Waste Not....

Even with our stringent de-cluttering policies, we are guilty (er, I am guilty) of letting a few plastic storage boxes of clothing I can't quite part with waste away in our garage.   I did a little digging this week and resurrected a once-loved top and a once-perfect, oft-repaired pair of favorite jeans.  The long sleeves of the top became these super-simple baby leggings  (forgive the grainy rainy-day exposure....)

And the jeans transformed like this....

I'll be honest, making these was a bit harrowing -- I wouldn't recommend denim or this type of stretchy cotton/lycra material to a newbie seamstress like me.  It's a miracle that both the machine and I survived!  I certainly honed my G-rated expletive range during this project.  The center photo is of S assisting with a gentle, soothing touch to appease the sewing machine.  It must have worked, since she allowed me to finish both projects with only the small casualty of a broken needle. Worth the sacrifice to breathe new life into these old favorites.....

Just quickly, a few photos from the shed/studio revamp:

The walls are up!  I think I'll be able to get in and do some painting in the next week.  Can't wait.

My Baby and Me!

 

Here a few photos from the collection I recently did for My Baby and Me.  (To view the whole album, check out their Facebook page here.)  I found working on these incredibly satisfying and fun; Paul and Ange from My Baby and Me gave me full creative freedom, which was awesome!  These are soon to be available on the MBAM website.  So exciting.

 

 

 

Hey, I could do that....

Ever have this thought?  I do -- increasingly often.  Usually, it's the result of extreme optimism paired with lack of experience.  But sometimes, just sometimes, it's true.   Today I sewed my very first item of clothing for myself.  It helps that I have no perfectionist tendencies when it comes to sewing, but I'm feeling happy with the results.

I remember a quote from Amy Karol's "Bend the Rules With Sewing" that goes (and I'm totally paraphrasing here) "You have to be good enough to know when you can bend the rules."  I must say, this quote doesn't apply to me at all.  It's more like, "If you don't know any of the rules, you just make up your own (and make a lot of mistakes along the way.)"   I am a beginner's beginner when it comes to sewing -- I'm not one of those crafty ladies that learned to sew perched atop my great-grandmother's knee.   In fact, it took me about a year after buying my machine to even learn how to thread it properly.  I'm not sure I should admit that publicly, but there you have it.....

I've been lurking for a while -- admiring others' handiwork, reading crafty blogs and books, and buying handmade clothing when possible.  I've been warming up with smaller projects -- quilts, bibs, pot holders; our resident doll, "baby" has a stunning wardrobe selection.   Finally, this blog inspired me to take the plunge.  The blog is a photo journal of a woman in Canada who has pledged to wear only what she makes herself (including shoes, underwear and the like) for a year.  Believe me, I didn't think "Hey, I could do that...."  But I did think that maybe I could begin to make some of my clothes....

I began with a soft cotton jersey fabric that's been lingering in my stash; I found it incredibly forgiving, with just the right amount of stretch. I just cut the shape I envisioned (no patterns yet for this no rules-er), sewed along the inner seams, and added a gather in the middle.  I didn't finish any of the edges, which was fine by my standards.

SO satisfying.  The skirt?  Another no-rules experiment (without sewing involved this time....)  I began with a secondhand top, the stripey-ness of which I love, but with an unflattering neckline....

A little work with a rotary cutter (much smoother than scissors) right under the armpits, and a sporty little number perfect for autumn layering was revealed.

Next: learn how to take self-portraits without angles that make the viewer dizzy.  I'm sure it's doable.

The Good, The Great, and The Wonderful

We've had some new discoveries and developments around here lately -- I thought I'd share a few....First, the Good: audio books!  Exploring the kids' section of our library last week, I found a bounty of free books on cd.  On days when we're mostly at home, I encourage about an hour of quiet playtime in lieu of a nap.  This time helps all of us recharge and gives me a much-needed break.  Audio books have begun to play a central role in this hour -- I love that they engage my son's imagination and unlike dvd's are completely guilt-free (for me -- I doubt S feels any guilt at all about watching a dvd.)  He prefers to listen using these enormous headphones - - perhaps it helps him to become more absorbed in the story.  At any rate, the audio books have been a fortuitous discovery.

