Friday, May 30, 2014

Lunch with Peter Rabbit

It's been almost a year since we found a tiny folding table and one folding chair by the side of the road. The seat and table top were covered in blue vinyl that had definitely seen better days, but a little scrubbing took off the dirt (if not the stains). My plan was to replace the blue vinyl at some point.

Then, a few months ago, a neighbor threw out another folding chair, identical to the first. This one had a tear in the vinyl but was otherwise sound, so my re-cover project went into effect. I searched and searched for the right fabric, but was plagued with indecisiveness. It had to match the blue seat frame, it couldn't be too "kidsy" (because it spends a lot of time in our living area), and I didn't want something that would look dated too easily. I even bought some fabric at JoAnn's, only to discover that it was the wrong blue when I brought it home.

And then it hit me. Why not Beatrix Potter? It's classic, and it generally involves the color blue. A brief search later, and I'd found the perfect fabric.





A scattered print of Peter Rabbit and family, on a greyish background -- and it wasn't even a one-way design! I topped it with a layer of clear vinyl, because spills were inevitable.




It's a good thing I decided to re-do the chairs, because when I pulled the vinyl backing off of one of the seats, I discovered thick green mold. And that chair had been sitting in our house for a while... *shiver* Fortunately, we had a thin plywood-ish board in the garage that was the perfect thickness when doubled. I cut out two seat shapes on the bandsaw, glued and clamped the pieces together, and voila!




And since I took these pictures, our neighbors ditched another chair with a scarred seat. I had plenty of leftover fabric and vinyl, so we now have a set of three chairs -- and I'm feeling pretty confident we'll one day end up with a fourth! I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open...


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Swirls in Wool

Once I finished up these little bootees, I knew I wanted to make something to go with them using my leftover yarn. I used the (free!) Swirl Hat pattern by Mandie Harrington, which I found on Ravelry. I restarted several times, once because I didn't think I was doing it right when I actually was... oops. But I'm finding that taking it slow is good, and because I really want to do it "right," I'd rather restart a project a few times and get some good practice, rather than churn out projects full of mistakes.



I actually blocked it, too! I'm not a patient person, so blocking is rather torturous. I kept checking on it to see if it was dry yet. Oh, and I blocked the bootees while I was at it -- they didn't change much, but do seem a bit tidier in appearance.

The swirl pattern is still a mystery to me. I have absolutely no idea how it comes out looking like this, because I can't figure out how the pattern (which is quite simple) would produce such an effect. I don't mind a mystery, though, especially when the results are so satisfying!



A small hat was the perfect second project, and got me used to the whole knitting-in-the-round-with-double-pointed-needles concept. I did make a few mistakes in the top rows, but fortunately they're virtually undetectable. Oh, and I knitted this up in the newborn size, to match the bootees. I won't let myself make oodles of newborn things in hopes that we'll be blessed with a rainbow baby soon, but it does feel good to have just a few little things. A little bit of hope does a body good, you know?




Friday, May 23, 2014

Valleys

Fullness in Christ
from The Valley of Vision

O God,
Thou hast taught me that Christ has all fullness and so all plenitude of the Spirit,
  that all fullness I lack in myself is in Him,
  for His people, not for Himself alone,
  He having perfect knowledge,
                             grace,
                             righteousness,
                                        to make me see,
                                        to make me righteous,
                                        to give me fullness;

that it is my duty, out of a sense of emptiness,
   to go to Christ, possess, enjoy His fullness as mine,
   as if I had it in myself, because it is for me in Him;

that when I do this I am full of the Spirit,
    as a fish that has got from the shore to the sea and has all fullness of waters to move in,
    for when faith fills me, then I am full;

that this is the way to be filled with the Spirit, like Stephen,
      first faith,
     then fullness,
for this way makes me most empty,
and so most fit for the Spirit to fill.

Thou hast taught me that the finding of this treasure of all grace in the field of Christ begets
            strength, 
            joy, 
            glory,
     and renders all graces alive.

Help me to delight more in what I receive from Christ,
                            more in that fullness which is in Him,
       the fountain of all His glory.
Let me not think to receive the Spirit from Him as a 'thing' apart from finding,
                                                                                                        drinking,
                                                                                                        being filled with Him.

To this end, O God,
          do Thou establish me in Christ,
                        settle me,
                        give me a being there,
                        assure me with certainty that all this is mine,
for this only will fill my heart with joy and peace.


.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.


.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. 

A sermon I heard recently reminded me that there are mountaintops and valleys in life. Odd as it may seem, I don't think I'd yet acknowledged to myself that I've been in one of life's valleys ever since our loss. The valley of the shadow of death, as the Psalmist described it. But valleys don't last forever, and neither do mountaintops. I can't see the next mountaintop right now, and sometimes it feels like I will never reach it -- but I am trusting that Christ will lead me through to the other side. It can be so difficult when I feel like I'm the only person in the valley, while others seem to be basking on the mountaintop. I rejoice with them in their happiness, and certainly don't want them to join me in the valley! But oh, how I wish I could join them on the mountain. How grateful I am for a God with both the ability to bring His perfect plan to pass, and the wisdom to know how best to bring glory to Himself and ultimate good to His people. May those of you who are also walking through valleys be comforted by Christ's endless love -- or if you do not know Christ, to recognize your need of the saving grace that is free to all who ask for it.


