here be fairies. (and sewing.)

Greta received a wonderful book for Christmas this year:  Forest Fairy Crafts.

Right away, over the Christmas week, she made an owl pocket animal, but we had to gather a few more supplies at home before we could try some of the other crafts.  We enjoy this book so much because of the quality of the finished projects;  these are dolls like we used to buy from the expensive Waldorf-style stores or catalogues, and the girls make them just like they want them.  Plus, there's such an array of neat projects:  from stuffed animals to many kinds and sizes of fairies.  The girls piece hats from one kind of fairy to wings from another, since it's so easily customizable.  I'm not being bothered by requests to purchase little fairies like I'd buy them years ago!

Even for my especially crafty girls (gifted, not taught!) I do need to help Greta with these projects... sometimes she can't get string tight enough, or needs a third hand to help glue hair, or the like.  Kaatje can complete the crafts on her own, but I find I can still help with gently guiding her away from frustration if she starts to flounder (anger not being conducive to fine motor skills, among many other things).

I'm kind of getting into my head that a fairy-making-party would be a lovely long-winter's-end event, but we'll see where that goes.  (Shhhh!! to my friends reading with little girls....later if not sooner, but don't tell them!)

(Notes:  The small animals are from Kaatje's loved Christmas presents: The Cute Book and the Cuter Book.  The bead fairies are kits from our local bead store: The Garden of Beads, where they know Kaatje on sight.  Now that the bookstore and the yarn store are gone, there's worse places here to be known on sight... the tattoo parlor maybe?  ahem.)

this week: sewing and knitting

Our supposed "week off" was, well, a week we're glad is over.  A week ago Saturday found Jeff and I standing in the rain with a (corded) drill, determined to finish the fence... which we did, even without electrocuting anyone.  That evening, probably due to standing on a concrete floor all week then slipping off a step, I had a huge flare-up of Achilles tendinitis, which brought mornings of hobbling and days of gentle walking (never taking off my Birkenstocks) for the week.  What a good way to get some sewing and knitting accomplished!

Gret, the sweet skinny girl she is, has so much trouble with pants and shorts not fitting.  We made an outing to the S.J. Harris Warehouse of Fabric, always an adventure, and picked out fabric for some shorts, play skirts, and pj shorts.  With Gret's help, we were able to get shorts and a skirt finished before running out of elastic.

Gret wanted to "do a project" too, so I started on something I'd had in my head a bit, and we made templates and cut flags for a pennant banner.  It was so quick and easy, and we had fun.  Also ran out of bias tape, so the pile of extra pennants we made will have to wait.

A cousin and his lovely wife are expecting their first, a little girl, in the fall, and though I can't make the trip to the middle of Illinois for the shower, I'm sending away a hat and sweater.  This is G. Sheller's Simple Newborn Hat with a Touch of Lace.  The sweater is one I've made many times, Pickle's Plain Vest.  Both are made with Blue Sky Alpaca's Organic Cotton, a wonderful soft yarn.  I made both as specified in the patterns, but on sz. 7 double-pointeds for the hat and sz. 8 circulars for the vest.  (Hmm.  Don't tell Nancy!)

Finally, to cap the week, Gret had a run-in with a patch of concrete, whilst connected to a running dog by a leash.  Much (not-exaggerated) sadness ensued, rearing its ugly head again this morning when sister got to start swimming lessons without her, as she's still limping and quite sore, though the oozing has stopped.  She's rapidly recovering, so we're hoping all will be going swimmingly (ha!) by this weekend.  My feet are slowly recovering, but I've been down the plantar fascias road before and know how long healing takes.  Patience is hard for runners, but I get to practice what I'm preaching to Greta!

(note: the banner photo is *before* Greta's accident, sigh.)

tiny stitches, waning light

A few years ago I purchased the lovely Alicia Paulson's yearly handmade ornament kit.  (Something about the knitted scarf for the polar bear;  I simply needed it.)  After receiving the package, I opened and marvelled at all the little parts and (to me) complicated instructions, and carefully set it away.  For more than 2 years.

As I got the package and little parts out a bit ago, Kaatje was immediately stricken with the red coat, and Greta insisted on sewing her own polar bear (I think the sequins were a major part of that decision).  I was only sad I couldn't give them real felt to use, as I wasn't about to fork over the lovely bits of (Expensive) 100% wool felt from the kit, that being all I had.

Though I'm reminded again how good ingredients make for the best finished results, and wish I had real felt on hand, the polyester "felt" they use is fine and they enjoyed sitting in the dimming afternoon and stitching.

I'm so glad I put this away and can share it with them now, instead of fighting for a minute here or there to have to myself to do it.  We're constantly fighting the battle of feeling like whatever struggle now will last forever, then when the next step gently comes, we don't even realize we've made that next step, through and beyond that particular hard spot.  Until I'm sitting and watching polar bear faces being stitched and coat pockets being placed, while I do my own.

