My Spring Things

Just a few of the things I managed the last few months...purse for neice...slippers for mom...yarn/fabric dying with T...and the "Heart Love Blocks" from the ends of the dining room shelving we built (D and I). I know mom wears the slippers, as I see them laying around her house in various spots, and the blocks have provided hours of entertainment with T & G. And I'm pretty sure said neice (A) also enjoys the green scarf T and I dyed and gifted her in honor of learning to knit with me.

T is for...

T is for Take a moment

This boy is 4.

Space Party and Skateboard.

We made paper mache planets! (This post is a wee bit late...like more than 6 weeks)

TGA

My favorites

Stolen moments

Modelling their summer 'cadet caps'. T, G, and A all got one...but the only one who actually likes theirs is T.

I went a little Valentines ape this year...I wish I took more pictures....I made over 40 felt hearts and had most of them hanging from our front yard crab apple tree. People would drive by and honk and wave when we were playing outside. "the love house". I hope we warmed up the winter a bit for all our neighbors...we'll see you when the snow melts!
Previously mentioned "adult sized sweater" that my man is grudgingly posing in. He loves it, wears it often, but was not pumped I made him pose mid cooking.
Oh there are so many other things I've made that I give away before taking a picture...I wish I could at least document my projects so at the end of a long week that feels totally stolen from me I can remember that I really do have a chance to enjoy my hobbies amidst it all. I asked my little lady the other day what she wanted to do while we had the house to ourselves and she said, "You do your 'Ninning' on the couch and I read a book to my baaaby". She gets it. We all need our down time. And now "A" is waking from his much needed nap that was a little too short...

adding an "A" to the mix

and so, the one handed typing in the house we moved into 8 months ago today...with baby #3 in my crooked arm...its been a ride! i have posted little but produced a lot (aside from a little baby boy)! i think i have mastered many knitting basics since my last post, as I have made my beloved sister and husband each their own adult sized cozy sweaters and just when baby fever hit, I found a few great patterns to help quench my desire for tiny things....and upon knitting my first pair of baby pants, halfway through, i discovered i was yet again pregnant! i have moved from sewing to knitting. it has powers. (its also way more portable with little ones and sprawls itself out less across the table)

i wish i was better at getting the camera coordinated to document some visuals.

Autumns slow approach

I see this page almost daily and have been feeling very guilty at my lack of posting...mostly for my own self...I've delved into a lot of creative endeavors the last several months and we see nothing here! Shame.

Well I finally gutsed up and tried a hat for G again this week after a very helpful tea session with a friend. The hat is a wee bit shallow...and has a giant hole on top that I imagine I will top with a flower of some sort. I will have to learn how to crochet a flower now, I suppose. I guess that's what happens when you make up a pattern for your first project.

Well...G is calling...T is sleeping in a stink. I've at least posted something and will try to work on my shame.

Heart Up

Thank you DMS

Soft Heart Warmer

Today a friend came...and he inspired. 

After he left, little busy boy and I put our hands together to let our friend know how we felt...

Thank you friend. You have a gift coming your way. 

I dream of daffodils

Googlie eyes, lids and markers keep little hands busy...until a threaded needle shows up!

One of this weeks scores was a set of red gingham cafe curtains...I've been dreaming of daffodils...I put the two of them together this morning while my son sat on my lap threading a needle through button holes...he did poke himself several times...but then again so did I. We both shrieked "Ow! That hurts!" and continued about our business. He may turn out to be the youngest man to sew a button because in fact he isn't even 2 for 6 more weeks! I'm such a proud Mimi.

Miscellaneous Treasures

This is just the most blissful flour sack I can imagine. "Happy Girl Enriched Flour". Perfect.

Grandma's Report Card from 1937...I just phoned her to tell her I found it and she proceded to tell me the most interesting story after I told her she did well in grade 3. Apparently (as she was the oldest of 14 she was only able to go to school up to grade 7) she worked as a housemaid for a doctor who coincidently delivered her and her siblings, as well as her children. This doctors son often asked her for help with school work and the doctor offered to send her to high school....but she declined because she had already been dating Grandpa for a few years and marriage was inevitable.  Her words...."Life is more important than education". And here we all are. Thank you Grandma.
A few random treasures I liked...the TINY tin, magnifying glass, and doily are my favorite.
I could go on...but I think you'll get bored of looking at my piles of fabric...I did get about 2 dozen hand embroidered vintage pillowcases though. Beautiful. Keep you all posted on what becomes of all this.

THREAD part 3

These were fun...and again...more were taken...but the table was shaking :) 

THREAD part 2

Okay...new tin BEFORE organization (I can't wait to do something with the bowtie)

Mid organization of 'The Pile'
Grandma's knitting (I'm assuming) Great Grandma's Crocheting and a cross cut of wood...with a picture glued on and brown yarn wrapped around. Interesting. I love the mini-cable swatch. I now have teeny tiny double pointed knitting needles that are asking me to learn to make something teeny tiny like baby socks...or something
I love wooden spools. Grandma didn't throw ANYTHING away. These spools have the shortest strands layered on.

THREAD Part 1

REALLY looking forward to my blogging tutorial from my dear ANM...I never remember how to get pictures to load in the order I want and so here we have my newly organized and finished tin of embroidery thread...

