Beach Glass and Linen (or, "The Izzy Strikes Again")

I warned you that there would be more Izzies in the future. It's just too good a pattern to not make multiples of. I've made it in knit and in linen, and I opted for linen once again -- with a little embellishment.

It recently came to my attention that acrylic paint can be easily turned into fabric paint by mixing it with a specially designed medium -- it's more cost effective than normal fabric paint, and offers more color options. I found the medium on the same rack as the acrylic paint at my local craft store. I simply had to try it for myself! This navy linen (formerly a skirt) was burning a hole in my stash, so it was the lucky candidate for my experiments.

Oh, I also decided to alter the bodice on this iteration, opting for a cross-over neckline. It was a relatively easy change, and made the bodice lining a little easier to stitch together. 

The paint colors I used were "Beach Glass" and "Gold" by Martha Stewart. I could have used a cheaper brand, but I decided to indulge my long-time secret longing for Martha Stewart paint. Besides, with coupons the price difference was mere pennies. And how could I resist a paint called "Beach Glass?"

After cutting out the pieces, I laid them out on some butcher paper and went to work with my sponge brush and paint. Incidentally, some of the paint bled through to the paper and dried in a permanent fashion. I peeled most of the paper off, but there are still a few patches stuck to the back of the fabric, even after a few washings!  

Little Man was quite distressed to see me intentionally painting the fabric, after my frequent admonitions to him the previous day to stay away from our freshly painted walls. I tried to explain to him that this paint was supposed to be on the fabric, but I doubt that I succeeded in convincing him.

A little turquoise button sufficed for the back of the dress -- one of those "I doubt I'll ever actually use this" buttons that I had stowed in my stash. I'm delighted that the gold turned out so metallic; it was more than I was hoping for. The freelance nature of the painting had me quite nervous, but I'm quite pleased with how the designed turned out -- and also pleased that I did not opt for a symmetrical polka dot pattern.

Sadly, the metallic gold doesn't quite come through in photos.

I made it up in the 2T, same as my other linen Izzy, but since this version is dress-length, it came out looking a little baggy. I've briefly considered shortening it and pairing it with leggings, but since I like it so much as a dress, I'll leave it as is. Besides, there are many months to go before Fall comes, and Rosa will be doing some growing before then. Maybe she can even wear it next summer, too?

It was the perfect little dress to wear for a little outing to the beach -- it has such a seaside feel, from the breezy fabric to the name of the paint color. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity expand my creative palette (no pun intended) in addition to my usual needlecraft. 

Among the Irises

Just a short distance from our house is a quiet pond, and once a year that quiet pond blossoms into one of the most idyllic spots imaginable as hundreds of purple irises unfurl their petals.

I've taken pictures with Little Man here before, and this year I was determined to take advantage of this beautiful glade once again. In spite of a slew of thunderstorms that nearly undermined my plans by (literally) raining on my parade, I got my wish. 

Miracle of miracles, I even got several portraits of both of my children looking pleasant in the same photograph! Here's just a peek:

Summer is certainly on its way -- which makes sense for Florida, because it's almost May. What did happen to April, anyway? It doesn't make much sense that I'm knitting up a storm as the hottest months of the year approach, but now that I've started I can't seem to stop. I did manage to whip up a swim skirt with leggings for Rosa -- which will come in handy if I can convince her to get in the water...

Hazelnut

I had a hazelnut themed breakfast a few mornings ago, completely unplanned. I was eager to try my little indulgence from the grocery store -- a jar of organic Italian hazelnut spread (i.e., "gourmet" Nutella), which I spread on some toasted sourdough. For me, a little culinary treat is an affordable luxury that has all of the (fleetingly) endorphic thrills of a more expensive item, without the financial guilt. Caloric guilt? Well, something's got to give. *wink*  

I paired my Nocciolata with Adagio's hazelnut tea, not even realizing the irony. Double the hazelnut, double the fun! The tea was a free sample that came with an order, and I was skeptical about a nutty tea. But the hazelnut flavor is perfect, and (to me) is very reminiscent of coffee. It's a great compromise for someone like me, who loves the smell of coffee but usually can't handle the taste. 

Not the most healthful breakfast, perhaps (though I did down a banana earlier in the morning), but sometimes a little comfort food is just what the doctor ordered. Or, more accurately, just what Shannon wants. And for the record, Nocciolata tastes exactly like Nutella -- which is a resemblance I can handle!

It Takes a Village

A little set of colored peg people has been on my wish list for a while, inspired by this set -- the simple, imaginative nature of Waldorf-style toys appeals to me on many levels. A toy like this provides activities like basic manipulation (putting the peg people in and out of the pots), color matching, and imaginative play. In other words, it spans quite a length of time in a toddler's development.

