LOVE :: Making Valentines

Always a wrench to be thrown into the works .. now we are dealing with a fevered ear-aching really sad little boy (with another one on his heels, I am quite sure). Ah, sick season. I should learn not to declare anything any more. But I can still muster up a little LOVE.



A few months ago I was sucked into the vortex that is Pinterest. If you are not there yet, I do apologize for enabling you. It is super good but a super time suck so I have tried to limit my time there. The best thing about it is the sheer amount of wonderful and doable stuff that crops up among my group of people. I found a simple Valentine idea a few months ago and because I could see the visual 'pin', I actually went back and did them.


The project is a felt fortune cookie packed with little goodies. We had all the needed bits on hand :: felt, glue gun, ribbon and floral wire.


The idea came from the always spot on Martha Stewart website and took no more than an hour. It was fun because the boys were able to help quite a bit, they cut out sticker treats, wrote on the tags and helped quite a bit with the tootsie roll placement (and consumption).

And I enjoyed it which is an important component when crafting with kids. If you are looking for a handmade Valentine for the littles (or even for a few of your most special friends) I recommend this one.


You still have a day or two to git her done. Happy crafting, friends.

Hallow'Een

The boys did not don home made Mama costumes this year. There was no luxury of time for that. I did manage to squeeze in a quick sewing session to make caps for their respective chosen costumes. The Buzz was a hand-me-down from their Auntie Libby and cousins. The Spidey guy came for 1.59 from the thrift store.


They spent the month in a frenzy of Creating ... at home, in school, avidly talking about spiders that live in our home and pumpkin pie that we still have to make.

They spent the actual day with their beloved neighbor girls ... all of them dressed and giddy and demanding the continuing of candy getting until all at once, they all decided they were done.



Owen even handed a piece back to the little old man and told him "No sanks, me no meed any more candy today."

We spent a good part of the night with good friends, I assumed candy passing to the hordes of children (literally hordes, think Disneyland-like lines) that come to the old town part of our city.

It felt good, right, fun, even though I feel more weary than I can ever remember.


This month held a lame attempt at disclosure, a return to full time work, a law suit, a birthday and birthday party (dude, my best friend gifted me with 4 bras, all awesome and cute and told me to try harder. I love my best friend), a visit from their Gramma and Halloween. I am still reeling.

But I am so glad in the chaos we remembered to catch them as they move through yet another round of holiday love. And next year one of them is going to wear my brilliant (and as of yet un-made) costume idea. I swear it.

(One thing I am proud of, though, is that they are using their homemade cloth spider bags for candy gathering... a little nod to tradition and making).


Now if only they would stop asking for the candy that I told them I threw away. Wink wink.

You Can Be a Hero Too!

So, I spoke of a tutorial on Cape Making and Marnie really wants one so I shall oblige.

A note :: These are simple enough but take a rudimentary knowledge of sewing, a sewing machine and an iron and, er, that's about it. I tend towards the picture heavy, so follow along if you please and make your little peeps or yourself something fun for All Hallow's Eve or any day of the week when you need to feel like a Hero.

(Ooooh, I feel so clever for linking back to my last post. Dork.)

You will need two fabrics, solid or print, and felt from the bolt, not those small paper size squares sold at JoAnn's (unless you want to sew more than you have to).
Be safe and get about a yard of both fabrics.

I made a few with a cute print from Ikea. If you have an Ikea near, check out their children's fabric section. They sell it by the yard, it is super wide and the prices are great.

Okay, so on the measurements. I was making these production style so I tried to optimize fabric. The reason for my measurements is that a yard folded in half yields about a 22-23" bottom width of the cape .. feel free to adjustment measurements as you see fit.



The cape length is about 24-26" long as I am sewing for very little people. Fold your fabrics in half, matching the clean selvage edges and stack them on the cutting board.


I marked them for you so you can see the cutting dimensions but you should avoid marking them (especially with Sharpies because it bleeds like a mofo).

Cut along your preferred dimensions and then cut a nice little scoop for the neck area and a shallow scoop for the cape bottom.


