Paper Pie

Josephine's Bouquet

Where do I even start with this garment? I guess I could jump in with just the facts. This is the Schoolhouse Tunic by Meg McElwee from Sew Liberated constructed with Amy Butler fabric for Westminster called Josephine's Bouquet. But the drama and emotion of the story is perhaps a little more compelling. This is the first piece of clothing that I have ever sewn for myself in a serious and grown up way. Maybe I've sewn an occasional bag, or Halloween costume for myself in the past, but this is the first time that I have taken a stab at choosing a pattern and making something that I would love to wear again and again. Even if I did buy this pattern 4 years ago and allowed it to lay dormant in my sewing stash all these years in the interim. It's true, I found this fabric and pattern still in the original packaging with a packing slip dated 2013. I'm not really sure why it has taken me so long to see it through, but I am so glad I finally have done it and now this sweet and versatile tunic hangs in my expanding closet of handmades.

I've been brushing up against this idea quite a lot lately. This notion that my creative life has been on hold since 2013. I've had the experience of looking back and wondering the last time I did this or that and it always comes around to 2013. Perhaps the most obvious example could be this online space and the practice of writing and blogging regularly. It probably makes perfect sense to the objective observer, that my time for self expression and creativity would have severely diminished after adding another child into the daily mix, and indeed 2013 is the year that dear Otis was born. I can also point to my father's death and managing his estate from thousands of miles away, as a heavy responsibility—both practical and emotional—that quite naturally has pushed the making habit to the back burner and forced other priorities into my life. Ironically enough, these events are actually just the big and weighty circumstances that make time for renewal and joyful expression even that much more critical. I can see that now. I can see that it is a mistake to give up what you love to do because it is very difficult to justify setting aside the time for yourself when so many other things, people, circumstances are demanding your attention. I no longer see self care, time devoted to a keen passion, and creative expression as a luxury I can only allow myself after the kids are asleep and every last dish and item of dirty clothing has been cleaned. No, on the contrary, I now see this making, doing, creating as a need, a need for not only focused work and relaxation, but a need for a sense of accomplishment. A need to do things that I may have previously doubted my ability to do. A need to push myself and the boundaries of what I believe is possible for myself. And perhaps most importantly—this lab of doing, creating and actually putting in the work—has allowed me to examine my thought processes and to identify where I have gotten stuck in the past. These insights are so valuable and necessary to move forward and they can only be acquired by doing. I actually have to DO THE THING or else I will be mired in the dibilitating cycle of cynicism and self doubt.

Wow, that's a lot of talking around this little unassuming tunic. I guess the short story is that I love it! It fits! I love the fabric! A very lovely and unplanned surprise is that my recently finished sweater looks amazing with the colors and overall look of this tunic. I couldn't be happier with this first for myself. And I couldn't be happier to be making again.

For the Summer Holidays

I was excited to find these dresses waiting for me on the front porch this afternoon. I bought them last week while doing a little Etsy search for festive Fourth of July ideas. This year we will be at our family's lake house in rural Pennsylvania. Just the perfect place to lounge around in these fetching frocks and sip iced tea while embroidering pillowcases or knitting socks or something. I love it there. It is so peaceful and rejuvenating. The home has been in Ryan's family his whole life and he has many fond memories of family vacations at the lake each summer. It is very important to both of us that Rylie knows it well.

I found this dress here (it was her first sale!) and though I can be a bit trepid about buying vintage online, this dress is in perfect shape and is exactly my size. I love the folksy country charm mixed with elegant details: white, ankle length, empire waist. Check out the gingham:

And the ribbon:

And for Rylie, I couldn't pass up this little sailor number from this shop.

The mock shirt part with the dot in the middle buttons in and is removable. I'm sure there is an actual term for something like this, not sure what it is called though.

I think we could break these dresses in early this coming weekend. Red, White and Blue is appropriate for Memorial Day too, right?

The Knitting of a Sweater

I've only ever knit 4 things before: this chunky scarf was my very first project from Stitch 'N Bitch: A Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller.


These baby booties from Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas.

And remember the legwarmers from Never Not Knitting?

Here are the same legwarmers in action just last week.
A while ago, I knit this hat from Knitting for Baby in anticipation for our trip to Chicago and Michigan.
On that trip, Rylie promptly removed the hat from her head, tore the pom pom off and distributed it evenly all over the backseat of our rental car. I'm contemplating replacing the pom pom or deciding to let that one go.

