nest full of eggs

Rolled Wintery Weather Cowl

2012-02-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

{2011 Craft Books}

Here's a quick & easy cowl to knit up for a child, it's the rolled wintery weather cowl, the knitting pattern can be found in The Rhythm of Family by Amanda Blake Soule.

Cowl is the new scarf, it serves the same purpose as a scarf, but it's easier to wear & it's best feature? It stays on ! Since it doesn't fall off it's a lot less likely to get lost !

And how about us moms? Looking to knit yourself a cowl in the future? Check out this cowl inspiration.

A few of my favorite cowl knitting patterns are:
:: Big Herringbone Cowl
:: Col GC
:: Looped Loop

Happy Thursday, see you tomorrow !

2011 Craft Book Month

2012-02-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Hi there !

It's February again & I'm back for another craft book month where I'll be blogging about my favorite 2011 craft books & what projects I created from them... feel free to check out the previous years: 2010 craft books & 2009 craft books. So I hope to to have about 15-20 posts coming this month to share with you starting tomorrow...

I must share that one of my absolute favorite crafty type books from 2011 was Oliver+S little things to sew by Liesl Gibson. Yes, I know, I'm a broken record about this book (where I made the tutu, 2 art smocks, & the mittens), but it's really that good ! If you sew for children (up to size 10) you must get your hands on this one ! I sure hope she writes another book ! If you make anything from this book, be sure to share photos in the Oliver + S Patterns flickr group.
Also did you know there is a little things to sew-along? Check it out !

Happy Wednesday blogging friends, see you tomorrow.

School Photo Dress

2012-01-31T08:27:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I was given a sewing weekend ~ I sewed & sewed & sewed in my studio and I was in the zone... I finished this School Photo Dress AND started & completed 3 sewing projects (which I will blog about real soon). So after finishing 4 sewing projects I have a huge sense of accomplishment !!!

I am so embarrassed to say that this has been on my list of things to sew for way too long. I purchased the pattern well over a year ago & I was planning on sewing it last October during Kid's Clothes Week. Anyway, now it's finally done. The difficulty level on this sewing pattern is 3 out of 4 scissors, I believe that's the highest I've gone with Oliver+S patterns... I installed my first invisible zipper ! What really drew me to this design was the kangaroo pocket. It's hard to see but the fabric is a check pattern brown with pale pink. I would like to sew another one with completely different fabric as I'm such a fan of this design !

Thank you for dropping by and checking in on my humble little space.

PS OK this is the part where I share how much it cost to make, but unfortunately I don't have all the details since I bought the invisible zipper & lining fabric so long ago, I don't remember. But the fabric was free because it was a gift I received & the sewing pattern was $15.95 (btw, any Oliver+S patterns are totally worth the investment, so never hesitate to buy one!!!)

Sleigh Ride Outerwear Tutorial

2012-01-30T10:22:00.000-08:00

Today I bring you the Sleigh Ride Outerwear Tutorial !

How this all started was I wanted to make a white winter coat with some kind of soft texture & fluff, you know, like snow. I also wanted it to be very wearable, something that could be worn outside, or course. When I took the photos of my daughter wearing it we were at an outdoor shopping area (while we were there, people were walking around & I heard someone 'oh, look at that little girl' so I hope that's a good sign). I was also thinking something chic, something that could even be worn in Paris, walking down the Champs Elysees?

Besides sewing I also knit, so you will sometimes find me in the yarn section at Michael's ~ that's where I discovered doodle yarn... have you touched this stuff yet ?? It is SUPER DUPER SOFT & very chunky for yarn. I tried using the doodle yarn as the trim for this ensemble & it worked ! So here's how I put this look together...

I had 1.3 yards of ivory fleece (which was more than enough for a size 4 jacket with mittens & ear warmer), 1 ball of cream doodle yarn, & 4 ivory buttons.

I zigzag stitched the doodle yarn onto the fleece with the widest & longest stitch possible. Even though it's zigzag stitched down, the doodle yarn still remains really fluffy.
Something you must know about doodle yarn is that it frays very easily so the key here is to tuck under all the ends! First attach the doodle yarn to the fleece before sewing up the final seams.

:: take your favorite jacket pattern, I used the Abby Jacket (size 4), extended it to the knee by adding about 5.5 inches
:: I only used the ivory fleece for all the fabric pieces on the jacket (no contrasting fabrics used)
:: I added on seam side pockets by following this tutorial
:: I attached 2 rows of doodle yarn to the back of the collar as well as to each of the 2 cuffs, & 6 rows to the bottom of the jacket (I went up as far I could until I hit the pockets, but I think it would look cool if it had even more rows)
:: the button hole maker function on my sewing machine is no longer working so I followed this video: Making a Button Hole Using a Zigzag Stitch

:: mitten pattern is from the Oliver+S little things to sew book
:: I attached one row of doodle yarn to each mitten above the elastic casing
:: I added a .5 inch to the length so I could fold under a .5 inch & create a seam similar to the Abby Jacket (the mitten pattern calls for zigzagging the raw edge)

:: for the matching ear warmer cut out 2 pieces 4.5" X 21"

:: cut 2 pieces of doodle yarn 23"

:: zigzag stitch (using the widest & longest zigzag stitch possible) doodle yarn onto fleece

:: put the 2 fleece pieces right sides together

:: sew along long edges 1/2" seam

:: turn right side out

:: at the opening with doodle yarn sides together sew 1/2" seam

:: tuck in in doodle yarn

:: pin together remaining seam

:: sew by hand the remaining seam

Voila !

PS Just to give you an idea if you plan on making this ensemble yourself, total cost for making it was: $16.95
1.3 yards ivory fleece $6.66 (it was a 50% off remnant)
cream doodle yarn $6.99 (on sale)
4 ivory buttons $3.30 (w/40% off coupon)
elastic for the mittens was minimal
(I had the white bias tape (for the mittens) in my stash & I reused the Abby Jacket pattern that I purchased in the fall which was $4.95 & I can reuse it again)
I do have some leftover ivory fleece & some doodle yarn, too :)
Good news for you if you don't already own the Abby Jacket pattern, it's currently on sale for $3.95 !!

Gluten-Free Chocolate & Hazelnut Torte

2012-01-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

We baked & ate this gluten-free chocolate hazelnut torte (made without the frosting) this weekend ~ it's from the Sweet and Savory Swedish Baking book. Be warned the ingredients were on the pricey side & it's old school (meaning it was a ton of work!), but worth it because it was for a special occasion ;)

Happy start of the week to you !

Sleigh Ride Outerwear

2012-01-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

UPDATED TO ADD: the Sleigh Ride Outerwear Tutorial is here !
*****
{Project Run & Play Season 3 Sew Along}

This week's challenge is Outerwear. It's currently winter here in Minnesota, so I was inspired by: winter, white, fluffiness, & softness. This winter outerwear creation includes a coat with matching mittens & a matching ear warmer. For the coat I used the Abby Jacket pattern (which I've used before, but this time I made a few changes which I'll explain in the future tutorial post), for the mittens I used the mitten pattern from the Oliver+S little things to sew book, & for the ear warmer I didn't use any pattern, I just made it up... tutorial on how I made it coming soon.

Can you guess what embellishment I used to create the texture for these pieces?

Be sure to check out the Project Run & Play flickr group to view all the Outerwear creations.

The fifth week's challenge: Special Occasion/Party Wear

PS I found it interesting that Kate from see kate sew & I both made a coat out of white fleece during Season 3 !
I just wanted to share that my sleigh ride coat creation that I started the last few days of December was all done before she posted her winning look :)

Octopus Hoodie Tutorial

2012-01-18T08:50:00.000-08:00

As promised here is the tutorial on how I made this Octopus Hoodie.

My 2nd son's favorite animal is the octopus, his favorite color is yellow, & his favorite piece of clothing is a yellow hoodie, so that's where I started. I took a photo of him wearing a hoodie, printed a couple of copies of that photo using a black & white printer, then took a pen & yellow & blue crayons and came up with these sketches... the hood is the head of the octopus, there are 8 legs coming down, one on each sleeve, 3 in the front & 3 in the back... the 3 in the front & the 3 in the back form letters with octopus leg font that spell out his name ! I picked blue for the undershirt for the water since an octopus lives in the ocean.

I grabbed 3 shirts: 2 yellow long sleeved t-shirts (one from the closet & one bought at Target for $6.99) & 1 blue long sleeved polo shirt (bought at a children's consignment shop for $8.50)

I got a piece of paper big enough to cover the shirt

by hand drew the design & cut it out to make my pattern

I tucked the blue polo shirt inside one of the yellow t-shirts & pinned them together

slid a large book inside to make a flat surface for writing

pinned the pattern to the front of the shirt

traced the pattern with a disappearing pen

checked to make sure it looked OK

I started sewing in the upper left hand corner & sewed one continuous line, following the line I drew

checked that it looked OK

I cut off the excess fabric by cutting close to the sewn line

Then I repeated the same steps for the back of the shirt

For the sleeves I continued the line from the front of the shirt

used this pattern for the octopus legs for the sleeves

sewed down the sleeve as far as I could with the sewing machine, then sewed the end of the octopus leg by hand

I took a hood that fits my son well & placed it on the 2nd yellow t-shirt as shown

traced it leaving 1/2 inch for seam allowances

cut it out

turned right sides together & sewed it

pressed the seam open

I removed the buttons, tags, & collar from the blue polo shirt

attached the hood to the shirt

sewed the hood onto the shirt

All done !

Total cost for making this? $15.49

Happy sewing !

Another Art Smock

2012-01-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

:: I've been catching up on some sewing projects ~ things that have been sitting in my inbox for far too long...

:: here's another art smock from the Oliver + S book

:: in the fall I sew one for school, this one is for home

:: the fabrics are turquoise & white damask from JoAnn's and green/blue Russian nesting doll fabric from Denmark... that Russian nesting doll fabric has been a lot of fun ~ other projects from it have been a purple skirt, a red/pink skirt, & a red/pink tablecloth for my sewing table

:: have a sweet day !

Sewing 2011 Reflections & Predictions

2012-01-13T05:39:00.000-08:00

Sew, Mama, Sew! is asking bloggers to answer these questions about sewing... 2011 reflections & 2012 predictions... here are mine, keeping in mind that I'm more a sewist (of children's garments) than a quilter... here we go...

1) What did you make that you’re most proud of?

