LOVE

Is it wrong to love clothes and fabric so much? I don't know, but certainly occupies a large portion of my mind. I found this website through wildflowers::pretty (which I also adore). Just look at these beautiful dresses...oh and just look at those shoes.

Hello there, blog!

It's not that I haven't been making anything, in fact I've been making everything, but I had technical difficulties with my blog (like it disappeared) and my lovely husband figured it all out with the people at Google, for which I am incredibly grateful because I have no patience for this kind of thing. So, I just lost all my momentum around blogging, but I'll give it another try.
I'll start with an old project I made months ago from Hillary Lang's stunning book. I immediately wanted to make Little Miss Storybook so I did and I really love her. My daughter is complete indifferent, as she is with most of the dolls I make, but I smile whenever I see it. And now I have realized, that's really what this handmade thing is all about.

On another note, I won some completely gorgeous Frye boots on eBay (first time bidding!) for a complete steal. I am currently trying to sew a wardrobe to go with the boots. First tunic is kind of a disaster, but I have many other projects waiting for a turn. I've finally decided to cut into fabric I've been hoarding for years because I might as well enjoy it on my body instead of staring at it on the shelf (which I do plenty, believe me!). 

So satisfying...

I am a quick project kind of girl when it comes to sewing or anything actually, which is why this skirt was so satisfying to me. I knew this fabric would be a skirt for K when I bought it and it's just as perfect as I expected it to be. I love red ric rac and add it to a LOT of things. I think this will even work for the holidays (and the 80+ degree weather we're having now).

I'm seriously in love with the new Oliver and S patterns, but really cannot justify buying all 4 of them at once and I cannot decide on just one. I am participating in the Sew Mama Sew Jump Rope Dress sewalong. I hope I'll have something cute to reveal by the end of the weekend, but it's NOT a quick project so let's hope I don't entirely lose interest before I've finished.

New beginnings

Both my kids started a tiny Waldorf school this week. It was a big change for my son in particular since we've been homeschooling the past two years. My daughter will be in the kindergarten a couple of days a week (although she'd like to go more). I was feeling so apprehensive about this change, but immediately was calmed by the rose ceremony that opened the school year. Things are going to be just fine.
My daughter wore a handmade dress that was mine as little girl. It's so nice to see her enjoying it as I remember that dress quite well. So nice to have had a crafty mom!

Half made by me

I can't even really believe that I (almost) knit a sweater for my daughter! I say almost because I started this project about 2+ years ago and then put it away (in pieces) to be completely forgotten about. Recently, a knitter friend of mine was interested in taking a look at my (completely unused, beautiful) yarn stash also packed away (remember I mentioned my love affair with supplies?!) since I mentioned that I'd love to get rid of some of it. She pulled the pieces out and said "Hey, I'll finish this for you." That was about the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Finishing projects has always been a challenge for me, but especially in cases where I've just completely thrown in the towel. So, she knit the sleeves and collar and then sewed the whole thing together and finished the edges...even put the buttons on (aren't they cute?). And then gave it back to me and Katya was thrilled to wear it. It's a tad wonky but I'm absolutely okay with that. I feel so incredibly proud and motivated to actually knit more. I wonder if I could pull off a sweater for my son for Christmas....of course, I'll need to go buy some more yarn (it's got to be cheaper than therapy...although sometimes I'm not so sure)!

I love supplies

Sometimes I think I enjoy buying supplies more than I actually enjoy sewing. I started off wanting to make some zipped pouches for a craft fair, so I stumbled upon and ordered some of these on etsy. Could anything be lovelier, I mean really? For me, the raw materials represent the possibilities ahead. So, I've been admiring them all day and, of course, taking pictures. Maybe I should actually make something, but now that I've spent all this time trying to fix my blog header, I'm tired and may just go watch a movie (and embroider).

Orphan dress

I laughed out loud today when my daughter said she "liked this dress I made her. It's just like what girls in orphanages wear." I guess she's been heavily influenced by all the Annie (as in 'little orphan') action going on in our house (movie, live musical, cd--over and over and over). I guess I do like kids' clothes to be understated and, well, boring. My eyes hurt when I see some of the barbie pink clothing available. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I was visibly annoyed when my daughter inherited a leopard print polyester dress from an older friend (it seems to always to be in the wash so she can't wear it.). Well, anyway here's my Ice Cream Social dress from Oliver and S with our sweet new kitten. I added an embroidered 'K' button to make it more enticing. I think it worked.