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

The Belated Sundress

Why belated? Because I think I made this dress for Rosa when she was about nine months old. And considering that nine months is about half of her current lifespan, I think that's rather belated!

But better late than never, right?




I used a thrifted linen skirt (beautiful, but not my style), so the whole project cost $1 in materials. See the fancy diamond pintucks on the yoke? I totally did all of that myself  That was one of the skirt's details, which I just had to salvage. Basically, using thrifted clothing can not only save you a bunch of moolah, it can also save you a ton of work (or just make your projects more interesting, because it's highly unlikely I would have bothered with all of those tucks). 




The pattern is one I drafted myself, probably using an existing pattern to get some idea for the size (it's been a while since I made this, so I can't be sure!). I used my favorite placket method -- a seam up the center back, with a strip of fabric for the placket. It's so very easy that I almost can't stand any other kind of placket.




It's always a challenge to work an entire dress or project out of an existing garment -- sometimes it requires quite a bit of creativity! Or at least some contrast fabric. *wink* Fortunately I was able to get every single piece that I needed, with a few ruffles to boot. The bodice is lined (which conveniently envelops the bodice/skirt seam).

This dress has been worn so many times since it was made! Which you can tell a bit from the pictures. It lasted beyond summer into winter (this is Florida, so I could pair it with a sweater for cooler weather), and it's still going strong. I'm discovering that dresses are the best when it comes to lasting more than one size.  




I mentioned my love of leather in my last post, and now this post features one of my other loves (linen). But you know, I love the little person inside the linen best.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Leathered

I've come to a realization of late. Namely, I love leather. The feel, the smell, everything. I'm aware that's a somewhat controversial fondness! But that's not a debate I intend to explore, especially since my leather use thus far has consisted entirely of scraps and secondhand pieces. 

This piece, for instance, was made from a scrap from a local saddle shop. They offer a grocery bag full of scraps for $5, though the shop proprietor insisted on my husband taking the bag for free when she found out he was military. 




I used this tutorial and template for the "magic braid" (I used the shorter, fatter template). However, having read a few magic braid tutorials in the past, I didn't follow the instructions too closely. Also, with no snaps on hand, I used an exacto knife to cut a rectangular button hole, and added a small metal button. You don't need a leather needle for such a small task if you just poke a few holes with an awl or other sharp, pointy object.  




The process was much easier than I imagined! The bracelet naturally "unlooped" itself. I did discover that it's not necessary to braid every last inch -- once you're done braiding and start to even out the braid, everything works out.




I have plans for some leather sandals; I can't wait to see how they turn out! Well, assuming I get up enough gumption to try...

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Little Peasant

This little number was inspired by the sweet, simple tunics that I've seen of late (at last, I've come up with a collection of European designers to browse for inspiration!). I love the idea of a simple garment that can fit for quite a while when paired with leggings. I drafted the pattern using the Lutterloh Golden Rule system, which is really a unique idea. My sister bought it at a thrift store for $5, and ended up passing it on to me when she no longer wanted it. My kit is probably from the 80's, and I actually didn't know it was still being made until I looked it up a few moments ago! Apparently it costs much more than $5...




Anyway, I pulled a favorite cotton print from my stash and got to work. It was so simple to construct! I didn't bother with details on this project -- not every garment needs to be "heirloom."




Though I did add a few tucks, when it turned out a little longer than I wanted. There's just something about tiny pintucks.




And here's the little lady herself, in her new tunic. 





I love garments that last several sizes, and I think this will be one of them -- though I'm pretty sure I'll have to loosen that sleeve elastic soon! She's growing like a weed. A very, very cute weed.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Roses for My Rosa

Spring may be almost over in Florida (I know, some of you in cooler climes are still waiting for its arrival), but I'm holding on as long as I can. What says Spring more than flowers? But since I'm hopeless at growing flowers, I can at least sew with them.



This may be one of my favorite projects for Rosa to date (I know I keep saying that...). The floral fabric is a lightweight almost-lawn print that I salvaged from a thrifted shirt. I loved the print, but the shirt didn't fit right (weird bias + ruching stuff going on in the front). Now I'm glad it didn't! The floral reminds me strongly of a Liberty print, which is a little too pricey for me to indulge in on a regular basis (though I did recently buy a little bit of this, which I'll make into another tunic if I can get up the courage to cut into it!).

I cut the sleeves straight out of the existing shirt sleeves -- I couldn't bear to scrap the adorable shirred detail, so I incorporated it.


To salvage the sleeves, I cut them off the shirt and pinned them to my ironing
board (to stretch them out fully). Then I just cut my pattern piece out and sewed
up the sleeve seam.

