the Burkeshires

come on over!

2011-08-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

Given the ranting of my last post, who am I kidding? I figured out how to import all my posts over to my website, so come on over!

www.ramonarose.net
the blog part works (in preview, the pictures look broken, but if you click the actual post, they're all there. not sure how much time I want to invest in moving all the pictures and fixing all the links)
if you're a subscriber to THIS blog, please switch over to ramonarose.net instead...
THANKS so much!

Unedited.

2011-08-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

Warning: feel free to skip the words and look at the pictures. Just prepare to be disappointed by my pictures.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I started this blog just to keep track (albeit in a public way) of my crafty adventures. I do not strive to earn money by blogging, nor do I try to entice random subscribers to read. This is a selfish blog. For me to track my own progress, and perhaps to allow me to connect with other crafters out in the world. I am not a professional photographer. I am not a professional writer. I am not a professional crafter. I am a mom. I need to make something, to accomplish something tangible on a daily basis, because being a stay-at-home mom is very hard.

Occasionally I get caught up in the lure of professional blogging, and therefore edit my projects, or refrain from sharing something because it is imperfect, or imperfectly photographed. But then when I try to refer back, I realize I never showed that, or worse, because it was finished last minute, and I didn't have the "nice" camera, I never recorded it.

Tonight I made a backpack. I want one for me. A light but comfy one (ie, no laptop compartment, but yes wide padded straps), for packing a picnic lunch in, or snacks, etc when we hike about the hill. I used today's junk mail to draw out what I wanted (after looking at pinterest and google images for inspiration first). I raided the garage for some of Grandma's old fabric (I wound up with some kind of weird polyester/wool blend, maybe? Strong and SUPER itchy!), didn't bother ironing it, or checking grain, (even though it's plaid). I had 2 kids "helping" me throughout the drafting, cutting, sewing process, and it's JUST a test. For size, for construction; A TEST.

I finished it. D won't pose in it (even though it fits him perfectly), because it is (VERY) itchy (what can I say, I knew I would NEVER use this fabric for anything other than a tester).

So I tried it on the bean. But she's too tiny:

Indietute's Toddler Backpack would be PERFECT for her. but she doesn't actually need a backpack

Then I took pics on the floor:

At night, with artificial light, with an iPhone.

I tried to improve things by posing the backpack on a toddler chair:

But I haven't ironed the fabric (for the record, the lack of ironing is not ONLY laziness, but also a general fear that this gross fabric might melt and ruin my new Miracle Board ironing cover (which I love) and make me sad).

So it isn't showing up well. Here's the dilemma. Do I hold off posting it, waiting for that perfect day/weather/time/model/setting/cameraso that I can stage it and stuff it and make it catalog worthy? Or do I accept that that time might never come, seize the moment, and just post it as is, knowing that, as it was a success, pattern wise, I will make more, prettier, soon?

Obviously I have decided to post now, unedited. I hope you, dear random reader, will not think less of me for my realistic posts, but rather be inspired to play around, make mistakes, enjoy the process, and share your unedited moments.

I think this is especially affecting me right now because my wonderful hubs, knowing that I want to sell patterns, eventually, has built me a fancy, reasonably professional website. Once I figure out how to do all the fancy things (and import this blogger site over) I'll switch over to that one exclusively... The thing is, while I want to present myself professionally, I also want to show my imperfections... I CAN make a perfect quilt/backpack/dress/mens-shirt, but it takes practice and testing etc, and even when things are made perfectly, they don't always photograph well... So here's my promise (or my threat, depending on your point of view)... I will "feature" my best work, but always post the random/off/mistakes/tests that are so much a part of creating.

Am I overthinking? probably. Sorry. But professional craft blogging is so prevalent, I feel that I need to shout : THIS IS MY CRAFT JOURNAL, NOT A CRAFT BLOG or something so that I don't get judged for the poor photography, lack of freebies, etc, and so people realize that I am just a mom, trying to make something personal, record it, and perhaps inspire others to do the same.

Me and Roxie

2011-08-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

This is Roxie:

I have a post, just for her, coming soon.

last night, she and I worked for about 8 hours on a quilt top using Jay McCarroll's Habitat Fabric for an LAMQG challenge (sponsored by FreeSpirit, who makes the fabric)... Roxie is AWESOME (and powerful! and beautiful! and amazing, and EIGHTY YEARS OLD!)

ok, so she didn't do the blanket stitches, because she's just a straight-stitcher, but my Bernina (who still needs a name, and a cover, to be honest) is willing to pitch-hit.

I asked my friends on Facebook to help me name her, and Tess reminded me that Roxie is the perfect name for her (For some reason, the Chicago soundtrack had been in my head the whole time I was working on cleaning her, and I had mentioned that to Tess, and ... yeah, I'm an idiot not to have made the connection, but luckily, Tess is super smart.)

Anyway, I made these little travel sewing kits, (Tess chose the bottom one, lined with Kona Espresso)...

Shall I do a giveaway for the top one, or sell it on Etsy... not sure... stay tuned, I have an idea....

Green baby pants

2011-08-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

with cargo pockets!

ok, maybe they're fake cargo pockets, but they're SO cute!

Physical toll.

2011-08-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

252 petals have been traced onto "steam-a-seam 2 lite." My hands are blue. I can't wash the Sharpie off. But then I look at my quilt, with the kids played with today, and C snuggled under tonight, and radiator is now attacking, and blue hands are SO not a big deal.

My most appreciated project EVER

2011-08-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

please excuse the ketchup-y child

PapaDoll. He's sleeping because he's tired. He is oh so loved.

Grape harvest!

2011-08-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Time to make juice!

Crafting in a pet-full home.

2011-08-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Radiator, keeping me company while I stitch.

the poor thing only gets the teeniest edge of the quilt for a bed.

but watch out, he likes attacking the thread as it moves.

and here's Harper, in my scrap bin.

As he is the world's most patient and tolerant dog with my kiddos, I will be patient and tolerant about him being IN MY SCRAPS.

Bath Ninjas!

2011-08-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

I can't find any pictures of the original ninja (sad!), but this morning I made ninja #6...

For xmas last year, my sister suggested making her son a hooded bath towel that had ninja eyes, because my nephew was really into ninjas. So I bought some black towels, and whipped that out, but it seemed like a pretty meager gift. So I experimented a little, and used the scraps and some safety-eyes, and made a bath ninja to accompany the towel. And then D saw the testers, and fell in love, and then the bean needed one too. it's basically a stuffed toy mixed with a washcloth, and my kids are NUTS for theirs.

So nuts that the Bean wore hers out. so today I had to make her a new one, and so here they are, playing with their bathninjas. (that's what they call them. bathninjas. one word.)

ninjas peeking over the tub

exploding attack

more peeking

close up of today's ninja

the original ninja

Let me know if you want the pattern/tutorial, and I'll try to get it done this week....

Easy Shorts!

2011-08-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Step 1. find an old/stained tank top. (or t-shirt).

Turn it inside out, fold it in half so the side seams are together (on the left in the photo below)

Use the existing hem, and cut the tank parallel to the hem as long as you want the shorts to be (plus 1.5-2 inches)

Cut a J, about 1.5 inches wide, and 2/3 of the height (you can see I started with a small J, and kept making it longer and longer.

Open the tank flat, and sew the Js together.(yellow stitches. I used my serger, but if you don't have one, use a stretch/ball point needle, and a zigzag stitch. Or don't, just leave the edges raw.)

Cut off the remaining side-seams (the part left at the bottom of the J), and line them up, with the J seams straight. (hmmm. I think the picture above is WAY more clear than my words.)

Sew those raw edges together (if you have a serger, these are the threads to tuck in, so you don't get itchy edges).

Turn right side out. Fold over the top, to the inside, and use elastic thread to shir through the fold, gathering the waist. I went around 2.5 times, and then my bobbin was empty, and the Bean didn't want to wait for me to wind a new bobbin. So these aren't tooooo shirred, but they're shirred enough to stay up.

Because I'm sewing for a 2 year old and the tank is an adult medium, they're going to be roomy, so perfection in size doesn't matter. You don't need a pattern for something this simple....

Dirty little secret:

2011-08-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

I serge my quilt sandwich before I baste. That way I don't have to worry about 4 layers, only 2, and I don't have to trim after. Fast, simple. (quick, dirty).
What's your secret tip?

Daily kitten fix, tute preview

2011-08-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the cathedral windows quilt is by far the most difficult and therefore awesome thing I've ever made. Just looking at it makes me happy. Add in some fluffy orange goodness (times 2), and the happy-meter practically explodes.

Case in point:

also, after the kiddos go to sleep tonight, I'll show you how I made these REALLY fast (like under 10 minutes) shorts for the Bean out of an old tank top of mine...

