Just keep sewing...

Loving the Zwergenverpackung

2010-05-17T20:16:00.004-06:00

I seem to have not gotten any good, plain shots of this first shirt-turned dress... but there's more later.. first, I will lure you in with cute pictures!

Daughters 3 and 4 (age 4 and 2.5 months) doing an excellent job of posing...

And now for more! And more words!

Turquoise and red is one of my favorite color combinations. There's something so sweet and vibrant about it!

So I used them on a baby outfit. I took the Farbenmix "Zwergenverpackung" pattern for the lap shirt and made the sleeves short and added a little skirt at the bottom to make a dress! I was quite pleased to actually remember to attach the Farbenmix tag that comes with every pattern -- and it matches so well!

Modeled by sweet Hazel Jane along with a matching pilot cap from the Ottobre 05/06 issue. (I did make the background quilt too... for daughter #3 about three years ago or so).

First Communion! and more!

2010-05-07T11:39:00.005-06:00

First... a baby picture to draw you all in.... Here's Hazel Jane in some sweet pajamas I made her. She's *gasp* already two months old! Where does the time go!? (for those curious, the top is from the New Conceptions Baby Essentials patterns and the pants are Little Comet Tails Cresent Moon Yoga Pants)
Next, I have a baby shower to attend tonight for a dear friend I've known since the fifth grade. She has a little boy and just had a little girl, so of course, pink was well in order....
First, an outfit made of a shirt from the Zwergenverpackung pattern complete with pants from the Little Comet Tails Cresent Moon Yoga Pants pattern. I love these two patterns DEARLY!

Next, I took the Zwergenverpackung shirt pattern and lengthened it (as I have done many times thus far!) to make a sweet sleep sack. I love NO SNAPS, especially for the bazillions of diaper changes newborns require!

And now... First Communion! My oldest made her First Holy Communion on May 2nd and I had promised long, long ago to make her dress, though I'm certain I didn't think of the logistics of a tiny baby and sewing... and that made things a little tricky, but I got it done!

I chose to use the Manhattan pattern from the "Sewing Clothes Kids Love" book (I don't have it right by me but I think it's by Nancy Langdon and Sabine Pollehn). I had never sewn this pattern before and.. oh my... the sheer number of pieces (44 in total) was enough to nearly make me faint! But I knew it would be beautiful and perfect, so I did it! The dress really is amazing and it's fully lined too, which is why there are so many darn pieces. Some pictures pick up the detail of the white-on-white fabric I used and I think the butterflies are just perfect.

One of my favorite parts was the back detail...

Full back shot...

My model, fanning out the fullness of the dress (note, it wasn't quite finished here.. I hadn't added the lace around the bottom hem, but she was so eager to try it on that I had to let her!)

All decked out with veil and all... the lace trim on the hem IS here now!

And for all the fanciness, this is a much more accurate portrayal of my sweet, oldest daughter!

bit of sewing... bit of baby....

2010-04-15T18:47:00.006-06:00

Sewing with a newborn is tricky at best, but I needed to get two dresses out quickly for my midwife's granddaughters (since I said I'd do it.. um.. probably two months ago), so I turned to my trusted Olivia pattern by Farbenmix and got to work!
First, a super feminine request...

And then I did this one because it's one of my most favorite fabrics!

But THIS is why I can't get anything done these days..... Sweet, smiling, five-week old Hazel Jane...

(shirt is from the Zwergenverpackung pattern, pants are Little Comet Tails Cresent Moon Yoga Pants)

She's here!!!!!!!

2010-03-09T13:42:00.003-07:00

Sweet Hazel Jane was born on March 6th at 4:11 p.m. weighing 8lb 10oz and 21.5 inches long!!

She's perfect in every way, of course... and her birth? Amazing. Painful, long, hard, but amazing.... Everything I hoped with a homebirth with the midwife.

And hooray that I get to use all those sweet baby girl clothes ;)

Gosh.. this barely touches what I've done...

2010-02-24T21:24:00.003-07:00

So.. I was feeling in a girly mood a few nights ago while sewing... or maybe it was sheer laziness. I didn't want to change out the pink serger thread. So, I just went with it.
First up, another lovely shirt from the Zwergenverpackung pattern. And even better? Something about the two of these fabrics together makes me giddy inside. The main body of the shirt is from Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic rib knit. It's lovely and drapey and perfect. And the neckline fabric is some lovely Campan jersey (Euro import) and it's lovely. Dreamy. I love this shirt!

I'm pretty sure every gender-specific outfit I make leaves me saying, "Oh gosh, I hope I get to use this!" .. because I go and make a sweet outfit like this and it makee me lust for a girl. Sweet purple fairies and a gorgeous velour that even has a bit of a fine sheen to it. Shirt from the New Conceptions Baby Essentials pattern.. so is the hat (just modified.. quite a bit).. and the pants are Little Comet Tails Crescent Moon Yoga Pants.. minus the crescent.

More gorgeous Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic fabric. *swoon* Same pattern as the above.

And.. for fun...

ME!

My due date calculations put me at 40 weeks today. My midwife came up with a due date of February 27th. I'll go with that (which means 39 weeks, 4 days today). Either way. Full.freakin.term. And I'm so ready. Although I guess I could just keep on sewing..... What else am I going to do to fill my time?!?

I can't wait to meet this little one! Hopefully soon!

a six pack (of shirts) and more...

2010-02-06T22:46:00.002-07:00

More baby sewing has been accomplished today... and then a few goodies that hadn't been photographed before ;)

I'm thinking that next week or so I might try to gather up every piece of clothing I've sewn or tie-dyed and take a picture of it all together... it will be interesting to see whether I've actually sewn as much as I think I have!

So, first up is kind of on the boring side... except that they're not! Cloth wipes are VITAL when it comes to cloth diapering.. and really, who WOULDN'T want sweet, soft organic bamboo velour gently gliding across their skin?! Yeah. Babies have it made. Some of these are from scrap pieces of bamboo velour (leftover from other projects) and some were cut into just for the purpose of being wipes. There are a few that also have some organic cotton velour on the other side (which actually feels much more terry-ish than velour-ish.. I was very disappointed when I got this years ago... and was told it's "long-loop velour" .. which is just.. terry!). I really do love the 'natural' color of the velour when paired with the YLI Jeans Stitch Variegated in Earth Tones. It seems quite... earthy ;) And these make me smile!
Next up is the boy batch of Zwergenverpackung shirts. On the left is an aqua baby terry, the middle is helicopters, though now I can't recall the manufacturer of the print, and on the right is some beloved Ooga Booga... I really love working with the Ooga Booga fabric because it's quite a thick rib knit. It's not so ribbed that it completely loses its shape (something that sometimes irritates me when working with a rib knit).. and it's almost like a ribbed interlock. It's dreamy!

And then the 'girly' batch of Zwergenverpackung shirts! The cherries by far have stolen my heart.. but gosh.. something about those brilliant bubbles.. and then! Oh! I'm such a sucker for stripes too! I swear, after completing something girly, I'll say, "Oh, I hope I have a girl just so she can wear this!" And then I'll go and make something boyish and hope for a boy...

Next up is a creation made this afternoon.. and I love it so much more than this picture could ever show. An organic bamboo velour sleeper gown. It's dreamily soft and sweet.. and if you didn't think it could get any better -- it did! Because Heather Ross on ANYTHING makes that item That. Much. Better. Oh, and to make this, I used the Zwergenverpackung shirt pattern and simply made it really long. And then added some Lastin elastic around the bottom to make it easy for diaper changes.

So of course I know you want to see the chihuahua up close! (such a mom-ish story, but my current youngest calls them "chica-wah-wahs" it's cute, believe me).

And tomorrow is a new day.. full of sewing opportunities galore... I hope...

Just ducky

2010-02-05T13:43:00.004-07:00

Bad slacker blogger I've been lately. Shame! Because I have been sewing.. especially since we have laundry drainage issues and I have to be down there whenever I'm washing a load to empty out some water... lucky for me, the laundry room is right beside my sewing room, so I might as well pop on over and sew while I'm doing laundry!

I've recently acquired the Zwergenverpackung pattern from my beloved Farbenmix. Because I certainly didn't have enough patterns already.

There are more options for clothing than I've explored yet because I can't get over how cute and fun the little shirt pattern is to sew!!

So first, a ducky sort of outfit made with a tiny, remnant scrap I got in a scrap box long ago with the PRR "Duck, duck, goose" on it. A.dor.a.ble, I think. The remnant piece is so narrow though, that I was worried I wouldn't even be able to get a sleeve from it! But I *narrowly* managed to do so!

