We Interrupt the Broadcast ...

Gawd, eight days in and I am thoroughly sick of speaking about myself. It is making me feel all itchy and stuff. I am taking a break to talk about something that I like more than this Month of me. And that would be Heather Ross.

I have a pretty solid crush on the woman, her fabric and her fabulous-ness. She has long been my favorite fabric designer, her patterns hold so much whimsy and life. I have a really bad habit of buying her stuff and then hoarding it in small devoted piles, occasionally taking them down to fold and re-fold. On the rare occasion that I actually use the fabric, I can be found to wince as I slice through a character or two. I've got it bad.

Well, right now, Tim is in the midst of making the boys a bed frame for their queen size mattress. It is walnut and oak and mortis and tenoned and I realized they now need a big boy quilt. Sewing had fallen of the radar for a bit, but we had a solo weekend in Tahoe planned and I saw this quilt which shot me full of inspiration.

I also realized that the boys will only be in the 'rabbits and race car' phase for a few more years and I might miss my chance to drape their days (and bed) with the lovely Heather Ross hoard.

So, all the special and precious boy prints came out and I half-formed a basic idea and identified a few great solid colors.

I spent the better part of Friday and Saturday slicing, pinning, piecing and playing and I am beyond happy with the results.



The quilt top is far from done, but it is well underway. I also found a use for the bits that were trimmed from the light colored blocks I sewed up...

These little patchwork scraps took on a new life when sewed up together. I can see using this as the center for a pillow.

I am so glad that this is what comes from carefully piecing favorite fabrics together.

And I can say that I cut the HR stuff down with such precision that this is about all that I was left with as discards...


Funny how careful we can be when we truly cherish something.

I bet this post makes me sound even crazier than the previous 8, right?

And if you do not, you should really read Heather's personal blog. She is such a great story teller, she is a twin and (this, oddly enough, does not freak me out at all) she and her sister used to sew up little outfits for dead mice that their cat would kill and bring to them in their old Vermont home where she lived as a child (just read the damn post before you freak out, okay?). I ask, who would not want to crush on this lady?

As for the 30 days, it has definitely lost its shine, but I think I will pick and choose the days for the duration of the month. In between, I plan on posting about the knitting, sewing and life that is happening behind the scenes.

Whew, I feel better already.

One last thing... if you are a HR fan(atic) like me, you will note one print that is not of her design. Anyone spot it?

April :: Sewing pants

I could probably skip all the words and just put up pictures of the pairs of pants that I finished sewing for the boys, but I am not going to do that. Instead, I am going to wax poetic about sewing and these pants. More specifically, the pattern I used to sew these pants.


This is the second time I have used the Sailboat pants pattern from Oliver & S. The first was for my brother's wedding. I loved the end result then and there is no exception this time around. I really really love these pants.


The thing I am realizing about Oliver & S is that the patterns truly are crafted. They are well planned and thought through, details abound and the style of the patterns is both timeless and fresh. This pattern has a lovely flat front construction that I find so flattering on little people. The pants are roomy and allow for lots of movement but still fall with just the right amount of flare.


The pattern itself is not too terribly complicated. It takes quite a few steps to get to the finished product but I found this second time around all went smoothly...until the waist elastic which I screwed up on so badly on one pair that I had to rip out stitches about 4 times. I think that had more to do with too much coffee and impatience than anything else. It was during the rip and re-sew (multiple times, mind you) that I really began to appreciate just what it means to be able to sew, to create your own clothes or clothes for your family. It feels almost magical, to watch them walk away in something made by hand. You would think by now I would be more accustomed to the feeling but it has not gone away yet.



For this incarnation I again extended the leg to create a full pant (versus a capri. manpri. hmmm, boypri?). I also used a bit of leftover Heather Ross fabric for the pseudo 'pocket' area to bring in a few pieces of flair.

The main fabric is a medium weight corduroy that has been in the stash for years. I did not spend a penny on these as everything was already here, but it took a considerable chunk of time to get all the bits done. The trade off when sewing your own clothes really is the time you invest. But you know what? I think I will be making these pants for years to come. Simple and effective and the boys love to wear them (won't take them off, actually). Totally worth the time taken to sew and the price of the pattern in so many ways.


