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

Time's running out to vote for your favorite challenge entry. Go to christynelson.net and *vote* already!!

I'm in a friendly competition with an IRL friend; it's been back and forth, and right now she's winning. We each have over a hundred votes already, but there's still room for more!

You have until 5pm (CST) to make a choice and vote for change!

k

Christy's Craft Challenge - January 2009

2009-01-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

Here's my entry in Christy's Craft Challenge: a receipt holder and notebook!

The January challenge was to use the green paper, state fabric, brads, rubber bands and embroidery floss. How did I do it? Well, the wallet uses the state fabric, as well as some Ikea fabric from my stash. The closure on the wallet is part of a rubber band, and the button (also from stash) is sewn on with the embroidery floss. The notebook uses the green paper for backing and brads to hold it together. I went one step further and cut up the information sheet to use for paper in the notebook!

The piece of state fabric I received had Nebraska, so of course I had to utilize that bit! I also like the compass on the front.

There are more entries at Christy's flickr group. Check out the competition, then go to the poll and vote for your favorite (um, just so you know, the receipt holder is your favorite).

k

Congratulations!

2009-01-25T13:01:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for participating in my birthday giveaways! It's been a fun week for me -- it really *is* better to give than to receive (although, I'm not returning the special cookies my mom made for me! Not sharing them, either! lol).

Congratulations to the winners of each of this week's giveaways!

Child's Apron: Malinda

Celebrate! Fabric: Momma Blevins

Love Handles: The Riley Chronicles

Pin Cushion: Jess

Adult Apron: Christy

So ladies, drop me an email at refibered at gmail dot com - include your address and I'll get these mailed out on Tuesday!

k

Giveaway Saturday

2009-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

There is a lesson for today's drawing: be prepared, and be prepared *early*!

There will be a drawing for today, but life gets in the way of posting sometimes.....(Jessica had a flat tire on the interstate, and we've had to put aside most of this morning's activities to get that taken care of....everything's fine, so don't worry.)

So, no pictures yet, but today's giveaway is an adult size, reversible apron! One side is the Alexander Henry "In the Kitchen" print, in the blue colorway. The bottom fabric in this image.

We're in Central City to visit my parents now, and will be back at the home computer late this evening to post the picture.

Go ahead and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing....comments for all drawings are open until Noon on Sunday, January 25.

k

Giveaway Friday

2009-01-23T08:16:00.001-08:00

You know from previous posts that I'm involved in the craftster ANOTHER Pin Cushion Swap Round 10. (But don't worry Stacy, this isn't a spoiler!)

The inspiration for today's giveaway is one of several rescued quilt blocks. Whenever I see lonely quilt blocks, I usually manage to give them a home in my sewing room, where they play with other lonely quilt blocks. This is a 'friendship star' block, about 4" finished, made with batik background and solid color fabric star. It's a very pretty little block on it's own, but it wanted to be a useful thing...so, with a little bit of backing fabric, some thread and polyfil, that lonely little block is now a pretty little pin cushion!

She's almost too pretty to poke! Wait, what's this? Oh my, what sharp little points you have my dear!

Want to win this pretty little pin cushion? Just leave a comment and on Sunday I'll use a random number generator to pick a lucky reader!

Be sure to enter the other drawings, and check back tomorrow for one more prize. The drawings will be on Sunday, and I'll post winners Sunday evening. Thanks for reading!

k

Giveaway Thursday

2009-01-22T07:12:00.000-08:00

Today's giveaway is just in time for a Valentine's Get-away.

Use these love handles on your luggage!

They'll help coordinate your mis-matched luggage, and you'll know exactly which black bag is yours when it comes around on the carousel.

For those so inclined, the wraps also make car seat straps a little snazzier!

Just leave a comment today and a random number generator will pick a winner on Sunday. Be sure to check back tomorrow and Saturday for more chances to win!

k

Giveaway Wednesday

2009-01-21T07:54:00.001-08:00

In my never-ending quest to encourage craftiness in others, today's giveaway is one yard of flannel "Celebrate!" by Marna for Free Spirit fabric.

It's so pretty and cozy!! The print and colors are amazing: pretty wrapped packages and little birds, in gorgeous yellows, blues and pinks, all on a bright-white background.

What can you do with a yard of flannel? Make a yummy pillowcase, cute skirt for your kiddo, some cozy pants for a new baby, use it in a quilt, or just finish the edges and you've got a great toddler lovey. I'd love to know what you'd make with it, so leave a comment to be entered in the drawing!

Don't sew? Well, you can still leave a comment, and let me know. I'll turn it into a pillowcase for you before sending it off!

Remember to comment on yesterday's post, and come back tomorrow for another giveaway!

k

Giveaway Tuesday

2009-01-20T08:42:00.000-08:00

My tyke loves aprons, and I love to make aprons....so what better way to start the Mid-Winter Giveaway, than with a child's apron!

This is a super cute little apron, just the right size for kids ages 3-6. It's got elastic in the neckband, to keep the apron up and still allow those big ol' toddler heads to slip through easily. The waist band secures with hook-n-loop tape, so little fingers can put it on themselves - no tying!

Wish I could take all the credit for this one, but it's from a free online pattern at the sewliberated (formerly "Montessori by hand") website. The pattern is super easy, I finished two aprons in less than an hour! It's also really versatile: add a pocket, embroider a name, package it up with some cupcake mix and frosting for a super cute present.

This one's done in my favorite fabric, Alexander Henry 'rising star' in the green colorway. mmmmmm I do love that fabric! I've even made a duplicate apron for my tyke! She's at school right now, so pictures later.

Do you know of or have a tyke who'd look adorable in this apron? Well, just leave a comment by Midnight Saturday and a random number generator will choose a lucky winner on Sunday!

Be sure to come back tomorrow and check out the Wednesday giveaway!

k

Mid-Winter Giveaways!

2009-01-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

Having been inspired by several blog giveaways (especially StacySews...I won a book!!), I've decided to do a series of giveaways right here at refibered!

Each day this week, starting tomorrow, I'll post a specific giveaway and you leave a comment on each day's blog post. One entry per day! A random number generator will pick the winners on Sunday, January 25 -- which just happens to be my birthday. ('tis better to give than to receive. More fun, too!)