Zipper, not worried about being perceived as cliché

And now the sweater. Wish me luck. It is going ok so far, I've realized that stitch holders would probably have made things much easier for me instead of using double pointed needles with scrap yarn tied around the ends. Right? Well, necessity is the mother of invention, even half-baked inventions. Is there something else I could use for stitch holders instead of buying them? Despite my inexperience, and dropped stitches here and there, I am so motivated to knit right now. When I get out of bed in the morning, I put the coffee on, grab my sweater and knit a row. When I am nursing Rylie, I knit a row. When I am the passenger in a car, I am knitting a row(s), and at the end of the day, Ryan and I relax side by side with a cup of tea - he reads, I knit. Despite all of my other projects, despite all of the email I need to catch up on, despite the proximity of Christmastime, I sit and knit and it is restorative and satisfying, especially as I notice some semblamce of a sweater taking shape.

"Oh yes, that is the armhole isn't it? And this is where the buttons will be sewn on, uh huh, I see."

Whenever I start on a new knitting project, I am surprised by my gusto and how industrious my thoughts can be. I need to be honest with myself and realize that I will never finish all of the projects that I think about. I dream about knitting a blanket, not just for Rylie, but for every expectant mama I know (a lot) and pillows, and cotton towels and stuffed animals and more sweaters and cable knit and this sweater, oh I think about this sweater a lot. 

I read a passage in Knitting For Baby that said essentially every inch of the yarn passes through the knitter's fingers when knitting. Every inch of this sweater/hat/legwarmer/sock has been touched by mama. A lovely thought that each inch is infused with my touch and love. I often find myself daydreaming about when the sweater is finished and how it will look, how Rylie will like it, and what she will think when she pulls it out for her own baby some day. That is, if Grandma doesn't knit her grandbabies all the sweaters they could ever use beforehand. Big plans I tell you, big plans...

**P.S. I just found Ginny's Yarn Along. Perfect timing!

Flea Market Finds

Before Ryan and I went to the Arboretum on Sunday, we stopped in early at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. It is quite the event and Ryan and I have found plenty of goodies there over the years. Vendors and shoppers come from all over to buy and sell, and I have more than once seen crews from the HGTV shows filming there. Because of its popularity, good deals are a little more elusive at this FM than others in the area. That being said, the place is abundant with eye candy and a really fun way to spend a Sunday morning. I am generally more curious and wander-y than Ryan, he is more business when he is there. He'll be about 25 paces in front of me before he realizes that I am fondling some vintage tea towels or ogling some amazing clown sculpture. Ryan is always on the search for a Sea Captain painting. He saw one there a while back and didn't buy it and he has been living in regret ever since. The yarn art piece above is just up my alley though we let this one go. As are these bright vintage prints.

The place is so full of amazing things that I sometimes get overwhelmed to the point of paralysis. Meaning, I love everything so much that I end up buying nothing. I simply can not decide. Another phenomenon of the giant flea market is searching for something very specific and not being able to find it to save your life. You can guarantee that when you go back next month, the place will be flooded with that one item. This has happened to us on many occasion. For instance, before we were married we circled the whole place upside down and backwards looking for a bird cage so that our guests could put cards in it at our wedding. No luck, nothing, nada. Every time I have been back there since, the place is teeming with bird cages. It should actually be called The Rose Bowl Flea Market and Bird Cage Emporium. This time we were there looking for things like a rocking chair, storage solutions, a smaller more kid friendly coffee table, and I wanted to find a cutesy vintage-y shelf for the nursery. We did not find any of those items to suit our fancy. However, we did by a few old and well worn Little Golden Books.

Treehouse Collective had a booth there too and we found this adorable jumper from the 50s in size 18 months. I love this color green and Baby Scott does not have a whole lot of it in her closet yet. Here it is! Their prices were much lower at the FM than on their site, so I guess there are good deals to be found after all!

Liz & Kalli #52 Reward

Who knew that it would take me weeks to post the very last Liz and Kalli Tuesday piece? Not me, chaos has just gotten the better of me lately and I have not given myself time to do the things that I truly enjoy. I know that is a big time no no. So hopefully you will see me around here a little more often from now on. The last word for our art project is reward. Liz's is on top and Kalli's is on bottom.

*Liz

For completing 52 weeks of the art project I bought myself these kicky and comfy sandals. For completing 3 weeks of over-activity I gave myself some time in the hammock. I am happy with both of these gifts to myself.

*Kalli

Here is my "reward" ribbon, meant for you to print out, color in with your favorite colors and hang on the wall to remind yourself that you are awesome! 

We should both color our own and hang them up so that we always remember our art project!

It's a Girl!

And we couldn't be more excited, thrilled or happy. I also could not be more excited, thrilled, or happy with this dress. My first official baby dress. It's not perfect by any means, but I am quite proud of myself for making something that actually looks like a piece of clothing. I attached the binding around the neck and armholes without a hitch and even trimmed the seam allowances with pinking shears. I also accomplished a pretty straight hemline, but I was nervous the whole time. You betcha.

