Black + White for Baby + ME!

Right around the time I became pregnant with my smallest of guys, I had been doing a good amount of sewing. No, actually, I was attempting to start up at Etsy shoppe and was preparing to do a craft show...I spent so much time at the sewing machine during those early months of pregnancy when I was suffering from what could only be described as "all day sickness", that one might have called me obsessed {...or certifiable?} One day, Olive {just a puppy at the time}, decided she was going to chew through the cord to the foot pedal of my machine. For the longest time I still felt that pregnancy nauseous feeling every time I looked at the sewing machine, so I really wasn't all that upset about packing away my pedal-less machine to think about at another time.{My litle signature tag I put on the things I make my littles, courtesy of Name Maker}And wouldn't you know, that "other time" came up not that long ago! When I began looking to replace the pedal, I found that for just a small amount more, I could purchase a whole new machine! I was planning to buy another Janome anyway, and it was a happy fact that the pedal would work on both of my machines...fabulous! Life had been so busy at the time when my new machine arrived in the mail that it sat in the box, untouched for a good month until just recently. Ah, but once I got started, well...there is no longer any nausea and I am just having the most wonderful time sewing away! My first project was to stitch up these pants for my little man...Black + White check with gray jersey knit lining {for both comfort + cuffs!}. I used a pair of pants he had to cut a pattern using a paper bag, excellent! Right around this time, I saw this post on this great skirt! I immediately set off to the linked website to purchase it, but had to stop a second when I saw the price. Actually, the price really wasn't horrible, but as I've mentioned before, it isn't easy for me to drop larger amounts of money on clothes as a mama of 3 littles...and it has only been slightly easier to do so lately because I work as a professor at a college part time. So I started to wonder, how hard would it be to make this skirt, or one similar to it? Afterall, I have made a few skirts similar in style before...Making this skirt was going to be my next project...black + white for the babe and for me too! However, I had a sinking feeling that I could quite possibly screw up the fabric + want to kick myself for not just buying the skirt in completion, online in the first place! So I just bought the darn thing. I LOVE it!
Worry not friends, I have a laundry list of ideas for sewing projects I hope to work on this summer while I'm off from work. I also have a pile of clothes that I'd like to alter; things I adored + picked up on sale or from Ebay, even though they weren't quite the right size. We are finally getting some sun around these parts...perhaps those mini- alterations would be a good project to work on over the next few days inbetween time out-ofdoors? Do you have any sewing projects your working on? Do share! Happy Wednesday!
xo.

A Wee Vacation...

I am pleased to say that as of today, I am a free woman! Yes, the spring semester at the college is over. I have submitted all of my grades + I don't have any classes to teach until autumn. Woohoo! I'm usually not a hot weather person, but this year, I am so excited for a summer vacation!I have to admit that I am one of those really fortunate individuals who loves their work; I love the classroom, I love the discipline of psychology + I love that the students are there trying to make their lives better through earning a college degree. And I guess that is why I regularly think about how I can be better at what I do. I want my students to love psychology as much as I do + not be discouraged by the new material or focus solely on how overwhelming the coursework can be. Sometimes having a bit of a les a fair make up policy {for exams + papers }can end up biting me in the a**. {Like when I end up grading a bunch of papers turned in on the last day of class} But even then, I feel like the extra work I put in is worth it if it helps the students stick it out through each semester; perhaps learning something new + enjoying themselves more than they thought? As I reflect on my first year back to work {albeit part time work}, as a mama of 3, I think it went pretty well. Sure it was tough {...more like "slightly inconvenient"} to balance work + home-life from time to time,{ ...epecially since most of the work I had to do needed to be done from home}but on the whole, the year was a success. And becasue I really enjoy what I do so much...and have been royally spoiled while working {having the opportunity to use my brain in another capacity away from little folk}, I know before long I will be wishing it was September. So what is a mama to do with all of this, ahem, free time? Well, you know how I LOVE making lists What do you have on your Summer To Do List?
xo.