Hand quilting demo?

2011-08-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a big baby quilt right now, and I'm quilting inside each shape. I'm certainly no expert, but I was wondering if anyone would be interested in either product reviews (like "DON'T use the gold Fons and Porter thimble or your finger will turn green. Do use the cheap Dritz one on your middle finger to push the needle, and a super cool rubbery one (Japanese, Little House brand) on your thumb to help pull the needle" etc? ); or a tute on how I hand quilt? As a self-taught quilter, I can tell ya ALL the wrong ways to do things, and maybe help a little....
Anyway, let me know....

a "u" seam?

2011-07-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

it's sorta hard to see, but I love how well it came out....
see the owls in the top left? it's 2 pieces! I set the corner piece into the block, because the green and owl parts were too small...

you can SORTA see it here on the back, but not really.

I'm super proud of how smoothly it went in....

A quiver for Robin Hood!

2011-07-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

math.

2011-07-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

486 4" blocks (18x27), each made from 9.5" squares of Kona Espresso (that's roughly 35 yards of Espresso)

11 spools of Guterman Silk thread, 1 skein of white sashiko cotton thread, 1 spool of white silk button hole twist, 12 seams per block= 5832 seams (all the white thread is hand stitching).

2 charm packs of Kona Solids (the Dusty colors), plus, um, at least 4 yards of Kona White, cut into 2.5" squares.

no mojitos, but LOTS of television. and books on tape. LOTS. (TV: Covert Affairs, White Collar, SYTYCD, ANTM, Burn Notice, Bachelor/ette, The Tudors, BOT: The Other Queen, The Alchemist's Daughter, The King's Mistress, Thimble Summer. And LOTS of podcasts of This American Life)

72x108 makes this perfect for my Cal-King bed, as it's too heavy to fold over the top/hang off the bottom without falling off the bed entirely. it's almost like a "bed scarf," albeit a very large and heavy one.

it's MAYBE my favorite quilt ever. I especially love the personal meaning...
Now I've just got to finish embroidering my name/date on that one lone white square in the top left corner, and then it's actually really and forever done.
soooooo many hours.
so worth it.

WF Wednesday!

2011-07-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

its Works FINISHED Wednesday!

Aneela Hooey did this awesome QAL earlier this year, and I loved it. (she calls it pickledish, but here in the USA, it's a double wedding ring, and a pickledish is a quilt with triangle-y pieced rings, so I never know what to call it)... Anyway, I made like 2 rings, and then quit, because I couldn't keep up....

but then C went to Alaska for several weeks, and I was going nuts, so I pulled all the pieces back out, and whipped the entire top out in 2 weeks!

It has been steadily used, while being hand quilted at parks, and keeping me warm at night, and going to picnics, etc...
because I added the sashing, it's a whopping 110" square (sorta square, as I randomly curved 1 corner of the quilt. not sure why/how I did that)
It's ALL from stash. Konas and reproduction feedsack prints, and other random stuff, cotton and linen and blends...
I forgot to take a pic of the back, but I will do so soon, and post that too, it's got a few little pieces in it to make it slightly more interesting...

Cal-king Cathedral Windows, DONE

2011-07-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Eeeeek!

2011-07-19T15:19:00.001-07:00

So, I've had this silver thimble for a while, it's fine, CHEAP, and easily replaceable.... BUt I've been doing a lot of hand quilting lately, and so decided to buy a backup... I bought this Fons and Porter gold-colored (brass) one. Today, I used it all day, in lieu of the nice silver one...

LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FINGER!!!!!

It's GREEEEEEEEEN

Dish soap and water does not remove this horrible green tinge from my finger. (Does any one know what I can do to get it off? I assume it's a chemical reaction of some sort?)

So, uh, be warned. Buy the cheap one. It won't stain your finger.

Spiderweb

2011-07-17T21:04:00.001-07:00

Here's another one... (these things are SO addictive!!!)

Love at Second Sight...

2011-07-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

Am rethinking the color scheme of my FWQ, and so redid a block today.
LOVE.

more birthday presents....

2011-07-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

I used some of the birthday present fabric I got this morning to make presents for the kidlets....

I love the pockets I made. they're angled, not curved, sorta like part of an octagon... (there're street signs on the pants)

I used a recycled t-shirt for a yoga-pants waist band... not sure if the shirt I used had enough lycra though... might need to add a drawstring.

My little dude has NO hips/butt, so I'm not sure ANYTHING will stay up on him.

I didn't hem the pants, but used the selveges.

Easiest pants ever. self-drafted, 30 minutes, from cutting to wearing. LOVE.

(The trick to awesome pants like this is awesome fabric, which unfortunately costs a bundle. But it was on sale at momen + for 1/2 off, so it was only $10/yd, I only needed 3/4 of a yard, it was in D's favorite color, and it was my birthday. So now he has cute Mama's-birthday-pants.)

Of course, I can't ignore the Bean. So, inspired by the pretty fabric, here's her Mama's-birthday-dress:

I'm loving the idea of it, even if the execution was slightly confused....

it's got a REALLY high twirl-factor.

It's long enough to cover her skivvies.

She think's it's comfortable, and likes the colorful horses....

but is ultimately unimpressed, as it is green and orange. The Bean is NOT a fan of green OR orange. so.... um... I guess I'll save it? it's got lots of room for growing.... I'd give it away, but the construction is a little messy, so I don't want anyone to see the insides....

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-07-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

I made myself a birthday dress last night/this morning, but it's TOO COLD to wear it. so I'm back in jeans and a long sleeved shirt....

FWQAL

2011-07-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

Butterfly at the Crossroads

Spider Legs, Snowball

I'm LOVING this QAL. using up scraps from various projects.....

Hand quilting at the park...

2011-07-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

I need to finish the hand quilting (hopefully by the end of the week) and then I'll do a big reveal. it's maybe my favorite quilt EVER. esp. since last week we were having a massive heat wave, so I'd pack up the kids and the quilt, and we'd spend the whole afternoon at the park, and I'd quilt and read aloud, and they'd run and play and collapse back on the quilt as I worked. GOOD times.

New bonnet!

2011-07-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

pattern coming soooooo soon!

BoPeep's momma....

2011-07-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

One of my BoPeep pattern testers suggested making it mom-sized, so I played around and here's my tester....

unshirred, tunic length (with cute Bean)

same shirt, but this time more wrinkled, and shirred.
I think I'm close...

and more...

2011-07-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

Um, I've been sewing a lot this past week.

here're 3 more Ring Around the Rosey dresses (in three different sizes, all on my tiny model)

here's the 24m. (it's a gift, along with bloomers and a bonnet)
(the fabric is from Momen+, and is in Japanese, so I don't know what it is.)

here's the unhemmed 18M (I'm going to roll a very short hem, as she loves this dress)
it's a kaffe fasset stripe, SO soft, with his paperweight print for the collar

this one is a size 3, with fabrics from my stash. She's swimming in it, which is why I made her put her arms up....

I just need to test the 4 and 5, and maybe draft a 12m, and then I'll be done.

LOVE this dress.

Farmer's Wife

2011-07-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

I've joined the bandwagon. Here are my first 4....(Clockwise from top left: big dipper, attic windows, postage stamp, and basket weave. I need to figure out if they're 6x6 finished, or 6x6 unsewn.... I'm so proud of my points, though!)

you guessed it....

2011-06-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

...another one.
Ring Around the Rosey, take 3.

bias taped armholes, random stashed red fabric, and some DS Quilts for the collar... size 6, and, now that it's been tried on and then hemmed, it's on it's way to D's best girlfriend....

and another one....

2011-06-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

I found some red seersucker in the garage today, and was looking for something to go with it, and realized that the 4th of July is this weekend... we don't have any real plans, other than to climb the hill in the backyard to watch the fireworks in the port (and maybe the ones off the Queen Mary, Knott's Berry Farm, and Disneyland, depending on how clear the sky is)...

isn't it patriotic? I used some white sashiko thread from my Cathedral Windows quilt to backstitch a star on the pocket (and I only did 1, despite protestation from a certain little miss)

she really really likes the star, though, so I think we found a compromise.

I love how she models despite distractions from big bro.

and here's the back view.
I've already started working on the pattern!

Ring-Around-the-Rosey

2011-06-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

I was working on a big quilty project last night, but at around 9, I couldn't resist the pull of a new idea anymore, so I grabbed some old (not-particularly-Bean-friendly) fabric scraps and in less than an hour, I had this:

I've seen (and made) similar styles with knits quite often, but rarely have I seen it done with quilting cotton. So I'm quite pleased with this, and especially the lack of itchy parts... I was able to finish or encase all the raw edges, so the Bean thinks it's quite comfortable, and actually wants to wear it, despite its color. (She likes blue, but the floral background is a mottled beige color....)