This is the Simple Dress pattern from the book, Simple Sewing for Baby by Lotta Jansdotter. This is the first project that I've tried from the book and I will say that the pattern and the instructions were quite easy to follow, simple indeed! One of the options in the pattern is to include the little pocket friend that I attached with ric rac. See, she can take it out of the pocket, play with it, bat it around and it stays right there. Last nght, Ryan was reading something about how tethering things to the baby is a good idea. So, I gave her this little tethered pocket friend. It is so cute I can barely stand it! I think she will love her pocket friend and name him something like Spinach or Cat or something as equally adorable. 

Here is a view of the top of the back of the dress. You can't really tell from this photo, but there is a small opening there. I created the button loop with embroidery floss and attached a bright yellow vintage button. The button loop was really fun to make and much sturdier than a ribbon or elastic strap. Because sturdiness is in important I think. I imagine her running around the yard, barefoot, chasing the puppy that we don't have yet. I want this dress to be worn over and over and maybe some day her little pocket friend will need to be reattached, or perhaps we will get rid of it all together when it proves to be too bothersome for the wash. All these little dreams, all these little thoughts, they comfort me when I am up in the middle of the night because my belly is expanding and I have to toss and turn to find just the right position, just the right spot that pleases me. Anyways, this dress only took me a weekend to complete and I have so many more ideas for little clothes that I want to make for little miss. Bloomers and smocks and gingham, oh my!

Sunny Day

It is such a beautiful day today. It feels like spring has finally arrived. Not that the weather in Southern California is ever anything but mild, but it has been rather gloomy and windy lately. It's the best when a day as lovely as this is also a Saturday.

On a different note, yesterday I worked on the 2 little t-shirts above. I'm quite pleased with them and I think they may be 2 of my favorite yet. I love the applique on the yellow one and the pear on the green one is as sweet as can be. I am thinking of opening another Etsy store to sell just my sewing projects. I'll keep you posted. Also, I was over at Melissa's blog today and she is giving away a copy of Susan Beal's book. All you have to do is leave a comment on her post, here's a link, and she is going to pick a winner on Monday night at 8 pm PST. Button It Up looks like a great book, so I am definitely going to comment. I have a rather huge stash of vintage buttons just waiting to be project-ed. 

High School Geometry Lesson

When I was in high school, the one math class that I actually did good in was geometry. Maybe it was my undeniable love of shapes, or perhaps it was because circles and squares are somehow tangible to me. Start talking sine and cosine and I get all, what? who me? Anyways, enough math talk, lets just enjoy the angles, edges and slightly more masculine color palette here. This one is available in the shop as you read this.

Last night while I was painting and reminiscing math class, I was also watching Summer Heights High. Kalli brought the DVD over last weekend and I love it so much I was watching some of the episodes with Ryan for a second time. That show is awesome, it's such a pity that they didn't pick it up for a second season. I love it because it is not a laugh out loud, raucously funny show. it's subtle and once you catch on to the sarcasm and characters it really is hilarious. Jonah is my favorite and I find myself trying to quote him all the time, annoyingly I might add.

I have been spending a lot of time on Etsy these days and I found the most amazing handbag here. It is so pretty and perfect for spring. Really, if you haven't clicked the link please do, it is a looker. I've lately been wearing vintage, collared shirts underneath lightweight cardigans. It's a good look for me, and as I've amassed lots of cardigans in different colors, I could use a few more seventies style button-ups. This one fits the bill perfectly. Don't you think it would be smashing underneath a turquoise cardi? I do. Yes, smashing.

Pretty Black

I worked on this black beauty last night. It was incredibly difficult for me to get a good shot because it is such a dark subject. I don't really use a lot of black in my work so I have little to no experience shooting such a dark color. I realize the angle here is making the shirt look oversized, but it's a pretty standard size large fit. Anyways, this one was pretty fun and easy and it gave me plenty excuse to sit around stitching all night (one of my favorite things.) Yesterday, I was actually stitching in my office at work during lunch, so there you have it, I'm a backstitch junkie.

Patchwork Charm

Here is another addition to my embellished t-shirt collection. This may be my favorite one so far. I must be a suppressed patriot or something because I really like red and blue together. Anyways, the vintage button on this one is to die for.

Did I ever tell you that Ryan and I venture to Venice each weekend to watch Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew with our good buds Josh and Audrey? I can't believe I have failed to mention it for this long. Yes, every Friday night it's dinner, ABDC and 30 Rock from the beginning. It's good fun, and I can't wait to see the finale this coming weekend. The actual finale was on tv last week but we had to postpone because our friend Mike was visiting. It is a really fun show to watch, truly entertaining. Plus, Mario Lopez is the host and he has a few dance moves of his own.

I'm still working on more t-shirts and I'll post them here as I finish them. I also bought a super awesome present for Ryan the other day that I have to show you. He was having a horrible day so I picked him up a little friend and it brought a smile straight to his lips. That, in turn, brought a smile straight to my lips. See how that works.