Now to finish a teeny seed-stitch scarf knit on #1 needles.  For a polar bear.

new hat.

I was hoping to make her a sun-hat.  but this is what she wanted.  She picked the fabric and the pattern... and yes, I confirmed in the book and on-line that the top is supposed to be inside out, inexplicably.

 she hardly ever takes it off.  (except when made to at dinner.)

It was worth the hassle, and the tossing of brim #1, but I still think knitting's easier.  fortunately, Gret didn't want one, too (at least not enough that I couldn't talk her out of it for now).

I remember wearing a (baseball) cap much of my late childhood/pre-teen years, too.  Hers is much cuter than the Cubs (and later, hockey) hats I'm sure I was wearing, so there's always that.

blog.

I want to blog.

life is not letting me.

I want to sit down and tell you 

what we've been doing and 

what we're making and 

where we've been and what we've seen.

but everything else keeps getting in the way...

a doll needed a shoe.

(just one.)

a small boy needed a birthday crown.

a brother (uncle) needed a birthday bookmark

drawn by his 4-almost-5-year-old niece.

(extra credit if you can tell me 

whose picture is on the bookmark!)

and all this (and much much more) has been more important than words in a computer.  

However, I do like the peacefulness of sorting pictures and thoughts.  

So as soon as I have more than a half-moment to spare, I'll sit here and do more of that.  

Hope you're getting time to sort your own, this lovely mid-winter...

a birthday, a baby hat, and a collar, not in that order.

Well, hello there!

You notice changes around here... I decided getting my life in order for the fall required some internet reorganizing.  It was time to pitch the other blogs, and have a nice nifty all in one place blog for our life.  I guess I'll just have to keep things separated in my head, and with labels, since that seems to be the way I like to think!

So, while K did her annual state-required homeschool testing, I worked on blogs and tried not to make her think more before she answered questions. 

("dang it, you know what 1/4 is!!!")

ahem.

Well then, we've been getting through this sticky-again August, creeping up on getting-too-cold already September.  The beginning of the month saw Pippin's 1st birthday, where my mom brought him a way-to-special-for-lasting-20-seconds treat.  I vacuumed after he ate it on the carpet, but I didn't need to.

He's such a nice guy, our big lovey puppy.  I guess we'll keep him another year ;)

Isn't this a sweetie baby hat?!  We had the church-hosted baby shower just in time, her little girl was born a week later.  The pattern is from Stitch-n-Bitch, the umbilical cord hat.  I think I'm getting the hang of this knitting thing!

On an unrelated note, the dog's red nylon collar was turning his neck red.  Hmmmm.

So I looked at how it was constructed, found some buckles and D-rings that I'd saved from something we'd tossed ages ago, and sewed him up a new collar!

I think next time I'll make it in a real color, instead of using old khaki pants, which match his fur a little too well.  I'm sure this will be dirty sooner that later!  I'll just cut it all apart and start again with a new color, when the time comes.

Well, we'll see if I can get this to post properly in new-blogger-posting, it seems to be wonky.  ...probably not set up for Linux!  go figure.

Hope you like the new layout - let me know if something's weird.  (Unless you're running linux, then you're on your own.)

enjoy your weekend!

your seat goes here

I must be getting old (?!) but I decided I was tired of hefting myself up on the edge of the bed to get dressed in the morning. what a pain to balance my behind, while still half-asleep (me and my behind), and attempt to pull socks (or worse - tights) on my cold feet.

(plus I have this weird thing about wearing street clothes on bedsheets - so the bed needs to be made before I get dressed... the same goes for the girls' beds, they're not allowed in them or on the sheets with street clothes. just a little natural healthy nonsensical phobia!)

these beautiful antique quartersawn oak chairs, with leather seats, were rescued by our friends whose elderly owner-occupied landlord had passed away and his heirs were tossing things left and right. however, the leather seat covers had small holes in them - which I soon found out are a magnet for little picking fingers.

I covered one chair that we use in the main level, while another was relegated to the (now, but not by next year) black hole that is the upstairs back porch. I dragged it out, set it in our room, and the dog immediately starts worrying the tiny hole.

sigh. I guess I'll make another cover.

I wanted something very quick and easy (unlike the exact fitted cover I made previously), and though I'm not really in for ironic-kitsch-cutsie, when I saw these old cords of Jeff's, I had to use them.



I cut the front off the back, cut the legs apart and sewed them flat, pinned the miters, eye-balled and cut around the chair, folded up the hem, and stitched around the whole thing. I think my favorite part is the fact that I can use the belt loops and a bit of thin brown ribbon to keep the cover in place.

I tried it out tonight, putting on comfy pants. Cords are much nicer on rears than cold holey leather!

