greenclogs

October, it was nice knowing you.

Well, October flew by, didn't it? I'm not even done with Halloween costumes yet (I should probably cut them out tonight). The neighbor told me that we need to buy 3 Costco size bags of candy for Monday night. There will be mounted policement supervisiing HOARDS of children trick or treating in our neighborhood. I'm looking forward to the mayhem but I may have to bring my dogs over to my dad's house for the night. They are not at peace with the doorbell. Not at all. 

We've had a busy month. The girls and I went to the coast and we went to Fort Clatsop for Annika's Oregon Trail/Oregon history studies. It was one of those "I don't want to go.... I don't want to leave" kind of experiences. She was enthralled by the artifacts and by the fort itself. She couldn't quite imagine that many people living in a space smaller than our house for a winter with no TV and no Internet. How could they possibly cope??? She got sucked into the Junior Ranger thing (which I don't love but whatever) and is now totally enthused about visiting all of the L&C sites in Oregon and Washington. I'll take the workbook/ranger badge/ranger rank thing if it gets her interest moving. This weekend we'll be heading back and going to Ecola State Park and maybe to Fort Stevens. She always wants to believe that she doesn't care about things like history but she really does. Nothing makes her happier than a good history book and some facts and artifacts. Oh, and authentic quill pens. 

We also went to grandma's house in Seattle for a couple of days - another girl trip. Annika got to spend a whole day with grandma doing crafty things and then visiting the American Girl store and Build-A-Bear. I'm pretty sure she likes Grandma better than she likes me now. Kit and I spent the day with a dear friend where we found her some new pink foos and saw bawk-bawks and ducks. 

There has alo been some sewing (see photo above). I was fairly successful during the Fall Kids Clothes Week Challenge. Annika made herself a skirt and i completed the whole outfit that Kit is wearing - smock, knit long sleeve dress, and leggings. The smock and dress are repeats from my Oliver +S patterns (I stick with what works) and the leggings are from Ottobre. I still have two more of those dresses that are half done. Maybe next week. I figure knit dress/leggings/smock is her uniform until she has strong opinions to the contrary. That remnds me - I really want a serger now. I'm willing the universe to send me an awesome one for cheap via craigslist. So light a candle to the craigslist gods for me. Thanks. 

I guess that's it for now. Hope you're well. I'll check back in next week with Halloween, obsessive paint swatching in the living room, and maybe a finished paint job. A girl can dream. If we don't set goals, we'll never get anywhere, right? Happy weekend!

bawk-bawk smock

When I said I was in the groove, I meant it. This little smock was completed on the same day as the finishing of the cape. It's also from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew: 20 Classic Accessories and Toys for Children and is my new favorite item of clothing (until I make the next thing). 

Sometimes this little one doesn't like putting things on over her clothes, so I made it irresistible to her by putting a "bawk-bawk" on it. The main fabric is from a Merimekko duvet that I bought at the Crate & Barrel outlet store for $10. Love that. The rooster is from fabric that I bought to make a quilt that you will see later. Hopefully soon. 

The pieces of the apron are sewn together with the bias tape and then the edges are trimmed with it as well, which I love. The only change I made to this one was to secure the back with buttons and buttonholes - It just seemed like a more secure choice than the suggested velcro or snaps. I'd highly recommend this change for anyone who makes it. There are side pockets that are cute, but not super useful for a little one. I have versions 2 and 3 cut out already. I'm adding front pockets and doing buttons again. I think this is a good jumping off pattern for making something your own - it's a very traditional smock style that is easy to customize so it works for you.

Before I forget - if you're needing some inspiration to make kids clothes for fall, then head over to Elsie Marley where Meg is gearing up for KCWC Fall 2011. Commit to spend an hour a day sewing for your kids and you'll be amazed at what you can get done. I'm spending this week prepping by tracing patterns and cutting everything out. I plan on having 5 dresses (all the same style) for Kit with matching leggings and a couple of tunics for Annika along with something to dress her bottom half (still undecided). Fall has definitely arrived in our neck of the woods, so it's time for some cozy long sleeves. 

