My Inner Old Lady

Things I've Pinned and Would Love To Make (but don't have time to do them all)

2012-01-06T13:47:00.001-08:00

Oh, how I wish a had a life that would allow me to make stuff all day, with no worries about finances, helping kids with their homework and constantly chipping away at the mountain of dirty laundry that grows overnight.

I know I can make SOME of these, at least. Here's my current wish list:

1. Vintage slip reconstruction. I'm actually in the process of doing this. I have a box of slips, laces and trims and just got my acid dye in the mail. I'm just waiting for my husband to go back to work so that I can make a mess in the kitchen without having to explain myself.

2. Lace-trimmed boxer shorts. Love this idea so much. I think I'll use my leftover acid dye to make some super-saturated lacy shorts for summer.

3. Hat and Coat hanger from an old door, pretty knobs and vintage barn hooks. This one is in process too and might be finished this weekend. Mine will be like this, but it will also have a second row of hooks - hats on top, coats on bottom.

4. I adore the hex nut in this wrap bracelet.

5. I would love to use the rest of my vintage sheets for this laundry bag. Everyone in my family could use one on our long car trips.

6. Sock Monkeys. I made one over the break and it was so cute and fun to make. I promised some for the little-people-in-my-house's birthdays.

photo source

All of these images are from my Pinterest boards. The source of the photos and how-tos can be accessed from there.

Miss Prickly

I'm the featured post on Roadkillrescue today.

2011-12-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

My Roadkill Rescue Game Cabinet

2011-12-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

From the free pages on Craigslist:

We needed a large, but slim cabinet to organize the kids games.

We sanded, painted and made legs from scraps of wood we had from an old deck.

I didn't want anything too complicated but it needed some color, so I taped a border and a diamond pattern.

It's tall enough for all of our boots to fit under, and big enough for all of our games, hats, gloves and scarves. Total cost: about $5.00 for wood screws.

I added some tissue paper poms from PomLove, painted some thrifted mirrors and placed old locker room baskets on the top for hats and gloves.

I have one more project to finish up the room - a hat and coat rack made from one of our old doors and some vintage cabinet knobs.

Collette Clover Cigarette Pants

2011-11-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

Love this pattern. It was my first time making pants and, wouldn't you know it, I didn't even have to make any pattern adjustments.

Don't tell my husband about these new shoes, but aren't they awesome?

I made the pants out of some heavy cotton with a bit of lycra that I got online. I think that I could've actually gone down a size, but they're so comfortable as they are.

Next, I'm going to try them in wool. I really like Sarai's idea for lining these. And, yes, my photographer is 7 years old.

Jasmine in Yellow Voile

2011-10-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Posing at the bus stop...

...and at work in my freshly sewn Jasmine.

I really love this pattern. It was easy to fit and easy to sew.

I used some lovely voile from Anna Maria Horner. Even though It's a little bright compared to what I normally where, I like it.

I'm working on my Clover pants with Sarai's sewalong. It's my first time for pants, but these too are easy peas-y and cute.

Hey, are going to the party to launch the new Collette book in Portland? If you are, I'll see you there.

I'm wondering if I have time to sew a fancy dress?!

Oh Colette!

2011-09-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

A pretty bow shirt and cigarette pants? I'm in!

Colette has just released new patterns that have inspired me.

source: Colette Patterns

Ready to get back my sewing machine and update my fall wardrobe. I haven't made pants before, but these look so easy. Isn't the piping cute on these?

I'm going to have to clear off my sewing table first - it's covered in several mystery piles!

Third Grade Art - Sea Creatures

2011-06-10T20:27:00.001-07:00

I love the octopus here. I think that she is confused because the whale is so small. Or maybe she's wondering if the viper fish is more of a threat than the great white shark?

Sea Creatures
by Tomas, age 9

First Grade Art - Night Owl

2011-06-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

I just melted when she brought this home.

Night Owl
by Summer
age 7

So beautiful and precious in every way.
What magic did her first grade teacher conjure up to inspire such a satisfied owl?

Thanks to all of our wonderful teachers for helping us to raise capable and creative children.

Wiggle Dresses and Granny Panties

2011-06-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU to Gertie for coming out in defense of granny panties. Ladies, I think that it's time we took back the granny panties.

How cute are these?

source (via Gertie's Blog)

Gertie's long been a style inspiration for me, and a great resource for retro style and sewing tips. Thanks to her, I've given myself permission to be cute in my undergarments AND be covered.

I've opted for these big, pretty babies:

source

And because I'm so very worth it, and I would look darling in my new dress, I also included the long line bullet bra to match.

source

Are we all not worthy of pretty underthings?

Rooibus Dress

2011-05-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

I finished my Rooibus Dress. The material is a lovely cotton sateen with a little stretch.

The neckline and pockets are piped. First time for that - it was really easy!

I modified the skirt by making it pencil-shaped. The A-line that the pattern dictated didn't work with this fabric.

I'm only a little behind on THE LIST, but I've squeezed a few unscheduled projects in between. I made a headband to match this dress. I'll tell you about that later this weekend.

Me, Copying a Young, Beautiful TV Star

2011-05-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

So, Diana Agron from Glee celebrated the end of the season by cutting her hair. And I copied her!

I love to change my hair. This may be favorite yet.

Thanks to the fabulous Rose Mateace at Elements of Style in Oregon City. She never fails to impress me.

My (future) Summer Top

2011-04-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

Collette patterns has just released two new patterns. This one is called "Violet."

Love the sweet collar.

Love the slightly loose fit.

Love the fabric covered buttons. I have the perfect voile already in my stash.

Photos: Collette Pattern Blog

Mustache Foolishness

2011-04-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

How can anyone resist an evening of mustache-making?

Of course, the dogs wanted to be in on the fun too!

But they needed a little coaxing.

Felt, backed with some clear plastic for stiffness, chopsticks and a hot glue gun....

Mustache templates are all over the web. We found our here.

Easter Bunny Softies

2011-04-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

I think they're so cute!

The Easter Bunny left us a scavenger hunt this morning.

They didn't even mind the rain today.

And I get to cross the first project off THE LIST.

Happy Easter to you all!

THE Sewing Menu

2011-04-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

I've come to the conclusion that I'm wasting a lot of money buying things for projects that never get completed. Taking a cue from the times when we're organized and plan meal menus, I've decided to challenge myself to a sewing menu that runs through the end of summer.

I have materials for most of these already, minus a few buttons and thread and stuff like that.

Here's the plan for April:

WEEK 1 - Easter Bunnies for the kids from this pattern:

from Retro Mama

Don't these make you want to go "Awwwww"? I'm just using up my own scraps for these. I'll let you know how they turn out.

WEEK 2 - Finish my Rooibus dress.

from Colette patterns

I ran out of interfacing and put this off to the side about a month ago. It'll be done by the end of April.....I swear.

I've planned all of my projects until the middle of August. I'm going to post the list on the side in an attempt to resolve my sewing ADD and quit throwing money around at Joannes (and fabric.com and sewmamasew.com and Bolt......)

Wish me luck!

Honey Bee Canyon Art Day

2011-03-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful spring vacation trip to Tucson, Arizona. One day, the kids and I went to a nearby canyon to do some sketching and have some fun.

This was our first trip here, and one of my new favorite places. The weather was a wonderful change from the cold, Portland drizzle.

Did you make something crappy?

2011-03-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Ira Glass is one of my favorite storytellers. I can relate to his ideas on pushing through the "I make crappy things" phase to get to where you want to be

Kid Art #3

2011-03-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Me and Mommy Are Mermaids
by Summer, age 7

Kid Art #2

2011-03-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ninja
by Tomas, age 9

Mixy-Matchy Napkins

2011-03-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

Mixy-matchy napkins!

I made some for myself, and have added a few sets in the shop for purchase.