Still haven't decided if I like like it, but it fulfills its purpose and maybe it will grow on me!

flowers in the coops

martha just had these crazy-simple dog beds in the january mag.

of course, I had to make it more complicated, and use different size towels (it's not like I'm gonna buy towels for the dog, sheesh!), sew them right sides together, then hand-stitch the opening closed...


dog seems to approve. (though they're still second-best to the couch.)

this girly one goes in his upstairs coop.


wouldn't want to embarrass the poor creature... (though next week he'll be, um, half the man he is today, so maybe he wants to learn to embrace his feminine side a bit more?)

~
my ever running list of projects to create for the home continues to lengthen, no matter what I complete.

that means life is good.

when stars align.

enough sleep for a night

rainy day

a little sewing craft for k's headboard

(k chose the fabric scraps and the appliques we used.)

~
did I ever share my "new" sewing machine with you?


this cute baby lock BL6150 was a garage sale steal at $25. (I actually had to borrow the money from a friend to get it - already had spent my cash on all the books for which I came to the sale!)

I'd never heard of the brand, not knowing much about machines, but the gals at the sale assured me "it has to be a good machine, it's 'so&so's' mom's, and she's, like, a real seamstress!"

so $25 there and $90 for a "tune-up" at our local baby lock dealer (yes, there is such a thing), and I now own 2 nicely working sewing machines.

and since I don't hear the kids at the moment, I may just have to go use it again right now...!

round one of gifts

no, this isn't a gift, but we have a new washrag. it was enough to make me know that I'm going to stick with what I like - my problem with knitting is the intermediate stuff. I know the easy stuff, I want to do the hard stuff, but I don't know how to get there... since I can do the crocheting hard stuff, I keep reminding myself of all the cool things out there for that!

I can finally post some of the gifts I made - our holidays include mom's birthday (and now little g's, too!) so I wanted to get her belated gifts out.


I've been making these neat felt crowns for everyone; I picked up capes at the craft fair for niece and nephew and wanted crowns to go with them. I wasn't seeing any tutorials I liked on line, so I took things from here and there and created my own. I'm really happy with how easy, how much room for variation, how simple for the kids, and how neat they are!

so niece and nephew, my little g, and my mom all got a crown... at my parents' place over the holiday we played an awesome group game called the great dalmuti, where the play involves rank... the highest rank, the great dalmuti, will get to wear the lovely crown above. the lowest rank, the greater peon, will get to wear the loveliness below...


I really didn't mean for it to look like a pumpkin, I only realized it as I was sewing on the "p", and by then I wasn't going to go through another hat!

~
little G's birthday was last week, a very fun time was had by all. before I gave the capes away for Christmas, I made a pattern and hit the big-box fabric store for some funky fabrics for the girls. I made little g's cape and crown the night before her birthday.


she enjoys it, but I bet I'll see a lot more of it after big sister gets hers in a couple of weeks...

I'm thinking, if I get some time, I'll make some capes and crowns to go up on etsy; some sold with capes and hats together, perhaps, and some separately (all assuming that moronic Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act law doesn't go into effect without an amendment for us crafters)...

lastly, dad requested a card holder wallet for mom, so I made one up from Amy Karol's book again. these are so nice, but do require a little more width, so I always add 1/4" on each long side.

someday I'll learn... (maybe.) (...or not)

the crazy thing is, I know I can't get the envelope size I want from any old store. did that stop me from dragging poor k all over our local mecca of consumerism in a vain attempt to find A6 envelopes?! (no, no it didn't). we drove around in the crowds to 6 stores, only finding what I sort of was looking for at the last store we visited (the one I wasn't really planning on going to, but another store I went to was next door).

so I came home last friday hungry and quite grumpy to a wonderful husband whom had attempted to make a meal for us when we were supposed to be back 45 minutes earlier...

I hate HATE big box shopping. Every year I vow to never go out with the masses again... to do everything down the street or on-line... and I'm vowing again!! NEVER!

250 A6 envelopes, for 3/10ths the price of the ones at giant craft store #2, are coming to me via UPS sometime this week. in the meantime, I'm prepping christmas cards so they're ready to stuff in the envelopes and send off.... (oh yeah. stamps. grrr!) AND there'll be tons of envelopes left over for next year (and the year after, and after!)

maybe I've learned my lesson.

probably not.


~
my saturday of all craft all day, which didn't turn out quite as planned due to tree decorating and a zipper incident which will remain unexplained for the good of my sanity, still produced 4 bags. sorry, they're spoken for; dear sil c "ordered" them for gifts for friends and family. I'm assuming these said recipients are not among my blog readers, so I'll share the pics I took tonight at her place, after I delivered them:

(yeah, let me know, c, if any of these gals DO read my ramblings!!)

~
other gifts are finished. a few stragglers are waiting.... and there's that zipper to contend with (you're NOT getting away with that, zipper, you.)

maybe I'll get pics up after christmas when people get their gifts!



...the goose is getting fat!