Off to make more bias tape and tackle versions 2 and 3. Happy Monday!

 

a woodland cape (and thank you)

Wow. Thanks everyone for the sweet comments. I feel so blessed to have been able to work on that quilt. I'm also touched that I've heard from several people about that post rekindling a desire to blog again (and it's having that effect on me too. Hopefully for a good long time). So big hugs all around!

I have been a paragon of sewing efficiency lately. I think the quilt kicked me back into production mode. Well, that and the fact that I finally cleaned up in the studio enough that Kit can hang out in there while I work. I have several projects stacked up, but true to form, I turend to something new and shiny. 

Oliver + S Little Things to Sew: 20 Classic Accessories and Toys for Children has been sitting on my sewing table for a while now and this cape has been on my agenda since I saw Melissa's version at Bolt. I knew it would be the perfect thing for Annika to throw on this fall and winter when she didn't want to go dig her coat out of the pile of clothes on her floor wear a heavy coat. 

It's made from a fairly lightweight vintage wool in robin's egg blue that my mother-in-law gave me along with a bunch of other fabric from Jeff's late aunt's stash. I treasure that stack of wool (it's even all labeled with yardage and the intended project) and have been very slow to cut into it. Now that we're back in wool country, it's time to make some pieces with it that can be passed on from girl to girl. 

I lined it with the Amy Butler Wallflower print in cherry because that print is, of course, the perfect bright pop of color beneath the blue wool. The button was handmade by Amy. It fits her perfectly and should for a while - it fits me around the shoulders. This pattern would be fairly easy to make for an adult simply by lengthening the pieces and shifting the arm slits down. The hood is plenty big enough for my head. Maybe I need one too!

The pattern is marked as beginner in the book and I'd have to agree. It's very straightforward, and produces beautiful results. I always feel Very Accomplished when I finish one of Liesl's patterns because the finishing details are just perfect. No Becky Homecky around here. The best part was when she said "can I keep wearing it?" even though it's in the 70's today. That makes it all worthwhile. 

I may have already finished another project from this book and have 3 more in the works. It may be Oliver + S all the time around here for a couple of weeks. Sorry about that. When I'm in a groove, I know better than to stop. Back to the cutting table!

and now a little dress

I haven't been as productive as I'd hoped this week, but I'm still getting things done. I have temporarily abandoned the Hopscotch Skirt after fighting for way too long with the pockets. I think something with fiddly details is not a good fit for KCWC because I really want to make the most of my sewing time during a self imposed deadline. I made myself feel better/more accomplished by finishing a skirt for myself that had been cut out for a few days. I'm a kid too, right? Photos of that tomorrow. 

I turned my attention to some tried and true Japanese pattern books for a basic raglan sleeve dress for the baby. Honestly, quick and dirty is what I'm all about this week, despite my attempts to be fancy and complicated. I had 1/2 yard of this voile fabric and wanted to maximize it as much as possible. I used nearly every scrap of it for this dress. 

The sash is unattached while I figure out if I like it or not. The sash fabric is also used for the trim on the neckline and on the sleeves. I think I'll just hand tack it on so I can take it off later or move it down as she gets bigger. I probably should have made a smaller size (this one is an 80cm) because while the length is good, it's really wide on her. She's a little peanut and I keep forgetting that when I make her clothes. However, what I love about a dress like this is that she'll be able to wear it for a long time and it'll just transition from being a dress to a tunic. I can replace the elastic with a bigger piece when I need to. 

This is the first time that I've cut into my very small stash of the Anna Maria Horner voile fabrics and I'm in love. They're lovely to work with and are so soft and light and perfect for floaty summer clothes. I have 2 yards of another print that I've been saving for a shirt for myself. That may have to move up the list now, so I have it for when it warms up here (hahahaha! like that's going to happen!) and I need something airy to wear. 

