Category: Projects

First Sweatsuit

2/2/2012

As a little kid, I lived in sweatsuits. No frilly dresses and definitely no jeans, just comfy cozy sweatshirts and sweatpants for me. It seemed important that I make 5 his very first sweatsuit!

I made the top with plenty of room to grow and the pants to fit perfectly right now. Not exactly intentionally...
He seems to like it, and it keeps him warm in our cold house, so I really like it.

The pants are sweatshirt sleeves with waistband ribbing for the waistband. The top is pieced together from scraps leftover from my sweatshirt dress.

The shirt is symmetrical, but I chose this to be the front because it's kind of Star Trek-y. 5 to the bridge! Warp speed!

The back is plenty cool too though. Cooler than any of the sweatsuits I wore as a kid. Anyone who says boys' clothes are boring has no imagination!

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I have been working on a little something here and there for a few weeks now. You may be able to tell from the picture that it's a rug. And a ball. The ball is eventually going to be the rest of the rug. It's not done yet. I love having a project that I can just whittle away at whenever I have even a minute or two.

I love, and I mean love, braided rugs, but I didn't think I'd ever make one myself because if handsewing is involved, it's just not going to happen. That all changed over Christmas when I saw the braided rug my Sister-In-Law had in her basement. It was braided, but instead of hand sewing the rows together, it had been machine stitched with a wide zig zag. Ha! I thought to myself (slightly fiendishly) I know I just finished a rug for our house and our house is carpeted, but we totally need another one right now.

So, I pulled out the pretty substantial amount of Tshirt yarn I already had made from a previous failed experiment and got to braiding. It was lovely, I had the braid safety-pinned to the top of our couch and whenever I had a few minutes I'd just braid a yard or two. It was so fun peeking over the edge and seeing the growing pile of beautiful braid behind the couch.
I finally ran out of yarn yesterday and took it all to the machine. 5 even let me get a fair amount done while he carried the basketball-sized ball of braid around the house leaving a little braid trail behind him.
As you can see, it's still quite small, but it is definitely already well-loved.

Do you have any here and there projects?

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A Bonus Helping of Mama Sewing

1/18/2012

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Apparently after all that precise, pattern-following sewing I just did, I really needed to do some fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants sewing. So sorry for the distracting background, my assistant was feeling particularly inflexible...
A few weeks ago I picked up this super cute shirt dress that fit almost perfectly. I decided to bring it home and use it as a guide to make some that were a bit longer and (ahem) a bit roomier in the hips. Seems simple enough, right? There weren't even any darts for crying out loud!
So I had a whole two hours to myself one night and just went for it. I had to re-cut only twice for the body, but the sleeves were an unmitigated disaster. Honestly, they're still kinda wonky, but not so much so that I didn't wear it today.
I have two more big men's shirts just waiting for me to wrap my head around this project properly.

Boy Wonder

This father/son art center trip resulted in the wondrous discovery of the new kid's entrance to their Youth Gallery! I remember being absolutely delighted by little doors, little anything for little people as a child. 5 seems to have had the same response. I can't wait to go in and see all the new work they've done, I just love our local art center!

This, my friend, is evidence, nay, photographic proof, of "helping". 5 now helps to put his own clothes away. Why do I keep his clothes in a pile at the bottom of the stairs? Hmm, that is an excellent question...
We fold his clothes downstairs and instead of throwing them wildly about, Five has started grabbing (too big of) an armload and walking it over to the stairs before realizing that he cannot possibly carry said clothes up the stairs and throws them as far up as possible.
I am so thrilled to have such a helper. Even if it makes more work for me.

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A Side of Mama Sewing

1/16/2012

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Victory!

Patterns, that is... I did some SEWING FOR MYSELF this weekend. Namely, the Lola Dress from Victory Patterns. I used 2 XL sweatshirts and have enough pieces leftover to make at least 1 sweatshirt for 5 (yippee! more matchy matching!)
i was pretty pleased with the pattern and instructions, of course I changed a few small things... the one issue I had was that the sleeves were crazy tight, like, I had to cut the ribbing off tight. Not sure what's up with that. I mean, yeah, I have a little meat on my arms, but there is no way a grown up arm would've fit in there. That's fine, I like short sleeves anyway.

Check out all that fancy detailing, yo! Big big big pockets- they wrap around to the back. The sweet curved waistline and fitted bust seams- have you ever seen such a fancy sweatshirt dress? I actually modified the construction to reduce some fanciness and increase the easiness. I do love easiness...

Did not get quite as much done as planned this weekend because somebody (who will remain nameless) was being terribly cute and playful and we had to have dance parties and snugglefests. I think I'll manage.

