Kids Clothes Sewing Challenge: For the Boys

Elsie Marley's fantastic kid's clothing sewing week is such a good kick in the pants for me. I did manage to sew at least an hour everyday (except Saturday...just didn't happen) and I got a few things done for the boys. Up above, Jude got a pair of reversible pants...by being reversible they get a cute little accent cuff at the bottom, which will also make them easy to grow with over time. The pattern I made using a pair of his current pants. And, the top is the 'Kai shirt' from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing book (I love this top...so cute, so easy.). The fabric is from Hawthorne Threads and I thought it would lend itself to a bit of a more sophisticated look than the average car/truck fabric and it does to some extent but not as much as I had hoped.

I also used Weekend Sewing for these pajama pants...one pair for both boys. The secret plan (sshhh) is to make Papa a pair and then break them out for Father's Day. Got to get to American Apparel for the matching tees. I will be perfectly honest about this...it's for me. I'm just dying to see my guys in matching pajamas. I don't know that they are going to care in the least. But, I promise to keep you posted. Perhaps I will be surprised! It could happen.
This is a detail of the fabric...again from hawthorne....it's called tiny town (I think) and along side a variety of fun cars and trucks are cute little shops including one for fabric and yarn. He. He. I told you this is for me!

Confessions of a Valentine's Junkie

I happen to love Valentine's Day. Not in the the "I had better get roses and chocolates" kind of way. Not at all. I just love the love in Valentine's Day. And, of course, for me nothing is more loving than bringing in the handmade. For some reason, other seasons can stress me out and the looming deadline of a birthday, for example, can mean I end up falling short and accomplish next to nothing. But, I rise to the challenge when it comes to V-day. This year, it meant that I made some red and white placemats, handmade cards, and a paper table runner. It set it out the night before so that the boys woke up to a valentine's table. We decided to celebrate early so we could really enjoy it together.
The table runner was super simple: I cut hearts out of red paper that I had around, with no rhyme or reason. I would sit and cut as the boys played or while they worked on art projects and keep my paper and scissors handy in case I got a moment. I just cut until I ran out of paper. Then I set them next to the sewing machine and started sewing...grabbing as I went. The hearts are all different sizes and are wonky to boot...they are not an even distance from each other but somehow the more random the better with this one.
This was the card for this year. In years past I have made dozens of cards and sent them way and yonder. This year I made just a few and none of them are actually in the mail. So, they will be late. (Of course, the ones for my boys even came early!) But, that's ok. Love isn't about *on time*.

This morning, my husband and I pulled together a special breakfast including heart-shaped pancakes and smoothies. And tonight we plan on making my mom's special tomato soup. For dessert, my husband is trying his hand at homemade ice cream and I'm making a flourless chocolate cake. One of the joys of making it a handmade valentine's day is that I feel we get to retain the concept of a day set aside to embrace the love we have for each other and the love we share as a family but we junk the "love means buying something" idea.

In other news, I decided to start up a regular feature (at least I hope I can keep it going regularly) of book reports on Mondays.

Like back in the old days of middle school, notebooks and fill in the blank book reports. Except this time I'm going to review the crafting books I have as well as my favorite children's books. The idea is two-fold: to share my thoughts on various sewing/crafting books. As I tend to buy books rather than patterns and have amassed a good collection, I think it can be useful to others to get a review of these books in case you are considering them yourself. Second, I just love sharing the beauty and fun of some of our favorite children's book and hope to pass that on! I would love to have anyone join me! (This is very selfish as I would love to learn others thoughts on sewing and children's books! So, please join me!). I know it's short notice but let me know if you want to include book reports on your blog and I can include a link on Mondays back to you. Join tomorrow or after that. It doesn't matter. Then, I will get out my ruler and twin set and prepare to act like your teacher. Got it?!

My Favorites from the Handmade Holiday Season

Giving handmade makes the holidays so much more special and these dolls (from the book Bend the Rules with Fabric) were the gift I made this year that left me eager for Christmas to start already! I just couldn't wait for everyone to open them. I made a set for my sister, brother, mom, dad and grandma. I also made a set of the whole family for both of our boys. They LOVE them and so far have been used as participants at a tea party and observers of charades. The baby just likes to pick up his doll of himself and kiss it. It's adorable, frankly.
I also appliqued onto tea towels as a house-y gift for my sister. I really like how these turned out and like the strong images on a soft tea towel style.
May they dry many glorious dishes! All in all, I enjoyed a more scaled down handmade holiday this year and even so, felt the stress of sewing and sewing and sewing throughout December. It is nice to be solidly in January, preparing for some more experimental and whimsical sewing projects...whatever they may be.