I'm planning on making some matching lunch bags and snack bags (planning being the key word - if nothing else gets in the way!)

Kid Art #1

2011-03-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

Sunrise
by Summer, age 7

THIS made my morning

2011-03-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

A little guerilla street art. With artful pet rocks:

See the rest from the kids at Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty.

Late Winter Colors

2011-03-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

It's been raining, raining and raining for more weeks than I can count in Oregon. Finally there was a break in the downpours long enough to clean my chicken coup and prune my rose bushes.

There are such great colors inside and outside right now!

Cinderella, Creta May, Lightening and Little Mildred

The first crocus' in my yard.

The constant rain makes beautiful mosses.

My Fiestaware pitcher

My new bag. I KNOW that I didn't need this but look at the COLOR!
from Kate Spade (sold out online)

Marc Jacob dress, purchased at Goodwill for $12.99!

I love super-saturated colors, but I'm seeing a lot of restful, beautiful neutrals.

Neutral-colored platform sandals are hot this spring. I just ordered these from Piperlime.
I had similar ones in eigth grade in the 1970s..

My laundry sorting system - purchase at The Container Store a while back.

Pieces of my new bag. The Pink is Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room, one of my all-time favorite fabrics.

Are you as anxious as I am for spring?

I Had a Strong Reaction to This....

2011-02-18T15:10:00.000-08:00

....I'm just not sure what it was.

Surprised? Annoyed? Delighted? Dismayed?

My Crepe Dress

2011-02-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

Here's my nearly finished ~~Crepe~~ Crap Dress from Gertie's Sew-A-Long.

A colossal failure!

Paid way too much money for fabric CHECK
Made a proper muslin CHECK
Drafted a bodice pattern with corrections CHECK
Hand basted each piece to a lovely piece of silk underlining CHECK
Sewed lovingly over two months CHECK
Finished the skirt with french seams CHECK

finished the bodice edge with lovely seam binding CHECK
tried on for final fitting WTF???

An uncut paper bag would have fit better.

I have no idea what happened. I suspect an error was made in the pattern drafting. I tried to fix it by taking in three inches on the side seams and one inch on the shoulder seams, but I've made a mess of the entire bodice.

I'm so, so sad and frustrated. How can one make such a mess of a simple wrap dress? I really splurged on the fabric, and it's so pretty. I'm either going to completely remake the bodice or I'm going to make a wrap skirt out of it.

Dang!

Thanks Readers - 25% off for you

2011-02-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

I've had my store closed for a while.

I had meant to freshen things up with new inventory, but that hasn't happened so I'm going to offer you my last year's inventory at 25% off.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/misspricklypear

That puts a lot of items at about the cost of materials, so it's a pretty darned good deal! My plan is to redesign the store during the summer.

Just enter the code SPRINGCLEAN at checkout. The code is good for the rest of February. Shipping charges still apply.

Thanks for reading.

Shrinky Dink Mermaid Bracelets

2011-01-31T19:31:00.000-08:00

My best girl and I have really been into mermaids lately. I adore her artwork, especially these:

Since playing with Shrinky Dinks has been on my list for a while, we made some mermaid Shrinky Dink bracelets. We used this stuff that I bought at Michaels. You have to use permanent markers on it, and I got nice results with Staedtler Lumocolor markers. Michaels also carries Shrinky Dink paper to go through inkjet printers, which I'm going to try too.

Here's my bracelet. I found the seaweed-colored chain and findings at Joanne Fabrics.

Here's my dearie with hers:

We did make the charms a wee bit big. I think that only trial and error could determine the right size to start with. Also, it didn't occur to me to color on both sides of the charms until later, but that would have been even better, I think.

The best part was watching the plastic shrink. I don't think that even us adults could tire of watching the magic that happens in three minutes in the oven.

Happy Monday! I hope that your week goes well.

I'm Excited About This Cookbook

2011-01-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

About a year and a half ago, I embarked on a vegan diet experiment that took ahold of me. Originally, I thought I could lose some weight and become healthier. I did become much, much healthier, but I didn't lose any weight.

I've learned that vegan food is so, so, so delicious....and it's just as easy to be chubby on a plant-based diet as on a meat-based diet (have you tried vegan cupcakes?!!!)

Also, when I became vegan, good recipes became key to my staying satisfied. In fact, a lot of my first attempts at vegan cooking were akin to stir frying sticks from the backyard until they resembled a mushy pulp.

Today, I was so excited check this out from the library:

I have a few books by Chandra Moskowitz, including Veganomican, and the cupcake book that's linked above, but this book looks outstanding.

I don't very much care for the title - it's not really a diet book. It's a cookbook using whole, plant-based foods that are packed with fiber and nutrition. The author also gives a great overview regarding getting the nutrients you need from a vegan diet (really it's not complicated).

In the spirit of good vegan food, here's what the kids and I are drinking right now:

Vegan Drinking Chocolate
(makes 4 servings)

3 cups vanilla soy milk
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
6 Tablespoons vegan chocolate chips (you can find these in any health food section - most dark chocolate is vegan too)
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon

Whisk everything together in a saucepan over medium heat until it's all warm. Soy milk doesn't burn like cow's milk, so you can just give it an occasional stir.

Increase the amount of vegan chocolate chips if you're having a bad day.

I can't get enough of these two.....

2011-01-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

source

It's Good to be Home

2011-01-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

The desert was a lovely and warm place to be for the weekend. I soaked up just enough sun to get rid of the cold that's been looming over me.

My favorite thing (besides the sun) was listening to the big pack of coyotes that ran by window on the last night.

I've been super busy since I came back working, doing the unfinished housework and playing with the kids who missed their mom. I'm looking forward to getting in front of my sewing machine this weekend.

Fun to go to a new place. Better to come home!

I'm off...

2011-01-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

...for a long weekend in a desert oasis.

photo source

I don't know how I'll manage with NO cooking, cleaning, mountains of laundry, husband, kids, whining, dog puke or chicken chasing.

See you next week!

Peg Dollies

2011-01-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

The kids and I made peg dolls awhile back. I love to walk by them and imagine the conversations they're having.

Periodically, they rearrange themselves in different groups by some mysterious force unknown to me.

The guy with the big head is supposedly my husband (who is also greying a little in real life).

Lately, I've been considering adding to peg-dolly-world. For example, they should have some pets, don't you think? Trees would be nice. I think too, some Shrinky-Dink books a little book bags.....

My peg doll kit came from here.

I'll be wearing this in Palm Springs

2011-01-08T18:09:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I've coveted this bathing suit:

source: Modcloth

Really I'm not kidding about wearing this in Palm Springs.

Two things have made this possible:

(1) My mom's traveling companion backed out at the last minute, and she didn't want to go by herself.

(2) My severely gift-challenged husband didn't get me a birthday or Christmas gift last month, and I felt justified in springing for this beauty.

The only thing is that Palm Springs is in the mid-60s F, so it may be that I only run to the hot tub in this. I'm okay with that! It sure beats the cold, constant rain of an Oregon winter.

I want to copy this!

2011-01-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

You know what's awesome about being able to sew? Seeing simple, overpriced clothes in a shop that you know that you could whip up in an afternoon. Consider this:

Source: Piperlime

A long, loose velvet camisole - genius! I love velvet, but it's hard to wear without being overdone. It would look great layered under a chunky sweater, with skinny jeans and boots.

Shrinky Dink Inspiration

2010-12-31T19:04:00.000-08:00

I've really been wanting to play with Shrinky Dink's lately. Have you done anything with these? They've come a long ways from being the childhood craft kits I remember.