Knitting Hats...Sort Of

Today I awoke to a beautiful sunny spring morning. Of all of the things I could have thought of; rather randomly, kintting came to mind. You see, I had a truly wonderful night's sleep last evening. After a full day of activity yesterday, finished off with a family walk/run/bike ride at one of our favorite bits of woods where we live...well, I slept like bricks! I'm not usually a "sleepin' in" kinda girl usually...but I could have been today! As I lay in bed this a.m., looking foward to another full day {+ hopefully another stellar night's sleep}, I suppose I began thinking of one of my other favorite night time rituals that I have been enjoying winding down with lately: knitting. A while back, when I had been feeling not-so-well, I put my time on the couch to good use; finally mastering the ever befuddling circular knitting needles! Oh, I had tried to figure them out before, but had put them aside several times in total frustration. Once I got the hang of it, I wondered why I had not been able to use them all along! First I knitted this little sprout looking green hat for my tiniest babe. It is not seamless...but lucky for me it didn't need to be for the look I was going for. Next, a white hat for me! Again, I didn't make it seamless {I really need to buy a pattern book to figure out how to finish off hats!}, but I have a plan to finish it off with a sewn knittied + coiled chain. I think it will be just amazing when it is done! The last time I posted about any of my knitting adventures, I mentioned this Milo vest pattern. The bottom of it was not all that different from the rolled bottoms of these hats I had made. So I started from the bottom up on what is to be a vest for the Fif. I have yet to actually purchase the pattern + at the moment, I'm toying with the idea of leaving the body knitt and sewing fabric sleeves + embellishments on later? So many choices

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My semester teaching at the college is comming to an end for the year. While I still have stacks of papers read, finals to give + grades to submit; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have never looked foward to a summer break so much + am feeling completely smitten with all things relaxing + go with the flow...knitting being one of them! So until all of these loose ends are tied up at the college for the year, I thought I would share some of what I had been up to making earlier this spring...and what I am looking so foward to spending more time on during my summer vacation. Wishing you all things relaxing...sweet dreams...and a lovely Tuesday.

xo.

Stitching Bunnies... x3

I recently purchased a new sewing machine {more on that in a later post!} However, before I get to that, I have a related confession to make: I can't STAND stuffed animals. They vary in quality {material wise} and can be cheap + ever too easy for people to buy...and buy... and BUY! That being said, I didn't always loathe plushies, but you can imagine how many have come {and GONE} through these doors over the years with 3 little folk! In my ever so humble opinion, if you really don't like a certain mama...give her kiddo a stuffed animal as a present...that or Moon Sand! ...ahem, so back to the original topic at hand... I recently purchased a sewing machine! And just so you don't think I am a total Bah-humbug when it comes to stuffed animals + the like...I realized that it wouldn't be a proper Easter without something new + squishy for my littles to hug + love. I decided that I would make something extra special for them with my new machine...What you ask? Bunnies, ofcourse! Three of them for my 3 little folk.

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However, you should know that in the more recent past, some of my sewing ventures have gone poorly when I would try to sew in multiples. For example, a couple of years back when I had decided to mass produce reusable snack bags or sew several pairs of baby elastic waist pants at once for an Etsy- Shoppe- Pipe -Dream...not so much. All the same, I did some internet browsing for inspiration. I loved this design here, but decided since I was making 3 bunnies, something more simplistic would suit me better. In the end, I decided I would design, draw + cut a template for my little bunnies, using a paper bag. I sound really cool, right? Truth be told, sadly, I don't have a printer up + working at home for such simple downloads {doing most of my printing at work at the college}. Inconvenient? Sure, but at times it forces me to be slightly more creative than I might have dared to be otherwise! I cut 1 Body, 1 Ear + 1 Bottom Template {Cut paper bag photographed above}.
Body: 1 solid + 2 Print {3 total pcs.} Ears: 2 of each solid + print faric {4 total pcs.}
Bottom:1 solid fabric {1 total pc.}