And of course, Kit would still like you to know that she is SO BIG!

let the sewing begin

Hey, did you know that this week is the spring Kids Clothes Week Challenge? Technically it starts today, but for those of us who have to very carefully plan out our sewing time (hello toddler!), it may have started early with pattern tracing and fabric cutting and stacking up of prepped projects for maximizing the sewing time and output this week. 

I may have also started the sewing yesterday, since my Mother's Day present was some semi-uninterrupted time in the studio with my sewing machine and an already cut project. 

I started with the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress pattern as a quick/easy start to my week. Annika is a bit tough to fit with sewing patterns, so I made a trial version with a cute vintage fabric that I scored at the Knittin' Kitten for cheap. Yes. There's a fabric thrift store in Portland. For real. The light green is a tonal dot that sweet Cathy sent to me a few months back. I had Annika try it on before I put the button on the back, and she wouldn't take it off until bedtime so I think she likes it. Still need to sew on that button.

(note the deceiving patch of sunshine. our toes were squishing in mud to get out to that little step)

What I liked:

Liesl's patterns are very explicit and have all of the finishing details that make for a lovely finished product. It went together very quickly and without any construction issues. The details like the notched collar and pockets make a simple silhouette more special. I think it would also be cute if I left off the bottom hem section and made it into a smock shirt. We're planning to do a few of those for her. 

What I'll change next time:

Annika has broad and sturdy torso, so the yoke ended up being too short. For version 2, I'll lengthen the yoke piece by about 2" on each side and decrease the body panel length accordingly. I think it'll sit better on her. She says it's comfortable as is, but I think it'll look better longer. If your child is narrower in the shoulder area than mine, the yoke should be just great. Time to dig out some cute fabric for the next one. 

Up next:

another Oliver + S pattern (can you tell I made good use of the Bolt pattern sale?) for Kit. I'm making the Hopscotch skirt that's from the same pattern set as the knit dress I made a couple of weeks ago. If I'm particularly productive, I may make another one of those dresses too because they go super quickly. Then I'll do some fabric cutting tonight for later this week. 

Happy sewing! What are you making this week?

quick and easy, except for the photo shoot

I made a quick and easy skirt today. But somehow, photographing it is really difficult, as you will see. 

(excuse me, Mama, while I chase the dog)

I made myself a skirt today. Well, I drafted it and cut it out yesterday and even sewed the side seams. But I prettied it up today. And I love it. I have some big clothing sewing plans for the girlies over the next couple of weeks, but I took some time to bust out a quick a-line elastic waist skirt that I'm sure will be a staple this summer. I also have big plans for sewing for me, but most of the good stuff is waiting because I'm finally starting to lose the extra pounds that have been hanging around for far too long and I'd rather spend my time/energy/awesome fabric on things in a smaller size. 

(Mamaaaaaa! pick me up!!!!) 

However, due to a general unwillingness to spend money on clothing my body over the last too many years, my wardrobe is pretty pathetic. Something had to give, so I took a couple of hours and some great lightweight hemp/cotton denim (yay Bolt sale!) and some strips of the new Denyse Schmidt line (yay trading fabric for new fabric!) to make myself the first of a few skirts that can be easily modified as I drop some inches. I used the basic instructions from Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics for drafting the pattern. If I hadn't fussed over fancy trims, it would have taken a grand total of an hour. Instead I spent two hours and went from boring to fun. I used the same trim fabric to create a bias tape waistband for threading the elastic. Next time, I'll probably just fold it over since no one ever sees my waistbands anyway. I am not a shirt tucker. 

(oh, nevermind. I'll go bother Gunnar)

The hardest part? Taking a photo. I do love me a quick and easy project to get the sewing juices flowing. Tomorrow I'm back to tracing and cutting out stuff for the girls. They are going to have fantastic handmade summer wardrobes and I'll be hanging out in my elastic waist skirts and Old Navy tshirts. Hopefully I'll get better photos next time. 

stretching my limits

I've been sewing clothes for my kids for a few years now. I've had some successes and some more meh results, but I've always stuck with woven fabrics because I knew what to expect and how to sew with it. I have wanted to jump in and learn to sew with knits for a long time, but since I don't own a serger, was afraid to try. I don't like failure. And I hate wasting fabric - especially when nice knit fabric is not cheap. 

