Evolution of a Bib

I have made a gazillion baby bibs (I counted, it is actually a gazillion) and nearly all of them were made using the pattern in Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. And, I love that pattern but I was browsing Etsy as one does when they are handmade-obsessed and up at night. And, I noticed a lot of bibs that had more a square shape at the bottom, which I really liked. I also have always struggled with sewing an accurate topstitch around the curves at the back of the bib. So, I altered the pattern for the new shape and to make an easier sewing portion near the snap.
The change is probably imperceptible except to me BUT I do, indeed, know the difference and I love it. And, these, my friends are the crazy things that obsess sewing freaks like me.

When a Heart Needs a Hug

Recently, friends had a beautiful baby boy who was unexpectedly born with health and developmental challenges. They could barely hold him and waited at the hospital for those rare time the nurses would tell them they could touch their baby. All of this while caring for their first born and recovering from the birth itself....and trying to remember to eat and drink. Such an unexpected event shook me. I hear about pregnancy and I celebrate and look forward eagerly to the birth story. I assume nothing will go wrong. I'm accustomed to a world wherein if difficult things happen I can work really hard and make it better. This wasn't like that. I can't even imagine what it must have felt like for my friends. And, I'm really far away from them so I can't even be of help to them.

One of the health issues is that he has holes in his heart. They are hoping that some of them will seal up on their own but if they don't he will need surgery on his heart...at around the age of 4 months. Oy. It's too much.

To feel closer to them and combat my own feelings of impotence I quickly stitched some fancy japanese bias tape around the edge of a newborn kimono top and sent it off to them. A friend who lived in France once informed me they apparently call wrap sweaters 'heart huggers' because of how they wrap around and hug the heart. I'm thinking of this in the same manner...a heart hugger for a heart that desperately needs a hug.

Hootenanny Ready...

My son's frustration level reached boiling point last week at how difficult it is to hold and play a guitar at the same time. And for good reason. When you can't walk around while playing and holding the guitar you can't be the rock and roll star you really long to be...and when the rock and roll star you really long to be is actually the guy that teaches *preschool of rock* at your school and all you want to do is come home and pretend to be him all day long you absolutely must have a GUITAR STRAP, MAMA!

So, I hauled the sewing machine up out of the dingy basement (otherwise known as my studio) and got to work with some scraps and a little bit of bias tape. We made a small loop with the bias tape at one of the strap and attached some extra to tie around the guitar neck on the other end. Then a simple little screw with a loop into the bottom of the guitar and just like that Mama sewed up some magic. (He literally paced behind me while I was sewing...talk about pressure.)

And, about 15 minutes later is was absolutely essential that he go outside, sit on the steps and strum that guitar. All he needed was a few friends, somebody playing a banjo and we would have had a hootenanny I swear...he was so content out there strumming in the sun. My little music man.

The Summer Breeze Dress

A while back I made the dress in this post, and as I suspected it didn't fit...was way too tight. In the process of thinking through how to alter the pattern so that it would fit better I got to thinking that an all-around bodice just isn't realistic for an everyday girl's dress. I don't have girls but I do know that ALL CHILDREN need clothing that goes on and off easily....even better if it is super cute.
So, I ditched the whole back bodice and put in elastic casing, then I lengthened the straps in the back, added a criss-cross and while I was at it I shortened the length, widened the bodice in front and even lengthened it a bit because I liked the proportion a whole lot better. In the end, I came up with a whole new dress. I like it and so do a few other people, too. So, I've taken a request to make one out of this wonderful echino fabric.

I even snuck my making into the KCSC over at elsie marley. This whole adventure has strengthened my belief that there are no mistakes in sewing...only 'learning opportunities'. Every mishap leads down a new road that takes a turn that ends up better than where we started. This little summer breeze dress is that destination.

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!

Kids Clothes Week Challenge!

I'm very excited to be participating, for the second time, in Elsie Marley's Kids Clothes Week Challenge. The question is can I really sew kid's clothes for at least one hour a day for seven days? I sure hope so. Spring is mad at our house...three out of four birthdays happen for the immediate family, and then my mom's birthday and both my siblings...throw in Mother's Day and it's a little much. But, we are slogging through with determination. My plans for kids clothes week include a little outfit for my smallest man, some pajama pants for warm weather, and a few dresses for other people's kids. I never get to make dresses and I'm learning they are awfully fun so I'm indulging a bit.