See how much she likes it?

it's stretchy enough to EASILY fit over her ginormous head, but snug enough to stay on her tiny shoulders.

it has 2 pockets

it's long enough to cover her underpants, even when she uses the pockets to lift it up

(she's pouting because I asked if I should take it off her and put her in a different dress. So I think she likes it!)

done! (sorta)

2011-06-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

Do you all remember the story of HennyPenny? where the sky is falling?

my kiddos loved that when they were JUST starting to listen to stories... I think they're favorite part was me getting all tongue-twisted as I tried to say HennyPenny, ChickenLicken, GooseyLoosey, etc....

ANYWAY, here is the latest dress pattern, the HennyPenny dress.

random striped seersucker from stash

It's really simple, but with nice details... shirring, french seams, bias bound seams, and more, all explained thoroughly (I hope), in a quick and easy project that can be made extra quickly if refashioned from an adult-sized skirt or dress. (it's also a great project for those random 1 yard cuts you have in your stash...)

refashioned skirt

I've sent it out to a few testers, but would love some more (the more the merrier, right?)

please EMAIL ME if you want to test it. Commenting doesn't give me your email! (comments are welcome, I just want to explain why I haven't responded if you have commented in the past. I can't.)

refashioned skirt (I was able to make two size 3T dresses from this one skirt!)

with a ruffle!

Reversible! (tutorial coming soon)

the reverse.

illustrator drawing.

Sharing (sometimes)

2011-06-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

My little sprite "let me" use "her" crayons this morning, so I sat out in the sun while the kiddos chased bubbles, and colored.

There's something about rainbows... Yesterday we tried to find rainbows everywhere we went, so today I colored them. Not sure where I'm gonna go with it though... Too many ideas!

I have my next pattern, now called HennyPenny (so named for the simplicity of each), almost ready to send to my lovely testers, but my computer chair was usurped by your daily dose of kitten (and his surrogate father/mother. Killian is a 5year old fixed male, NO relation to Radiator.)

So now I'm off to bed. Good night all!

science experiments

2011-06-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

I've been have been really unhappy with my elastic shirring lately. I've been doing everything the same way I always have, but getting saggy results. I noticed that my elastic thread (dritz brand, maybe? whatever they sell at my Joanns) is skinnier than it used to be... and then I was downtown a few weeks ago, and I bought this HUGE cone of it (no name brand, but the store was called ACE Sewing, and the people were really nice). So D and I conducted an experiment to test the difference. (Click the pictures to see them bigger)

2 pieces, taped together at 1 end, cut to the same length. (I'm holding the taped end down with my foot)

Contortionism! D took this picture. the skinny one doesn't stretch NEARLY as far as the new thick stuff.

after sewing, before shirring. all on a simple muslin rectangle.

close up of basting stitch (my machine calls this stitch length 5) before steaming

close up of regular stitch and a single basting stitch, before steaming.

after steaming! (the pen marks show the length before I steamed.)

such a difference!

So I have no idea what brand to use, but different brands make a HUGE difference! I'm sorta thinking of selling my kind in small lengths on etsy, since it's so good....

Easy as Pie dress...

2011-06-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Do y'all have a Rolled Hem foot for your sewing machine? It makes this dress take about 30 minutes to sew, (and it's also incredibly useful for lots of other garments). I've basically stopped doing all other sorts of hems, I love this foot so much. (I have the high-shank one, for my Bernina, but the actual FOOT part looks identical).
Anyway, for $6 on Amazon, I can HIGHLY recommend it.
I'm working on Illustrator today, while the Bean naps, and D plays with bungee cords in the backyard....

I'm loving Illustrator!

Isn't it pretty!?!?!

I whipped up a size 6 too, (and timed myself, <30 minutes, including cutting and ironing), so now I need to find a size 6 little girl to try it on.

fabric from my Gram's stash

I'll be needing pattern testers later this week! (Basically after I find a size 6 to test this dress!) I'm drafting it from 18M to 6T, because I feel like this simple dress is suitable for that age range, but if you are the mother of an older or younger (or, rather, bigger or smaller) girl, and would be interested in this dress, PLEASE let me know via email!

D's birthday shirt

2011-06-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, business first... If you responded to this post in the comments and haven't heard back from me, that's because you didn't leave an email address, and I can't find one on your google profile. Please email me using the link on my profile page! ALSO, I'm about a week away from finishing a very VERY easy dress pattern, and need testers for that too. so please CONTACT ME DIRECTLY and let me know you're interested! thanks!
Last week was D's 5th birthday, and he told me he expected to get a new birthday shirt (last year he got this one, and it's still a hit, but it's getting REALLY short on him). So I made this one, remember?
Today was the first time I got a picture of it on him, and I'm LOVING IT! (luckily, he is too!)

back view (I need to make coordinating pants!)

front view!

celebrating the big 5!

Jury-rigging a 5

2011-06-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

no sewing tonight. (other than maybe a quiver.... we'll see how my indoor (as opposed to garage) sewing machine likes sewing vinyl... it might happen tomorrow instead)

ANYWAY, tonight is all about the cake.

(two little cakes, 1 for each child tonight. btw, the pans are not the same size, but each have the same amount of cake batter.)

Last year, I discovered this GORGEOUS book, with this amazing cake. and my boy wanted a "farm" themed party, so we bought the book, and I made a cake shaped like a 4, we decorated it, it was cute. easy.

this year, he's turning 5. 5s are curvy. (see the curve?)

this book says you need a ring cake tin. I'm not buying a ring cake tin (I admit, I looked for one, but neither Jo-an's, nor Target had one, and that was as much looking as I was willing to do). Nor am I buying a cake tin shaped like a 5.

Ergo:

a round cake tin with a parchment-paper wrapped, water-filled jam jar in the middle.

Daily dose of kitten.

2011-06-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

I love kitten bellies.

Shhhh....

2011-06-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Fabric is Honk-Honk (brown) by Michael Miller, trim is a blue/brown shot cotton, pattern is my own.

Radiator and Killy aren't related, but ARE a huge dose of fluffy orange goodness

Between the new kitten (shown pestering his adult doppleganger, my Killian), C's birthday (last week), D's birthday party (tomorrow), D's birthday (Sunday), father's day, and my wedding anniversary (next week), things are a little hectic here....
I did manage to make a birthday western shirt for D though...
He found scraps of the Honk-Honk print under my cutting table, and wanted to know what I was "going to do with this cool fabric..." I think I convinced him that it's for a surprise present for C. But at least I know he likes it!

the PERFECT beach hat

2011-06-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

floppy

with a wide brim

a pocket for keys

raggedy edges (inspired by those old straw hats)

lined/reversible

soft and cushy

and in colors to match D's school!

B. Black & Sons (aka heaven)

2011-06-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, the kidlets and I went on an adventure to the garment district in downtown LA. I wanted to find Silk Buttonhole Twist (but I wasn't sure I wanted to buy it, so I wanted to see it first). I found this place online, and so we went.

view from the cash register. those are all shirting weights

it was AWESOME

silk. lots of silk. it looked like a coarse linen, but SO soft.

looking down at the suiting weight fabric from the top floor

cashmere. lots of colors.

thread. OH the thread.

The mission was successful (bought 2 spools of silk twist), and when I win the lottery (or start playing the lottery), I will spend a LARGE chunk of change on fabric here. Until then, I'll go back when I need buttons or buttonhole twist, or needles, or......

My latest project...

2011-06-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

...is taming our new feral kitten. (and explaining the nature of wild animals to a 4yo.)

Miraculously, he survived a 15-mile freeway journey while hiding in the engine of C's 4-Runner.

I'm not sure what color he'll be when we finish getting the grime off him (he's soooo dirty from living under the Metro in Carson)

His name is Radiator, and we think he's about 6 weeks old.
(so now we have 2 children, 2 LARGE dogs, 3 chickens and 4 cats. who knew LA was so animal friendly!)

Tiny hotpads

2011-06-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the bad iphone photos, but I was rushing to get pictures before they get covered in mud!

they're for a kitchen which specializes in mud-pies, after all...

straight line quilting

I grabbed some scraps that matched the colors she chose for the kitchen...

random straight lines

quilted and bound them (sloppily) in less than 30 minutes. They're about 5x5.5"

and the backs

and they're already filthy. SO happy she's using them!

Play kitchen...