I love these 3-dimensional flowers by Cathe Holden:

source: Just Something I Made

Of course, Martha Stewart would be in on the Shrinky Dink craze. Props to her people for these darling dog tags:

source: MarthaStewart.com

Shrinky Dink Curtains!!! Elizabeth Symington has peaked my curiosity, I'm looking forward to reading more on her blog.

source: Weird and Surprisingly Good

Retro subject (cassettes) + Retro material (Shrinky Dinks) = awesome cassette badges. Shelbyville sells these little darlings in her Etsy shop.

source: Shelbyville

Amy Karol has made these sweet little love notes. There's a line of Shrinky Dinks that you can put through an ink jet printer.

source: Angry Chicken

I'm filing this under, "Must have fun with Shrinky Dinks in 2011."

Basting Away in Margaritaville....

2010-12-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

I've been working on my Crepe Dress for Gertie's sew-along, and it's slow going! Gertie is having us cut out the underlining, then baste each piece to the outerlayer before cutting it, so that the underlining and the outer layer can be treated as one piece.

I think that the final product will be worth it, though. I've managed to change my mind four times on the outer fabric I'm using. My local fabric stores don't have much of a selection in light weight fabrics, and the fabric I got online didn't seem right once I stared at it for a few days. I do LOVE this cotton lawn print from Moda, which I got at Fabric Depot (with a 40% off coupon).

I ended up making a slip from the Little Folks voile that I got online. I used the same pattern from my Japanese book as I did with this slip.

I love the way it looks under my curtain dress...

...and I'm wearing it today with a thrifted, oversized cashmere sweater, some leggings and my trusty Uggs.

Simple and Dressy Holiday Sewing

2010-12-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make a few nice pieces for our Christmas trip to Victoria. I didn't have a lot of time, so I kept it simple.

I made a wool cloche hat, and I'm glad that I did. It was a little breezy walking in town. This is the first time I've made a hat and I was surprised at how easy it was to make. I pinned one of my Mom's high-school broaches on it and I was good to go.

I used this McCall's pattern. First I made one out of stash cotton for my little girl.

She's marveling at her "underwater volcano" here.
The little bottle is filled with hot water and food coloring to make the volcano.

I also made a green silk skirt, because Mom and I were hoping to go to high tea at the Empress (we didn't make it). I used Amy Butler's Barcelona skirt pattern. This is a great basic A-line skirt pattern. I've made several skirts from this pattern and wear them all.

The skirt was a bit shorter than I'd intended, so I added a ruffle in the same green silk to the lining.

The boots are from a 75% off sale from Eddie Bauer several years ago. I've had them re-soled three times now!

Christmas in Victoria

2010-12-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

Catching our breath after so much fun.....

We took a last minute, 3-day trip to Victoria B.C. I hadn't really thought of Victoria as a good place to travel with children, but we had so much fun.

We stayed in an amazing suite, at the World Mark hotel where we watched sea planes land and take off.

The parliament building was especially pretty at night, with 3,333 lights.

My Mom, who isn't able to walk much, loved the ride with Archie (the horse) and Kate to view the Christmas lights.

We had to drag my son (after nearly 2 hours) out of the bug museum.

The beautiful Empress Hotel was decorated with 80 Christmas trees for a charity event.

And my favorite place was Roberta's Hats on Government Street.

We can't wait to go back in the summer and visit more of the places on our list. Because of time and weather, we didn't get to go the Butchart Gardens.

Such a neat place! I did sew a few quick things for the trip, I'll share them in the next post.

Winners!

2010-12-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

Giveaways are so fun! Thanks for entering, and here are the winners:

Meadowsweet Library Bag - Barb
Cowboy Apron - Erica Louise
Pop Garden Wristlet - Teresa
Zippered Princess Bag - Jessica

Congratulations....I'll send you an e-mail later today ladies.

Last Day to Enter the Giveaway!

2010-12-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

Jump to the giveaway post.

I'm cutting off comments at the end of my day, Pacific time.

Good luck!

Crafty Wonderland Show and Tell

2010-12-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

Here are my gifts and treasures from yesterday's outing to Crafty Wonderland:

An autographed copy of Nikki McClure's book for my little girl.

A silkscreened poster for my worry-wart husband.
I'm going to frame it and hang it in our bedroom.

Portland Bingo
original art by Bishop Lennon and Amy Ruppel
We're going to have a lot of fun with this in the summer.

Vintage-y dahlia ring

Heart and Key
by Emily Martin

Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things by Kate Bingaman Burt.
I'm good with Oprah, but I really, really dislike the favorite things shows, so this makes me chuckle.
Kate's the author of the blog Obsessive Consumption. I'm so charmed and inspired by her art and her blog.

The One Size Fits Most Snap Around Skirt
by Erin MaCleod

Even though I make most of my own skirts, this one was so unique!

The snaps that circle the waistband give the skirt a cool, industrial finish.
Plus, it's great for fat days and skinny days!

Also, a beautiful refashioned necklace by Protagonest, which my camera did not want to photograph.

I've credited the artists as well as I can remember. Sorry to those I've missed.

My Favorite Things at Crafty Wonderland

2010-12-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

I went to Portland's Crafty Wonderland today with my cousin. It was so fun...like Disneyland for the DIY crowd. Here are some of my favorite images:

A fantastic rain coat made from repurposed plastic bags and banners. The artist had some beautiful totes and purses. If anyone can help me with a credit, I forgot to get the artist's card.

Best vendor display ever by Wanderlust! We couldn't resist touring this tiny, refurbished trailer, which was filled with vintage lovelies.

Alicia Paulson (Posie Gets Cozie) and her adorable display.

I was star-struck by Nikki McClure from Olympia, Washington. If you're not familiar with her work, check her out. She does strikingly intricate paper cuts. She wrote the sweetest note to my daughter in the book I bought from her.

Emily Martin of The Black Apple. I've read her blog for a long time, and finally got to tell her in person how much I love her work. Plus, she's so sweet and nice. Emily has a new book of paper dolls out, and she'll be at Powell's on Monday for a presentation and signing.

If you're in Portland, Crafty Wonderland is still happening tomorrow. I wish I could go back another day and take pictures of the crowd. There was a cool blend of modern women, crafty chica's and vintage babes wandering around, oh, and a few men holding the babies:)

Tomorrow, I'll tell you what I bought.

Happy Holiday Giveaway

2010-12-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

You don't even have to tell me that you've been rushing around doing this and that in preparation for the holidays. I know! It takes a lot of work to make everything festive and cheerful for those we love.

You deserve a little something for yourself, right?

I have four giveaway prizes for you...

#1 A pretty little Meadowsweet book bag

#2 A Pop Garden wristlet

#3 A little zippered princess bag for your mints

#4 ... and if you have to do all of the cooking, you might as well look good in this cool vintage cowboy apron

To enter, just leave a comment - nothing clever is expected. Make sure that I have a way to contact you. If you prefer one of the prizes over the others, you can let me know that too.

I'll ship anywhere in the world, because you're worth it.

Comments are open through Sunday, December 12th. I'll draw randomly next week and post the winners by the 15th.

Now, post your comment and then do something nice for yourself.

Art and Craft Holiday Hangover

2010-12-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

You haven't heard from me for a while because I've been knee deep in fabric and thread getting ready for my Aunt and Cousin's art sale. I've been crazily sewing for two weeks! Before you feel too sorry for me though, it's fun for me to work in fits and spurts occassionally.

The kids helped out with coloring the price tags. This cute template is from Anna Maria Horner and can be downloaded here.

The first day, we were in my aunt and uncle's "barn" in Salem.

For my part, I made several bags and a few aprons.

These little zippered bags were some of my favorites and sold well.

Had I not sold anything it would have been fine because we had so much fun, plus a huge table full of homemade treats for our guests (and ourselves). The photos are by my talented uncle.

I think that our guests had a good time!

We were at my cousin's house in Portland today, and we did well in catching up with friends and family as well as selling our creations. We all support our favorite charity with this event, so I was happy to share a portion of my sales with the Oregon Food Bank.

