Our little Oscar is getting so big now I thought he deserved a new backpack for his summer fun. Oscar not only is going to start a little nursery school but also is old enough to take part in our summer camp swap we've got goin' ( more details in a later post I hope). I've been planning to do a backpck for a while and found an hour to whip this one out. I used a simple tote bag shape, adding shoulder straps that are also the drawstrings for the top. It fits great & hopefully will hold all the towels, swim diapers & toys he needs to have fun this summer.
Can you tell I had a little time to myself this weekend?? Havn't seen these basement studio shots for a while huh.
I must have gotten through the pile of to do's for everyone else and found mine.
First up: a paisley skirt redo.
I found a oddly attractive Polly bled elastic waisted skirt at the thrift store a while back. You know the type your aunts would wear in the summers high up on their real waists, billowing about hanging rite above the ankle? (And she always had a stash of tissues in that hidden pocket. )
Sorry no before photo's, I cut the entire waist off so I had a rectangle of fabric. In haste I tried to put some shape in it by lopping off fabric on either end, duh, all I got was another awkward skirt .
FINE, I'll measure & pin !
Added trim
The worst mirror photo ever but I couldn't find another way, darn antique mirrors. So I'm off , in my new skirt, to volunteer at a local block-party, hopefully looking more young mom than 80's aunt, verdict is still out.
I bought this old cheese mold last summer in hopes of using it to store root vegetables. As it turned out this was not a very good potato bucket. So it sat, like so many other items, in our basement, a treasure trove of cool old things. Well, it just got elevated to first floor status, as my knitting box. The overflowing basket of yarn & needles in the wardrobe was getting to be too much. So I made a quick cloth lining, organized all my yarn into one place and popped the top on. Now I can knit in my favorite chair and have a place to put my coffee.
ahhh, if only all projects could be this quick & satisfying.
This was a quick homemade holiday gift for my youngest son Oscar. I had some great polka dot polar fleece in my stash. I doubled the fabric & used a a shirt as a pattern. Accounting for a large head ( my kids noggin's are huge! ) I made a deep V on the front piece. Sewing the shoulder seams first & than the sides. I hemmed the neck line & the bottom to give it a finished look but stopped short of the arm holes. I love this vest & will make more as soon as this one is too small for this fast growing toddler.
This second child always is wearing hand me downs, so it feels great that this vest is all his.
finally, it's sooo close I can't wait to tuck Felix in under his big boy quilt. This was my first attempt to make a quilt, and without a lot of help I wouldn't have made it. I had all the fabric, some vintage bark-cloth with all it's nubby texture and a very large repeat which I didn't want to cut up. I added some wood grain fabric, some orange corduroy, hounds-tooth, vintage napkins, denim and some ikea fabric to give it a boost. I thought it would be a nice big boy quilt, to replace the one he received as a baby. I got some great design advice from Meg, Beth and others from our awesome craft group. And quilting help from the wonderful ladies at this shop ( a treasure!!) . So in the frenzy of pre-Christmas crafting I shoved this baby through my sewing machine but stopped short of adding the trim. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out, even with the wrinkles, warps and fudges, it's just like a mothers love rite? So now with a rainy weekend forecast, I'm hoping to finish it up while watching the Lion King again.
I wanted a new dress/shirt for the new year and since I didn't get anything from Anthropology for Christmas I was inspired to just make my own. At Target yesterday I saw this shirt dress ( pj's!) & grabbed it, vowing to figure it out as I went.
I looked in my stash & found I had a remnant of this amazing Japanese fabric. I cut a rectangle of fabric & cut it in half. Placed it on either side of the opening & turned under edges. I shaped the top angle, nearest the collar using iron, it's not very precise because I knew the collar would cover it. Top stitched around each piece. I wanted to soften the edges so I added this antique trim & top stitched it.