2011-06-07T10:36:00.001-07:00

Under construction... (built by C from a thrifted nightstand, wall bracket, and some scrap wood. Color design by The Bean, spray-painted by me)

reversible (but still simple)

2011-06-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

I had this awesome hawaiian print in my stash, so I pulled it out, with some coordinating Kona

I decided to try the simple dress again, without the shirring, but with knotted straps.

pretty cute, right? I mean, the straps are too long, but that's better than too short.

she's feeling around for pockets

unfortunately, I didn't have enough leftover fabric to match prints, and red pockets would cover the pretty flowers, so I left the pockets off.

very unhappy to discover the lack....

CLEARLY, this was the wrong decision.

TAKE IT OFF ME!

Luckily, I had planned ahead, and was able to reverse the dress.

ahhhhhh,,,,

doesn't she look beachy-chic?

much more relaxed.

to break up the plain solid red, I appliqued the pockets with flowers cut from the hawaiian print scraps.

pretty pockets

I used Steam-a-Seam 2 to hold them in place, and then free-motion-stitched all over the whole thing, to make sure it all stays down during the repeated washings I'm SURE it'll have to endure.

the Perfect Beach Hat

2011-06-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

This morning was D's moving up. He's no longer the biggest Yellow Bird at Beach School. Now he's the biggest Red Bird (and the Bean is the littlest incoming Yellow Bird)
D asked me to make hats for his teachers, (guess where the color scheme came from).

we used a cute squirrel print for the hat sides, since there are ground squirrels all over the campus (and we couldn't find dolfins, bunnies, or birds in the appropriate colors)

I wore my tester hat.

D was Robin Hood. obvi.

each child also got a little felt bird, yellow on one side, red on the other, with the date embroidered on, to commemorate their time at Beach School.

Wanna test my pattern?

2011-05-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

so you've all seen this dress, right?

I mean, I've made 7 versions in 3 weeks, so hopefully you've seen it.

I have the pattern pieces all done, as PDFs, ready to go....
sizes 18m-5T (for reference, I'd make the Bean a 2T. She's 36" tall and 26 lbs. BUT she has no store bought clothes, so I dunno what she'd be in store sizes. I used standard growth charts for my sizing.)

and I have photographs of the whole process, with instructions (for now) on each of the photos, (or written out as a Word Doc)

But I need some pattern testers...
both to check my drafting, and to tell me where I'm over- or under-explaining...

It's definitely advanced beginner, but it's NOT hard. Maybe a little fiddly. (you can totally do it tired at night, but not while your children are awake and interupting)

I really like it because, with the shirred empire waist, and the cased-elastic neckline, it's basically impossible to make the wrong size.

(the top dress is a size 4T, the 4th dress is an 18m, the last dress is a 3T, all the rest are 2Ts.)
Oh, and if you'd rather, it's also a top. I put cutting lines for making a top (i.e., pictures 4 and 6), if you want...
send me an email or comment, (i'll close comments when I have enough testers), and I'll get back to you RIGHT away.
THANKS in advance!

Polka Dot BoPeep

2011-05-31T22:12:00.000-07:00

So last night, I HAD to put all other projects aside, and play with this AMAZINGLY cute fabric.

polka dots win all the cuteness points, right?

close-up of big rose clip

I made rose clips from the scraps. 1 big, from both fabrics, 1 small, from the mostly-coral-fabric

here's the back

wanna see it EVEN CUTER:

she likes it.
why?
because it has pockets.

pockets with butterscotch chips.
yes, I bribe my model.

she insisted on having BOTH roses in her hair,
(even though 1 was meant to stay on the dress.)

I didn't put elastic in the sides of the neckline, because I was SO in love with the sweetheart curve it made.
this one is a perfect 3T, which is too big for this little munchkin, but it's in my grandma's favorite colors, so we're keeping it.
LOVE. (ps, I may have made matching ruffled bloomers from the leftover mostly-white-fabric, but I'm not posting pics up my daughter's skirt.)

this one has pockets.

2011-05-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

well, the last dress was NOT a hit. the Bean loved it, and was all excited to wear it, put it on quite happily, posed for pics (as seen a little while ago), and then realized that it had no pockets.
instant tantrum. but the print is so busy and pretty that my scraps-large-enough-to-become-pockets clash.

pockets!

up close, you can see the shirred neckline.

So here's the new dress. I'm loving this VERY simple dress pattern I drafted last night.

pockets are meant to be filled.
by anything handy.
like rocks.

In my head, it's already available in multiple sizes, and I'm struggling with naming it. the only name that works right now is the Very Simple Dress.

lots and lots of rocks. even if they are heavy
and rip the pocket.

That's not a horrible name, though, right?

because pockets are for filling.

Very Simple Dress. start to finish (cutting and all), well under an hour.

dress success

I think it's going to be my new go-to gift for all little girls.

so I'm working on a hat pattern...

2011-05-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Because D needs a new hat, and I am going to make some for his teachers, as end of the year gifts. (just WAIT till you see the fabrics D chose for his preschool teachers. SO PRESCHOOL)

D is semi-graciously letting me use his head to test my prototypes.
But then, it turned out he wasn't D, he was Robin Hood, and he needed a green hat to be Robin Hood. So I grabbed some felt, and made him a tunic and a hat.

luckily we have oodles of feathers, and C and D went off for a walk in the woods (aka the fire road in one of the canyons), and collected some sticks, and made a bow and arrow.

pretty tough (CUTE!) little Robin Hood, right?
(and now back to work on the hat)

skirt refashion

2011-05-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

just a quick one...
someone (1 of 3 friends, can't remember which one) gave me this skirt, adult size L, but with an elastic waist, so there was LOTS of fabric. (yes, friends give me large old skirts, JUST so I can cut them up. I have awesome friends).

here's the dress!

elastic shirring on the neckline, front and back

light and airy, perfect for summer

matching hair bow

I actually had enough of the skirt to make TWO (mostly) identical dresses (each with a bow). and since I don't remember who gave me the skirt originally, I'll be sending one of these off to my friend Emily, for her little girl.

just because.

summer!

2011-05-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Despite the June Gloom we wake to every morning (or perhaps because of it), SUMMER is officially here in Pedro.
how do I know?
It's blackberry season! My dad has a whole wall covered in blackberry vines, and since we're petsitting for him right now, we're there at least once a day, and can eat our fill.
yesterday, there were just TOO many to eat, so we packed up 2 little containers, and came home, planning to bake a pie.
But I don't actually like pie (I know, I'm strange. I also don't like coffee, tea, or chocolate. I have accepted my shortcomings.).
ANYway, after a desperate search through EVERY cookbook I know, I called my grandmother, and over the phone we cobbled together a recipe for Blackberry Turnovers.

Are you drooling yet? (btw, that's C's coffee. he loves it as much as I hate it).
SO so so good. totally worth the 7 or 8 hours to make the puff pastry from scratch. SOOOOO good.
would anyone like the recipe?

HI HI HI!

2011-05-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

YAY! we're back!

ok, so, as mentioned previously, I'm trying to improve my knit-sewing abilities...

so I ripped up an ugly old knit nightgown of mine, and turned it into this cute Bo Peep top for the Bean:

she seems to like it, right?

there's a little puckering on the side seams, but I can't remember if I ironed it or not, so the puckering might go away. I used a weird honeycomb stitch all along the neckline and sleeves, so that worked out pretty well...

she had a GREAT time posing, because I let her hold my phone...

I didn't shir this one, because the jersey is very thick, and it's pretty warm in these parts already, and that just seemed like it'd be too hot.
anyway, fun times....

What to do when Picasa and Blogger conspire against you:

2011-05-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

make carnitas
and Cheez-its.
(we don't eat them together or anything, but that's what I'm making tonight.)
both recipes are linked to my recipes of choice. not that I've tried others, but when the 1st one you try is AWESOME, why keep looking for more?
hope you all have a wonderful night!
Ramona

Hello?????

2011-05-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm having massive problems with Blogger and Picasa today, they won't let me upload any pictures.

This is mostly a test, I want to post a KNIT version of the Bo Peep Dress.

I also want to scream at the computer for not cooperating.

this is NOT user error. Picasa just won't connect, and I dunno how to fix it.

sometimes i really wonder if blogging is worth the aggravation.

KNITS!

2011-05-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

So I successfully made a shirt from KNIT fabric yesterday!

I guessed on the sleeve length, so they're a little long, but the collar looks nice, right?

I also didn't have 2 spools of green thread, so I couldn't use a twin needle, to make it look better, but it totally came out good enough for a 4 year old.

he was super excited to have a new shirt, and be the star of a photoshoot...

(gratuitous photo because I love my kiddos.)

Little Bo Peep Dress

2011-05-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

WOOHOO!