Spring

Spring is in full bloom! I'm so in love with it that I can already feel it slipping away...it is so fragrant and beautiful out, everyone's pent up energy is finally released OUTSIDE. It is lovely, lovely, lovely. We are doing our best to get out and enjoy it.

{from our local arboretum}

Birthday Banner

We needed a new birthday banner in these parts...I loved our old one but had to admit that it was not as cheery and bright as I would have liked it to be. (I have come to realize that I can be really cheap sometimes about choosing fabric for small projects...desperately using scraps rather than using a nicer, more appropriate print if it means cutting up something unused. Frugal has its limits, my friends. It really does.) So, I went boldly into some scraps and some bigger cuts. I used a new circle fabric cutter (*amazing*) and iron-on letters to make it quick and easy. And, there you have it...cheery, bright, ready to party!

Crazy Boy Pants

I've been meaning to make reversible pants for boys for a long time and finally got motivated today. I used a pair of his good fitting pants to make the pattern and then cut it twice. The two pairs are nestled in with each other, the waistband is elastic so I stitched that up first, made a casing (by putting in a simple stitch below the waist) and put in the elastic. Then, I folded over both hems and topstitched to finish. The great thing about these is that they can be cuffed up and look super cute but also let down as he grows. In my experience boys grow down not out. I also added little pockets because I think that pockets are traffic-stopping cute on little kids.
And, as much as I like these pants...they were meant to be just a prototype using fabric I have laying around but never seem to find a project for. I put my kids through lots of "mama made" torture but I really don't expect him to wear this pair of pants. I've ordered some nice fabric for a future pair of these suckers. They do fit his wild personality, though, which is why he laughed when he saw them (not joking) and then refused to take them off.

The Birthing Quilt

A very dear friend of mine is about to have a baby, any minute now, really. Her husband, who is terribly sweet, asked friends and family members to write letters that he could read to her in case labor...well, labored too long. That way she could feel surrounded by the people she loves. Nice, right?

I opted for a small sized 'birthing quilt' and wrote my letter on fabric that could run through the printer. Then, I cut it up and quilted it. I got to use my new free motion quilting foot. I love, love, love the way that free motion quilting looks but it's going to take some getting used to. I'm really looking forward to using it a lot....even considering diving into a queen size quilt. But, it takes a bit of getting used to, it moves so fast and I had a hard time keeping my stitches even and orderly. But, it's a good challenge to improve and work toward something as amazing as this.

Fearless

I used to describe you as shy and expect you to sit
with me for at least 40 minutes any place new.
Then, one day I looked down and you were fearless.

Down that Crafty Mama Road

I relearned a classic lesson in crafty mamahood this week. I believe it is technically called "I love this thing I made for you WAY MORE than you love this thing I made for you." Harumph. I made these colorful and spirited napkins (robots, planets, airplanes! on one side and sprockets!! on the other) after receiving some gifts from my sister that were cleverly wrapped in fabric. I was so excited, because he has been dragging sad, olive colored napkins to school for over a year. I was sure he was going to flip over these. I envisioned him enjoying his lunch so much more and thinking fondly on me...his loving crafty mama.

This is not what happened. During the carefully constructed moment in which I presented them he immediately said, "I don't like them." I thought to myself, He will change his mind. So, the next day as I'm preparing his lunch I offered him a choice of NEW! FUN! napkin to include in his lunch sack. "I don't like those. I want the other one." So, I pulled out the sad, olive napkin (imagining it was mocking me) and stuffed it into the lunch sack. And, off he went to school.

I know this happens. You make something special, you take the time, you know how special it is and yet...the world doesn't always appreciate the road you have traveled. I'm ok with it. I know that I sew because I LOVE IT, not because we desperately need transportation themed napkins. I've recovered emotionally...but I am holding out hope that his younger brother will love them when he starts at the same school and needs a cloth napkin. That could happen, right?

