KCWC - Baby Leggings

Look! I actually made something for Calder. I'm feeling pretty sheepish about my general fear of making pants. Not only did Beckett's wedding pants turn out great, and I'm almost done with the lounging trousers from my list, but now I've made legging pants for Calder too. So easy. It was my first time making leggings and my first time using ribbing. I love the color combo and my next project is to make many more of these, with the matching hats, and then to stencil some coordinating onesies. Unfortunately my model was pretty reluctant this morning. Here's hoping he gets into the spirit of Kid's Clothes Sewing Week.

Kids Clothes Week Challenge

Kids Clothes Week Challenge starts today. The challenge is to work on children's clothes for at least 1 hour every day from the 20th to the 26th. I'm so excited to play along. The timing is a little inopportune as I'm still not allowing myself to buy any fabric, but my stash is bountiful and should prove worthy. Plus making tiny things could help me burn through the scrap pile.

Don't expect anything fancy from me, you know how inept I am at following patterns. But we're a big pj household anyway. Beckett is seriously like Mr. Rogers with his pajama pants, as soon as he's in the door the jeans are off and the "jamm-os" are on. So jamm-os it is.

It's a busy week for us, particularly at the end, but I spent some time today sketching and cutting and I'm optimistic that I'll be able to put in the requisite 1 hour a day.

4 Down, 3 to Go - The Muslin Skirt

My first impression of this skirt was that it was quickly going from "Little House on the Prairie" to Juniper Creek chic. Not my intent. So I tweaked it, tossed the original bias tape idea, and made the stencil design a little more graphic. Now, I'm happy. I love the pockets, and I even like the folksy lace trim. Mostly, I love the stencils. Oh freezer paper, why are you so good to me?

Woodland Mobile with Tutorial

This makes me so happy. It was one of those projects that just manifests so organically. My husband started tossing out ideas for a mobile for Calder. He suggested using twigs or a branch (we're both big fans of branches as decor, a few years ago this apartment was lousy with 'em.) So, as we caught up on a few episodes of Being Human, I made a few owls from the clay leftover from these and these. Thus the plan was set in motion. A few more owls, one nature walk and handful of spare minutes later Calder was cooing up at his owl friends.It's not standard syrupy sweet baby mobile. I'd be stoked to have this in our house even if we didn't have kids. And Beckett is asking for one of his own now too. Wanna make one? I highly recommend it, it's so easy and satisfying. Here's how:

*Disclaimer - This is for decorative purposes only. Do not let your baby pull, chew, grab, throw, gum, suck or otherwise play with this mobile or any of its parts.*

Supplies
-a branch
-polymer clay in a few colors
-wire
-fishing line
-needle nose pliers

-First you'll need to sculpt your objects. Keep it simple, basic shapes look awesome against the intricacy of the branch. In fact, simple spheres would be stunning. Hmm... I may have to try that...-Cut lengths of wire about as long as your object is deep. You'll need one for each object. Make loops in one end of each piece of wire by wrapping it tightly around the tip of your needle nose pliers.

-Push the straight end of each piece of wire into one of your objects. Now each of your sculptures should have a little bit of hanging hardware.-Bake your objects according to the clay manufacturer's instructions.

-Next you'll make the hooks. I did this by curling wire around my chapstick tube, then making a loop in the end with my pliers.

-When the baking is done and the clay has cooled, tie each object to a hook using fishing line.

-Then hang your sculptures on your branch.I didn't take any progress pictures, as I hadn't intended to make a tutorial, but my tutorial photos are usually less than great anyway. If there's anything that needs clarification, please leave a comment and I'll gladly address it. Thanks and enjoy!

Calder's New Mobile

I love this so much. So does Jonesie. I'll post details later, maybe even a tutorial?

The Two Piece Tank Dress

3 down, 4 to go. This is my guillotine dress. It's a wrap panel skirt, attached to a much beloved (and bleach stained) tank.There's something that isn't quite working for me on this one. It's a little too cutesy, maybe? Too apron-y? Springy cotton dresses are fairly impractical for me these days, not to mention seasonally inappropriate. Most of all, no matter where I attached the skirt to the bodice it seemed to accentuate my every post-baby lump. Not cute. That's why I went for the wrap deal, to add a little cinch action. Better, but still not cute.It looks ok on Helen though, which gives me hope. I'll hang it in the closet and maybe by March we can be friends. If not, oh well. I still learned a lot. Like mitered corners - not as tricky as I had led myself to believe. And ultra soft, lightweight jersey is a giant pain in my arse. And I think I'm over the guillotine dress phenomenon. At least for now.

2 Down, 5 to Go

Amazing what one can do in a few hours. Today was Beckett's first full day of preschool, giving me 3 full hours with just the baby this morning, and giving me the chance to work on my list. This is the short sleeve wrap cardigan. It's made from navy blue interlock cotton, and has trim and side ties from this great bird print I scored on ebay a while ago. I have to get going on the other projects, not only because I'm itching to go fabric shopping, but also to remind myself that I like to make things other than these wrap cardigans. At least, I think I do... don't I?Apparently September is National Sewing Month, which in part motivates me to sew like crazy, and in part makes me want to burn my bra and take a sledgehammer to my sewing machine. What can I say? My latent feminist has a will of her own. Also, this awesome sewing blog, elsiemarley.com, has a kid's clothes week sewing challenge. I'm thinking about it. The boys could use some new duds. Anyway, I'm loving September and B's new school and I hope it proves to be a productive month.

Wanna See Something Cute?

Its been so long since we've had a mellow Saturday at home. I chucked my to do list and spent large portions of the day just staring my boys. I couldn't help myself.

Ok... One More Wedding Post

Of course, had the place been devoid of flowers or favors, it still would have been the party of the year. I wish I had pictures of all of my loved ones, friends and family that made it such an awesome event. I do have a few pics of the wedding party and the bride's family that I'd like to post. Seriously, could the bride be any more lovely?The lighting wasn't quite right for these outdoor pictures, taken directly after the ceremony, but they're priceless despite the high contrast and the fuzzy filter action.

Project Wedding: The Bouquets

This'll be my last project wedding post. Though I'm sure I'll post more of the loveliness as more pictures roll in. It really was such a beautiful event. My sister said it was absolutely, without a doubt the happiest day of her life. Yay!!! Anyway... the bouquets.I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed this project. By the end I had convinced myself that I'd found my new calling. A very close friend of my mom's, Linda, had her own floral design business for years, and she still had the wholesale flower market hook up for us. Plus she knew all the tricks of the trade like binding, ribbon wrapping and preservation. I learned so much. Now, I could geek out here and list off the names of each plant, but I'll spare you. Please ask if you're curious - you know I'd be more than happy to expound.I was so honored that my mom and her uber-talented friends let me play chief designer, and that I got to make my sister's bouquet. How special is that? It meant a lot to her too. All in all, we made the bridal bouquet, 10 bridesmaids bouquets, 5 junior bridesmaid bouquets (the ones with the pink zinnias), 2 mother's bouquets (the mostly green ones) and 12 boutonnieres. They all turned out so beautifully. I was so proud to carry mine around all night and it's now sitting on our nightstand. It's still gorgeous. I'm seriously considering a new career.