Happy Holidays to My Inner Old Lady readers! Let me catch my breath, and then I have some give-away items for you.

The Crepe Dress by Collette Patterns

2010-11-20T18:19:00.000-08:00

How insane am I to tackle a dress in December?

Sometimes we just have to do something for ourselves girls! Today, my cousin and I took a lovely walk to the Alberta neighborhood in Portland and stopped by Bolt, one of my favorite fabric stores.

I've been wanting this Colette Pattern for since it came out:

It thrills me that the patterns are produced locally. Here's the sample dress from Colette's website:

My fairy sewing godmother was smiling on me today because:

a) Gertie of Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing (love her), is having a sew-a-long with this pattern.
b) My dream cotton voile was on a tremendous sale:

Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks Voile

I have enough of the voile to make a sash in the same fabric, but wouldn't it be lovely with a grey satin?

Gertie's going to help us with lining the garment and fitting the bodice, so I'm feeling confident about this one (knock on wood). This should be done in time for Christmas.

What a fun day.

Life is good.

Sew, Sister, Sew

2010-11-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

She's pretty darned determined...

...to get those baby blankets, rock purses, wall art projects, asymmetrical head scarves done before she runs out of thread.

I too am sewing like a mad woman. I'm getting ready for a craft sale at the beginning of December. Nothing like the last minute to get it all in order.

I would love my man to have exceptional supellectile skills.

2010-11-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

No, no, no...I'm not having dirty thoughts. Supellectile is an adjective meaning "of the nature of furniture."

It's my adopted word, and I've pledged to use it often in order to expand the English language beyond the usual 7,000 words that we typically use.

Want to adopt your own word? Go to http://www.savethewords.org/ and get your own. This is a seriously fun and worthy project.

You can even get a tee shirt with your word on it.

Hey, come to think of it, I might start adopting words for everyone on my Christmas list.

Must be nice...

2010-11-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

I want to be a big, goofy, pampered dog in my next life!

Plus, I never want to run out of love to give and to get.

What we do without them?

The Final Bag Swap Product

2010-11-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here's the bag I made for Marilyn in the Sew Mama Sew bag swap:

If it looks familiar, it's a smaller version of my Big Honkin' Yoga bag:

That was super-fun.

Now, I have to get my sewing mojo on for my Aunt and cousin's art sale. I have lots of bag ideas in my head, but if someone would please come over and clean my house, feed my family, entertain my children and pick up my husband's dirty socks I could get going.

Any takers?

Waiting for Superman

2010-10-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have not seen this movie, and I don't know if I can.

I'm terribly disturbed by the current trend to bash our public schools and our teacher unions. I know that we have things that need improvement and updating, but I see so much good work being done. Some of our teachers really are miracle workers. It's so discouraging for those of us who give our hearts and souls to our jobs to see this kind of propaganda. Here's a good article that illuminates many of the untruths in "Waiting for Superman."

This teacher reacts to seeing "Waiting for Superman"

The purse that Marilyn made...

2010-10-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is the week to mail out our purses for the Sew Mama Sew purse swap.

What a delight to find this in my mailbox yesterday:

What a fantastic bag Marilyn made. Above and beyond the call of duty, and how did she know that I love poppy and zebra motifs? And (gasp) she included a zebra button.

The wide sling straps are super cute and comfortable.

I can't show you the bag I made her yet, because I don't want her to see a picture of it yet. This was so fun, thanks Marilyn and the Sew Mama Sew team.

What time is it?

2010-10-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

It's time to show you my new yellow watch:

Maybe it's because I was in college when Swatch came up with their bright, funky time pieces. I wanted one SO badly, but didn't have the money.

It makes me happy, even when me husband said, "You paid $40 for THAT?"

Yep.

My Big, Honkin' Yoga Bag

2010-10-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Part of my job involves giving tests to individual kids to see if they qualify as Talented and Gifted. As you can imagine, there's a lot of minutes spent watching kids mark their answers in little bubble sheets. Not a highly exciting part of my job (though I'm not going to complain because I'm so glad that I HAVE a job).

So, I doodle while I'm waiting - a lot of times things I'm daydreaming about things I want to make. Here's what came of my latest doodle:

fabric: August Fields by Amy Butler

It's a big, honkin' bag (14" by 20") to pack all of my yoga stuff in. This is the first time that I something came out the way I envisioned it.

I love the way it turned out, and I think I'll make a few for the shop. This one though is mine to keep. I'm taking it to class tonight!

Oh, For Crying Out Loud

2010-10-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to say.

Images are from London Fashion week via Recycled Fashion.

Is fast food fashion now? I think it's kind of cute graphically, but c'mon! Perhaps one could pair the boots with a crocheted hamburger dress.

click here for source

What's your take on this?

Super Style Bag Swap at Sew Mama Sew

2010-09-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is exciting! Sew Mama Sew is having a bag swap.

I'm going to be participating. If you're interested, you can sign up by Wednesday (9/29).

I've got a few bags in production right now, so this is right up my alley. I think I'll stretch my wings and try something new.

Miss Prickly

Pancakes For Fairies

2010-09-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

Isn't it a nice day for a little pancake breakfast?

Reverse Tie-Dye Refashion

2010-09-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well...finally I am getting my refashioning mojo back. After grand plans for the summer, I found that nothing went as I'd planned. Now that we're all back on a schedule though, I'm finding some time for sewing again.

One of my favorite knit dresses was looking a little sad. I tried re-dying the black, but it just didn't do much for it.

Even though I've had some miserable failures with bleaching black before, I took the plunge and did a reverse tie-dye. I had some wide lace (scavenged from someone's garage sale leftovers) and stitched that around the bottom.

You would think that bleaching black would leave some shade of gray, but I've found several times that it always turns baby-diarrhea brown. This time, I used a strong solution and set it outside in the sun so it's more like a yellow-ivory.

Because I feeling very edgy and sassy, I made up a bag out of a pair of paint-splattered cargo pants to go with it. It was so much fun to make, I made two - the other one's in the shop.

This dress is so easy to wear, and now I REALLY love it (and I don't use capital letters lightly)!

Even Cooper thinks I look cool....It feels good to be back with a refashioning project.

Quite a Boy!

2010-09-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tee hee hee...you all made me giggle with your comments about the coat in the previous post. Thanks for those. You guys really made my day. I'm going to strut my stuff when I wear it. Oh, and make a yellow car pin! LOVE that idea. I promise if I ever get rid of it, I'll put it up for a give-away here.

A new member in our family arrived this weekend. As you can see, he's quite a boy!

This big darling is a rescue dog from a local shelter. I can't believe how fortunate we are to have been able to adopt him.

Cooper is a 1 1/2 year old Goldendoodle, and he is lovely and charming in every way. Not only does he look like a big muppet, he acts like one too. I get a big kick out of this big boy who is still a baby inside - he still squats like a puppy when he pees.

You can probably see that we are quite smitten with him already.

Dogs make the world a better place, don't you think?

Thrifted Echino Coat

2010-09-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise at finding this at my local Goodwill:

My first impulse was to chop it up and reassemble it into a big tote. But, really, how awesome is this coat? I can't imagine why anyone would let it go.

I can't bear to chop it up! Someone made it with a lot of love - the buttonholes are lovely, and it has yellow contrasting lining at the pockets.

I just have to finish it with buttons and belt loops. I think that $8.00 was a pretty great deal, considering that there was probably $60 that just went into the fabric.

What do you think? Too much?

First Day of School

2010-09-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

How can it be that they're so grown up? My little boy is starting third grade, and my little girl is starting first. It wasn't so long ago that I was the sun and the moon to them.

Their lives extend beyond my world now.

I was looking at my son's bare feet the other day, and noticed that they looked just like they did when he was a baby, when I would kiss and tickle them. Only now his feet are much, much bigger.

