moms

I love Mother’s Day because I am a newish mom and the day feels like a bonus day.  An extra birthday of sorts. I also love the day because it gives us the chance to celebrate our moms and thank them for all the wonderful and generous things they do. We live very close to Grandmama (my mom) and Grammy (his mom) and I cannot say enough about how much of a blessing it is to have them nearby. Not only do both Grandmothers accept impromptu babysitting requests at the drop of a hat, but they also send over food and other goodies — just because. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Seriously. The list is endless. So, because we can never say it enough–THANKS MOMS! You are the best.

We invited our families over on Sunday for an outdoor Mother’s Day brunch. Grammy brought this beautiful apple cake and my mom brought a delicious quiche. We probably should have insisted that they take a day off from kitchen duties, but well, they offered… and they are really good cooks.

I made Grammy this bag, which compliments our strawberry patch beautifully.

I was happy with how it came out except for one small goof that happened when I sewed on the ruffle. You may be able to spot a little bit of raw edges poking out in the top right corner of the bag in the photo below. Just a tiny mistake. The kind of mistake a sewista grandmother can appreciate (and pretend not to notice).

This was my first attempt at 1) sewing a ruffle and 2) using fusible interfacing. I am always afraid of “firsts” when it comes to sewing, but neither task was all that difficult. Getting the bias fabric to go around the handle loop was a little tricky, but I used a zig-zag stitch and that seemed to hold it in place well. I think I may make another bag like this one but change the width so that it holds two bottles of wine. (I think this one is wide enough to hold three.) The bag was inspired by Amy Butler’s Chelsea Bag but I didn’t use a pattern. I came up with my own dimensions, made the handles round instead of rectangular, and added the ruffle. It is reversible and has a pocket inside. I love the lining fabric. So sweet and old-fashioned. I plan to use moreo f it to make myself a mini-quilt to drape over a certain little white rocking chair at some point soon.

P.S. That sweet little Mother’s Day flower (top photo) was made by my boy, with heavy assistance from his wonderful daycare provider. Three cheers for artsy craftsy mommy gifts!

charming namibia

The reason why I call my sister-in-law “Adventure Auntie” is because she saw all this (and more) in person when she spent a semester abroad in Namibia.

While in Namibia, Adventure Auntie conducted field research with this organization and worked to save endangered rhinos. She’s certainly earned her nickname, don’t you think?

At Christmas time, Adventure Auntie put together an amazing photo slideshow using our computer. Lucky for me, she left copies of her images on our hard drive. So to celebrate her birthday earlier this month, I made her this little gift. The toughest aspect of the project was choosing the images I wanted to reproduce. They make you want to hear the story behind each one. If you click on some of the photos you will see a tiny ant with an orange background, a soccer match, a giraffe, a fish carcass lion skull (semi-gruesome but I love the color), the moon….

I made a little bag to hold the charm bracelet and necklace. The lining of the bag has a safari theme. Redhead Auntie pointed out that the bag looks like it is intended to hold a single can of beer. It is perfect for all those elegant college students, like Adventure Auntie, who require only one can of beer to get them through a Friday night. Man. Pretty soon people are going to think this is a blog designed to showcase custom beer totes.

HAPPY HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, ADVENTURE AUNTIE! Glad you liked the silly gift and thanks for your comment letting me know about my original misinterpretation of the lion’s skull. (I should have been paying better attention during the slideshow at Christmas.

***UPDATE***

Here’s the how-to for this fairly straightforward project. I purchased Shrinky Dink brand shrink plastic for ink jet printers at the craft store. Make sure to carefully follow the directions they provide. The resizing of your photos is important. In order to get charms that were the size I desired, my original images were 1.18 inches (H) x 1.78 inches (W). They say that images will shrink to three times their original size after the baking process. If you use the same brand of shrink plastic that I used, and use the same dimensions for your photos, you will get a small charm that works nicely for a bracelet. You also have to adjust the saturation of the photos–the instructions explain this crucial step. After you print the images on the shrink plastic, you must cut out the charms and use a smaller sized hole punch to punch two holes on the top of each charm. You do this so that you have a place to thread the charms when you are ready to assemble the bracelet. I made a little template and used it as a guide so that all of my charms had their holes in the same spot.

