ribbon bow hairpins

I was inspired by Emma Cassi whose work I adore to make some bow hairpins for me and my girl.

They are a bit romantic and Victorian looking and are so sweet worn especially on her.

-Made with silk ribbon, tulle and various lace trims.

They would be wonderful as a little Valentine treat, don't you think?

*I am close to the end on a sweater I am knitting for myself. I am so excited to finish and hope it fits well. i have quite a few knits in progress and a custom order to start once the yarn arrives.

silk bubble skirt

Here is a little skirt I made for S that will be given to her as a birthday present next month - A bubble skirt made with raw silk.
The silk was a present given to me several years ago by friends after a visit to India. I think I may make one for myself. I also have a piece in pretty pale yellow as well.
The material is stiff, crinkly and so beautiful. It really shimmers. I was happy to start putting it to use after all these years. I lined it with muslin.
If you are interested I could do a little tutorial on how I made it. It's pretty simple and looks equally nice in other materials.

Edit: She found the skit and immediately brought it to her room.

surprise balls

I've become enamored with surprise balls and after nosing around on the internet have settled on this cupcake style to use for party favors for Ms. S's birthday next month. I decided to try it out last night and my first time came out okay and now I know the few tweaks I want to change:

* cut the strips thinner to around 3/4 inch
* use the rotary cutter so they are even
* try to keep them tight, round and a little smaller to fit in the cupcake wrapper like the blue one.

pretty basic changes

Now to find cute tiny little things for all the girls that will attend. I used tiny things I found around my studio such as stickers, fake flowers, a bell, pin, tiny ballerina, a mirror locket and a small wood stamp. Tiny candies, sequins, little animals are some other ideas i have. How about you?
I made two testers so I can get opinions from my kids. She tested hers out already and I will have the boy test his when he gets home from school.

I think they are going to be a winner.

Sunki - a pocket dress and leggings

It had been a while since I had sewn any clothes for S and I was itching to get back to my sewing room after a little break over the holidays. I had purchased this pattern in December by Figgy's Patterns called Sunki. I was immediately drawn to it's lines, the pockets and the sleeves. Of course I also really love the Ikat fabric it was made in. How gorgeous is that fabric? That it included a pattern for leggings too was a nice touch.

This was my first time sewing from Figgy's Patterns and I really give it good marks because the instructions were very clear and easy to follow and the design was great. I made the size 4/5.

My goal was to use fabric I had in my stash which I sort of worried about because I wanted it to be a pattern and not a quilting cotton. When I laid out my pattern pieces on this Liberty of London cord I couldn't believe I had enough. You may remember I used the fabric before when I made this dress. I was happy to use it again and also thrilled that I found a knit fabric for the leggings that went with it because the only other knit I had enough of was pink.

Now I have my eye on the Ofelia pattern and the Bubble skirt in the Figgy's line.
A label is included with the pattern which I placed on the leggings for her.

Things I made July- December 2011

Here is a selection of some of what was made between July- December 2011.

Lots of knitting and sewing, some embroidery, paper flowers but most importantly I finished my cathedral window quilt.

Things I made January- June 2011

It is nice to look back on a year and see what was made. Here are a few of my favorite projects from January-June 2011.

The first half of the year I made three quilts, tried reverse appliqué, combined knitting with fabric and made lots of wonderful items to wear.

clove hood

Happy New Year.
Wow, 2012.

Today marks 5 years since I started this blog.
I still really enjoy it and am grateful to all of you who stop by here.

I don't really have any resolutions this year but, I would love to learn a new craft and I hope to take a class or two.

I recently finished my second Peaks Island Hood. Here is my first. This time I used the colorway, clove in Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair.

I think the cold weather is coming. I am sure it is. Today was actually warm enough to walk around without any knits even up on the High Line in NY.

Wishing all of you the best of everything for the year ahead.