Pin both fabrics together RIGHT SIDES together, very important if you are using a print fabric. Not so much if you are using solids (eh, they are 4 and do not notice things like fabric grain and side).


(And by the way, I realize that my cheap cutting mat is horrifically dirty because it is stored on the floor and other places that it should not touch, but I did not clean it and you will just have to ignore my inattention to that detail. Okay?)

Start at the bottom of the cape and sew all the way around the cape to join the two sides (remember, RIGHT sides together) and leave a nice sized opening for your hand to fit through so that you can turn it.


IRON your seams (trust me, ironing forgives many seaming sins) and turn the piece RIGHT side out and poke the corners with a knitting needles to get them fully poked out (technical term, of course). Then IRON it again until it is all nice and flat and crisp.


Now, for the neck line. I used felt from the bolt. It is long and you can get a lot of mileage from it. Also it does not require seaming and bends nicely to fit the neck curve. Cut a piece about 3 inches wide and 24-26" long and fold it long ways and IRON it well.


(God that cutting board is disgusting. Not a word, you. Not a word.)

Then fit it to your curved neckline and pin in place, then seam it from end to end making sure to catch all edges in the seam.




And guess what? YOU have made a simple sturdy cape for your child's pleasure. Or yours if you are going with the adult HERO theme for Halloween.


Cut an initial from felt and hot glue gun in place. Or use sticky Velcro. And for the neck you can tie it on or put some more Velcro at the neck closure area (so your kid does not keep asking you to tie it on .... no take it off! ... no put it back on! ... no) (you get the idea, I sure did).

JoAnn's carries a nice iron-on Velcro that I am using. And then you really are done.

And then you can make a pirate eye patch from some felt left overs and t-shirt material.

And have the cutest Pirate Buzz Light Year who will not wear a cape because he has wings to fawn over.

Fini.

April :: Making moments

Wow. With all that has happened this month, travel and birthdays and tax preparation, I feel like making has taken a bit of a back seat. And this always leaves me feeling a little unsettled. Me no like. So Monday I took a few minutes to push all the new toys scattered throughout the house out of my peripheral vision and got to work at the machine.

A few weeks ago I caved in to the pressure to add to my already burgeoning bookcase of craft books and added a Denise Schmidt book (what can I say, I was ordering this from Amazon and had to qualify for the free shipping). It is a great introduction into the DSQ way which seems a little bit funky and very verbose. The book has two sections, one focused on small projects and the other actual quilt patterns. I loved the idea of pieced scrap cards and took that on this week.

It was such a simple way to use what we have and make something special to say 'Thanks' to the lovely family and folks that literally showered the boys with new things. I used the pattern in the book as inspiration but knew I had to make quite a few so here is what I did ::

1. I Cut strips of scrap as long as a regular piece of regular cardstock (8.5 by 11.5 I think) then sewed them to the page until the blank piece of cardstock was covered. Important :: You must press each piece to get a nice fold. Other than that, don't be too fussy.

2. Trim the overhanging fabric and then cut the card into four pieces. Also cut extra blank cardstock for the back of the card.

3. Using sewing machine and wide zigzag stitch, sew the fabric and blank piece together, just catching the fabric piece which will allow you to fold the card nicely.


4. Straight stitch around the fabric edges to keep the pieced fabric from rolling and turning under.

I found that I could crank out quite a few in an hour and they are signed and ready to be mailed as of yesterday afternoon. I love that they feel as special as the people that gathered but cost nothing as I had all the supplies on hand. And I think I might go back and make a few more just to have for those times when you want a special something to throw into the mail box.


Tomorrow...more of this...here is a sneak peek...


And I did not think I could deepen my love or obsession with all things Alabama Chanin. I was wrong.

