linen gingham skirt

Well, she needed something to match this cardigan.

And, it also works very nicely with this handknit one.

The linen gingham is from Good-ness. I had not thought ahead what I would make with it. This wound up being a perfect project for it.

The pattern is the Lazy Days Skirt from here.

I wanted the skirt to have that pretty modern Japanese craft book look to it. I think I succeeded.The crochet lace trim is vintage and was given to me by my friend Anna during her big purge a few years ago. The pattern calls for ribbon trim but I liked the look of the lace with the fabric the best.

my new mitts

I made myself a Christmas present over the past few days.
I was craving a simple project to keep my hands busy and one that I could start
and complete quickly.

I made Ysolda's Garter Stitch mitts
They are made with Blue Sky Alpaca Melange which is 100% baby alpaca so incredibly soft
Color 807

I am so in love with the color chartreuse at the moment. A color that can look exquisite with so many of my coats.
I can see it with the red, black and blue one for sure and look it even looks nice with my new tights I got for Christmas.

miss molly mae

miss molly mae mae mae
all dressed in gray gray gray
with long black stripes stripes stripes
all down her back back back
and a white tummy
and some white paws
and a little pink nose
and some pink paws
and pointy ears
and sharp sharp claws and whiskers too
and green eyes
and a long long tail...

a silly song i used to sing and have now been singing in my head

molly - 1996-2008
may you rest in peace

we had to put our cat to sleep 3 days ago
i didn't want to mention it before christmas
it was for the best as she was suffering and has never been a healthy cat
still it is sad
she was a very pretty cat

some of these are old and some of these are new

Some of these are old and some of these are new. They are a few of my favorite ornaments.
I really love the Jennifer Murphy bird and my vintage angels. Also, pink glass ornaments are so special to me. I have to put those on the mantle tree so the little ones don't get to them.




The snowflake was crocheted by my Nana and my Aunt Lillian gave me five of them last week. I don't think she expected my reaction. I have always loved them and when I used to decorate my parents tree they were always my favorite and I did them last.My Mom still has hers and up until now I never had one so I feel blessed and now can have a part of her to share on Christmas with my family.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

origami wreaths

Here is a small project that doesn't take much time and has such a pretty result.
Just right for the end of the day or when you don't have much time but, feel like making something anyway.
I found the tutorial here but, found 6 pieces of paper to work better for me then 8. And, for the origami shy this is really easy.
Hope you have fun making them. I find it very relaxing which is so good right about now with all the rush and bustle of the holidays.

a bunny

Ms. S is fond of bunnies and we often see them in our backyard.

Stitched muslin, crochet lace, millinery flowers, embroidery floss and buttons. Some of my favorite things.

a 'little red' lovey blanket

This is the hand stitching project I alluded to before. It's a lovey for Ms. S. It is stitched on organic cotton flannel and I used wool felt and embroidery floss to create this Little Red Riding Hood scene. The imagery is heavily borrowed from Japanese craft books.

If you are unfamiliar with lovies -they are a little blanket that the Mom sleeps with for a few nights and then it is given to the baby so that they can have their Mama's scent nearby. It's like a little security blanket. So, I am a little late on this one but, not too late.

I like the symbolism of Little Red venturing out on her own like Ms. S will do one day and the adventures she will meet along the way.

To finish I blanket stitched another piece of the organic flannel to the back. I will wrap it for her for Christmas day.

gingerbread mobile and cookies

We made some gingerbread cookies on Sunday.

I had remembered a Martha Stewart spread from last year that I liked where she had made a gingerbread mobile. Here it is.
So, I made one too but, much less elaborate.



I had thought that they were hardened enough after a few hours of cooling to make the mobile but, I realize now I should have waited a few days as sadly all the angels have now fallen and suffered a rather untimely death. Currently their heads are hanging and it looks very silly so I need to fix that pronto.

Here are some other cute little cookies.



Oh, and they are really yummy too. The recipe is from here.

more baby legs

So, I decided I had to make more baby legwarmers.
These are an early Christmas gift from me to Ms. S. She got them yesterday and I immediately put them on for picture taking.

