visit

Tracy is here for the weekend visiting. We are having so much fun! Too much fun to take pictures apparently, but we've been doing this:

**shopping here - and getting dirty looks because I brought along my kids and apparently it's totally not cool to have kids. Unless you're a "family unit" as one guy welcomed us as, by which I mean two chicks. In love. Raising kids. Which we're not. Personally, I was really looking forward to checking out the fun shopping in Berkeley, but I think once was enough. Luckily it wasn't ride-your-bike-naked day.

** Shopping here is ALWAYS the best. Lucky me dropped the kids off with daddy at work to take home and could hang out with just my friend! Love that. We had Indian food for dinner - a first for me. Not too bad. I picked up the Denise Schmidt Quilts book and am looking forward to trying something from it.

** These guys have the best Chocolate Fondant Cake with chocolate ice cream. Their hot chocolate is tasty too.

**It's snowing in Utah (where Tracy is visiting from). Blizzard. We sat on the beach in Santa Cruz on Saturday. It was fabulous.

**You MUST go to Icing on the Cake if you're ever in Los Gatos. You must.

**Church. Church is great. We love church.

**Angels Camp for dinner with the fam.

It's so great having Tracy here. I miss my best friend. I love that she comes out to visit and I wish we lived closer! Like she said this weekend, "It's so nice to not have to explain anything to each other". We know each others families and histories. We've been friends for nearly two decades --wow!-- how old does that make me feel!!

It's hard to find good friends and I'm grateful that she's the best!

in memory of

Maybe you heard about the 4 cops in Oakland that were shot and killed on Saturday. One of them was my neighbor. He left behind:

Wife.

3 Kids.

Tragic.

Just doing his job. Protecting us. My heart has been breaking for their family all week long.

more

Dog: Scroll down and find here.
Cupcake: I just drew this. It's a little lopsided.
Fish: saw in a Boden magazine last year. They always have great ideas to use.

2 down

I finished these two outfits this past weekend. Anna wore the green one on St. Patricks Day. I didn't plan it that way, but it just worked out. Very festive.

I love LOVE the Oliver +S 2+2 pattern. Worth the purchase for sure. I made a long sleeved shirt for Anna for Christmas and here is the short-sleeved version. It's a really fun pattern to sew because it's a total surprise how it's put together. Some patterns you can see what the next step will be before you even read it, but with this one you follow the instructions, hope for the best, and viola - it worked! I made the skirt in a corduroy at Christmas. It's fun too, but I need to try it again. I will. And then I'll show you that one. Overall, great pattern!


I'm trying really hard to just sew from my stash, so the buttons are a little mismatched, but I think they still turned out cute. A while ago I inherited (stole) my mom's button jar that has 1's and 2's of a lot of cutebuttons. I bought the rose flowers from Joanns and found the clear buttons in the stash.

Again, the capris are the Single Ruffle Capris from Portabello Pixie. I'm always a little unsure of pants with ruffles on them... sometimes they seem a little costume-y, but I think these turned out cute. I'd even consider making them without the ruffle because I like the wide-leg gaucho look. Maybe for the Fall in corduroy with boots. Cute. The pattern is cut for a rolled-hem for a serger. I have a serger, but have never attempted the rolled-hem. It's hard to see I think, but I hemmed them with coordinating bias tape. I think it turned out cute and was very easy.

So far she's gotten lots of compliments on her outfits when we've been out. That's fun for me... I mean her...

"spring collection"

Ha ha! Just kidding. My husband was teasing me as I was doing this... I tried to scan the pictures in, but my paper is too big so it just wasn't showing up in the scan for some reason.