This is about as sassy as I get at 3 in the afternoon.
the pile in my studio of the finished & the unfinished gifts. my SIL's knitting tote, filled with 2 skeins of wool ( pink of course) & a simple tutorial from here. this was the last last last minute gift, I saw here & immediately ordered the supplies. I wrapped an embroidery hoop with extra batting trimmings ( from the next project) and wrapped more felt around it so it would be fatter. It worked well, without having to go to JoAnne's again. (sorry about the orientation ) This year for some reason I made my first quilt, for Felix, I'll have another post about the whole process later, with better photo's. A knitted penguin for Oscar, another one is on the needles for Felix. I saw the pattern here & had the perfect yarn. An easy pattern I would recomend to any amateur knitter ( like myself.) Quick little vest for Oscar in this cute polar fleece. Felix is getting some pj pants made from the same material. Couldn't help it. And a few totes for my other SIL's & in-laws, inspired by at the end of this row.
I didn't mean to make so much or to make myself crazy ( or my husband). And all in all I'm feeling very satisfied. Maybe it's because I won't be with my family for christmas, or maybe I'm trying to prove something but I hope all of this shows that I enjoy making functional art. And like everyone, we have no money to spend this year, so it was a good challenge. Most of the material & yarn was from my stash, yeahhhh! Most of the inspiration was from my com-padres here at home or online, and all was doable. Maybe after all of this Christmasing I'll get back into CCsking again with my extra time. or maybe not.
hope you & yours have a great holiday, I think it's time to make cookies!
so.....I seemed to have gone through the finding inspiration process pretty fast by the looks of it. But maybe I'm just loosening up. Here are some shots from the studio today. The thing I noticed today, that I still have objects that I collected in college ( 10 years ago) that inspire me. Hmm, stuck in the mud or just good taste?
Can you tell I'm into plaid? Felix, that lucky little boy & because he was sick, this year for Halloween 2 handmade costumes. The first was a detective, which lost favor once he saw another kid welding a weapon. Sooooo we compromised on this Wild Thing Costume. The hat ( a little small but who cares) was made from this pattern. I really like the way it came out, and he looked darling. And to show that I haven't been been neglecting myself I made a new scarf, made from recycled suit wool that came my way via Five Green Acres.
I'm feeling a little restless in my art/craft making these days. So as not to waste too much material & precious studio time I'm taking a craft hiatus. Every few years I need a break, once I realize that I'm making the same things over & over. Need a refresher on what inspires me. I've started to carry a sketchbook around with me instead of a knitting project. Looking at the world around waiting for inspiration may seem a little silly, but rite when you think your searching something like this appears. This video was taken before I even had kids, a quiet lunch in our little kitchen in the old house. I noticed this reflection on the wall and was mesmerized. ( don't mind the sound, it's just our community radio station. )
Onto number 2: Sewing I had a few goals set for this year, 1: to have a show of my paintings ( check) 2: to sew more clothes for my family. As luck would have it a friend asked me if I would be interested in attending a private fitting class with her a few weeks back. Taught by a stitch coach, Steffani. So literally the morning after my opening I packed up my sewing machine and headed over to my friends house for this unexpected class. It was amazing, three of us ( my mom came too) all had projects, and Steffani jumped rite in. Helping us fit clothes, make patterns, tips upon endless tips on how to sew garments that actually look good on your body. The second session was at my house this past weekend and was equally inspiring. It's like doors are becoming unlocked into the secrets of sewing. And the first key is to have someone measure you, here's a good form I found for you to jot the numbers down. Knowing your measurements is key to looking at patterns and adjusting them to properly fit you.
So in the que are boxer shorts for Mr. T and a shirt for me. Now back to it, I'm leaving the laundry & dishes rite where they are!
I'm in the home stretch for the show. The paintings are finished, but a few more up my sleeve so stay tuned! Here's most of the source material for the ball jar series. I am so excited, this is the first concrete series that I've done, from conception & sketches all the way to the gallery wall. I suppose that I could insert a part about my kids into that last sentence but this rite here is about me. I can finally say without a shrug of the shoulders that I'm an artist ( which used to mean, I have a degree in something that I can't make money at nor do I have the time or inspiration ) but now I can. sigh. so now that I can see the light at the end of this tunnel here's what I'm thinking about next.
Sewing some clothes. I reorganized the sewing area a little bit, I hope it's easier to use & clean up now. I need to spend more time with him, playing music. and get out of this cold & dirty basement and out into the sunshine. It's summer !