If you simply cannot wait to enter a drawing, here's a short list of some current giveaways:

*fabric hound - a great online shop with lots of beautiful fabrics! This link is to her blog, which is hosting an amazing giveaway for her first anniversary/birthday. (bonus link: the owner of fabric hound is also a sponsor at my favorite sewing forum, sewingmamas!)

*the crafty crow - what an inspirational blog! all about crafting with the kiddos. She actually has three Monday Giveaways this week, so don't just comment on the first one! Also, I am so making those giant pick up sticks.

*grosgrain fabulous - talk about amazing clothes and wonderful giveaways!! This time she's got a gorgeous adult size creation. Check it out!

*blog giveaways -- yep, a whole blog dedicated to links to giveaways! bookmark it and you can enter a giveaway any time you want!

See you tomorrow!

k

Oh, Oh, Olivia!

2009-01-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

I have been sewing, almost every day! Just haven't been taking pics. Oh well.

In the last couple of days, I've finished these Farbenmix "Olivia" dresses. Leith's tried on the Dinosaur dress, but hasn't seen the grape dress. She lurves hoods, so these dresses are pretty popular with the tyke.

She and John go to Morrill Hall quite often to look at the dinosaur bones, so this one is doubly impressive to a three year old!

My favorite, though, is this one:

I lined the hood, added the pocket (it's part of the pattern, just haven't done one before), and tricked out the sleeves. It looks great, and hopefully Leith will like it, too. That's always a risk, eh?

There are two other UFOs that are finally nearing completion...I've been trying to figure out a waistband for a reversible skirt and think I have something that'll work. Should have that finished up tomorrow. Need to finish up an Anna, too. Had to get the right fabric to do one side, and picked it up this afternoon. Yay!

k

cactus!

2009-01-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Remember my post about the craftster pin cushion swap? Well, I have the fastest and quite likely most talented partner in the group! She made this fabulous cactus pin cushion!

It is so flipping cute! Here's hoping the pin cushion I make for her is half as cute.

********

It's been a week now since my last post. Why? No real reason. It's just that sometimes I get in a mood where I don't feel like talking/doing/being.

There's a lot going on: sewing every day (except Wednesday. oops), running errands, the usual stuff. Leith's back at Montessori this week. She was definitely ready for class to start up again. So was I.

I wonder if part of my disengagement is because I've flubbed a couple of sewing things. One of the shirts I made for Leith has a wonky neckline because I didn't cut the neck piece short enough. oops. Accidentally sewed a piece backwards on another shirt, but I didn't realize it until too late (new pattern). oops. The pin cushion I was working on today is just not coming out the way I'd imagined. OOPS. lol

But, instead of focusing on the positive - sewing every day, having completed a couple of totally cute shirts for Leith, some great ideas running through my head and having received a great swap pin cushion - I'm wallowing in the messes. ugh. Gotta drag myself out of it....

Ironically, blogging seems to be helping already!

k

Swap Talk

2009-01-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

Gotta love "House" -- the sarcastic, caustic, genius doctor at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.

The House Swap on craftster is in full swing! I sent last week and received this week from my partner Nesse. She has some amazing stencil skills -- check out the loot:

What a haul, huh?! A coffee sleeve (embroidered with the phrase: "Better be careful. I've got a full bladder and I'm not afraid to use it."), a zippered pouch with the House logo stencil, some candies and not one, but two great tote bags with the Greg stencil and "It's not Lupus" -- I absolutely love those bags!!

What did she get from me? Well, a couple of bad puns, a t-shirt and a goofy hat, that's what!

The shirt was done with a bleach pen. It's a fun technique, and I'll definitely try it again. Thinking I should have outlined the words with a sharpie to really make them pop.

Goofy hat, you ask? Well, I'm in love with making these friggian (that's f-r-i-g-g-I-a-n) hats, as I call them. They're an "interesting" shape that's lots of fun and sure to get comments.

The other side has the phrase: "It's the only thing that explains everything" -- because House *is* the only thing that explains everything.

Bad puns? you ask. That must be a typo, there are no bad puns, right? Right! HA Here's a picture of one:

Shrinky Dink key chain and cell phone charms...for her House keys and for making House calls. Get it? House keys. House calls. It's a House swap.....*sigh*

**********

Now I'm in another swap: ANOTHER Pincushion Swap Round 10. This swap filled up *fast* and we've been assigned partners. I'm super lucky to be exchanging with stacysews. I've been stalking her and am excited to report that I have a couple of ideas already! But, that's all I will say for now....sendouts are due by February 3, so watch for the next installment of "Swap Talk" later this month!

k

Friday Fabric Finds

2009-01-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I love fabric. New fabric from retailers. Old fabric from tshirts. Unknown fabric from thrift shops. What's not to love?!

Friday Fabric Finds is a new blog endeavor -- so new that I just thought of it and am totally unprepared for today! Not to mention that most of the day I've thought it was Sunday. *sigh*

It will likely evolve, but I anticipate it to be a series of postings about, well, fabric. Whether it's new lines, stuff I want, stuff I've bought, great deals or expensive-as-all-get-out (hello, Liberty of London, I'm looking at you!).

Today's episode is dedicated to a couple of my favorite online shops who just happen to be having great sales!

Bunte Fabrics - yum. yum. yum. European fabrics. Organics. Japanese imports. The ribbons! The buttons!

Sewzannes - loads of great fabrics, notions and patterns at great prices. Also quite possibly the world's fastest shipping!

The Fabric Fairy - gorgeous knits. Sometimes her outlet has 'bonanza boxes' -- they aren't always in stock but they are always amazing deals!

Where, pray tell, did I hear of such fabulous shops? Over at Sewing Mamas. A wonderful forum full of information and inspiration. Check it out, and let me know when you become a member!

k

Kinky? Maybe a little...

2009-01-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Don't get excited. It's not *that* kind of kinky! But it did make you look!

I meant in the sense of working out the kinks....figuring out the direction my blog/shop/life should go...okay, the life thing's going really, really well (thanks to John!). My shop, well, that'll work itself out soon. Dang CPSIA. My blog. hmmm. It needs a little more ooomph. Some structure, too.

My thought today is to have some recurring themes on certain days.