Ok, yesterday was the Sew for my Guild, so I packed everything up, and made this dress, photographing ALL the steps, so tonight, hopefully, I'll have a chance to type out all the directions, and then, hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have a PDF pattern ready to go!

front

back

My munchkin has WAY too many dresses already, so this one's gonna go to the Etsy shop...

imp

I have just enough of the Teapot fabric to do another one, exactly the same or smaller, so I'm thinking of making another and selling them for sisters....

horrible posture!

we took almost 300 pictures of her this morning, as she got her first haircut yesterday, and we need new headshots

so exciting!

anyway, isn't it a cute dress?

my little bookworm

oh, she stickered the endpages.

Birthday Gifts...

2011-05-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

SQUEE! I just finished the Bean's summer coat. I LOVE it sooooo much, especially the lace I made for the collar. But its too dark now, so you have to wait till tomorrow to see pictures. hopefully it fits. If not, it might be too big, which would be fine, as our weather is the same year round, and it can be her winter coat instead...
for the time being though, here's a birthday gift I made about a month ago and never posted...

They're storytime friends (we met at storytime at the library, and all attend regularly, therefore, storytime friends)
a now 4-year old girl, and her now 2-year old brother.

being broke, I worked with what I have in my stash... H likes pink, twirly skirts, and J likes whatever H has and won't share.

so I made a pink, twirly, 3-tiered, elastic waisted skirt for H, and a train-themed crayon roll-up for J. That way, he'll have something H wants to use, and he can learn to share...

same dress, now a top...

2011-05-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this reads bohemian or Heidi, but I'm LOVING this new dress pattern...

I love flattering comments, so when Sarah posted that she loved the dress too, I offered to draft it to fit her little munchkin.

MY 2.5 year old is quite petite, so, since this dress has mucho ease and stretch, (and after comparing The Beans's measurements to a real size chart), I drafted it to fit her torso width, but shortened it quite a bit.

I love looking at pics of her, expecially after watching America's Next Top Model (admit it, you do to!).

she totally knows how to pose like a high fashion model...

even some of her faces are spot-on.

or maybe the secret to being a high-fashion model is to look like a 2.5 year old?

anyway, on to the important stuff: the center panel is from a fat quarter from Momen+, and the reddish stuff was in the garage. might have been my grandmothers. (I "borrowed" much of her fabric stash. Thanks, Gram!). The reason I blame her for purchasing the reddish stuff (and the reason I call it stuff, not fabric), is because it feels (and acts) HIGHLY synthetic, and I don't buy synthetic. (Case in point, see how POOFY the hem is? that's because it WON'T iron flat). But it was EXACTLY the right faded reddish color to match the apples (on the yellow part of the top) and the strawberries (bottom, right), so it got used. Cause I'm ALL about sewing from stash right now. (See, C, I'm USING all the fabric in the garage, I SWEAR!)

Scallops...

2011-05-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

I'm playing with coat embellishment ideas... Not sure if this is way too deep for scallops...

Katie's Baby Girl...

2011-05-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

needs a new dress. Juse because.

My friend Katie liked this dress I made for the Bean....
Because she's as cute as a button.

The pockets are just a regular bagged-rectangle, with the top folded over
and sewn down with the fake button

Because elastic shirring is cute and fun.

Katie supplied the fabric, and I LOVE IT. child-appropriate, but not too girly.

Because raglan style dresses are super fast and easy.

here's the back view...

it took way longer to draft the pattern (an hour, give or take), than to make the dress (20 minutes).
hopefully we'll have time at the LAMQG weekend sew this weekend for a quick lesson on how to make these. because they're super easy. and super cute.
Hope you like it, Katie!

cutest slippers ever!

2011-05-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted these yet, officially, but you saw them here, and I think they deserve their own post.

I searched Ravelry for cute slippers, THAT WOULD STAY ON HER FEET.
these were SOOOOO cute, and, perhaps because of the felting?, they stay on her feet!

the free pattern is right here, and I have to praise the super-well-done directions.

I've only ever felted a toy before, and I have a front-loading washing machine, so I was super stressed about it, but they came out PERFECTLY. so I'm in love.
D says he doesn't need any, because he knows how to wear regular slippers, but I'm thinking I could use a pair....

Dinosaur heat-transfers...

2011-05-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm finally getting a chance to write the stuff to go with the pics I posted yesterday! phew!

One of my bestest (yup, that's a word) friends from college (and one of my daughter's godfathers), is going to be a dad around the end of the summer... He's been great at discussing dinos with my little dude, and he also gave D a FABULOUS poster copy of the Age of Reptiles mural from the Peabody Museum at Yale (which, btw, his awesome and wonderful mother restored)

so, after I dyed these onesies, I decided to use my Silhouette to test out the heat-transfer stuff, and I NEEDED to use dinos (it's a boy baby, obvi, or I would have done pink and purple dinosaurs. because girls can like dinos too!)

It turns out, there are some REALLY COOL dinosaur dingbat fonts, so C and I chose my favorite 3, and then he made them into jpgs, and I imported them into the Silhouette software....

the machine cut the shapes really really well....

I had a really hard time getting the stuff to iron on, though.... will need to practice.

Luckily, D and the Bean are now both CLAMORING LOUDLY for dinosaur shirts....

Tatting for KCWC...

2011-05-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

If I can do a whole long chain of this tatted lace, it's going on the collar of a coat for the Bean...

practice and improvement...

2011-05-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

My awesome friend Erin (Hi Erin!) gave me a bunch of old t-shirts (really old ones for D's school), to play with...
given my recent wadder pile o'knits, I decided to practice with some 90-minute shirts.

love love love this handsome boy

I'm actually happy with the result! HOORAY!

I could fiddle with the pattern a little, but overall, I'm happy. now I need to make some from regular fabric (ie, solid) so I can put some dinos on them, instead of old ads for an old kid run.....

I also fiddled with this dress... I was SO frustrated with this one....
The butterflies are on a SUPER thin jersey, VERY floaty and pretty, but NOT fun to sew.
I ripped out the whole collar, and gathered it up on my regular machine, and then used my serger to sew on a MUCH smaller neckband.

the waist part still needs work... This time I sewed a small elastic casing into the ribbing, but I think I might take that out, rip out the ribbing, and put smaller ribbing back in. The elastic wasn't comfortable, but the large ribbing is too big. I think gathering is the answer (as opposed to stretching)

such goofballs!

Voila! (aka KCWC day 5)

2011-05-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

here it is, in all it's glory, on my daughter....

I love how forlorn she looks in this picture.
It's because I put her down. she is big into being carried right now.

Cute, right?

oh wait, what's this?

Of course, right when I got it on her (she was Roo to D's Tigger all morning), it started raining.

we live in LA, so rain is a FREAK OF NATURE, especially in May. (Like, REALLY freakish)

POCKETS!

and by rain, since we are in LA, after all, I mean, a very light drizzle. Like, I'm standing in the drizzly part, taking pictures of my daughter, standing in front of our garage, under the over hang.

Ok, Mama, I'll pose for you.

so not THAT rainy, but rainy enough to be COMPLETELY WEIRD.

And I'll touch the rainy ground with my toes.
Why are you standing in the rain, Mama?

my children are SO confused by rain. we might as well live in like the Gobi or Sahara, given how bizarre they find rain. don't get us started on thunder or snow, (they've never even HEARD of sleet or hail), it boggles the mind.

another dress for the Bean (shocking, right?)

2011-05-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

I CANNOT WAIT TILL DAYLIGHT. this dress is KILLING me with it's cuteness.

I didn't have enough of the blue contrast (yes, I could buy more, these fabrics are from the new line of DS Quilts from Joanns, but that's not challenging enough) to do square pockets, so I cut my scrap into very careful and precice triangles, and I think they MIGHT be the cutest pockets EVER. Right? Especially since the PERFECTLY matched ribbon is from my Gram's stash (yes, I CONSTANTLY "borrow" sewing stuff from her. LOVE HER!)

don't they scream Ice Cream Cones or springy Tussie-mussie?
(why, yes, I DO read Martha Stewart, how did you know?)

The top is the same as all the peasant top dresses I've made lately. With elastic shirring around the collar and cuffs, because it really is faster and easier than elastic in a casing.

this is the back... you don't get to see the front till tomorrow, with natural light, on my model...

My 1/2 yard cut is gonna be just a little too short on the Bean, so I added a contrasting strip on the bottom...

and I used my new favorite stitch, this honeycomb one, to flatten out the seam (even though it's serged on the inside, so it's totally redundant, I LOVE honeycombs)

full reveal of the front tomorrow, on the bean... Maybe. She just stumbled out of bed, crying from a nightmare, so I offered her the dress, to distract her. she says she doesn't want it.... (she's in a pink phase. red does not cut it.) Etsy store, here ya go. Maybe. we'll see what she says in the morning. because, seriously, I want to keep this JUST for the pockets. LOVE THEM.

ps: time for public humiliation. Katie, CiCi could have a dress this cute if you'd only tell me what size to make it....