1) 4 Princess Rapunzel dresses (above photo), Girls Charm Pack Skirt from the Stitch by Stitch book (that's where I tried a new to me gathering method ~ zigzag stitching over cording & it is now my preferred gathering method),

I followed my first sewing pattern in the French language with Suzanne from Citronille,

Abby Jacket,

for our living room couch the patchwork pillow from the Sewing Bits & Pieces book,

& just for fun a Tomte Stuffy from the Scandinavian Stitches book.

2) Looking back at the 2011 sewing scene, what trends stand out in your mind?

2) Ruffles, ombre, chevron, grey & yellow color combo, mustaches, exposed zippers, more sewing for charity when natural disasters happen (quilts for Japan, etc).

3) What were some of your favorite things related to sewing this past year?

3) Project Run & Play (season 1 & season 2), Elsie Marley Kids Clothes weeks (there's one in the spring & one in the fall).

4) What sewn projects have you seen this year that you absolutely love?

4) Skirt as Top, she sewed some lovely little girl ballet skirts... check out her 2011 sewing recap blog post.

5) Are there any trends you’re over and done with?

5) Chevron, owls, mustaches, screen printing or freezer paper stencils on t-shirts?

6) What are your thoughts about social media? How is it going for you? What do you love or hate?

6) I really enjoy the online sewing community learning & inspiration through tutorials & sew alongs. I blog, I'm on flickr, tumblr (which is where I have visual bookmarks of ideas from the web), & ravelry... I'm not on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, although I do browse Pinterest from time to time.

7) Do you have a favorite sewing book or pattern from the past year to recommend?

7) Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book by Liesl Gibson.

So far, I've sewn the tutu & 2 art smocks.

8) Did you have a favorite fabric collection or print in 2011?

8) JoAnn DS quilt collection: Sugar Creek Whimsy Bouquet Meadow & Picnic Dots Red/Pink. I sewed 2 projects using these fabrics: an art smock

& a purse.

9) What do you predict for 2012 in the sewing industry?

9) I really don't have a clue, but I'm hoping for more DIY, more repurposing (taking old clothing, vintage sheets, etc & turning it into something new).

10) Can you tell us what to expect from you in 2012? Any big projects or life-changing goals?

10) More sewing:
:: for charity.
:: with denim.
:: on paper.
:: from patterns in French.
:: with fabric from my stash & buying less brand new fabric.
:: with repurposing ~ I so enjoy the challenge of taking a used piece of clothing & turning it into something new.
:: for my daughter, she for sure wants a pink princess dress, if she had it her way it would be 'all pink, all the time', but hopefully I can squeeze a few other colors in there. I'm currently taking part in the Project Run & Play sew along & I plan to take part in Elsie Marley's Kids Clothes week again this year.
I would like to dig out my serger & learn how to thread it & use it.
Also, I will continue to submit my creations to sewing books & sewing magazines & we'll see what happens...

Octopus Hoodie

2012-01-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

UPDATED TO ADD: the Octopus Hoodie Tutorial is here
*****
{Project Run & Play Season 3 Sew Along}

This week's challenge is Boys' Week. I've mentioned in the past that my 2nd son's favorite animal is the octopus... so there have been various octopus related projects for him... there was the:
:: knitted stuffed octopus
:: knitted octopus mittens
:: octopus themed 8th birthday party

So the octopus was my inspiration for the boy challenge this week. I came up with an octopus hooded pullover long sleeved shirt.

I repurposed 3 boy shirts for this project: a long sleeved blue polo shirt & 2 long sleeved yellow t-shirts.

The hood is the head of the octopus & there are 8 octopus legs coming down, one on each sleeve, 3 in the front & 3 in the back. The 3 octopus legs in the front & the 3 octopus legs in the back form letters with octopus leg font that spell out his name !

My son's favorite color being yellow, I chose the octopus to be yellow & the undershirt to be blue for the water since they live in the ocean.

Tutorial on how I made this coming soon :)

Go to the Project Run & Play flickr group to view all the Boys' Week creations.

His octopus collection... there are 8 ;)

The third week's challenge: Sewing Through the Decades

Jingle Bell Dress Tutorial

2012-01-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

As promised here is the tutorial on how I sewed this Jingle Bell Dress.

I dug this 2 piece bridesmaid dress from Watters and Watters out of my closet. I didn't use the top, just the full a-line skirt which is made of Dupioni silk, it's size small & fully lined.

To make the Jingle Bell Dress, follow this free pattern & tutorial, the dress features a trapezoid center bodice shape with double breasted button closure.

I cut out the dress pieces according to these diagrams I drew.

The dress pattern is in size 2/3 & I needed size 4/5, so I drafted my own pattern. I did drop the waist down a bit so there was room to add a cumber bund, so do add a couple of inches to the bottom of the bodice.

After sewing the bodice together...

I placed the trapezoid shaped bodice piece on top.

By hand I sewed on 15 tiny silver jingle bells down each of the 2 sides of the trapezoid piece.

I made the Jingle Bell Dress sleeveless & covered the raw edges by sewing on bias tape. I cut 1 inch strips from the leftover fabric...

then used a 1/2 inch bias tape maker & an iron to make the bias tape. Then I sewed the bias tape around the raw edges of the arm holes.

When attaching the skirt to the bodice I put 3 inverted pleats in the front & made it gathered in the back. The gathering method I used was zigzag over cording, but you can use your preferred gathering method.

The same technique was used to make both the head band & cumber bund which is...

Sew right sides together (I used 1/4 inch seam allowance). Turn right side out, I used a smoothie straw & a chopstick as my turning tools.

Press with iron.

Sew on the sequin trim.

The finished head band:
20 inches long & 1.25 inches of .75 inch elastic were used.

The finished cumber bund:
24 inches long & 1.5 inches wide, 1.5 inches of velcro were used.

So how much did this cost to make?
$3.99 !!!
It was $3.99 for 1 1/3 yards of silver sequin trim (there are a few inches leftover), long silver skirt was from my closet (skirt & top (a gift) were bought on consignment for $14 (that's what the price tag read), only the skirt was used for this project, so I still have the top for a future project), 30 tiny silver jingle bells were from my stash as well as the elastic for the head band. Oh, I guess I forgot to add the cost of the 1.5 inches of velcro whatever that small amount would be...

So although this dress might look expensive, it actually didn't cost that much to produce, yeah ! Gotta love that :)

Also one last note, about the hair, to achieve this look we did sock bun curls.

PS Many thanks to the Project Run & Play sew along judges who picked my Jingle Bell Dress as the winner for week 1 :)

Dorothy Junior

2012-01-10T04:47:00.000-08:00

{The Wizard of Oz}

I'd been wanting to sew my daughter a Dorothy costume for awhile. Having her big brother perform in the Wizard of Oz musical was the final push that forced a deadline.... I finished sewing the dress an hour & a half before we were off to see The Wizard of Oz musical. While we were there my daughter got lots of attention... people weren't expecting a little Dorothy to come see the show. Now she has a fun costume, so she can play Dorothy whenever she wants.

I used the Simplicity 4139 pattern. If you're interested in sewing a simple Dorothy costume, try this one. I also think the All-Ages Classic Jumper (which goes up to size 5T) from One Yard Wonders book could be easily made into a Dorothy-like costume.

And here's Dorothy dressed up as the lion !

I will share that this dress wasn't the most money saving project with $16 for the materials + $6 for the pattern = $22 total... although there's some fabric scraps left, a lot of blue rick rack left, & I can reuse the sewing pattern again. The zipper was from my stash. I found it kind of ironic that it cost that much for such a simple looking dress.

3 Lullaby League Skirts

2012-01-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

{The Wizard of Oz}

Next up for the Wizard of Oz costumes were 3 lullaby league skirts... the choreographer wanted 3 flower skirts meaning circle skirts with a scalloped hem, this was for 3 different sized teenage girls which was a new experience for me since I usually only sew for my 4 year old daughter. The choreographer wanted red, orange & blue (primary color) skirts and all the materials had to be as inexpensive as possible due to the tight budget since there were 100s of costumes just for this one production.

The 3 lullaby league girls wore bright green leggings (so their legs were the stem of the flower) & bright yellow t-shirt (pollen of the flower). I decided to dye the wide elastic yellow (following this how to), giving the option of tucking in the yellow t-shirt which turned out to be a good idea because they did end up tucking in the shirt.

For the circle skirt I followed this tutorial, but here are some other things I found helpful.

This isn't an exhaustive tutorial, there are many great scalloped hem tutorials out there, I used this one. So I won't go into too much detail & let the photos show how I did it, but I'll just mention a couple things. The most time consuming part was the scalloped hem, especially all the clipping around the curves before turning them right side out. One thing I did was add a little piece of Peel 'n Stick (I love that stuff, it's my new best friend) to every other scallop to secure it & looking back I wish I would have added one to every scallop. Every other scallop drooped down, I'm sure no one else noticed, but I did.

It was fun to sit in the audience & watch 'my' flower skirts performing on stage, even if they were only on stage for for the Munchkinland part of The Wizard of Oz musical :)

See you tomorrow for one last Wizard of Oz costume...

Mayor of Munchkinland

2012-01-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

{The Wizard of Oz}

Or maybe the title of this blog post should be 'how not to change the color of a brown top hat'... last month my oldest son performed in The Wizard of Oz musical. He was the mayor of Munchkinland as well as a couple of other characters. I had the opportunity to help out with costumes (sew & go shopping) which was a fun experience for me...

So he was in need of a large blue bow tie (what he's wearing in the above photo ~ I followed this tutorial) and a blue top hat... did you know that the Munchkin's favorite color is blue? I didn't.

I bought this brown top hat & some blue fabric spray paint, thinking it would be a really quick & easy project to change the color of the hat from brown to blue, BUT the hat is a dark color (brown) & made of polyester & you're suppose to use the fabric spray paint on light colored cotton. With the results not being good, I had to come up with Plan B which was to cover it in the same blue fabric as the bow tie. I cut out some simple shapes & started sewing the fabric together while it was still on the hat ! It's like a slipcover for a hat, but not removable.
(sorry for the bad quality photos ~ I was working on this at night & had to use flash)

In the end it worked out, a nice bright blue hat that showed up well on stage, I think the Munchkins were happy with their mayor :)

See you tomorrow for more Wizard of Oz costumes...