I bought the unfinished wood peg people and bean pots from Casey's Wood (who also had the maple teething rings and wooden beads I'd been looking for). I was surprised that Little Man called them "people" from the get-go. Apparently his imagination is more developed than I'd anticipated!

I found dyeing instructions over at That's My Letter -- the peg people and pots had remained unfinished for quite a while, since I couldn't seem to find a dying method that met my criteria! Really, all I wanted was something safe for little toddler mouths. That ruled out paint (which I thought would probably chip over time, even if it were non-toxic), as well as traditional wood dyes. The idea of using gel food coloring was perfect and inexpensive! Granted, I'm sure there are many who would argue that artificial food dyes are hardly natural or "safe" -- but for all intents and purposes, they are a food product, and that's good enough for me. 

 I painted on a coat of dye for each "person," and allowed it to dry. The results are imperfect and somewhat blotchy, and probably would have been improved with another coat of dye (and my purple has a strong resemblance to brown...) -- but I'm actually rather fond of their "unique" homespun character. And I love that the colors are bright, but not overpoweringly vibrant. I finished the pieces off with a coat of coconut oil, and voila! A little village of peg people. Now I just need to make a little drawstring muslin bag to keep them in.

Let the fun begin!

And Then There Were Two

Readers, it is finished -- or rather, they are finished. I have finally moved beyond the domain of the scarf, and have knitted something three dimensional that required more than just knit and purl stiches! I even used... a pattern. *gasp*

I am pleased to introduce you to my version of Saartje's bootees:

I was very careful to pick a pattern that I felt was within my reach for my first "real" project. While I had to brush up on the basics and learn a few new stitches, this pattern was the perfect candidate! Small enough to finish quickly (and therefore boost my morale), but interesting enough to teach me some lessons along the way. And the yarn I picked, as I anticipated, was delightful to work with. Did I mention that I love, love, love the little crossover straps in this design?

Now for the knitty gritty (sorry, I couldn't resist that one). I had requests in the comments of my yarn post to share what teaching mediums I used -- and very simply, I used YouTube! If I came across a stitch I was unfamiliar with, I'd put in "how to ______" in the search engine. I was surprised by how many options popped up! Several yarn companies (such as Bernat and Berroco) have channels with various tutorials. Occasionally I'd even look up several videos if the first was a bit confusing. I knit continental style, and used these bamboo needles. They may not be premium needles, but considering how many needles I received for the price and how satisfied I am with using them so far, they were perfect.

Also, I restarted the first bootee roughly five or six times. It (obviously) took me a while to figure out tension, counting stitches, etc. I decided I'd like the finished product better if I took my time, and I'm glad I followed that philosophy! Ialso found the perfect silvery grey mother-of-pearl buttons in my stash.

Things to fix for next time? My brain kind of exploded when I got to the straps, but I managed to come up with something that worked -- replicating that on the second bootee proved frustrating! Oh, and I didn't block the bootees before stitching them up, which was probably a mistake. I'm not too concerned, since they're bootees -- but can any of you more experienced knitters tell me if it's too late to block, or if it's important for a project like this?

I was pleasantly surprised by just how quickly these went once I got going. I've already got another project on my needles, but now that it's outgrown my 8" double points, I'll have to wait until my circular needles arrive in the mail!

Alive

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.

Death no longer has dominion over Him.

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;

but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,

but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- Romans 6:8-11 -

Harmony

During a recent shopping trip to JoAnn's, I purchased fabrics for three separate projects. But as I approached the cutting counter, I realized that all three fabrics blended in a particularly pleasing harmony.

The muslin on the bottom is for curtain lining, the teal linen is slated for a dress, and the bird print is destined for a knitting needle case -- though now I'm fairly certain I'll be incorporating remnants of the other two fabrics into the design!

The pattern for the linen is still undecided, but since I've wanted to make a linen tunic dress for months, I had to snap up this gorgeous teal rayon/linen blend as soon as I saw it. It's a bit more blue than it shows in the photo, and is scrumptiously rich and deep and dreamy. Very, very rarely do I decide to buy a fabric within five seconds of seeing it. Which is probably a good thing for my wallet...

 It has a beautiful hand, and I'm actually grateful for the healthy dose of rayon, which should make it easier to care for and wear. I've been longing to make the Wiksten Tova pattern (I love this version!) for some time, but since it's not nursing friendly, I'm hesitant to invest in a dress I (hopefully) won't have much opportunity to wear over the next few years. Perhaps a button-up tunic dress would be more in order -- something like this? I don't generally like button-ups for nursing, but I think I could make an exception!

Ah, the delightful possibilities. There's something lovely about the potential in an uncut length of fabric, isn't there?