*Crafting with a toddler - toddler-friendly crafty suggestions, and our results
*Accountability - pictures of my daily sewing. Sort of a project 365, I guess.
*Etsy Updates - my shop and other (new and old) favorites
*Fabric Finds - (on Friday. I love me some alliteration!) Posting and sharing online and Brick & Mortar shops with fun, funky fabrics and great deals!

Well, that's four days' worth. Sounds like a good start.

Challenging Myself in 2009

2009-01-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

What sort of challenges? Well, I'm not sure exactly.

There will be personal challenges - you know the usual: eat less, exercise more

Crafting challenges - new techniques and methods, improving some old favorites

Sewing challenges - especially zippers! invisible, lapped, everything

Most of those challenges are on-going, but the beginning of each month I will post a specific challenge. Then, throughout the month, I'll post my attempts at meeting those challenges.

January's Challenge: Sew *something* every day.

Whether it's for my etsy shop, my tyke or myself, I will sew something. Yes, serging will count.

k

Wishing You a Very Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T18:36:00.001-08:00

May 2009 find you happy and healthy! (and crafting!)

k

New Shirt for my Supergirl!

2008-12-30T15:12:00.000-08:00

John and Leith went to the park this morning (yes, it is December in Nebraska - but the weather's been decent the last few days!) and I got to do some sewing room stuff. I traced a pattern from Ottobre (1/2006, #17), and this afternoon during tyke's naptime, I managed to get it sewn up!

I think it's super cute (ha ha). The hem and sleeve ends need to be rolled, but I have to get some black serger thread. How do I not have black serger thread?!

Detail:

Yay! It's sewn entirely on the sewing machine because of the lack of the aforementioned black serger thread. (Seriously, it's a *basic color* for gosh sakes!)

She should be waking up in a few minutes...hopefully she likes it, too.

k

Changing Direction

2008-12-29T16:01:00.000-08:00

This whole CPSIA thing has gotten me thinking. There are lots of alternatives. I can continue to create things for my family, as gifts for friends, even to sell locally. To be honest, none of my stuff is selling on Etsy anyway.

I'm thinking that I'll take down the kids' stuff and start offering aprons on Etsy. I have loads of fun, funky, cute, interesting fabrics, and I enjoyed making the aprons for Leith's teachers.

There are plenty of kids' clothing patterns I want to try, and will enjoy making more of my favorite patterns. I've been giving a lot of thought to doing home-based girls' clothes parties. Like tupperware, but kids' wear.

I'm still going to work toward getting the CPSC to grant exceptions. I'll still be creating things that I love and make me happy. Maybe it's not changing direction so much as taking a scenic detour.

k

CPSIA

2008-12-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to be interviewed by the Lincoln Journal Star and Channel 8 News about how the CPSIA might affect small businesses/independent artisans who offer products geared toward children under the age of 12.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, itself, is 62 pages of legalese. It is mainly aimed at children's toys and child care articles. It may also be broadly interpreted to mean anything for use by a child under age 12. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with interpretation of the law, but they have not yet given official opinions and interpretations. Manufacturers will be required to provide certificates of conformity. Those certificates must state that the item has been tested for lead phthalates and falls within statutory guidelines (less than 600 ppm of lead, less than 0.1% of benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di-butyl phthalate (DBP) or di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)).

The CPSC will require third-party testing for lead and phthalates. Each type of item made will have to be tested. If a small manufacturer makes unique items, each and every item would need to be tested. It is the cost of the testing that will put many small manufacturers out of business.

There are literally hundreds of blogs and forums addressing the CPSIA issue. Because the CPSC has not issued its full interpretation, there is a lot of fear and worry about what will and will not be exempted. Many independent artists and manufacturers are very concerned that their products may be banned by the law.

This law will affect small manufacturers/artists/creators who do business on line and in other states. That means people with their own websites and etsy sellers who hand make plush toys and other items would not be able to sell their items without the testing and certificates.

http://www.toyassociation.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CPSIA

http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/cpsia-what-must-be-tested/

Here are the Etsy shops of some of the LincolnHandmade Team members who will be affected by the CPSIA law:

owlpeople

craftyconservative

chimeracrochet

refibered

This Happy Panda blog entry gives an excellent description of lead and phthalates testing, as well as some of the possible costs. Ouch!

One more thing: Kaitlyn (owlpeople) talked to Fortenberry's office and they called over to the CPSA and verified that this will NOT affect us at the local level. We will still be able to do Farmers Market, Art Shows, etc. but it still doesn't get away from the fact that we can't sell on the national level without the certifications. It's also possible that prices will rise *because* we can't sell nationally.

Please contact the CPSC to show your support for independent artisans!

k

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T07:38:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

My 91 year old grandmother got a Christmas wish yesterday....she was released from the hospital! She'd been admitted to BryanLGH East on Saturday, problems with her dialysis port. Surgery was Monday afternoon, and she was released Wednesday. Yay! We'll be driving to Aurora to see her today and give her a present or two.

Leith's opened one of her presents this morning: a shiny tricycle! She and Sarah have checked out their stockings already, too. Jess, Corey and Tyson are heading over in a few minutes so we'll have lots of present openings then it's time for breakfast! John's made some porridge and he'll be making pancakes and eggs. mmmmmmmm I can hardly wait!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday!

k

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2008-12-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

Finally a post about the crafts Leith and I worked on last week.

We painted some ornaments and drizzled almond bark on some pretzels. The pretzels were supposed to be treats for kids and part of the teacher gifts, but since school was closed on Friday.....

The boxes for teachers and assistants are a la Christy. Thanks to her tip, I picked up some cute boxes (and treat bags) at Hobby Lobby!

The ornaments are plain craft glass balls. We poured a bit of paint into each one and sort of swirled it around. Mainly just shook them a bit until the paint covered the inside. A little red paint, a little white and some iridescent medium.

We also did a few Christmas tree ornaments, same method. Unfortunately one of them broke...of course it was my favorite one! Oh well.

Each of the ornaments is tied with a little bit of "Merry Christmas" ribbon.