I baked the charms on a piece of corrugated cardboard (the back side of a legal pad) and sprayed them with an acrylic glaze after baking. The baking process really is the neatest thing ever, just in case you didn’t already know. The Shrinky Dink people recommended a particular brand of spray glaze in the instructions. I don’t recall what it is, but just read their notes thoroughly. They also say that you can use clear nail polish, but I’ve tried that before and it doesn’t work as well. The images, when coated with nail polish, were cloudy. With the acrylic spray, they were crystal clear.

A clever way to set up your charms before you spray them is to roll packing tape so that the sticky side is all around the outside. Stick the “tape roll” onto the bottom of a shallow cardboard box and then affix the charms to the side of the tape that is facing up. This way, the charms will stay in place when you spray them. I don’t think I am explaining this well. Here is a photo:

Let the charms dry for 24 hours. Take a piece of thin leather or hemp cord and string it through the charms. Once assembled, add clasps to finish off the bracelet. You can buy the leather or hemp (I used leather) and clasps at a craft store. I bought extra cord and clasps so that Adventure Auntie could string a single charm on a necklace. I mean, if you are going to the trouble, why not throw in a necklace too?

 

clever little cape

I made a clever little cape.

And guess what? You can make one too.

Because I also made a “clever little cape” pattern and tutorial — just for you. Click on the link, print the pdf, and give it a whirl. Then put your clever little cape on a clever little person and watch them whirl. Fun. Fun. Fun.

The last time I made a bunch of these capes was on Valentine’s Day for the kiddo and his pals. Different versions of this cape could be made to celebrate any holiday really. They could also serve as birthday party favors or be included as part of a gift. The one pictured here has been sent to the little guy’s good friend Goose. (Say that one five times fast.) I adorned it with a goose applique in honor of his nickname.

There are some other excellent cape-making tutorials residing in Bloglandia. Mine is not better, just different. One that I found has pleats and another offers an actual superhero applique. I looked at both of them when I first wanted to make a cape, but decided that I 1) was too chicken to try pleating and 2) wanted to incorporate grosgrain ribbon and a collar. And that, folks, is how apple cyder’s clever little cape was born. Yes, I know. Another riveting story to power you through your adventures in crafting. (Oh, and you can find another example of a kid’s cape here.)

If you decide to make a cape and find that the instructions are difficult to follow, please be in touch and let me know. Also, I’d love to see what you come up with, so send links/photos of your capes.

One last thing and then I’ll shut up. If you are going to give this a shot, keep in mind that this cape is meant for play. If you make a small error or two, don’t worry about it. Pardon the lecture. It’s just that I am guessing there are others out there like me who sometimes have trouble parting with their inner perfectionist when it comes to sewing. Does that ring a bell?

OK. Once again, here is my “clever little cape” pattern and tutorial.

progress report & local news

I’ve finished the sewing part of Adventure Auntie’s birthday gift and hope to finish the other (really fun) part this weekend. The photo below gives a peek at part one. Part two of the gift is inspiring me to make a slightly different version for our little guy. It’s turning out to be an excellent little project. I think Adventure Auntie is really going to dig it. Next up will be Mother’s Day gifts. I have ideas for both grandmas as well as the newest mom in the family. I think I may even try to make something for myself if I can squeeze it in.

I have also been working on a new pattern/tutorial for those crafty readers out there. I’ve reaped the benefits of the countless free tutorials that other bloggers offer and have been wanting to contribute something of my own. A recent post at Sew, Mama, Sew announcing a tutorial contest was the kick in the pants I needed. I’ve been wrestling a bit with Adobe Illustrator and am learning a lot along the way. A few more tweaks and the pattern/tutorial will be ready for its debut.

In local news, Phillabusta has moved back east–just in time for fishing season. It is great to have him back. (He’s the looker wearing glasses in the center of the above photo. Alpine Auntie is just in front of him and Island Auntie is the only one who isn’t facing front. My oldest brother is just behind Phillabusta.) Redhead Auntie is coming over this weekend for a sleepover and Roxy is going to come hang out with us too.

