Weekending

Young artists at work.


experimenting


focused


inspired

Homework

Topher recently brought home a family homework assignment.

We were supposed to decorate this 3 foot 'kid' cut out to represent him. We had a tough time at first (not everyone was on the same page with this) but once we got in to it, it was quite fun!

We cut the front off an old pair of jeans that were quite holey in the knees. We made a "shirt" out of some fabric from the stash and glued a few buttons on the front. A belt was made from ribbon and the buckle is cardboard and a piece of pasta covered in foil. Paper cowboy boots, yarn hair and pipe cleaner glasses complete the look!

Topher has asked for a matching shirt!

Day 27

Day 18

Day 10

Day 9

Bandana Pack

This is Topher's week to go to Camp. He's too young for sleep away camp so he is going to Cub Scout Day Camp. To say he is excited is an understatement! He's going with his friends, the theme is pirates! and he gets to do things like archery, bb guns, swimming and crafts. A little boy's dream!

He has a few things that he needs to bring with him each day and needs an easy way to carry it. I wanted something a little more "camp" and a little less "school" than a backpack so I made him a little string pack.

It's amazingly simple - 2 bandanas and 4 yards of sweatshirt cording. That's it!

Bandana Pack

::Fold one edge on each bandana over about an inch and stitch. This will make the top casing.

::Right sides together and the casing edges at the top, put the bandanas together and stitch up the sides. Stop just before you get to the casing edge. You want this to stay open.

::Cut the cording in half. Thread one length through the casing and back out again on the same side you started. Do the same on the opposite side. The loose ends should be on the inside (where the right sides are)

::Line the ends of the corner up with the bottom corners of the bandanas. Stitch across the bottom to close it up, capturing the ends of the cord.

::Turn right side out. Pull the side cords to cinch up the top.



Let me know if you make one!

Getting the Right Fit

I've been buzzing along at my sewing machine. (I really need to figure out a better place for it!) I wanted some new summer clothes and the best way to get just what I want is to make it myself. So far I've got 4 skirts and 2 tops. The skirts are perfect but the top patterns need a little tweaking. Thanks to the library, I now have a better idea of how to do that. As soon as I can get some good photos, I'll share my new wardrobe in the making.

New Bag!

I took part in a little spring-time bag swap recently. We were to make a Pleated Beauty Bag from Bend-the-Rules Sewing for someone and then someone else would make one for us. I've wanted to make one of these bags for awhile so this seemed like a fun way to do it.



This is the bag I made. I really liked it - very springy without being to...too. (If I do say so myself) I almost wanted to keep it for myself and I may have to make another with the same fabric sometime in the future.



This is the bag I received. It's so me! I've used it constantly since it came in the mail. I love the shape and size of this bag. It's really a great carry all with out being completely "utility tote" looking. This one is exactly perfect!

Young Artist

Topher loves to pull out his little set of watercolors. He's so meticulous with them. He really wants them to last. His paintings are so careful and thought out. He'll sit and study his inspiration for quite awhile before putting the brush in the paints. He's got quite the delicate hand too, when it suits him. He puts just as much care in to the paper towelling as he does in his paintings. Carefully thinking about where he will dab his brush and whether he will just dap or if he should swipe.




And then, suddenly he is done. He finishes what he has set out to paint and is ready to move on to something else. He just needs to get that painting out of his head and on to the paper. Once he is done, he is done until the next inspiration strikes. Quite the little artist.

Sewing For Someone Small

Chaz just loves school and he really likes his teacher this year. She is leaving in the next week or so to have a baby and won't be back until the Fall. The class is having a baby shower for her tomorrow so I made a little gift for Chaz to give her. Using the simple bib pattern from this book as my guide, I sketched out a pattern. I didn't feel like going to the copy shop to enlarge the pattern in the book.

We know that Mrs. H likes lime green and is having a girl so I looked through my fabric bin for some appropriate fabric. I had just enough of this floral piece for a little bib. The back is from a terry dish towel from my kitchen. The edges were frayed but the main body of the towel was like new. Perfect for cutting apart for this project.

I love the way this little bib turned out. It almost makes me wish I had a little one still in bibs - almost but not quite.



Chaz went looking through my sewing basket and found a few fabric yo-yos. He picked out his two favorite and turned them in to a card. I think we'll be making more cards with yo-yos. I love it! (if I do say so myself!)

I've got another baby gift in the works now. It's another girl so that will be fun. A nice change from all the boys things I'm surrounded by.

Lounging

It's snowing out - again! This time it's a big messy snow. I'm staying in and keeping cozy in my lounging pants. The pattern is from Amy Butler's In Stitches. I used a vintage sheet that came from Chris' grandmother. They are so soft! The sheet was used - a lot - so the pants have that wonderful broken in feeling. I think Amanda said wearing hers feels like staying in bed while walking around. Yep, that's it exactly!

I'd love to make some more. I just wish that I had some more old sheets or at least a good thrift shop to find some old sheets. No matter, I suppose they'll be just as nice made from some fabric from the fabric store.



Just a little lounging for me today, though. It's only Thursday and there is still work to be done. Just a few more rows first....

Rambling Along

January has been a quiet month here. We've just sort of been plodding along. It's been a month of gearing up and getting ready. Getting ready for what? I'm not sure, perhaps just the new year. Maybe we are regrouping. I don't know but it has been a good month.

The boys had a 4 day weekend for MLK day and my parents flew in for the long weekend. It was so nice to have them here. My dad got Chaz to get his room clean and organized - with out a fight! He also helped me organize my pantry. I was stuck and my dad is an organizing mastermind! We had a really nice visit and we were all sad them go.