This evening was the icing on the cake. Literally. It was time for making royal icing and putting it on the Christmas cake! Leith had fun helping daddy make the icing:

Happy Crafting!

k

Grosgrain Blog Giveaway

2008-12-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

I have just discovered a fantastic, inspiring, fun blog: Grosgrain. Oh. My. Beautiful little dresses. Tutorials. Many, many giveaways!! Right now she's got a Sugar Cookie Frock GIVEAWAY!!!! happening. Check out that adorable dress! Plus that funky little doll is included! Keeping my fingers crossed for this one.

k

Snow Day!

2008-12-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Ice Day is more descriptive....there's a thick, icky sheet of ice over everything outside. John couldn't even open the truck door! He did manage to get the car cleared, after half an hour, but he's decided to work from home anyway.

School's cancelled. Leith's watching PBS. John's working in the library. I'm debating whether or not to eat the drizzled pretzel sticks we made for classmate treats....guess which way I'm leaning? lol

I did finish the assistant teacher's apron yesterday! Unfortunately she won't get it until next year, as school's out for the year. Maybe this will teach me to give early next time.

Used some pretty Amy Butler "charmed" fabric and a green with hot pink polka dots for this one.

I've been having fun with aprons lately. There are a few more on my to-do list for gifts this year. Better get moving!

k

The road to hell and all that....

2008-12-16T17:16:00.000-08:00

You know, it's paved with good intentions...

Yeah. So that whole "this is what I'll accomplish" post? hmmm, days have passed and nope. nada. nothing. Okay, in my defense I was sick on Sunday and Monday. Wait. Make that SICK. blegh. Finally feeling better but somehow it's now Wednesday evening and I haven't really accomplished anything.

Well, that's not entirely true. I have managed to make one teacher gift. A reversible apron. It's pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Tried something different: no pockets. I did put a loop on each side though, to hold a dish cloth.

Side A:

Side B:

The ties, straps and trim all around are Michael Miller bias tape, apple color. The color's not what I'd thought when I ordered it, but it goes perfectly with these fabrics!

Now to make another, similar, for the assistant teacher.....that's tomorrow's project!

k

Thirteen is my lucky number....

2008-12-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

so why not use December 13 for my 50th post!

I'm still trying to get the hang of blogging. Been thinking that my goal from here on out (not New Year's Resolution) is to blog *something* every. single. day. Thirty days to make a habit, three days to break it, right?

My more immediate goals for the weekend are to finish up a couple of projects:

*I've signed up for a "House" swap - gotta love Gregory! (Who knew I'd like a cynical, sarcastic, intelligent guy?!) - so there are Shrinky Dinks to make and a bleach stencil to work on.

*Aprons! One for Leith's teacher and one for the assistant teacher, I'd like to get them done by Monday or Tuesday...then I'd like to make one for Leith and one for Tyson. Oh, and one for John, but don't tell him. (Hi Honey!) You know, if I'm doing that many anyway, I might as well make some fun aprons for Jess, Corey Sarah and my parents....

Those are the weekend projects, I have more, but want to keep the list do-able. I will post progress and completed project pictures tomorrow. There, now I *have* to work on these today!

Now you, get crafting too!

k

Is it cheating....

2008-12-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

if yesterday's post was about the craft show and today's post has pictures from said craft show? I think not!

*****

Last night some of the LincolnHandmadeTeam members had a little holiday get together at my place. Did I take pictures? No. Of course not. Why would I need pictures? duh.

At least Lisa and Christy were thinking and got some photos. Maybe tomorrow I can cheat and link to their posts with pictures....

*****

Christy came over this morning for a sew-along. I hope she had at least as much fun as I had! She worked on a super secret project and I worked on a quick tunic for Leith.

Makes me think I should get moving on my idea to have a sew-along day once a month with crafty friends. Just need a place to gather, some drinks and treats, and some invites. I'm thinking a Saturday mid-day/afternoon once a month or so. Would you go to something like that? Get some motivation and inspiration, have a few laughs, just *be* with other creative folks.

Now I just need to bind the neck, do something with the sleeves and hem, then the tunic's done. Think I can finish it tonight so she can wear it to Cookies & Crafts Day at Montessori? We'll see. We'll see.

k

sigh

2008-12-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the "Seasons of Craft" show/fair. Several of the LincolnHandmadeTeam members got together and rented a booth. Four of us shared the space on Saturday (Christy, Lisa, Lynette and moi), then it was just me on Sunday. Can you say "colossal waste of time"? Not really, Saturday was actually kind of fun. Who would't want to hang out with crafty ladies?! Lots of laughs, very few buyers. Sunday was fewer laughs, what with being by myself most of the day, and even fewer sales.

Lisa showed up on Sunday afternoon and relieved my boredom by putting on a fashion show (camera batteries were drained, or I'd have taken a few pictures). She also helped me tear down at 3:45.

It's a good thing I don't base my self worth on how many sales I have (or don't have, in this case). There was a lot of positive feedback ("nice work" "that's so creative" "ohhhh pretty"), which is good.

Now it's time to charge up those batteries, get over the bummed outness of the weekend, and get some of those items posted on my etsy shop. You know etsy, where they actually appreciate good quality, handmade, stylish items....

k

More Sewn Goodness....

2008-12-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

What started out as a frustrating week has turned into a relatively productive week....

Dubenko, my serger (what? you don't name your tools? ha!), was having fits. I'm sure it was all his fault. Couldn't have been my fault, right? Maybe he just needed a few days' rest. I'd been working him pretty hard....

Anyway, no amount of re-threading was solving the issue, so I simply walked away. Five days before a craft show, needing to make a few hats, sure, why not just ignore the problem. Tried again Tuesday morning and no go again. By this time I'd spent so much time trying to figure out the problem I couldn't even remember what a properly threaded serger was supposed to look like. So I went to the sewing machine shop and looked at a cooperative machine.

I didn't take Dubenko with me, just went in to see where the threads should go and remind myself how it should look. The shop owner suggested that I start chaining on a piece of fabric, instead of the hold/pull method I'd been using. So when I got back home I sat down, re-threaded Dubenko(again) and started on a piece of fabric. Guess what. Sometimes those repair dudes know what they're talking about. Yay! Dubenko and I are now on speaking terms again.

The productive part of the week? Well, I finished an adult size elf-ish hat. Since I know it fits grown ups, I'll be making more of those for the craft show this weekend. Then I made a(nother) Christmas dress for Leith.