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Day 1: Sewing the Ears: front sides of 1 print + 1 solid with a zigzag stitch, then turn right side in + pressing with an iron. 6 double sided ears later... Day 2: The Bodies: 1 print + 1 solid, front sides together, zizagi stitched. Only this time, as I pinned the fabrics, I included one of the 2 ears between the two prior to stitching. The solid fabric is to be the front of the bunny {with the face}, so I positioned the ears as if the 2 ears together would cross the face {solid body} forming an X {when inside out}. I chose to have the printed sides of the ears facing fowards for this. Day 3: Face. With the back open + unsewn, I embroidered simple faces on the bunnies. Day 4: Bottom. Turn the bunny inside out, pin the 2 prints together at the back + zigzag stitch. Next, add the bottom round piece, pinning and zigzag stitching with the right sides in, leaving a small space for turning right side out + stuffing. Once stuffed, stitch on your pom-pom tail, then sew the small open area shut by hand.I am so pleased that I managed to finish these up AND keep them a special Easter surprise!Cutting your own patterns is really a fun thing to do... Any imperfections have more to do with rushed sewing than they do with the pattern. When sewing in multiples, I found it was easier for me to complete "a stage" x3, then put the project aside for another day {vs. doing each bunny from start to finish seperately, 3x}. I used corduroy as the solid fabric for 2 of the bunnies, but I absolutely adore the one bunny where I used yellow fleece...I will surely use that material exclusively for the front in the future! Most importantly though, these little bowling pin bunnies are much loved by all 3 of my kiddos; bitten by the babe, cradled by the Fif + snuggled by the Monks {I LOVE that at 7yrs old, this big boy of mine still loves his babies}. Well worth every bit of effort, if this mama says so herself!

xo.

An Easy- Peasy Knitting Project

Years ago, when the Monks was just a baby, I signed up for one of those "Learn to Knit" workshops at the local craft store with a friend of mine. I hadn't realized at the time, that knitting was becomming the cool thing to do amongst young women...I went to one class and pretty much lost interest. However a few years ago now, when I discovered the world of blogging {and was suffering from a moderate- severe case of Soulemama envy}, I suddenly had a desire to knitt something! I had spent most of my childhood watching my grandmother knitt or crochet; and so between that exposure + whatever I retained from that one knitting class years earlier, I got straight to work. I figured out how to purl...and so purl I did. I had no idea what I was making, I just purled one row after the next. I really came to enjoy knitting, especially while doing things I kind of consider to be a waste of time, like watching TV. Knitting is not as solitary as reading + so I can easily transition between knitting and participating with my family.

But still, I wanted to turn my limited {albeit very neat} purl stitches into something useful! And so I made these little neckers! The first one I made for myself, but the wool itched me + so my Mister, who for some strange reason LOVES to wear wool, claimed it for his own. I moved on to knitting with organic cotton + made a couple smaller neckers for my littles which I liked much better than the idea of them wearing scarves. {my mum turned me into a bit of a neurotic when it comes to anything that can be considered "rope like" being anywhere near a child's neck.} Once you have finished off your strip of knitting and have sewn it into a circle, there are so many fun things you can do to embellish it; from simple sewn fabric, buttons...to even more fanciful items, like this felt flower button I picked up.

So while this post is slightly embarrassing when considering many of you who read this actually know how to knitt real things...well, I figured it was a step in the right direction! Sometimes all you need is a little success with something to then move onto a more challenging project, don't you agree? And speaking of challenging...this mama is headed back to work, as the Spring semester at the college begins this week. I'm sorry in advance for having fewer post over the next couple weeks, but it's only for a little bit until I get back into the swing of things!

Happy Knitting...and much more importantly, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

xo.

The Supreme Personality of Dog Head...