Next, the Great: our other favorite library -- the toy library!  Silly us, we let our membership expire when baby A was born.  Life got full, we made do with what we had, and it's been 8 months or so since we visited.   Upon return, S was into a completely different world of toys....there were so many things we could have happily left with.  We chose two train sets and a beginner's scooter.   When we got home, S literally spent the whole day immersed in his new train sets -- not food, nor books, nor the urgent need for the bathroom could tear him away.  It was incredible.  As the week has gone on, the intensity has waned....but only slightly.  He now takes meal breaks (thankfully) but the trains are a huge hit.  Yay, toy library! 

 

Finally, the Wonderful: a new development for me.... My loving, supportive, DIY-competent husband has undertaken the project of turning our humble storage shed into a deluxe garden studio.  (Okay, I'm not sure exactly how "deluxe" it will be, but hey!  Garden studio!  With room to grow and upgrade as time goes on....)   He swears I'll be in there in the next few weeks.  I can't wait!  In-progress view below.

Will definitely post photo updates once I'm in.  Very exciting.

Inward Bound

In Nelson, we are having a truly spectacular autumn.   I love how this season refocuses our energy inward.  We spend more time indoors, and I notice myself yearning to rearrange, refurbish, re-purpose, and just generally improve our living areas. 

I've been taking a brief respite from Seedling pursuits to focus on some home and family projects - - trying to tackle a few of the items on my never-ending projects-I'd-like-to-do list.....First up, pillow friends.  I first saw this project in Amy Karol's "Bend the Rules With Sewing" -- so simple, so cute!  I used up some fabric scraps, some leftover textile paints, and voila: new friends (and yes, the car is pink -- no gender stereotypes here!)

Next, the creation of some fine art.  Our walls have been sadly bare for some time now -- we didn't move here with much, and I have a difficult time choosing and buying artworks worthy of display.    A few years ago, I found a pile of canvasses for a dollar each at a yard sale.  Seeing great potential, but without a vision, they've remained in storage for nearly three years.  I pulled them out recently to give them an undercoat of white.....

Then S worked his magic....

The end result -- artwork we are proud to display and love to look at....

Next up, I'm getting ready to tackle that pile of merino.  It's so gorgeous that I think I'm hesitating, waiting until my sewing skills vastly improve.  But, eh, that may be awhile -- and it's getting chilly!  So, simple merino projects to come....

Rare Birds

As you may be able to tell from my designs, I'm a total bird nerd.... Apparently I'm not alone; there are a lot of other bird lovers out there.   Below is my birds-of-a-feather showcase -- some avian favorites from Felt, featuring Black Swan, In My Backyard, SuperVery, Boo Craft, Peg Baby, Hjrd Design, Bird in a Bunny, Piou Piou Kids, Poetry Cloth, and Maisie Moo.  Enjoy!

Green Fantail Brooch

blackswan

$19.00

Stitched Bird Fabric...

inmybackyard

$14.00

Dive For It Bird Pen...

supervery

$30.00

Black Bird On Blue B...

boocraft

$25.00

Peg Baby : Organic C...

peg

$28.00

Wall Clock #1 - Desi...

hjrddesign

$59.00

Untitled (two Birds ...

birdinabunny

$125.00

Black Woolen Hoodie ...

pioupioukids

$64.00

Harmony

poetrycloth

$50.00

Rainbow Birds - Funk...

maisie-moo

$60.00

I concede....

Lest anyone suspect that I'm one of those do-it-all mamas, it looks as though rag-rug braiding has been shunted back down to the bottom of the list.   I didn't really put up much of a fight.....  The deep crimson, hand-woven rug I've had my eye on for weeks went on sale.   It's lovely.  What can I say?  I'm not immune to a good sale.  Or the reality of a very full life.  Perhaps a rag-bathmat will be in our future, but for now, I'm going easy on myself.

What is life full with at the moment?  I'm very happy to be working on a collaboration with the excellent New Zealand company behind the organic baby clothing I use for my prints.....In the near future, Seedling Clothing prints will be available from the My Baby and Me website as well as sold on my behalf at various craft markets in the North Island.  This is a wonderful and very exciting development.....I've been burning the midnight oil getting the first collection together -- so far so good.  I've put together a few new designs, and all in all, it's been pleasurable and satisfying work.

Updates to come when everything is completed.  Stay tuned!