smock revisited

S is outgrowing her smocks as you can see here. It gave me the perfect excuse to play with the design. I had been wanting to do this for awhile actually. I have a vintage pattern that was similar but, different then the one I normally make and sell. I used that one for a premise but, like the original it was smaller in size. I am not an expert on pattern drafting but managed quite well and I came up with a great new smock that easily fits a size 2 with room for growth. I do believe it would fit a 3T as well.

There are a few different features with it. First the closure at the shoulder is a button rather then a tie. Secondly, I added ric-rac along the bottom. There is a bit more width and length to it of course. I can make it with or without the ric rac.

Since S is a size 2, I made one for her first so I could see how it looks and how she moves in it and then I made another for the shop which I hope to have up some time today. The one I made for her uses fabric from the My Folklore by Lecien line. I am in love with the line and this print was one of my favorites. I had a hard time cutting into it as I can't find anymore online but, now I will get to look at it all year on my little girl rather then on the shelf. The lining is in a cream muslin. The ric-rac is lavender.

The one I made for the shop is a red/white gingham. The same fabric as this top with a cream muslin lining.

The Country Bunny and The Little Gold Shoes

Are you familiar with this Easter story? I had only heard of it last year and after some research decided to ask for it as a gift for Ms. S's birthday this year. Well, I read it Friday night and then I read it again to the kids and I do declare this is the best Easter book I have ever read.

I half want to tell you the story and I half don't so I'm going to be mischievous.

I will tell you that she has 21 children and that there are 5 Easter bunnies rather then 1. And, that I wouldn't mind children like her little bunnies or those little gold shoes in my basket this year.

sun egg muffins

I pulled out all the Spring books this past weekend when we welcomed the new season. One of my favorites is The Sun Egg by Elsa Beskow

The book inspired me to do some baking and what luck I had all the ingredients to make these orange pecan muffins. They are delicious. The recipe is from the Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook and the muffins are called Orange Glazed Muffins however I left off the glaze and just sprinkled a little sugar on top and then put them back in the oven for a few minutes after I had turned off the heat

tiny cardigan

A teeny tiny sweater. Are babies really this small when they are born?
How soon we forget.

This sweater is called the Baby Sophisticate.
How sweet. They are born and arrive already reading Shakespeare or completing their dissertation. I joke. Isn't this sweater just adorable and like the name- sophisticated...



In anticipation of some babies being born this year I made this so I have a gift ready to go. I do love those big buttons.

The yarn I had on hand and is Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran which I got on super sale almost a year ago. It's a great pattern and it's free

sailboats

One of my favorite artists Ann Wood designed the pattern for these sailboats. If you are not already familiar with Ann you should definitely check out her blog.

This was a slow project.. meaning we worked on it slowly over the course of January. 3 out of four of our family members took part in it. I started it by assembling the boat from a cereal box. Mick did the decoupage. Matty painted it. Then I added the sails, patches and string.


It was nice to have a project that we could all enjoy and take part in. Also, it was very interesting to the four year seeing it all come together and he is quite proud of them as you can see.

Neighborly

I decided to knit this little top for S and since it is made for a older girl I went down two needle sizes *using a six rather then a 8* and it worked out well.

The yarn is a merino plant dyed color that I bought at Sheep & Wool this past Fall. The color reminds me of ballet slippers.

Design: The boatneck collar is a bit floppy but, I like it. I forgo ribbing at the sleeves and did not do the color changes that were in the pattern. The hem is finished by sewing the bottom up making it a bit elastic. It's showing a bit here... not sure if I should try & re-sew it down. A vintage wood button that is decorative completes it.

Overall: I really like the way this turned out. A nice and easy pattern to follow. A good Spring/Fall piece. Perfect for right now.

She is wearing this dress underneath. I made that a year and a half ago for the size she is now.

-Free pattern from J Casa Handmade and can be found here. Thanks for sharing it with us Jennifer.

my liberty of london quilt

Does anyone remember my cathedral window quilt?

I've been slowly working on it here and there but, was newly inspired to work on it again this week. I thought I'd give myself a deadline and then quickly changed my mind. No reason to rush really. I've been so tired with the time change, kids and my new schedule so besides knitting I did some cutting, ironing and a little sewing of the cathedral windows the past few days.