Junebug Dress Pattern Remix

2012-01-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

UPDATED TO ADD: Jingle Bell Dress Tutorial is here
*****
Project Run & Play Season 3 is going on right now & this season there is a sew along!
The first week's challenge is the "I wish it was June, Bug" Dress or the Junebug Dress pattern remix... use this free pattern & make it your own...
Since it's January maybe I should rename this dress the "I wish it was January, Bug" Dress?
Anyway, the dress pattern was in size 2/3 & I needed size 4/5, so this was my first time drafting a pattern (I enjoyed the challenge & the experience).

Features (or how I made it my own):
:: repurposed a long (42 inch) silver dupioni silk skirt (label read 100% acetate, but I think that's just the lining) for the fabric
:: fully lined
:: kept the original invisible zipper from the back of the skirt for the back of the bodice, so I didn't need the button closures in the front
:: sewed on by hand 30 tiny silver jingle bells along the left & right edges of the front bodice flap detail
:: inverted pleats in the front, gathered in the back
:: dropped the waist down a bit
:: added a silver sequin removable cumber bund and made a matching silver sequin headband
:: sleeveless bodice (where I made my own bias tape from the leftover fabric)

Oh, to have that skinny waist !

Tutorial on how to make this dress (with cumber bund & headband) coming soon :)

Check out all the Junebug Dress sew along contest entries in the Project Run&Play flickr group.

The second week's challenge: Boys' Week

4 seasons sign

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

{4 seasons photography challenge}

This series was my favorite of the 3 (if you missed the other ones, they were rock/lake & birch trees)... as you can see in the progression of the photos, something happened to the front of the sign later in the year... hmmmm....

PS I will be participating in the at home sew along contest for Project Run & Play Season 3, will you be, too ?

4 season birch trees

2012-01-03T05:01:00.000-08:00

{4 seasons photography challenge}

These are the birch trees, budding in spring,
nestlings of robins and promise they bring.

From "This is the Feast" by Diane Z. Shore

For all my friends who love birch trees, this one's for you :)

See you tomorrow for the last 4 seasons photography challenge.

4 seasons rock/lake

2012-01-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

{4 seasons photography challenge}

I read about this challenge in a photography book ~ take a landscape photo at least once per season in the same spot... this location was tricky as once spring arrived the lake level started to rise & I wasn't able to continue to take photos at the same spot/angle (unless I wanted to get my feet wet!)... I like the rabbit paw prints in the snow shot.

See you tomorrow for another 4 seasons photography challenge.

PS Many thanks to Craft for featuring me.

Dala Horse Felt Crown

2011-12-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

{Scandinavian Christmas}

I've had this Dala horse felt crown idea in my head for over a year, so it was nice to finally make one. It was the perfect thing for my blond hair, blue eyed Swedish looking son.

Kathryn from The Pickled Herring kindly asked me to be a guest blogger during her Scandinavian Christmas 2011 series. Today you can head on over to read my guest blog post about how to make this Dala Horse felt crown & be sure to check out all of the Scandinavian Christmas 2011 posts.

PS Check out these great blog posts about ideas/inspiration/patterns on how to make a dress-up crown:
C is for crown (with a template)
Felt Birthday Crown (with a template)
Dress-Up Crown Tutorial (some made with gorgeous vintage fabric & lace)
How to make a royal felt crown
Wool Felt Birthday Crown Tutorial
Dress-up Crown (reversible, made with cotton fabrics, not felt)
Birthday crown (with velcro)
Far, Far Away week-felt crown tutorial
wool felt birthday crowns

Nordic Christmas Decorations

2011-12-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

{Scandinavian Christmas}

During Advent I go on a date with each one of my 3 kids... my 2nd son enjoys decorating gingerbread houses, so he & I went to a castle to do just that.

The castle was all decorated for a Nordic Christmas...

They have a nice little children's play area including a bookshelf which includes many Swedish & Scandinavian children's books.

PS Here's a round-up of all my previous Scandinavian posts:

Scandinavian Goodies
St Lucia knitted crown
St Lucia crown/wreath centerpiece
St Lucia program
St Lucia smorgasbord
Scandinavian books
Nordic Crosses Gift Wrap
Tomte Stuffy
St Lucia Choir Concert
Scandinavian Christmas Fair

Scandinavian Christmas Fair

2011-12-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

{Scandinavian Christmas}

Last month I discovered for the first time this Scandinavian Christmas fair, here are some photos I took... Enjoy !

(I bought the wooden St Lucia ornament in the above photo)

I bought this St Lucia paper doll chain (also bought an ABC Sweden card, an Advent calendar card, & Dala horse cookie cutters)

PS here's a round-up of all my previous Scandinavian posts:

Scandinavian Goodies
St Lucia knitted crown
St Lucia crown/wreath centerpiece
St Lucia program
St Lucia smorgasbord
Scandinavian books
Nordic Crosses Gift Wrap
Tomte Stuffy
St Lucia Choir Concert

St Lucia Choir Concert

2011-12-13T06:40:00.000-08:00

{Scandinavian Christmas}

This past weekend my daughter & I attended a St Lucia procession & choir concert (there were over 100 in the choir!) ~ it was lovely & a new experience for the both of us.

Happy St Lucia day !!!

PS In December 2010 I blogged a week about St Lucia, if you're interested you can find the posts here:
St Lucia knitted crown
St Lucia crown/wreath centerpiece
St Lucia program
St Lucia smorgasbord
Scandinavian books

Also be sure to check out starting today:
Scandinavian Christmas 2011 @ The Pickled Herring

Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Handmade Kid Item

2011-12-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

ETA: I wish I had 151 dresses to give away, but I only have 1 & the winner is Dianne ! Thanks for entering everyone !
*****
It's December Giveaway day !

A big thank you to Sew, Mama, Sew! for hosting such a fabulous giveaway event !

The prize:
A princess Rapunzel dress sewn by me, this dress would fit a 4-6 year old girl.
I sewed 3 of these dresses for my daughter's princess Rapunzel birthday party.
I had enough supplies to sew a 4th one, so now you have a chance to win a never worn one (the first photo here will be the actual dress you will win).
The photos shown here are of my daughter modeling her dress.
If you're interested in sewing a dress like this, check out my notes here.

Enter to win:
:: please leave an answer to the following question: if you win this princess Rapunzel dress, who will wear it/who will you give it to?
:: one entry per person
:: open until Friday, December 16 at 5 p.m. PST
:: I will choose a winner and email the winner by December 18, then I will note the winner in this post
:: I will ship internationally
:: the princess Rapunzel dress will be shipped by December 24

Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Sewing Supplies

2011-12-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

ETA: Libby is the winner, she shared this link of a makeover of a console TV to a pretty blue shelf ! Thanks to everyone who entered !
*****
It's December Giveaway day !

A big thank you to Sew, Mama, Sew! for hosting such a fabulous giveaway event !

The prize:
One copy of the "Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves" book (my project page signed by moi) & 3 vintage Vera scarves (use the 3 scarves to create one or more of the 30 sewing projects from the book)

Enter to win:
:: please leave an answer to the following question: what is your favorite repurposed project? it doesn't have to be sewing... a repurposed project you've made or one you've seen elsewhere ~ please leave a link to the project, thanks !
:: one entry per person
:: I will choose a winner by picking my favorite repurposed project from all those that are shared
:: open until Friday, December 16 at 5 p.m. PST
:: I will email the winner by December 18, and note the winner in this post
:: I will ship internationally
:: book & scarves will be shipped by December 24

Tour of my studio

2011-12-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my studio ! Here's a quick photo tour of the space where I've been creating in since April 2009. We purchased a 1954 rambler ~ a fixer-upper.... this room is a 10 foot by 10 foot room which is a den, a walk-through room (meaning it has 2 doors) & this closet started out looking like this.

Here is a before photo (read all the details here)

A sliding drawer under the desk stores makes great laptop storage.

Sewing table area.

Tucked into the left side of the closet is IKEA shoe storage which contains my yarn stash & knitting needle rolls.

Hanging on a wall, a white shelf filled with Bonne Maman jars storing lots of vintage goodies.

Above that white shelf.

In the opposite corner of my craft/sewing space is the baby grand piano & above that there is another white shelf... sometimes looks like this...

...or can sometimes look like this...

...in that same corner above the baby grand piano is my mother's 1957 lace wedding gown.

Hanging up in one corner is this chandelier I painted pink (read all about it here)

Behind my desk is my daughter's corner, before:

and after, giving her materials to work with while I work (read all about it here)

Some of the Liberty of London storage bins (from Target spring 2010) in the closet store some 80+ vintage sewing patterns.

A gift from a dear friend.

Extra info in case anyone is interested:

I have a few 13 inch white folding mesh cubes that store my fabric stash that fit perfectly into the IKEA shelf, they were bought at The Container Store.

The paint we used was: Sherwin Williams SW6766 Mariner (a Tiffany Blue color)

See you tomorrow for a Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway.

BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook

2011-12-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to BurdaStyle for publishing 2 of my photos in their BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook which came out in November 2011.

The 2 photos (you'll find on pages 11 & 196) I took in my studio & are of jars filled with sewing notions, vintage knitting needles, etc ~ I blogged about them here.

Fun, fun, fun !

Thanks so much for joining me at nest full of eggs this week !

PS I hope to very soon give you a photo tour of my studio.

Gluten-Free Apple Pie

2011-12-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

{Gluten-Free Holidays}

this is super simple...

Gluten-Free Apple Pie

:: pre-bake gluten-free pie crust according to instructions (cover edges of pie so that they don't get too baked)
:: cover bottom of pie crust with applesauce (preferably homemade) 1/4 inch
:: peel, core, slice thinly 3 medium apples (not Granny Smith)
:: lay slices on top of apple sauce (as shown in pie photo)
:: brush apple slices with butter & sprinkle with sanding sugar
:: bake at 375 degrees F
:: 30-45 minutes until golden brown

Bon appétit !

Happy Gluten-Free Holidays !!

Pistachio Cranberry Bundt Cake

2011-12-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

{Gluten-Free Holidays}

Pistachio Cranberry Bundt Cake
From the gluten-free kitchen of Rachel Le Grand

Here is a recipe for a gluten-free pound cake I came up with ~ it is yummy ! Enjoy !