KCWC day 4

2011-05-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

I had a parent meeting last night for D's school, so I didn't get to sew much.... but in the a.m., while D was at school, I made these pants.

These are C's old pants... (I'm actually not sure what was wrong with them, but they were in my refashion pile, so...uh.... I *hope* I was allowed to do this!)

here they are now.

I took shirtless photos so the pants would be visible....

(this is how tall he is. in case you were wondering. helpful, right?)

I'm loving the cargo pockets that I was able to keep. or, rather, D is loving the cargo pockets.

I have to tighten the elastic, and then close the hole in the waistband... I used some awesome woodgrain fabric (leftover from a quilt binding)on the inside of the waistband...
this kid is so ridiculously tall...

KCWC day 5

2011-05-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

I found this tutorial/pattern in the Elsie Marley KCWC Flickr pool, and HAD to make it.

I totally didn't have enough of this awesome (hoarded for >2 years) fabric, though.... So I cut VERY carefully, and used a coordinating solid to line and back the pockets...

I used my favorite peasant top (scaled down, to fit my tiny Bean) as the basic pattern, and just used the pockets from the tutorial listed above.

then I used the TINY bits of scraps I had left over to make the 2 rose barrettes....

I love this picture of us. She's smiling because of what I'm saying to her.

on a roll.... sorta

2011-05-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

My goal, after KCWC ends, is to master knits. I struggle with them soooooooo very much.

this one was just a 2o minute play dress idea, so I don't mind (too much) that it's sloppy.

It's just a peasant dress, without the sleeves, attached to a shirred circle.

It has pockets, of course. One is zig-zagged on, one straight stitched. just to see which comes out better (still not sure)

the pockets are greatly appreciated.

and I noticed that it's too long (of course, I didn't bother hemming it, so it's good that it's too long.)

here you can see the collar. just a long strip, sewn into a loop and then I did 5 or 6 (can't remember, I had the Bean on my lap, so I wasn't counting) rounds of shirring.

she seems pretty happy with it though...

and that's all that matters, right?

I am biased, admittedly.

2011-05-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

But I'm pretty sure I have the world's cutest kiddos.

after making this dress yesterday afternoon, I rushed to make more for the Bean after bedtime. so here're my 2 more:

fancy stitch used for hem. I always forget to use fancy stitches, but I might as well, right?

back view. this one is reversible except for the pockets.

there may be small bribes in her pocket.... not telling.

she's just so infectiously cute!

I also love her elf shoes. I haven't posted about them yet, but I knit them up last week, and felted them, and LOVE them. they stay on and keep her feet warm!

I made a rose barrette out of leftover bias from the blue solids of both dresses, twisted together.

she's such a goof.

at least until she discovers the bribes in her pocket.

then it's time to hunker down and enjoy the treats.

she's starting to look more like a big girl, and less like my baby. :(

The Bean REFUSES to wear clothes lacking pockets. it's like a make-or-break feature of all clothing.

but she's VERY generous in her appreciation of said pockets.

here's a good view of the fabric. it's a scrap of echino double gauze from momen, paired with some REALLY cheap poly-blend solid blue. (scraps from my gram)

All in all, not bad, right? 3 dresses in 1 day? granted, not my best work, but my daughter is 2, so she loves them. and I know how to do them better next time.

Kids Clothes Week Challenge!

2011-05-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

It started Monday. so Monday night, I made these pants for D (from C's ripped jeans)

(it's really hard to get a good pic of dark loose jeans on a 4 year old boy.)
yesterday, I made this dress, and wanted to cry and quit the whole thing. It just REEKS of homemade.

PLUS, to add insult to injury, look at what happened to my rolled hem when it came out of the laundry:

so gross!

Today was better though. C needed to film the kids at the Long Beach Aquarium this afternoon, so I got some sewing time in. This is a knock-off of a super cute Tea Collection dress that one of D's friends wore, and I LOVED.

so I borrowed hers, and made this one from some of my Gram's fabric...
it's WAY too big for The Bean (she's usually an 18m, still, and this is a 4T), but she looks so cute in it!

I used the fabric flower tute on Collette Pattern's Blog, to cover an age spot (discovered after already having cut and sewn the whole thing) on the fabric, and to differentiate between front and back, because otherwise it's totally reversible.

the neckline has elastic in it, and the empire waist is shirred.

it might be too long, but it can always be hemmed, obvi.... I'll cut into the good fabric after I know if this fits.

Spring Top week! again! Already!

2011-05-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

this year has FLOWN by, but it's

week again, over at Made By Rae....
this year, all of my entries have a theme: SCRAPS!
I made
this shirt, for Lauren and for her store, and she was SUPER generous, and let me keep the scraps. (It's not in the pic, but I used the Anna Maria Horner "shattered suns" voile, also from Lauren, to make myself a version of the shirt, because I was scared to test a new pattern with really expensive Liberty, so I made both).
ANYWAY, I entered these three shirts into the sewalong, because I love them.

I especially love the blue one that I'm wearing as I write. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

did anyone else participate?

(oh, btw, the pics link to the flickr group, so you can see all the other amazing tops)

New Look 6781

2011-05-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

New Look tunic

2011-05-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

I used scraps again to make New look 6033. the one in the main picture, but shorter (whoops, I think I might have liked it longer, but I don't like LONG things, and so snipped, and now regret...), and I used contrasting scraps for the whole neckline.

reasonably well fitting, easy to make, super cool in this hot weather...
all the voile is french seamed, so it's comfy inside too....

Union Jill

2011-05-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

Despite my best intentions, I never got around to posting this before THE WEDDING. anyway, here's my interpretation of the Union Jack as an Aviatrix Dress...

I had never noticed, before making this, how incredibly ASYMMETRICAL the British Flag is.
I tried to copy it, but next time, (if there IS a next time), I'm going to take more artistic licence, because I think it looks like I was wonky, rather than the flag.

the back... again, it's the FLAG's fault. My matching of seams is pretty darn good!

I love this shot, cause you can see all the pretty white piping. LOVE this dress. (also selling it on Etsy)

New Look 6027

2011-05-03T22:34:00.000-07:00

I was trying to get my husband to stop taking pictures of the silly children and take a picture of my new shirt before he left on a week-long business trip (to Vegas, to work for Showtime, filming Manny Pacquiao. cause he's cool like that). Awesome. he caught me scolding him.

I'm sorta smiling, even though it's a blurry pic....

I like the shaping added by the center back seam. I did french seams throughout. I think it's nicer on lightweight (fragile) fabrics like voile and Swiss Dot

of course, D snuck in to MANY of the pictures.

I love flutter sleeves. also love Swiss Dot, the color red, Anna Maria Horner, and sewing, so this shirt is perfect.

even if my ironing is NOT. oh well, at least the sewing is good. I can always re-iron.

How to fake it with a too-short zipper

2011-05-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so MY SEWING TIME is after the kidlets go to bed. tonight, it started at 8pm.

I can dream all day, and plan out a million things, and maybe even cut stuff out, but I can't turn on the machines unless everyone is asleep.

That means that I need to GET STUFF DONE, quickly, and with things I have onhand. I read blogs on my phone while I wait in the hallway for the Bean to fall asleep, and I saw this awesome needle book (although, according to TipNut's tutorial list, I think it might technically be a needle case, not book. semantics) and immediately put all other plans on hold to make one. but then, as I was about to cut, I came up with all these things I'd change, so I made up my own, entirely.

But then I didn't have the right size zipper.

so I faked it. and as I did that, I thought, maybe someone else might have the same problem, so here's what you do:

See: the yellow zipper is too short to go across the blue fabric. (It's the leftover from a chain zipper, I love love love chain zippers, but sometimes, all you have left is 4", and it's hard to use!). if i'd had more blue fabric, I would have used it, but I had the gingham, which is lining... so I used the scraps to sew the ends of the zipper shut to the gingham.(you can sorta see the cream colored stitches in this first shot, about 1/4" from the ends of the yellow zipper)

(sew scraps to ends of zipper, right side of fabric to wrong side of zipper)

Try to give yourself at LEAST a 1/4" of fabric on each side of the zipper, so you can fold it. and maybe 2" of lengthening....
Then you iron.
first, Iron the scraps away from the zipper, like this:

then fold over and iron all 3 other sides of the scraps (like on the right side, below). the left side is done here.
then, (look at the right side of this pic) fold over again, so it looks like the left side, and all the raw edges are tucked in, and sew (or baste) all the way around. (well, you don't have to do the folded side, but to the other 3 sides)

then sew the zipper in to the bag, acting like it's just a regular zipper (I did try to center it). when I was trimming the fabric before I turned the bag right side out, I also trimmed down the gingham zipper extenders, so there's not too much bulk in the corners.

and here's the slightly blurry photo of the finished product... a nicely fitting zipper.

and the perfect needle case for me. exterior pocket, for pattern notes, or embroidery bobbins; zipper pocket for thimble, snips, and a skein of floss or two; and on the other side, a snapping needle book, with wool to hold the pins...