It's also nice to switch up and work on projects that you know will take a long time to complete.




I love how the base fabric looks folded up before you open them to sew them together and of course all the pretty Liberty squares.




* I've been to Target twice so far and bought some things. What do you think of the collection? I'm not too crazy about the women's clothes but the girls stuff is really cute. Oh, and some of the men's ties and boxers too. Did anyone buy the bike?

flutter by

A top that (almost) drove me crazy. That I spend too much time struggling with last week. Perhaps because I was tired and being too stubborn to rest.

I wanted to sew and that was that.

A front and back band with facing no longer. I've sewn facings a dozen times without problems. Now, finished by chopping that facing band right off. Hooray! And, fixed with handmade seam binding. Perfect.

A little gingham top to run around the front yard this summer picking berries and eating as fast as she can until Mama and Dada say 'no more' for now. The sleeves all a flutter. Gingham and summer go so well together.

-Puppet show shorts made for her birthday using Oliver + S Pattern.

spring skirt

I've been doing quite a bit of sewing both for Ms. S and for a shop update for Mackey Blue.

Here is one of the skirts I made for S recently. It's a simple elastic waist skirt with pockets. I trimmed the pockets in some vintage ribbon that was rather stiff but worked out well. She seems to be growing up so fast these days. Sniff! It's all good though really. She can now say Matthew (more like Mafew) but, previously she was calling him - Manny, T, him and brother though a bit of that was encouraged because we thought it was funny. In this photo it looks like she is holding an imaginary cup of tea. She loves Tea so we now do tea time together every day. How fun!

She wore it to the park to feed the ducks and to play on the slides and ride the swings. The Spring weather seems to have arrived. Hooray!

playing with pictures

Yesterday, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the exhibit Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage.
On display were images incorporating photography and watercolor mostly made by English aristocratic women in the 1860's and 1870's.



While some women placed figures in landscapes and interior settings others chose china patterns or painted a subject and then added the photographs to tell a story. Some incorporated the human form with animal which Kate Edith Gough performed terrifically in her painting of mallards and swans with human heads.




As photography was emerging at a time when Charles Darwin's theories were being reported and Alice in Wonderland was being published it can only be imagined how exciting the world of fantasy and the natural world were being intertwined.



Portraiture was readily available as material to use and experiment with and the use of scale often amusing. While viewing and reading text for Mary Georgiana Caroline, Lady Filmer's painting here we see the man she was known to carry on a flirtation with presented larger and with a jaunty hat, her at the table glancing at him while at the table with her pot of glue and pictures while her husband is seen much smaller seated near a dog.

A jester tossing people as he walks, or a person blowing bubbles of people makes statement of the whimsical state of mind while others more seriously used the medium, such as, placing heads into jewelry pieces.



-Maria Harriet Elizabeth Cator

Learning to paint required lessons for these ladies who had the money to pay for them. They learned to paint flowers in a way I only dream to and to experiment with this new form of combining photography with art in amazing ways.

Most imagery has been taken from larger books for this exhibit and many of the books are available to see at computer stations at the exhibit.

All images from the Metropolitan Museum www.metmuseum.org

rose red

My gorgeous new hat is making me very happy.
A really beautiful design and so soft knit in the Orkney Angora St Magnus 50/50 DK
The color is Ruby and it almost glows. My mind is on Spring but it is still cold out there.

The pattern is here.

shalom cardigan

I have a new sweater! Were you wondering if I've been knitting? Well, of course! I also have another finished piece blocking right now as well but, for today we will talk about the sweater.



I was playing peek- a -boo with my daughter here. One must entertain while taking pictures for your blog. You know, I actually really love playing peek-a -boo.



It is Shalom, a free pattern from Meghan of Involving the Senses. A pretty popular pattern and a rather easy knit. I added long sleeves and a few extra buttons to it. The wool is Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool in a nice creamy natural shade and is quite inexpensive. I have enough of the second ball to knit a baby/toddler sweater.



The inspiration for this sweater was Amanda who knit this in the same yarn but with a different sleeve.

I managed to knit it up in 8 days while also working on other projects though some may say I'm a fast knitter I really don't think so. I do get slowed down on those darn dpn's though when I was working the sleeves. I really need to learn the magic loop.