Heather Ross has a new book out - Weekend Sewing. It's a fun book and a little different from other craft books (once you get past the projects on sewing napkins and hostess aprons), because there are a bunch of patterns for women's clothing. She is having a design challenge to create a Summer wardrobe from projects from the book. It is so fun to see what people are going to do and inspired me to do something similar for Anna's Spring/Summer clothes. I was hoping to make all (OK, most) of her clothes this season, and this was a fun project that has helped me feel more organized. Since the pictures are so crummy I'll give you the details:1. Portabello Pixie Clair dress (a mix of A and D - no apron add a ruffle) in Free Spirit Sugar Snap fabric. I'm not doing the apron, but the sash would be cute, so I'm doing that in the Robins Egg blue.

2. Oliver +S 2+2 short-sleeved blouse: Ava Rose pink polka dots and Robins Egg Blue bias. Portabello Pixie Single Ruffle Capris in white Twill (from Joanns) w/ the pink for the ruffle that is hemmed w/ the Blue bias strip. **I started this already. It turns out I don't have enough Ava Rose for the ruffle on the pants. I think I'll just do a white ruffle and maybe do a bias hem w/ the pink.**1. Edith Twirl Skirt view B in Heather Ross's pink bicycle fabric the dots (bottom of main piece and the ruffle) and stripes (for bias) are hers too.

2. Oliver +S Bubble Dress (without the "bubble"): Pink Ta Dot with Robins Egg Blue lining. Blue buttons on back - probably fabric covered.

3. Butterick 4966 View B in Pink Linen from Joanns. Take out the zipper in the back and add buttons instead. Possibly shorten to more of a tunic-length.

1. Oliver +S Sailer Top/Pants/Skirt: red Twill for Capris with white buttons. I'm making an extra pair of Kakhi one's just for something basic that can go with anything. The top is sale fabric from Joanns.

2. Dainty Designs short sleeved top in Amy Butler Pink Wallflower. No ruffle.

3. Dainty Designs short sleeved top in Sandi Henderson Ginger Blossom fabric. Main will be the green Bouquet, and the arms and ruffle will be the Lime dot. Pants are Portabello Pixie Single Ruffle Capris in white twill with the Lime dot for the ruffle.

I figured out why I liked doing this. It was like homework. I miss school. I know, I'm a dork... now you know.

Learn how to knit!

I found this Book today while looking for something else at the book store. It is Knitting for Peace By Betty Christiansen. This book almost jumped off the shelf and once I flipped through it I had to buy it. This book only contains a few easy patterns but the concept is what I love. Knitting for charity, socks, hats for preemies and mittens. Whats mothers heart isn't touched by the thought of knitting mittens for a cold handed child.

So here is the deal, learn to knit (Liz no worries you have time). In the fall I thought it would be fun to pick a pattern. I will post one on the blog and together we can knit for a good cause.

can't leave a white shirt alone

I made this shirt for Anna a couple of weeks ago from this pattern (except I made crazy ruffled arms. I might cut them and make them plain). It's an OK pattern. It cuts really high up under the armpit, so I made a size bigger just to see if the armpit would have more room.
Tracy gave me Sublime Stitching a couple of Christmases ago and I found myself embroidering on anything I could stitch something on to - shirts, jeans, towels - everything. This book is fun too. This sweet little snail pattern is from Wee Wonderfuls. There are a lot of blogs out there that offer free embroidery patterns though. I like the Feeling Stitchy blog. (Scroll down - there is the cutest little mushroom that needs to go on something I own!)

etsy shop

I opened up an Etsy shop last year. It's not fancy. I'm not sure how to make it fancy. Seems I might have to have some technical skills to do that. Or pay someone. Anyway - I set up shop. I've sold a few hair clips, a maternity skirt (which my goal for the year is to make a PDF pattern of to sell), and made some purchases.

I decided to make some nursing covers and see how they do. They are in my etsy shop and also on my alittlegirlie blog.

If you read this blog, chances are you are crafty, my friend, or T's friend, and I do have the tutorial for them on the blog. But - if you're not crafty, lack the time, or whatever and need a gift please stop on by and check it out. I've got some fun fabric combos!