This is my version of a curved bodice Olivia-type dress with dual sleeves. I think the bodice is too long, but in general I like how it turned out!

Then, since Dubenko and I were on a roll, I made a Curious George t-shirt for Leith. She *loves* that little monkey. I had just enough CG fabric to make front/back tunic length panels, and had the pretty yellow rib knit for the sleeves and neckline. When I showed this to John, he almost didn't believe that I'd made the whole thing, he asked where the neckline piece had come from! I took it as the compliment he meant.

and another, just 'cuz she's cute!

To top it all off, I did do some craft show work! Made these three reversible aprons.

I'm still tweaking the pattern (again, my own cobbled from bits here and there), but it's relativey fast and easy, so you can look forward to more, soon.

k

Something you don't see every day....

2008-12-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

Heck, won't even be possible to see again until 2052!!

These were taken on December 1, 2008, looking to the Southwest, outside our West-facing attic window. Approximately 6:00p.m. CST. There were some leafless trees 'in the way' but the pictures are still pretty clear. This was much more impressive in person! We went for a drive and got to see some really clear views. Very clear skies, cool but not freezing temperatures. Oh, and later, when the moon was closer to the horizon, it was orangy! Beautiful, beautiful sights.

Clickable.

Without tripod:

With tripod:

Sony DSC-H2 camera.

k

Patterns and Fabrics and Sales. Oh My!

2008-11-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

This blog post is being interrupted for an important bulletin: IT'S SNOWING!! I *love* the first snow of the year. It's beautiful. Pristine. Enveloping. Quiet. Full of potential (snowmen! igloos! sledding!).

These are big, thick flakes. There may not be many of them, and they may not stick around. But they're there!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled post.

********

Some of my favorite online shops are having some great sales! I just placed an order at banberry place. She carries great patterns, has got some yummmmmmy fabrics and is having a 'black weekend' sale. ohhhhh boy. It would be so easy to get carried away. But I controlled myself. For now. I'll check back there later today if I can't live without the gorgeous corduroy fabrics...

I finally ordered the Antonia pattern I've been lusting after for.ever. Yay! I'm steadily increasing my hoard of knits, and this is a great pattern for using just a little bit of several prints. You can be sure Leith will be sporting several funky shirts before the end of the year.

Also, I re-ordered the Olivia pattern. I had this one early on in my sewing journey, and for some reason was afraid of it, so I sold it. Now that I'm much more confident with knits, and with my sewing in general, I *want* it! So, today was the day. I really love the versatility of the underdress, and I think I'll like how it looks with the Anna wrap dress.

Oh, she also has a blog, StuntSewing, with shop updates, helpful pattern tips, and inspiring pictures!

********

Yesterday I was all about productivity. Okay, not really, but I did complete several things. Here are a couple of quick pictures for proof:

A Holiday/Celebration Anna

Here's a peek at the fabrics:

A cute reversible apron:

Plus, I finished up a size 5 Holiday/Anytime skirt!

Also, I finished an elf-ish hat and have cut out and started a different skirt....just need to get back in the sewing room and figure out how to ruffle some fabric!

k

A Day in the Park

2008-11-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of those beautiful November days we don't often get in Nebraska. Well, except this year...we've had several, actually!

It was so nice that Leith and I went to the park for a little play time after Montessori. I even managed to remember the camera! For the first half hour or so no one else was there! Then a little boy and his grandpa arrived, so Leith was following them around and asking "that guy" a bunch of questions. Luckily they were very accommodating, since the boy was only a little older than Leith.

Anyway, on to the pictures. Here's L climbing the stairs to the highest slide:

Isn't that sky gorgeous?! Brilliant blue, not a cloud in it.

Here's one of Leith's favorite spots in the playground...a 'fish bowl' viewing area, just the right size for a toddler.

She looks so grown up here.

Here she is, patiently waiting for me to tell her she can eat the chocolate turkey. When I said 'yes' guess what she did? Yep, "gobble gobble" LOL (I crack me up sometimes.)

Want more info on the chocolate turkey? It's made with chocolate chips (head), malted milk balls (body), chocolate stars (feet and tail feathers), and a tiny bit of red gel (wattle). There's also a little bit of coconut dyed green for 'grass.'

k

Last Saturday's Craft Show

2008-11-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

There was a local artisan's bazaar at the Yoga Body & Balance studio last Saturday. It was in part to benefit the Friendship home. They had food, drinks, conversation and, of course, hand crafted art "by some of Lincoln's finest established and budding artisans." Who would have guessed I'm a budding artisan? lol So many creative and talented vendors were there.

According to the YB&B folks, there were vendors with "crocheted wearables; semi-precious stone jewelry; hand embroidered pillows; paintings; ACEO cards; poetry books crafted by author; handmade journals; hat boxes; a novel; musical recordings; baby clothes; chakra readings; plus a variety of gift baskets from several vendors and more."

Here are a couple of quick pictures of my booth (click for full picture):

Maybe you recognize a few things from my etsy shop? A few things not yet in the shop, too.

We were kind of crammed together, and there was an artist against the corner to the left of my booth, so I didn't raise the clothes rack, which makes it look even more crammed together.

I had a good time. Got to be in the LincolnHandmade section, next to Christy and Lisa. They had a few sales, but all in all it was a pretty small show. We decided it was great practice for the Seasons of Craft show on December 6 and 7.

k

Dilemma....

2008-11-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

Is a person better off discounting/pricing low just to sell items....or pricing them at costs+time and risking that items won't sell....

My question isn't meant to be "about me" -- I don't base my self-worth on selling/not selling something. It's also not meant to be a price-setting discussion, not exactly, anyway. It's more like: what's your opinion? lower prices to get sales or keep prices and wait?

If items are seen as priced too high, people won't buy them because they want a bargain; but if prices are too low, people think the items are not worth much and won't buy them. Or is it just that people aren't buying right now? Are my items not "good enough" (I believe they are!)?