So, the whole outfit in its sweetness....
And then a close-up of the sweet little applique!

And then.. oh my! I love that I thought outside of my normal hurry-up-and-sew-to-get-it-done mentality and really upped the cuteness quotient here!

Another shirt from the same Zwergenverpackung pattern and sleeves and applique piece are again from fabric from the PRR line!

I hope it's clear, especially in the close-up, that this says "BEBE" ...

The pants are more from the Little Comet Tails Crescent Moon Yoga Pants pattern. Easy peasy.

And dangit, sooooo darn cute!

My "guestimated due date" is three weeks away... and from here on out, I have the 'green light' by my midwife to birth at any time! Wow!

(but really, I'm okay if this babe bakes a bit longer.. I'm still torn on names... and really, I'd love to get a bit more sewing done first!)

2010-01-26T10:50:00.003-07:00

I've really been sewing and preparing for this baby more than I've been posting! Life gets a bit hectic sometimes... between homeschooling, a part-time job (which I'm working on quitting.. just down to one day per week now), growing a baby in my womb and trying to clean up this house... yikes!
But.. I HAVE to craft! It helps me maintain my sanity.
One day I looked at the plain, sad-looking white onesies and decided they needed color and lots of it! Out came the procion dyes and I had a blast dyeing these up... but my favorite? Oh.. it has to be the socks. They are the teeniest, tiniest baby socks ever and they make your heart melt.
On to the photos!!

I've done more sewing for this babe, but I'll save that for another post! A teaser? A Heather Ross quilt!

It's good to be FOUR (well, almost!)

2009-12-12T21:51:00.005-07:00

So my 'baby' (for now) is going to turn four soon. And yes, I realize I've sewn and shown lots of items for her with her upcoming birthday! But tomorrow is her birthday party!! See, we're Catholic and tomorrow just HAPPENS to be the feast day of St. Lucy (which is my youngest's name), so it works out just perfectly!
And, what good is a birthday party without a number shirt to show the world just how old you are?!
And of course every birthday princess needs a super twirly skirt...

To complete the look of the outfit!!

Outfit specs: both patterns by Farbenmix, the shirt is the Zoe, the skirt is the Redondo. The dotty jersey on the top is from the Fabric Fairy and the skirt fabrics are from Fabrichound. The lace trim around the bottom of the skirt is some that a lovely lady at church gave to me from her (now passed on) mother's collection. The stars making up the '4' are velour iron-ons from Bunte Fabrics. The orange trim stuff over the stars (because I didn't think the stars stood out enough) is some sample stuff I got from the Farbenmix website :)

And I've done some other sewing as well... because I just can't seem to get enough of the Zoe pattern (gosh, it's so fast and easy!!!).. a shirt for my middle daughter...

and a shirt for the oldest....

Plenty more Christmas sewing to be done... but... tomorrow is party day!

My Christmas Eve babe....

2009-12-05T20:33:00.003-07:00

My youngest (well, currently the youngest earthside) was born on Christmas Eve. But I think I said that before... anyway, I haven't normally been terribly themey about it all, but this year with some fabric I got in the mail (especially yesterday's haul), I couldn't resist.
So... I took an Amelie.... (which isn't NEARLY this bright of a red.. ugh.. taking pictures at night is loathesome, but I couldn't wait!)And a Nala top.... And some Nala pants.....

Put the Nala together....
And then put the Amelie over it all for a complete (and sweet?!) Christmas outfit!

Now for the specs: red velour, white interlock and red/white stripes purchased from http://www.sewzannes.com and the Amelie and Nala patterns were purchased directly from the Farbenmix website: http://www.farbenmix.de/shop/ . I'm *so* completely in love with this for some reason!

oh, and I made this all this evening -- even with my three little "helpers" in my oh-so-tiny (and messy) sewing room! They did manage to entertain me (while I was listening in to their games) as they played dentist... #3: "What are you doing to me?" #2: "I don't know, dentist stuff! But you have to be good or you don't get a prize!"

It was quite enjoyable... until they got too tired... and luckily, I was just wrapping up my sewing on this outfit!

what happens when the husband and kids are away....

2009-12-05T00:11:00.004-07:00

It's amazing how productive I can be when there are no distractions.
The husband *and* the children are away for the night, so I camped out in the sewing room and churned out some outfits for Christmas!
It turned out to be a Farbenmix pattern night as I sewed up two Zoe shirts, two Olivia dresses and a pair of Nala pants!!
It's all matchy-matchy from a GORGEOUS and so-wonderful-to-work-with cotton-lycra I got at http://www.sewzannes.com well over a year ago. Seriously. This stuff is nearly as thick as an interlock, but with the gorgeous two-way stretch of cotton-lycra. A dream to sew with. Three of the outfits are for my own girls and one is for a two-year-old niece of mine.
And there they are, all lined up across the back of my couch upstairs!!! And all this (from cutting to completing the last of topstitching of various seams) in less than three hours!!

Birthday sewing!

2009-12-03T20:39:00.002-07:00

It's tricky to have a birthday on Christmas Eve. I don't speak from my own experience, but the youngest has her birthday then and sometimes it's tricky to get around.
So... this year I wanted to sew something really nice for her. She's gotten some pretty stellar clothes over the years (this will be her fourth birthday this year!), but I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone...
So I went with a jacket. I've never sewn one before in 4.5 years of sewing!
I chose the Jade pattern by Farbenmix because it seemed pretty approachable. Like maybe I could knock that thing out....
And it probably would have been SUPER amazing had I actually checked on how much fabric it would take BEFORE cutting out pieces. Instead, I ended up with not enough to make a hood at all..... so, I improvised with a collar. It's not perfect, but I'll know better what to do next time!
And I don't have snaps on it yet.. but those will come. I still have three weeks until her birthday!
The first picture is a more accurate portrayal of the fabric I used:

And next is the jacket layed out on top of another pattern I'm tracing out (the Laguna skirt if you're curious.. I've made one before, but only in the smallest size and that was the only one I traced out... so I was tracing out a larger size!).
The sleeves really aren't wonky. I just have a knack for not laying things out straight I guess!

And for a few more specs.... The outer fabric is a GORGEOUS stretch Baby Nay corduroy.. really, I would kill for some more of this.. it is such a fine baby wale cord that it feels almost like velvet! I can't recall where I got it (woe is me!), but I know it was a few years ago. The lining of the jacket is some of the softest velour ever (http://www.sewzannes.com).

And the pattern I purchased from http://www.banberryplace.com .. I can't remember if it was in German or English... I didn't actually read the instructions!

I'm soooo back in the saddle again!!!

2009-12-02T15:06:00.004-07:00

I really have been sewing! I just kind of.. um.. *forgot* (yes! gasp!) about updating here.. but I'm so excited that the sewing bug has found me once again!!!!

Mostly I've been sewing for babe #4 that's busy baking away (though not much time left! I'm 28 weeks today which means just 12 weeks left! eek!)... No clue on whether this is a girl or boy .. I swear, my intuition must be broken.. Sooo... I've made outfits for either!

First up, one part of a two-piece ensemble that is one of my favorites EVER! I've made a TON of these outfits because they're SOOOO cute and they do fit well! (I've tried them on my nephew.. well, when he was small enough!).

The tops and hats are all from the New Conceptions Baby Essentials pattern and the pants are from the Little Comet Tails Crescent Moon Yoga Pants pattern (but for now I've omitted the crescent moon).

These first two outfits feature polka dot and gorgeous Euro floral-paisley fabric from http://www.banberryplace.com and the two pairs of pants are a gorgeous red french terry from http://www.sewzannes.com

Next up is a super sweet outfit of some of my favorite giraffes! The trim on the top is a brown cotton lycra and the jersey giraffes are also from SewZanne's ... the pants are a brown french terry I got in a trade years ago ;)

And finally (for this post!) some fun dotty owls! The print is off a bit (the white part is messed up), but I still love it .. and this soft brown cotton lycra is just PERFECT!

Yes, there's been plenty more sewing going on, but errands still need to be run, so I'm off!

HELP!

2009-03-16T10:38:00.001-06:00

Help me find my sewing mojo! It's been gone for *sooo* long!

Three....

2008-12-24T23:10:00.005-07:00

My baby is three today.
It's still Christmas Eve for about 45 more minutes in my timezone, so it's still her birthday. My little unicorn (see... oh, about four posts back) is three today.