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Coziness

1/4/2012

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Look Ma, No Socks!

We're doing our very best to be snuggly and cozy this week, although 5 DEFINITELY does not understand the link between wearing socks and NOT having icicles for feet...
In the spirit of coziness, I have a few things to share with you-

Mmmmm Quilty Goodness

You may be thinking that this looks kind of familiar. Yeah, I *nearly* finished this quilt top way back when and it took me until Christmas to finally finish it! But! It is done now and just in time for a windy spell.
It is cold where I live. Not SO cold, but our house was (seemingly) insulated by a bunch of teenage boys with ADD so when it's cold and windy there are rooms where you can feel the breeze.... so new quilt=good.
A side note: you can see that we have a pretty serious brass bedframe in this picture. When my in-laws found themselves with some extra beds they asked us if we'd like one. I REALLY wanted this one just so I can sing that Bob Dylan song about laying ladies on his big brass bed. Ha, it never gets old, I'm chuckling right now.

This is the quilt of all fiber dorkiness. It was my BIG Christmas prezzie for my Mom this year. I started work on it in September-
1. Dyeing the fabric
2. Screen printing the pieces
3. THEN making a queen-sized quilt out of it
Pretty awesome, it turned out almost exactly how I imagined. Thanks to Mom for taking a much better shot of her quilt than I did of mine...

Hot Drink With a Dumb Name

I'm going to share the recipe for a drink I apparently didn't "invent" but more "discovered" as my husband claims to have invented the same drink 10 years ago. But I will point out that I'm the one who made up a dumb punny name for it.

Nocha (it's like a mocha, but with NOT coffee)
ingredients (to make 1 cup)

1 bag Roastaroma by Celestial Seasonings tea
2 Tbsp sipping chocolate mix OR
1 Tbsp cocoa and
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 mugfull boiling water
1/2 mugfull milk of choice (I've been using full fat goat, yum!)

I don't drink coffee and I'm not always in the mood for something as sweet as hot chocolate. The Roastaroma tea is great because it smell kind of like coffee, but is definitely not! This drink is hot, a little chocolatey, and not very sweet.

I boil some water in the tea kettle and then fill my mug with teabag up half way. I let it steep 5 minutes and then pull the teabag out.
Now it's time to add the sipping chocolate or cocoa/sugar mix. Make sure to stir in any lumps.
Add milk and drink! (Feel free to add whipped cream if you're feeling fancy...)

5 Comments

Handmade Holidays

1/2/2012

9 Comments

The Cats are Out of the Bags!

Whew! I hope everyone had a lovely xmas/new year's week! We returned home from our travels on Dec 30 and were SO glad to be in our own cozy bed again. Now that the holidays are past, I'm so excited to share some of my handmade gifts with you!

This is the Black Apple Doll that I made for 5. Isn't it cute? I had such a fun time picking fabrics out of my (many) scrap baskets, and then agonizing over drawing a gender-neutral face. I think it's adorable. 5 thinks it's delicious. He likes to give it big kisses (and bites)- you may be able to see the gingerbread smeared on the chin... I also have to do some handstitching on the hair already. His little teeth have done quite a number on the hairline. If you want to make one yourself, you can download the pattern pieces and instructions here. You can also purchase an already-made, super nice one from the Black Apple Shop.

This is our new rug. I made it. From old sheets. Yeah, it took a long time. No, 5 was NOT a big help. We worked on this every day for MONTHS and as much as I love how excited 5 was to crochet, he mostly just pulled stitches out which really sucked.

I stored the rug in a transparent bin in the dining room all while I was making it. I was so sure that Fred had figured out what I was making, but he didn't! It was a surprise! On Christmas Eve morning, when we decided to do our little family gifties, I went downstairs first and laid the rug down in front of the tree. So great. I still have some pretty weird calluses from crocheting so much with that ginormous crochet hook for SO LONG....

This is the mobile I made from the crocheted bracelets I talked about way-back-when. I love it! I got some kind of stove accessory to hang them all from for 25 cents from Vinnie's which was the full extent of my cash investment for this bad boy since I used yarn scraps and bracelets I bought more than 10 years ago. Yahoo!

I think my favorite part was wrapping the metal with yarn though. I got kinda Zen about it. Good times. I was DEFINITELY in need of a little forced meditation in those last few days before xmas.