Holiday Sweeting

There has been some sweets-making this year, though it was round a different bend. I found out recently that I have an intolerance to wheat and gluten. So, after feeling sorry for myself I decided to get into gluten-free holiday goodies. Let's just say, it's a good thing chocolate is wheat-free! I made some bon-bons, some macaroons and some peppermint bark and I was mighty proud of myself if I do say so. Let me know if you are interested in any recipes. I will say they were, overall, much easier than "baking" baking. Score one for the wheat-gluten challenged!

Grandma's Scarf

I love making nice things for my grandmother...she scrimped and saved her whole life and has only just started indulging in anything for herself. So, after reading this and falling in love with velveteen I started considering making grandma a super indulgent scarf. And, I'm so glad I did.
The velveteen is really soft (and it DOES creep when you sew it, which can be tricky) and scrumptious. The scarf was so easy, which is really good because I had to work fast and ship it quickly because I was making this one really last minute. I had to include this final picture, quite possibly the oddest and most awkward picture ever! Ahh.

Turning a Digger Into a Pillow.

My oldest woke me up at 4 in the morning in the early Fall of this year and said, "Mama. Can you make a digger into a pillow?" At the time I was amused but also pretty sleepy. Thinking about it the next morning after a spot of coffee, I decided that I ought to try and dig up some digger fabric for a cozy bedspread and, yes, pillow case and put in my best effort at turning a digger into a pillow, so to speak.
This bedspread and pillowcase are the result. I found the fabric on etsy from a fantastic seller. It doesn't technically have a digger on it, it has a bulldozer among other things, but it was the most aesthetically pleasing of the 'transportation-themed' fabrics that I found. I ended up making a bedspread for both boys (fairness is HUGE at our house right now). And, inside of both of them I tucked something really special and warm...sure to keep winter toes toasty...a wool blanket lines them both. But, not just any wool blanket...the two wool blankets I inherited when my beloved grandmother passed away. They were worn with pretty *wild* designs on them but are now just perfectly tucked inside flannel fabric ready to protect the next generation from any kind of bitter cold.

These bedspreads are both waiting under the tree, to be opened in just a few short days. But, just knowing that they are sitting there is warming my heart already.

tidings of peace and joy

Welcome to our family's first ever Winter Holiday banner. It consists of five birds (made way back when from here), each hanging from its own banner that is decorated with a little bit of ric-rac at the bottom. I used bias tape to pull it all together. Because I like to get a little 'symbolic' about things, each of the birds represents someone in our family...though I will admit I had to include the cat in order to fit in the word peace.
It says *joy* on the other side, which makes it completely unattached to any Christmas tune. But, honestly, what I want this year is peace and joy. That's pretty much it, in a nutshell.

thank-full

I have such an insane amount to be thankful for that it makes it feels oddly tenuous...as if too many good things are pouring into a glass and it will soon tip over and empty. Can't tell if that is my realistic side or my skeptical side coming through. But, either way, I'm knocking on wood and in the meantime, enjoying how it feels to be filled to the brim with gratitude.
Everyone is healthy, our house is full of love, laughter and good food, dear friends are doing amazing and emotionally healing things, and I'm finally making some decisions about my own future that feel really good. It's a lot of good stuff.
We enjoyed a fantastic thanksgiving, to boot. Every year we try out new recipes thinking that perhaps this 'new' version is going to be the one that we stick with from here on out and becomes our 'tradition'. This year, while looking over the dog-eared recipes I marked as part of our 'tradition' I just wasn't inspired. Instead, I got hunting around to try something new. My dad send me to this life-changing interactive recipe website from the NYTimes. I'm seriously contemplating trying out every single recipe througout the winter, everything looks amazing and seasonal. For thanksgiving, we tried the brussel sprouts-grapes (!) and root vegetable recipes both of which stole the show. But, I love the look of all of it and might just have to print each recipe out for my recipe binder (which is splitting at the seems, literally.)

It also helped me realize that my traditional meal doesn't consist of making the same thing every year, it consists of experimenting with something new every year. And, why not? As we ride this wave of good things, we better eat well, too.