When Michael Miller came out with their too cute to resist knit fabrics last year, I stashed this polka dot, a solid, and a floral print. And then I froze. And it sat. I did some blog reading, and gradually came to trust that with my machine, a ballpoint needle and patient careful sewing, I could successfully sew with my precious knit fabrics. 

During the Bolt sale I picked up a few Oliver + S patterns that were marked down for both of the girls. I was going to be safe and start with one that used a woven fabric, but the knits that were stacked up in that drawer were calling my name. I grabbed the Hopscotch pattern and started tracing. I made a master out of tissue paper of both the top and the skirt, and then retraced the dress onto freezer paper so my fabric wouldn't scoot around while I was cutting. 

I strapped the ballpoint needle to my Rocketeer, went to a zig zag stitch, and was off to the races. Other than sewing the binding to the wrong side of the bodice the first time, the process went really smoothly. I'd say it took me about 3 hours to finish, and that's because I was being super slow and careful. If you have a serger or are more experienced with knit fabric, this could be sewn up really quickly. I went with both long sleeves and the dress, because I know that she'll be wearing long sleeves in June. And maybe still in August. I made the 18-24 month size, so she should be able to wear it for the next 9 months at least. My only real pattern deviation was that I had no nonwoven interfacing, so I skipped it at the shoulder and bodice seams. I figure that in a tiny size, it'll be less of an issue, but I'll pick some up before I make the next one and one in Annika's size. 

I'm going to tackle the skirt next in a hemp/cotton lightweight denim and then make this in the shirt length out of the Oliver + S knit fabric. Then we're on to tracing and cutting patterns and fabric in preparation for the Spring Kids Clothing Week Challenge on Elsie Marley. I managed to make 3 things last fall, and I have grand plans for this one - I figure that if I can be fully prepped for the week, I can bust out a good chunk of both girls' summer wardrobes. I'm sure the baby will totally cooperate. 

She says "You bet! Ready! Set! Go!"

patchwork - the gift that keeps on giving

You know what's awesome? That I didn't have to log into Typepad this time because it hasn't been 7 years since I last blogged. By the way, that's a bouquet made by Annika from flowers in our back yard. LOVE. 

I think we're getting into a groove around here. Less unpacking (although there are still about 6 boxes left to unpack) and more making is happening, which makes me pretty happy. 

The studio and I are getting to know each other at naptime as well as with a baby playing on the floor just maybe making a huge mess of the embroidery thread. Or maybe she's insisting that I hold her so that I am cutting strips and piecing them together with one hand while I hold her on my other hip. Or maybe she is nursing while I quilt pillowtops with one hand. Just maybe. I should call these the one handed pillows.

 

I'm a big fan of the log cabin pillow and have made many of them. The ones that have been on my couch are sad and tired and well loved. They needed replacing. I based the new ones on the Color Story pillows in Modern Log Cabin Quilting: 25 Simple Quilts and Patchwork Projects. I didn't mean to pick exactly the same colors, but I did and I love them. Mine are 18" square and are stuffed with 20" pillow forms so they're nice and fat. We use our pillows, so starting out overstuffed is a necessity. I backed one of them in red and one in grey because I was 1" shy of enough red fabric. Oops. I like that they are sibling pillows and not twins. I'd say 2/3 of the fabrics are the same in both.

I have a strip-pieced pillow from the same fabrics waiting to be finished and I plan to make some potholders and a couple more pillows from the remainder of the strips. This is what I really love about patchwork and quilting - that the fabric seems to keep on going as you make more and more, smaller and smaller projects. Cutting off the amount you need leaves you with a smaller piece for something else. I'm going to work this pile of scraps until I have taken it down to nothing. I'll probably have 4 pillows and 4-6 sets of potholders from about 1.5 yards of fabric scraps and strips (okay, and 1.5 yards of backing fabric). Pretty fabulous, if you ask me. 