Sitting here, alone in the living room with the Christmas tree lit and stockings to be stuffed I feel so eternally grateful that sweet Lucy Margaret is here to celebrate Christmas with us this year. It's still quite raw when I allow myself to go back to when she was sick and it's like a fire hydrant of fear, sorrow and tears is opened if I really allow myself to feel the emotions that I went through during that time. One week that still brings me to my knees.

I don't look back on it so that I can constantly live in the past. I keep it all in my heart so that my view of life is altered. If chocolate milk is spilled down the front of a dress -- even a dress I made and put *hours* into making -- those hours mean nothing if the little girl wearing that dress isn't around ever. A stain is a stain and it's simply a mark of living.

Happy birthday, Lucy. I love you more than you'll ever know.

Just a rest stop..

2008-12-18T09:52:00.004-07:00

I'm still dashing (in theory, at least) to get Christmas gifts done. But I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. Or stopped at a rest stop for far too long and got distracted.
I've picked up a new hobby. One I obviously need (because I don't have *nearly* enough already... and oh-so-much time to complete them all.. ha!).
I'm now absolutely loving embroidering by hand. I just LOVE it! I can carry it anywhere with me and have relatively little to carry around. I like keeping my hands busy. I really dislike being somewhere and doing nothing. Any sort of tv time is the worst. While we don't have cable, relatives do... and if there's tv-watching, I'd rather be doing something crafty.
I've only done three corners of napkins thus far (and have another in the works), but I'm having such a lovely time doing it already and I can see myself continuing on.
I ordered the Ultimate Kit from http://www.sublimestitching.com/ which included the scissors, embroidery thread (a color pack of your choice), a textile to embroider upon, an embroidery needle, an embroidery hoop... and maybe something else? Oh yes, a transfer pattern pack (I picked "Flower Power" for my beginning ventures). And, um, I *might* just have another order with them in the works right now. One that includes more color choices of embroidery thread, more needles, more patterns... and there *is* a gift for somebody else in there too! My oldest has an embroidery kit from last year that she got but it's a tad on the cheap side of things... yet she's had an AMAZING time with it. So I went and got her a prpoer kit from here so we can sit and embroider together!
So now for photos... here are two napkins (the one on the right was my very, very first project ever!) that are quite Christmasy. Not sure where they'll make their home (the back of the one on the left isn't quite as pretty to look at... which is kind of a dilemma since they're napkins and the back *does* show).

And my favorite thus far (out of only the three projects I've completed):

Laying on my desperately-needing-a-new-cover ironing board.

But I really can't take any more breaks along the way. Not only is Christmas just around the bend, but my youngest's birthday is on Christmas Eve! I have a divine dress planned, but I'm being held up in the process by not tracing out the pattern in her size. I HAVE to do that today. My sweet little just-about-three-year-old deserves a big, ol' happy party this year. Because we're blessed to still have her here.

Hanging my heart(s) out there...

2008-12-02T13:48:00.001-07:00

And I started on some blues....
I ran out of the heart ribbon, so I need to go and look for some more. I have more hearts cut out... they just need that extra punch with the ribbon I think.

Simple whimsy

2008-12-01T23:09:00.003-07:00

They're not incredibly fancy, ornate or amazing... but I think they're just so cute.
These are going to a silent auction at church that's tomorrow. I'm making up some more for gifts in just a few minutes.
I just love, love, LOVE this batch because I think they play off of each other *so* well!

Still dashing...

2008-11-28T21:06:00.004-07:00

I churned this dress out today after blogging about the Zoe shirt I finished earlier.. I just didn't have time to blog it because I had to go to work.

This is an Olivia dress from Farbenmix, I just omitted the hood. While I really do like the look of the hoods, my girls seem to think they're merely means of pulling each other around and I don't like how they stretch them out.

I wasn't sure how the fabric for the main body would work because it's a quite lightweight jersey, but I think it will drape okay. I'm thinking of making some leggings to go with it because I have quite a bit of that turquoise and leggings are pretty much necessary in our winter climate.

The bottom edge is simply serged and I might just leave it that way. I probably should have just done a rolled hem, but when I do that I like to do a lettuce-edge finish and this isn't a super stretchy jersey and I wasn't sure if it would 'lettuce' well and produce a nice, ruffley edge.

Two gifts down! I need to make something for the youngest next so I at least have a balance of gifts. Then I'll start all over

The less-than-four-week dash...

2008-11-28T12:25:00.004-07:00

And I'm off... off to my sewing room and sewing like a mad woman, that is.I think I might have found some of that mysterious and elusive (to me) sewing mojo. I told myself today that I HAD to go and sew SOMETHING for at least one of the girls for Christmas. Less than four weeks to go and I had *eek* NOTHING for them.
I had purchased this material with the exact intention of sewing something up for my oldest. She completely adores anything to do with animals. I'm not much of an animal-print kind of a person (in fact, usually animal prints make me crinkle up my nose), but this was somehow perfectly acceptable.
I sewed up this raglan shirt from the Farbenmix Zoe pattern and it went together so quickly and easily and I just love it.

It's nothing super duper fancy, but I'm fairly certain that it's sure to be loved by the recipient -- and that's enough for me.
Oh, I must note also that the tag on the side of the body of the shirt has a giraffe on it! I always forget little stuff like that, but while rummaging through the sewing room trying to figure out what to sew, I found these tags and knew I had to use one on something for the oldest!
I must get back down to the sewing room after finishing up my lunch and hopefully I'll churn out one more item before I have to (ha! before I *get* to!) go to work.

What? Too late for Halloween photos?

2008-11-28T12:19:00.004-07:00

My sewing has taken such a sidenote, it's not even funny. I love it. I just love the process of creating and then having a finished product to show -- and since I mostly make clothes, they're highly practical also!
But I really think that after getting back from the hospital, I've had a hard time getting into it. I feel like I've been catching up on everything else... and then with working part-time, my time is even more limited.
But of course the girls couldn't suffer simply because *I* was having a hard time with things... so Halloween costumes were whipped up mostly the night before the church Halloween party.
I wish I would have gotten better photos of my pirate, kitty cat and pink unicorn, but somehow in the rush I got just two decent ones.

I do love the way the mane turned out on the unicorn... but the yarn has NOT washed well at all and I think I'm going to have the rip the seam and take it all out. At least she'll have a cute, pink hoodie still out of it!

And the ears on the kitty! I wasn't sure at all how I was going to attach them, but I just cut slits where I thought the ears should go, inserted them and sewed them in... and they stood up just perfectly.

...

ETA: Goodness, I almost forgot some of the specifics for the sewing of these costumes! The hoodies for the younger two are both modified from the Hannel pattern, published by Farbenmix. Their velour leggings are both from an Autumn (I think?) issue of Ottobre.. 2007 I believe. They're the "Lily" leggings.

For the oldest, I needed a quick shirt pattern (no time to trace one out, I had to grab from something I'd already traced out) and ended up using the Olivia pattern by Farbenmix, but obviously I didn't make it into a dress, so I just used the top half to create the shirt. I didn't make the pirate pants... she already had some great black pants so we used those. And the red and white polka dot material around her waist? Just a piece of material from my sewing room. I just rolled it up a bit to hide raw edges and we tied it around her waist. No-sew costuming at its best!

balancing act

2008-10-21T10:55:00.003-06:00

Thank you so much to those who have expressed their care and concern over my littlest after being so very sick.

She's doing AMAZINGLY well now. You'd hardly ever know that she was sick at all, which is really such a blessing. Sometimes it's hard to just jump back into real life, almost as if nothing happened. Even though all I wanted to do was do something *normal* like laundry and dishes, it was so hard to come back and just keep on working. It was like I really needed a break/vacation after all that we went through.
To have to sit back and watch as your child comes close to death is nothing I would ever wish upon anybody. It's the absolute worst feeling in the world... knowing that I would give absolutely anything to take away the hurt, the pain, the illness, but knowing I can do no more than hold her hand and try to comfort her. But something worked. And she's still here.
So of course she was the recipient of my first round of sewing in weeks...
I needed a quick fix. I didn't have the time (or desire) to get into anything that was complicated in the least, so I went with the tried and true Olivia pattern by Farbenmix. I omitted the hood and the pocket on the underdress (who am I kidding, I've never even attempted the pinafore even though it looks quite cute), which made things all the faster.
I used some great ribknit (that could be dyed.. I just like it the way it is) I got from.. hm... SewZanne's I think and the magenta thermal is from JoAnns. I really want to get some more thermal material because there's something about it that just screams, "I'm nice and warm and snuggly!" and that comes in handy where I live. The wind is ferocious outside right now.
And of course, with winter approaching (heck, it feels like it's been here and left already, but I know that was just a taste of what we're in for), any little girl's dress here is going to need leggings to go underneath. I didn't get a photo of the leggings alone, but I took the lazy-because-it's-quick route and instead of creating a proper casing for the elastic for a waistband, I just used some underwear elastic (I got mine at SewZanne's) ... or maybe it's called boxer elastic? It's wide-ish and it's cute with some monkeys on it. It's so fast and easy to just serge the elastic on.
Gee whiz, I'm wordy. On to the pictures already.
Here's my littlest in all her cuteness, standing on the couch to pose. The picture looks a bit fuzzy (I like to pretend it was done on purpose for some really neat artistic effect)... and it's because I had left the digital camera out in the vehicle and it got below freezing that night, so when I brought the camera in for pictures, the lens kept fogging up!