What you need:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
1 package (15 oz) GF cake mix, yellow
1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped

What you do:
:: preheat oven to 350 degrees F
:: lightly mist a bundt pan with vegetable oil spray
:: scatter chopped pistachios evenly in the bottom of the bundt pan
:: place the cake mix, pudding mix, coconut milk, vegetable oil, eggs, & vanilla in a mixing bowl
:: beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds
:: scrape down the side of the bowl
:: beat on medium speed for 2 minutes
:: fold in dried cranberries
:: pour the batter over the pistachios in the prepared bundt pan
:: bake for 40-45 minutes

When I was growing up my mom always made me a loaf of cranberry bread for Christmas (my sister & brother got banana & zucchini). Last year I experimented with mixing dried cranberries & pistachios together in bark & gluten-free icebox cookies ~ they were a big hit ! So that is where I got the inspiration for this pound cake. I hope you enjoy it, I think that the red from the cranberries & the green from the pistachios make it a festive holiday dessert.

Bon appétit !

Happy Gluten-Free Holidays !!!

Rabbit with Prunes

2011-12-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

{Gluten-Free Holidays}

When I was living in France (1999-2001) a French friend showed me how to cook this (I still have my hand written notes).

Here we served it with brown rice couscous making it a fancy gluten-free dinner.

Rabbit with Prunes
(serves 5-6 people)

What you need:
1 rabbit without head or blood
200 g lardons (or cut up bacon)
2 onions (or 1 onion if you don't like onions)
butter
500 g prunes
1 chicken bouillon cube (or 1 cup chicken broth)
2 carrots cut
1/3 bottle average red wine
30 g olive oil
pepper, salt, thyme, bay leaves

What you do:
In a Le Creuset pot (Dutch oven) or large stock pot on low heat on stove
:: melt butter in pot
:: cut onions into pieces (cubes)
:: put lardons & onions in pot until they change to a golden brown color (20-30 minutes)
:: cut 2 carrots
:: remove lardons & onions from pot
:: cut rabbit into about 6-8 pieces & put in pot, grill each side
:: put rabbit, lardons, onions, chicken broth, red wine, carrots, pepper, salt, olive oil, thyme, bay leaves in pot, cover with a little opening with a wooden spoon handle for 45-60 minutes low burner
:: add prunes for 15 minutes
:: at the very end add some corn starch so the watery juices become a gravy

notes:
:: you can add mushrooms, if you'd like
:: can serve with: beans (like green lima beans), pasta (flat noodles), or peas & carrots cooked with the juices from the rabbit

Bon appétit !

Happy Gluten-Free Holidays !!!

Octopus party featured

2011-12-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Faith & Family magazine for featuring my 2nd son's 8th octopus birthday party. You'll find it on page 18 of their Winter 2011 issue which is their last issue. They will be joining Catholic Digest beginning with the March 2012 issue.

Thanks so much for stopping by this week @ nest full of eggs :o)

Tapenade Canapés

2011-11-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

{Gluten-Free Holidays}

Tapenade Canapés
From the gluten-free kitchen of Rachel Le Grand

Here is a recipe for a gluten-free appetizer I came up with ~ it is delicious ! Enjoy !

What you need:
1 1/3 cups Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Bisquick mix
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
Tapenade (or black olive paste)
Prosciutto
Goat cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Fresh basil

What you do:
Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Stir mix, seasonings, water, oil & eggs 'til combined, spread in pan.
Bake 15 minutes.

Crust will appear cracked.

Cut crust into 2 inch by 2 inch squares.
Top each square with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp tapenade.

Cut prosciutto into 2 inch by 2 inch squares.

Add one prosciutto on top of each square.

Add a few crumbs of goat cheese on top of each square.
Return to oven for 8 minutes.

Sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes on top.

Sprinkle cup up fresh basil on top.

Return to oven for 3 minutes.

The red of the sun-dried tomatoes & the green from the fresh basil make a festive holiday appetizer & those colors really pop against the white goat cheese.

Bon appétit !

Happy Gluten-Free Holidays !!!

Blessing Bags

2011-11-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

Have you seen these yet? They are called Blessing Bags, you can learn more about them here.

Basically you fill up a gallon Ziploc bag with non-perishable food items & travel size personal hygiene items, keep it in your car & hand it out to a homeless person standing on a corner, a small thing that could mean the world to a homeless person. I put this one together for just over $10. Putting some of these together would make a great family, community, or church project.

Happy Thanksgiving !

Holiday 11 Ideas House

2011-11-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

{this is not my house}

Are you ready for another tour of the Bachman's Ideas House? If you'd like, you can visit some from the past: spring 10, summer 10, holiday 10, spring 11, & summer 11.

This house was built in the early 1920's & for the Holidays 11 it was decorated with an Elegance of Winter theme, with creamy whites, cool blues, celadon, soft greens and shimmering metallic accents mixed in with botanical elements and natural textures ~ it's definitely not your traditional red and green Christmas ! Many of the one-of-a-kind items are for sale (it is highly recommended that you visit the first day if you'd like to purchase any of the one-of-a-kind items, as once they're sold, they're sold)... enjoy the tour...

Front porch

In the sunroom, birdcages filled with a miniature garden & clip-on bird ornaments

Ball ornaments & wreath made into a larger wreath

Living room

Vintage child-size metal bed frame, bedspring, glass, & doilies used as a coffee table

Dining room

Oversized silver wreath made from vintage silver trays & chargers

In the kitchen, wallpaper made from placemats, vintage metal lawyer's cabinet turned into storage shelves

Top shelve decorated with vintage milk glass vases & ornaments

Towel & soap holder made from a vintage basket

Step risers spell out "Twas the night before Christmas..." using stencils, laminated paper & ribbon

Bohemian Woodland theme in the girls bedroom

Bed canopy made from a garden trellis with wood shelves added

Christmas tree in a vintage child's sleigh

Jump rope & clothes pins used to hang magazine clippings

Decorative wall tree made from wood scraps, wood picnic table repurposed as a desk

Ceiling light fixture created from a vintage garden basket & tassel key chains

Craft room

Salvaged ladders turned into shelves, wall covered in fabric & buttons

Wire baskets become ribbon holders

Locker doors turned into storage & magnet boards

Bandanas used as curtain valence

Christmas tree made from paper towels & fabric using chicken wire as a frame

Planes, Trains & Automobiles theme in the boys bedroom

In the master bedroom, curtain rods decorated with Christmas ornaments

Vintage dress form used to display jewelry, Christmas tree decorated with salvaged spindles, scarves, necklaces, picture frames & photos

In the bathroom, wall-mounted vintage basket with ribbon used as towel storage

Vintage & salvaged letters in picture frames used to spell out Joy, Noel & Peace

I hope you get a chance to visit this Holiday Ideas House, it's open until Dec 18th, 2011

PS Spring 12 Ideas House will be Thursday, March 22 - Sunday, April 15, 2012

Cake Mix Dr Bakes GF

2011-11-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

{this is my gluten-free life}

I was so excited to bake these semi-homemade baked goodies, with 3 young active children I need shortcuts...

have you seen this book yet? it's The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free (by Anne Byrn)
where you will find 77 recipes for gluten-free: layer cakes, bundts, sheet cakes, bars, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, & muffins
(most of the recipes call for a yellow gluten-free cake mix, some others call for a chocolate gluten-free cake mix or a gluten-free brownie mix)

although made-from-scratch GF baked items can be very delicious, they have expensive ingredients, more ingredients, & therefore take more time to make

I know what you're thinking... mixes are not healthy, but your mind will be put at ease because GF mixes are ALL NATURAL, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives (that's a huge difference from regular mixes)

when I'm baking GF I don't only have myself to think about, but my oldest son, as well, so GF baking needs to be at times teen-friendly & easy enough for him to prepare as he needs to learn how to bake GF for himself

a huge bonus in this book is that most of the recipes can be made dairy free, too (I'm also reduced dairy, so this is very helpful to me)

what I really want in a recipe book is a photo of each recipe & at the beginning of this book there are color photos of every single one

so far, I've used 14 different recipes from this book:

Kathy's Cinnamon Breakfast Cake

Holy Cow Cake

Peanut Butter Brownies

Marbled Cream Cheese Brownies

Cookies and Cream Cake

Fresh Orange Bundt Cake

Toasted Coconut Pound Cake

Easy Fruit Crisp

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

Susan's Lemon Cake

Pumpkin Party Cake

Hot Lemon Poke Cake

Honey Bun Cake

& Chocolate Chip Cake (sorry no photo)

our absolute favorite is the toasted coconut pound cake, after that it would have to be the lemon cakes, darn good chocolate cake, honey bun cake...

there are so many ideas & tips, I sure hope you can get your hands on this book, so you can doctor up some cake mixes soon

from my gluten-free kitchen to yours...

Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free

2011-11-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

{this is my gluten-free life}

orange dark chocolate scones

lemon cranberry scones

blackberry white chocolate scones

all of these scones are gluten-free & were baked following the cranberry-pear scones recipe found in the Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free book by Karen Morgan.

75 recipes for gluten-free baked goods, these are Julia Child style, hard to find gluten-free recipes... this book has gorgeous photography, as you will see...

icebox cookies

madeleines

ladyfingers

meyer lemon bars

tarte tatin

cream puffs

eclairs

profiteroles

Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free, read it & eat.

freeze ahead smoothies

2011-11-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

{this is my gluten-free life}

it's been awhile since I blogged about all things gluten-free, so the next few days I'll be doing exactly that...

you've seen freeze ahead meals & freeze ahead crock pot meals, what about freeze ahead smoothies ? they're handy to have in the freezer for a quick & easy breakfast & practical because they use up fresh fruit before it goes bad

this is one of my favorite smoothie recipes:
1 frozen banana
1.5 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup soy milk

I cut up the fresh fruit & spread it out in a gallon size Ziploc bag. I don't want the fruit to freeze in a clump, so I lay the bag flat in the freezer. then when I want a smoothie I dump the frozen fruit in the blender & add 1 cup soy milk & voila breakfast is served :)

btw, I prefer to write the whole recipe & directions right on the Ziploc bag...

see you tomorrow for more gluten-free living...

hemming jeans

2011-10-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

see the problem in the above photo ? the pant legs on this pair of jeans are way too long...

so I folded them up to where I wanted them to be...

a lot needed to be taken up. I came across this fabulous tutorial on how to hem jeans which keeps the preexisting hem intact. can you believe it's a blog post from 6 years ago !?! in blog land that's ancient history, but don't worry, it's an oldie, but goodie :)

so it said to measure how much length you'd like to have taken off & divide it by 2. take that new measurement, pin around, & sew right next to the preexisting hem using a zipper foot (btw, right after I took the above photo the sewing needle broke ~ ugh!)

good advice was given to only do one leg at a time, the first pant leg turned out perfect, so then I did the second one...

next I added some peel n stick fabric fuse because I didn't want the excess fabric hanging out.