Making it Work Indoors

Looks like spring was just teasing us and really winter is still hanging around. As much as we are fans of playing outside, we've been killing lots of time inside this season. My youngest doesn't have much of an attention span for art projects and my oldest has never been that interested in them. So, I have to get inventive sometimes. These two projects are from the book Play All Day and were thoroughly entertaining for a full afternoon!
I also discovered the joy each of the boys gets when they have a dedicated art notebook. Even if half of the time we are just filling it will stickers, they both appreciate that it is theirs. For the baby, it is all about paints, which he calls 'water in' because what he is really after is stirring the paint brushes around in water...we haven't really mastered the actual painting part.
And, a joyful discovery for my oldest is oil pastels. He never found much satisfaction in crayons or markers despite many efforts on my part to draw him in (no pun intended!).
But, oil pastels. Oh my! The rich, vivid colors instantly transform into hippos and hearts and cars and roads. It is wonderful to see him so engaged in making art!

The Flour Sack Dress

Last summer my aunt mailed me some very special fabric. Her husband's family owned a flour mill in Minnesota back in the day and she had inherited the flour sack fabric from that time. And, given that she didn't know of another family member interested in sewing, she wanted me to have it. Well, it has been really hard for me to come up with a project that warranted using the fabric and was also small enough to work. But, while flipping through Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing I came across her flower girl dress and thought of a little friend about to have a birthday. It seemed silly to keep this stowed away rather than turned into something beautiful and useful.
So, I made the dress already. It's pretty cute, I must say. This picture makes it look a little crooked and it is not crooked BUT it is way to small! Yup, the bodice has no zipper, no buttons, nothing to help put it on a small body. Frankly, I think it would only fit on a small, small, small person...not what I had intended. And, come on! Children need their clothes to be easy to put on. I mean, so easy that the clothes nearly magically appear on them. So, I'm disappointed. And I know a special someone that can use this as a special occasion dress but I'm going to be tweaking the pattern so that it can actually function as a dress. Check back on Monday for my book report because this whole debacle is making me think that Weekend Sewing ought to be next on the review list.

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.

A Snowy Story, In Reverse

Thirty minutes after being out in high snow drifts, billowing wind, and a glowing sun, this little guy was back inside looking out from the inside.
The time he spent outside, he spent with this look on his face (or worse).
But, before all of that. We spent A LOT of time like this..getting dressed!

Hope everyone has a little snow story to tell this Christmas. There are certainly some good ones out there!

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.

...the wee ones

I am done having children. D.O.N.E. And, it isn't that I don't love my kids or love kids in general or love being a mom, it's just that two kids is just the right number for us and I'm ready to move past the whole 'tiny baby' phase of my life and into the 'engaging child' phase.

And quite frankly, this whole feeling just doesn't *jive* with the insanely excited reaction that I have upon hearing a friend is pregnant. And, right now, many of them are pregnant so I have lots of time to contemplate this dissonance. And, I think the obvious explanation finally hit me. I get to enjoy the joy of new life WITHOUT HAVING TO TAKE CARE OF IT! No responsibility just the excitement and adventure of it all.

So, of course, I take this enthusiasm to the sewing machine. And, really, this is just a long way of saying that I made another kimono top from the Heather Ross Weekend Sewing book. I used the last little bit of voile fabric from Anna Maria Horner. It is hard to express just how light and airy and cute and tiny this little top is. Almost makes me want to try again, this time for a girl. Almost, but not quite.

Holiday Books

It's done! I've been working on this fabric book for a long time...in fact, it was supposed to be given to the baby on his first birthday and he is now 20 months old. The good news is that I've waited long enough to set it under the Christmas tree and no one is the wiser.

We live pretty far away from family so these books (I made one in a more timely fashion for our oldest,too) are a great way to keep family near and dear to our hearts when they can't be physically near.
It's also a great way to use up bits and scraps of fabric because, for some reason, the crazier the fabric mix the better, in this case. This is my first completed holiday gift (and it's a cheat, at that!) but it's getting the holiday making juices flowing. Bring it on, December! I think I'm ready for you.

Feelin' that Barter Magic

Have you ever seen such adorable booties? I didn't think so. They were made for me! At my request! By the lovely Marzipan. And, how could such a wonderful thing happen? Why, the barter of course. (Don't they just make you swoon and imagine the wiggle of little toes?) They are positively amazing. Thanks friend.