And then a shot just a bit later of her playing in the snow in her new dress. We had inches and inches more than that, but a lot had already melted off.
I love icicles. Don't you just want to pluck them off and eat them?
And now we'll travel *back* in time a bit. The littlest returned from the hospital on a Sunday and by Monday we were out picking pumpkins at the aunt & uncles' pumpkin patch south of town. It was gorgeous. And I figure this works for the ol' sewing blog because my girls are wearing shirts that I made (even if I made them last year!).
Here's the littlest with the pumpkin she picked out all by herself: A lovely, very small, green one ;)

And my three sweet girls (yes! I made the pumpkin hat on dd2!) and their cousin.

So now I'm just trying to figure out the balance to it all. Keeping up with life (while still having to visit the doctor's office for some blood draws to make sure her counts are all looking good), working (I'm a part-time barista at my favorite coffee shop) and trying to get in a bit of sewing time.

it's been a while...

2008-10-05T21:35:00.003-06:00

I feel like I've been a bad blogger... first homeschooling started back up, then there were a few minor colds and flu bugs...
But then it all went bad very, very fast.
For the last week I've lived at hospitals. First it was the local hospital. On Monday evening we went in because the youngest had blood in her urine. I looked just like straight blood... which of course worried me... but more than that, she had been sick for two days and was completely lethargic by then and very yellow.
It was assumed at first she simply had a UTI (urinary tract infection) that had spread to her kidneys. But it wasn't 'fixed' with antibiotics. She even got worse.
There were a few times we were reminded of the severity of it all, but the first was the night in the ER when the ER doctor said she was, "touch and go," and that our littlest was the "sickest you'd ever want to see a child."
After three nights in the local hospital her condition hadn't improved and she was taken by ambulance to a larger, regional hospital nearly three hours away.
On Thursday she was admitted to the larger hospital and placed in a regular room in the pediatric unit, but shortly after that was placed in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit).
There we were, in a larger hospital with more sick kids ... many sick kids... and yet, our littlest was the only one sick enough to be in intensive care. That was our second big reminder of how very sick she was. If she had continued in her condition for even one more night, I don't know if she'd be around still. It's hard to write that out... like they're merely words.... saying my child -- my baby -- could have died.
It's all so surreal... but yet, it was a very real possibility.
She's had two blood transfusions. I thank the heavens for those two people who had donated their blood... because that kept my little girl going.
Here is what she looked like Thursday in the PICU...

The picture isn't the greatest as it was just taken on my cell phone... but I think her yellow color comes through. She also got severely jaundiced.
They don't know what caused it. That's a scary thing.
She was diagnosed with hemolytic anemia, which means she was producing antibodies that were killing her red blood cells. .. It could almost sound silly in a 'pun-ny' kind of way, but her body was killing her life blood. The thing that keeps our bodies alive.
She saw a pediatric hemotologist and also the intensivist at the larger hospital.
Their highest-ranking theory (because they really don't know... but it's their best guess) is that something viral triggered this. Instead of fighting off the virus, her antibodies somehow did something wrong and the antibodies were killing off red blood cells.
But it's still just a theory. The pediatric hemotologist said in all the years he's been a practicing doctor, and all the years in his specialized field of pediatric hemotology (kid blood), he's never seen this. He's heard of it, but never seen it.
She's one in a million.
Of course I already *knew* she was special... I just didn't realize how special she was.
Kids are amazingly resilient.
After nearly being on her deathbed Thursday, by Friday morning she was already showing signs of perking up. She was able to move back to a room on the regular pediatric floor before noon.
By that evening she had her catheter removed. By Saturday she had her central line removed. By that evening she was climbing the beds and playing in the play room they have on the floor.
And today, Sunday, she was released and sent home.
This picture is from Friday morning... she still has quite a few wires on her, but she was smiling.

Today, to look at her, you'd never guess that three days ago she hardly even had the energy to cry out when they put the central line in her femoral artery. You'd never know that she could do little more than sleep.

Because today, she's been running around and playing with her sisters, "the grills" as she says (instead of "girls").

So that's why I haven't been sewing. I've been playing advocate and cheerleader for my beautiful baby girl.

I'll get to sewing again.... doing something 'normal' like that is high on my list.

But for now, I'll settle for just being home. For not living in a hospital. For not having to recount her medical history and all that's transpired over the last few days. For not crying every single day. Because I'm all cried out. I don't even have tears of joy left.

But if I did, they'd be flowing.

She's back home. Right where she belongs.

Finally Feliz!

2008-09-10T14:36:00.003-06:00

I'll admit... the title of the post made me giggle a bit. Becuase not only have I finally completed that darn Feliz dress (by Farbenmix), I'm finally happy as well!
I was hoping for some nice outdoor shots with it, but the wind is terrible and cold and there's a chance of thunderstorms.
Outdoor pictures will just have to wait. For now, my MILs living room will have to do!

But of course it wouldn't be complete without details. The dress was not nearly as hard as I made it out to be. There was one part I simply couldn't wrap my head around for some reason, but I'm much more of a visual person. Simply reading instructions doesn't always get me very far. But, I figured it out finally and it all worked out. Quite easily really, even though it's a bit time-consuming (ruffles are! But I'm not very familiar with making ruffles!).. and oh my -- what a fabric hog! I had originally planned for the underdress to be all of the orange/red fabric (Heather Bailey), but I didn't order enough... so I had to improvise and the green pindots just fit. I'm actually quite pleased with the color combination.

I had toyed with using some pale blue, pulling from the overdress/overapron fabric, but I just didn't have the right shade.

I'm still completely head-over-heels in love with the fabric from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden line!!! I want to get some in every colorway possible. Maybe next month. Or whenever I find a budget.

Until then, I'm very pleased with this dress and now I just have to trace out the pattern for my younger two also!

churning along

2008-09-09T08:18:00.003-06:00

I finally had to just cut out the darn pieces of the dress and Just. Start. Sewing. on it. It was completely blocking my sewing mojo. I couldn't get any other projects done because of this one looming above my head.
I don't even have preview pictures.
I hope to be done today. Wish me luck. While I'm quite close to being done, I'm trying to decide on the bottom of the underskirt and whether it needs ruffles or not.
(The dress, is the Feliz.. beautiful! just tricky for me for some reason... and the fabric? A lot of Heather Bailey's Pop Garden line!)

Projectless, but happy

2008-09-03T18:26:00.003-06:00

I've been stuck.
I was in such a rush to finish the quilt for dh and did so in just over a week. Then one week later I did another entire quilt in a week for my mom.
I've been living from adrenaline high to adrenaline high.
And now there's nothing immediate and pressing to sew for. I could do some orange and black for games we attend for the local high school.. but I can't even bring myself to do that.
But we've been fishing with my mom some more.
I could almost count this as crafty. I did make her hat and hoodie...
I couldn't resist this. While I think my youngest is adorable up close, I couldn't resist getting it all in the bigger picture.
But this shot? It sums it all up. It was gorgeous. The weather was perfect, the lake was still, the clouds were dancing across the sky. We watched the sun come up that morning, as we were on the road by 6 a.m. Watching the sun creep over the mountains, bathing the landscape with illumination. The fishing wasn't so great, but the view was worth it all.

completed quilt and more fish...

2008-08-25T17:58:00.003-06:00

I'm at my parents' house and my mom was kind enough to let me take some pictures of the completed quilt... though I realized I just got *half* of the quilt since it's folded in half over the back of her couch.