Happy Easter!

{we never get white eggs anymore so I had to capture how elegant they looked before their dunking and designing.}

Happy Valentine's Day

We made some cards this year. Easy ones, just stuff on hearts. Most were made with markers and stickers but a few with glitter glue. Glitter glue is our new thing. Mostly, we like pouring vast quantities of it onto our paper and mushing it all together. Which is why we are nearly out of the stuff. It reminds me of Beverly Cleary, when she squeezed out all of the toothpaste from the tube, just because she couldn't resist it. And, then she had to use the saved toothpaste out of a plastic bag until it was all gone. Oh, how I could relate to wanting to do that. This is why I can't say 'no' or try to coax him into 'properly' using it. What is proper use of art supplies anyway? So, we pour and smoosh.

Happy Valentine's Day. Hoping you find the time to misuse some art supplies, have belly-aching fun and slow down for a wisp of romance.

think love

Made up some fabric scrap valentine's cards this week. I kind of get into valentine's day cards, I particularly enjoy making them because, unlike Christmas cards, there are no expectations for valentine's cards. There is no pressure. They can suck and it won't matter, it will still be sweet. To make them I ironed fabric scraps to freezer paper, so it would be stabilized. Then, I used cookie cutters to make my shapes with a fabric marker. After that, it's just cut and sew.
I like sewing on paper, it feels oddly naughty. Like I'm really pushing some crafting edge. I guess that is as thrilling as things get for a mom of two little people! Either way, Happy (nearly) Valentine's Day all.

inspiration and new horizons

I was a lucky gal this Christmas, (I vow to stop talking holiday in February) in the best ways possible. As a complete surprise I got a beautiful book as a gift from my mom. Having just learned about Lisbeth Zwerger, I shared with her how amazing her children's books are. Lo and behold, Christmas morning the book "The Art of Lisbeth Zwerger" was waiting under the tree. I have been pouring over this beautiful, thin book since then. My husband also surprised me with a gift certificate and a vow of baby-free time for quilting classes at the City Quilter in New York. So, next weekend I've booked the free motion quilting class. That's right! I'm upping my quilting game. Wish me luck.

the farmer's market bags

Ok, time for some of the top secret holiday gifts to see the light of day. My sister is almost always my favorite person to make gifts for. She is a great giver of handmade gifts as well and so I know that she will enjoy (and maybe even cherish) the 'character' in many of the handmade things I make for her. This year I aimed for making things as sustainable as possible. So, using the top of a yard sale cotton shower curtain and the stamps I had carved myself, I made these farmer's market bags.
They came out a little wonky because I used the grommets on the shower curtain as the loops for ribbon handles.

I should confess to really digging these bags myself, I might have to find another yard sale shower curtain so I can be styling at the farmer's market, too.

Handmade Holiday Goodies

And now...for the holiday gifts that were secretly photographed and wiled away their time just waiting for their blog debut...oh yes, it is the time for the great reveal of things made for my sister who I always fear lurks around the blog near Christmas time. Her gifts this year were pretty simple, just regular tea towels appliqued with bold images. I cut the images off a heavier-weight Ikea fabric and simply used an applique stitch on the machine (I still haven't mastered the hand-sewing applique).

Here is the full set. I love the way the strong images look against such a traditional tea towel. May they dry many glorious dishes.
But, the holiday piece-de-resistance! Definitely, the family in a bag!
This is a project from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules with Fabric book. I made a ton of these. I made a set of the kids for my mom, my sister, my brother and my grandma. Then I made two sets of our whole family for both of the boys. The whole thing is detailed in her book but the images are printed onto fabric and then sewn up into a softie. The images didn't come out a crisp and clear as I would have likes but I still love this project. The family loved them but the best part has been watching the boys play with them...they line them up on the couch and then do funny dances for them, they give them kisses, ask them to join in their tea parties, it goes on an on. It is, perhaps, one of my most well-receiving crafting projects thus far. A little bit of holiday magic for me, I suppose.