I always feel a burst of pride and joy when I watch them get on the bus in the morning. I want to yell, "You can do it! I'm right here if you need me!" But I try not to embarrass them, and give an athletic wave and a maniacal grin instead.

Here's to all of us moms who are trying to let them go gracefully....we can do it!

Back to School Fashions

2010-08-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

I broke my Wardrobe Refashion pledge BIG time. I do get a Get Out of Jail Free card once every two months, but I don't think it was intended as a pass for a shopping SPREE. Anyway, the kids and I got new back-to-school clothes, and since I haven't made anything in a few weeks, we wanted to put on a fashion show for you.

dress: Gap 1969
boots: Rocket Dog
necklace: The Black Apple

For about a year, I've been experimenting with a vegan diet. One thing that I haven't yet been willing to give up yet were leather shoes, but these non-leather boots fit the bill. I'll need to wear tights or leggings with the dress at school - a little too much bare leg for work.

jacket: Hanna Andersson (thrifted)
top: Mini Boden (thrifted)
skirt: Hanna Andersson outlet (from the $5 rack)
boots: Gap
book bag: made by me

hat: Gap
t-shirt: Target
shorts: Gap
shoes: Skechers (I found a good sale here)

Here we are at the new homework center I made for the kids near the kitchen. Finally, I don't have to wipe off the breadcrumbs off the kitchen counter before they can do their homework (and, yes, I always wear skirts and heals when I'm helping them with their homework:))

top: J Crew outlet
skirt: J Crew outlet
shoes: Dansko
necklace: made by my cousin

tie dye tee shirt: made by the little guy

boy's shorts: thrifted

boy's shoes: Gap

butterfly tee shirt: Target

skirt: thrifted

girl's shoes: Skechers

Here we are in the "Garden of Weedin". In my defence, I recently read that butterflies prefer unkept spaces in the yard. At least we're finally getting some ripe tomatoes.

necklace: refashioned from one of my mom's pieces
cardigan: Banana Republic (thrifted)
top: Anne Taylor outlet
skirt: Donna Karen outlet
shoes: thrifted
bag: thrifted (vintage)

dress: Hanna Andersson outlet
boots: Gap
hair clips: doller store

hat: Gap
tee-shirt: Hanna Andersson outlet
jeans: Gap
shoes: Skechers

girl's hat: Gymboree

girl's shirt: made by me

skirt: Gap

women's jacket: Pendleton outlet (only $25!)

women's bag: Amy Butler Birdie Sling, made by me

women's jeans: J Crew outlet

women's shoes: J-41 Vegan

We had a lot of fun putting on this fashion show. I don't think we'll make the pages of Vogue, but we like our styles regardless! Thanks for being such a nice audience.

Squeezing Out the Last Little Bit of Summer

2010-08-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hey there....I'm still here. I haven't posted for a while because we've been so busy enjoying the last of our summer breaks.

The End of the Oregon Trail Museum in Oregon City

What a fun and happy summer this has been for our family. My husband and I both feel so fortunate and grateful to be teachers.

Walking the dog in my Mom's Newport neighborhood.

With the summer break, we have a lot of opportunities to enjoy being with our kids.

The free trolley in Oregon City.

Being 8 and 6, they're big enough to swim, hike and camp with us. I just love the stage of life they're in.

The mineral pool at Kah-Nee-Ta

I started back to work today. The public school cuts in Oregon, like most everywhere else, have been devastating. I sat in meetings today with teachers who were facing, among other things, 31 kindergarteners, 43 first graders in one math class, and a superintendent who tripled up his duties by taking on the curriculum director's and the facilities director's jobs. We don't even know yet if we'll get a full school year.

I guess it's a lesson in making the best of what you have.

It sure has been a great summer, though.

An Artful Trade

2010-08-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

My talented cousin wanted me to make her a small hipster bag and suggested to do an art trade. We've done this before and it was a lot of fun. Here's the bag I made her:

fabric: Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet

I love how these fabrics come together. I've taken to making all of my bags now with an adjustable strap - they're so much more usable than without.

I've also started putting my tags on the inside of the bag, rather than the outside. More subtle, no?

Here's what she made me - a sketch of my sewing machine to hang onto the wall. I love this, she has such a talent for animating inanimate objects. Here are a few pictures from an artful coloring book that she made with her mom, who is also an artist:

Of course, I can't ever stop at just sewing one bag because I have to do everything in bunches. I've started on a few for the shop.

I wish I could tell you when they'll be in the shop, but I've been a lazy seamstress this summer. I might not finish them for several weeks.

I hope that you're all enjoying the end of your summers. I have to back to work in a week and a half.

Girl's Japanese Dress

2010-08-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

If it's not love, it's definitely very much like for me with these Japanese patterns. So cute and easy...even I couldn't mess this one up. Here's my girl in a dress to wear to first grade:

I love the crochet trim, but when I first looked at the pattern I thought it very odd that it was sewn to a raw edge (no facing or lining on the dress).

At first I scoffed at the raw edge and started to line the bodice, but then I thought, "Hey I'm going to live large and take a chance!" It looks really cute this way, I think.

The bodice has the tiniest bit of gathering in two places at the front.

The back closes by tying the extra trim.

Originally this fabric was a sad lilac calico that was given to me. I dyed it with two packages of RIT dye on the stove, then threw in some white crochet trim that I'd purchased at a garage sale.

The pattern came from "happy homemade vol. 2." Sadly for us, the sizes only go up to 130, so we'll only be able to use it a few times since that's the size my daughter is wearing right now. Hopefully one of you can use it when I'm done. Look for this in a giveaway coming up.

Pie-ography

2010-08-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I had a rare afternoon at home by myself. With a silent house and a sleeping dog at my feet, I made some pies with the peaches I got at the orchard down the road.

I started thinking about the role of pies in my life as I was fluting the edges. My mom taught me how to flute the edges, using a sideways thumb on the bottom and two finger pressed on either side on the top. I think I did that once before I invented my own fluting technique.

I loved watching Mom make pies. She made a lot of them because we had a berry and vegetable farm. With the exception of the occasional fight with the crust (probably where I heard my first swear words), it was a peaceful time. The process of making pies from scratch is the highest form of alchemy in my mind. A pie emerges from basically flour, butter, fruit and sugar. Whoever coined the expression "easy as pie" was obviously not referring to the making of a pie. They're really quite tricky to make if you want the crust right.

My parents had a contentious relationship. There was a lot of fighting in my house, fueled by the stresses of managing a family farm; the tragic death of my brother when he was just 19 and my mom's struggle with alcoholism. But, pies were the good times. Looking back, I think that my mom made Dad pies as a way to please him, maybe even as a peace offering. He loved pie. We often laugh over the story of Mom's first pie for Dad. It was cherry, and she lovingly picked all of the cherries by hand from the tree in the back yard. It wasn't until Dad bit into the pie that she'd realized that she forgot to take out the pits.

Once, when I was in my 20's, I made a boyfriend a nice chicken dinner after we'd had an argument. He said to me, "You know that you can't solve all of our problems with a chicken dinner."

He was probably right, but food made with love sure makes the world a nicer place.

By the way, this was THE BEST peach pie recipe I've made. It's the vegan peach pie from About.com.

This is Killing Me....

2010-07-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

Give me one good reason why I should NOT crochet this bikini:

Yeah, I thought that you'd say that. I'll get my hook out...

Here's a link to this project.

It's from Vicki Howell's, Pop Goes Crochet:

Japanese Dress Re-do

2010-07-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here's the dress that was hanging on the wall in my last post:

minus 16" of width from the skirt;

an inch from the waist lenth (where I had to trim off the ugly snaps);

and three inches from the hem.

Though there's still plenty of room, I like it very much. My daughter told me that I looked like an army nurse. Not sure what that means, but there it is.