Finally, I thought I'd share this Christmas Eve morning pic- it's not great, but I love that he's JUST opened his mittens (he figured out how to get them out of the toilet paper roll all by himself!) and some of my other handmade gifts are strewn about in front of him. I made the mittens from leftover fleece scraps, rick-rack, and fuschia ribbing, not even realizing that they would coordinate with his hat that you can kind of see at the bottom of the picture but can see better here. And of course I had to make him another pair of flannel pants with some Anna Maria Horner LouLouThi flannel (and Good Folks scraps for the cuffs).

Did you survive the holidays?
Make or receive any cool handmade gifts?

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Gift Idea Roundup!

11/28/2011

2 Comments

I guess it's officially "Holiday Season" now that we're past Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd get into the spirit! I'm ready for my craft show this weekend and my costume commission is nearly done, giving me way more time to work on my holiday gifts.

We aim for about 75% handmade in our house, primarily made by me, so I have to spend A LOT of time finding ideas and inspiration. I've put together a small collection of tutorial links and handmade gift ideas that I love, in case you are looking for some inspiration!

For Her

1. Gorgeous fancy pants necklace tutorial at flamingotoes
2. Comfy flannel slippers tutorial from compulsive craftiness
3. DIY rope necklace from Honestly WTF
4. Trendy washer necklace DIY from the small object

For the Home

1. DIY map art from uniform natural
2. Cool crafty trivet from the small object
3. Recycled sweater blanket from shelterrific

For the Kiddos

1. Raglan sleeve shirt tutorial from craftiness is not optional
2. Adorable tiny owl tutowlrial from moonstitches
3. Lunch money cuff tutorial from a lemon squeezy home

For the Workmates

1. Crazy cute Norwegian coffee cosy tutorial at pickles (in English)
2. Cross stitch iPhone cases for those old-fashioned tech nerds at purlbee
3. Felted mittens with knitted cuffs tutorial also at purlbee

Hope you found something good! Feel free to leave a link to YOUR favorite tutorial in the comments!

2 Comments

Crochet Tutorial and Sneak Peek!

11/23/2011

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Crochet Ornament/ Mobile Tutorial

I'm sure so many of you are sitting around this week, totally bored, wishing you had a little project to keep your hand busy....

Okay, so that's ridiculous, but I will say that these are fun to do on a car ride, and I'm thinking probably a lot of us will be taking car rides of varying lengths over the next several weeks.

I was inspired by a much more complicated and beautiful version of these on Etsy a few weeks ago and thought that it would be just the thing for my colorful scrap yarn and some 2 1/2" metal bracelets I bought MANY years ago and have yet to wear.

To make these, you will need:
1. small amounts of different colors of yarn (I used worsted weight, but finer would be fine too)
2. some kind of metal rings (2 1/2' worked well, but bigger would probably look nice too)
3. about 15 min to make each one
4. the ability to chain, slip stitch, single crochet, and double crochet- pretty simple!

The Nitty-Gritty Details

Row 1- chain 6, connect with slip stitch so you have a loop.

Row 2- chain 3(counts as one double crochet), double crochet into loop, chain 2,( 2 double crochet into loop, chain 2)repeat this 4 more times so you have a total of 6 groups of 2 double crochet, join to first chain 3 with slip stitch, break off yarn 1.

Row 3-Join yarn 2 with slip stitch in any chain 2 from row 2, chain 3(counts as one double crochet), 2 more double crochet into same chain 2 space, chain 2, (3 double crochet into next chain 2 space, chain 2) repeat 4 more times, join with slip stitch, break off yarn 2

Row 4 (or, if you're using different size metal ring and/or yarn, whenever your circle is approx the same size as your ring)- holding crochet and ring together, join yarn 3 with slip stitch in any chain 2 space AROUND metal ring as well, chain 1, 3 single crochet in same chain 2 space around metal ring as well, single crochet in each double crochet and 3 single crochet in each chain 2 space all the way around, making each stitch around the metal ring too, join chain 1 with slip stitch and bind off, leaving long tail to work with later.

Repeat for as many as you feel like making. Join them to a branch or colander or whatever to make a mobile, or tie them to each other to make a beautiful garland, or tie hooks onto the tails to make ornaments!

New Product Sneak Peek!

I will be debuting a new product at the Poor Artist's Sale Dec 3 in Calumet- coasters! Some are screen printed, some are designer fabrics (you may notice some Marimekko in the background there). They will be selling for $20 for a set of 4 and any that survive the show in Calumet will be posted on my Etsy shop with plenty of time to ship for the holidays!

I'll be taking the rest of the week off to celebrate all the many many things I have to be grateful for and to celebrate my husband's birthday! In the meantime, here is a list of a few of the things I'm giving thanks for right now. What are you grateful for today?
5's teething fever has broken
snow
the really nice folks at our local post office
hand-me-downs
sweet potato pecan pie (cooling on the counter!)
all of you! who read my stories and share yours with me and help me remember that I'm not alone!
Thank You!