Mostly I make things because I want to be creative. But I have some items online and did a small craft show over the weekend. So far, nothing's sold. I'm worried now that the prices are too high. I'm also worried that dropping prices will make the items seem less worthy somehow. There's another show in two weeks and I'm considering price changes and stocking different things, but not sure what. Do I make more of the "cute" things that haven't sold? Try something different? gah.

k

Holiday/Anytime Skirt v1.0

2008-11-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I managed to finish it today! Actually, I finished several things today: cleaned off the patio, stored the furniture, tossed the tossables and saved the saveables, all that *and* this adorable skirt!

Christmas side:

(yes, it is blurry. a blurry picture of a stationary object.)

Anytime side:

I am ridiculously proud of how this turned out. My own pattern! Okay, not pattern so much as instructions. Tomorrow is a school day, so hopefully I'll get a couple more done. Some will have the bias tape like this, some will have rolled hems, some will be regular hemmed. Maybe.

Adding this to craftyconservative's "I made it myself" Monday theme!

k

Slow and Steady.....

2008-11-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

More slow than steady, unfortunately! lol

Here is the beginning of my new obsession: reversible skirts! I've had the idea for a while to make them with one fabric being a Christmas print, the other an any occasion print.

There will be many, many more of these skirts in my future. I'm really happy with my pattern (made it myself!) and there are lots of options for finishing the hem, so each one will be an original!

I love the Misfit Toys!

I also love Ikea Hippos!

What do you think? Want a reversible twirly skirt for your tyke? Send me a note! I'll also have some stocked in my Etsy shop in just a week or so.

k

Etsy Virtual Trunk Show - recap

2008-11-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

Whooooo boy that was fun!! Etsy hosted a 24-hour virtual trunk show, and my local Etsy team, Lincoln Handmade, was featured in one of the rooms!

It was like a virtual craft show. Vendors got to chat about a few items, and 'buyers' got to meet shop owners. Sometimes it was a little confusing, and sometimes there were buyers who didn't know what they'd stumbled in to, so there were some repetitive questions, but all in all it was great! Lots of support from team members really helped.

There were actually several Etsy teams in different rooms in the virtual labs area of Etsy. Each team had one or two hours to split up amongst team members. Each member had a few minutes to post a thumbnail of their items (which linked to their shops), and chat a bit about the item. Members could make special offers (free shipping, free gift w/ purchase) or play a quick game (find the _____ in my shop and receive it free), those sorts of things.

I think this is a relatively new scheme through Etsy, and I'm hoping they'll do it more often. We had pretty good turnout, I got a couple of new hearts, and I saw some really wonderful and creative items made by team members. The best part was, I won a pair of earrings from LynetteFast! She had a giveaway during her portion of the show, and I was the lucky winner!

Being the lazy bum, erm, procrastinator that I am, I spent most of the two days before the show in mad preparation rather than marketing. *sigh* Well, at least I've got a little bit of stock in my shop now. And more to add. Just have to get my "pro" status from flickr!

k

p.s.: Check out those Etsy labs. They have tons of information, suggestions and inspiration!

a few things for my etsy shop

2008-11-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

Just a few quick pictures of some new things for Leith and for my etsy shop....why does it always take longer to do the photos and list it than it does to make the things?! LOL

First up, an adorable little toddler tote bag. I'm not a fan of the 1930s repro fabrics, but this color/fabric combo really appeals to me.

Next, one of my all-time favorite patterns, Farbenmix Anna. I totally <3 this pattern. It's going to take three pictures to show off this beauty. Pretty pink toile and funky pink dots! First, this shows the back when the dots are at the front:

The front of the dress with each fabric:

Last, but certainly not least, a Yee Haw Christmas dress. This is using the Farbenmix Vida pattern and some really fun cowboy themed holiday fabric. After looking at the pictures, I realized the elastic hasn't been put in yet! I got so excited about getting pictures because it's so cute, that I forgot to do the last step!

And a close up of the fabrics:

I used some great vintage buttons from my grandmother's stash, so I think this one will stay in the family....it just happens to be Leith's size!

k

Upcoming Events

2008-11-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

Gotta get the sewing machine sewing, the serger serging and the iron ironing. It's going to be a busy few weeks at the refibered household!

First up, Lincoln Handmade will be part of Etsy's Around the World virtual trunk show on November 13! Etsy's doing 24 hours of trunk shows, and LNKhandmadeTeam gets an hour to show off members' items! Christy (our "Prez") is doing so much leg work to make this happen. We'll have a dry run on Monday, then Thursday is the real deal! Make sure you check it out on Thursday evening from 7-8pm CST!

Saturday, November 22 there is a local artisan's bazaar at Body & Balance 2300 South 48th Street here in Lincoln. Check out their newsletter. This one's still tentative for me, haven't heard back yet, but I do plan to attend and help support my fellow crafters and Friendship Home!

LNKhandmadeTeam is also spreading the Etsy love at the Seasons of Crafts show on December 6 and 7. Four team members will be showing on Saturday, and two on Sunday. Head out to the Lancaster County Event Center and check out all the fabulous crafts and foods.

Oh yeah, and in there some time we have to fit in a little thing called Thanksgiving! and Christmas decorating! I'm planning to do a lot of handmade shopping at these events! Guess what you're getting for the holidays! lol

k

Watching History Being Made

2008-11-05T05:57:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Election Day 2008. It's been a very long national campaign but the voting is done and most of the ballots have been counted. Either way history was being made with yesterday's election.

I've had a strange sense of surrealism with all the goings on -- all the campaigning, all the discussion, distortion and distaste...then to watch the televised concession and acceptance speeches...well, it's hard to believe that I get to be a witness to it, let alone the fact that I'm a part of it!

I'm excited for future, a little anxious and cautious, but generally excited. Wow. Just. Wow.

k

Happy Hallowe'en!

2008-10-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't make a costume for Leith this year. No gumption, mostly, but also she's still just a little too young. She doesn't understand Halloween (neither do I!), and dressing up is an every day event for her. We went to Target on Sunday and got her a Thomas the Tank Engine costume.

Then on Wednesday, I got the current issue of Ottobre magazine. They have the best clothes for kids! The patterns are not too difficult, some more intensive than others, but this issue has a hooded cape that is Oh. My. Gawd. cute. Make that Cute - with a capital C. So, that night, I traced the pattern and made it from red fleece. Can you say *adorable*?! Was so excited about it that I took Leith to the fabric store on Thursday and had her pick out more fleece - she chose 'tiger' so she could say "rawr" lol - and whipped up another one before going to "Boo at the Zoo" that night. It literally took 20 minutes from start to finish! I am totally in love with this pattern.

