I've been doing a little sewing this summer. Boogie likes the idea of sewing but she's just a little too young to sit at the machine. So, the compromise has been what we call "Puffies". Basically, I give her a set of fabric markers and we stuff and sew up whatever she draws. She's had a great time making these things and has grand plans for a whole stable of Puffies.
We had a very mellow weekend. Book Club Saturday night and just hanging around the house Sunday. Good times.
I hope all of you had a happy and fun-filled Fourth! We sure did. We ate too much then jammed on fireworks. It was great.
I was consumed with the completion of a sewing project. Specifically, a dolly diaper bag for Boogie's babies. She has quite a few and they seem to like traveling with us when we run errands. And, as every mommy knows, a good diaper bag is a must.
I should apologize for the pics first. Boogie was bouncing all over the kitchen trying to grab the bag. I still haven't had a chance to get all the basting stitches out. Anyway, this is the front...two roomy pockets for extra bottles, binks and the odd Barbie dress that finds it's way in there.
The back of the bag features a changing pad that velcroes up nicely when not in use. Hm...who is that peeking around the bag?
Here's the skinny on the bag:
Pattern: Simplicity 5554
Fabric: A nice simple cotton for the exterior, polycotton blend for the lining.
Thoughts: This little bag uses batting and I discovered I loathe batting! Seriously though, toward the end of the bag it got easier. Overall it was a quick project and I plan on doing another one as a Christmas gift.
Allow me to introduce Baby Stella. Baby Stella is sporting the newest in Spring couture for the young at heart. It's good for play dates, trips to the zoo and the Velcro fasteners make it super easy for a 2almost3-year-old to strip her down to her diaper in just under 5 seconds.
This simple little project seemed to take forever! Okay. I just let other stuff get in the way. Stuff like knitting and more knitting. And then there was the knitting. Anyway, the pattern is Simplicity 4254. Very cute and very easy.
I started making stitchmarkers again this week. I'd drifted away from making them for a lot of reasons but, when I was looking at Glee and petting the yarn, I realized that the pattern called for stitchmarkers. Of course I had to make some just for Glee! Maybe I'll jump on the Etsy thing with some of these suckers. I've got lots more where they came from. Plus some bags I've been messing around with.
I'm off to chill and knit. I'm mere inches from finishing Big B's Big Black Socks! Wish me monsters!
First a big thanks for all the good vibes sent our way! Y'all are the best!
Since Wednesdays are my anything but knitting day I thought I'd show you what I picked up at the fabric store this morning. I've been interested in quilting for ages but just never gotten around to doing it. I love fabric and color and, as Boogie and I wandered around grabbing rickrack for the doll wardrobe and itty-bitty elastic, I happen to catch sight of this beautiful collection of fat quarters. 
The really cool thing about these little beauties was that, tied up with the quarters was a simple pattern for a lap quilt. Bingo! A nice small project to get me started on the road to quilting and the acquisition of more small bits of fabric than I could ever hope to use in one lifetime. If nothing else the baby dolls may have stripey goodness headed their way.
I also grabbed these suckers as well. As long as I'm traipsing merrily down the path to quilting hell I might as well take pretty fabric with me. Just think, the original purpose of the trip was to find the rickrack and see if the store stocked Lion Brand's Cotton-Ease. Yarn and fabric stores have no business being together. It's just
wrong.
*I can't call Wednesdays "Wednesday Wheelies" anymore. It's yucky. Wednesday is just no knitting. No title, no button, just no knitting. Not too saccharine I hope!
Boogie has two favorite dolls, Baby and Stella. Baby and Stella lead difficult lives. They get thrown around, subjected to all sorts of medical trauma and, most unfortunately, live in a constant state of undress. The dolls NEVER have their clothes on in spite of the fact that they share a wardrobe and there are plenty of clothes to go around. And yet, knowing that these dolls never wear a stitch of clothing even if I help Boogie dress them I find myself sucked into sewing clothes for them. Maybe it was the cute retro pattern that comes in 3 sizes and was only $1.00 or the fact that I have some small bits of floral fabric lying around that would make great doll clothes. It could even be that I find myself not interested in pursuing completion of my own dress right now. Whatever the reason I'm currently sewing tiny seams and hems and wondering how small I can cut a piece of Velcro for it to still work. I hope Baby and Stella appreciate my efforts.
Instead of spinning I worked on some sewing today. I'm still slowly plowing my way through the Shetland and have one bobbin's worth plied but I was really in the mood to sew. I cut this dress out in the fall but got distracted by Halloween costumes and then Christmas foo so it's been marinating awhile. This afternoon I managed to get the interfacing ironed in, sew up the back and front bodice pieces and start pinning the facing to the neckline. Maybe I'll get a chance to work on it this weekend.
Instead of showing you more pictures of iced up half-dead plants I thought I'd show you Karma. She's a pretty anti-social little creature. Her idea of the perfect day is, and I'm not making this up, a temp close to 100 and bright sun. She spends the entire summer outside coming in only for food and the odd moment she feels the need to cool off. The last few days have been rough for Karma. I think she's moved out of this position only once and that was to eat.
