Under Construction

Flour Child

Last Friday Biscuit was in a fashion show.  It was sponsored by the food science department and the fashion had to be made out of "food or food packaging." I had big plans involving corn husks but it was a giant relief when I found two vintage flour sacks at an antique store the weekend before the show.  I immediately knew exactly how I wanted the dress to look. And, amazingly, it worked out.

Even though Biscuit couldn't stop talking about the upcoming fashion show being the center of attention is not something she enjoys (see: hysterical crying over happy birthday singing at her party). I knew I would have to walk the runway with her so I threw together a coordinating skirt.

I was very proud that she walked the runway by herself all the way to the twirl. At which point she realized, hey, there's an audience, and demanded to be carried the rest of the runway.
You can see we were surrounded by greatness.The "orange bag" dress to our right won first and "miss sushi" to our left won second.  That sushi dress was AMAZING in it's detail.  That parasol is made on a frame chopsticks with rice bags as paper. The green fringe on her dress is folded twist ties. Even the shoes are handmade.  Biscuit received an honorable mention, mostly for being cute.

Bad photo of Biscuit but let's examine the details (this project took up all my crafting time last week so we need to focus!). The bag, from a vintage sugar bag (same antique store), cotton batting and red lining fabric from Ikea.  Filled with two mini baguettes we made for the occasion. The necklace(s) are strung bread pieces, Biscuit 'designed' the pendant and cut out the little leaf shapes. She also rolled the "snakes" we baked into bracelets. She ate a bracelet before the show and snacked on the necklace post-show.

See? Necklace, partially eaten. You can also sort of see the cool logo from the flour sack.

Here's the back of the dress.

It was so fun to have a project that I was 'pushed' to do (because I signed up for the show ages ago and couldn't let my friends down) that then came out exactly as I wanted. And now Biscuit has another summer dress to wear--just as soon as the weather warms up again.

Collars, sleeves and buttons, oh my!

I consider myself a novice at sewing apparel. I typically avoid anything with collars, sleeves or buttons. In fact, I don't think I've ever sewn a collar.

So this dress was a bit intimidating. I had the mint green striped seersucker in my drawer and yesterday got a bee in my bonnet to make it into an Easter dress.  Is there anything cuter than a toddler in seersucker?

I found a pattern that I'd bought at the thrift store ages ago and it was exactly what I had in mind, poufy sleeves, collar, gather at the yoke.  Perfect.

I followed the directions very carefully and very closely. I practiced my button holes several times on scrap.  And lo and behold, it came together perfectly during ONE (3.5 hour!) nap.  Bright green buttons were a little gift from Peptogirl.

In the interest of full disclosure, I had to bribe her with a cookie to get her to try on the dress.  This is what she wears when I let her choose her own clothes.

And now for the three Pay it Forward winners:
Jill Swensen (her wall decals are SO cute--check them out)
Deb Troti--a fellow Sacramento Craft Mafia member!
Richelle F (who is a apparently a math geek. I guess I am too, I know what an actuary is)
Turns out the first three commenters won but I did have a random drawing.  So, email me your mailing address and a little surprise will arrive soon(ish).  And don't forget to pay it forward on your own blog if you've got one. Thanks for playing!

A second life for the seventies embroidery

Wow, didn't mean to leave that "random things" post up for quite so long. But I've loved your comments and reassurance that we're all a little bit weird. I also enjoyed hearing that readers have the exact same embroidery of the bonnet girl and her cat--how cool. 

My mom is one of the most creative, least crafty people I know.  I can't imagine her sewing, knitting or embroidering so when, during my last visit, she handed me this embroidery she did I knew it was special.

I simultaneously decided that Biscuit's crib quilts really don't work on her big girl bed. So in a stash busting move I made this random quilt. I love using fabrics from other projects, the cotton from her bedroom curtains, the linen from her dress, the pink from her cousin's quilt etc.   I also worked in a small, useless, birth announcement style embroidery I did and a paper pieced quilt square from Angry Chicken's Mailorder.