Chris is in Las Vegas this week for a conference. He'll be home Friday night. I'll admit, we have fun when he's not here but it's always so nice to have him come home, again.

I put my sewing machine away right after Christmas. I felt like a little break. I pulled it out again yesterday to make this top for myself. I used the ever popular Built by Wendy pattern - Simplicity 3835. I made view C with the sleeves from view A. The pattern was so simple and I really love the way the top turned out. I can see myself making quite a few of these. However, I need to make a couple of adjustments. This one is a little too tight across the bust. Too bad, too! I was really looking forward to wearing this.

Well there you have it. A few bits of randomness from the last few weeks.

Scherenschnitte

December was crazy busy with lots of secret crafting (I'll have to share some of that soon) so there hasn't been a whole lot of crafting going on here lately. I just needed a little time out from it all. I didn't put everything away, though. Amidst all the new books there were several on paper cutting or scherenschnitte and a new set of x-acto knives.

These are my first two attempts. My knife skills need a little work but that comes with practice. The black one was cut from origami paper and the other was cut from parchment paper. I think I prefer working with the parchment but I do like the look of the black paper.



I know I should have scanned these but the scanner is not hooked up right now so you'll have to settle for photos. You get the idea though.

A Night Out

Tonight Chris and I get to have a very rare night out. A night with other adults and no children. I am really looking forward to it!

A night like this calls for a new handbag. I just love this red corduroy and have had it my stash for some time now. I bought it either last year or two years ago with a skirt in mind. Unfortunately, in my excitement with the fabric, I neglected to pay attention to the direction of the nap. It wouldn't do for a skirt. (Can't have corduroy that runs horizontal!) It's perfect for this project, however.

This bag has very quickly become a favorite of mine so I went back to that pattern for this new bag. For the interfacing, I used some scraps of some bottom weight that I had left from the lab coat I made for Halloween. It gives the bag a little more structure than the flannel (although I really like the flannel, too). I also added a split pocket inside like I did the first time. It's very handy.




I'm sure there will be plenty more of these charming handbags in my future. I must admit, I'm really surprised at how much I love this pattern. It makes a very sweet little bag but the bag has no closure which is something I would normally shy away from. Of course it means I can't stuff my bag full of unnecessary items which is a good thing!

Still Life

Just a little of the veg brought home from the produce market today. I'm thinking of painting it.
Edited: (ha ha! That is, using it as the subject for a painting!)

Trick or Treat

The boys were so excited about Halloween yesterday. Especially Topher-- "Oooo i'm so excited! I can't even WAIT!" I think he loves that he gets to walk around the neighborhood talking to people.

I had spent my weekend alone sewing costumes. Only two though. Topher insisted that he had to have a store bought costume this year. Topher ended up with a 'Dragon Ninja" costume which was a very happy compromise. He had asked to be Spiderman but I have a no mask rule. He was thrilled and spent much of the afternoon perfecting his Ninja moves.



Chaz always comes up with some sort of a clever, sometimes off the wall, costume idea. Last year he was a tornado. This year he was a Mad Scientist complete with "electrified hair" and blue prints for his secret invention rolled up in his pocket. I sacrificed a pair of sunglasses to help complete the look. I made his lab coat using a bathrobe pattern and substituting snaps for the ties and adding some extra pockets.



Edmund wanted something scary. We decided on a bit of a cross between the Grim Reaper and his idea of a Dementor from Harry Potter. I made the cape long so it dragged on the ground which was a bit of a bother in all the excitement (his friend kept stepping on it) but made for a great effect. It really billowed out behind him at times giving the illusion that he was almost floating just above the ground. The cape will get a lot of use, I'm sure. The boys have decided it would be perfect for Darth Sidious.



We went around the neighborhood with one of neighbors which was nice. It gave us a chance to chat and get to know each other a little more while walking with the boys. It was especially nice not to have to bundle up under or over our costumes! (I wore a t-shirt!). We filled our bags, came home, sorted candy, took baths and the two youngest of us were in bed all by 8:30. Perfect!



I hope your night was just as perfect.

Weekend Plans

Chris and the boys are off to the woods for a weekend of camping with the Cub Scouts. I'm staying behind and I've got my own plans for the weekend. I can't wait!

Have a great weekend!

Halloween Corsages

I've been playing around with a few project ideas lately. Some are hits and some (unfortunately) are misses need more tweaking.

A couple of my recent hits are these fabric corsages. I just love them! One is made with felt, a little fabric yo-yo, and some baby rick rack and the other is fabric scraps cut in strips. Both are topped with a pretty little button. These were sent off to two very special people and I hope they have fun with them. Another picture here

I know I'll be making more of these. I see Fall fabrics, or even Christmas colors. The possibilities are endless. Maybe I'll add some to the shop.

Library Day

Today was library day again. I'm still making the trip alone. Don't worry about the boys, though. They visit the library one, sometimes two, days a week at school. Our schedule will ease up (it's fall baseball season) in just a few weeks and we will be able to resume our family visits. (yay!)

I'm really trying to get caught up on my book club reading right now. (It's a struggle.) With this in mind, I came home with just one book today. My library haul for the week is simply Complete Guide to Embroidery Stitches by Reader's Digest. It's been quite a few years since I've done any real embroidery but I recently felt very inspired by so many wonderful embroidered pieces that I have been seeing. I started a small project and then decided to refresh myself with some of the "fancier" stitches.

This one is going on my wish list.