woooooohhoo

I'm excited. I'm finally upgrading my computer to Leopard, not snow leopard, just reg. leopard. I've finally gotten irritated enough to not have firefox and some internet things not working right anymore, that I'm upgrading.

Dear Sis is having her baby any day now, and we're all excited for them.
I can wait for October to roll around the corner.... all the birthdays are coming, except mine, which is ok. Thank god the kids aren't turning 16! DS, to be 7, has proclaimed that he is bored of old toys, and would like new toys. So, he's been advised to look for things to get rid of. Dd just really needs somewhere convenient to put things away. I haven't configured just the right set up yet. A big basket by the door is probably the best answer since she seems to leave everything in the doorway. LOL. Aye. Dh's birthday is coming too. Haven't decided on anything yet, but would like to surprise him. Dying his cadillac shirt blue would probably be good since it's been sitting around waiting. =)

Sewing to do's for the week: Finish a winter hat for a birthday gift, work on baby nephew's halloween wrap shirt.... and trace some other things on the make list.

Time is getting away from me

The crocus' are withered away and spring has come, some of my flowers are blooming. I'm so excited to see that my handful of Prairie trillium have multiplied. It will be years before they all flower, but last year I was graced with one full beauty. I grew up calling them bloody noses... but my curiosity as a gardener wanted to know the real name. They aren't a typical looking flower, but one of my favorites. I think second in line would be Spring Beauties, as far as bulbs go.
We'll see what this year has in store for the garden. I have some lemon drops that I bought at a plant sale, and last year my one or two plants turned into at least two dozen seedlings... and now there is a full crown starting. My mind tells me I should be dividing them soon. It's suppose to be 70° here friday, so maybe then, if the kids allow me to wander away from the playset. Whatever I did with that helpful sheet with suggestions of when to divide and deadhead.... I always try to look before I dig since I can't remember all the plants likes and dislikes.
I finished my aunt's purse last week. I made it from the Ottobre pea pod purse pattern(free download). It came out pretty well, she was excited to have something made for her, too. I've never used the fusible batting before. It wasn't very difficult, but I had some challenges putting in the zipper and stitching along the top. I had to restitch some of it because the fabric was folding over itself, so I had lost about 1/4" in a few stretches. I'm glad I didn't just leave it and move on. I thought putting the bottom on would be hard, but it was just a matter of maneuvering the fabric around. I didn't get any puckers there. The expanded instructions were great. In a few weeks, Tuula and the Ottobre staff will be posting the rest of the bag photos they received on their new blog.
I'll come back and post some photos after lunch.

Christmas doll

Well, she's not really a doll, but she's my doll. Her dress is the Cilla dress from Otto 06/08, #5. (The toys are her brothers.) I thought the dress went together pretty well. I cut the yoke upside down the first time, even after reminding myself... oops. It was tiny, so I recut and moved on. I used dark green for the inner yoke, and snaps instead of buttons. Snaps were a new challenge for me. I chalked the back and lined them up where they needed to go, and they work.
I love the style of this pattern. I was thinking about a valentine's dress, but it would be great for everyday too.
Most of our family lives a few hours away, so we are usually traveling over the holidays. We spent Christmas eve with my family and Christmas day with dh's family, and then had our own Christmas at home friday morning. The kids got to play and visit, and bring home some goodies. I made my MIL a cover for her huge toaster, that came out nice. I'm glad I made a stp dummy to have at home. The cover is in the same waverly print she has as wallpaper. I got the fabric free off of my local freecycle. I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to find any since it's several years old. So that was cool! I didn't really do any other hand made gifts, but I did make my mom a nice red/green plaid gift bag (to wrap her robe). I also bought some yummy smelling soap from WashableArt on etsy, including legos, oatmeal cookie dough, and some pink cupcakes. I'm not sure if it was her or another soap maker, but I saw bubbles, round bubbles in a small mass somewhere and cannot relocate them... wish I would have favorited them. Oh well, that's it for now.
Happy New Year!

