Showing posts with label Sewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sewing. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sew boutiquey!
Things that made me smile.....
- finishing this outfit
- an unbelievably relaxing morning
- sticking to my guns
- a picnic dinner with the kids
- reading Winnie The Pooh as a bedtime story.
This week is really turning out to be great. Yes, I had a bit of a meltdown yesterday, and yes I was not nice, but I know most other mothers have been there too. The kids have a way of .......well you know......driving us crazy. I sat down with both of them, and we tried to reach an agreement, however it did not last long. Today they got in trouble again. I am just taking their privileges away day by day. Today we did not go to a playmate, and tomorrow there will be no tv. The kids have to learn to respect this house, this family and my stuff.
Other then that, I am making sure that no matter what I sew each day. I am having a blast. I really wanted to sew and not clean, and I am doing it. Of course, the plan was that I spent the afternoons with the kids and clean the house at the same time, but ....haha...there has not been very much cleaning going on. Oh well....I will take a day and make sure I get the house clean sometime this week. So tada.....I finished the pants this morning....and now this beauty is finished. I plan on selling it in my shop, and will list it first thing tomorrow morning. It is a size 3T. I love the colors. It is perfect for a spring/summer outfit. Everything is made out of 100% cotton, and the fabric I used for the pants is a crinkly white poly/cotton blend. It is great for pants. It never wrinkles. Perfect for the summer weather.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Ottobre Pear Shorts
I have had this denim for ages. I was always waiting for him to reach the great age where I hear the words "these are so cool"! Yup, this washed out, bleached out, denim is cool, and he loves it. So I tried the new short patterns from the 3/10 Ottobre issue. I did not put a knit waistband on the pants. I just made my own pattern. I did not think the knit would hold up the pants, so I cut a waistband out of the same material and attached it. Then I added elastic to make the pants fit. They are a tad long for my taste, but at least I know his knees (and believe me they are always bruised at this age) will be protected. I am not too fond of the high hem, but next time I know better and will do it differently.
BTW, someone asked about what Photoshop version I used. I am currently using CS4, however CS5 is due to come out shortly, and I will most likely upgrade.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Way too many things going on here....
Oh the sweetness of summer. The kids never get enough watermelon. The bigger the slice the happier the faces.
This week is going to be a wild one for me. Today I sat at the Honda dealership for two hours waiting to get the car fixed. A pure pleasure. However, it does always give me the time to read, and since they have a huge 50" Flat screen TV, I was also updated on the news. Most of it seemed shocking to me. However, yes I did spend an hour reading a great book. Really great info regarding photographing children, and some beautiful photos to see. I am thoroughly enjoying this read.
Once that was done, I swung by Joann's to pick up some fabric that I needed. Well, actually I bought some more of that blue and white print to make a top for my niece. Her birthday is coming soon, so I wanted to make her some cute outfits. In the process I found this.
Did you know that JA carries Ralph Lauren Home Decorating fabrics? This is the perfect denim weight, and it does not wrinkle, so I cannot wait to make a pair of pants out of this or maybe a skirt for Olivia.
I needed white denim for my nieces outfit, and found this lovely flower fabric. Combined with my orange and white polka dot fabric, this will be cute.
If there is one meal I skip each day it is lunch. Why? Because I can never think of anything good to eat. This book was $5 at checkout. Marked down, and the recipes look delicious.
So tomorrow I am babysitting the two girls on the photo I posted yesterday. I am either going to take them to the bookstore, or I will take a bikeride with both of them. Whatever we do, it will be fun. In the meantime, my friend will get to spend the morning with her son, and maybe get an hour to herself (much needed). Just like me, her husband is off working in another state, and unlike me her daughter only goes to daycare twice a week. So she has her hands full. Thursday I have another appointment. Friday I have a field trip with my son's school. Busy, busy, busy. However Saturday...if everything goes well, we will head to the beach and have a FUN day.
Oh, I almost forgot. I finished these pants tonight. Another fabric from JA that I bought last year. However, I saw it again today. I used the same japanese pants pattern that I used here (http://kinderkouture.blogspot.com/2010/04/ottobre-and-japanese-pants.html). Perfect fit, and I love the length. I think it is time for a haircut. I just don't like the long hair on her.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Ottobre and Japanese Pants
- sleeping a lot longer then I should
- it is raining outside, thank goodness
- finishing up the above outfit
- a fantastic fitting pant pattern for toddlers
- a great dinner
- cupcakes for desert.
It's raining outside, and I am loving it. It has been almost six weeks since we have last seen the rain. It's been promised, but nothing ever came. The yard, the flowers, and my car needed a cleansing. The pollen needed to disappear. For the first time, Nicolas woke up not coughing. What a relief. I also love the fact that we are forced to stay home. I have been so tired, and all day I finally had an excuse to say "No, honey we can't go bike riding" or "No honey, no beach today". LOL. I was able to lounge in a pair of pants, no make-up, and just do little things without having to get into the car and drive. What a relief. I needed it.
So, this is the finished outfit. I love it. I introduced the shirt here (http://kinderkouture.blogspot.com/2010/04/feeling-blue.html) and decided to try a japanese pattern for the pants. I finally can use their smallest size, and oh it was a perfect fit. I love this pattern. I had enough room for a large waistband, no gaping, and the length was perfect. This is a size 80.
I used a stretch denim that I bought somewhere for myself. I decided to applique a large flower (actually three of them) on top of the pants with a button in the middle. As you can see it is a perfect fit. The picture on the top left is cover of the japanese sewing book I used. I will have to check what other patterns we could make from this lovely book.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
An old Ottobre favorite.
Things that made me smile today.....
- sticking to my promise of walking twice a week, even though my body did not want to move this morning.
- spending an hour talking to a good friend
- a great dinner
- beautiful pictures by changing my lens
- looking and admiring an old sewing project that now fits my daughter
- a fresh tomato basil spagetti for dinner
I wanted to accomplish so much today, but an all-day headache and a stomach upset kept me from doing much of anything. To top it off, the kids were fighting, crazy and so getting to me tonight. So without further ado, I will just post a few pictures of an earlier Ottobre project that I made for my niece last year. It is a bit big for Olivia, but it works, and is so cute.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A moi-yo-ich day
Wondering what a moi-yo-ich day is? It's a me day. A well-deserved day all to myself. No cleaning, no washing, no gardening, no errands. Hard but doable. I seriously had my doubts that I would get a sewing day, and I did not sit down until 11pm. I almost did not sit down at all, because the kids are having a terrible time with their sinuses, and Nicolas' teacher emailed me that Nicolas was coughing in class a lot. So I called the doctor, and according to her, I had done everything right, and there was no other medicine I could give him. So I left him in school, coughing, but ok.
So what did I sew? Take a guess. LOL. Sorry for bad angle on this picture, but he would not take them off. He does have a cute butt though. LOL. The green fabric is a really nice soft jersey, and the moment he put them on, he just loved them. These are the Ottobre 4/04 Boys Boxer shorts. They along with another pair I tried to finish today are going to be his summer pi's. I also tried to paint a stencil on a t-shirt. It was hard, and although it did not turn out anything like I wanted, the important thing is that he loves it.
No I am not an artist, and that is quite obvious. I used a stencil that I got from the internet, copied it to wax paper, and then painted. It looks a lot easier then it is. I will have to do some research before I do this again. I bought the T-shirt at Target.
Yup - DESSERT - YUM. The kids never say no to this.
I had a peaceful day today. I did not worry about things that needed to get done, or how dirty my floors are, I just sat back and let my machine purr while I created a smile for me and my son. Tomorrow I will have to play catch-up, but that is ok.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
A little something for Olivia
First of all, I added a binding on top of the shirt that was too heavy, so it sticks out from her body. I should have made the binding smaller giving it less weight. The same is true for the straps. Smaller bikini straps would have been nicer on this top.
Secondly, the fabric wrinkles like crazy. I have had this problem before with Westminster fabrics, so I tend to stay away from them if I can. However, knowing this, I should have stuck to a pattern that has a lining. That is what I get for wanting to do something quick and easy. When you have not sewn for awhile, you tend to forget the most basic of principles. Oh well, she will wear this top. I love the colors and it is such a fun top.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentines Day
What is not making me smile today? It's Valentine's Day, and laughing with my hubby, kissing my little ones, eating ice cream, and watching Enchanted made the day all so much more lovely then I could have ever expected. Oh, and don't let me forget my Valentines gift from the kids. A red velvet box, with tons of little love notes inside which read XOXOXO, I love you on red hearts. What a lucky gal I am. ♡♡♡♡
BTW, my friend took this picture of Nicolas holding the candy. Seeing that it represents my favorite little fingers, and my favorite candy, oh well I just had to show it.
Now to my third and last surprise of Sewing... Introducing the Ottobre Puolukkapuuro Corduory Pants. Now say that three times in a row. ☺☺☺ I love, love, love these pants. I took everyone's advice from the Ottobre group and basically cut out a size 74, lengthened to a size 86, then measured again and added another 2 inches. Perfect fit. In every way. I cannot wait to make another pair. I was so excited when she put them on and even the width of the legs did not seem so bad. I will take pictures of Olivia as soon as I can, but at the moment, she is terribly unhappy. She has hives all over her little body, and I am so happy that tomorrow is Monday, and I can call the doctor. I seriously have no idea what this is and it scares me. She is obviously having an allergic reaction, and I have tried giving her Claritin, Zyrtec and now Benadryl, but she keeps itching her skin. Oh well, just have to through one more night. Back to the pants. The pockets are on the back of the pants, and I decided to add this foe around the pocket to give it a little more pizazz. Too cute.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
A few of my favorite (RED) things.....
Things that made me happy today......
- finishing my housework before noon.
- laying out a plan, gathering fabrics, notions, patterns to sew again
- sending pictures to hubby and making him smile.
- baking banana bread
- my MAC (what a great computer)!
- my camera (having this much fun with something should cost a lot more LOL)
- listening to Colbie Caillat
One of the great things about traveling around the world so much is that - besides getting to know people of lots of different nationalities - you get to experience their culture. It is not like going on a vacation, and seeing a bunch of tourist traps, but actually getting to know their traditions, their values and how they eat and live. That is definitely the best part of military life, and if you ever get a chance to go overseas then I say TAKE IT! I enjoyed living in Turkey for two years. We were not required to live on base with the other americans, and we chose not to live in the "alley" where the rest of them lived. Instead we chose a spot next to a man-made lake, and when you looked out of the windows of our house you could see the mountains on a clear day. There were a few american teachers, germans, and turkish people living in our area, so we were able to make friends with a wide variety of people. The first house in our gated community (I know that sounds fancy, but all we had was dirt roads) belonged to our Landlord. His entire family lived in the community and together they took care of the business. Honestly we could not have asked for a better friendship then the one we had with them. They drove me everywhere, fed us on a regular basis (and I just love dolma) and whenever we needed someone to take care of our house, our pets, our car, they were always there for us. We were invited to all of their parties, their boatrides and it was just great fun. I will never forget those two years, because I enjoyed them thoroughly. Most importantly I gained a lot of friends, and respect for the daily struggles they deal with in Turkey. I think hubby would agree, that they are the most genuine nationality we have ever met.
Anyways, the Turkish were equally as crafted of a nation, as they were friendly. They make wonderful wooden carved chairs and tables, bedframes, and gorgeous handsewn clothing. They are also known for fabrics (Vakko) and beautiful handmade carpets. I was always busy when I lived in Turkey. There were always so many things to see (and buy LOL). A lot of my furniture was made there. I would collect ideas hand it to someone to recreate. This included my sewing room, which started off as an idea, and was then built by hand. The above picture is one of my favorite sets of dinnerware. Yes, they have lovely porcelain and glassware. I bought it in Turkey. I sold one of my Wedgewood sets to pay for this one. I love it, and use it often for decoration. The dishes must be washed by hand, so needless to say, I don't like to use it except on Holidays.
Other then that, I cleaned up the house today, and quickly left myself an hour to think about my next sewing project. Honestly, I hate sewing in the wintertime. I don't only want to sew with knits. I want to make beautiful things out of corduroy, wool and other fabrics. However I always find myself clueless when it comes to the little ones. That is why I went looking for inspiration yesterday. The last set of ideas I posted were from a Spanish chain store called Zara. If you have ever been to one, well let's just say your jaw drops when you walk through the door. Not because the stores are so ultimately fancy, but because of their merchandising, the prices, and how lovely they put their ensembles together. They give you options for every color. The prices are incredibly reasonable, and the quality is definitely well worth the price. I have bought several items there, and I still have them (5 or 6 years later). Did I mention fashionable? Very. I believe the first store opened in NYC not too long ago, so if you ever get there take a look. I loved their children's clothes - especially the picture of the little girl with cuffed shorts, tights and the fur vest. So Ralph Laurenish!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Smiley Face
Things that made me smile today.....
- a hot bottle warmer at my feet
- my goose down comforter
- the above picture
- Starbucks Chai Latte
"Good Morning Mom!" Nicolas said, and pointed to his creative moment. I laughed, while struggling with my next project. Never in all the time I have been sewing, would I think to make a smiley face out of my pins. LOL. He is a creative one my boy.
Ottobre Pants - 3/2003 - Size 74 - #9
Everytime I make a pair of pants from Ottobre, especially in the wintertime, I always encounter the same problems. First of all, the fit of the front crotch. It is huge. Probably made to fit a baby with diapers. I end up with this enormous amount of fabric in the front crotch, and not enough in the back. Second of all, the length. They are too short for what I had in mind. I lined these gorgeous pants with a jersey knit so she would remain warm in the winter. I purposely traced a size 86 in length in the hopes she could have cuffs on the bottom. Nope, the length is perfect with a pair of shoes on.
Then to make matters worse, I put in the elastic this morning (using the Ottobre method) and it had stretched out way too much. She is 19in. in the waist. I cut off three inches, and it was just too big. So I sat myself down, and planned on ripping out all of my stitches, when it occurred to me that I could possibly draw a smaller piece of elastic through, and make them fit. Great shortcut, however trying to pull elastic through such thick corduroy really took a toll on my hands and fingers. I intend to use this pattern again, and make notes with every pattern change in the hopes that this does not happen again to me. I love the width of the them, but not the width of the hips. I cannot wait for her to grow a bit, so I can use some different patterns.
Olivia - Part 2#
Sometimes life has a way of turning out just right. First of all thank you Sandra for the good advice. I will try to emphasize more of the positive things that I see Olivia doing in the hopes that she changes or understands.
Last night, shortly after turning off my light, I heard her little footsteps coming down the hallway. My room was very dark, so I could not see her enter. I waited for her to say something, as I heard her breathing. She finally said "Mommy?" Since her nightly visits are becoming quite regular, I thought it best to ignore her. However, she did not go. She just stood there, quietly. Once more I heard "Mommy?". No longer able to ignore her, I turned to her and said "Olivia, please go back to bed". She turned quietly and walked back to her room. Thinking to myself how easy that was, I began to close my eyes, but I suddenly heard her crying through the baby monitor. I waited, and waited in the hopes that she would stop. I finally got out of bed and stumbled into her room, and sat down next to her bed. I quietly whispered in her ear "I love you!" Her crying stopped. I turned to walk out of her room, and she started crying again. Too tired to think, I picked her up and brought her back into my bed. Yes, I know. That was definitely the wrong thing to do, but under these circumstances, I just cannot find the strength at this time of the day. I asked her if she was comfortable, and she turned around and said "Yes mommy. I don't want another mommy, I want you mommy!" I smiled as she held my hand and fell asleep.
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