If you have thought about plunging into clothes construction and have yet to try, I highly encourage you to get yourself a Olive & S pattern. I will be attempting one of her sweet dresses soon and I cannot wait. It may seem daunting, but these patterns take you through a step by step process that is clear and concise. I have found my skills advancing every time I sew with her patterns and I look forward to trying.

I thought I would share a simple tutorial just in case you are not ready for sewing a full pant like the Sailboat pants. I started sewing for the boys by making these pants.

I created a quick photo tutorial for Marnie, thought but you could browse and see if it sparks your interest. I found them a great intro project and I find I still whip put pairs when the boys need new pajamas.

Whatever you try, happy sewing! And Happy Easter! Now get thee to your egg dying.

In Like a Lion

I think I am not alone in wishing February a not so fond farewell. We are just into the month of March, but I can feel the shift; the days lengthening, the energy sapped in the darkest month of February is on the return. I am loving the crisp and cool weather, storms blowing in and out almost every other day....sweeping the sky of smog and blanketing our mountains in fresh new snow. The rain never lasts long and the snow is not outside the home so there is nothing to complain about. I know that is not quite the case on the East and you have my deepest sympathies as the winter drags on over there.

Speaking of the East Coast...I finally took a step in that direction. Quite literally, actually. Over the weekend I decided to attend the Blogher 10 Conference. In part because it is in NYC and a great reason to head back in that direction after 10 long years away. In part because some of my favorite women are going to be there and I love thinking of this as an opportunity to meet, listen and speak to some of the people that have been so inspiring in so many ways. So, if you are going or in the area (ahem, Marnie) then I want to know. I kinda' feel the same way I did when I was 17 and moving to NYC to start at NYU...not knowing a soul in the city and not exactly sure where it was all leading to. Excited and a little intimidated.

The decision seemed to spur some fresh energy for clearing and starting so I gathered all the pretty things I could find and decided to take a few photos...inspiration in a minutes time. I love doing this when I am trying to focus my relatively scattered creative energy. All these things have been lying around on my bedside table, in piles and bags.


First up, Easter finery...well, not that we celebrate Easter, let's call it Spring finery. I have had the urge to sew up some more Oliver and S pants, the grey corduroy is light wale and looks quite handsome next to some Heather Ross lining fabric.

Eventually I hope to pair the pants with some (lets hope) quickly knitted vests and we will have the outfits to take them through Spring family celebrations, birthday parties and graduations. The yarn is a closeout cotton with a fairly soft hand...the swatch was the start but I am almost halfway through a vest body in the knitting. Something about all that Olympic knitting has kept my hands itching to knit more.



And then there were all the scraps from the cutting of the pants and I am starting to understand how hard it is to toss scraps (especially OOP Heather Ross stuff) and I ran into a tutorial on string squares over at Film in the Fridge and the scraps quickly became a few of these squares. Fun, right?

I am gleaning so much inspiration from Julie Frick (who was going to blog again, but so far is sticking with Flickr...man, Flickr and Twitter have so killed the blog world) and the latest thought is to pair the strip squares with fresh green tree squares and see what happens...

An then I found this on the bedside table, initially intended for a yoga classmate and her now 8 month old daughter...

Not sure it will fit, but it has to go somewhere, it is too cute to sit on the bedside table any longer. A few buttons and a few ends to weave and I am committing to finding a place for it to go.

March is in like a Lion around here and it feels really quite good. How is it shaping up for you all?

Glancing through the pictures conforms my love of orange and brown and grey...so 70s but in a new way. I love the 70s so that seems to be all good.

Sewing :: Special PJs

Last year at this time of the month I was frantically working away at my Christmas knitting gift list. I decided around August 08 that I would bring a host of hand knitted gifts to the present circle and my plan went okay. Very sore hands, very happy recipients.

This year, different story. Now that work and school for the boys is taking up a good amount of time, knitting has taken a bit of a back seat. And I decided early on to go very easy of myself in the Making category. As in, no plans, no worries. Gift giving has always been a very casual thing in our family so I know there will be no ruffled feathers.