The second one almost drove me out of my mind for no good reason. I kept making mistakes and taking out and starting over-ugh! I blame it on lack of sleep and the holidays but, they are done now and are great for sliding around in.

I love legwarmers over tights when it's real cold for myself too. Here you can see I made some for me earlier this year.

The pattern is here. I love the smock coat she did too so check it out if you follow the link.

mushrooms on the windowsill

I've been obsessed with mushrooms (not the edible kind although I like those too) lately. Well, I've liked them for awhile and been collecting them. I can not tell you how many times I've put Tamar Mogendorff's mushrooms from Rose and Radish in my shopping cart and not checked out. It's sort of embarrassing although I did not hold back in ordering one of her birdcages and birdhouses from Tiny McSmall back last Spring and those reside in the bedroom of Ms. S.

So, it was only a matter of time until I decided I needed to sew them and I've got one more cut out ready to do (it's pink). The sewing is a combination of machine and hand sewing. Some buttons on top would be cute too but I'm thinking I might put one each in the kids stockings for Christmas and they would either be hazardous or just get ripped off.

The Story of Scarlet Elizabeth and Quinn Josephine

The Story of Scarlet Elizabeth and Quinn Josephine

Once upon a time there were two little girls. Their names were Quinn and Scarlet.

Quinn and Scarlet did not know each other very well but, their Mothers were the best of friends.

Quinn has dark hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes. She is very friendly and popular and also very loving. She loves her dollies and school and her dog, Leah.

Scarlet has blond hair and the most lovely blue eyes. She wrinkles her nose when she smiles and likes to bounce up and down on her Mama’s knees. She crawls around on her bum kind of like a crab but someday soon she will walk like your everyday sort of girl. She has a cat named , Molly.

Every once in a while Quinn’s Mom and Scarlet’s Mom get to see each other certainly not as often as they like although they think of each other often and send good Mama vibes to one another.
They also do not get to see each others daughters who are so special to each of them and wish they could share in seeing them grow up together like they did when they lived down the street from each other.

So, where is this story going you may ask….

Well, I have handmade a doll for both Quinn and Scarlet.
Quinn will be given a doll named Scarlet and Scarlet will be given a doll named Quinn so that they can be together and be close like their Mama’s are.

Now Quinn tell your Mama I love you for me and next time we see each other you can bring your doll and the two Scarlet’s and the two Quinn’s can have milk and cookies together.

The End

I made the dolls awhile ago but added the hat and coats in a style that Emily did and of course this is her doll pattern. I sent the blond one (Scarlet) off to Quinn with this photo and story and Scarlet will be given the brunette (Quinn) with the story and picture on Christmas day.

village frock

Too small for her pretty red linen village frock (it's a size 2) but, one day she will wear it and stroll in the village... Okay, maybe she will skip and maybe perhaps she will have a bit of baguette in her hand and little crumbs will fall as she eats leaving her trail behind for tiny animals and they will follow her mystified by the beauty of her red dress and the little girl in it.

When that days comes she will fit her frock properly.

For now let's pretend she is a billowy angel floating on a cloud.

felted bowls

some new felted bowls have landed in my etsy shop...perfect for gathering small treasures.
hope everyone has a lovely magical weekend.
we will be getting our christmas tree and doing some decorating.

she had other plans

The boy at preschool. The baby taking her morning nap...time for Mama to sew.

But...wait no nap - culprit - teething. I don't mind really for it means some extra time with the baby alone.

She likes silk thread the best. Obviously she has good taste.

On Saturday, Ms. S will be 10 months (already?) and although she doesn't crawl she can spin, slide back and slide around on her bum bum which if you ask me is kind of cute.

a peek inside perch

IMG_2531
Originally uploaded by Bessilu

I thought since I have shown the inside of Mackey Blue and some of you were curious what Perch was like you might want to take a look at the inside of the store. There are more on Bessilu's flickr. Go take a peek.