Homespun

Now that I've determined to take up knitting in earnest, I'm gathering supplies and making plans. My strategy? The right tools (AKA, actually paying attention to the size of the knitting needles I'm using -- I know, this seems like a no-brainer), and the "right" materials. I know I'll be more inclined to perservere if I'm working with a yarn that I absolutely love.

A yarn like this:

It's an absolutely gorgeous wool and angora blend from Moss Hollowe on Etsy. And when I say gorgeous, I mean it. Surprisingly soft for wool, it's a beautiful grayish brown hue that pictures don't do justice to. To top it off, Moss Hollowe includes the names of the sheep and rabbits with the skein, along with "head shots" -- talk about provenance! I usually ponder and vacillate when making a purchase, but it didn't take me long to make a decision when I encountered this yarn.

With needles, stitch markers, and accessories ready to go, all that's left is to take a deep breath and start.

Wish me luck!

Ruffled Cream

With Summer well on its way, a few new tops have been in order. And apparently once one gets a taste for the infinite possibilites of custom shirts, one gets a bit heady. In other words, I find it very hard to be satisfied with what's available at my local charity shops, and very uninclined to shell out the cash for the kind of shirts I do like.

And thus, here's a bit of ruffled cream:

This shirt is not a total success, but it came out sufficiently well for my satisfaction. It's a simple affair, with a bit of ruffling at the neck and some ties to supply the necessary shaping. I'm beginning to suspect that I have a bit of a sway back, which can tend to make me look a bit plump in the middle unless a shirt is uncomfortably tight or tailored in the back. At any rate, the pattern is self-drafted -- it's really very easy to create your own tee pattern, either from your measurements or an existing top. And the nature of knit is such that it's also very simple to adjust and fit the shirt while in construction.

And yes, the topstitching looks a bit obvious in the above picture -- but it's not nearly as noticeable in real life. I do have a feeling that I'll be ironing this top after every wash, though, as I have my doubts about how well the flounces will lie flat on their own.

And just to keep it real, may I draw your attention to just how off-centered the neckline binding is in the back? There are times when I'm just not in the mood to make something perfect -- especially since I almost always wear my hair down. *wink*

What's up with the odd pulling in the back when Yvonne wears my shirt? hmm.

 So in the end, this shirt is an example of when less-than-perfect is just fine. Because, after all, it's just a shirt. A shirt that's going to come in very handy as the temperatures start rising!

A Head to Toe Day

I love head-to-toe days. Bow, dress, leggings, and shoes, all Mama-made. 

I'd like to make this a more frequent thing. Just because it's fun, you know?


PS -- The leggings are from this free pattern, slightly modified

Leather in Bloom

I'm fed up. Despite my best efforts, finding shoes for Rosa has seemed an insurmountable task lately. Even the few brand new pairs I've purchased online have proven to be too large for her (which is fine, since she'll grow into them). The problem is that she has the shortest, fattest little feet you have ever seen. Adorable? Yes. Kissable? Absolutely (assuming they've been washed! Girl, we've got to do something about that foot odor...). Good at fitting in standard shoe sizes? Not a chance. The shoe may be the perfect length, but if it has even a hint of a strap (and let's face it, most toddler shoes won't stay on without one), there's no way to shove her tootsies inside. 

And thus, I turn once again to my trusty leather. Much as I love leather shoes, I've avoided making them for a while; the traditional Robeez look works well on boys, but it's not exactly feminine (though there are some seriously adorable pairs embellished with flowers, birds, etc.). Also, my early attempts at making leather shoes for Rosa were less than successful. Oh, and did I mention that sewing leather is a major pain -- both literally and figuratively? It's also quite time consuming (I can't cajole my machine into stitching it properly, so I'm stuck with hand sewing). But this time, armed with a good pattern and a large modicum of determination, I set to work.

The result, happily, was well worth the effort. Finally releasing myself from the burden of trying to create a pattern, I purchased the Ruffled Mary Jane pattern from Podsshoes on Etsy. Isn't it a delightful design? The pattern was quite satisfactory, too. This is actually my second pair -- I tried the size 4, a bit nervous that it was labeled as "9-12 months" despite the finished size being larger than her foot measurement. Turns out, the 4 was enormous, and I ended up making the "6-9 months/Size 3" for my almost-18-month-old! So definitely go by the measurements instead of the age, just to be safe.

I skipped the leather ruffle for this pair, and instead created a leather flower for each shoe -- I used this leather rose tutorial, though I was disappointed when I discovered the PDF download was no longer available. Fortunately, the blog's author photographed her templates, and from that I was able to recreate them.

I did alter the shoe pattern just a tad -- Besides omitting the ruffle, I extended the strap piece and left the edges square (rather than rounding them). This allowed me to simply sew the strap to the side of the shoe and stitch on a decorative button, rather than deal with snaps (which I don't have on hand, and can be a little pricey). The shoe slides right on, so I'll probably repeat this in the future. 