Maybe by then I'll have red/blue/yellow/grey worked out of my system. Or not. After this, it's time to tackle the Big Quilt Projects that I have on my plate. And I am not making a new quilt for my couch to match these pillows. Nope. Not me. Even though it needs it. So maybe. 

A side note about the white couch. I used to think people with children and animals who had white couches had a touch of the Crazy. We needed a new couch for the living room because I sold our big one rather than moving it. I was happily searching for a groovy vintage couch that would go with the house but two things happened. First, I realized that any vintage couch in my price range could potentially have unsavory issues or need recovering sooner than I was willing to take on that kind of project. Second, I found this couch in the As-Is department at Ikea for a smokin' deal. It was in perfect condition. The slipcover was machine washable. My friends have sworn by the washability of the cover. It was cheap. Sold. And I have to say that I adore my white couch. It brightens up my living room and really is that washable (tested out the washing with muddy dog prints - thanks Luna!). It's a perfect canvas for quilts and pillows. Ahem. Since I need an excuse to make more quilts and pillows. Overall, I have to give it two thumbs up. I guess I have a touch of the Crazy. 

Tomorrow (or soon) - the garden. Here's to having stuff to blather on about. It's good to be back, blog. 

soggy but inspired

Dang. It's been rainy. Duh, I know. It's March in Portland. However, it's been record setting in its wetness - 29 of 31 days in March were rainy and there were 23 days in a row of rain that basically started when we got here. Crazy. But, Phoenix has already hit 100 degrees and I'll take rain with a fire in the hearth and wool socks and warm comfort food over turning on the A/C already any day of the week. 

Despite all that, we've gotten a lot done. Jeff built us 2 raised beds and we have filled them with veggie seeds (I hope they don't drown). Peas are planted, as is rhubarb. There are potatoes in their fancy trash can. I have an herb bed. There are strawberries. The man has been busy. I'll try and dodge raindrops and get some photos tomorrow, because who doesn't want to see photos of big boxes of dirt, right? 

We've explored some new spots in the city and eaten great pizza, discovered even better beer, and found some of our new places. We've made new friends. Annika took a drawing class at Collage, which is a very dangerous place for those of us who love pens and papers and paint and things. Very dangerous. I have spent some quality time at Bolt familiarizing myself with the inventory. Stash sewing has to happen before I indulge in a meaningful way, though.

This weekend was super fun and friend filled. Melissa and clan came over for food and fun. Kit thinks that Manny is pretty much her superhero and she follows him everywhere. Hopefully he won't tire of her too quickly because she would be a very sad little girl. We left the menfolk and the kids to fend for themselves and headed over to Modern Domestic for Susan Beal's booksigning. Her new book, Modern Log Cabin Quilting: 25 Simple Quilts and Patchwork Projects is lovely and really inspirational. It has great instructions for new quilters and a wide range of projects for different skill levels, so there's something for everyone. It was so inspirational that I quit futzing around the house pretending to put things away and snuck up to the studio during Kit's nap to make some more pillows. My existing log cabin pillows are a couple of years old and, umm, well loved. They need to be retired. 

I'm dying to make that cover quilt, but seeing that I have a few other quilts in the queue, I had to look past it for the moment and take on a project that can be completed during a couple of baby naps. So, pillows it was. I picked fabrics from stash, and mostly from the scrap bin, in red, yellow, light blue and grey - unintentionally the same color scheme as the pillow in the book. Last night I put together my piles of fabric strips, and today I started sewing. 

Pillow top # 1 was pieced during Kit's nap. I have enough strips left to do another pillow, and then I think I'll take the remainder and sew them up into potholders and coasters so that I use up all of the scrap and don't add anything back into the overflowing bins. I'm going to spend 1-2 hours a day trying to whittle down the scraps and make some useful and pretty things to have on hand for gifts, etc. This book is fabulous for me because I love log cabin piecing. I could have most of my quilting fabric be cut into long strips and be totally happy. After I finish off this batch of strips, I need to move on to some summer clothes for the girls. There are some cute Oliver + S patterns calling my name and July is right around the corner, right? Maybe they want some skirts with log cabin pockets. I think they could rock the look and start a trend.

