Treasure pocket

(Lucy and I looking for treasure at the pier in Bar Harbor, Maine.)

I finally made something crafty again...and I've been dying to show you! But we're on vacation with a lousy internet connection so it had to wait until today.

Lucy takes after me when it comes to picking up "treasures" on her journeys. Both of us stop frequently to pick up a special stone, an acorn, a feather, a stick... And just recently, Lucy discovered pockets. What a wonderful thing--a place to keep your treasures! But most of her clothes don't have any pockets. So I wanted to sew her a "pocket" she could wear at the beach (I knew we'd be doing lots of beach combing!)

Two days before we left--when I should have been packing or cleaning before our trip--I quickly sewed her a pocket. I used recycled linens for the bag (pinky-red ticking for the outside; orange and pink paisley for the lining) and a scrap of lace from an old pillowcase for the edging. The luckiest accident was the strap; I'd wanted something wide so the weight wouldn't dig into her shoulder, and when I sewed on this wide twill tape to this tiny bag, it made the bag stay open when hanging on her shoulder--perfect for a little hand to reach in easily.


Lucy loves it! Now if I ask her "do you want to look for treasures on the beach?" She says "Yeah. Poc" (pocket) and puts her hand down where her pocket should be.

(The best picture I got of the inside, as she's always on the go!)

(Looking for the perfect rock.)

(Tucking something into her pocket for safekeeping.)

(A collection of her treasures.)

I really can't imagine anything quite so wonderful as sharing this passion of mine with my equally passionate daughter. Now...what am I doing writing?? There's beachcombing to be done!

One little flower

I've been enjoying the wonky log cabin tutorials over at Quilt Dad this week. I had pretty much figured out how to make crazy log cabin blocks on my own, but it's always interesting to see someone else's techniques, and he's definitely given me some new inspiration. So even though I felt too tired to move last night, I hauled my lazy butt up to the sewing machine to make another block for Lucy's quilt. I made this:



Now, I know it's not the best block ever. But I'm psyched about it, because I finally used a technique I hadn't gotten to yet--a pieced strip. See that blue piece on the right side? I love that one flower shining out from the middle of it. I went safe and obvious this time, with the solid turquoise and the coordinating bit of vintage sheet, but next time I'll try mixing up some patterns.

Another quilt block

Please excuse the terrible photo...when I work all day and then squeeze in some sewing, by the time I'm ready to take a picture, the light is nearly gone. This block is much prettier in person. (Unfortunately, I don't have a good excuse for the way-too-skinny outer "logs.") Despite the weird proportions, I'm very happy with this block because I incorporated three new fabrics I love:
--the yellow gardening girl fabric in the upper left, which is one of the ones I bought on vacation, and which I just love for its vintage-y charm.
--the green alphabet fabric, also bought on vacation. I didn't have enough green in this quilt yet, and I imagine Lucy will love finding Ls and other favorite letters at some point in the not-too-distant future.
--a teeny scrap of the vintage sheet that's been seen in so many of my projects this spring (Lucy's kimono, my skirt, my headband, my purse...). There will be so many fond memories attached to that fabric. Some day, after I've done much more sewing, I look forward to making a whole quilt of meaningful scraps like that one, with stories attached.

Finished in the car on the way to Bar Harbor...

pleated beauty handbag-back
Originally uploaded by mcghol

...my "Pleated Beauty Handbag" from "Bend the Rules Sewing." I'm so pleased with this bag! Looking at everyone's photos on Flickr, I was worried that it would come out much too large. But I felt too amateur to be messing around with the measurements, so I just trusted the pattern and dove in, using that favorite vintage sheet (seen here and here and here before) and a vintage curtain. On the front is the free-motion embroidered flower I made. The back is unadorned. In the car on the way up to Maine, I stitch-ripped the other flower I'd added and then didn't like. I also finished hand-sewing the lining in the car.

This bag turned out to be perfect for vacation. Big enough for my usual purse stuff, plus diaper stuff, hat, sweater, burp cloth, sling, and sometimes more for Lucy, plus camera and whatever touristy brochures we picked up, plus books I bought along the way. But not too huge, as I'd feared. Just right!


(I'm not usually quite so matchy-matchy in my outfits. But, hey--I was on vacation. My options were limited. And who knows me there?)

Shades of blue

Finally getting around to writing about some older projects...