Here's me dog, Olive. Have I never mentioned that we have a dog? Know why? Because I'm a sucky dog person, that's why. We love her, but she isn't our baby...we have 3 of the human variety and that has us all set! Anyway, I always wanted a dog growing up, but because my mum worked, I got stuck with cats instead. Somehow, my prototype of "family" came to include having "a dog". So when we thought we were through with having babies after the Fif was born, I talked my Mister into getting Olive here. Having grown up with cats turned me into a bit of a neat freak though...all that hair and whatnot. So we chose to buy Olive here, my little hypo-allergenic, non-shedding, yorkie-poo. Yeah, it's lame that we bought her and didn't rescue from a shelter...but hey, pet shop dogs need homes too, right? So Olive has been with us for 2 years now. She didn't quite cut it as a substitute for another baby {ahem...we do have Baby Liamb afterall}, but she is a really great dog. I got to feeling bad though, that she is practically this "designer dog", but she got stuck with us Lame-O's for a family! So I decided it was time to fancy her up with some clothes! Olive had recently been given a haircut, so the sweater was actually more of a neccesity than anything else...but I decided that with a bit of lace left over from making John's Mad Hatter costume...she'd look rather Anthro, don't you agree?This seems to be a trend with me at the moment... not just dressing up little dog sweaters, but also seeing what other items of clothing I might have kicking around that caould use some reinventing! Add some new buttons, buttons in random places, or some bits of lace...? Who knows?

Ok, off to save my good little Olive from being pushed around in a doll stroller...

xo.

Boho Baby Bump's Ornament Tutorial...not Sometimes Sweet...Always SWEET!

Let me begin by saing that if I could ask Santa for anything in the world...it would be THIS piano! I absolutely covet. I do not play, but I have hopes that one day my children will...

However, that is not the point of this here post on this brisk NJ morning. Today, I am linking to Sometimes Sweet; a blog by a girl who, well, reminds me a bit of me! She had asked her friend + author of Boho Baby Bump blog to share a tutorial...and here it is!

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And while I'm on the topic of fabulous ornaments...here is another handmade bit of lovely by a friend which has completely inspired me to get stitching!

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

xo.

Baby Growin' Blues...and Room Decor

It seems like it was just yesterday the my smallest little man was born. How is it then, that he has grown + changed so darn much? He will be one year old mid January, however, it feels like he has made the biggest changes in the last couple of months. Sure, sitting up alone, eating "solid" foods, army crawling were all big leaps, however it was our changing sleeping arrangements that sent pangs to my belly. We were big fans of the snuggle nest, then the littles moved into the co sleeper, still right next to our bed. Actually, they didn't really even make a snuggle nest or co sleeper when the Monks {my biggest little man} was born...and while {of my 3 kiddos} he is the one to always go to bed well, he is also the only one who would have been content to sleep in our bed with us forever! The Fif, on the other hand, couldn't wait to have her own space. At one point, we thought she was going to be our last baby + all weepy, I tried to bring her into our bed from the crib. Yeah, big mistake. She was not happy about it!

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I was ready for my smallest guy to leave the snuggle nest and hit the co sleeper + in hindsight, I am suprised that he stayed in that little co -sleeper- criblet as long as he did. I guess I was not as ready for him to move into his big boy crib in the boys room...it was a necessary change that took place the very day I came in and found him pulled up in the criblet! What's worse is that while he has only been sleeping in the big boy baby cage a couple of weeks, he is begining to pull up in there too, which means that I have to nix the bumper, lower the crib...AND hem the crib dust ruffle I had made.

And so this brings me to the other point of this post...the boys room decor. I wanted matchy match bedding for my boys, however what I liked was also pricey priced. PB also did not carry a navy gingham bed skirt and there was no way I was going to spend all that money for a bed skirt that was not exactly what I wanted. So I made a bed skirt for the Monks' bed + a crib skirt for my little man's crib, all from a top sheet! The Bedskirt I made by cutting off a measured amount of the hemmed edges of the sheet {Full size}, and then used a staple gun to attatch the segments to the inside of the wooden bed frame, so that the finished edge was at the floor. For the Cribskirt, I did have to do so hemming, but our then puppy had chewed through the cord to my sewing machine! I used "stitch witchery", or iron adhesive strips to hem all of the eges of the measured segments I would be using; top, bottom and sides. Then I used a hot glue gun to adhere the fabric to the outside of the metal part of the crib {where the mattress goes}. I pleated my fabric as I wanted to give it that real tailored, boy look.