Japanese Dress and Slip

2010-07-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just finished the second of three classes that I'm taking on Japanese sewing.
Here's my first dress:

It's a wrap dress, and it has two snaps inside to keep everything secure.

And I'm proud to say that it's made from a pair of thrifted CURTAINS, which I shamelessly bragged about to my classmates. Anyway, I wanted to show you a picture before I disassembled it, because it's HUGE. It is supposed to be a loose fitting dress, but I could take two friends along with me in this! I like it enough that I'm going to take it apart and take it in the right way.

Here's a slip that can be worn underneath the dress, or over a tee-shirt and leggings:

This was from another thrifted curtain made of cotton voile. I ADORE the bottom of this slip.

I made a mistake by forgetting that the neckline is slightly gathered, so I'm taking this one apart as well to correct it. Am I the only one that never gets it right the first time I sew something?

I'm in love with Japanese pattern books right now. They're really not at all hard to work with once you understand a few basics. The patterns are simple and stylish. I used this book:

I purchased it from this eBay seller (and then ordered two more).

I read a post by Amada over at Little Cumulus and she's also venturing into Japanese sewing. In fact, she's using one of the same books I am. It should be fun to see what she comes up with. She also has some nice links to share if you're interested in learning more about working from these books.

I hope that you have a lovely weekend!

Library Book Bags

2010-07-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

This was a simple project, but one of my favorites of the summer. Bags for our library books.

We are hard-core libraryists (Sarah Palin has given me permission to make up that word), but we've never had one place to keep our books and our cards. My girl's bag is made from a blue piece of an IKEA sheet, and some Heather Ross Mendocino scraps.

fabric: Laura Gunn Poppy

The great thing about these bags are that they are padded with fusible fleece - even in the straps. That's a great feature in the bag that carries things with sharp corners. I used Sandi's book again, Sewing Bits and Pieces: 35 Projects Using Fabric Scraps, as I did in the head scarf project. I added a little pocket to the inside lining for a library card.

I made one for my boy too, but realized at the end that I'd sewed the pocket in sideways, so I had to rip the entire bag apart. I'm good friends with my seam ripper!

Kitschy Summer Head Scarves

2010-07-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've been a lazy blogger. I have, however, been an excellent reader, napper, popsicle-maker and Twister player. I love summer.

Here's a project for all of us sewing lightweights. Cute, kitschy head scarves.

This project is from Sandi Hendersons new book, Sewing Bits and Pieces: 35 Projects Using Fabric Scraps. I love everything Sandi does and this book is no exception.

The head scarf above is made from the same vintage sheet that I made this dress out of. I made one for me and one for my girl, plus a few to go into the shop. I should be able to post them in a few days.

I have sewing ADD right now. I'm working on three projects for my Japanese sewing class, plus I'm crazily making some great library bags from Sandi's book. Maybe I'll finish them all, maybe I won't...

Hope your days are lazy too!

Memaloose Lake Hike

2010-07-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

We had a fun hike yesterday through a beautiful old growth forest. This trail is about 20 miles out of Estacada, Oregon. It's the first full hike we've taken the kids on.

I've hiked with my aunt, uncle and cousin for many years, and I really wanted my kids to experience the fun our little group has when we get out into the woods.

There was so much to marvel over in this beautiful forest, and it was fun to see things through the kids' eyes.

We found a lot of evidence of elusive forest fairies here....

..and lots of streams to cross.

Our destination was a shallow lake filled with Salamanders.

We ate lunch near the lake, and I ate so many of my aunt's homemade goodies that it was a tough hike back to the car.

A memory to treasure.....

Theater Dress Refashion

2010-07-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm kicking myself for not having a before picture of this crazy-beautiful dress that I bought at a performing arts garage sale. It was made of this beautiful silk poppy fabric, but like many performance dresses, it was not constructed well and was falling apart when I came across it.

Here's the top I made:

refashioned Eddie Bauer pants
thrifted Mephisto sandals

I'm loving this top now that we finally have some summer in Oregon. The temps were near 100 F today, which was just fine with me.

I used one of my favorite patterns from Diana Rupp's book:

Back Fence Friends

2010-07-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

These girls are good friends, but they've never played together without a fence in between them. They remind me of Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble on one of their epic gossip sessions.

This a perfectly acceptable arrangement for them, and on nice days they spend hours together.

Sometimes they just stand and talk, or they might pass a ball back and forth over the fence. I recall a few tunnels and squirt gun fights too. Occasionally, the adults socialize through the fence too. Zucchini and hand-me-down clothes have passed over the fence.

So I guess that fences can bring people together...

I'm Loving These...

2010-07-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

I LOVE summer and everything that comes with it:

Peaches...I made smoothies yesterday and pie today. Perfect!

Goldfinches...there were four at my thistle feeder yesterday.

Marathon Monopoly games...is it wrong to beat your kids?

Meadowsweet...I know that have too much fabric, but I've been coveting this since it came out and it was only $5.50 a yard (quick, there's still some left)!

I hope you're all well. Our family we'll be celebrating Independence Day tomorrow with good food and fireworks.

New Blog Header

2010-06-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

Props to Cathe Holden for my new blog header. She's recycling some of her previous designs and I couldn't resist trying one out. You can see all of the designs on her blog.

Now if only Blogger would let me change the size and placement of it...

I think that it's a little hard to read. If I were an html whiz, I could go in and rewrite the template. I suppose that's why people hire the professionals!

High Street Messenger Bag

2010-06-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

We had a graduation party yesterday and I wanted to make our babysitter a book bag to take to college. I've been procrastination though, and didn't start working on it until the morning before the party. I made this in less than 3 hours!

My six-year-old helped with the ironing, and she was surprisingly helpful. I used Amy Butler's High Street Messenger Bag (with some time-saving omissions). This is a great pattern - I've used it twice now.

I didn't skimp on adding a little bug to the inside though. My son wanted to make sure that she had a friend to take to college with her.

Sewing From Japanese Patterns

2010-06-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Scarlett did it.

Maria did it.

I'm talking about making clothes from curtains.

I'm so excited about my new venture, a class on working with Japanese patterns at Modern Domestic here in Portland.

I've long admired the charming simplicity of Japanese clothes, but as you can tell, the directions are typically not in English. To get ready for my class, I bought a book from a Japanese seller on eBay and chose a few projects. In looking through the dresses and tunics in this book, I noticed that most of the material looked like, well, curtains.

So, I've been buying thrifted curtains. The fabric above is a heavy cotton with a lovely drape. Perfect for this wrap dress.

I adore this voile tunic. Here's a cotton voile swiss dot curtain. I'll try to salvage the edge on the fabric.

More cotton voile - in its former life, this was a curtain panel from Ikea.

Another voile top, this fabric has a subtle, embossed vine motif on it.

I'm so excited for this class, which starts the middle of July. I'll let you know what happens after that!

Vintage Sheet Cami

2010-06-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

I've been on my summer break for almost two weeks. Do you think I've accomplished much? Not unless you count reading, napping and doing yoga. Hmm.....on second thought, maybe I SHOULD count those as accomplishments.

Well, here's a TANGIBLE accomplishment:

I made this from two different vintage sheets. I've used this pattern (Simplicity 3739) on several shirts and dresses. My shirt matches my daughter's dress - I know I'm corny that way.

I made a little slip for her out of the same sheet and some fold-over elastic to wear under the dress, then edged it with a wide piece of lace.

Pretty soon, my entire wardrobe will be made of sheets, re-fashioned men's shirts and curtains (more on the curtain project in a future post).

Happy summer!

Fairy Terrarium How-To

2010-06-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

The kids and I had a blast making terrariums today. This is a great summer project for all ages. We found all of the containers and miniatures at the thrift store, making the cost of the project about what we'd go to the movies for.