April :: Easter and Celebration

I think some of you are aware of the fact that I am one of 8 siblings. I am second in line with one older brother, we are all just about two years apart except for the younger boys. As we have grown and partnered off, I have noticed a very interesting thing, especially on holiday weekends. Three of my siblings have partners that also come from families of 8. My sister in law is the youngest of 8, Cuban descent. My brother has a girlfriend that has 5 sisters and two brothers, her youngest siblings are actually close in age to my boys, Hawaiian descent. And my brother in law comes from a huge family on his Dad's side, 8 uncles and aunties, Creole descent. It serves for some awesome and huge holiday celebrations.



This year was no exception. We spent the first part of the day with the Hawaiians, their backyard sent the boys into ecstatic fits of joy. Huge play area, gardens and slides and swings and a pig. A pig with PMS but still, a pig.


We had a mellow and fun egg hunt with the little people scurrying around and quickly getting the gist of it. (Video here for Gramma Mona and Grandpa Jim). The thing I love about gathering with other big families is the mellow vibe, the easy flow in and out of the kitchen, the constant hustle and new faces to meet and the food. Oh god. The food. Maybe it is due to the fact that when you feed 8 mouths daily, you know how to create an ungodly amount of food. It was a chilly windy and puffy cloud day and there was hot soup and other good stuff. And it brings me so much happiness to watch our families as they blend and mesh together, see my siblings in happy settings, with happy people.


And then we went to my brother's house where the Cubans had gathered. No pictures there because I think I went into a food coma. There were tostones (fried plantain) and medianoches (Cuban sandwiches) and pastelitos (flaky pastry with meat inside). And the awesome news that I will be an auntie again come next fall, their first. And then I watched as my boys fell deeply in love with Jules, an 11 year old sweet heart that watched them carefully and obligingly performed the role of the tiger during playtime.




And it begins to come to me just how wonderful it is to be part of this family, this multiplication table of love. They are each different, the currents and relationships of each group have their own flavor and fashion but in the end, it is all about the love and the sharing and the gathering. It would be such a blast to gather them all, every sibling and their partner and their others into one big huge space someday, just to see what it would be like.


I love that I can watch my siblings become grown ups belonging to a circle wider than our own, becoming spouses and parents and people that can fit into so many places. It makes holidays a wonderful joy rather than a stress or strain. Hope your Easter held lots of joy and fun and candy too.



(Owen pre-choc choc coma).

Now, on to the next event in April. Birthday boys and sewing skirts, road trip to Berkeley and puzzle invites. More on that soon.

April :: Celebrate The Spring

Feeling just a bit disconcerted by the fact that today marks the start of the month of April. Very disconcerted in fact. In a few more days the little boys that reside in this home will reach the three mark, a fact that still slightly astonishes me. Especially because 2 seems like it happened in the not too distant past.




The lovely thing about their growth is the way we can engage in Life so much with them. This weekend marks Easter and though we are quite secular round these parts these days it still holds significance in our lives. I grew up deeply entrenched in the Catholic tradition and I so loved Easter dresses and Sunday sunrise Mass and the egg hunt and the bewildering mystery of that man disappearing from the tomb. It may be what drives me to prepare so carefully for the weekend upcoming.

This year I followed a newish tradition of making their Easter outfits, not quite finished but almost there. But what I really wanted to share was a quick project for their Easter basket.


I found a simple tutorial on Maya made for 'baskets' that would use up the crap ton of felt I bought by the yard some time ago. The great part is there is very little finishing to do as felt can be cut and left. The baskets took about 30 minutes each and the plan is to keep adding little embellishments with the boys over the next few days. And also the all important Initial.


So as to avoid any mix up on the part of the boys and possibly avoid all out war.

They require a little stabilizer in the bottom (right now a quilting cutting square is giving the support) but otherwise I am done, free to return to the droll task of sewing buttons onto their sweet new pants.

One other quick project came together for their school Spring party. The boys each were asked to bring in a dozen plastic eggs (no candy just little bits inside) in an egg carton. The plan: hide the eggs (der) and then each child would find eggs until their carton was full (brilliant). We had done a little painting fun on paper which we (I) cut into egg shapes, then used some more from the felt stash as an Initial.