Reflections

We were selfish this year, we did not get in a plane, we did not even get in the car, we hunkered down at home just the four of us. The husband and I pulled together a menu for all five days we had together and on tuesday I left work early to hit the fancy grocery store sans kids. Then the rest of the week we cooked, sang songs, colored, danced around and thoroughly enjoyed eachother's company like never before. We indulged in homemade samosas and curries galore (my British/Irish husband is a master of Indian food), smoothies, muffins and pancakes, fish with mushroom sauce, tomato soup, good bread, quiche and every bit was even better as a leftover. Every time we came into the house from outside it smelled of something new and wonderful. For sweets, there were an unreasonable number of cookies delivered by neighbors (thank you!) and even some baked ourselves and of course, loads of chocolate. On Christmas Eve, I didn't get out of my pajamas until 3pm. And, even then it was really just because I felt as if I should.

We drank wine, mulled wine, irish cream, elderflower water (excellent!), and hot chocolate. It will be unbearable to go to work tomorrow. I could do this everyday. During our Christmas day meal we lit a special candle and discussed the things we love...our family members (my son is always quick to remind me that our cat is in the family), our neighbors, our grandparents, our friend. My husband and I had watery eyes as our oldest went on and on about his love of family and friends. Sometimes a 2.5 year old can put it best. "I love YOU, and PAPA, and JUDEBUG (our pet name for our youngest), and NUSHI (our name for the pet). And I love you so, so, so, so much and I love you in my heart and my heart is in my hand. It moved."
The gifts piled high under our little tree. Grandparents don't seem able to hold back, even when you beg them. But our two little guys, at 2.5 years and 8 months, just didn't care. I opened most of the gifts myself because there was little to no interest. It was truly about being together and spending such a saturated time doing nothing that we got into a rhythm that was all our own. I will never forget it. I hope I never forget it, when they are older and don't want to read books and be held all day long. When we are managing complicated family situations and get distracted and can't dance to the rhythm that we found. I want to hold onto this Christmas as the one where the best gift everybody got was lots and lots of TIME together. Holidays like this weave their way into the familiar fabric of the family story...one that is just beginning for us.
Special thanks to my real and virtual friends for reminders throughout December of how and WHY to slow down and take it in. Hope there were loads of gorgeous holiday moments among you all! By the way, discovered a great new trick. Those silicone mats that are supposedly for baking on...I hate the way things cook on them but they are great for cutting cookies! Makes it much easier to pull the cookie out after cutting it.

I kind of skipped the cookie part...

our local crew's annual cookie exchange party was this last weekend. we hosted and thoroughly enjoyed our spacious kitchen, though nearly everything loses its spacious feel when kids are running amok. well, i'm embarassed to admit it but I just couldn't muster much enthusiasm for the baking part of it so I half-heartedly pulled off a family toffee bar recipe the morning of. I just couldn't wait to give the kids their gifts (after the moms got their aprons). Each little munchkin got a chalkmat, made from the TaaDaa studios kit, and an accompanying bag from my pattern.

The result? It was one of those moments that crafters live for. Everybody LOVED the chalkmats and the bags were immediately put to use in shifting toys from one room to another. I even got a spontaneous "Thank you Callum's Mommy" following by a very strong leg-hug. You know the type.
We've since toted our bag and mat with us to church...a nice quiet activity.

holiday apronistas

Made these aprons a while back in an enthusiastic apron fit. But had to wait what felt like forever to give them to their new owners. Thanks goodness the cookie exhange party finally arrived or I would have burst with anticipation. Went 100 percent retro kitch on these with monaluna and alexander henry fabric. Enjoy them ladies!

Messenger Birds

This little birdie is my latest obsession. It's made from a pdf tutorial on Spool Sewing blog.
It's small enough that I was able to pull it off using fabric scraps and as soon as I made it I knew what I was going to use it for...a gift tag. In addition to making reusable gift bags, inspired by At The End of This Row, I decided to make little birds for my holiday gift tags. I haven't decided yet whether to use ink stamping to write the recipients name or a fabric marker, which would obviously be alot quicker. I might even leave them blank. Also, I'm so taken with these little birds that I'm cooking up a holiday banner that uses them as well.

This is the reusable gift bag that this birdie will fly away with. Hmm...I wonder what's in there?

I fell hard for bags this year...

This was another bag made for my sister for Christmas. From the pattern I'm obsessed with, it's a simple tote with just a bit of a gentle slope that makes it more all-purpose than a boxy grocery tote. The fabric is from Ikea, surprisingly.

edited to add: I accidentally posted this to an old date, so if it looks familiar that is why. he. he.