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So this weekend, I will be taking apart my handiwork on my littlest man's cribskirt to hem it yet again to allow for lowering the crib. Luckily for me though, the universe has a method for making sure that us mamas are not blubbering, crying messes during these changes in our kiddos lives. You see, my baby growin' blues has been slightly buffered of late by teething. The refusal to nap + 10 month old mad -as- heck crying reminds me that while some baby changes are sad, others, like the eventual light at the end of the teething tunnel are ever so welcome!

xo.

...and B is for Bag

So after our apple picking adventure, I couldn't resist posting these fun apple bags that we had made with the kiddos last year. We had made these bags prior to our trip to the orchard last year + I was overjoyed that the kiddos thought to bring them with us this year!

I had gotten the idea to make these little bags from the Monks' pre-K teacher. While he was in preschool, we took the kids on a apple picking trip each September, and in preparation, each child would decorate a paper bag with a halved apple dipped in paint to create a stamp. These bags were then used to carry the apples that they picked at the orchard...

{2009}

We used a similar technique for making our bags, however instead of using a paper bag, we used a small canvas bag {found in a craft store}. These bags have been used and enjoyed now, season after season and in my little ones' daily play. Instead of using paint or a stamp pad, we used fabric paint and an apple cut in half to create an apple stamp on the bags, then just followed the process directions that went with the paint that we used. It can take a bit of time as I had mentioned when making the tshirts. {I suggest making these bags with your little ones the weekend prior to when you plan to use them, which will allow the time necessary for the paint to process.} We decided to add some extra buttons and ribbons and with a few stitches by mama, our little bags were all set and looked great! ...And let the wheels turn, my friends, this technique would be fun to use on any fabric item you might have that needs a bit of dressing up!

When I went back to grab these pictures, I couldn't get over how much my littles have grown in just a year! The Monk's is so much more grown up now; especially in his behaviour, ability + mannerisms. The Fif's transformation is a more obvious one when I look at the photograph from last year posted above. She was 2 + a 1/2 here and I remember being thrilled that she finally had just that much hair, since she had been pretty much bald up until then! Sometimes, when I think it is silly that I did {or still try to} fit in time for making these kinds of homemade creations, I'll have to remember to look at these photos or remember how wonderful it felt to see my littles running to get there apple bags for apple picking this year.{The Monks, 9.2009}

{The Fif, 9/2009}

{Baby Liam, 10/2009}

{...and me, 9.2009}

I swear, once you are a mama, the years seem to whizz by, because you are left only to observe your littles change dramatically from ages birth-8; helpless to do a thing to slow or stop it! However, whenever I think about these kinds projects we have created, the time we spent together in the process, the memories that were made + the traditions that were initiated; it makes me feel like I didn't only silently observe while my littles grew + changed. And although I have felt very distracted lately and have had alot on my plate {both emotionally + work wise}, today I am reminded to get back to basics + reprioritize. Because when we play and create as a family, I feel like time isn't whizzing by; infact I think, ever so subtly, time does slow down. Thanks for baring with me while I hop, skipped + jumped down memory lane with these photos from last year!

Have a beautiful weekend

xo.

sewing ventures past

I was making beds this morning + while straightening the Fif's room, I noticed the little flip doll that I had made her sitting on the shelf of her dollhouse bookcase. I remember being head over heels for this kit that I purchsed from Umbrella Prints on Etsy. The sweet little faces were printed on organic fabric, which also came with a pattern + instructions for putting the dolls together. And since they came in a set of 2, I made the second to give to a friends daughter as a birthday gift...