Terrariums can be closed (with a lid) or open systems. Closed systems don't need to be watered as they create their own water cycle (good science lesson). Open systems just need to be misted with a spray bottle. We made four open and one closed. You have to look for glass containers with openings big enough to get a hand in (although some people use chopsticks if the opening is too small for hands).

Besides the container, you need horticultural charcoal, moss, rocks and plants. All of these things can be found in a garden center. For our plants, my garden center has a section of Stepables - small groundcover plants. Check tags for light requirements. All of my plants are for part sun.

First, put a layer of rocks in for drainage - 1 or 2 inches. I love the contrast of the white rocks.

The second layer is about an inch of horticultural charcoal. You really only need this in closed systems as it filters the water and keeps everything smelling fresh. We put the charcoal in all of our terrariums.

Wet the moss to make it easier to work with, then add a thick layer to keep the soil from sifting down through the rocks.

Potting soil makes up the fourth layer. If you want to use succulents mix sand into the potting soil.

Now for the real fun. My plants are all pretty small, but they do vary in texture, color and height. The miniatures are from the thrift store, pieces of driftwood from the beach, rocks from our driveway and a few things borrowed from Barbie.

A great place for fairies to play!

My kids were so proud of their terrariums. Send me a picture if you try this one!

Winner!

2010-06-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed reading all of your comments. What a diverse bunch you are! I had a chance to peek at some of your blogs too.

The winner of the Drawing Room bag and cosmetic purse is:

#5

Nicole said...
I currently live in western NC where I came to graduate school. I met my husband here (we got married last October) so a place where I thought I'd only stay a couple of years has turned into more of a long-term deal. :o)
June 13, 2010 6:50 AM

Please contact me so that I can get your goodies out a.s.a.p., Nicole.

Thanks for all of your lovely comments everyone.

In Honor of Nothing in Particular - A Giveaway! - CLOSED

2010-06-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

From my Etsy store:

Description

Made of beautiful decor weight cotton by Anna Maria Horner, this simple zippered bag measures 10" wide by 13" long. It has one interior pocket, large enough for a cell phone or a tin of mints.
The strap drop is a generous 26".

The bag is made to lay flat against the body.

The zippered case is made of the same fabric as the lining of the larger bag and measures 5" by 7".

To enter: I'd love to know a little about you all. Leave a comment, tell me where you live and something about yourself. Open until midnight on Wednesday, June 16th (Pacific time). I'll chose someone randomly and post the winner on Thursday, June 17th.

I'll ship internationally too.

Vintage Sheet Dress For My Cutie-Pie

2010-06-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

My girl is as sweet as the summer. This little dress should suit her well.

It's made from another vintage sheet from my stash. After sewing a wrap skirt from a vintage sheet a while back, I decided to make series of vintage sheet garments. That's the way I roll, I guess. Always doing things in bunches. I love this fabric so much, I've already cut out a shirt for myself out if it.

The trim is bias tape that I made from a square of red polka-dot fabric that I had on hand. This is the first time I've made my own bias tape, and I have to say that it was so easy and fun, I don't know why I ever bought bias tape.

The red button came from my grandma's stash.

I used this pattern, which I found at my local thrift store. Funny how the original price of the pattern is less than the 69 cents I paid! Still, I got a good deal, because I'll use this pattern more than once.

Polymer Clay Seashells with the Kids

2010-06-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

It's been raining buckets in the Portland area this spring. Judging from the clutter-piles around the house, I think that the little people are restless. Perfect for a good craft day.

We made shell necklaces, sea stars and funky buttons.

With the exception of the buttons, everything was made by polymer molds created from objects found on the beach. The buttons were free-formed.

We used a book that my daughter found at the library:

This book is full of tons of cool projects. I can't wait to try out the robot necklace pictures on the cover. 44-year-old women can wear robots, right?

We all had so much fun that we had to tear ourselves away from our work at bedtime. My little guy made necklaces for all of his second-grade buddies.

Vintage Sheet Wrap Skirt

2010-06-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Vintage sheets are pretty aren't they? One of my favorite new reads is The Vintage Sheet Blog. I found some great sheets at an estate sale last summer for a quarter each. Here's what I made with part of one:

There are tons of patterns and tutorials for wrap skirts out there, but I really wanted a wide sash for a waistband, so that I could mix up some patterns. I got this one from Martha Stewart.

Waistband: Heather Bailey Freshcut (no longer in production)

Say what you will about Martha, but I love her new book. It's a little pricey at $35, but the book is chocked full of projects, and the patterns all come on a DVD in PDF format. And you know that Martha gets it right, the patterns are well thought out, simple and stylish.

Actually I checked the book out from the library, but it still had the DVD in it. I may have to spring for one of these in my library.

Six Shirts Sewn

2010-05-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here are all six of my refashioned shirts for the month of May:

from left to right:

1. Men's gingham shirt to a summer skirt

2. Men's shirt to a gathered empire waist shirt

3. Men's shirt to a cami

4. Men's shirt to a bias-trimmed short sleeve

5. Men's shirt to a casual dress with ruffled sleeves

6. Men's flannel shirt to a tank top

Refashioned Men's Shirt #6

2010-05-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

I did it. I finished the series, on time and without procrastinating. Of course it helped that I was home from work sick for a couple of days (but not too sick to sew).

Before:

After:

Necklace: thrifted piece of a rock

There is something sooooo sexy about a man's flannel shirt. I just melt when I see a guy wearing an old, worn flannel shirt. It brings out the Daisy Duke in me.

I used the fabulous SEW Everything Workshop book by Diana Rupp for the idea. I have read or own a lot of sewing books, but this one is consistently a favorite of mine.

Here's what I did:

1. Cut the bottom off just under the armpits.

2. Made a band and shoulder straps out of the rest of the shirt (two pieces for each).

3. Gathered the top of the shirt piece and attached 1 band.

4. Attached the shoulder straps, along with the second band.

5. Topstitched both pieces of the band together.

6. Hand stitched tiny bows under each strap.

What I learned: I'm a big fan of this shirt pattern. This is the third I've made in this style. One thing that I keep doing is making the band too loose. It has to fit pretty snuggly for the shirt to work.

Hot Yoga

2010-05-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Today I took a hot yoga class, which is really called Bikram yoga. 26 yoga poses are practiced for 90 minutes at room heated to 105 degrees (fahrenheit). Oh....and you're asked not to leave the room.

I'd done enough research to know that it would be challenging, but I was up for that. I made it through half the class well enough, taking it slow- sitting when I needed to and sipping water. But, I kind of freaked out about an hour into the class. I was dizzy and felt like I was going to throw up AND cry.

Um...I can't do that yet.

I waved at the (very wonderful) instructor from across the room and pointed to the door. He walked over to me and calmly said, "Just lay down until it passes." I think that I had a panic attack. I knew that I was going to be all right. For crying out loud there were elderly folks in there and even a very pregnant lady who were doing just fine, but I still had panicky thoughts of puking or crying.

I didn't throw up (or cry), and after about 10 minutes of forcing myself to stop panting like a dog and instead breathing through my nose, I was able to rejoin the class for the last 10 minutes. I almost cried out "Hallelujah!" when the class was over, and I walked into the cool hallway.

Can't do that one either.

The most wonderful part of the experience was the love I got in the ladies locker room afterward from my class mates. The first class is hard for everyone, but after your body gets used to the heat it (reportedly) becomes at least tolerable, if not pleasant.

What an experience! I'm going back on Monday.

Oh, did I mention that I feel WONDERFUL right now?

Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

2010-05-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

This is just between you and me, okay? Grosgrain has one of the best giveaways ever! Go win yourself a swimsuit. If they accidently send you two, share one with me.

While you're entering giveaways, go visit my blogger friend, Little Blossom. She's a new blogger and fabulously creative girl.

Refashioned Men's Shirt #5

2010-05-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

A kickin' summer skirt from a men's xxl long sleeved shirt:

Shirt: J Crew

Boots: Jessica Simpson

Necklace: I made it.