And here we have my OLD basket of embroidery thread...or what was left of it after my last few projects...

BUTTONS

Okay...so before Grandma...this was my button collection...well what was left of it. 

And here is the aformentioned box wrapped in my daughters blanket
I pulled all sorts of goodies out of this box...and tried to color coordinate my new button collection, but not all colors came out clearly due to my son being far too excited to keep the table still enough.

So there you have my "BUTTONS" post

Grandmother Load

I am pretty sure Grandma was thrilled to see her drawers and closets close easier and know that all those precious threads were going to have another chance to live. I have just spent the morning sorting embroidery thread and buttons. When the process of sorting is finished in its entirety I will post my picture collection....which I have greatly enjoyed compiling...but I may not get it on here today...hopefully by the end of tomorrow this pile will be sorted and captured and planned. 

MORE TO COME......(pictures mostly)

ps-greatest find this morning...Grandmas grade 3 report card from 1937. 

Grandma Mary

Oh goodness gracious I can hardly contain my excitement...and yet I have to. Children woke from afternoon naps and I whisked us all away to Grandma's on the bus. Oh I love public transit and my children are happy to oblige me. Hours later, and much to my husbands chagrin, I filled 2 garbage bags and he humored me by loading them and the stroller into our tiny car...plus the 4 of us after a delicious grandma style dinner (boiled garden beans, carrots, and potatoes, fried chicken and the infamous cheese whiz gravy...oh and plum pie and coffee). 

I can hardly wait to take an organizational rampage on these goodies (still in said trunk)...my favorite steals that are on the tip of my brain:

-a giant vintage cookie tin brimming with embroidery thread

-a great woven basket with yarn and string and metal double pointed knitting needles (now I have to learn to make socks)

-a shoebox from well before my time, missing its lid, and bursting with buttons (which I wrapped very strategically in my daughters sleeping blanket and put in my bag)

-and a great stack of mismatched vintage embroidered pillowcases

I am sensing a great explosion will happen tomorrow as soon as my husband leaves for work. I am sure the children will participate. Photo's WILL be posted.

Tweed

Okay...snagged my handiwork off ANM's site...(Thank you). I'm particularly pleased with my tweed and one day may think of moving beyond a pillow! (oh, and A...I particularly loved how you said you would never let the cats touch it...and then they love all over it. I'm glad...I think it's nearly indestructable anyways :))

Visual Thoughts

Okay, so finally plugged the camera in. First image here is the epi pen pouch I made for my niece who is too hip to wear a new kids on the block fanny pack. 

This here is Vala's dog bed. Save the laundry! Momo really enjoyed participating in the photo shoot as his usual companion likes to steal most of the attention.
This is a leather wrist cuff I made my husband for no reason at all. Just wanted to give him a 'your wonderful' gift. 
Here we have a random smattering of gift tags ... sorry the image isn't superb. 
I'm gonna try my brillance at getting an image of my handmade tweed pillow off a friends blog so I can show you that also. Otherwise...well...that's that.

No pictures yet...wandering textile mind

So I realized since the camera was MIA for the salon opening I didn't take many pictures of my latest works...and now that I have I can't gather the coordination to get them on my computer.

I have been enjoying making my 'own fabric'. I recently finished weaving a great strip of tweed....that in fact I didn't even photograph. I just turned it into a delightful love filled pillow for our dear double date Valentine company...and I quote, "it's like an heirloom". I'm thoroughly enjoying exploring more methods of fabricating my ideas. 

I've also made a special someone a pouch to carry their epi pen. Play safe and look good, right? Layers of swirly freehand stitches on pink jersey to make a one of a kind fabric. I'll post pictures later. 

Dog bed in bright red faux suede..."momo" enjoyed the photo shoot...pictures to come.

Custom order of gift tags for a friendly jewelery designer I know...pictures to come.

And this week I am going to raid Grandma's closets...the date is set. Can't wait. Here I come Wednesday!

My husband is getting nervous about my passion for collecting. My cupboards are starting to overflow. How to free up your space and fill someone elses: Make a great pillow cover and stuff it with unwanted goods, stitch it up and give it away! 

My posts have no flow. Oh, the delicate balance of getting the dishes done, entertaining a toddler on your lap as you sew, grasping at a social life, and making dinner. 

Next project: completing the ones I've started. Moses Bed in Red, Gift Tags, more pillows commissioned? 

I like to move it move it

I thank my husband. He makes me move it. I have made more goods. Yay! I have yet to finish my baby bed and yet to post the slings...but it'll happen soon enough. I made some vintage floral patchwork oven mitts and a leather clutch. I also introduced the dear one year old to my bag of zippers. Oh my. "zip...zipped...I did it...again...zip....zipped....I did it...help...zip...zipped....I did it!"

Today I woke up and thought of leather. I thought of pussy willows and out it came! I included a picture of the little sketch I made as the idea started unfolding. Funny how it never turns out the same. Life of its own. Just posted it on my Etsy shop and can't wait to send it out the door. 

I've realized as nice as it is to hold on to the things you make...sometimes it's nice to know others have an appreciation for your work too.