December!

Calendar of the Month Club

Here we are at the final paper calendar of 2011!  Where did that year go!  We're in big holiday prep mode with two birthdays and Christmas around the corner.

I was working at my desk on Friday and wished I could just tilt back in my chair and snooze like this nutcracker.

November!

Calendar of the Month Club

It's so refreshing to see this vibrant November calendar on my desk.  At times, early November seems like the dreary weeks between the crisp colors of Fall and the excitement of the holiday season.  It's as if the little bird were shouting, "November!"

I've started brainstorming holiday gift ideas.  Hopefully I can keep it in check.  Yesterday I came home from the yarn store with a big bag of treasures and I can't wait to dive in.

Handmade handed down

Last week I organized my youngest daughter's dresser.  I pulled out all the 12 month clothes and replaced them with the 18 month hand me downs.  In the bin was the first Baby Surprise Jacket that I knit.  That was my big transition from knowing how to knit to being a person who knit things.  That yarn worked so well with the pattern and now C's been wearing it a few times a week.

I also found space in storage for the clothes my older kids outgrew over the summer.  My son was helping me sort and was very excited to find the doll carrier I had originally made for R.  He doesn't often play with dolls, but occasionally he'll stroll one around or want to have one to play with if that is what the girls are doing.

It's great to see both of these handmade treasures getting a little more use.

October!

Fall is here!

Calendar of the Month!

Quick baby shower knit

I was recently invited to a baby shower and decided at the last minute to make a little hand knit as a part of my gift to the new mom.

I found this free pattern (Sweetie Pie Kit) on the Pickles website.  I'm drawn to so many of their patterns and I am sure the very cute babies in their photos helps.

This little dress and hat use the fisherman's rib.  It took me quite a while to feel comfortable with this stitch pattern, but it produces a squishy final product with lots of stretch.

I found a new yarn for this project.  Plymouth Yarn Baby Boutique is microfiber and nylon.  It has a very soft texture, a little stretch, and is machine washable.  I think the new baby will be cozy this winter with this dress over a long sleeve shirt and leggings.

Dance bag!

 My daughter just started dance classes on Tuesday at a studio in our town.  I was thinking about how our week would go, what we'd need to have ready each day, and made a note that we'd have to find a bag to bring her tap and ballet shoes to class.

I was going to throw them in a tote bag we have, but then started thinking about how it would be nice if there were room for her street clothes to fit while she was in class.  And parents don't stick around during class, so I wanted something she'd notice as her own so that she'd find her stuff.  Of course, as I thought about how she's a first grader now, doing stuff on her own, I wanted it to be cute and have room to grow.  It didn't take long for me to pull down my Sew What! Bags book!

I used the City Satchel pattern and the measurements listed in the book.  The whole bag was made from fabric scraps.  The dark blue fabric is heavy and cut from a curtain we had used in an apartment a few years ago.  The dragonfly material was scavenged from an apron I'd been meaning to finish for about 4 years.  The pocket on the flap was really the apron pocket!  The lining of the bag was cut from a twin sheet my mom gave me for sewing projects.  I did purchase a zipper and some fusible interfacing.

I like having this bag book as a reference on my shelf and have used in in quite a few projects now.  It gives me just enough guidance to quickly create the bag I need, but it also gives a lot of room for creative touches. 

I spent a really long time figuring out this water bottle pocket with elastic. Too long, probably, but I did not want to let it go.

I created the bag with an adult length shoulder strap, but then tacked it down to size.  I hope she enjoys the bag enough that in a few years I can lengthen and re-tack as needed.

The bag pattern suggested pockets on the back of the bag and on the bag front under the flap.  I put a row of 3 pockets on the inside instead.  I also added a zipper pocket inside for any really important things.  Making little interior zipper pockets is a small bit of sewing magic.  (I used two links for guidance, zipper1 and zipper2.)

I am always excited to use this dot fabric.  The dots are spaced in rows that are an inch apart.  Cutting and sewing is a breeze when you can just pick a row of dots to follow! 

September!

Calendar of the Month Club!

It's September!  

The weather was beautiful this weekend, a little cooler, with just a bit of Fall in the air.  

We are shifting gears from the go,go,go of summer to the fresh start of cooler weather and a new school year.  

I have thrown away my summer RV and now have this shadow box that reminds me of scrap-booking, crafts, and the fun of projects!