First, I made myself a third skirt using "Sew What! Skirts." I'm getting a little better each time. This one fits me more closely, and I like the way it looks, though it's a bit snug when I sit. I love this fabric (vintage sheet--used in Lucy's kimono, too) and didn't want to waste it on a badly-made skirt, so I was waiting until I got a bit better! I'm pretty happy with it overall, although after wearing it once, I realize I'm going to have to undo the waist to tighten up the elastic. I love the vintage curvy trim I used, which you can see on the photo of the pocket detail (please ignore the marking-pen lines--hadn't washed it yet).

Next up is my second try at transforming a onesie into a dress (I've complained before about how onesies get damp with our wool diaper covers, although that problem seems to be lessening over time--are we getting better at cloth diapering? are the covers getting more absorbent?) I sliced off the bottom of the onesie with a rotary cutter and sewed on a gathered skirt made from a vintage pillowcase. I added vintage rick-rack and buttons, and then made a matching pair of bloomers, again from "Weekend Sewing."



And, coming soon...violet jelly (from a recipe here). Here's the first step, which I did today with the kids...gathering the violets.

Modeling the mama-made wardrobe

I guess I've been sewing quite a bit, because there have now been several days when Lucy's worn entirely mama-made outfits! Here she is, modeling "Lucy's Kimono" (from Weekend Sewing) and a pair of her felted-wool-sweater longies. The kimono came out pretty cute after all!

Springtime Sewing

It's hot; I have tons of plants to put in the garden; my house is a disaster; my clothesline is full of things waiting to be folded...so, naturally, I spent the afternoon sewing (some might call it procrastinating).

First, an Itty Bitty Baby Dress for an itty bitty baby. A friend of a friend has had a very difficult pregnancy--10 weeks on bed rest--and just gave birth to a 4-pound girl 8 weeks early. Mom will be out of the hospital on Tuesday. I remember how touched we were by all the lovely handmade gifts we recieved for Lucy, and how excited we were when we actually found teeny-enough clothes to put on her when she first came home. So I thought another Itty Bitty Baby Dress was in order. This one is made from several different thrift-store treasures--a tablecloth, a sheet, and some rickrack. I hope she likes it.

Edited to add: she wore it home from the hospital! Yay!





Next, I decided it was time to finally finish Lucy's Kimono I started from "Weekend Sewing." I'd started it a while ago and was really unhappy with how it was coming out--unfinished seams inside and puckery armpits showed just what an amateur sewer I am. I'd gotten some advice on Flickr (duh! clip the seam allowances! Why didn't I think of that? Thank goodness for helpful Flickr viewers!) Finished up, I think it looks pretty cute. I haven't tried it on her yet. We'll see. I'm worried it'll look like scrubs (it's a bit stiff, like them, I think).



Last, I tried an experiment. I wondered if I could use the Ruby's Bloomers pattern from "Weekend Sewing" to make a wool diaper cover. I used more of the felted cashmere sweater I'd used for the Easter bunnies. I had to piece it together to get a large enough piece for the pattern (because I'd already tried to refashion it into a cardigan, but gave up). I wasn't sure if I'd be able to steam-iron the elastic to shrink it up in that cool way it does, but it worked fine. The bloomers are thin and lightweight, which I thought would be perfect for summer--she can wear them over a diaper with a sundress on top. We'll see if they'll be absorbent enough to work.

Small projects=instant gratification

Sometimes, you just need a little instant gratification.  When I've had a moment to slip away this week, I've squeezed in some little projects for that quick satisfaction of something--anything!--completed.

My latest favorite quick project is these 10-minute headbands:

I made these using vintage sheets (recognize the bottom one, which matches Lucy's dress?).  The pattern is from a tutorial at Blue Bird Studio, and it really does only take 10 minutes.  I love them--they're comfy, and stay pretty well in my fine-as-a-toddler's hair.  A scrap of fabric, a few minutes, and a hair elastic, and I've got a springy new accessory.  Next time, I'm going to try two layers of fabric--suede on the bottom to give it better grip in my hair, and a printed fabric on top.

An even easier project, but one that gave me great satisfaction, was adding the ribbons to these washcloths and hand towels:

We don't use many disposables in this house, so in the early-childhood program I run from my home, all the children have a washcloth for each day and a hand towel for the week, marked with their own color of ribbon.  I made this new batch for our daughter, Lucy, who's now officially one of the group.

Here's the dress that goes with the shoes...

green/orange dress and longies
Originally uploaded by mcghol

This is the dress I made using the free "Itty Bitty Baby Dress" pattern from "Made by Rae." She'll outgrow it before it's warm enough for naked legs, so under it are some wool longies made from a felted sweater. The dress is made from a vintage sheet, and the lining is from a thrifted men's shirt. Because I'm a dork like that, I made myself a skirt to match, following the A-line skirt pattern in Sew What! Skirts.