Totally unnecessary, but I love seeing bits of their art making it into our collective consciousness.





I like the idea of using the empty egg carton as a regulator for the number of eggs collected...and they had a blast at the school party and have been fiddling with all the cute egg treats and carrying the cartons around all afternoon.

So, still lots to do for the weekend.


The list is not too daunting :: some egg dying, deviled eggs, candy procurement for the plastic eggs, some treats for their basket. The great news :: We are going to other folks homes for celebration. Right on. No cleaning to do, just some food and egg prep. What a sweet relief it is. Gives me some time to try my hand at these (Purl bee bunny finger puppets) for their baskets. And the button sewing. Arg, back to the button sewing.


Tomorrow...some Spring sewing and knitting. If I finish those darn buttons.

Made :: Last Year's Holidays

It feels like Christmas was eons ago, but I also feel like it whirled by and I am left still wanting to create a whole slew of projects that I just did not get around to. I have a precious copy of a Martha Stewart publication that gathers some of her best ideas into one tidy magazine and I find myself still looking it over, wishing I could do them. I just might while still in the spirit, it might ensure that next year we send out handmade cards rather than Costco’s finest with our pictures emblazoned all over them. (If you click the link you can check the snowman button cards, so cute and so simple. These might actually work for me).

I thought I would recap some of my favorite holiday making from last year (gasp, really, 2009 is so gone). The first was the set of oven mitts I sewed up for my sister. They were solely from scrap corduroy folded in my stash and I used many layers of old batting and flannel to insulate them and I love love love them. The quilted effect really made them special and bolstered my desire to explore more of the quilting format in the coming year.

The pattern is really simple, from the Lotta Book, not exactly rocket science, cut and stack and quilt and sew together. I found it easiest to hand stitch the binding at the wrist edge as my machine sewing attempt was horrible. And now I need to make more, but I ran out of corduroy scraps. Anything will work, but I love the way the cord quilted up.


This season was the year of candy making, as evidenced by a whole post devoted to marshmallow making. Then I made some caramels that had to be given out immediately for fear of eating them all. I also made some toffee that was out of this world.

I used the recipe from Molly’s book, but subbed in almonds and used Andes Mint candy chopped up with bittersweet chocolate for the top. People, I have discovered how to make a pan of sinfully delicious Almond Roca. I thought Tim might pass out when he realized that this new knowledge can be implemented at any time. In. Our. Home. I might have too as I wished I could erase the knowledge of candy making from the memory bank. It is a frickin’ dangerous thing to know.

There was this banner from my ever inspirational friend Jennifer that came together from more fabric stash.

Easy project and perfect for hanging all the cards we received in the mail. I used small pieces, sewed them right side together, turned them and stitched them at intervals to store bought bias binding. It is great as it can be used year after year for hanging the cards that come. Cards are one of my favorite parts of the season and it is nice to display them in a way that lets them become a part of our days leading up to Christmas.


One of the last thing I tried was a New Year’s Day appetizer.

I read an SK post on mushrooms and cream and immediately understood where she gets the ‘smitten’ in her blog name. We had made the mushroom Marsala pasta a few days before so I had all needed ingredients for a mushroom caviar, but no brioche for toasts. Back to the Martha Stewart magazine, where I found recipe for crackers. So I made crackers. It sounds crazy but they are so easy….basically flour, butter, cheese, spices, cream or milk. Bam. Cracker dough. Roll it out thin, cut it pretty, bake it a long time, and you have crackers. Mine were garlic parmesan with red pepper flakes and they were gooooood. Especially with creamy mushroom caviar dolloped on top. (SK made crackers too, her recipe sounds just like the one I used, so here you go).

Some of this knowledge is stuff I would rather not know as the waist band of my pants tightened ever so slightly every other day leading up to the holiday week. But the holidays are over and I guess I can just tuck away some of this knowledge to re-visit next year. We all know the holidays are going to be here before we know it, right?

Now, onto the next year of making. As long as it does not hold weekly candy making efforts, I think I am game.