The Perfect Summer Dress

2011-05-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

I cut into the DS fabric from Joanns (I only bought a 1/2 yard of this one, and of 2 others), and combined it with some red Swiss Dot scraps to make this:

She wasn't super psyched about being a model, so these are all "action" shots, but hopefully you'll be able to see how cute it is....

it's my version of this Tea Collection dress... I think I need to make a bunch more.

Half a yard is JUST enough (when combined with other scraps for sleeves), to make a summery, short, peasant-dress with pockets (round bottomed, diagonally set, with grosgrain ribbon decorating the tops)

pretty cute, huh? (both the dress and the child)

Moth Wing Mug Rug

2011-05-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

So.... Back in March, D and I found this awesome moth "resting" on our porch....

I took a bunch of pics of the wings, because they were soooo interesting... love all the "modern" lines

pretty moth!

I bought some solids to match, with the idea of testing out a mug rug, so here it is:

Moth Wing Mug Rug Front

close up of the front

PERFECT mitered corners on the binding

Moth Wing Mug Rug Back

close up

Little tiny apron!

2011-04-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Bean was desperate last night for an apron of her own (not a smock, for babies, but a REAL apron, like mama.

she chose this squirrel print from my stash (along with about 12 others), and then I used some scraps of blue shirting to put on the ruffle and waistband. Within seconds of putting it on happily, she was complaining over the lack of pockets. (which were missing because I couldn't bear to cover up the adorable squirrels)

she INSISTED that there must be 2 pockets ("one for this hand, and one over here, for this hand")

here's a little action shot...

and here's the big drama shot, since I asked her to hold still and pose so I could take a picture. Tragic, right?

Etsy store!

2011-04-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

ok, I'm gonna try it.

I'm opening an etsy store, Ramona Rose Stitchery.

right now it's just little dresses, but hopefully it'll expand soon into PDF sewing patterns, knitting designs, and embroidery....

I'm super nervous about it for some reason....

Maybe because it's always been just for fun, but this is sorta the start of something I hope will become legit?

cross your fingers for me please!

(I even have new labels, iron-on, designed by C, and loved by D, since they're not itchy tags)

on the fence...

2011-04-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how much I love this one....

I decided to try the Aviatrix pattern without a full horizontal stripe, or a vertical stripe, and either the missing stripe or the pastel colors have made this version rather ho-hum....

but then I put it on her, and it's SO cute!

it zips up the back...

and has long sleeves (with elastic in the cuffs), to keep her warm in the spring breezes...

State Fair Frock....

2011-04-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

I got totally inspired by this fabric yesterday....

it took about 6 hours, with lots of kidlet interruption along the way...

but the finished result is SO cute, I'm sure I'll make this again and again.

the blue part is all shirred with elastic thread, so it's stretchy, and then there's a bow in the back to tie it a little tighter, if necessary...

the sleeves are flutter sleeves, to cover the shoulders from the hot summer sun in the garden....

there's a pocket for storing snacks or collecting treasures....

and the back top has 2 quick and simple snaps to hold it on.... I'm thinking of selling this dress, and then selling the pattern. It's pretty easy, though it IS time consuming to shir all that.... but LOOK at the finished product!!!

Trident General Store!

2011-04-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Bean is already on dress number 3 today (it's noon, after all), so here're some shots of her wearing the dress I made last night for Trident General Store

Skirt-to-dress refashion...

2011-04-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

I started this about a month ago, but finally finished it last night (hand sewing... sigh. I LOVE it, but finding the time....)

For some reason, The Bean is super pouty right now, but also insists on wearing this, so I needed to get pics before it gets stained by... whatever it is this 2 year old does to stain ALL her clothes.

it's mostly made from a skirt from a friend (Hi, Angel!), with some self-made bias to trim the neck and sleeves. (made of Kona Cotton from Sew Modern)

I used the original hem, but cut the sides and French-seamed them back together....

Both the front and the back are shirred, and then the collar has elastic cased in the bias...

Self-challenges....

2011-04-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has a local T-shirt company, and I asked for her messed up shirts, so I could play with them....

She had a mens XL, which had 2 tridents on it, instead of one, and was on the wrong brand of t-shirt, so I chopped it to bits, and made this...

It's reversible (front-back, not inside-out), since I couldn't decide which I liked better...Hopefully it will both fit her 3year old little girl, and be a fun advertisement for Trident General Store....

I want more big shirts now, as it was super fun to do, and I think the finished product will be comfy and cute on Kate....I love setting Project Runway style challenges for myself (wait till you see the dress I just made from a friend's skirt! tomorrow, hopefully), so tonight it was 2 finished dresses, the one above made using ONLY the tshirt, not adding any fabrics.... FUN!

I've had my hands full this week with our new chicks, we now have 4 new chickens (pictured here is The Bean's Cochin, Sue, being fed by D, and held by me), all between 6 and 10 weeks. so cute! more pictures to come!

oh, and my cat, always desperate for attention, decided to be a bird himself today (possibly to make up for the one he killed earlier in the week), and nested in some wreaths.... the chalk around him is so pastel-y and eastery, I couldn't stop laughing at him....

Snake trails part 2

2011-04-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

look here for the first part of the tute...

so here you can see the heavily pieced template, all cut out...

and here are some corner bits, all sewn together....

I didn't string piece any of these, but cut them out using the newspaper as a pattern.

I'm not huge on precision, so I actually didn't pin, but just started out holding the edges even, with the smaller piece on top, and the grey 1/4 circles on the bottom.... (Convex on top of concave, RST), and stretched them to fit as I sewed them.... most turned out totally fine.

once the corner pieces are done, I pressed them flat, and sewed a corner piece to each center piece, again, convex on top of concave.

press again, (however you want), and admire....

I sent everyone enough to do 2 blocks, hope that's ok... please don't attach them to each other though, I'm gonna scramble them up....

Please feel free to keep any and all scraps, or send back, and also feel free to use your own scraps, if they're mostly green.... embroidery, etc is also welcome....

YAY! thank you so much!

Snake trails part 1

2011-04-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is the finished block I'm having my Bee make this month, for a big quilt for D...

I've sent everyone enough to make 2 of these blocks, if possible...
so each packet has 4 grey/black 1/4circles (the roads), newspaper templates of the center piece and corner pieces, and lots of scraps (both my own, and scraps from friends)...

the blocks will be 8.5" square, so when the quilt is finished the blocks will be 8" square....

the first step is to string piece the newspaper templates.... you ladies are all so talented, I'm sure you already

know how to paper/string piece, but if you want a refresher, click here or here ( I like the 2nd link because you only sew through the paper 1 time, making it easier to rip off later, but feel free to do it however you like!) String pieces can be HUGE (1 piece of fabric for the whole piece), small (all string pieced), or anywhere in between. please use more solids than novelties, if possible, as the novelties should be a novelty, and I don't want to make the quilt look like scrap vomit, but rather like an old rag quilt.

anyway, after you sew enough strips to cover the newspaper, press, flip, and use the newspaper as a template and cut it out.

like so....

now switch over to the other part of the tute, for the rest....

If at first you don't succeed...

2011-04-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Try iPhone pictures.
and here's a link to the real picture, which somehow automatically went to the picasa web album, but won't show up on the blog

I personally think the door is pretty enough to merit all this fuss and frustration. but I defninitely DON'T have the energy to post the pretty new dresses I've made...
maybe tomorrow?

sometimes, I feel like a troglodite

2011-04-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Because I have NO idea why photos won't publish. things look all good, I'm going from google's Picasa to google's bogger, so it's not like it should be super complicated, but sometimes, I get broken pictures and have NO clue what to do.

so here's a picture of my door.

isn't it pretty? The color change has made a huge difference!
Although, because it is darker, both C and I have had flashes of panic upon returning home, thinking we left the door open, before we remember that the closed door looks dark now.