I went to look up my post on these from my last blog + cracked up when I recalled trying to put these together! In hindsight, I had just way too many things up in the air + in the making. What should have been an easier task gave me some trouble, but I reasoned that it was all just part of the process. A little blanket stitching around the limbs was a lifesaver... and you know, I thought it was good for my littles to see that things do not always go smoothly, but that we shouldn't ever give up. There is always another option; another way of doing something that just might take a bit of creativity + imagination!

I think both girls enjoyed their dolls + it made me so happy to see my daughter's, still displayed on her shelf and played with 2 years later. I had heard that Umbrella Prints was going to be making version of these, but have not checked it out in a while. However, between these dolls + the cuffs I posted on the other day, I think that they sewing machine will be comming out this weekend. For now we are off to the beach to soak up a beautiful day...I'm sure my head will be spinning, daydreaming of future sewing projects!

Happy Saturday!

Folk + Sunshine

After III days of rain + being cooped up in the house with III littles, the sun is finally shining! Seeing that beautiful glow outside my window when I opened up my eyes this morning has me feeling like a kid on Christmas. And so with that, I thought I would post on something else that also gives me that warm happy feeling... I am so unbelievably smitten with the etsy shop Folk, {the folks responsible for the design + sewing of the fabulous cuffs I am wearing in these photos.} I think I was browsing, looking for something along the lines of what "Alice" is wearing in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, when I happened across these cuffs. These are for sale to wear as singles, or as a set...so far I have bought a total of four.

So I think I might end up sewing some of these myself... for ye olde shoppe, ofcourse. Research. That is what I tell my mister when he sees the yellow puffy shipping envelopes in the mail. The cuffs are simple enough, so if you are handy with the sewing machine, give them a whirl! However, if you are not, head on over to Folk.... + to Monked & Fifed as there may be some of these lovelies in stock this autumn! However, there will not be any sewing happening on this beautiful day! Today, you will be able to find this mama + her littles will be out- of- doors, soaking up some much needed sunshine!

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

yard sale wrap skirt

While my computer is still out for repair, I remembered that I had this post prepared...I hope I don't loose anymore friends while I am away! xo

I was looking back over blog post from my last blog recently + thought that I would share some of what I had been crafting/ sewing/ making just last summer. One of my favourite {and most ambitious} sewing projects had been this Yard Sale Wrap skirt, which incidently, I did wear for my town's town wide yard sale. This skirt was just perfect for my newly pregnant + ever changing form. { Baby Liam will still a secret when this photo was taken}
I used a pattern from the book Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. The skirt did take me longer than a weekend to make, but it is one of those things that once you have made it once, the next one will be super simple. This book is full of great patterns that I can't wait to try out! *Note: I have found that the patterns do run a little small, so you may need to adjust the measurements a bit.

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I remember reading Soulemama at the time + she had mentioned that she rarely had the 3+ yards of fabric necessary for this particular skirt just kicking around the house. I began schemeing and decided to give the skirt a go usung alternating pannels of coordinating fabrics. I cut the pattern a bit more narrow in the width and shorter in the length to accomodate for the way I had folded the fabric to cut it. I was still able to add the 2 extra pannels I needed, added my button hole at the waist band and extended the belt, all with just 3 yards of fabric! Sewing on a budget? Yes, it can be done!!
Somewhere not too long after I made these, my pregnancy morning sickness kicked in with a vengance and it took a good year before I could even think about a sewing machine without feeling a little green around the gills. I am pretty sure that I am over that now! So while o have not done any big sewing projects of late, I still enjoy wearing these skirts... And seeing these photos from last year is just so inspiring... Maybe some te infront of the sewing machine will be a good replacemt for the computer, until it returns? Sure beats posting with an itouch! Happy week friends!

snack bags

Around the time that Sophia {aka, the Fif} was born, I became more aware of some of the issues surrounding plastic. I had always naturally been more of a fan of wooden toys for Tobin {da Monks}, however, I really took it to the next level by ridding ourselves of most of our plastic toys, tupperware food storage and drinking vessels. At first, my husband throught I had gone crazy, and would just shake his head and smile at me as he headed out the door to work with his lunch; a handful of leftover baked ziti in a ball of tin foil. We purchased stainless steel water bottles, began using ceramic jugs for juice made from concentrate, used Born Free bottles for the baby and little by little adjusted to our new way of doing things.

