lemonade for the library

This afternoon the kids and I set up a lemonade stand to raise money for our town library. Our lemonade was a bit on the tart side. I used 12 lemons, water, some organic sugar and frozen strawberries from our garden.

We made it as simple as possible setting up in front of the house and they were so cute announcing 'lemonade for the library, 50 cents a glass.' M did most of the announcing and Ms. S did most of the lounging that is when she was not off searching for berries in the yard.

I always wanted to do a lemonade stand with them and since this was such a good cause I just couldn't not do it.
We didn't raise a whole lot but, a little is better then nothing.

tea leaves cardigan

I finished knitting my Tea Leaves cardigan yesterday and now that I have modeled it for you I will be packing it away for the cooler months.

I think the sweater came together nicely and I am happy with the yarn choice.
The fit is a little looser then I expected but, it is by no means too big either.
I'm not sure how I will style it in the future but, for now terry shorts and a bathing suit were all I could muster up the strength to put on this morning. It's 90 degrees after all.

Pattern: Tea Leaves Cardigan
Yarn- Madelinetosh DK
Color Vermillion
Needles 6 and 7
No modifications.

neutrals with pops of color lap quilt

I finished this quilt top Tuesday night and it feels major to me. I don't know how long ago I started this but it was in the beginning stages for awhile. I thought if I put it on the floor and vowed not to take it off until I finished piecing it then maybe it would get done faster and it did- a month, 2 months? I'm not fond of all the cutting which is what slows me down perhaps because I do it on the floor which is pretty bad on my back. Someday my husband and I plan to build a worktable for me because carting the stuff up and down 2 flights to the dining room doesn't appeal either and I like to attempt to keep my mess in one location- my studio.

So, this quilt top is destined to be a lap quilt for me. I laid it out on a twin bed and it's a tad small but could also work as a nice blanket on one to give you the idea of the size.

The concept behind this quilt came sometime after I made a tote bag back in September 2008. Here is the bag.

I used some of the same fabrics and basically the same concept though I think one polka dot square may have worked it's way in there. There is a lot of really amazing fabrics in here and I'm looking forward to it being all done but, for now it's really nice to have it off the floor and in this stage. Hooray for a finished quilt top.

#2 - yellow linen skirt

This skirt is part of my outfits based on a watercolor/collage series. It is made with a medium weight yellow linen with a muslin lining and I used an Oliver & S pattern to construct it. It is a size 3. Every time I work with linen I am reminded how much I love this material.
I'm having so much fun looking through my patterns both new and vintage ones to piece together this series and planning out which ones to use. I'm hoping to use only materials I have on hand for this project but, I may have to buy one yard for the top to go with this skirt as I don't seem to have the right shade.

I'm hoping to talk a little here about the garden soon and also another project I've been working on.
I hope everyone had a great start to summer yesterday. We went to the library and got started on our mobiles for the reading program and went to the pool. I randomly picked books for S and was pleasantly surprised with this book that I had no idea about. I love when that happens.

pinwheels

At some point last week I decided I wanted to make pinwheels. I had some pretty paper on hand and have been really interested in doing more paper crafts lately. This one was really easy. They take about 10 minutes to make and they are simple sweet fun and also great summer decor for a party. A little fiddling around with the wire and they do spin nicely.

After procuring the rest of the supplies which were wire, small wood beads and wood dowels I was ready to go and 5 pinwheels were born last night. One for each of us and an extra. I have one more dowel that is destined to be a wand. Someone's wand broke and she really needs a new one.

Any fun plans for the weekend? Ours include the town pool opening and a big family celebration with lots of little cousins running around together and big people chatting and chasing after them.

watermelon halter top

What a perfect way to welcome summer then with a nice breezy halter top.

This knit is so sweet and was a perfect project to start on the beach.
I used this yarn last summer to make two tops for Ms. S and really liked working with it.

