Ottobre Design on Etsy?

Have you heard?  Ottobre Design now has an Etsy shop selling not only the pattern magazine for both children and woman, but a slew of yummy fabrics straight from the pages of their pattern mags.  The prices are what you would expect.  So, its not a way to get a bargain.  But it is fun to take a little peek at all the knits. 

I no longer have my subscription to the kids issue since we moved.  So, I was happy to find that I could order the Summer 3/2011 issue through the new Etsy shop.  It took about 10 days to get here.


















I am hoping that they will carry some of their trims but for right now I might like to try out these darlings dots in coated cotton for rain wear.
















Can you ever have enough red capped mushroom prints? The green one is right up my alley.










And my very most favorite thing in the shop right now (more is coming) is this olive knit stripe and floral.  I just love it!  And so thoughtful that they packaged them together.










All the above pictures are linked and you can find the Ottobre Etsy Shop Here.

Cheers!
Sonja

Sewing Something

Well...I sewed something.  And I must say getting one project complete has sort of lifted my sewing block.  I feel freed and less fretful.  There are possibilities once again.  It was too cool and rainy yesterday to have the wee Ms. Ella step out side for a photo op.  I'll photograph the top on her when I complete the pants I have planned.




Fabric: Heather Ross Tadpoles gifted to moi by this lovely lady.
Trim: Vintage rick rack in the most perfect shade of green ever! and jersey also in the most perfect shade of green ever!
Pattern:  Let's Go Out Girls Clothes ~ Japanese Pattern Book purchased here.

For the pants I will be using Burda Kids 9519 view B.  I can not tell you how much I love these pants!  My only moment of hesitation is that I will be using the green knit jersey from the above top.  This pattern calls for a woven.  I wonder is some of the gathering detail on the pant legs will be lost by the drape of the jersey. 


Last night I played around with a Marfy Pattern.  So the no directions or seam allowances part is a problem.  I cut out a practise run without adding any and it looks like its worth the effort.  Cross your fingers for me : )
Cheers!
Sonja
PS: My Farbenmix Pattern Giveaway is here : )

World Itellectual Property Day ~ and a Giveaway!

Whew!  A lot of bad stuff has been happening right under my nose.  Make me feel kinda yucky inside stuff.  Patricia over at zencrafting posted a very insightful, well written and most timely article yesterday on Intellectual Property.  April 26th is World Intellectual Property Day (I had no idea).  If you create anything at all, I urge you to head over there and read what she has so graciously shared.  I learned quite a bit myself and feel so much better about a few things.

Things?  So vague, I know.  This is what has been happening around here over the last week.  A woman posted one of my tutorials to a foreign blog.  She used all my pictures and translated my words into her language.  She did have a link to my site.  That is how I found out.  I was getting lots of hits to that page of my blog.  Which made me search a little deeper.  Not only had this individual not asked permission to use one photograph, as is customary, but she used them all.  And all my words too.  So I sent her an email and contacted the host.  It took 10 days or so, but I am happy to report that it has been taken down. 

Wait there is more!  A few days a go a neighbor friend stopped by and said "Your children's photograph is on a fundraising poster for the "Japanese Gulch".   I thought surely she must be mistaken.  So... I drove down to the coffee shop...and sure enough, Soren, Dunn and our dog Max, with our neighbor Bob in the background is on the poster.  I was floored!  Where could they possibly have obtained this photo?  Sorens blog.  They took the photo off her sweet little kid blog and put in on posters all over town.  The town in which we live.  To fund raise for the gulch which our house borders.  Major yuckiness there!  Here's the deal.  I would have happily have allowed the to use the picture.  We love the gulch and want to see it preserved.  But no parent should have a photograph of their child published without knowing about it first.  And I certainly shouldn't have found out about it from a neighbor.  So, I emailed the president of the organization and layed into him on the yucky factor.  I also suggested that he use this incident to educate his staff on the proper way to obtain promotional materials.  I haven't heard a peep back in 6 days.  Nothing!

Guess what?  Jon and I are attending that particular fundraiser.  Better keep me away from the open bar because I have allot I want to say about their silence.  Think I will forward them Patricia's article.  Might be a nice Hors d'œuvre for them.

Well thank you for listening to my rant.  I hope you will take the time to to visit zencrafting and read what Patricia has shared.

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

I have a good spring cleaning urge to reduce some of my sewing supplies.  I have four FARBENMIX patterns to pass along.  If you would like one leave me a comment with the pattern you prefer and an email address by Sunday, April 24th.  I will pick the winners when I wake up on Sunday while having my coffee.  I have lots to unload so check back!

Lily

Anna 

Weeke

Qumaira

Heather over at FeathertySews is doing a little destashing as well...hint hint hint!

Cheers!

Sonja

Mothers Day Bracelet Tutorial

Its a challenge to come up with Mothers Day projects for kids to make that is something other than their hand print.  Hand prints are darling and I do love all those tiny fingers and wrinkles and what not.  But after turkey hand prints and angel hand prints and tree hand prints I am ready for something a little different.  This year with my sons kindergarten class we are making bracelets (no colored macaroni in sight!).

This is such an easy project with absolutely darling results.  The kids loved making them, the materials are easy to come by and its a relatively speedy project.  Working with one child at a time I was able to do 13 of the 26 children in about 1.5 hours.