But really, I've already posted the full top, so half will just have to do. And really, you should be glad I forgot to take pictures with my own camera. Hers is MUCH more lovely anyway. A new, fancy camera is absolutely on my to-purchase list... (okay, I'll admit, I probably have a list a mile long... but this is certainly in the top three... fabric *might* have it beaten out... though looking at these pictures, I'm not so sure).

And more fishing...
The youngest actually LOVED playing with the fish head for a long time... it was when she suddenly looked at it and said, "Mom, I think it's dead..." that she got that look on her face.

This has to be one of my all-time favorite pictures ever. It's the perspective of it all that just has me tooting my own horn on my photography skills (see?! get me a good camera and life is amazing! It doesn't hurt that in my past life -- aka, pre-staying-at-home-with-the-kids days -- my job did involve taking pictures for my paycheck).
Don't your children play with fish heads?
(... are you like me and keep singing this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn73Wtem0No ? I can't help myself!)

Fishing hat at Sunshine

2008-08-25T14:45:00.004-06:00

We went fishing yesterday (Sunday). My mom, my husband, me, and our three girls. We caught nine lovely cutthroat trout -- three of which were caught by me!
I knew on Saturday that we would be fishing with my mom on Sunday... which of course is not without some sort of sewing challenge. Yes! *Fishing* can even present sewing challenges!
The older two have been fishing with my mom many times, but the youngest really hasn't and she didn't have a fishing hat! I *know* there are bound to be about a million little girl wide-brimmed hats somewhere in this house, but they all seem to turn up missing the minute I actually need them.
So, my 2.5 year-old needed a hat.
And while this might not be something everybody else would think of as lucky, I happen to think she's quite lucky that her head circumfrence is equal to that of a paint can! Lucky girl! That made it very easy for me to make up this hat.
And sew I did. I made it up as I went along, but I figured a wide-brimmed hat couldn't be too tricky... and it wasn't really. I used two pieces of half-yard remnants from other projects I had worked on with Heather Ross' Mendocino line, which lent itself perfectly to a sewing-for-fishing project. The hat really isn't so floppy. When I went to take the pictures, the wind was picking up, so it just looks more floppy than it really is.

The lining on the underside of the brim is lovely seahorses... and while we don't have seahorses here, nor in Sunshine Reservoir, I thought they added a nice aqautic touch.

And the scenery? Isn't it just lovely? It really was a perfect day for fishing.

distractions..

2008-08-23T10:30:00.004-06:00

The quilt for my mom is done. I just need to wash it now.
I'm so pleased with how it all went (other than not paying attention while I was quilting and getting terrible fold-overs)...

The proof that I've been too busy with binding and not tending to my artistic children...

Note that there are glasses here... (and be thankful I spared you the leg shots... if there were red spaghetti noodles... and one could swim in them and have them stick... that's what the middle child's legs looked like)

And not so distracting, except maybe for the cheesey-cute factor...

I'll get the finished quilt in a bit. I really have to catch up on laundry first (that's a problem when I get immersed in projects... like making a quilt in four days... the rest of the house goes to shambles... and the amount of laundry that three little girls can generate is mind-boggling)...

Pureed flowers

2008-08-20T09:12:00.005-06:00

My mom's birthday is this coming Monday (Aug.25) and I figured I better do something for her, since she is my mother and I love her DEARLY!

What better way to show love than a quilt? At least that was my way of thinking... so into the stash I dove. I came up with a stack of 20 fat quarters that I got at the most amazing discount from my local quilt shop. They aren't all prints I would normally put together (and really, only about half really appeal to me on any level), but I'm always up for a challenge and decided I would try it anyway.

Because time is of the essence, I figured I'd go simple in the technical construction of the piecing of the top. And so it's together. One day for cutting and sewing the strips. All while homeschooling too (yesterday was the first day of school).

I even pinned it to the batting/backing and got just a few lines quilted thus far.

It was hard to work on for a while because I wasn't loving it. At all. I don't know if it was the simplicity (and that it's not quite what I had in my head) or if I just didn't like the prints at all... but it was challenging.

So now I need to finish the quilting and move on to the binding ... and we'll see if I can get it completed in less than a week.

edited to add: I'll sneak in the dimensions here... it's 62" x 72" ... all the strips are cut 4" wide and at varying lengths....

And then... oh, I can't WAIT to move on to other projects. I have a Feliz I've been just dying to cut into but I'm a bit nervous and worried it might take some time... after this is done, I just need to dive in. I can't let it just sit because I'm nervous I might mess it up.

Medocino beauty for sweet slumbers...

2008-08-16T15:22:00.004-06:00

Oh yes, another pillowcase. I just can't help myself. I *smile* when I see fun accents like custom pillowcases out of favorite fabrics!

Yes, I know, I've been planning the most gorgeous Feliz dress... and I do have all the fabrics prewashed and I even have the pattern traced out in the size of my oldest... but I'm just not feeling super focused and I need a few quick projects to get my sewing mojo flowing again.

And let me tell you, these do the trick.

I love the fabrics from the new Heather Ross Mendocino line. Or maybe I love the *feel* of Heather Ross fabric even more. Or maybe it's my girls who love mermaids and I can't help but comply by helping them foster that love.

Whatever the reason, I love this pillowcase.

And the wrinkles on my lovely white sheets? Sleepy wrinkles from the littlest who just woke up from a nap. She gave the pillowcase her sleep of approval.

completed quilt, golden slumbers

2008-08-14T10:18:00.002-06:00

When I'm not off galavanting around the beauties of nature, I am still sewing.

I finished the quilt for dh last weekend, actually, but haven't shown it yet because I was quite distressed about it.

Oh, the binding is PERFECT. Really. It's the most perfect binding I've ever done. The corners? They couldn't be better. The hand stitching to the back? Okay, I'm sure *somebody* could find a flaw or two, but I think it's amazing.

But I washed it and dried it. On hot. And it seems that a blue (or two or three, I can't be sure) was not colorfast. And the color bled. There were three oranges that picked up some blue tint, with one of those orange prints taking the brunt of the hit.

I was quite upset about it for a while. I just spent *HOURS* of time on this quilt, pouring in blood, sweat and tears (really, I did! I poked myself with a pin while handstitching the binding! so that's the blood... the sweat came because it was hot last week here and we have no air conditioning and working with a quilt on your lap is NOT a cool thing... and tears... yeah, they came afterwards)... after all that, the color bleeds and it just doesn't look as vibrant as before.

Now that I've had some time to think about it, maybe it's not as bad as I originally thought. But it's still upsetting. Not that dh will even notice ;)

And then, I made The Most Lovely Pillowcase Ever.

Loosely based on this tutorial: http://jonag.typepad.com/stop_staring_and_start_se/2008/07/banish-percale-forever.html

It would be completely based on that, but I'm terrible at actually following directions and I just made up my own measurements ;)

Isn't that dreamy? I'm certain I've slept better since I've had this.

The pinkish fabric is one from Heather Bailey's Fresh Cut line... and the green is from Heather Bailey's Bijoux... and the pink/red stripe? It's some Candy Stripe print, I but I can't remember more than that!

What I do when I'm not sewing...

2008-08-13T15:31:00.002-06:00

I love where I live. All sites posted are within two hours of where I live (including Yellowstone)!

opposites attract

2008-08-07T09:49:00.002-06:00

My husband claims I make nothing for him.

Of course he's completely wrong on that. I've made him a pillowcase and a pair of pajama pants (which the dog chewed up).

Wait, that doesn't count for much compared to the oodles of dresses, pants, shorts, shirts, etc., that I have sewn for the girls? I guess not.

As it turns out, his birthday (shh.. his 30th) is next Friday. Last week I had a brilliant idea: make him a quilt.

You know, because quilts are "quick" projects... right? It's something I can throw together in two weeks.

Well, I've just about managed to do it.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

One of the best things of this project was it's cost-effectiveness. I purchased the material for this quilt *gasp* at least two or three years ago (yes, see, I'm a lovely wife... I *thought* about making him something... I just never got around to it). I dug out the bag (original bag from the fabric shop, still holding the very same material it came home with) and it still had six half-yards of orange fabrics and six half-yards of blue fabrics.

Why orange and blue? Because they're the colors of his favorite football team -- the Denver Broncos.

But I didn't want to purchase Broncos fabric... I wanted this to be 'classy' (no offense to those who sew with team fabrics).

(sorry, I know most just want pictures, but I'm a story-teller)

While I do love seeing the results of quilting, sometimes it can be challenging for me. Actually trying to follow a real pattern really doesn't suit my personality. I just can't do it. But randomness? Ah, that's right up my alley.