I ironed it to adhere the excess material to the inside of the jeans.

amazing results ! AND now I will never hesitate in the future to buy jeans that are too long.

Altered Couture magazine

2011-10-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

I was delightfully surprised when I looked into my mailbox this afternoon (something arrived earlier than I had expected).

Many thanks to Altered Couture magazine for publishing the ruffled peasant dress that I sewed for my daughter, it's found on pages 80-81of the NOV/DEC/JAN 2012 issue. In my write-up I shared how I turned a men's dress shirt into a cute little dress embellished with ruffles, including all the tools & materials needed, step-by-step instructions, as well as some helpful tips. I'm thrilled to be included among many wonderful artists with fabulous projects !

Thanks so much for joining me this week @ nest full of eggs !

PS Altered Couture magazine is available for purchase at JoAnn, Michaels, Barnes & Nobles stores... it's also available through subscription.

flannel pajama pants

2011-10-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

{kids clothes week}

:: flannel pajama pants, they will be very useful during the fall, winter, & spring

:: McCall's 3906, size Xsm

:: super easy to sew

:: next on the list for kids clothes week: school photo dress

:: happy sewing everyone !

wool felt & fleece flower headband

2011-10-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

{kids clothes week}

:: I had leftovers of mustard yellow wool felt & gray fleece from the Abby Jacket I sewed, so I decided to make a matching flower headband

:: I had this mustard yellow elastic (approximately 16 inches) I think it came from a box of chocolates ? not sure... the gray button was from my stash

:: to make one...

:: cut out circles in various sizes, I used some circle paper punches for a few, none of the circles are perfect, I made 4 circles from the mustard yellow wool felt & 1 from the gray fleece

:: snip into each circle all around (something similar to a fringe) to add some texture, then stack up the circles & place a coordinating button on top

:: zig-zag the ends of the elastic together, twice

:: take some coordinating embroidery floss & sew the flower onto the elastic (if you want you can sew it over the spot where you zig-zag stitched the elastic together that way the zig-zag stitch won't show giving it a more polished look)

:: voila, you're done... you don't need to worry about fraying since wool felt & fleece don't fray :)

:: making a headband like this was so simple, I don't know why I hadn't made one before, but will keep this in mind when I have leftovers from future sewing projects

:: next on the list for kids clothes week ? flannel pajama pants...

Abby Jacket

2011-10-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

{kids clothes week}

:: Abby Jacket size 4T

:: I used gray fleece, mustard yellow wool felt, 4 modern gray buttons, 2 mustard yellow vintage buttons, & gray embroidery floss

:: my button hole maker attachment on my sewing machine wasn't working, so I made the button holes using this hand-worked button holes tutorial

:: cute jacket with style & detail, so soft with the fleece & I really like the high collar

art smock

2011-10-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

{kids clothes week}

:: it feels good to be creating again, making things = happy me :)

:: art smock from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew: 20 Classic Accessories and Toys for Children by Liesl Gibson

:: hoping to reduce the stains on long sleeve shirts, this art smock is for school, I'd like to sew another one for home

:: fabrics look familiar ? they are from the JoAnn DS quilt collection: Sugar Creek Whimsy Bouquet Meadow & Picnic Dots Red/Pink

:: this is the second item I've sewn from this book, the first was the tutu

:: I can't say enough about any pattern from Oliver + S, they are great ! really like the finishing touches on this art smock, lots of French seams so the inside looks polished

:: back to sewing I go ~ happy sewing everyone !

convertible clutch

2011-09-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

Vanessa @ Little Big Girl Studio asked her blog readers a couple of weeks ago for sewing pattern testers for a purse that she designed & I volunteered :) (BTW, how I know Vanessa is she's the one who hosted a dress a girl around the world sew-a-long, she shared a free pillowcase dress pattern & I sewed a couple... Vanessa has great ideas, so I knew her purse would be a good one, too)

I've knitted a purse & sewn simple totes before, but I had never sewn a purse, so I enjoyed the challenge.

What really attracted me to this purse was the shape of it which reminds me a bit of the moutarde bag.

I knew just the right cotton print fabrics to use for this project... a couple of fun new fabrics by JoAnn DS quilt collection: Sugar Creek Whimsy Bouquet Meadow & Picnic Dots Red/Pink.

It's called the convertible clutch, it's a 2-in-1, a tote & a clutch. The PDF pattern is now available to buy, so go check it out !

Summer Hair

2011-08-30T05:44:00.000-07:00

{what I did during my summer vacation}

my daughter gets lots of compliments on her hair because it's soooo long, she's 4 years old & never had a haircut. with such long hair & the summer heat & humidity it needed to be off the face if not up off the shoulders, so we've been having fun surfing the net to discover new hair styles & here's a few we've tried...

first photo is hippy hair #2

twisties

bubbly ponytail

long hair messy bun

hippy hair

lots ideas all over the web, but did you know there's even a book all about girls hair ? it's got fun ideas, too...

I have caught up with blogging (meaning I'm done with my "what I did during my summer vacation" posts), yeah ! I feels good to be caught up... back to regular postings soon, until then (for those living in the USA) enjoy your Labor day weekend !

Gluten-free Reese's S'mores

2011-08-29T05:22:00.000-07:00

{what I did during my summer vacation}

did you know that they now have jumbo marshmallows ?

to make these gluten-free, the key is finding or baking gluten-free graham crackers, try S'moreables by Kinnikinnick

or try this gluten-free casein-free homemade graham cracker recipe

from my gluten-free (outdoor) kitchen to your belly :o)

bon appétit !

Rapunzel dress details & cost

2011-08-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

{what I did during my summer vacation}

in case anyone is interested in sewing a Rapunzel dress (like the ones from my daughter's princess Rapunzel birthday party) following this free pattern I wanted to share my notes as I made a few changes & included more details (than the free tutorial gives) which are mentioned below.

first of all, this dress fits my daughter who is 4 years old.

I used a 1/2 inch seam allowance throughout.

front bodice ~ I used 1.5 inches of pink ribbon for the 10 ribbon loops. I did not seal the ribbon edges as they are hidden & enclosed, I felt that step could be skipped, saving time.

back bodice ~ I used 1.5 inches of velcro for each of the closures.

underskirt ~ I used 22 inches of purple fabric & 19 inches of 3/4 inch elastic.

overskirt ~ I used the fabric selvage to selvage & cut it 23 inches long. for the selvage edges I ironed down 1 inch, then used 5/8 inch Peel n Stick fabric fuse (permanent adhesive for hems) down almost all of the length of the 23 inch overskirt. the Peel n Stick was ironed down & makes a nice & very easy no sew hem. for gathering the top of the underskirt I used the zigzag over cording method. for the bottom hem I folded over 1/2 inch, then 1/2 inch & topstitched.

sleeves ~ for gathering the sleeves at the top I used the zigzag over cording method. at the bottom of the sleeves I folded over 1/2 inch, then 1/2 inch, topstitched around leaving an opening for the casing. I used 9 inches of 1/4 inch elastic per sleeve.

amount of fabrics used:
lavandar, a flat crepe-back satin solid (polyester): 1 yard
purple, a heathered suiting (polyester): 29 inches

amount of trims used:
white eyelet trim: 47 inches
pink cord: 42 inches
shiny pink ribbon: 84 inches
velcro: 6 inches

as I was sewing these dresses I became curious to know how much it cost to make each dress. you know as a sewist, not everything you sew is money saving, but sometimes you can sew for less...

these prices are pretty close, I know I made a few teeny tiny mistakes, but this gives me a good idea of how much each dress cost to make.

(see chart below) the total came to about $13 per dress ! what a deal ! I bought everything at JoAnn Fabrics, the fabrics were on clearance, I used a 50% off coupon on the eyelet trim & 40% off coupons on the remaining items. I must add that I did not count the thread nor the trim on the bottom of the underskirt (I got that free), & thanks to a blogger the sewing pattern & tutorial were FREE :)

I did a little research to see what princess dresses cost to buy:
$11-$15 here
$20 here
$40 here

interesting, huh ?

I think I will try to keep track of how much money it costs me to sew a garment in the future...

have you ever kept track of how much it cost you to sew a garment ? please share...

Length	Material	Unit Price	Full Price	Discounted price
42”	Pink Cord	$.79/yd	$0.92	$0.55
84”	Pink ribbon	$.11/ft	$0.77	$0.46
47”	Eyelet trim	$2.99/yd	$3.91	$1.96
8”	Velcro	$3.49/30”	$0.93	$0.56
40”	Fabric fuse	$4.49/20ft	$0.75	$0.45
18”	1/4" Elastic	$.49/yd	$0.25	$0.15
19”	3/4” Elastic	$.99/yd	$0.52	$0.31
1yd	Lavender fabric	$14/yd	$14.00	$5.25
29”	Purple fabric	$12/yd	$9.67	$3.33
		TOTAL:	$31.72	$13.02

DIY painted chandelier

2011-08-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

{what I did during my summer vacation}

this was the pink chandelier that was at my daughter's princess Rapunzel party and it was super easy to do... I got the idea here

in our kitchen dining room, this chandelier was way too big & formal for this space

so I took this old ugly green faux-marbled and gold outdated chandelier, spray painted it with white primer, then spray painted it with pink paint. I told you it was easy !

cost for this project:
chandelier $0
2 cans spray paint $7.96
which brings it to a total of $7.96

the chandelier was free because it came with the fixer-upper house that we purchased, but I recently saw a smaller gold chandelier at a garage sale for only $5 !

now the pink chandelier is hanging in my turquoise studio ~ when I look up in front of me as I'm typing this, there it is :)

Princess Rapunzel party

2011-08-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

{what I did during my summer vacation}

3 little dresses for 3 little girls... here is the second birthday party we celebrated this summer... my daughter turned 4 years old, has very long hair since she's never had a haircut & she enjoyed the Tangled movie, so a princess Rapunzel party is was...

simple homemade invitations (I used a hot glue gun to attach the flowers to the braided ponytail)

inside the invitations:

Hear Ye, Hear Ye. You are cordially invited to a Princess Rapunzel party to celebrate {girls name} 4th birthday. The party will be held at the Castle {last name} in the Kingdom of {city}, on {date} at {time}. Come and be a princess for a day with a princess dress-up and princess luncheon. If you would like you can come dressed in your best princess attire, but there will be princess dresses provided. Princess {girls name} can't wait to see all of her princess friends.