The whole quilt top took only a few hours. It's definitely wonky but it'll do. I plan to back it one of my childhood sheets (the matching yellow check pillowcase is on the front) and I'll fill it with polyester and machine quilt it for maximum washability. Soon.....
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On an unrelated note, if you could check back here tomorrow, that would be great. One of the things that's been keeping me from crafting and blogging is a business plan competition I'm entering with my friends. We're the long shot contestants for sure and we've also waiting until the veeeeery last minute to pull together our executive summary. We could really use some quick'n'dirty market research so I'm going to try to pull together a fun, online survey (with prizes) and post a link tomorrow. Hopefully.
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Back to crafting. Tutorials seem popular and I have a few ideas up my sleeve but need a kick in the pants to finish them up.  Which would you like to see?
How to make a quillow (lap blanket that folds into a pillow)
How to make a log cabin square
Very basic quilting techniques (videos)
Something else I haven't thought of yet
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I've got the Oscars on Tivo and my laundry heap is calling. Happy Monday to ya!

Bloomers and a list'o'random

I had grand plans of submitting 3 ideas to the Pillowcase Challenge and totally kicking Lauren's butt. But... All I got done were these bloomers (which I am pleased with) but I think Lauren has me beat. Her tote is awwwwwwsome (as Biscuit would say) (side note: I have all the folks at work saying "awwwwwsome" in this dramatically drawn out way that Biscuit has perfected. So funny. Must capture on video)

Anyway, the tote is awesome but the bloomers are ok too. The lacy edge of the pillowcase made a perfect trim for the bloomers and the fabric is super duper soft from years of washings.

The bloomers are a little longer than I was planning, but such is the risk of sizing clothing for a sleeping child.  The serger did a bang up job on these and they will be perfect as my tall little girl's dresses all get too short.

In unrelated news:

• It was a looooong week at work and I'm sooooo happy for a 3-day weekend (that probably goes without saying)
• Mr. H has strep throat (bummer) (also, does not make for romantic Valentine's Day)
• Biscuit had what I might call her first "full blown, I'm two"  temper tantrum last night after I wouldn't let her sleep in her sleeping bag that she got for Valentine's Day from Grandma and Grandpa.
• These songs are fun (for kids and adults)
• I read a lot of blogs that aren't on my blogroll. Here's one: Aunty Cookie
• This is what Biscuit's dream sleeping plan looked like last night (except that she wouldn't go to sleep)

Have a great weekend.

Over and out

Loot

You can read the blow by blow of our trip to Portland here but I can summarize: it was a trip any husband would hate. Three days, four fabric store trips, several kid/toy store trips, one bead store, two yarn stores, umpteen bus rides to the 'burbs for more fabric stores and two trips to the donut store. Well, the boys might have liked the donut store.

This pile is from the Knittn Kitten. Wow is that one ugly website but one fantastic idea for a store. I totally want to open one in Sacramento. Let's call that business plan #687 that will not be realized. (if you are an angel investor, call me, I have several business plans...)  Right, the loot. You can see the prices. The cheater cloth in the back was $3 for 2 yards. Bargain city and who can resist a gingham eyelet?

Then we went to Fabric Depot

If you read a lot of crafty blogs you've no doubt seen the Portland blog crew going on and on about Fabric Depot. It's worth it. It's not inexpensive but they have EVERYTHING (except silicone impregnated ripstop nylon--sorry, dad).  For MLK Day EVERYTHING was 30% off. I think I showed a lot of restraint. The cherry is a baby wale corduroy for a coat or jumper for Biscuit. The muslin and canvas are for a plan I'm hatching to screen print my own fabric. The toweling is just because I've never seen it anywhere but online so had to get some.  The tools, oh, I don't know, 50% off, I'm married to a woodworker, a half yard didn't seem excessive... And no sales tax in Oregon!

All the light colored fabrics are in the wash now. I'm getting better about washing fabrics before putting them away. Nothing more annoying than having inspiration strike and not having your fabric pre-washed.

So it's time to switch the load to the dryer and watch some Project Runway. I love my DVR. Happy Thursday!

Maybe I can call in "rain"

The radio announcer said that "Biblical proportions might be overstating it" (ya think?) but the Iowa caucus coverage was preempted by coverage of the storm that's coming...any minute now. They suggested everyone stay off the roads tomorrow. You think I can call in rain?