I did machine sew a little bit -- but since it involves hand-cranking my machine and re-stitching about 75% of
the stitches until they "take," I eventually gave up and pulled out my thimble.

 I'm finally making peace with hand-sewing leather, now that I'm getting the hang of it. Each time it gets a bit easier, sometimes due to an improvement in materials (yay for leather needles and a better thimble!), sometimes due to an improvement in technique (two rounds of running stitches -- first round with a leather needle, second with a regular needle -- is better than trying to back stitch, which will sometimes result in cut threads if you're using a leather needle). And quite honestly, the extra "manipulation" that's possible with hand sewing is a bonus when working with tiny shoes.

Total cost? $0.25 for the leather (I got 4 pairs of shoes out of a $1 garment), and $8 for the pattern -- but that cost will be lowered each time I use it. Actually, I've already used it twice, so I'm down to $4 per use! *wink*

These look so precious on Rosa, and they'll match just about everything in her wardrobe! I'll definitely be pulling this pattern out again (fortunately, she still has two sizes to work through, so it should keep us going for a while).

Life of Late

We are having the loveliest Spring I can remember in our little corner of Florida. Perhaps that's because I'm determined to enjoy it this year, or perhaps it really is just as extra-specially wonderful as it seems. The temperatures are glorious, and the days are mostly mild (with a few hot and chilly days sprinkled in for variety). 

Little Man is always taking me by surprise with what he's able to do. He's also
incredibly social, and will talk the ear off the nearest stranger he can nab.

I have been treating myself to little luxuries this Spring. It's (hopefully) less self-indulgent than it sounds! Rather, I make a treat of simple things -- a cup of tea, reading a book, a little outing to the park, things like that. It's remarkable how much better the days seems when I take a few moments to thoroughly enjoy something, rather than just charging ahead.

The "dregs" of my Adagio Earl Grey Moonlight. It's creamy, golden deliciousness.

I've also been taking this time to love on my children (hence, more outings to the park). I know this is partly because our recent loss has made me want to cherish the blessings I have. I must admit, I feel sort of lost without a baby in my belly or my arms. Rosa, in true girly style, is still quite a "baby" in the sense that she is extremely sensitive and will cry at the drop of a hat (or the word "no"). But there's no denying that she's more of a toddler than a baby now -- and the little pair of pigtails she's been sporting recently are ample proof of that.

Rosa saw her daddy blowing up the beach ball, and though she'd give it a try, too. Love that girl.

At any rate, I've been trying to fill my time, rather than twiddling my thumbs during this "odd," perplexing, and hopefully brief phase of life. That means more sewing, more playing, more stories, and more "living." I've even decided to take up knitting. *gasp* I worked my way through almost two years of Alicia Paulson's blog, Posie Gets Cozy, and am now officially inspired. If there were some sort of best-dressed baby award, I'd vote for her (just look at this yellow tunic, this Liberty print blouse, this darling cardigan, this little tunic, and especially this hooded coat. Drooling yet? And yes, she made all of them!). Alicia's blog was the last straw. I'm fed up with being too "poor" to afford the kind of knitted garments I love, and too skill-less to make them. The latter seems an easier problem to remedy, so I'm going to give it a go. Fortunately, my basic continental-style knitting skills seem to be in good working order, so most of my education will consist of learning to read patterns and execute more complicated stitches/techniques. Great. Like I needed one more -money-sucking, space-consuming craft to pursue. *wink* I'm now following Alicia's blog so I don't miss a single post; her writing is lovely, and her photographs are so peaceful.

A new favorite dinner in the works -- a layer of refried beans in a 9x13, topped
with sauteed ground beef, onions, black beans, and rotel (with cumin, chili
powder, garlic, and honey for seasoning). Add some shredded cheese and
pop the whole shebang into the oven for a yummy "chip dip" dinner.

We've been escalating our home improvement efforts of late with the realization that once the hubster finishes up his current training, we'll be moving. Our plan is to rent our home out, but there are some much needed upgrades before that can happen. So there are little signs of progress all over the place -- light fixtures, paint, floors. We just put down some laminate flooring in the nursery, and it looks so much better than the horrible, dingy carpet that it replaced! There are two more bedrooms to floor, two more rooms to paint, and new countertops for the kitchen to install. But there is finally an end in sight. I love seeing all of the improvements (which are happening on a faster timetable than we would have undertaken sans moving), even if we won't be able to enjoy them ourselves for very long.

Well, that's the scoop. I'm praying for contentment and patience, and enjoying my husband's relatively empty schedule (grocery shopping alone can be such a luxury!). And now I think it's time to go sew something...