Oh, and that crazy Italian pastry fairy struck again today. (Thanks Grandmama!) Have I mentioned before how awesome it is to live within a twelve mile radius of all four grandparents? Indeed.

play dates and previews

We had a quick little play date with my BFF and her sweet little girl before they head back to Florida. It was the first truly spring-like day around here. The kids had fun tossing rocks and golf balls on BFF’s parents’ manicured lawn. And the moms had fun chatting about whatever, just like we did in high school. I’ve mentioned before that my BFF is expecting her second baby in June. Well, she has nine weeks to go and looks great.

I have a quilt in the works for the baby-to-be. The colors of the nursery are sage green, pale yellow and light blue so I was thrilled when I found some beautiful fabric in that color scheme at my favorite fabric shop. There is something about this fabric that I love so much, so I bought some extra yardage for myself.   I still haven’t worked out the final design of the baby’s quilt, but I think it will mark a departure from others I have made recently. I know I want to showcase the fabric this time, so I don’t think I will be cutting into it too much. I’ve purchased some super soft chenille that coordinates nicely, so that will come into play.

Below is a preview of the fabric I am using to make Adventure Auntie’s belated birthday gift. Since I am more than a week late on this one (I blame my sister’s new baby, of course), I figure the least I can do is give her a peek at her present. Once the project is finished, I will show it off and will also tell you all about how Adventure Auntie earned her nickname. It’s a good story and the accompanying photos are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

shades and stunts

On my recent trip to Park City to visit my sister, her husband and their new baby, I had forgotten to bring a pair of sunglasses. Alpine Auntie kindly lent me a pair and then told me that I could keep them because I looked so spiffy in them. The little guy has taken a liking to them and grabs them off my face any chance he gets. He looks pretty spiffy himself, don’t you think?

Last night I caught my munchkin walking backwards in the kitchen. What’s up with that? I was away for four days of his life and he figures out how to moonwalk? That little bugger. This latest stunt made me feel like I missed out on A LOT while I was gone.

These photos are of some bibs that I made for Alpine Baby. The “pattern” is based on a favorite bib that we use here. The light blue/cream colored fabric is oilcloth, so food can be wiped away easily. I can’t remember the name of the maker of that fabric but I really like it.

I used the remainder of my Freshcut stash on the reverse side of one bib and a Joel Dewberry print on the other one. I decided to go with snap closures rather than velcro because I don’t like how velcro snags other articles of clothing in the laundry.

I had a really nice time last night with my BFF who is in town with her kiddo for April vacation. In addition to a belated birthday gift for Adventure Auntie, I am working on a quilt for my BFF’s baby-to-be who is due in June. I love the fabric I am using and will probably post a photo of it before the blanket is finished.

I have been meaning to note that while I was away on my trip, my freezer paper photo stencil tutorial was mentioned on a popular sewing blog called Sew, Mama, Sew. Thanks to Beth at SMS for the shout out! Visit their blog if you have a chance. It is an excellent resource.

OK–That’s all from here for now.

from snowboard to mini-quilt

Are you ready to hear the enthralling story about how this Burton snowboarding jacket…

…inspired a mini-quilt for my sweet baby niece?

Here goes. During our last ski trip, we were having a beer in the lodge at the end of the day and I spotted a woman wearing said jacket at a nearby table. This was soonafter I had finished Island Baby’s quilt, so clearly I had birds on the brain. Or maybe just a bird brain. Either way. I immediately thought, as any slightly crazed good sewista would, that those birds on a wire would make a nice design for a quilt. I wanted to run over to the woman and ask her about the jacket, but running after a hard day of skiing really isn’t something I do. So I simply jotted the words “birds on a wire jacket” in my handy sketchbook and carried on with my beer drinking.