So, I cut out a bunch of 6" squares from the fabrics. Then I sewed them into half-square triangles. And my randomness went to work (all the while I was praying it really WOULD all work out!).

So, I pieced and pieced and pieced (or at least it felt like it... along with not being able to follow a pattern, I easily get bored... I don't have the attention span of a good quilter).

And the result of the piecing? Oh, I love it. It's so much more amazing than I could have hoped for.

I'm always amazed when I finish any project, but especially quiltling ones.

It All. Worked. Out.

All those random fabrics came together and formed *this*! Now really, how amazing is that?

I pinned it all up last night and quilted it also (nothing terribly fancy, but it will work). I thought about at least starting the binding, but it was already 2 a.m. and I couldn't do it.

So I'm hoping to be able to show the finished quilt later today or at least tomorrow.

And, for the record, I finished piecing the top in three days... and during those three days I really didn't a lot of sewing time.. but I got it done and I'm quite pleased. Now, onto the binding!

Aloha Olivia

2008-07-12T12:14:00.003-06:00

My oldest has a day camp on Tuesday and it has a Hawaiian theme.

What is a sewing mama to do? Well, make a dress with a Hawaiian influence of course.

This is a modified Olivia (Farbenmix pattern) as it has no hood, no front pocket.. and actually the biggest tracing I have is a size 110/116cm and my oldest wears *at least* a 128cm usually... so I just used the tracing I had, didn't line up the pattern on the folding (adding an extra inch or so to the middle) and about five inches to the bottom.

I love the cotton/lycra blend for the main body. It's a lovely print by Mad Sky. The sleeves are a gorgeous Euro fabric that cost me too much, but I couldn't resist.

Sheesh... sewing and no posting

2008-07-07T14:00:00.002-06:00

I really have been sewing. But in keeping up with the LOVELY blogs that are out there (too many!), I guess I've neglected my own.

I finished Lucy's dress with plenty of time to spare, but forgot to post it...

All three in action

And I tried out a new pattern (new to me) for the littlest the other night. I purchased the Laguna pattern about a month or so ago but hadn't tried it out and figured I better do it since I purchased the pattern and all. I traced out the pattern in her size because it seemed easiest since it was the smallest.

And then she needed a shirt to go with the skirt, but I realized two nights ago (when I made it) that I haven't traced out a shirt pattern in her size. Ever. In my laziness (and the want to get the project completed right then and there), I just used the Olivia pattern but left off the skirt part, leaving a cute top (even if I did make it a bit short).

Somehow, I managed to not shoot any pictures of the skirt or shirt alone, but have just one picture of the littlest modeling (yeah, she's wearing it today, but napping right now)

Working with a knit for distraction...

2008-06-26T22:59:00.004-06:00

I've been working with wovens a lot with the red, white and blue skirt and dress that I've made thus far, so I got sidetracked with my knits and decided to make a shirt to go with the oldest's Redondo skirt I made last week.

I love the Antonia pattern by Farbenmix. The possibilities for the pattern are endless and it's just so darn fun. I've only made a few shirts from this thus far and I can tell I need to make some more already.

It's a good thing I only have to make a red, white and blue dress for the youngest... I'm getting a burnt out on this themey stuff. I'm glad I decided to use three different patterns for my three girls.. that keeps it somewhat varied in my sewing!

I have the pieces cut out for the dress for dd3... *maybe* tonight later or possibly tomorrow after swimming lessons.

Now with modeling shots!

2008-06-26T12:45:00.002-06:00

Though I believe the dress is gorgeous by itself, it's hard to get a size reference or really see how it would fit and look on a child...

So now I have modeling shots that really do this dress justice and show it off in all its glory (well, they're at least decent shots... dd2 was getting a bit impatient with the photography and wanted to go ride her bike!)

Fourth of July sewing Part II: Oh Vida!

2008-06-26T00:50:00.003-06:00

I am so pleased with how well and how fast this all came together. I cut out the pieces last night and finished it up today (tonight)!!

Again, I'm not always so 'themey' in my thinking. I like simple, classic pieces that go with just about anything. And outfit like this does *not* go with everything, yet it's still so fun.

This really made me think outside of the box. I often get so excited with constructing a garment that I don't think of any embellishment to include, I simply sew the seams and get it done because I can't wait to see how it turned out! But with this, I tried to think about things a bit more, let my mind wander to embellishments... and I even came up with the heart applique in the middle by just thinking about things a bit more. The two ribbon stripes below the heart applique are some *gorgeous* Farbenmix ribbon. Oh, and the pattern is the Vida Farbenmix pattern. It's lovely and the pattern lends itself to creativity so well.

My dd2 hasn't yet seen the finished product, but she was quite excited when she saw just the front piece ealier... I'm pretty sure she'll love it.

Now I just need to work on the outfit for the littlest. I have nothing cut out, but I do have a plan in my head. The teaser is this: I'm going to use the Cara pattern by Farbenmix.

Mama-made by chance.

2008-06-24T21:31:00.003-06:00

I don't dress them in mama-made clothing on purpose.

At least not all the time. I will admit to being more partial to the clothing I've made. I know where the material came from, I know what pattern was used, I know that no slave/sweatshop labor was used. I know the whole darn process. Plus, I make stuff that fits my kids, who all happen to be very distinctly shaped (the oldest is So Very Tall and also quite 'sturdy' -- takes after her mother for sure *eyeroll* ... the middle one is averagish and very thin despite her appearance, it's all in her nice, round head ... the youngest? not sure yet... somewhere in the middle?).

Anyway, two days ago they were all wearing clothes I made for them. Of course, I had just made #2s dress the night before, #1s dress was made quite a while ago and #3s top was made about a month ago, but I just made the capris to go with it on Saturday evening before mass and an after-mass baptismal party.

The older two are wearing very, very basic dresses from the Olivia pattern by Farbenmix and the youngest's top is from the Empirchen e-book on farbenmix.eu ... her capris are from the leggings pattern in one of the more recent Ottobre magazines... the "Lily" leggings.. with length chopped off of course.

Sometimes when I look at pictures of them, it's as if I'm able to look at them from a very unique perspective... or at least not the perspective I usually have (as their mother). With this picture I was completely astounded at the little women I have living here at this house. I know the littlest is but 2.5, but when did it happen? I do think they're gorgeous and I love them to pieces.

Red, white and blue: Part I

2008-06-16T15:12:00.003-06:00

I don't get into themey sewing. I even have trouble making Halloween costumes that are really only for one day's use. Last year for the girls I did costumes that were in multiple pieces/layers so that seperately, each piece could be worn on a daily basis, but together they created a unique Halloween outfit.

But of course there are always exceptions to the rule. And for some reason, July 4th (Independance Day), seems to be my exception.

Maybe it's the wonderful parade that happens in a town just 30 miles away that has a population of just 300, yet for the day the population swells to probably three times that.... or maybe there's something about the crispness of red, white and blue that is so bold, yet different from my usual tastes.

Either way, I'm a sucker for patriotic outfits.

Of course, with just around two weeks until the big day, I figured I should get started. I *have* been planning for probably two months of what I should do... well, maybe not planning so much as at least thinking about what I was going to do. But I get hung up on silly details. This project's dilemma (not this actual item of clothing, but the red, white and blue outfits in general): do I make all three girls completely matching outfits? do I make their outfits from the same pattern but use different fabrics? do I use different patterns but the same fabrics? do I make them completely different from each other in whatever way I please?
Yes, the silly details were bogging me down.

So I just started. I had to do SOMETHING.

I started with the oldest. She's fairly easy to please and I figured if I started with the biggest outfit, I could see my material useage and then go from there on what to do for the other two.

I used the Farbenmix Redondo pattern for the skirt and the shorts (because there will be a LOT of twirling going on) are from the Spring 08 issue of Ottobre... or maybe they're a fall or winter 07? They're the Lily leggings... and I just shortened the length accordingly.

I really love the frilliness of this skirt. Even though it was a pain to match up the opposing curves while trying to get the lacy trim firmly sandwiched in the middle... the end result was worth it. Yes, of course pinning *might* have helped, but I couldn't be bothered with silly pins.

I'll post the other outfits as I get them completed... and then maybe modeling shots when all are done.

And now for the modeling...

2008-06-07T10:43:00.002-06:00

Turns out the dress is a hit.