Big B spent a second day home with us and we were happy to have him. I ventured out this morning to grab a few things from the grocery store and it was creepy. Very quiet. People were wandering the understocked aisles looking like they'd survived some sort of End Times scenario. "I may not have been taken in the Rapture but I won't face hell without my freakin' 2 percent!" Or....maybe that's just my take on how folks looked.
This has been mine all...week...long. We have a Halloween party tomorrow and I was consumed with making sure that Boogie wasn't the only kid in the room with no costume. I've ripped and seamed and ripped some more and this is what I ended up with. It's a little big on Boogie but I'd hoped it would be. She's a very tall child but very thin. This little costume could easily last a couple of years for her. Which is good. Unless she decides that portraying Little Red isn't her idea of fun anymore.
Not only have I had to contend with the completion of this costume but I'm also enrolled in an online class. So far I've learned that 1) I don't like online learning and 2) I'm glad I didn't pursue my doctoral degree, 3) homework sucks the big one and 4) compulsive behavior picked up in grad school regarding homework does not leave one once said graduate degree is completed. It's a community ed course on Grant Writing and it's really not too bad. Recently I've been struggling with what I'd like to do with myself. Writing grants for causes I believe in seems like rewarding work so I decided to take a class and see what's what. So far so good but homework really does suck.
These represent the final chapter in my obsessive behavior this evening. These are peanut butter chocolate chip cupcakes destined for the party tomorrow. They are without the fudgy goodness of frosting. Why? Why present such a festive little cupcake and not frost it? Because the frosting is currently downstairs cooling and, if it hardens the way I think it will, tomorrow will see a lot of little kids leaving their teeth in a Halloween treat. Hey, frosting just gets in the way of the chocolate chips to my way of thinking. Bet the other moms don't do homemade goodies. Or costumes. Or even get all obsessive about that sort of crap. Think I'll go do my little superiority dance now.
Live Ken returned from his European modeling debut just in time to grace my humble project. I was thrilled that he made time in his high-speed jetset sort of life to sit for my pic but I took advantage of the moment and snapped off a shot. The bag is made with scraps from the apron I whipped up earlier. I used a soutache ribbon for the little tie because it's thin and I was thinking about stringing some beads on it later. The bag doesn't sit as wonky as this picture might lead you to believe. It's just swooning from the close proximity to Live Ken.
I should take a moment here to say that "swooning" is not the reaction Ken had to Live Ken's return. Not only is Ken still pissed about the fact that he's just too damn short to model sewing, he was green with envy over Live Ken's European modeling coup. Just before the shoot I explained my reasons for choosing Live Ken to model the bag. Ken seemed placated and slouched away to drown his sorrows.
Anyway! This bag is the perfect size for a scarf or sock project. It's really roomy and....what the hell? KEN!!!
When Ga-Ga visits shoppage ensues and it isn't always cute clothes for Boogie. Sometimes it takes the form of me alone in a fabric store while Ga-Ga spoils the crap out of Boogie. Not a bad way to spend a morning.
Friday we ran out to Joann's. They were having a sale on Simplicity patterns and I wanted to pick up the stuff to start Boogie's Halloween costume. I don't know about y'all but I find myself disappointed in Simplicity these days. They don't seem to have the range of patterns that other pattern companies do. Did that stop me from buying a couple of $1.99 patterns? Hell no.
Here we have, from left to right, a scarf and hat pattern, techno gear pattern, (for my "one cold day in hell I'll own a laptop" dream) and a blouse pattern for me. Oops! Some knitting! I managed to finish a hat for my Christmas extravaganza. Very cool. I also picked up the fabric for the cloak and blouse portion of Boogie's costume. No black and white gingham was anywhere in the store. Wow. That meant another trip to another fabric store.
I rose to the challenge this morning and headed over to Hancock Fabrics. It gave me an hour alone with some coffee and fabric. Yummy! (Ga-Ga is a real peach!)
From left to right we have the much sought after gingham, some groovy fabric for a dress and a cute floral print for the blouse pattern I picked up Friday. Showing this sewing foo with no model is a bit depressing. Living Ken is going to have a lot of work on his plate when he returns from his grand European modeling tour. Let's hope he doesn't feel himself above my humble modeling requests.
Tonight Ken is in a tizzy. Seems there's a new Ken on the block ready to step in and take up the slack when the talents of a has-been fashion doll just won't do. In the case of my vintage style apron a fashion doll Ken wasn't good enough. Only the real deal for this hot little number.
This is a McCall's pattern, not vintage but a reproduction of a number of apron patterns. I think I'm going to add a little red rick rack to perk it up a bit, maybe on the tiny pocket. I have just enough of this fabric left to wack out a little bag 'cause you always need a bag to match your apron. Maybe I'll slap a little rick rack on the bag, too. Or the boots.