Tutorial 
For materials you will need:
Wool Felt ~ I think the wool ups the aesthetics of this project and makes it feel special. 
Buttons ~  I used shank buttons, buttons with holes and self made fabric covered buttons too.  Mainly in the 1 inch size. Bigger is better!

Sewing Needles ~  I used large eyed blunt tip needles for several reasons.  I wanted to minimize the stick factor and I wanted them to be easy to thread.

Thread ~  I gave the children the choice between embroidery floss and seam binding ribbon (vintage style) depending on the style of button they picked out.

Tools ~ Sharp Scissors, Pinking Shears, Rotary Cutter, Straight Edge, Cutting Mat, Brad Hole Punch

My Process:
Step one:  Let the child pick their button first
 
Step two:  Let the child pick the felt color
I pre-cut some of the felt in the colors that I thought the children were most likely to pick to cut down on time. They could also pick from all the colors I had with me. Using my rotary cutter, cutting mat and straight edge I cut my felt to 1.25 inches X 10 inches. 

Step Three: If the child selected a shank button (the hole is on a stem on the back of the button) or one with four holes I let them choose the color floss they wanted to use and helped them thread the needle.  If they picked a two hole plain button I gave them the option to sew it on using vintage style seam binding ribbon to make it a bit fancier. 
***I made a point to make the knot on the floss large and keep a tail of several inches after the knot to make tying it off easier at the end.
 
Step Four:  Using my brad hole punch I put holes in the felt to make sewing easier and neater for the kids.  Not necessary, but a nice touch if you have this tool already.

Keep the button about an inch away from the end of the bracelet. That way when you cut the slit for the button felt with show through the slit and not skin. 

Step Five:  Let them sew away!  Start from the back of the bracelet when sewing with floss.  Start from the front of the button when sewing with seam binding. Tie off your floss on the back of the bracelet and trim floss so that it doesn't hang over the edge of the felt.  Knot seam binding on the front of the button and trim ends in a V shape to prevent unraveling.

Step Six:  Cut the button hole (slit).  I tried to make the bracelets 8 inches around with my hole placement.  Make the slit slightly smaller than the button.  You can always make it bigger but you can't make it smaller once you have cut it.

Fold over the tail end of the felt and using sharp scissors cut your slit.  *** Remember that if you cut 1/2 and inch you have just made a 1 inch whole because the felt is folded. 

Trim the end of the bracelet into a shape or using pinking shears if the child desires.

Happy Mothers Day!
Sonja
 
Ps: I will come back this evening and add a little link love to this post to show you can purchase similar supplies!

Finding Inspiration

Inspiration has been lacking around here lately.  I have sewing block!  I find fabric I like but can't decide on a pattern.  Or, I find the pattern but no suitable fabric.  I am wrought with indecision.  I pour over pattern books, match fabrics up over and over but just can not put it all together to sit down and sew something.

It must be my fabrics fault.  It can't be mine...no not me at all.  After analyzing my fabric stash I have discovered that I tend to buy the same types of prints over and over.  Big colorful prints.  I buy linear stuff too...and patterns with strange repeats.  I am am a complete fabric purchasing failure. 

So, today armed with my new found knowledge I decided to change that.  I went to Joann's with the sole purpose of purchasing fabrics with small scale prints.  I did buy one stripe.  Its on the diagonal however, which is the complete opposite of the horizontal ones I typically buy. 

Cute crabs and diagonal stripe (are crabs ever cute?)

Darling Alexander Henry Farmdale

Denyse Schmidt Quilts

Good so far right?  Well it gets even better.  Fellow blogger and seamstress extraordinaire Heather from Featherty Sews brightened my day quite a bit yesterday when she sent me a package that would of had more than one of you squealing with delight and a tad green with envy.  chuckle chuckle.

A little Heather Ross anyone?  Heather sent my horse loving Soren (horse crazy really) this darling equipment print.  Soren matched up all by herself with a cute vintage print from my stash.  I think she did a pretty good job.

Heather also included this Heather Ross Tadpoles print.  I have a very cute pair of summer capri pants picked out from Ottobre that are a perfect match up for the tadpoles mixed with a little Amy Butler bias tape.

And yes there was one more.  This lovely Kokka print which is just perfect for my Ms. Ella.  Maybe I should just have Heather do my fabric shopping for me...?

One last little goody to help me find inspiration.  I have a real thing for trim.  Trim makes me very happy.  I just like looking at it.  At my local Pacific Fabrics store I found this button beauty in the colors of the sea.  Grey blues and turquoise.  Lovely and very clever I think with the mini rick rack strung through a button and then stitched to the crocheted lace. 

I would love to know how you overcome a creative block?  Where do you look for inspiration?

Cheers!
Sonja

Stash Busting Sunday

It was a good sewing day. 
Lots of scrap fabric used up.
My first hat ever successfully fitted and sewn....Yippie!

I love help pinning pattern pieces and cutting on the lines.
Sitting at the sewing machine with my cutie pie. 
Her weight heavy in my lap and heavier still on the sewing machine foot peddle.
I love sharing what I love doing with the ones I love.

It was a really great day.

Hat pattern: Vogue 8440

Cheers!

Sonja