4 pompoms for the 4 year old

pink ruffle paper baking cups were bought at Michael's

can you tell my daughter's favorite color is pink ?

I sewed all the 3 girls a dress (this took me 1.5 weeks) using this free Rapunzel dress pattern (I'll be blogging more about the dresses I sewed later this week)

I knitted & wet felted my daughter this purple princess Rapunzel hat using this free felted princess hat pattern. I knitted a pink one for my daughter's first birthday :)

during the birthday party we did braids in the hair, painted finger & toe nails, putting on little flower stickers that go on nails, then we did a few little crafts. the girls were thrilled playing tea party in the shade of a big tree with a pink chandelier. it was a very hot day, so later after they put on their swimsuits they ran through the sprinkler & threw water balloons.

if you plan on throwing a princess birthday party here are more ideas:
from books:
Pink Princess Cookbook by Barbara Beery

Pink Princess Cupcakes by Barbara Beery

on the web:
Rapunzel hair that could be used as a decoration

little crowns made out of toilet paper rolls

medieval princess bag

cardboard Rapunzel photo booth

Tangled Tower Cupcake

Tangled inspired birthday party

PS next summer we're planning a ballet theme, I plan to sew all the girls a tutu

octopus themed 8th birthday party

2011-08-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

{what I did during my summer vacation}

in our family we have 2 summer birthdays... here was the first party we had this summer & be sure to come back tomorrow for the second...

so when your child's favorite animal is the octopus, you just have to throw them an octopus party for their 8th birthday, right ?

it was my second son who turned 8 and his favorite colors are yellow & red as you can probably guess from these photos

simple homemade invitations & wall decorations

and lots of yellow, red, & octopus food:

hot dog octopus, banana octopus, octopus legs (white cheddar cheetos), potato chips, fruit kebobs, white cheddar cheese shell pasta, fish crackers, Swedish fish, yellow punch (in a fishbowl shaped punch bowl), yellow cupcakes.

more octopus ideas I came across: octopus bell pepper in dip, apple & grape octopus, and a craft of an octopus made out of a toilet paper tube.

PS next summer we're planning a LEGO theme... I'm already getting so many great ideas here, here, here, & here.

gluten-free homemade popsicles

2011-08-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

{what i did during my summer vacation}

we had a hot & humid summer, did you, too ? so to help manage the heat I bought popsicle molds at this store and here are some of the gluten-free homemade popsicles we enjoyed during the heat...

coconut pops from "Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone" by Krystina Castella recipe can also be found here

chocolate Oreo pudding pops (i used gluten-free Oreos)

leftover punch (frozen strawberry mix, lime juice & 7UP)

chocolate kiwi popsicles

popsicle made out of the leftover chocolate/coconut oil mixture from the chocolate kiwi popsicles

lemon yogurt with cut up fresh raspberries

cantaloupe from "Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats" by Shelly Kaldunski

more ideas:

books:
Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone by Ktystina Castella

looks like this one uses graham cracker crumbs ? so if you are gluten-free, then be sure to use a gluten-free substitute

Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats by Shelly Kaldunski

so frosty

so pretty

I really want to try dipping some in dark chocolate, then chopped nuts

more frosty ones

and another thing I'd like to try is putting a cinnamon stick in as the popsicle stick

on the web:
check out this blog post about the "Ice Pop Joy" book
50+ Homemade Popsicle Recipes

just a few tips from my gluten-free kitchen to yours...

have a great weekend mes amies ~ see you on Monday =)

summer vacation

2011-08-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

{what i did during my summer vacation}

:: right off the bat, I started my summer with cutting my oldest son's jeans into shorts, these pair of jeans had holes in the knee anyway (I noticed it's always the right knee that gets the hole), it's so easy 'sewing' boys a summer wardrobe isn't it ? the leftover bottom pant legs were added to my ever growing pile of denim, I really should get around to counting how many jeans & denim pieces are in that pile AND finally decide what I'm going to do with it all...

:: my kids discovered Lucky Charms cereal for the first time, such fun colorful marshmellows :) Lucky Charms cereal is not certified gluten-free, but gluten-free enough for my oldest son & I

:: I baked smores cookies & they were a big hit

:: I tried macarons (a lovely French confection) which are fancy sandwich cookies, AND they are gluten-free thanks to almonds, for local people, you can buy them here

:: I knitted some washcloths for Knit for Japan

:: we have been enjoying a few of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes (actually there are more than 10,000, but who's counting?) which included 4 weeks of swimming lessons, one case of swimmer's ear, & a little bit of sun burn

:: I came across this library savings calculator & it is fascinating ! how much do you save by using the library ? check it out ! our family saves $1160 per month !!! (that's $290 per person per month), isn't that unbelievable & fabulous all at the same time !?! and we're not even officially a homeschooling family... we do use the library A LOT, go there twice a week, & have 70-some items checked out all the time. I check out a ton of craft books & cook books, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by how much money we're saving.

:: I hope you have had a good summer & continue to enjoy it before it ends

hungry caterpillar

2011-08-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

{what I did during my summer vacation}

it feels good to be back after a blog break... I'll share more tomorrow & the next couple of weeks of what I did during our summer vacation, but for today here is the result of my idea of turning these caterpillar photos into a stop motion video with my husband's help :)
I got the idea thanks to my oldest son who is really into making stop motion videos, he makes ones much much better than this one, btw...
but anyway, my children found this caterpillar at the beach & took it home. it was on my second son's arm eating a leaf & I just kept shooting away with the camera.

enjoy & see you tomorrow !

summer 11 ideas house

2011-05-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

{this is not my house}

welcome to a little tour of the Bachman's summer 11 ideas house ~ you can visit some previous ones: spring 10, summer 10, holiday 10, & spring 11.

first of all in the above photo, house number on wood oar... enjoy the tour !

shutters mounted on wall in a collage

great way to "use" a fireplace during the summer ~ so many lovely green plants

yard sticks made into picture ledges, baking sheet leaf paintings

have you heard of the woolly pocket? nice way to have greenery on walls

vintage shopping cart used as pot & utensil storage

garden fence used as wall-mounted pot rack

wooden spoon chandelier

skateboard theme boys bedroom, skateboards turned into shelves

skateboards turned into night stand & lamp

butterfly theme in girls bedroom

decorative chairs mounted to wall

ribbon lampshade

headboard made of oars & paddles

photo holder made from garden trellis, ceiling tin & magnet clothespins

salvaged wheelbarrow turned into a mini garden

garden hose & bundt pans turned into flowers

clay pots turned into decorative wreaths

shed turned into outdoor reading & writing room

terra cotta saucers used as chargers, seed packets used as napkin/utensil holders

beautiful flowers out in the yard...

there's so much more to see than in these photos, so i encourage you to visit it, if you can.

visit the Bachman's ideas house:
summer ideas house: May 26-June 12
ideas house summer 2011 yard sale June 24 9-7 & June 25 9-1
fall ideas house: September 15-October 9
holiday ideas house: November 10-December 18

PS i will taking another blog break during the summer. my kids will be home from school & we are going to enjoy the sunshine.... hang out at the beach... see you at the end of the summer... happy summer !

Shopping for Scarves

2011-05-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Day 6 :: Scarves Week

today is all about where to find vintage scarves...

vintage scarves are hot-ticket items on eBay, Etsy, & in vintage stores around the world

Sheila Leiter sells vintage scarves (among other vintage goodies) at 2 different vintage stores in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota. i bought an orange & brown scarf for her awhile back, the scarf ended up being published in a book, so i thought it would be fun to share that news with Sheila & we've emailed back & forth a few times. Sheila was so kind as to agree to answer some questions to help us in our vintage scarf shopping... enjoy !

Q: It says on your website: "Filled with purchases from flea markets, estates and antique shops throughout the U.S. and Europe" which sounds very exciting, so please share with us, where do you travel to (what states & countries) & how much time to you spend traveling?

A: Travel is a priority in my life and getting to shop vintage everywhere I go allows me to experience an added adventure in each town or city! I probably travel 2 months out of the year yet shop probably 2 days of every week. I have brought back vintage, antiques & fabrics from the flea markets & shops of Paris, the Netherlands, Bratislava-Slovakia and direct from people selling their goods on the streets of St. Petersberg, Kiev & Barcelona. In the U.S., my best finds have been in Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, California plus New York is always a place to find something fabulous wandering the flea markets in Manhatten & Brooklyn. But don't overlook the little towns of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. They are within driving distance and make for a great road trip! I fill my vehicle every time I go!

Q: Do you have any tips for finding vintage scarves, where to go & what do you look for when you are hunting for them? How do you develop an eye for finding the vintage ones?

A: The best condition scarves usually are in estate sales & antique shops. You can find them in thrift stores but watch for flaws. Hold the scarf up to the light to see stains, holes, tears & water spots. Keep your eye out for hand rolled edges, not stitched by machine. You want to find the labels still intact for authenticity. Buy 100% silk, cotton or rayon over polyester or blends. Buy signed designer scarves plus travel scarves as collector items.

Q: What are your favorite types of vintage scarves?

A: My favorite scarves have bold designs and interesting, off-beat color combinations. Vera scarves are some of the best! The Vera scarves with the small ladybug next to the name are the oldest designs.

Q: Do you sell all the vintage scarves you find or do you keep some for yourself?

A: I sell 99% of the scarves I find. I appreciate & love the colors and designs but tend towards layering & wrapping long scarves year round which allows me to pass on all of my scarves to my customers to enjoy ~

Q: Do you have a "scarf story"?

A: My latest story involves finding a British Flag scarf from Lord Kitchner's with the original label still attached! Lord Kitchner's was a very popular place to shop on Carnaby St in Chelsea - London in the 60's. Kings Road & Carnaby St. inspired so many trends of that time. It would make a fabulous pillow with the label exposed! It is still for sale in my space in Hopkins Antique Mall for any Anglophile!

Q: Anything else you'd like to share?

A: I dry clean all my scarves. Hand washing with a silk laundry soap is the only other method to use though some colors have a tendency to bleed. When ironing your scarves, based on the fabric content, too high of a temperature can melt a hole in your scarf. Play it safe and start on a lower setting.

thank you so much Sheila for letting us take a little tour to see all your lovely vintage scarves you have for sale (by the way, all the photos in this post were taken at her 2 locations)
AND also thank you for sharing your experience, wisdom & advice !