Not a great shot, unfortunately. I also made the skirt! She wore it all day and got tons of compliments!

This one shows the pointy hood.

Isn't that adorable!?!

"Please, no more pictures!"

Hope your bag gets filled with lots of snickers and very few sweetarts!

k

Wide-Legged Lounge Pants and a cute shortie robe

2008-10-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

First off, here's a link to a blogger who's made wide-legged lounge pants for her tyke out of a vintage pillowcase! What a great idea. I lurve pillowcases, and have a couple that will be perfect for this project. I don't have Amy Butler's In Stitches book, but I can probably figure out how to make them...or I can get a copy from the city library!

Secondly, and more importantly, here's my tyke in her cute little shortie bathrobe. She picked out the fleece herself! Pink! With Dalmatians! gee, who knew she'd like that?! lol

Well, it didn't start out as a bathrobe. It was supposed to be a fleece jacket. Smart me, I thought, gosh, I'll just make a size 4 and she can wear it over a sweater. ummm, no. Wayyyyy too big. *sigh* But, smart me, I thought, gosh, that looks like a little bathrobe. So I added a couple of belt loops and a belt. Ta-da. The shortie robe. Oh, and I stitched down the loops over the belt (does that make sense?) so the belt's no longer removable. Seriously, the jacket took less than an hour and making it into a robe took all of five minutes.

Tyke's been sick the past few days. We're all exhausted and some of us are more cranky than others. I was hoping to get a lot of sewing done Sunday, Monday and today...but illness intervened. John's going to be out of town for a few days this week, which is all right, but makes for very long days, on top of the very long days we've already had....I'm hoping she'll feel well enough to do a few fun things. She enjoys going into my sewing room and 'helping' me sew. I hope we'll be doing some of that, and not watching a lot of Curious George.

k

Accountability

2008-10-23T19:30:00.001-07:00

It's happening! The sewing room is really coming together! Now I'm wishing I'd taken some "before" pictures. Not really. It was sooooooo messy and awful. Just drained away my creative juices and caused a bit of anxiety. Not at all conducive to creative genious-ness.

What's been accomplished? Most of the fabrics have been "put away" for now, at least. The buffet's been brought in - and put to good use already. The cutting table's nearly clear, and so many things have found their place! I really feel like I can breathe in there now, and I *want* to get creative. No more just feeling like I *should* be creating, but actually being stifled by the surroundings.

I did put one shelf unit in the basement, and moved another to it's recently-vacated spot. Was able to sort through the "stuff-to-recon" and separate out the "just needs appliques" - then the recon stuff got its new place. Rather than being simply stuffed into a corner.

How did I tame the fabric beast? Well, I decided that there are a lot of fabrics that I definitely won't be using in the next three months, so I put them in a couple of large totes. The holiday fabrics have come out, and are happily residing in a tote that is happily residing in the buffet. I took the drawers out of the buffet, and the tote fits neatly into the bottom! Other fabrics that I'm planning to use for wrap dresses, wrap tops and skirts are now in a laundry basket. An empty basket is at the ready for the cut-and-ready-to-sew stuff. That way those things won't just get piled up on the cutting table.

My theory is that in three months I'll pull out those totes and trade out some fabrics. Stuff that's too autumnal for spring sewing, too heavy for summer, "definitely won't use it in the next three months" stuff will all go away for a while. That way, I keep rotating my fabrics. It'll be like having "new" fabrics without the trip to the shop!

Will post pictures in the next couple of days. Rather dreary, rainy days here don't make for good pictures.

All in all I'm pretty happy with how it's coming along. Not done yet, probably never will be! How long can I call it a work in progress? lol

k

The List

2008-10-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

Gosh, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a cleaned up sewing room? and lots of items completed and ready for the upcoming craft fair? Not to mention how nice it would be to have the painted buffet off the porch. Finally. Sheesh. I *know* all these things (and so many other little things in order to get these things) need to be done. Plus I know that if/when they're done, I'll feel so much better about them, myself, the world in general....

So. Here's my list. Obviously this isn't *everything* that needs to be done. Heck, it probably isn't even half of what needs to be done. But it's a start. Since I'm not getting *anything* done at this point, maybe this list will be the kick in the back of the pants that I need to get moving already!

In no particular order:

*clean up sewing room
In order to achieve this goal, I will need to do the following:

**organize fabrics - knits with knits, wovens with wovens
That sounds easy, but I make it much harder than necessary. How about this: laundry baskets. Put the loose fabrics in the appropriate laundry basket and then make the decisions about where do the knits live? and how to organize the wovens? That way, they're not just piled willy-nilly and there's some semblance of order. Yes. Laundry baskets it is.

**organize patterns
There's a great start here already! The ottos are in a file system. Just need to add the farbenmix. The Big 3 patterns do need a place to live. How about de-stashing some of those? Like most of them? Good thinking. Time to be ruthless again.

**clear off cutting table
Again, this goes with the whole laundry basket scenario. Some things are already cut out and waiting to be sewn. Mostly it's just auitioned fabrics that really need to be put away. Getting this done will go a *long* way toward doing some actual sewing.

**de-stash
Be ruthless. You know you're not going to use that super-thin, poly (no, it's not a blend), baby pink stuff. Not even for stuffing something else. Just put it in the bag to take to the Goodwill. Then keep being ruthless and pare down some of that massive collection.

*bring in buffet from the porch
This is going in to the aforementioned clean sewing room - okay, mostly clean sewing room because I simply cannot leave it on the porch for as long as it may truly take to clean that sewing room. Besides, it'll be fun to have it stocked with nicely organized patterns.

*actually sew
Yay! I can't wait to get back to this.

As an aside, I'm wondering about a different name for the kids' clothes stuff. "refibered" is perfect for the totes/bags/recons, but what about the great things I make mostly from new fabrics? the stuff for kids? Those things are not exactly 'refibered' but I'd like to use something to keep it in the refibered family. Any suggestions?

Now I'm off to start clearing the jungle....

Mojo? Is that you?!