Fast forward a few weeks. I was leafing through my sketchbook for ideas for a mini-quilt for Alpine Baby and decided that I should incorporate the “bird on a wire” theme somehow. Though I decided that a clothesline would be prettier than an electrical wire. It got me thinking about the clothesline that my grandparent’s had hanging off the second floor of their two-family home in Somerville, Massachusetts. Theirs didn’t connect to the neighbors’ house like the one in the quilt, but my memory of their urban clothesline gave me the idea to string it between two buildings.

The light blue printed fabric is designed by Denyse Schmidt. The windows and itty-bitty clothes are Look and Learn by American Jane for Moda. The pants and dress are double-sided and hang from the embroidered clothesline so that they are able to flap in the wind like real laundry. The birds are from a Japanese import fabric, as is the apple orchard on the reverse of the quilt. I am pretty sure the orange polka dot binding is Robert Kaufmann.

I added a little message to Alpine Baby using rubber stamps and fabric markers. That idea came from the queen of craft, Amy Karol. The apple orchard was originally sewn in place on top of one of the buildings, but I thought it looked too busy so I moved it to the back. It was one of those “its-midnight-and-i’m-still-sewing” decisions. It probably would have been just fine where it was. But I do like how it looks on that strip of stone colored cloth on the back.

I’ll be with my little sister and her new baby tomorrow! I am so excited to meet the little one. She is so stinkin’ cute in her photos–can’t imagine how adorable she will be in person. I’ll be away from this spot until early next week, but maybe with some persuasion I can get the Cydermaker and the little guy to pop in for a quick post. I’m sure they will have plenty of good photos from all the strip clubs and seedy bars they will be frequenting while I am away.

unfinished business

Do you see the date on that quilt? That’s right. It says Christmas 2003, which makes this queen-sized hunk of unfinished business more than four years old. I gave it to the Cydermaker, my husband, when we were dating. I completed the quilt top a week or so before Christmas and then quilted the top, batting (a heavy cotton blanket) and back together by running long seams along the length of each side of the “flying geese” patchwork sections. In other words, I ran out of time and did an extremely shoddy quilting job. And even though you are not supposed to bind a quilt until the actual quilting has been completed, I decided to bind it up. Because I wanted to make it look like it was finished. Not a smart thing to do. Nope. Not smart at all.

I have decided that it is time for this quilt to be given the attention and care it deserves. I was toying with the idea of undoing the binding and those lengthy quilting seams so that I could start anew with the quilting. But then I did a little reality check. I know myself, and I know that I just won’t want to do all that seam-ripping. So I think I will get myself a lap-sized quilting frame and quilt this sucker by hand. Did I just write that out loud? It is going to take forever to finish, so check back with me in four more years and I’ll show you the results.

prizes, finally

At last. The name-that-fish prizes have been sewn, sealed and delivered. The pillow pictured first is for the sixth grader who gave our new family pet the name Creamsicle. The fabric is mostly Tula Pink’s Flutterby mixed with some solids and a fish print that was imported from Japan. I used the disappearing nine-patch pattern, but took it one step further by cutting the blocks in half two more times than is standard. I did this because I wanted smaller squares of fabric in the design. I first learned about the disappearing nine-patch here. The border and backing fabric is chocolate brown corduroy.

This second pillow is for Barbara, the winner of the random drawing. The center flower is from Amy Butler’s Lotus collection and the rest of the prints are Freshcut by Heather Bailey. I used scraps leftover from this quilt. The off-white material framing the patchwork is cut from an old tea towel. This pillow is backed in brown corduroy as well.

This was my first attempt at pillow making and I was happy with the results. It was particularly rewarding to be able to give the pillows away to two wonderful people. Thanks again for playing my silly name-that-fish game. Creamsicle is doing great and is loving his new name.

prize in progress

Not a lot of time this morning so the little guy and I took a quick snapshot using the funky features that Photobooth has to offer. He is holding a prize in progress.

The good news from yesterday is that we had a visit from the Italian pastry fairy. (Thanks Godmum!) Sometimes on weekends we have visits from the bagel and blueberry muffin fairy.  (Thanks Grandpa!)  Have you had any fairy-godmother moments lately in which someone has been super sweet to you for no reason at all?

Have a great weekend!