babushka style kerchief

A babushka style kerchief was made for Ms. Scarlet. She will not wear barrettes or 'tails' at the moment and I am reluctant to get her first haircut so I am looking to designs for other types of hair accessories.

This is a modified version of the kerchief found in Carefree Clothes for Girls. I made the triangle smaller and used ric-rac rather then lace and am happy with the result. I love the unfinished edges. S is not so sure but, decided to wear it for a little while at least.

As little bits of sunshine reflect the gold thread and blond wisps of hair I watch as the light plays round her face. And, later that evening we hold hands and she pulls me along making me run down the sidewalk of our block only stopping to make note of the birds and bunnies we see along the way. I am happy for her youthful spirit which brings me joy after the long day.

braided necklace

I made this necklace about a month ago and forgot to mention it. I actually do that all the time.
It's made from 3 long fabric strips cut about a half inch wide and then braided and sewn down at the end of the braids. I didn't use a tutorial for this but, am positive there are some out there. If anyone knows where feel free to chime in on the comments. You need to make sure your fabric strips are longer then you want the necklace because the braiding will shorten it.
It's one of those necklaces that are great for the super hot days of summer which I am not ready for yet as I am really enjoying Spring. I am only anxious to put some of the seedlings we have going in the ground. Thankfully, I'm patient enough to wait since it dipped below 50 degrees and that is not cool with the tomato plants.

Autumn Sweater in Spring

This is Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Baby Sweater.
I have been wanting to knit this for a long time and decided to make a child's version. I was aiming for a 3T but, it looks a bit more like a size 5. Hello Kindergarten sweater circa 2013!

I knit this up in Blue Sky Alpaca worsted hand dyes. It worked up rather thick but, still looks good and shows the gull pattern. I didn't run into too many problems knitting this other then the sizing issue. I worked the sleeves first and knit them flat as instructed and seamed them up. The pattern as many of you know is for a much smaller baby but working it in a heavier yarn and with a few modifications you can achieve different sizes and then of course there is the ladies version. In retrospect, I would have used a different yarn for the size I wanted but, am happy with the heavy coat like sweater I got out of it.

Ice Cream Dress

I knew I wanted to make this dress when I first saw it.

It is the Ice Cream Dress from Oliver & S. This pattern just came out this month. I have many of these patterns and each time I sew them I am happy with the result.

When picking fabric for this dress I knew immediately I wanted it to be blue and white representing the water and sand. I chose a linen/cotton blend and it worked perfectly for my vision. The doubled hem and neckline are my favorite features in this pattern.

Ms. S is always talking about the beach even in the winter. She suggests going to the beach at least once a week. Soon enough we will be visiting the beach and luckily for us Grammie and Pop Pop live very close making it even easier for us to visit as often as we like. It's only an hour drive away

And, like the paper doll on the pattern I am sure there will be pink ice cream to eat many days in this dress after a day building sand castles and dipping toes in the ocean.

my birthday

So, our date was really nice. We dined at Taboon and the play was wonderful.

The kids gave me some chocolate, garden mushrooms and Matty made some interesting;) art pieces made with licked and folded construction paper in pink and yellow shades. I also got a serger which I am thrilled about but, also a bit nervous. I always get intimidated with machines. And, do you remember the victorian collage exhibit I went to well, I got the book Playing with Pictures The Art of Victorian Photocollage.




My Mom wrapped up my girl scout sash and a handmade vintage dolls dress that she found in her attic. Too funny. A candle, some flowers, a check, baked me a lemon cake etc. The party isn't over yet. There will be more celebrating this Sunday. If you look closely at the sash you will notice the embroidery and sewing patches and that one is missing. I sort of remember taking that one off to sew onto a pair of jeans when I was 23 or so...

glass menagerie

Tomorrow we start celebrating my birthday which is Monday with dinner and the theater. I'm ridiculously excited about seeing The Glass Menagerie. Tennessee Williams holds a special place in my heart. Still deciding where to go for dinner. So many choices! And, I don't nearly get into the city as much as I would like anymore.

Photo by All Too Much on Flickr

camisole top

I had seen this blouse sewn by quite a few people and wanted to give it a try. I had seen only one version- the twisted band collar (view A) but wanted a very simple layering piece. This material I found in my stash but, I am not sure of the content. It draped well and is very soft and though I thought it was a dove grey it seems more like a pale blue/grey. The sewing of this top is very simple and suitable for beginners. I only ran into some problems because of a dull needle, lazy of me. It's loose fitting and could work well belted or not. I like it layered under a cardigan.

they say it's spring

"They say it's spring This feeling light as a feather They say this thing This magic we share together Came with the weather too"

-Blossom Dearie

All day today in the back of my mind I have been secretly wishing I could shrink myself, climb this lilac tree out back and paint watercolors all day. Doesn't that sound divine?

in the pink

Though the magnolia may have come and gone too fast I still have my peach tree blossoms, bleeding hearts, apple and cherry blossoms.

Some photos from our walk we took in Branch Brook Park over the weekend.



And, the finished cowl I made on Friday. I used Debbie Bliss Como for this... merino with a bit of cashmere and it's so wonderfully soft and still wearable on those chilly mornings and evenings.

1940's skirt

This is the first pattern I've knit from my vintage 1940's book by Alice Carroll. The book is called The Complete Guide to Modern Knitting and Crocheting and I first wrote about it here.






I have been wanting to try a skirt for some time now and this one was so sweet. If you haven't knit from vintage patterns before it is a bit different but, not too difficult. I believe there are some online resources if you have difficulty but, I didn't need it with this. I used a sock yarn and followed the directions exactly. Sister's Suit has directions for a coordinating top and there is brother's suit as well. Little knit shorts on a four year old boy would be so retro sweet, no?

I would tell you the yarn I used but I can't remember nor can I find the label but, I'll update here if I do. It worked so well with the pattern and draped nicely.

a tie for matty

This is the Little Boy's Tie from the Purl Bee.
However....I cut it out wrong so I had to invent a new way of sewing it up. It worked out fine but, next time I'll make sure to cut it out properly.
Basically, I cut on the fold opposite where it said to for the front piece so, I figured I should do that for the back piece too.
I had to fold it differently and hand- sew up the side. Luckily, it worked out. Hooray me!
I was so happy to have come up with a solution.

Now he is all ready for a fancy party!

buttons and trims

Here is a sweet little project that I saw on Design Sponge a few weeks ago. It's a great way to remind yourself what you already have in your studio/nook and serves as a great way to inspire new ideas.

An idea can start off with something just this simple...a button or a ribbon and build from there rather then go the other way.
Plus, it was a lot of fun to put together

The templates and article are here. Let me know if you make one so I can take a peek.

Uncle Wiggily Longears

Uncle Wiggily wanted to wish you a Happy Spring Weekend and a basket full of sweets.

(These are my Mom's dolls from the 1940's and I just love them)

sunflower honey

Sunflower Honey. Warm Sunshine.

I admit I'm influenced by the color yellow especially in Spring with the forsythia and daffodils blooming all around.

Another little top. I've made this top four times now and I see many more. Each time I've done it differently. The first time I used a robin egg blue cotton with a floral contrast fabric for the sleeve. The second time I made it into a dress. The third in a pretty floral with a bow and now in a sweet yellow dot organic cotton by Cloud 9 Fabrics and elastic in the sleeve hem.