Design: Haltermelon by Never not Knitting. Pattern here
Yarn: Classic Elite Yarns Premiere 50% Pima Cotton 50% Tencel

pom pom necklace

I made myself this necklace on Friday night and I thought I'd share a tutorial for how I did it. My inspiration was the beautiful jewelry made by The Vamoose.
It is pretty straightforward. If you have made pom poms and have a little experience with jewelry making you should have no problem

Material List:
Pom Pom Maker- I used a Clover pom pom maker and it has a marking of 45 on it. I measured the circumference of it and it seems to be about a 1 1/2" circle
Muslin or fabric of your choice
Nylon Beading Cord
Clasp
2 Crimp Beads with clamshell
Darning Needle
Jewelry Pliers

I used a medium weight muslin and cut strips that were about 1/2" wide.
You will need at least 2 strips or possibly more. I used 2 on each side of the pom pom maker and one to tie the knot in the middle because my strips were only about 16"
If you had one really long piece you would only need one to wrap and one small one for the tie.

To get started. You take your strips and wrap them around the pom pom maker. The Clover tool has two sides so you do one side, close it and then do the other. Take your last strip and make a knot in the middle. Then cut around all the strips and open it up. Proceed to make two more. Trim around the edges if necessary so the pom pom has a nice shape and fluff it out.

With your darning needle string the bead cord through the eye of the needle and then string your pom poms on.
Tie a knot on each end and clamp it shut with the clamshell side of the crimp beads. Do the same on the other side and attach the crimp beads to your clasp closing the rings.

You will get some loose threads falling out as the edges are frayed. If this does not suit you put some fray check on the ends.

All done.



If you make one, let me know. I would love to see it.
Please do not make to sell.

Enjoy.

fancy pants

Bloomers have been made for me!

I've been wanting to sew up some up for a while and when my 4 year olds egyptian cotton sheets got a rip in them I was ever so happy. I've been eyeing those sheets for sewing purposes since my Mom bought them for him when he transitioned to a bed 2 years ago. Egyptian cotton is so soft and has a beautiful sheen to it.

The pattern is free and is by Colette Patterns.

Happy weekend to you...

#1 outfit based on a watercolor/collage

I've been wanting to work on collection of girl's outfits based on a painting. Because I want to remain a little mysterious at this point I'm not going to reveal which artist or piece but it's a good one.

This dress is the first in the series and I used a pattern from 1973 and it's a size 3. What is sort of fun about this is this is the year the artist died and it's also the year a certain someone was 3 and would have worn this size. The pattern is McCall's 3501 and it will be used a few times.

It is made of orange linen in a medium weight and it came together just the way I hoped it would. I love the pinafore ruffle style on the bodice and the wide sash that ties in a bow in the back. I think maybe a little starch on the bow to make it nice and stiff would be good.

This project may take a while as there a lot of outfits but, I'm really happy to have started on it. My model woke up with the birds this morning so I wasn't going to attempt a modeling session.

my cup of tea

My cup of tea: a little wool felt & embroidered brooch.

Tea times: restful, charming, a chance to sit down, eat delicious sweet and savory food, socialize, dress up.

The English are so smart! I want to make tea time a part of my every day as I seem to have lost the routine.

dress-up wings

As soon as I saw the pattern for dress-up wings I pushed all my projects (and I've got a lot going on) aside to make some last night. I made one pair but have a few more cut out.

S picked out her outfit this morning and a little while later I brought down the wings which she immediately took to which was nice.

The pattern is by Tiny Happy whose blog I read faithfully and is also a reader of mine. Hi Melissa!
I love the pattern. I especially love it in the yellow floral she used.

Update: This pattern is also great for boys and works just as well on my 4 year old son.

1947

Last Labor Day weekend I happened upon a yard sale up the street from my parents house. That is where I found this piece for $10. Since then it has sat in the garage along with some other furniture pieces that need some help.

I decided that I would paint it since the legs were in pretty bad shape and the wood veneers were all scratched up. I sanded and painted it and then painted again. First I painted it 'society hill blue' but, wasn't sure if I liked it so I changed it to 'swiss coffee' and now love it.




Inside a surprise.





A Singer sewing machine. I have yet to see if it works but, it needs a bobbin plate to start.





I researched the serial number and found out the model was manufactured in 1947. Even if I don't get around to fixing up the machine right away I love it for it's history and the table looks quite nice as a decorative or serving piece.
Definitely worth the $10 price tag