The cowboy boots were her own addition. Best part is that they're about 2-3 sizes too big ;)

punk-o

2008-06-07T00:47:00.003-06:00

I had the time and desire to sew (my darling husband is away for the weekend for his deaconate classes... and all three girls went to bed AMAZINGLY well and AMAZINGLY quickly, so it was really like I *had* to sew!) ... so I did :)

I created this for my middle daughter as she adores my younger sister (her Auntie Anna) and I had made a shirt for Anna out of this about a year ago...

The pattern is another from Farbenmix and is called Olivia. I've made plenty of Olivias in my sewing time and all have turned out amazingly different, yet consistently lovely!

This really isn't my 'style' so much, but I know No. 2 will LOVE it!

Mermaid undies

2008-06-06T00:37:00.004-06:00

A while back I had asked my friend Becca for some mermaid embroideries. My littles seemed enamored with mermaids and I thought seeing them on some undies for her might just get her to want to use the potty.
She obliged and amazingly, in the mean time, the littlest decided the toilet was NOT terrifying and took to using it (instead of her lovely cloth diapers) like a pro.
So two nights ago I made this first pair up and they were a HIT! The pattern is from the 4/04 Ottobre.

I have more to make of course, but these will do for now!

Ceeeeeelebrate good times, come on!

2008-06-01T11:42:00.003-06:00

Happy birthday to me!

(That's my sister on the right... we just took that picture yesterday :) My sister is swell for sure.)

placemat done, placemat to be...

2008-05-23T14:50:00.004-06:00

Yes, that darn quilting is getting the best of me. But a delightful "quick fix" is doing quilted placemats.
One I have completed (and adore... and yes, you'll notice the similarities in color scheme with this and the quilt I completed for the littlest... you see, I don't plan ahead, I just go ahead and whack a bunch of 4" squares and I had a lot left over ;) ):

The backing is a wonderfully mod piece of material I got in a scrap box!

And this placemat has been nicely washed up so that it's all quilty and textural now!

I'm working on a lot right now for a Farmer's Market that my sister's salon participates in. My sister is a cosmetologist at a quite nice salon and the owner carries some wonderful stuff... and has asked if I would like to sell some items at their booth! What a lovely opportunity!

I do need to work more, but here is one pre-quilted but pieced top of a "Earth, Wind and Fire" set I'm working on:

What a quilt!

2008-05-22T01:19:00.005-06:00

I'm so very excited about this quilt... I machine quilted it thoroughly (a square spiral of sorts) and I even did the binding properly! I sewed it on with my machine, folded it over and HAND STITCHED it to the back. I've never done that before.

Now, it's not the biggest quilt on the block.. in fact, it's a bit on the smallish side since the squares are 4" x 4" ... but it's just right for my littlest :)

The backing is just a nice pink with white polka dots fabric I've had for a while.

The strips along the edges are a favorite Heather Ross print of mine. I *adore* this print and the colors with it... and the feel of the fabric is divine. It's slightly brushed which makes it oh-so-soft!

Here are some of my favorite fabrics in the quilt (though I am quite partial to them all ;) ):

Top left: more of the Heather Ross dandelions print, this time in pink

Top right: a very fun Euro fabric

Bottom left: a GORGEOUS Oilily reprint... it's probably one of my all-time favorite fabrics. While the print is perfect, the feel is amazing. It's like a silky, drapey poplin. I wish I would have bought more when I did (though it's terribly pricey here in the states) because I'd love to make something for ME out of that!

Bottom right: a coordinating stripe for many of the Heather Ross prints... again, this is slightly brushed for an oh-so-soft feeling. The stripes run vertically on the fabric, but I cut them on the bias to add a bit of fun!

I love, love, love this quilt. I think pink and orange (with a touch of red) is just so fun and warm.

I have the quilt in the dryer right now (having gone through the washer already) to see what fun it will bring when it's all properly quilted up!

Binge and purge...

2008-05-15T17:23:00.003-06:00

Yes, *another* entry in a day. Two weeks with nothing and then two in one day. Such is the story of my sewing. It's all-or-nothing here.
I finished this up this afternoon, though it was started before that.
One of my husband's cousins is graduating from high school on Sunday, so I made this bag for her. She had mentioned once (about a year ago?) something about me making a cherry bag for her because she loved cherries. Well, she never got back to me and I never pursued it that much, so it never got done.
I hope this isn't too 'countryish' for her. I hope it's spunky/funky enough for a high school graduate. I guess we'll see.
The lighting is terrible this afternoon here, so I had to use the flash.
First, the full purse shot:

The obligatory inside, pocket shot:

A shot of the not-so-quiltiness that's going on. I might just have to wash this before giving it to her because I want it to look quilty-er.

And again, I did an unfinished-edges braided strap. I just love the rough-ish look of them... plus, it really makes for a sturdy handle.

Have I professed my love of my authentic Bernina walking foot yet? Because I could sing its praises from the mountain tops. It has changed the way I sew. Maybe because I'm loving quilting things.
And, just for fun because I was curious as to the value of the walking foot, I looked on eBay the other day... and there was one on there with the complete plastic case, styrofoam and original box with instructions, which is exactly what I have. It went for $81!!!
Have I mentioned I got my Bernina 1010 for just $100 (plus $40 for shipping)?!?! So, in essense (almost), I paid just $19 for my sewing machine ;)
I like to look at things that way. It makes me feel better about stuff for some reason.

Summer, summer, come out and play!

2008-05-15T11:38:00.005-06:00

I promise I've been sewing more than I've been showing. I'm just terrible at remembering I actually *do* have a digital camera sometimes. I guess I lived without one for so long that I got used to not taking photos. Plus, it's terrible having grown up in a house that always had excellent photo-editing software. Sometimes I just can't be bothered to upload photos because there's so much fun I can have with them and it just takes so long....
But I did sew something last night. There are other projects that are begging for my attention, but I *HAD* to dive into this! Really, I *HAD* to. So I did. And I am so pleased with the results... and so is the oldest.
This outfit screams, "SUMMER! Come out and play!" Which is pretty much the opposite of our local weather lately. But, as I typed this, I checked the forecast for tomorrow and it's supposed to jump 20F (up to 83F) from today's temperature to tomorrow's. Wow. That's our seasonal shift. One thing to another... no gradual shifts here.
Oh, but on to the dress....

It's quite a large photo when clicked on, but that's because I loaded it straight off of the camera disk onto photoshop. No editing at all (well, I think I *might* have resized it just a bit).
I plan on making these as tops, dresses and beyond. They're PERFECT summer fare, I think. Light, breezy, fun, and cute too!
Editing to add: Goodness, I wasn't good at actually listing much about the actual outfit... I just blabbered on about the weather -- how unkind of me!
The pattern is from my beloved Farbenmix... this is the e-book direct link http://www.farbenmix.eu/E-Books/Empirchen-E-Book::7922.html ... and the gorgeous fabrics used in this creation were purchased here http://www.fabrichound.com/ ... Myrinda really is fabulous to work with and her selection is amazing, I think ;) I know I've had plenty of fun over there!
...
Edited again.... I don't know why that photo shows up sideways... when you click it it's right-side-up. I haven't a clue why it does that.
Plus, I'm thinking of using another photo hosting site online that doesn't link back to my actual albums. Anybody know of one? Or do I have to create an account simply for the purpose of blog-sharing so that one cannot snoop through other photos?
...
One last edit.... I tried editing via photoshop and we'll see if this works. It's a shot of the back, sort of....

Sheesh... but at least I have pretty fabric..

2008-05-01T14:26:00.002-06:00

I haven't gotten to sewing much. Not for lack of trying, but that darn thing called "life" and "being a mother" that seems to be getting in the way.
Tonight the girls (at least the older two) are going to be spending the night at my MILs house, so maybe I can get in some quality sewing time!
But until then, I'll share my version of happiness....

Baby, it's cold outside...

2008-04-24T20:15:00.002-06:00

This is the view out my front window:

It's been snowing most of the day today and it's just darn cold outside. Last I checked on my beloved weather.com it was 32F and feels like 26F.
That sure doesn't make me want to finish the next pair of capris I'm working on for the oldest. Even if they ARE very cute and have some of my very favorite dandelions print by Heather Ross on the orange background.... we'll see if I get to it. The girls are busy today. I think it's a bit of stir-craziness.