If I do, you can bet I'll be home with my new (on loan) serger. Oh, and my husband and child. If I was home, I would also be able to spend the whole day in my brand new orange pajama pants. (not the most attractive photo, sorry) (also, I think I had them on backwards) But they are very comfy!

ANYWAY for those of you out there thinking "hmm, sergers, sound neat but WAAAAAAY too complicated," take heart. The manual looks super duper complicated but I read through (most of) it very slowly, and carefully, with wine and then I slowly, and carefully followed the threading instructions and then I stuck in a piece of fabric and it just sewed. And the edge was all professional looking (if you can ignore the white, blue and gold color palate the loaner machine came with).

The little cutter device seems dangerous but it is so amazing and the fabric cuts right off and makes a neat little pile in the special attachment created to catch the fabric squiggles. I haven't really got the hang of accurate seam allowances or sewing straight but I'm working with forgiving materials and not worrying about it.

If you're in the market for a serger, so far I can recommend the New Home MyLock. I looked online and it looks like it's now sold under the Janome name. It didn't work with heavy twill (but I didn't even try adjusting the tension so that may not be fair) and other than that it's been great.

And, since I can't exactly call in rain, wish me luck slogging through the traffic tomorrow. If you don't hear from me, the house has probably floated away.

Success!

It's after midnight so it's November 30 which means the last day of NaBloPoMo. I made it! Posted 30 days in a row.

I also finished the gift just in time. It's wonky and has issues but it's done.  I'll tell you more about it later.

Goodnight!

Sewing machines need oil. Who knew?

I was this close to sitting down and writing a rant post about my sewing machine crapping out at a most inopportune moment. But I took a deep breath, did a little investigation, and found a lint ball in the bobbin thing a majig. I got that out and added a drop of oil and hoo rah it's running smooth as can be.

So I can finish the very, very last minute gift for Biscuit's day care provider. Tomorrow is Biscuit's last day at the in-home daycare she's been at since she was 10 weeks old. I thought a handmade gift was in order.

It's almost midnight; I better get back to it.

Thread treatise

I must have been sewing a lot more lately because I find myself running out of plain, white thread. Shocking!  A spool used to last months. Years? Not any more.

When it comes to thread I've always used Coats and Clark's Dual Duty All Purpose thread. No real reason but it's widely available, reliable and cheap. Over the years have collected spools in several colors and never had a problem with it.  That is until I got my new machine where the thread lays sideways.

In this set up, I had lots of problems with the little cut in the top of the spool catching the thread and breaking it.  The larger disk to hold the thread in place was too big and also held up the thread. I figured out how to put the thread on top but it seems to mess with the tension. 

Then I started having a lot of issues with my machine and the fellow at the repair shop said the thread could be to blame. He suggested Guttermans. I got a spool and it was a lemon! Took me ages to figure out that the thread kept breaking because the spool was rolled wrong and periodically the thread overlapped itself on the spool and jammed.  That was annoying.

So how excited was I with the brand new spool design for my same ol' thread? Very excited. These new spools are more compact and have a completely smooth rim (no notch to catch the thread).  Highly recommended!

You didn't know I could say so much about thread, did you? 

Ok, I've gotta go to bed, between sewing, laundry and Project Runway it's been a busy evening and now it's late.  Happy Thursday to ya!

Testing, one, two, testing

Testing to see if a 4x8' piece of plywood over my dining table will fit in the dining room.

Realizing it looks like it will work which is a relief since we have 9 adults and 4 kids for Thanksgiving dinner.

Testing a paint color for the backsplash

We're calling it "battleship gray." I'm not sure if we're going to go with it.  I like it with the countertops but it's really, really gray which is a bit weird with the cherry cabinets.

Testing a quick and easy sewing pattern

Realizing that, oh crap, I signed up for another craft show and it's next weekend and I'm totally uninspired.

Testing a new recipe for pomegranate jelly. (note, link opens a pdf file)

I just tasted it and I think it's a winner!

After a full day of trying new things I have a rather mundane mountain of laundry to tackle.  Hope you had a great weekend!