I didn't like the idea of using plastic wrap so much, or the idea of just how many plastic baggies were being thrown in the garbage, so I decided to come up with something that would work for me. I decided to sew reusable sandwich baggies, made from fun cloth material, but lined with oilcloth that could be wiped clean. This was actually one of my fist ideas of what I could make to begin a little Etsy shop, however, time went by and my creative energies were pulled in a variety of different directions, based on the needs of our family...mass production of said sandwich baggies were put on hold.

When the Monks began kindergarten last autumn, I was happy to have a special set of baggies for him, something handmade to send with himto school. Even though we had purchased his school back pack and lunch box from a store, each time he opened his lunch, he would see his snacks packed in these little baggies, with my Mama loves you label {reminding me of the I love you, xoxo, my mum would write on my napkin when I was a child} accross the front, and he would know that I was thinking of him...

These baggies were not all that difficult to make, just alot of wrong side sewing, turning right side out, and ironing, {that was tricky in that you don't want to melt your oil cloth. Let air dry + I would suggest putting a towel inside when ironing.}

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Even after a few years, we still don't have it all together when it comes to the plastic that we use {or do not use}, or whether or not it is done well {John still uses tin foil for ziti?} To be honest, with 3 kiddos, I've been pretty darn lazy when it comes to eco of late...but I still use these bags! When I saw Earth Mama's post, I thought I would pass around what I had made from my first blogging/etsy venture with My Sweet Babu. This is a great summer project, with many littles off to begin school in just a month. I felt extra good that even though I wouldn't be eating lunch with the Monks at school, he would have a piece of home with him + know that we love him more than anything and that we can't until 2:45 to hear all about what he learned and did in school!

vintage button pinwheel brooches

When I'm doing alot of painting, I try to make myself completely available to my littles in the evening. However after a busy week with lots of playing in the heat, my littles hit the hay + I found my fingers free to stitch, sketch or do not a thing at all!

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However, one evening I whipped up these fun little pinwheel brooches. They are hand stitched + made with thick wool felt, vintage buttons + pinback closures... These will be headed over to ye old shop...

Happy weekend!

a bit of stitching?

I've been having kind of a stitching bug lately. I was going through my craft cabinet {which is half a mess} when came accross some things that I had embroidered, along with some things that the Monks had made. You see, embroidery is probably one of my favourite things to do, and also one of the first skills that I learned. I remember helping my grandmother make french knots on a piece of fabric that would later become a pillow, and being amazed that I had helped to create something so lovely. I feel very fortunate to have had people in my life who exposed me to this creative world. The Monks + I worked on a couple of projects a while back that I had come accross in my perusing the other day. The first was a picture he drew, that I then copied onto linen, embroidered and made into a pillow. The second {above} was a picture he drew + embroidered himself! It is such a sweet little thing, isn't it? So I pulled out this book full of nifty embroidery ideas. I could probably close my eyes, flip to any page + be thrilled to begin whatever project I had turned to. Here is one type of stitch from the book that I had used to embellesh a bread bag that I had sewn. I used yellow linen to make the bag, maroon linen embroidery floss for the roses + a lovely little maroon velvet ribbon for the drawstring.

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I think part of what I like most about the embroidery in this book is the texture created by using various types of embroidery floss. I have not been fortunate enough to come accross some of these in the fabric store near me + I think I will have to place an online order. In the mean time, perhaps I will see if the little folk are up for some embroidery? From experience, I found that working with a smaller hoop makes it easier for littles to do an up stitch, although with the Fif, I fully expect to be helping the entire time. But it does sound like such a fun way to spend a bit of a day out of the heat, doesn't it?

Have a most lovely Thursday everyone!