Good Mail

Yesterday's mail was great! New reading material. I should've ordered more winter, less spring.... but the goal was to have some new ones for spring.... so I'm really on track.
I can't wait to make something out of 03/07. Such cute stuff. I got 02/04 for the swim wear mainly, so I hope I can make that a go sometime next year.

I had my niece here for the latter part of Thanksgiving weekend. We went to Joann's for the fleece sale on Saturday and picked a few things. I made her a cute new scarf to go with her white puffy coat. This one here is a matching one for her younger sister. Mittens are next on the list, once I find a pattern. I was going to use Otto 04/04, but they aren't big enough.
Other than that, things here are a little dreary and I am tired. Tired of cleaning up spilled pop, spilled milk, pee accidents and dog vomit. Totally disgusting. Someone's either not paying attention, playing with their food and slinging things off the table, running around without a diaper because she knows where the potty is.... or at least I thought she did..... and lastly, the dog. He's just having a bad day I guess. I really wish I had a cleaning lady this week, or a magic wand. I really have to get moving on the office stuff, organizing, containerizing, and so on. The counter top is ready to pick up, and the rest should be ready within 1-2 weeks. Not much time to get through the paper jungle. LOL.

Back to school and on with the sewing...

and serging! I got my serger back from the shop. I reviewed my manual, and am starting out with the 3 thread overlock. I have no idea what I am doing, but I'll learn what I need to, as I go. I practiced on some scraps, and then I did the edges of a shirt I'm working on for dd. Then I decided it would be useful to do the edges of all the fabric I need to get washed. It was fun, if you can imagine, and I can't believe how fast it moves. That is an adjustment since I tend to take my time at the sm.

Anyhoo, ds went back to school this week. He didn't even give the goodbye hug when it was time to go in. He was too excited to deliver his "mail" to his teachers. So I am glad he is happy to go back, and has a few old familiar friends too.

I am nearly to the end of making the kukkerus kimono from Ottobre 04/08. It has turned into a little bit of a bear project. I wish I was done already so I could move on to something else. It's a combination of things that is making it slow, but mostly I think it's just me. I have been worried over the flannel back satin. So far, it's going ok. After I stitch the other underarm and side, I'll be moving on to putting it together with the outer shell. I hope I will eventually get better and faster.

Kathleen at Grosgrain is having a playful giveaway. Make Believe Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
I hope I win it for my dd. Of course, in the meantime it will be great for dress up when we have playgroup friends over. I think I might use my handy dandy serger to make some scarves and playthings. The projects on the want to do pile are growing ever higher. =)

So 80s

Somehow I came across a vintage toy website today, and I saw Fashion Plates. With all the sewing and patterns, and looking at what people are making on Flickr... I couldn't help to think what fashion plates would look like with Ginger Blossom, or Ava Rose, or Amy Butler, or Park Slope. I loved that toy, and I'm sure my sisters inherited it at some point, and now has disappeared.
So, I think I will put it on my Christmas list. My sister likes to get me oddball or crafty gifts, so maybe I can talk her into this one. She was kind enough to get me my first Ottobre for my birthday.
I have been taking a break from sewing, but there lies fabric for an Ottobre kimono on my cutting board. Patiently.
I received an Elna serger from a friend of my Aunt, so I have also been reading up on that. It's a bit overwhelming, but I made it through the bulk of the book mostly understanding what I read. I'd like to pick up a red or deep pink thread so I can give it a go testing out the stitches and tensions by using the colors of the tension dials. I'm thinking that I could probably make some hand towels for the house, or just practice on some scrap. Theoretically, it would be more "fun" to make something, botched stitches or not. And, if I go make something now, I may be less tempted to order more fabric for my stash. =)

Ottobre Summer shorts

I finished the summer shorts for ds. I think construction wise, everything went fine. I got a little hung up on the pocket binding but I pushed my way through it. It wasn't that bad, just another new thing. I managed to match up the pockets, but didn't plan to match up the legs. Maybe next time, after I read how to do it. Normally, I would just guess, but I'm thinking that I would have to cut out 4 legs as opposed to cutting two on folded fabric.

M like them so that's good. Now to decide if they are an outfit or pj's... I'm sure he'll let me know.