Oh, I almost forgot! We're starting our new little chicken flock. Meet the girls. Zelda, Rose, and Buffy the Slug Slayer. We love them already.

Funny how I don't blog because I think I have nothing to talk about and then I start talking and I run off at the mouth. Oops. Guess I should sit down and do this more often. 

 

it's a quilt!

Sorry for the short disappearing act - I was busy sleeping! Ha! Okay, not really. The sleep thing is making slow progress, enough that I'm usually getting a 4 hour stretch or so. I'm much less cranky. Still sleep deprived, but less so. There has been a lot of life going on with a visit from my mom, a trip to Vegas, lemon picking (over 100 today and I still have several hundred left) and some major life changes that will be revealed shortly. 

Through all of that, I managed to finally finish Kit's quilt. There's nothing like methodically and meditatively stitching down a quilt binding to get you through life's stressful moments.

I

I even finished it well before her first birthday! This was such a fits and starts kind of a project. I had the top finished before she was born. I made the quilt back when we were at the beach last summer. I sandwiched it this fall. I sewed on the binding about 2 weeks ago and I hand-sewed the binding to the back of the quilt over the last 4 days. 

I didn't intend to have that narrow strip in the back, but after I carefully inserted the row of diagonal strips, I saw a black mark on the backing. I washed it. It did not come out. I swore a lot. So, I cut it out and inserted that narrow strip to make it wide enough again. I don't love it, but it's fine. 

I quilted it by doing squares offset from the squares formed by the blocks. I did them freehand rather than drawing quilting lines so that it was a bit more free form, like the blocks themselves are. Overall, I really love how it turned out. It's bright and cheery, but grounded with the bits of brown. The back is not white, so it can be on the floor or the grass and not get dingy. 

To recap: the quilt fabric is from stash, but I bought the backing fabric to go with it. It's primarily from the Amy Butler Modern Meadow line, from Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy line (see how much I love that baby!), and from Heather Ross's Lightning Bugs and other Mysteries line (again with the tremendous love). There's a bit of Joel Dewberry thrown in for good measure, as well as some Kona solids. I bound it with a chocolate polka dot fabric - the dots are a light brown - that Cathy sent me. I love the brown binding with the bright pink and orange. Pink and brown may be so last decade, but I still love how it looks. I paper pieced 6.5" string quilt blocks and sewed them together into 12" blocks. I considered making more of them, but after making 48 blocks and being 8 months pregnant, I was all done. With sashing, the quilt came out to be 42" x 54" which is small enough for a wee one, but will be a fantastic nap quilt well into her late childhood. 

Whew! I love finishing a quilt. There's no better feeling than stitching that last foot of the binding and throwing it in the wash. I swear, every time I worry that it'll just fall apart because I did a bad job, but t never does. So, I'm ready to dive into the next one, which is just like the last one I did for my brother but smaller squares and a bigger quilt - 483 squares for those of you who are counting. My goal is to finish the top this month and bring it to the beach for hand quilting. Yes, hand quilting. I'm crazy that way. Because have you seen Blair's? I have to follow her lead. The hand quilting totally makes it. After that, there's one for Annika and then a twin size quilt for the big girl bed in Kit's room, both of which will be discussed later. Lots of quilts this year. There's a ton of fabric in this house and it's time to put it to good use. 

Okay, onward. I'm making no commitments about my presence here this month due to the crazytown atmosphere around here right now. I'm nearly done with a baby sweater that I'll show next week, I hope, and I'll fill in on the other goings on a bit later, after we have more clarity. If you are interested, then you can check in on my project 365 stream on Flickr. Sometimes, posting a picture is much easier than coming up with my typical wordy posts. In the meantime, what are you up to? I'd love to know.