Sheila has a beautiful website called VINTAGE WEARS WARES, here are some of the name brands of vintage scarves she has for sale:
Burmel
Doro
Echo
Frankie Welch
Glentex
Paoli
Perry Ellis
Robinson Golluber
Vera (by the way, here's a great resource: learn how to date your vintage Vera scarves)

be sure to check out Sheila's vintage scarves for sale at these 2 locations:

Hopkins Antique Mall
1008 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN 55343
952-931-9748

Guild
4414 Excelsior Blvd
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
952-378-1815
guildcollective.wordpress.com

If you are looking for something special, have out-of-season prop requests or have goods to sell, please contact via email s.leiter@vintagewearswares.com

that ends Scarves Week, thanks so much for stopping by & have a great weekend !

Wrapping with Scarves

2011-05-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

Day 5 :: Scarves Week

first of all, i want to say a big thank you to all of you who entered the Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway and send a happy welcome to all of you who joined me here for the very first time !
the winner of the Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway is Rachel who shared this link which is for a neglected man's neck tie sewn around the top of a woman's shirt ~ i'd never seen that before, so unique & such a clever idea !

so many great repurposed project ideas were shared in the comments section, so be sure to check them all out

today's idea for using scarves is wrapping & decorating...

i came across this book, Wrapagami: The Art of Fabric Gift Wraps by Jennifer Playford
here's what's written on the back of the book:
"Requiring only a square piece of fabric and an item to be wrapped, Wrapagami offers a simple, chic, and eco-friendly alternative to paper gift-wrap and bags. Derived from a Japanese wrapping tradition, the twenty-five exquisite wraps in Wrapagami include clear instructions, easy-to-follow diagrams, inspiring photographs of finished wraps, and lots of tips for creative embellishment and use."

so for the square piece of fabric, why not use a square scarf ? it requires no cutting, no tape, & if you make a mistake, just unwrap & start again. also using a scarf to wrap a gift is like 2 presents in one, the recipient can reuse the scarf

more ideas on wrapping gifts with scarves here & here

and for decorating check out this picture frame decorated with a scarf

FYI share photos of your projects made with scarves and/or your scarf collection to the Scarf-O-Rama flickr group

see you tomorrow for day 6 !

How to Tie a Scarf

2011-05-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

Day 4 :: Scarves Week

you know what's so wonderful about scarves ? they are so versatile ~ there are so many different ways to wear a scarf...

how about tying a scarf on your purse/tote/bag strap ? years ago i had a small square silk scarf (my favorite scarf at the time) that i tied to my purse strap, i was walking down the Champs Elysees in Paris & the next thing i know... it's gone... forever :( that's my "scarf story", but hopefully your scarf won't fall off your purse strap like mine did

i rounded up several links from the internet about how to tie/wear a scarf & thought i'd share them with you:

:: scarf tying guide

:: 37 ways to tie a scarf

:: 6 ways to tie a scarf

:: figure eight knot

:: various uses for a scarf

:: another way to wear a scarf, turn a silk scarf into a necklace

see you tomorrow for day 5 !

Sewing with Scarves

2011-05-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Day 3 :: Scarves Week

today i bring you some information (some books & links) on where to find ideas for sewing with scarves...

first of all, you've already been introduced to this book: 30 projects for repurposing scarves in Craft Challenge Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves

now be sure to check out: 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Tie & Rock Your Scarf which has a babydoll top, lantern cover, tank dress, replace t-shirt sleeves with poof scarf sleeves, use scarves to add ruffle cuffs to a sweater, use scarves to make covered buttons, plus so many more ideas...

The Perfect Handmade Bag: Recycle and Reuse to Make 35 Beautiful Totes, Purses, and More has a vintage silk scarf bag

more project ideas:
:: a couple of home decoration projects (such as curtains & pillows) in Fabric Remix
:: pillow
:: small silk neck scarf to little girl t-shirt tunic

these diy projects didn't call for scarves, but i think they would be perfect projects to make out of silk scarves:
:: eye mask
:: braided headband
:: jewelry pouches

see you tomorrow for day 4 !

Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway

2011-05-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Day 2 :: Scarves Week

it's May Giveaway Day ! a big thank you to Sew, Mama, Sew! for hosting such a fabulous giveaway event !

the prize:
one copy of the "Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves" book (my project page signed by moi) & 4 vintage Vera scarves (use the 4 scarves to create one or more of the 30 sewing projects from the book)

enter to win:
:: please leave an answer to the following question: what is your favorite repurposed project? it doesn't have to be sewing... a repurposed project you've made or one you've seen elsewhere ~ leaving a link to the project would be a bonus, thanks !
:: one entry per person
:: i will choose a winner by picking my favorite repurposed project from all those that are shared
:: open until 11:59 PM Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
:: i will announce the winner once the winner has replied to my email
:: i will ship internationally
:: book & scarves will be shipped by Monday, May 30th, 2011

see you soon for Day 3 of Scarves Week !

Vera: The Art and Life of an Icon

2011-05-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

Day 1 :: Scarves Week

all this week i'll be blogging about scarves & today i'm kicking off scarves week with a quick peek inside the "Vera: The Art and Life of an Icon" book by Susan Seid, it's all about Vera Neumann and her art on scarves...

:: this is such a colorful coffee table book, a great book to give as a gift, also a quick interesting read

:: get to know the lady behind the ladybug

:: Vera Neumann believed that fine art should be accessible to everyone, not just to walls of museums & private homes

:: she put her paintings on scarves from botanicals to bold geometric patterns & signed the scarves (like a painting) with a cursive "Vera"

:: later she added the ladybug to her signature ~ a symbol of long life, good luck, & good health

:: she was the country's top scarf designer

:: the most popular were the 36 or 44 inch square scarves

:: her company produced 500 Vera designs per year

:: Vera chose few colors for her scarves, limiting them to 2-4, making them more fashion-friendly

:: the Vera company now sells apparel & kitchen linens, but it all started with a silk scarf

:: get this book & get bitten by the ladybug

see you tomorrow for a Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway

PS share photos of your Vera scarves with the Vera Neumann flickr group

Eyelet Ruffled Halter

2011-05-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Day 7 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

you've probably seen this ruffled halter around, i sewed a pink one with white polka dots last year, it's by Oliver+S & the pattern is found in Stitch magazine Spring 2010

each ruffle is different as i was using only the eyelet in my stash, you know, "make it work" (what Tim Gunn says on Project Runway)

that ends Spring Kids Clothes Week for me, i look forward to the one in the Fall

see you Monday May 23rd for a Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway ~ that will also be the start of Scarves Week here (as you guessed, it's a whole week blogging about scarves)

New Cuffs

2011-05-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

Day 6 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

this was a super simple & practical project ~ an easy way to get more wear out of some old clothing...

this pair of blue jeans started to get a hole in the knee... so they were cut, made into shorts & hemmed with vintage ribbon/trim (idea come from here)

a while ago i bought my daughter a long-sleeved white shirt at a garage sale, only to find out when i got home there were stains on the cuffs. my daughter also had a couple of long-sleeved white shirts where she got paint on the sleeves. so i cut them off where the stains started & sewed on bias tape to make new cuffs. i made the bias tape out of the Liberty of London scarf that was leftover from the Suzanne dress i sewed.

see you tomorrow for day 7 !

Tutu

2011-05-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Day 5 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

i guess this can't officially be called clothing, what do you call a tutu ? an accessory ? a dress-up item ?

anyway, this tutu is fun, elegant & lovely... directions came from little things to sew by Liesl Gibson

it didn't turn out as full as the ones in the book because i bought shiny tulle that was only 54" where the ones in the book were made out of tulle that was 108"... one thing that i did different is that for the gathering i zigzagged over cording which is my preferred gathering method. all in all this was rather a quick & easy project & i would for sure sew more.

see you tomorrow for day 6 !

Girl's Floral Party Dress

2011-05-09T04:53:00.000-07:00

Day 4 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

i hope all you mom's had a lovely Mother's Day yesterday ~ one of the things i was treated to was a sewing afternoon which allowed me to make this dress... let me introduce you to the girl's floral party dress...

the robin's egg blue sash ties in the back (unfortunately no photos of the back)

i snapped this shot while i was waiting for iron to warm up, it's the floral print from Fabric Traditions that i purchased at JoAnn's (i think it was called Garden Party?)

the sash was made out of Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Robin Egg

& for the bodice white linen from my stash (3 pink buttons from my stash, too)

where do you find the pattern for the girl's floral party dress, you ask ? you'll find it in Stitch magazine's Summer 2011 issue

if i get something sewn today, then i'll see you tomorrow....

Suzanne

2011-05-08T05:02:00.000-07:00

Day 3 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

un, deux, trois, nous irons au bois...

many thanks to a dear French friend who mailed this Suzanne pattern to me

this was the first time i followed a sewing pattern en francais

my parents would be proud that i've put their money to good use ~ using the French minor i got in college

the Suzanne dress pattern has simple construction ~ no buttons, no zipper, no ties, no snaps, no elastic, no bias tape ~ it just slips over the head

such a unique style & it's reversible as in it looks exactly the same on the front & the back

i liked the Suzanne pattern so much i sewed my daughter 3 of them... one made out of a Liberty of London scarf (remember all the Liberty of London fabulousness that was at Target spring 2010?) & the other 2 were sewn out of cotton print fabric i got last summer at a flea market

these should make great summer dresses & nice beach cover-ups

bonne journee mes amies, a demain !

PS Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there :)

Scarf Skirt

2011-05-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

Day 2 :: Spring Kids Clothes Week

here's the perfect instant gratification project for showing off a fun pattern of a long rectangular vintage scarf

also a great project for the beginner sewist

this was the skirt (named 'double trouble') that i designed for Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves

i found this vintage green & white mushroom, long rectangular, Vera scarf at hunt & gather for about $9

with the scarf, enough elastic to go around my daughter's waist, & a little bit of thread, this cute little girl's skirt was made for only around $9 !

see you tomorrow for day 3 !

PS TtV photos taken with an Argus 75

Pillowcase Dresses

2011-05-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Day 1:: Spring Kids Clothes Week

i started these dresses in March during the dress a girl around the world sew-a-long, but didn't finish them that week

i followed this pillowcase dress tutorial, but added this pleated pocket, & tucked inside the pocket is a prayer doll who's wearing a coordinating dress :)

one dress sewn out of brown linen & the other out of a modern cotton print (from Japan)

these 2 pillowcase dresses will be shipped off to Dress a Girl Around the World, wouldn't these 2 dresses look adorable on sisters or twin sisters?

see you tomorrow for day 2 !

