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.

cabin camping

This weekend we went camping for the first time as a family of three. We slept in a cabin, not a tent, which was a very good thing because there was (surprise!) a good amount of snow at our destination. The adorable one-room cabin had a roomy front porch and was furnished with a wood-burning stove, beds, a table and chairs. We went hiking, goofed around at the camp site, and on Saturday afternoon, the little guy and I went for a road trip to Williamstown, MA while the Cydermaker went fishing on his own.

We were surrounded by the beauty of nature all weekend long, but the only half decent shots I managed to capture were a series of photos of the kiddo chomping on the dregs of a bag of Doritos. In my defense, it was the most entertaining part of the trip. Can you tell that he enjoyed himself?

Yeah. Pretty disgusting. But kind of funny too.

Oh. And if you were hoping to find something crafty today, join the toy makers on their journey to Australia and fashion yourself a paper kangaroo or a dizzy koala.  Gotta love free paper toys!

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!

they’re back

Is anyone else out there as happy as I am that The Office is finally back?  I’m off to a dinner party with Michael, Jan, Pam and Jim….

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.

perfect visit

I had a wonderful trip to Utah to meet my first little niece. Most of my time was spent staring at a beautiful baby…holding her…kissing her…and just marveling at all that sweet, brand-newness and wonder that comes with a newborn. I was in awe of just how pretty she is. See what I mean?

The rest of the trip was spent trading new mom secrets with Alpine Auntie in the hot tub, laughing about anything and everything, and finishing up a beautiful nine-patch quilt with Alpine Auntie and Grandmama. It was so much fun to have a little sewing circle with my sister and mother. And you really do get a lot accomplished with two extra pairs of hands. One pair to play with the baby, another to cut and measure, and a third pair working at the machine. My sister is a very talented quilter and has a real eye for color and fabric choices. The sewing bug is something we caught from our mom.

But the best part of the trip was getting to know my adorable little niece. She smiles in her sleep, makes little kissing movements with her lips and is already sleeping 4+ hour stretches at night. Good girl. It was amazing to see my younger sister as a mom. She is a natural. I knew she would be, but it was so great to witness it in person.

Thanks for a fantastic visit, you guys. She is just perfect.

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.

little things

Don’t worry. I’m not going to embark on another sentimental post. I won’t drone on about how we should all appreciate the little things in life, stop and smell the roses, etc, etc. Surely there are other bloggers better suited to provide you will that sage advice. It just so happens that most of the photos I wanted to show you have a unifying theme; they are small. So, my apologies to all the cynics (I include myself in this category) if the title made your eyes roll. Apologies also to all those nice folks out there who may have been hankering for another healthy dose of sap.

OK–Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.

Grammy had a set of great old-fashioned flash-cards sitting on her kitchen table that caught my eye. I borrowed them, took photos of each card, and during a recent shrinky dink frenzy, made a few mini flash-cards for myself. These three are my favorites. There is something about the design of that cookie jar that I love. Click on the photo if you are curious.

This itty-bitty dress and teeny-tiny pair of pants are part of a project I am finishing up for when I visit my brand-new niece at the end of this week.

We ran into this sweet little thing, along with a bunch of his brothers and sisters, at a local farm this weekend.

And here’s my favorite little guy, riding on the shoulders of my favorite big guy.

Sometimes it’s a good thing to take it easy and trail behind the group.

What did you do over the weekend? Hope it was great.

g is for girlfriends

***ADVANCE NOTICE: This post contains more sap than a maple tree in Vermont during sugaring season. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.***

This past weekend we had a special play-date with a great little guy whose goes by the nickname Goose. His mom is a good friend of mine from high school. They live a few hours drive away from here and, lucky for us, come home to visit family fairly often. It was such a nice visit but it reminded me of how much I miss having all of my sisters and girlfriends around. I live in my hometown and am surrounded by family, but I really do miss those relationships. You know. The kind in which you know what the other person is going to say before they say it. But you wait for them to finish because it feels so good to hear that they can totally relate to how you are feeling. Thank goodness for Redhead Auntie who is always around for a good dose of sister-love, and laughs, when I need it. And my runner-friend Roxy. I’d die without them.

My two best girlfriends from high school and I all have kids that are within a year of each other. My sister who is a couple of years younger than me just had her first baby, and another sister is months away from having a baby girl. I dream of the day when EVERYONE moves back home so that we can be together. My vision has us all living in the same neighborhood, within hollering distance from each other. In this make-believe place, we all meet up after dinner for walks, glasses of wine/beer in hand, while the guys are watching baseball and the kids are tucked in bed. It is such a pleasant daydream. I know this sounds kind of lame, but I really do cherish this little wish of mine. (I say lame because I hate the word cherish. But there it is–cherish, cherish, cherish.) Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Besides, if you were me, wouldn’t you want your kid to be playing side-by-side everyday with this sweet little man? Just saying.

So, my sisters (actual and figurative), MOVE HOME ALREADY! Then we can get together and make cute, goofy things like this: