Thankful

Today I am thankful for...

• Will, Ava, Eli, Kuma, Lola and the rest of our extended family of loved ones. You fill my days with love, excitement and meaning. I love you all so much.
• a long weekend - which means extra time to share as a family and for me to bake, sew, shower (leisurely), and maybe go on a mama outing sometime over the holiday.
• Skype, which brings the faces of our distant loved ones into our home on this special day.
• new, but surely becoming old, friends here in Minneapolis, who will welcome us into their family and around their table on this day of thanks and gathering.
• dear friends back in Ann Arbor and beyond, who remain close over distance and maintain a strong, rich presence in our lives.
• our daily family meals keeping us close, healthy and in tune with each other.
• Will's job. There are so many out there struggling. We are so fortunate to have enough right now. And even more so in that Will loves his job, is challenged and inspired by it. 
• synchronized nap times, during which I am able to spend precious moments devoted to my various projects. They keep my hands busy, my mind vibrant and my soul calm.
• this space, in which I am able to share, reflect and record our days.

At the dinner table last night we went around and each spoke at least one thing we are thankful for. Ava said, "I'll have to think about it." Then after a while she said, "pie. I am thankful for pie." Indeed.

I hope you have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Schoolhouse Tunic

Somewhere in the midst of sewing for other people I decided I should try to make something for myself. I saw the Schoolhouse Tunic on Meg McElwee's blog and thought, "yes, this is it." In truth, this was a LONG time ago. And one incarnation in the past, since this is actually my second attempt. My first Schoolhouse Tunic was a victim of fabric shopping online, which was pretty much my best option when we lived in Ann Arbor. This is one benefit of living in the Twin Cities - abundant choices of great fabric shops. Perhaps I will find a way to love Tunic #1 someday, and maybe then I will post a picture of it. But for now, I present what is really Schoolhouse Tunic #2. 

I am always so attracted to the prints when I go fabric shopping, but my wardrobe is made up entirely of solids. Really, not a single print to be found. One of the issues (among several) with Schoolhouse Tunic #1 is that it is just too drab.  I did not want to repeat that mistake, and really wanted to stretch myself and go for a print. I found this voile from Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi collection and, I must admit, it is such a departure from what I usually feel comfortable wearing. But like a new haircut, sometimes we just need to change it up. When 70% of your wardrobe consists of solid green this or that that you've been wearing since you were in college, it really is time to inject a bit of spice. I think this fits the bill. 

 The pattern is easy to follow and execute - even for a novice apparel sewer like myself. I'm certain I'll make another of these, perhaps once the busy holiday/birthday making season is through.  

And by the way...have you ever been on the modeling side of the camera? Awkward and embarrassing. Will has scolded me (lovingly) for chopping off my head in these photos, but the faces I am making are just too ridiculous to post on the internet. And given that our photo shoot abruptly ended when I heard baby Eli screaming from inside the house in a post-nap fury, this is what we've got to work with.

Here's to spicing things up and keeping life festive.

Halloween a la Beatrix

I've heard it said that children's obsessions are passing fads. New toys or ideas may be all the rage shortly before they are set aside; Picky little ones will eagerly gobble up apple sauce every meal for a week, then completely refuse it for a month (sound familiar, Eli?). And why not, I suppose, when there is so much in this world to explore? Who can blame them for throwing themselves so wholly into something as if to inhale every bit of it, learn as much as they can from it, then move on to another unknown (for there are so many when you are young - and more, even more as we grow). But some things last. Things that little ones (and big ones alike) hold onto dearly and for longer than thought possible.

I don't know if Ava's long term love of Beatrix Potter books speaks to her personality or the quality of the works themselves; probably both. But for one reason or another, Ava has been an avid reader of Potter's collection for over a year now. She knows the exact shelf upon which they reside at the library, and when we arrive she immediately veers off toward it murmuring something like, "maybe we can bring home a new Beatrix Potter book." 'New' meaning 'one we don't currently have at home', since we have read most of them. At some point we realized Ava wasn't just listening to these tales at story time but actually memorizing them word for word. It's impossible not to chuckle when I overhear her from the next room 'reading' to her dolls, "It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is soporific" or "Mr Drake Puddleduck advanced in a slow sidewise manner." Speak a word incorrectly - or worse, omit a sentence - and you will be corrected. 

Illustration by Beatrix Potter from The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Ava's appreciation for Beatrix Potter's books has piqued my own interest in the life of Ms Potter and, as such, I've been doing some of my own reading. Not one to usually read biographies, I must say I've really enjoyed being submersed in her world during short intervals while baby Eli is nursing. Interestingly, her books originated as picture letters she wrote to children, and these picture letters are currently on display at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York. A review of the show ran in the New York Times a couple weekends ago. Peter Rabbit was originally conceived as a picture letter to a boy who was ill and needed some cheering, and was based on the adventures of Potter's real beloved rabbit Peter Piper, whom she took with her everywhere she went. Also of note, Beatrix specifically requested that her books be small in size so that they would be easily handled by children, a feature Ava particularly appreciates.

Sorry for the blurry picture, but I couldn't resist this moment. This is not orchestrated.
I found her this way - and often do.

So it was with little hesitation that Ava decided we would all be characters from Beatrix Potter books for Halloween. For herself, Moppet.

Illustration by Beatrix Potter from The Tale of Tom Kitten
source: http://www.fiction.us/potter/tk/tk.htm

Whenever Ava said she was "Moppet" for Halloween people heard "a Muppet" and confusion ensued. I took to carrying around The Tale of Tom Kitten just to point out who exactly Ava was talking about because, you know, these things are important to particular little girls - and (let's be honest) their mamas too. Moppet is the grey kitten in the middle of the illustration above. 

I modified the cozy winter hood pattern from Liesl Gibson's Little Things to Sew to create Ava's Moppet hat (I blogged about the making of the hat in this post). I found her pinafore at Hunt & Gather, a vast antique store in our neighborhood that reminds me of several friends back in Ann Arbor who I know would absolutely flip over the place.

I drafted a pattern for the tail out of the same wool fabric used for the hat and stuffed it with wool batting. The grey sweater and leggings were items she already had in her wardrobe and were layered over various articles to make sure she was toasty warm without having to cover up her costume with a coat (a crime in my book).

The paw mittens were a last minute addition, both to keep her hands warm and to bring a bit more felinity to the whole ensemble. In the end I was so glad I finished them in time, as I think they really added to the costume. I used the mitten pattern from Little Things to Sew (the same I used for these) and added circle appliques to create the paws.

There was no confusion when Ava told people who Eli was for Halloween. I used the same pattern to create Eli's Peter Rabbit hat that I used for Ava's Moppet hat (it is also blogged about here). I created Eli's rabbit tail by lightly felting some wool stuffing into a ball and attaching it to his pants.

The piece de resistance of Eli's costume was his jacket, which had to be just the right shade of blue and "with brass buttons, quite new." I used the Out on the Town Jacket pattern from Sewing for Boys, which produced such a lovely, well made piece of outerwear that it would be a shame if he only wore it during Halloween week.

I was lucky to find the perfect fabric for the jacket while checking out a new (to me) sewing store in the area. I used a fine light blue corduroy and lined it with a blue and brown plaid. I searched through a huge bowl of vintage buttons in the store and found this mismatched set. Really, it couldn't have turned out more perfect.

The booties were knit by Mimi (for Ava when she was itty bitty). I intended to sew up some slippers for Eli since they, too, play an important role in the story. It didn't happen. So let's just say this little Peter Rabbit had already lost his slippers in Mr McGregor's garden.

Happy Halloween!

May your day be festive, safe and full of treats!

Through the Patch

Time and again I am reminded of how powerful traditions are in shaping our lives; and ever more so when your family includes small children. For these beings, who do not yet register the meaning of "October 24th", for whom a single calendar year may span a lifetime, seasons, holidays, and traditions literally provide the framework for the year, for their lives. They exist in a magical state in which every morning awakes with wonder of "what adventures will today bring"? 

In her lifetime, Ava has been to the pumpkin patch twice before. But this year she has a new recognition, an understanding, of what we do there and what it signifies. These traditions are markers not just for the little ones, but for us parents too as we think back to previous years and consider how much our little loved ones are blossoming, filling in their skin and becoming with every day more of who they are. So many pumpkins in a patch, each one unique. I observed the other families who were at the patch with our same intentions this past weekend. The air was surprisingly warm, the sky hazy and bright. Their cameras, too, clicked away trying to capture this moment. Because we adults are so familiar with time and how it passes. How it accelerates.

Even this sweater, knit when baby Eli was in my belly and I could only wonder about him, this sweater that seemed so enormous when I finished it - as if he'd never grow big enough to wear it. This sweater is another physical marker of the passage of time. One that he will too soon outgrow and leave limp and neatly folded in the back of the closet as he moves on, stretching further and further.

We snap a picture and freeze a moment. A moment so brief it was over just as soon as it began. And we hold on to that image, a reminder of a time that will never be again - for these little ones are already bigger than they were two minutes ago. And, yes, so are we; though the change in us is so much less perceptible. 

Somehow bringing home a trunkful of orange and green orbs makes it feel official. With Halloween a week away we have entered this glorious time of year so filled with celebration. The decorations go up and stay up, rotating as the months turn through to the final days of the cold season. The pace of making speeds unrelenting, with ideas for projects, gifts, crafts, decorations churning in my head. Oh, how I love this time of year and these traditions that give us the sense that, yes, we have been here before; though everything, really, is different.  I wish you happy and productive days leading up to Halloween. And remind myself (and perhaps you as well) to savor these very special days ahead.

KCWC Finale - Mittens

After my little battle with Eli's knit shirt, I thought it might be wise to restore my sewing ego and close out KCWC with something quick and easy. These Oliver + S mittens from Little Things to Sew were just the project I was ready to take on.

They are made of thick fleece that I think will work well to keep those little fingers warm in the cold months ahead. Ava has her heavy duty, zipper up to the elbow, gortex mega-gloves all ready to go for the Minnesota winter (hey, we'll actually have winter - and snow - this year, right?), but I wanted these to keep her paws toasty in those in-between days when fall is still transitioning to the crisp frostiness of deep winter.

If you couldn't already tell by her head-to-toe suit of monochrome, Ava is a big fan of the color purple. She has informed me that this year her winter coat will be "dark purple" - note to self: find a purple coat stat. So when she saw these mittens she immediately insisted that her hands were cold (despite the fact that it's hovering around 60 degrees outside right now) and that she needed to wear them right away.

While this was, just as I was hoping, a quick and easy project, it was not without it's hitches. In my KCWC induced sewing furor I insisted on sewing the elastic casings on when I was a tad delirious (our boy has decided that he enjoys nursing every other hour throughout the night) and misinterpreted what was up and what was down. So the elastic is a bit lower than it should be. After mentally agonizing over this for a night I figured I'd just finish this pair - and if they fall off too easily perhaps I will make another after our household has recuperated from KCWC (it seems when mama spends all her free time sewing, things like folding laundry and recycling newspapers fall by the wayside - and accumulate fast).

It's been a fun, busy week (and a half - yes, I know it's already Wednesday). I have enjoyed and been so inspired by the ever growing KCWC flickr pool. And I am left brimming with future project ideas dancing in my head. Now, a little breather and some tidying around the abode...

KCWC Days 4 - 6 - My First Knit Shirt (aka my little disaster)

I've been wanting to try sewing with knits for a while now, but I'd been scared away from trying by others' recounted fear and warnings of how challenging it can be. I am not usually one to engage in any formal instruction when trying something new, preferring instead to jump right in and learn as I go. So once I'd heard from enough people that sewing with knits is "no big deal", I mustered up enough courage and (equipped with the vast resource that is the internet and all of the helpful, lovely tips that you crafty bloggers offer out to the cloud) set out to repurpose some of my old t-shirts that were in the donate pile. My goal: to make a long sleeve t-shirt for Eli.

Sometimes these first endeavors result in miraculously beautiful results, like with my first quilting project. Other times, however, the results are not so glamorous. As you can guess from the title of this post, this one fell into the latter category. Ok, calling this a disaster is a bit of a misnomer because it fails to acknowledge all that I learned in making this shirt; but I will get to that in a moment.

the 'right' side of the shirt - the pattern calls for exposed seams, which look kind of cool and are extra comfy for baby

When I first showed the shirt to Will he looked at me with a confused look that said, "you call this a disaster?" Ah, but "look closer", I said. The first problem was that my machine refused to feed the fabric without bunching and gobbling it up. When I tried to rip out the horribly puckered and distorted seam I tore a hole in the fabric. At this point I lost my cool, even patience that we mamas cultivate and learn to invoke when our toddlers begin their screaming, flailing fits, and the cursing began. Just as I was about to throw in the towel I had the idea to try my walking foot. Apparently it is fairly common knowledge that a walking foot can be helpful when sewing with knits - perhaps if I had done a bit more research I would have tried it earlier. In any case, this made all the difference for me and suddenly I was sewing knit seams like a dream.

With this issue solved it seemed the shirt could have been salvaged; however I had complicated things further by trying to modify the pattern I was using. Originally I wanted to make the raglan tee from Sewing For Boys, but despite what it says in the instructions the pattern does not go down to 12-18 months. Somewhere in the blogosphere I had seen someone modify the "R" is for Romper pattern from the same book into a simple t-shirt, so I figured I could do this too. Here's what I learned - when trying something new (if you want to succeed) don't unnecessarily complicate things. Take on one new challenge at a time - either try sewing with knits or try modifying a pattern, but not both. Ultimately the neckline turned out wonky because the romper calls for two snap panels, which I chose not to include. This resulted in two strange seams along the collar band and a neck opening that is about an inch too wide. In addition, the lengths of the arms and body of the shirt are arbitrary since the romper pattern had neither long sleeves nor a hemline at the waist - they may turn out to be just fine, but I won't know until the boy grows big enough to try this thing on.

the ' wrong side of the shirt, which in this case looks a bit neater, I think

So Eli may not be wearing this shirt to the ball anytime soon. But no, it is not a complete disaster because:

• though it may not be so pretty, I made my first knit shirt!
• I learned that for sewing knits on my machine, the walking foot is the key to success
• the fabric was from repurposed old shirts - no loss there
• I now feel more confident that with the right patterns I can produce some knit cuteness - yes, I can!

I'll keep you posted when I try for redemption. I'm thinking I'll attempt Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee next. If anyone has tips on where to find cute knit fabric, I'm all ears - it seems to be hard to come by.