The thing is, without putting pressure on myself to create, the desire to make has sprung forward again and again. This week I fished out Christmas flannel stored away from last year and felt a jolt of inspiration. The boys have a Christmas program scheduled for school and I read that they will be doing it in pajamas (how cute is that?). So, Christmas pajamas it is.


My plan has been kept pretty simple too. I decided to use the Heather Ross Kai shirt pattern for the top, just extending the arm length to make a long sleeve shirt.

And the pants will be the classic, fold and sew and go pattern I have used for the boys since these early incarnations.

It is not often that I sew the same pattern, but I find that each time I repeat a piece, the sewing gets easier and easier. My initially sewing of these shirts took awhile, at least a few weekends. This shirt was cut one night, sewn the next morning. It helps that all the steps fell into place logically and I remembered all the mistakes I had made on my first pass (like sewing the collar wrong three times. 3 Times!). So, shirt one is in, button less but that is okay. Owen has insisted that he pick out his buttons and I am going to let him. That is one shopping trip that I think I am going to really enjoy.


Mason will have the present pattern flannel (*scary note :: they looked at the print and called them presents. And so Christmas time begins). His is cut and waiting for the actual sewing. And if the flannel yardage accommodates, I might eek out a few pairs of pajama bottoms for Tim and I. I am actually contemplating having our Christmas picture feature a pajama clad family. Bed head would be excusable then, right?

And then there is a pile of these, plans for some sweet little girl things.

And the box bag pattern is rearing its (ugly) head. For some reason my sewing of these fairly simple bags was not smooth, it has been a long time and I must have had bad sewing mojo on that day.

I did these production style and that does not really gel with me, felt a little bit too sweat shop and a little less pleasurable crafting, you know?

The lack of any discernible list (or recipient, for that matter) seems to be firing up my desire to knit too. The booklet from Ysolda came in the mail and is full of sweet and quick little knits for all ages and then there are these gorgeous mitts knit by Jess at Fig and Plum, Rav pattern here. So, we will see.

We are headed over to my brother's tomorrow night for an early Thanksgiving dinner, then up to the Cabin for a long and quiet weekend with just the four of us. I am hoping for some down time and craft time and hike time and us time. And maybe some temperatures that dip lower than the high 70s. Enough with the unseasonable warm weather lately. I have some new almost done knits to wear.

And we seem to have bested the dreaded flu around these parts, so I am hoping for a sniffle free trip. Cross your fingers for us. It has been a rough one.

Have a super duper and awesomely Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble!

Kai Shirt :: Almost Complete

The sewing machine is still humming in the background of my life. God, I love sewing. I really wanted to try this pattern from the Heather Ross book I so often gush on.

It is the boy's shirt, a proper button up pocketed one. My boy's own one or two button ups, we run a fairly informal ship around here. I thought if I could manage to sew this pattern, we would have years of button ups in the bag....one each a year or so.

I am totally happy to report they are done. Well, nearly done. The want only for actually buttons to button them up. I even have the buttons. But stalled in the finishing due to a lack of place to go that require button up (or button down?) shirts.


I have been working on these piece by piece for over a month. I know the book is called Weekend Sewing, but with the twins and the work and the knits, it just takes me a few more weekends. I have to say it went really smoothly. The pattern is easy to follow, the pieces easy to cut and decipher. I had a rough time with joining the collar on the first shirt, it took three tries of sewing, looking, realizing and ripping. But it finally came together.

I love approaching sewing clothes like a 1000 piece puzzle. I study it a bit, the whole picture, then break it down into bits. The part I liked the best was sewing in the sleeves, it was so satisfying to turn the right side out and recognize the fabric as an actual shirt. And the other fun was the buttonholes. I have made some for a past project but this time I got to make eight. 8!!! (Mace's new favorite number. He counts 1...2....8!!!) If you have a machine that will sew buttonholes for you, do not be afraid. It is easy to do, just read the manual and you will be ready to go. If your machine does not do it automatically, I have no idea what to tell you. It looks like it would be a challenge to do properly (well, for a moderate novice like me that still cannot seam straight all the time).


These shirts make me happy. I found the print at Fabric Temptations during my visit to Arcata. Heather Ross is going to start thinking I am her stalker (she used to live up there). It is a cool, almost Hawaiian like print of caravans (that is what the Aussies call RVs) and they are all boy.


Now, only one word of advice. The pattern runs really big. Really big. I made the smallest size (12 months) on the advice of this awesome lady and it still has a bit of room on the boys (now 26 months). Definitely check the fit on your little one before you choose a size.

I am pleasantly discovering that sewing clothes is as much fun as sewing bags and hats and other accessories. More steps, a little bit more ripping, but fun.

Next up though is use of stash fabric (some just donated by Lori Z who is hightailing it back to Canada). It is roughly based off of a few pictures of a project by Soulemama and seems to be coming along just fine. One can always use another blanket to sit on. Especially as a family that is proving to be pretty rough on things.



Happy weekending to you, hope it holds some time for creation.

On the pins and needles

I took some time last week to do two things. First, I tackled the travesty that was once an organized sewing table. The creep of bits and pieces that did not belong was taking it's toll on my little corner and I needed to do something. I pulled all the fabrics out that I own, pulled them out of closets and crates and stacks at the bedside table. I sorted and folded and decided one very important thing. I have enough fabric.


As a novice sewer, I tend to think I need every piece I see, that I need to try to emulate every perfect craft room featured on the number of very crafty blogs I frequent. But after exposing my own fabric stash, I realized I have more than I need, more than I can sew into items for house, home and body. It was a nice wake up call, to see it all. It is also a very nice inspiration. I like being able to eye the new stacks and think how a piece might be incorporated. And it has also put me in check as Tim can eyeball them too and give me the same look I get when I start to go into yarn ordering frenzy.

The organizing made me realize I have a lot of smallish scraps I am reluctant to toss. I am not sure I will every really dedicate myself to the patchwork/quilting area of sewing, but it is hard to part with my favorite little pieces.

A few months ago I won a giveaway on the STC blog and received a book I have been wanting for some time. It is the Last Minute Patchwork Gifts and has some really lovely projects.

The scraps I gathered from the boys' patchwork quilts can gain a new life as a pincushion, squat and cute as a button. Most of the projects seem very manageable and I hope to explore this book thoroughly over time.

I also found my order of FOE during the clean out which prompted a 'fix it' project. I have had a great skirt from Old Navy that I kept for years.
(The white makes it look a little too underwear but the waistband will be covered)

I love it but the waist elastic gave out and I had to resort to safety pins in not very strategic areas. I had heard about FOE (which stands for Fold Over Elastic) from Angry Chicken and needed to use it for my Alabama Skirt. Here is a picture of my hand sewn waistband for the 'Bama skirt.

A bit of a nightmare, but an accomplishment nonetheless.

The current skirt fix was a cinch, you just stretch the FOE and zigzag sew it to the waist.

With the machine which leaves a much cleaner stitch. Now I have my skirt back in rotation. Yay!(The white makes it look a little too underwear but the waistband will be covered)


The other thing I did last week was re-charge my knitting batteries with my great group of girls. We rarely talk knitting when we gather, but we do knit while we eat and gossip and share stories regarding our life experiences. I always seem to come away with a renewed desire to knit, to try a new thing or just get my projects going.

My Poppy doll (which I should rename Purpley due to her coloring) is coming along thanks to the knit night.

I am finding it a little weird to be knitting her up....very voodoo feeling, watching her head and body and legs emerge. I think it is the faceless-ness that bugs me. To be rectified soon.

The other knit is a new project for Mace. I am calling it the School Boy Vest. Just a little something for him to sport around in the cooling Fall weather when it does come. I envision this lovely tweed-ish blend as a vest with a few Owls across the chest.

It is fun to try out designing, vests are so simple but we will see how my math fares with this one. Owen will get one too. but I have very different ideas for his. And it totally trips me out that I am talking about school for them. I know they are excited and I am too. I think the best part is that Tim and I will be 'working' in the classroom as is it a co-op program. So, onward with the Fall knitting, just so I am not caught with not enough time.