And for once, I drafted the entire pattern from scratch. Well, essentially -- I used a pattern piece I'd previously drafted for a sundress (which I need to post about soon!) to get some idea for the right bodice measurements. But since I drafted that pattern, too, I figure it counts. I was strongly inspired by Alicia's tunic in this post, but I was too cheap to buy the Citronelle pattern she used. Though at some point I will just break down and buy one (or two... or three) of their patterns; they are too charming! 




Obviously I went for a back closure, inspired by these adorable tops. I really like how the back overlaps enough to be "modest" (not that it's a huge concern for my 18 month old), but eliminates the fussiness of a placket. Plus, it's easier to line and assemble. I used muslin for the "skirt," which I had leftover from a recent curtain project. The entire tunic is lined (with the exception of the sleeves), and it really has just the right weight to it.




Not only does this tunicd fit her perfectly now, I have a feeling she'll get a lot of wear out of it. 

Notice the button tab in the back? It's my favorite bit, and it was really an afterthought -- a bit of a shame, because I could have sewn it into the lining if I'd thought of it earlier! But it's hand-stitched to the lining instead, and it just makes me happy to look at it. 




I feel like I've been sewing up a storm this Spring. Maybe it's my form of therapy? Maybe it's just having a small person who's a blast to sew for. I think knitting is about to give sewing a run for its money, though. I left a knitting project at a friend's house recently, and I was antsy the entire evening. No joke. Hopefully the novelty will wear off soon, and I can pursue it like a normal human! Though my 32" circular needles just came in the mail, so now I have even more reason (and fewer hindrances) to knit. C'est la vie, right?

Monday, May 05, 2014

Another Message

When a friend's little boy celebrated his 2nd birthday a while back, I racked my brain to think of just the right gift. Why is it that I have always have about a million good ideas when I don't need them, but as soon as I find myself in a situation where such an idea would come in handy, I draw a blank?

Anyway, after some serious cogitation, I came up with a simple, obvious solution. Why not make another messenger bag? Little Man thoroughly loves his Mater messenger bag, so I though my friend's little fellow might feel the same. 




I used Zaaberry's Kid's Messenger Bag Tutorial once again, because it's just right. Just like the first time, I made the strap fabric narrower so it wouldn't be too thick. I lined the bag in khaki twill -- fortunately, I was able to use stash fabric for everything, because my procrastination left me little time to put this together.




My friend and her husband are huge Apple fans, so I used that as an inspiration for the leather motif stitched to the front. I added some subtle topstitching across the flap, and then applied a leather apple with wonder-under. I'd already punched holes with an awl, so I all I had to do was stitch the apple on -- this was before I sewed the flap to the flap lining (in other words, all of the extra stitching is hidden inside the flap). 




It may take a while for my friend's son to "grow" into the bag -- I can't recall what Little Man was like at that age -- but hopefully he'll get several years of use out of it!

Saturday, May 03, 2014

That's What Little Boys Are Made Of

Sometimes I look at my Little Man and realize that I'm now the mother of a little boy. There's still a little bit of toddler left, but I can't deny that he's growing bigger by the day. And the more his vocabulary grows, the more I get to see of what goes on in his litte boy mind.

Our walks give us plenty of opportunity for adventure -- which to him currently consists of looking into grates, running down sidewalks, and talking to anyone he can. "Hey! We're on a walk! We're on the sidewalk!" As if everyone wants to know...


Obviously, this photo was taken a while ago -- we've ditched jackets in Florida!
He loves his "flight jacket" because it has patches like his daddy's flightsuit.

The new construction in our area has also provided a favorite source of excitement -- diggers in every shape and size (and even the occasional dump truck). We always have to stop to admire them.




I'm also amused by Little Man's quirks. He can be quite methodical and precise. Even down to the "parking" arrangements for his matchbox cars:




We've had such a blast trying out my childhood masks -- I still have a set of Beatrix Potter masks I received as a birthday gift when I was four or five. I marvel that they've survived over two decades! Little Man is a ham regardless of what mask he wears, but my favorite has to be Jeremy Fisher (largely due to the way he hops around saying "Ribbit! Ribbit!"). 




It's a weighty thing, raising a little soul -- a stubborn, hilarious, rambunctious, lovable little soul. He's always maing me laugh with the things he said. Today he asked what I was making, and I told him it was pain au chocolat. He replied, concerned, "Panda chocolate?" He also loves going with Daddy to the barber shop (which he calls the "toy bah-buh shop," because it has quite a selection of playthings) -- on a recent trip, he was given an Elmo doll to play with. He knows who Cookie Monster is, because he asked about him at the store one day. He thinks Elmo is also called Cookie Monster, but on this occasion he went a step further by calling him "Cookie Cutter." Pablo contends that "Cookie Cutter" sounds like some sort of gangster living on the "wrong side" of Sesame Street. I'm still just happy he doesn't know who Elmo is.