2008-10-14T08:04:00.001-07:00

I finally feel like maybe I'm getting back my mojo! Saturday was a LNKhandmade Team crafting meeting. We got together to work on our our banners for group sales/gatherings. It was so great to talk with other creative people, bounce ideas off each other and just craft.

Later on Saturday, I was feeling like dump. Scratchy throat, just general malaise. Sunday bounced back a little, and Monday, well, Monday was laryngitis. Still don't really have a voice. Just that breathy/husky sounding voice. John thinks it's kinda sexy. LOL.

Monday was also a fun, creative day for me. I made a cute tunic for Leith from a thrift store t-shirt and pair of 3T leggings! Johnny Depp was so *young* when the picture was taken, very 21 Jump Street. (Does that show my age? lol)

Self-drafted pattern. Using the leggings felt like I was cheating! I even used part of the waistband for the neckline (just removed the elastic). Next time I'll be more careful about cutting pieces so I won't have to frog an entire waist!

This picture gives you an idea of the length:

I was looking through her drawer for leggings to wear with the tunic, and found the pink w/ hearts! Hadn't put them away yet (it's just getting too cold for capri length), and they are *perfect* with this top!

One more picture, because this one shows you just how pretty (and slightly petulant) a just-awakened Leith can be:

I'm still not sure about the neckline. I kind of like the larger-but-not-quite-boatneck-ness of it, but not positive. Actually, it happened like that because the pink fabric is too long -- didn't take off quite enough. Still, it's not awful, that's for sure.

So? What do you think?

k

Happy Birthday Honey!

2008-10-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the 45th birthday of the finest husband and father on the planet (no offense to other fine husbands and fathers). Yes, John, I'm talking about *you*!

He's the greatest thing to ever happen to me; he's given me the whole world (I've got the passport to prove it); and he's been a terrific step-father and fantastic father to our kids. He really deserves so much better, but he insists he's the lucky one! He's brilliant, funny, charming, handsome and sexy - not always in that order!

It's been a quiet-ish birthday for him, Leith's been in a mood, just sort of "off" from her usual bubbly self. Hopefully she'll be feeling better soon.

Love you honey!

k

Happy Birthday doctor who?

2008-10-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

DH isn't a real doctor, merely a PhD (inside joke)

Anyway, we're big Who-ligans over here, so what better than a TARDIS cake for my doctor. Carrot cake from scratch - first time *ever* - and instead of one big loaf, I made nine individual loaves. Eight of them were regular, but one was special:

It's not bigger on the inside, just yummier!

We had company last night for a Dinner, Dessert & Debate evening. The regular cakes were a big hit. I was in a hurry to do the TARDIS thing, after company left and before DH came into the kitchen, so it's not ideal, more like a prototype for the 'real' cake on Sunday.

Oh, can't forget the recipe. Lots of raves. I used Walnut Oil and it is fantastic! Also, I lurve carrot cake that doesn't have raisins!

k

Chicks Rule!

2008-09-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

It's true! I'll have to get a photo this weekend, but I am super happy with my latest 'creation' -- an adorable dress for Leith. It's made with light blue D&G "Chicks Rule!" fabric for the body and navy blue for the sleeves and neckline. It's my take on the Olivia pattern.

For some reason I'm rather hesitant to use knits...no real explanation, I just have a mental block. This afternoon I decided it was time to use some of that yummy fabric, so I prepared a pattern based on a t-shirt pattern and my interpretation of the Olivia, minus the hood. I'm so excited at how well it came out! I made sure to center one of the chicks on the front chest (maybe it's a little low?), and lucked out with the "Chicks Rule!" being right under the back neckline.

The whole thing sewed up in about an hour! Yes, an hour. She wore it to the ice cream social tonight and got a few compliments, mostly of the "no way you made that!" variety. Planning to wash it (did I mention the ice cream social? lol) and have her wear it to GiGi's birthday party on Sunday.

It's been a busy, exciting evening. After the ice cream social, we drove down to Southpoint and got our new phone plan. Since it's a different carrier than we'd had, I *had* to get a new phone...John twisted my arm and talked me into a BlackBerry Curve. Ruby Red. She's so pretty! Oh! That reminds me...I *do* have a picture of L in the new dress:

Her sleeves are rolled up -- the hem and sleeve ends are just rolled hem on the serger. Used a light blue wooly nylon, but it didn't really show up..just the gray thread. Still, it looks super cute!

k

Happy Birthday GiGi!!

2008-09-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today is my grandmother's 92nd birthday! Leith and I drove up to Aurora to visit GiGi and wish her Happy Birthday!

Leith slept in the car mos to the way there...we stopped at the grocery store and bought some ice cream, then headed over to GiGi's place. My mom was there, too. She brought the cake, actually little cupcakes. GiGi opened presents and we sang Happy Birthday to her.

"What do you get for a 92 year old woman?" you may well wonder. I sure did! Luckily she had a wish list...so we got her a clock! Yes, a clock. That's what she wanted so that's what she got!

Leith was pretty hesitant when we first arrived, but she was soon back to her adorable self...even managed to sit for a picture with GiGi! Will post when we get that from my mom's camera. By the time we were leaving, Leith even told GiGi "Happy Birthday" -- unfortunately in a soft voice that GiGi couldn't hear. :-(

We'll have a family party for her on the 28th...combining it with John's birthday so she can help him celebrate his mid-40s. whooo hoooo. He's about as excited as you'd expect him to be. lol

k

No Time for Sewing!

2008-09-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

The duplex is still on the market. We've just had the floors refinished (they look *fantastic*) and Sarah's in the process of painting the entire thing! She's just finished the living room and hallway. Started on one of the bedrooms, but the paint is too pink for those rooms....so the hall, living room and both bedrooms will be the same latte color, and the bathroom and kitchen will be peachier/sand colored. Then it's over to Y Street for a bathroom paint job there. At least the tenants will be moving in there soon!

Last night we bought a new stove/oven for the duplex. Yay. It'll be delivered today some time.....

John made a beautiful dinner last night: salmon. It's my favorite! Seared salmon, rice and pesto. Mmmmmmmm.

Well, gotta run. Hoping to get a little something accomplished in the sewing pit, er, room this morning. Wish me luck!

k