2 Comments

Autumnal Urges

10/29/2011

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A Hat-tastic Week!

You may remember Monday's post, in which I showed off a new hat I made for 5. No, you're not in the Matrix. In the same week, I am writing ANOTHER post about a new hat I made for 5. You can see from the picture though, that this hat is completely different...
I saw this Gnome Hat Tutorial and HAD to make one for 5. It is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen. I love it I love it I love it.
It was also an excellent crochet-warmup. Now that it's getting colder, I will be doing more knitting and crocheting and it's always good to start with a quick and easy project to get my confidence up. Success! I made this in one evening plus 15 minutes over lunch the next day. I was also able to use the scrap yarn from my most favorite scarf (I LOVE this yarn so I was thrilled to be able to make another project with it!)

MMmmmm New Recipe!

I have been meaning to post this recipe all week. It is not a cheese sandwich recipe. That orange stuff there above the lettuce? That is my cashew/carrot sandwich spread and dip! Super healthy and delicious, this spread is grereat for lunch eaters of all ages. Click on the picture to go to the recipe.

Deep Thoughts With Dad

These boys have been doing their very best to absorb every single minute of sunshine before we are plunged into the Long Dark Winter. This involves a lot of standing at the window, discussing the merits of various varmints, as well as the discovery of a very auspicious and newly-revered albino squirrel.
In other words, good times for Daddies and babies.

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A Weekend with Oma and Opa

10/17/2011

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a Big Toothy Smile (kind of)

photo by Oma (or possibly Opa)

If you look REALLY closely, you can see that 5 has sprouted his first tooth! With three more close behind!

He is also sporting another of his brand-new mama-made outfits in this pic. That's right, his shirt says 5. He's cool. By the end of the weekend I finished 4 shirts, 4 pairs of pants, and two skirts (not for 5). Unfortunately, he wore them and slimed them all right away so they're in the laundry and he's shirtless for the rest of this post...

a More Appropriate Teething Face

This is 5's new go-to face. I call it a "squinch". It is devastatingly adorable and possibly practical even. My theory is that it keeps his lips away from his tender gums. Maybe he just likes making faces.

Peek A Boo with Oma

I mentioned in my last post that my parents were up for the weekend. The above picture is pretty much what that looks like. 5 and his Oma doing something fun. Peek A Boo, bouncing on the exercise ball, napping, reading super old books that my Mom brought up, good times. 5 really likes Peek A Boo, but he prefers to be in control. Hmmm, not sure where he got that from...

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Forward>>

First Sweatsuit

A Here and There Project

Do you have any here and there projects?

A Bonus Helping of Mama Sewing

Boy Wonder

A Side of Mama Sewing

Victory!

Coziness

Look Ma, No Socks!

Mmmmm Quilty Goodness

Hot Drink With a Dumb Name

Handmade Holidays

The Cats are Out of the Bags!

Did you survive the holidays?
Make or receive any cool handmade gifts?

Gift Idea Roundup!

For Her

For the Home

For the Kiddos

For the Workmates

Hope you found something good! Feel free to leave a link to YOUR favorite tutorial in the comments!

Crochet Tutorial and Sneak Peek!

Crochet Ornament/ Mobile Tutorial

The Nitty-Gritty Details

New Product Sneak Peek!

Autumnal Urges

A Hat-tastic Week!

MMmmmm New Recipe!

Deep Thoughts With Dad

A Weekend with Oma and Opa

a Big Toothy Smile (kind of)

a More Appropriate Teething Face

Peek A Boo with Oma

Author

Archives

Categories

Do you have any here and there projects?

Boy Wonder

Victory!

Look Ma, No Socks!

Mmmmm Quilty Goodness

Hot Drink With a Dumb Name

The Cats are Out of the Bags!

Did you survive the holidays? Make or receive any cool handmade gifts?

For Her

For the Home

For the Kiddos

For the Workmates

Hope you found something good! Feel free to leave a link to YOUR favorite tutorial in the comments!

Crochet Ornament/ Mobile Tutorial

The Nitty-Gritty Details

New Product Sneak Peek!

A Hat-tastic Week!

MMmmmm New Recipe!

Deep Thoughts With Dad

a Big Toothy Smile (kind of)

a More Appropriate Teething Face

Peek A Boo with Oma

Author

Archives

Categories

Did you survive the holidays?
Make or receive any cool handmade gifts?