I love pink and orange

2008-04-20T13:46:00.003-06:00

No fancy photos here... it was a quick and dirty photo shoot late at night.
Of course this was a few days ago, so I should have had time to re-shoot and make them pretty, but the oldest has been wearing them constantly.
I made her some magenta corduroy capris from the Dortje pants pattern by Farbenmix. My oldest is a bit tricky to fit. She does not look heavy, but she is 'sturdy'. (that's what my sister and I tell each other we are... it's our strong, German heritage... and of course 'sturdy' is simply the opposite of skinny ;) ). And she's tall. She turned six just last month, but is forever being asked if she's much older than she is. In CCD she's by far the tallest in her kindergarten class ... and taller than most of the first grade class.
Oh, I get lost in my writing wanderings..... mostly, I'm trying to say I'm glad I can sew. Call me a prude, but I don't like the clothing aimed at little girls.
But before I get distracted and go off on the current state of girls' clothing.. I'll get to the sewing photos.
The front

The back (my favorite!) ...

Close-up of the Michael Miller fabric

The oldest is wearing these right now even. Even though according to weather.com it's only 39F outside... and with the windchill it feels like 29F.
And yes, just yesterday it was nearly 80F.

The present..

2008-04-09T12:37:00.003-06:00

Not another past post, but a post for right now... the present.
Quite clever actually, since one of these completed projects is a present for somebody but they don't even know it yet.
Yes, another strip purse. My machine is logging in many miles with all this tiny quilting for sure.
I don't know what my favorite part is for sure... either the lining or the strap (which is simply three pieces of material two inches wide braided... all raw edges left exposed so that in theory it will fray just a bit, which I think will look stunning).

And then my other project completed last night was a quilted placemat. Or at least that's what I started out making.... and later I felt it's almost too big as a placemat and would be so suited for being a tablerunner of sorts (but little). I haven't a clue if there's a word for what I'm trying to explain, but it would be perfect.
One side is a Kaffe Fassett print, and really I'm not always quite a technicolor junkie fan, but this one spoke to me in a big way. And the other side is one of my very favorite pieces ever and I had just a fat quarter of it -- and I used it all!
It's hard to get pictures that do it justice because it's such a tactile creation. I keep walking by it and petting it. I'm still amazed and how much a few straight lines will completely change a piece of fabric. When the two pieces were initially turned and topstitched they looked nice, but nothing special. Now with the square spiral quilting, it's taken on a new life... and I still can't believe it! I'm going to have a good time playing with various quilting techniques and how they change the tone of a piece completely.

Another blast from the past post...

2008-04-05T14:02:00.002-06:00

It started out looking gorgeous this morning with loads of sunshine... I began thinking it might be even more gorgeous than yesterday.
Then I checked the weather report and it said there was a chance of snow. I initially scoffed at that... and now it's cloudy, grey and very windy like a cold front is blowing in. What a terrible way to make my thoughts of spring cleaning and sewing up lovely spring goods just disappear in an instant.
And so I resort to past events.
I'll probably go backwards chronologically. Or not. But here is one of my favorite pictures on so many levels... my girls are gorgeous (what? me be biased? quite possibly!), I made all three of their dresses and the picture is taken in one of the most beautiful spots I have ever visited -- and it's not that far from home! This picture was taken mid-March at a wedding of dh's cousin.

The older two have dresses from the Vida pattern by Farbenmix and the littlest has a dress from the Cara pattern by the same company. DD2s dress is all in Amy Butler fabric (oh, do I ever have a soft spot for anything Amy Butler!), DD1s dress is all in Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic fabric (it was a foolish purchase... too much money to pay for that fabric, but it *is* gorgeous) and the littlest's dress is all cotton poplin from Baby Nay.
I initially anticipated I would love the Vida pattern the best.. and while I *do* love it, I'm head-over-heels for the look of the Cara pattern. I really do need to get some more going. One for each of the older two. Because it's *that* lovely.
...
I'll now jump back all the way to last spring (probably May of 2007). Because it's not springy here at all and I'm longing for it. We had gone up to the mountains to a lovely fire look-out that they used back in the day to look out for forest fires. The view is AMAZING up there.
And my girls just happened to all be wearing something I made, so what a perfect show-off time.

And, because I love this picture...

My bare-footed baby, wind whipping through her hair, standing on the edge of the world with all possibilites in life laying ahead of her.

If only it was this easy....

2008-04-02T12:57:00.002-06:00

My girls love to play restaurant when I'm downstairs in my sewing room and they're playing in their toy room which has a little kitchen. They're often taking orders and bringing out food to the patrons (which can include myself or their sisters... depending on how we'll they're taking turns!). So I made some play money so they can pay for their goods.
But before the picture comes the specs of the project. I just looked around for some greens in my fat quarter stash (which is bigger than it should be ;) I'm good at collecting fat quarters and not so good at using them), found two that were suitable and made up a prototype. No pictures of that as the girls ran off with it. I didn't quite like the shape and I didn't use any interfacing at all and it was just too floppy. So on the second one I used a layer of interfacing under the circle and on one side of the rectangle with much better results. But I still wasn't as pleased with my choice of green for the satin stitching on the circle applique. So I made two more last night and I'm quite pleased with the shape, color and overall feel of these! They're approximately 3.5" x 7" (maybe 6.5" for width) and they have the feel of crisp dollar bills!
After all those words, here's the measy picture of two dollars ;)

My girls are loving them already.... but of course the fat quarter piece I used for the main body of the dollars is now gone... so I have to figure out another color to use. I'm not too concerned about the different colors in their money because they can always be different denominations then! But now I have to figure out another good green. My taste in fabrics doesn't usually gravitate toward such a monochromatic print... we'll see if I have anything suitable!

A project in patience...

2008-04-01T15:14:00.000-06:00

I made this purse for my mom and it's been a long time in the making.

Her birthday was at the end of August when she requested a purse of this style. But she didn't get around to picking out the fabrics (what? she didn't want me to surprise her?) until September at least. And then of course I realized I was out of batting. And then there was the minor detail of my lovely, craptastic, cheap Singer machine on the fritz. Again.

And so it just got pushed back. And pushed back. And pushed back.

But I have a divine Bernina machine now (technically, I'm housing two right now... a 1008 and a 1010... one I've sold and just need to ship off... tomorrow I think) and my trusty Swiss-made machine sews like a dream.

The actual piecing is easy... it's the quilting that really hangs me up and makes me not even want to start.

But, I finally did it. And I'm very happy with the end result.

The brocade my mom picked out was stunning from the get-go. But I wasn't too sure about the solid. In truth, I'm a bit of a fabric snob... and this solid just wasn't meeting my standards. It felt a bit rough and is definitely on the thinner side. I'm still not sure I'd buy more of it, but the color along with the rest of the purse if PERFECT!

Enough chatter, on to the pictures...

My artsy shot:

A head-on shot... probably more true-to-color (at least when viewed on my monitor... flash was used, so there's some shadow, but it shows the shape well:

And then a bit of a close-up to see the detail of the fabric:

And to load this with pictures, a flash-back ("What?" you say, "How on earth can you have a flash back in your SECOND blog post here? "Well," I say, "it's a flash from my own past... that's how!")...

Here is the purse I made for my mom nearly a year ago (Mother's Day here in the states)

Another strip purse. This was a recycling project. I took an old shirt of my sister's (which no longer fit her... and it was still in her old room at my parents' house even though she's been out for nearly two years) and I cut it up and made a purse for her for her birthday last July. Lovely brocade shirt she got in... Las Vegas I believe. I used the 'right side' (the red) and the 'wrong side' for an appearance of two perfectly-coordinating prints:

Okay. Just one more. It's more folksy, I think. The material was given to me by a lady from church. Her mom lived across the street from our house and passed away about two years ago. The mom had material and the lady from church didn't sew but knew I did, so she passed it all to me. I'll admit here that not all of the material was really what I use. I just don't work with polyester on a regular basis. At all. But, what was LOVELY was a bin FULL of laces and trims and ribbons and GORGEOUS things to use.

I wanted to tell the lady from church thank you. I figured something made with her mother's material would do the trick. And I was in a strip purse mode so I went with it. My favorite part of this purse is the strap. It's just three pieces of material ripped and then braided together for a bit of a raggedy appearance. It was completely on a whim that I did it and I love the results. The pictures are older and were rushed, so no artsy-fartsiness about them. But you do get to see my mom's house.

about dang time...

2008-03-25T21:21:00.000-06:00

I've read blogs for ages. And my deep, dark secret? I have blogged (though more of a virtual diary) since 2000. That's a long time.

But I like to think of myself as crafty. I got through spurts of creation.

And I like to share them. Spring is in the air. Sometimes. This morning it snowed, but the snow melted and my girls played out back with no jackets on. You just never know.