I love how this turned out. Of course, I pretty much love (almost!) any skirt. The fabric is a tiny blue gingham with a smooth and drapey finish. Is it my imagination or are men's shirts made of nicer fabric than women's?

Here's what I did:

1. Cut off the shirt from armpit to armpit.

2. Removed the pocket.

3. Stitched the placket together with two stitching lines, with the buttonhole side on the bottom.

4. Cut a 2 1/2 strip from the sleeves to make a waistband.

5. Stitched the short ends together and folded the waistband (long end to long end).

6. Gathered the top of the shirt and attached it to the waistband.

7. Inserted 1" elastic into the waistband.

8. Hemmed the skirt to above the knee.

9. Reattached the pocket to the skirt front.

What I learned: I wouldn't change a thing with this one. I love everything about it. I would like to try making one with a wider waistband.

The Phodographer

2010-05-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Me to 6-year-old daughter, "Honey, stop taking pictures of the dog, you're irritating her."

The 6-year-old replies, "But Mom, I'm learning to be a phoDOGrapher."

I thought you'd like that:)

Refashioned Men's Shirt #4

2010-05-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here's number 4 in the series of six refashions. It started as an xl short sleeved shirt, with a pocket.

I've got some fit issues to correct under the arms, but I like this style and will make it again.

I love the gathered neckline.

Here's what I did:

1. Cut out around a shirt I liked in a similar style. I just had two pieces, a front and a back.

2. Stitched up the sides and shoulders.

3. Attached 1" single-fold bias tape at the raw edges of the neck and sleeves. I stitched just 1/8 inch from the edge at the neck, so that I would have a casing.

4. Added 3/8" elastic through bias tape casing at the neckline.

5. Secured the elastic at each end with a topstitch.

Here's what I learned - the sleeve fit is crucial. Next time I'll take a measurement at my upper arm before I cut.

Winner!

2010-05-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all of your comments.
I read all of them, and I appreciate each of your sweet and funny comments.

The winner is #202

T.A.W. said...

What a wonderful giveaway. Thanks!

May 18, 2010 8:13 AM

This was fun. Let's do it again soon!

Some you were curious about the fabric I used. This piece was from IKEA - but I think that they've since discontinued the line (I couldn't find it online anyway).

Giveaway! CLOSED

2010-05-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to everyone who stopped by for the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway.
All of the giveaways run from May 17 - 20.

Here's what I made for one lucky winner:

Tote measures 15" by 16.5" and is lined in black.
There are three fantastic pockets inside.

Just leave a comment and I'll select a winner randomly. The winning entry will be announced here on May 21st. I'll even ship internationally.

Good luck!

That's it. Now move on and keep clicking!

We planted our garden this weekend....

2010-05-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

...and made sure that EVERYTHING got watered really well!

Have a great day.

Refashioned Men's Shirt #3

2010-05-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a fabulous shirt?

It's a 4XL in one of my favorite colors. The cotton is very soft. I was tempted to just roll up the sleeves and schlep around the house in it.

But, I turned it into a dress to schlep around in instead. If I had to name this dress, I'd call "The Farmer's Market Dress" since that's the first place I wore it to.

It's perfect for the weather here. The Portland area is finally breaking in to the 70s after a long spell of cold rain. A simple shirt dress is a nice alternative to shorts.

The sleeves are the only bit of fancy here. Otherwise, it's all no-nonsense. Here's what I did.

Removed the collar and topstitched around the remaining neckline.
Reduced the width of the dress and the sleeve by stitching from the underneath side of the sleeve and all the way down the side of the shirt.
Cut the sleeve and added a ruffle.

Psst...make sure you check back on Monday for the giveaway. I have a nice little something for you!

Happy Mother's Day to Lucky Me

2010-05-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you for reminding me how full of wonder the world is,

and that there are always new places to explore.

You're always showing me that life is full of beauty and cool things, like sea stars and anemones.

The ocean is so, so, so much bigger than we are, but we'll take of each other over sharp rocks and slippery places.

Thank you for being in my life, and for letting me be your mother.

I promise to do the best I can.

But when I do fall short, thanks for understanding.

Magician's Cape

2010-05-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

My boy has been learning magic tricks lately from book he found at a garage sale, so I made him a magician's cape.

I am the mysterious magic guy!

My mom's making me pose like this.

Since I already had the material in my stash, I did this in one evening. Here's the rundown:

After I measured him for length and width, I cut a trapezoid (I just drew the shape strait on the fabric with chalk). Then, I hemmed the sides and bottom.

I cut a collar to fit around his neck, plus a few extra inches. The width is four inches.

The collar was then ironed in half, lengthwise and with right sides together.

I rounded the edges by tracing a glass.

I stitched the right sides together of the collar, leaving a large opening for turning.

I trimmed the seam allowances with pinking shears (I love pinking shears!)

Before I attached the collar to the cape, I added magnetic snaps (little magicians LOVE magnetic snaps).

The last step is to stitch the collar to the cape. I ended up using my serger for this, because my Singer wouldn't go through all of the layers (my Bernina is still being serviced). I used a heavy microfiber that was super tough to sew through.

Success! He hasn't taken it off since I made this. Plus, I think his magic is getting better.

Total Shoe ReDo Week on Grosgrain

2010-05-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Where has Grosgain been all my life? This is a refashionista's heaven! Now I wish I hadn't donated my old flats to Goodwill. Check it out!

Total Shoe ReDo Week on Grosgrain

Refashioned Men's Shirt #2

2010-05-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the second project in my series of six.

I (foolishly) asked my 8-year-old boy, "How do you like the shirt I made?"
(Pause) "It makes you look fat."
Me, "What are you talking about?"
Him, "Sorry Mom, but somebody needs to tell you."

So, it's true then the males of our species are BORN with a lack of tact. Sigh (big eye roll)....

Here's what I did:

1. I used this pattern for the bodice, eliminating the zipper. I added fusible interfacing to the bodice and lining to shore up the material. (I used the same pattern on this dress too.)

2. For the bottom portion of the shirt, I placed a few 1/2-inch pleats in the front and back of the shirt, just off the center.

3. I cut the straps on the bias.

4. I stitched the original little cuff buttons at the base of the straps in front.

5. I shortened the shirt and straightened the hem with a small, double-folded hem.

What I learned: Don't ever ask an 8-year-old boy for his opinion about your outfit.

She Sews Six Shirts in Short Shifts

2010-05-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

Say that three times fast! (Congratulating myself on a clever title... Usually I'm quite a slow thinker, so this is a rare bit of wittiness.)

I'm challenging myself this month. I've signed up for another six months on wardrobe refashion. In past months, I've fulfilled my pledge by making clothes from my stash or from thrifted fabric. I just haven't re-made many garments, but I did hack quite a few things up (they never really worked out).

THE pile!

So here it is. Six shirts to be refashioned into wearable clothing for the month of May.

All of them have to be unique.

Shirt number one:

This started as a men's long-sleeved, extra large shirt with a collar and a pocket.

Details:

Removed the pocket. The shirt had nice quality cotton, so there weren't any marks left over.
Removed the collar and topstitched the edge.
Cut the shirt from underarm to underarm; sewed a seam from the bottom of each sleeve and down the side to make the sleeve and bodice smaller; gathered the bottom half of the cut shirt and re-stitched the two halves back together. I pressed the seam up and topstitched to make the gathers lie nicely.
Shortened and hemmed the sleeves to 3/4 length.
I left the original hem.

Here was my inspiration.

Here's what I learned: I do like this shirt and will wear it a lot. I think that instead of gathering the bottom half of the shirt, it would look better to fold in some small pleats in the front. It would look slightly more tailored that way. Also, one has be mindful of the boob-line. Gathers should fall slight above or below the summit.