Now, who knows where to get sawdust to stuff those little pincushions with? I have a feeling I might be making a bunch of them if this one turns out. And if you use it, how do you keep your embroidery thread straight? That is my next organization project.

Happy crafting, folks.

FOs :: BSJ and Patchwork Duvet

Finally, it is complete. The BSJ III.

In this, my third knitting of the BSJ, I got a little cocky. I loved knitting the first two but I was not quite sure that I liked the way the back increases made the body of the sweater balloon out a bit. Per EZ’s instructions, it was to accommodate those sweetly swollen little tummies babies so often sport, but I wanted a more svelte look. I decided to eliminate the back increases that she calls for in the pattern and go from there. I really should have known better than to mess with brilliance. That EZ knows what she is doing and I am not sure that I do.

Somewhere along the way the stitch count was skewed and I ended up at the last stage folding up a slightly skewed BSJ. Those of you that have done this pattern know that the magic of it comes when you fold the awkward looking handkerchief a certain clever way and TA DA! You discover a lovely little baby sweater in the folds. When I folded mine, I found a sweater with a little too much overlap and quite lacking in proper alignment. So much for the svelte look I thought a child should sport. Again, do not mess with brilliance.

It does look okay now after some finagling and the addition of a few coconut buttons.


I started this way back in January and the knitting of it came along so quickly but then the awkward hanky sat around for a long time. When it finally came time to finish it, I sat down with yarn darner and instructions from the Yarn Harlot for joining the seams at the shoulders. She only posted two photos, but those were enough to help me figure out a nice clean seam, better than my previous two. To redeem myself and my knitted alterations, I knit up another pair of the Ysolda booties.

The yarn gods are not feeling terrible benevolent towards me right now, so of course, the booties did not come together easily. I must have miscounted a few rows in one of them, when I finished the second I found two different sized booties, one noticeably smaller and unable to be gifted. And the baby shower was only an hour or so away.

I wrapped up the gift with a note and a promise to send the second bootie in the mail ASAP.



This is a shot of the wrapping paper. I love to use the big pieces of paper the boys and I paint and draw on. Reduce, reuse, recycle, right?

I highly recommend both of these patterns. Please do not be intimidated by the BSJ. The instructions look cryptic, but are easily followed and you can do it is you know how to do a knit stitch, increase and decrease and, um, count. And follow directions as written. This is not a pattern to mess with. And the booties.

Those are precious and simple and easy. My biggest challenge was counting the rows. I sense a theme developing here. I might have to invest in a row counter if I do not show immediate improvement.

Both projects used less than a skein of the Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. BSJ was on 5 or 6s and looks like it will fit better toward the 6-12 month range. And the booties were on 2s.

Next up in the queue is this little cutie. This doll has been calling my name since I opened her pattern booklet. I also happen to have the called for yarn weight in the stash. And it looks like Friday night is going to be a sit and knit night with my ladies. Cannot wait for that. Let’s hope the dolly goes a bit smoother than the booties. And I might have to cast on for her little mouse friend next. I highly recommend the pattern booklet by Ysolda. Every pattern is knitable and she is selling it for a reasonable price and you get a instant download copy and a printed booklet with adorable pictures that inspire you to knit every project.

One thing did go right, but it is in the sewing category. I posted about the patchwork duvets for the boys here. They continued to come together in the background, piece by piece, as patchwork does.


I had some grand plan to quilt the fronts or something then realized I would never ever finish them if I did that. Instead, I added some sashing and a strip of color to the backing and sewed the front and back together and had something to put on the duvet that night.

They absolutely love it. The minute it hit the bed, Owen was on it and under it and wrapped up in it. He was found reading his book on it, and later asked for it at bedtime.


There is nothing better than knowing that they know that this was made for them. And I got it done just in time to welcome the triple temps, a perfect time to be using a duvet. For now they will likely sleep on it, or more than likely we will find them on the floor or kicked to the end of the bed. But the reception they gave was more than enough to make up for my pretty pronounced dislike of patchwork. Maybe I just need to do it more often.

We will see. I have to finish the second backing and sew it up stat before Mace notices. But until then, here are a few more photos of my boy loving his covers. Heart melting.