Something is up with my right hand/wrist/arm, it hurts like the dickens when I try to hold things (like knitting needles, or dirty dishes), so I'm taking it easy right now.... no knitting of easter bunnies, or socks, or chrocheted blankets, or embroidery, or even washing dirty dishes (sorry, C, but I tried today, and felt shooting pain, and almost dropped the glass, so that's out now too), and hoping that if I rest my arm for a few days, (with the Ace bandage borrowed from my dad), I'll get all better and be back to regular... we'll see.... theoretically I could sew, but I'm feeling burnt out right now... I was sewing while I was sick, pushing myself to meet self-imposed deadlines, and now that those deadlines have been met, I just feel like curling up with a good book (found at the library, judged by the cover, LOVING it!), and falling asleep with the kitties around me.

hopefully I'll get my mojo back in time for the Sew this weekend, assuming C isn't totally swamped at work all weekend.

btw, do any of you use pinterest? I love it so much, please let me know if you want an invite, and please feel free to follow me on pinterest... I pin stuff constantly.

My love of Teal

2011-04-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

I saw this post about Rae's old house yesterday, and realized that I really really really wanted to paint our front door.

We had to go to Lowe's this morning anyway, to do the kids clinic (they LOVE it), so I bought a little thing of exterior paint in the PERFECT shade of blue "Valspar Vintage Teal") I HATE the color of our house (beige). but it was painted RIGHT before we bought it, and it's too expensive to repaint it JUST for color, so we haven't even talked about it.... but just painting the DOOR is totally cheap, and I think it made a HUGE difference.

Remember this wreath? isn't it SO much prettier on this nice door? It took my WONDERFUL husband about 3 hours of sanding to get off all the layers of old ugly paint, but we have wood grain now, and blue, and I'm in HEAVEN. He spackled the old holes in it too... and we covered the non-working doorbell hole and painted over that too, so now our entrance is SO much nicer. I really want to find an old, cool doorknocker now.... something totally awesome and vintage....

Adding to the list...

2011-04-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

Tada! A finished bunny for C's grandma, for her birthday.
D and The Bean have already put their names down for bunnies of their own. I'm sooooo pleased with how it came out, I'm willing to do more (that's rare for me, usually I'm a one-time girl).

Tyvek embroidery...

2011-04-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Or maybe it's called string art even if it's lacking nails and is done with a needle? I've punched all the holes in the Tyvek, and gotten the leaves/stems done, so I'll work on the flowers tomorrow... I also need to research how to iron/smooth Tyvek. There are major creases in it from mailing....
Gotta love a challenge, and pushing boundaries, right?

Softies Day!

2011-04-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

I finished the knitting part of the bunny for C's Grandma's birthday, now I need to do the embroidery bits and make some accessories for it... And trim yarn, obvi. The Bean and I also whipped out a doll, which is for a friends second birthday tomorrow. My daughter MAY be trying to steal this little doll.... Hopefully it won't get too dirty between now an bedtime, when I can finish and wrap it up...

stuff.

2011-03-28T23:33:00.000-07:00

I ordered some yarn last week, to make a birthday present for C's grandma, who loves bunnies, and it came in the most brilliant bag ever:

package envelope front

LOOK! a free pattern!

isn't that neat! I have no intention of either knitting or crocheting that scarf, but I think it's a pretty cool shipping idea. I totally want to order more stuff, just to see if I get the same pattern, or if there are several... hmmm. must get rich so I can order unlimited yarns....

newborn-18m

I'm finally finishing up the play pants pattern (just in time, since I'm teaching the class at Sew Modern on Thursday!), so I pulled out some of my grandma's fabric, just to test out the final patterns one more time. I didn't bother hemming, as I just wanted to make sure everything went together smoothly (it did! yay!)...

contrast stitching?

If I have any of this blue leftover, after I make 2-6T samples, I am TOTALLY going to make some matching tunic tops, so the kids can play doctor (that sounds dirty, but don't these look like little scrubs? it's JUST the same shade of blue, no wonder my gram never used it!)

and last, but not least, here's a sorta-wonky square-in-a-square block for my 1st Wednesday bee...
wonky is REALLY hard for me. I think I just have problems with the trimming and wasting of excess fabric. I know it's minimal in the long run, but I use every little bit of fabric I can, (which is why fabric is slowly taking over my house), and it's just HARD. I'm trying to get over it though, and LOVED how easy/graphic/happy this block was. Hopefully the recipient will like it!

My cool new book!

2011-03-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to apologize for my pity party last week. I get so excited, and then I feel pressured to DO everything I want to do. but I need to remind myself that I'm not competing for anything, or meeting externally imposed deadlines, or even earning moola, it's just for FUN. right?

SO, since my plate of fun isn't full enough, I've decided I really want to make books. I LOVE BOOKS. like, A LOT.

front cover. I need to decide on velcro or a button and twine for a closure,
as my finger is not going with the book.

I've tried kits to make books, and I've played around with online tutes, and I have never really felt comfy with anything. and then at the library, last week, I FOUND THIS BOOK. (I really really would like my own copy, if anyone out there wants to buy me a present.)

open to the first page. see the cover? it's fused newspaper delivery bags. cool, huh?

Things I love: clear instructions, plenty of pictures, and the best attitude EVER.

STITCHING! it's sorta hard to see white thread on white paper,
but feel free to admire it anyway.

I've gotten bookmaking books (from the library) before, and they all tell you you need all sorts of fancy stuff, and that's awesome, but it's TOTALLY not in my budget. so then, I try to fake it, and the result is. um, well, it looks like I couldn't afford the fancy stuff. BOO

the view from above. see all those packets of paper?
book binders call them "signatures." now you know.

THIS book is all about making cool things from your recycle bin, so if you don't have the right things on hand for one project, you're sure to be able to make something else. with the things you have on hand (assuming you have something flat and hard (like a bone folder or a butter knife) and something sharp (like an awl or a skinny nail or a sewing needle), and paper and thread (although I DID find linen bookbinding thread today at a local indie art store called Walsers. very cool)

SPINE! with pretty thread stitches showing.

so here's the "shopper's joy" book, the first of MANY I'm planning to make.

LOVE LOVE LOVE books.

Two new quilts started....

2011-03-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I got the top pieces for the pickle dish and the dresden started... one block per...

I'm trying to figure out how I want to arange the pieces here for the pickle dish... the pic above has a purply print with yellow in the middle, and a brown print with yellow on the outside...

um. this one was just included because it's pretty.

this one shows the brown one in pairs on the top, and the purply ones on the bottom..

I'm not sure what the background will be, I'm sorta thinking natural linen would be awesome....

I got a big stack of reproduction fat quarters out, and sorted them into stacks of colors.....

I cut up the black, pink, and brown tonight, but just sewed the black wheel to test size and stuff....

now I'm back to folding and ironing for the Cathedral Windows....

insane = me.

2011-03-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm crazy, admittedly. current QUILT projects (because including my in-progress clothing/designing/knitting/crocheting/embroidering/crafting projects would take all night)

1) a pickledish quilt (using the instructions/templates from HERE, but doing it more graphically like the gypsy kisses HERE, but with 30s fabrics and solids, because I love them)

2) a dresden QAL, because I like QALs, and because I already have a dresden ruler, and I obvi have enough fabric, so WHY NOT!?!?!?

3) D's Snake Trail quilt.

(um, ok, I'll add the rest of the QUILTs in progress)

4) a doll quilt that needs binding for the Bean

5) the pinwheel quilt for my MIL (she really wanted it, and it's not a good idea to refuse your MIL)

6) a peacock quilt. (I need to have oodles of moola so I can buy the base fabric, I'm thinking Kona Lagoon or Kona Jade, or maybe being super crazy and pulling an LAMQG and using Ash or Coal.... My bee people made awesome feathers, and I really want to play with them soon.....)

7) the Bean's birthday quilt. It'll get done by the time she turns 3, but she's not 2.5 yet, so I have time. (ack, I just looked for a post to link back to, and I think I started it BEFORE I BLOGGED! ok, time to get cracking!)

8) my cathedral windows. I'm enlarging it to double size. it's more fun this time, as there's no time deadline. and I really like ironing. not so much the sewing, but man, I love ironing small fiddly bits. (I just looked up the link, guess I made myself a liar by deciding to enlarge it. Not done. Not even close. poop.)

OK, now that I'm COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED (because I also have socks to knit for C, bunnies to knit for easter, a large blanket to crochet, Play Pants patterns to finish testing, Aviatrix dress patterns to finish testing, etc, etc, etc.

here's what I've done so far tonight, though:

128 (or more, since I didn't want to undercut) arcs, (cut from my dad's scrap paper, after the bean colored on the blank side, so they're on their 3rd use! Go Green!)

The Kiddos had the water colors out today, so I borrowed a brush to test the color scheme/block size....

4 arcs complete, with scrapped paper.

And now I'm off to iron more Cathedral Windows blocks. PAAAARTY!