Baptism traditions

2011-05-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

a little bit of happy news :)

thank you Faith & Family magazine for sharing our Baptism traditions in your Spring 2011 issue !

in the article on pages 81-83 i share the French traditions we have done for our children's Baptisms & the sewing & paper crafting items i created for my daughter's Baptism.
i thought i would take the opportunity now to share some more photos & details...

i used Simplicity pattern 5813 to sew my daughter's Baptismal gown...

the fabric came from my wedding gown, only part of the bottom of the dress was used.

a simple style, but very sentimental. i do have to say that newborn babies sure have very thin arms ~ it was a challenge to sew these teeny tiny sleeves !

this was the paper cake i made for my daughter's Baptism reception ~ each of the 21 slices of cake were filled with candy (Starbursts, Tootsie Rolls), it served as both a decoration and party favors for the children who attended. for more info about the rubber stamp set & colors of the cardstock & ink i used go here (FYI - i also made paper cakes for Easter & as an Advent calendar)
if you would like to make a paper cake check out this paper cake tutorial with template or if you'd like to buy one premade, this etsy shop has sold some

i made cards that served as both a birth announcement & a Baptism invitation for all my children, this is the one that i made for my daughter, 50 of them actually, for more info on the rubber stamp sets & colors of the cardstock & inks that i used go here

a French tradition is to have party favors called dragees (Jordon almonds), these Martial dragees were from Jeff de Bruges in Paris

& here is what it looked like after it was all put together

& the last French tradition i'm going to share with you are the medals of a saint or angel given to the baby, these have the child's name & birth date engraved on the back. these are from France, but you can find something similar in the US

it's interesting that i posted about our Baptism traditions today as it was 15 years ago today that my French husband & i got married :)

PS next up, i will be taking part in the Spring Kids Clothes Week, should be fun :)

spring 11 ideas house

2011-05-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

{this is not my house}

are you ready for another tour of the Bachman's ideas house? if you'd like, you can visit some from last year: spring 10, summer 10, & holiday 10

this house was built in the early 1920's & for spring 11 it was decorated with a European Romance theme, many of the one-of-a-kind items were for sale (it is highly recommended that you visit the first day if you'd like to purchase any of the one-of-a-kind items, as once they're sold, they're sold)... enjoy the tour...

first of all in the above photo, the house numbers were made with decorative plates with stenciled numbers

on the front porch, lovely pastel colored glass bottles turned into a hanging ceiling fixture

in the living room, stained-glass window turned into coffee table, book pages as wallpaper

in the sunroom, vintage wall sinks repurposed into planters

also in the sunroom, baby buggy turned into planter

in the dining room, decorative plates with mirrors used as wall collage

dining room table set for an Easter meal

if you have a dog, children's chairs repurposed as dog dishes

in the kitchen, wood drawers repurposed as wall shelving

global explorer theme in the boy's bedroom, globes cut in half to create pendant lights

wood sliding door reused as a headboard

scrapbooking room

lunch boxes used as storage containers, radiator cover turned into magnetic wall calender

fabric strips turned into curtain valance

cork added to window frames to create bulletin board

potting bench turned into a storage/work unit

ballerina theme in the girl's bedroom

decorative handrail turned into a ballet bar, garden trellis behind mirrors

cabinet rebuilt into a desk unit with integrated pendant light

puffy decorative runner wrap used as curtain valance

ballet slippers hanging from light fixture

in the master bedroom, decorative metal railing repurposed as scarf storage, wooden spools for necklace holders

this spring ideas house is already closed, but here are the dates for future ideas houses:
summer ideas house: May 26-June 12
fall ideas house: September 15-October 9
holiday ideas house: November 10-December 18

Gramma Wolfie

2011-04-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

when i left a comment over here, i had no idea i would be the fortunate recipient of this Gramma & Wolfie doll !

Larissa @ mmmcrafts created this two-faced doll... it's very well made & i am amazed by her attention to detail ~ my favorite part is the turn aroundable collar which was made from a fabric doily !

we hope we are providing a good home...

& feeding it often :)

thanks for checking in and have a lovely day !

Double Trouble

2011-04-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

so happy to share this news !

i'm honored to be included in Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves

thanks so much for including my project, Lark Crafts !

my project is called 'double trouble' ~ a girl's skirt (the only children's wear in the whole book)

Lark Crafts made my skirts look so pretty & couldn't have picked more adorable models (aren't the twin sisters Morghyan & Lorya super cute!?! right down to their light blue painted toe nails!)

you know how much of a craft book junkie i am and this one surely doesn't disappoint ! be sure to check out all the 30 (luxurious & high quality) projects from 22 different designers (some of which are featured here)

enjoy !

PS Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves by Nathalie Mornu is available here & here

Flea Market Shelf

2011-03-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

remember this light green shelf i bought last summer at a flea market ?

a spot for the shelf was found in my studio

and the shelf was painted white

now my daughter has a place to work while i work in my studio

PS joyeux mardi gras ! i'm going to take a little blog break, i might pop in here during April for a special announcement, otherwise i'll see you after Easter : )

Moutarde Bag

2011-03-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

i have a new purse !

i had been admiring this moutarde bag for awhile

knitting pattern can be purchased here

knit doubling yarn, first with straight needles, then switching to circular

before wet felting...

after wet felting...

makes a nice thick sturdy purse

a super fun knit

Greenfield Cardigan

2011-02-27T14:02:00.000-08:00

Day 15 :: 2010 Craft Books

New England Knits: Timeless Knitwear with a Modern Twist by Cecily Glowik MacDonald & Melissa LaBarre

what you need to know...
:: watch a video on New England Knits
:: view the 25 knitting patterns on ravelry
:: join the New England Knits ravelry group
:: free pattern from the book: Chelsea Skirt
:: 3 sections in the book: Around the Town, Fall on the Farm, and Along the Coast
:: fresh take on classic knitting

some of my favorites from the book... Hampton Cardigan

Augusta Cardigan

Derry Raglan and Cowl

Greenfield Cardigan

from this book i attacked the Greenfield Cardigan which has pretty leaf detailing (the buttons i used can be found here)

it was designed by Melissa LaBarre, she is also the designer of the Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi that i knit for my daughter (so i guess you could say i've become a fan of Melissa LaBarre's knitwear)

that ends 2010 Craft Book month ~ thanks for stopping by, see you around this time next year for 2011 Craft Book month

Paper Doll Family Portrait

2011-02-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

Day 14 :: 2010 Craft Books

The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer: Activities and Amusements for the Curious Paper Artist by Emily Martin

what you need to know...
:: 21 sweet & mysterious characters with clothes & accessories
:: plus 16 paper dolls ready to be designed by you
:: clever craft projects include: armoire for doll-sized clothes, paper toy theater
:: use your imagination & go on an adventure
:: visit Emily's etsy shop
:: watch Emily make stuffed dolls

the project that i made from the book was our family portrait in paper dolls (first photo way up on top)
let me introduce you to our family, there's Papa, Mumma, junior, son 2, & daughter ~ it was super fun to pick out everything & it took forever for my daughter to pick out her hair :)

PS there has been a delay of posts due to technical difficulties, so 2010 craft book month posts will be fewer than anticipated

Pillowcase Dress

2011-02-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

Day 13 :: 2010 Craft Books

Craft Hope: Handmade Crafts for a Cause by Jade Sims

what you need to know...
:: help the need in the world with positive action
:: 32 mostly sewing projects, each project is matched with a specific charity, with alternative suggestions for local places to contribute the item
:: free patterns from the book: I Spy Quilt & Red Fleece Mittens
:: helpful tips on how to give locally and globally, how to give thoughtfully and appropriately, and how to empower those you are helping
:: visit the Craft Hope website
:: add photos of your finished projects from this book to the Craft Hope Flickr group

this was my absolute favorite crafty type book from 2010

my oldest son & i made the thank-you cards & stamp

from my lovely vintage pillowcase stash, i sewed the pillowcase dress, 9 actually, i added 5 more handmade dresses, so i sent a total of 14 dresses to Dress A Girl Around the World ~ their goal was to have 10,000 dresses by the end of October 2010 & i do believe they did reach that goal :)

(note to self ~ from this book make: soft cloth doll, simple-knot newborn cap, patchwork pillow, bandana pants, flowered purse)

PS speaking of giving for a cause, giving food to the hungry has never been easier... i discovered the hunger site over a decade ago & have been going there everyday since ~ click daily to give free food

see you tomorrow of day 14 !

Money Bag Pillow

2011-02-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

Day 12 :: 2010 Craft Books

Fabric Remix: Repurpose & Redecorate with Simple Sewing & Easy Upholstery by Sandy Stone

what you need to know...
:: 35 home decor projects made from great scavenged finds
:: see old things in a new light... vintage scarves become luxurious pillows, vintage dress belts become charming tote handles, lace-trim vintage linens become an elegant chair slipcover
:: Sandy shares where to gather inspiration & raw materials
:: "Why buy something when you can make it yourself for less!"
:: Sandy sells her work & vintage goods at Hunt & Gather

on a vintage shopping trip i came home with a cotton money bag, i wasn't quite sure what to make out of it until i came across the money bag pillow project in this book. i added some blue trim & a white linen envelope back ~ a rather quick & easy pillow to make

speaking of pillows be sure to check out Pillow Month over at Sew, Mama, Sew!

see you tomorrow for day 13 !

Perfect Party Dress

2011-02-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

Day 11 :: 2010 Craft Books

Little Girls, Big Style: Sew a Boutique Wardrobe from 4 Easy Patterns by Mary Abreu

what you need to know...
:: for girls sizes 2-6
:: 23 projects all from 4 basic patterns: basic bodice, peasant top/dress, pants, & skirt
:: the full-size patterns are at the back of the book on perforated sheets you can tear out
:: add photos of completed projects from the book to the Little Girls, Big Style Flickr group

this was a new color combination for me ~ yellow/black/cream

voila the perfect party dress

without the overskirt

and with the overskirt

done in size 4 which is a tiny bit big, hopefully by the time we have summer weather she'll have grown into it more

i did a couple of things differently... putting the buttons in the front & placing the ribbon on top of the overskirt... which is the whole point of the book: make it your own

see you tomorrow for day 12 !