Run away with me

The best is yet to be.

This is the "Double Layer Skirt" from Ottobre 6/2008.  I was inspired to finally sew it after seeing these skirts here.  I would kill to have those Heather Ross equestrian prints as that would have made my horse loving Soren a happy camper.

The top layer fabric and trim was purchased from here.  The tiny dot fabric on the bottom was in my moms stash that I have since inherited.  I will be making another one of these soon as baby sister Ella apparently can not live without.

Happy Sewing!

S~

Spring Sewing

I am happy to report that we have a bit of sun today!  Yahoo!!!

OK, now on to the sewing.  It has been a year since I sat down and sewed something on my machine.  A whole year!  I think maybe this cross country move took more out of me that I realized.  I feel like I am over the big hump of getting the sewing machine and serger set up.  My first two projects were good getting back in the saddle kind of projects.  Nothing tricky.

First up was a little nightgown that Ella has now decided is a dress.  I used a dress pattern so maybe that's why.

My first rolled hem on my serger.  Kind of proud of myself for trying it.  SCARY!

Next up was a vintage Butterick pattern that I have wanted to try forever.



I just love the little sailor detail on the pants.  I also thought it was fun that there is only one pattern piece for them.  Talk about a quick sew!

I made them in the pedal pusher length and used vintage fabric of my mothers.  Unfortunately, I didn't look for buttons before I started and found when they were complete that I didn't have enough of any of my buttons that we suitable.  I got crazy and used knotted twill tape which I think turned out kinda cute.  It made them a little more girly anyway. 

The only change I made on this pattern was to lower the waist band by about two inches.  Those vintage pants patterns have some high waists!

If i sew them again I will remember that vintage patterns also have much wider seam allowances.  I just serged my seams which was no where near the 5/8 inch seam allowance.  They would have been a bit more slim fitting had I done it correctly.

Cheers!

Sonja

Trying to do SPRING

Could it rain anymore?   No, please don't answer that.  I already know that in the Pacific Northwest it can indeed.  I handled the winter dreariness just fine.  But the Spring dreariness is putting me over the edge.  In an attempt to stay sane I have been trying to bring a little spring into the house.

It killed me a little bit to buy this old window.  In Minneapolis I could have picked up a more interesting window everyday in an alley or by a dumpster for free.  This window required a trip to an antique stall and $35 dollars.  The egg plates are from my collection.  I had a slight obsession with collecting antique book plates in the 90's.  I especially love the ones of eggs.

Originally I was going to prop a larger framed egg print in front of the window.  There wasn't enough depth to my mantle to do that safely.  So I was so happy to find that I had prints just the right size to fit in each pane.  I used removable glue dots to adhere the plates to the front of the glass.

Lightens things up a bit I think.  Now I need to find something to put on the floor to the right where that wood corbel is.  Any ideas?
Happy Decorating!
S~

It's the hard-knock life for us!

***Warning: Sad story to follow***
I love to sing that Annie song with my children. Usually we sing it when I am making them perform a cleaning task. The singing makes the work more enjoyable. And of course its poking fun at how good their lives are as well. Sometimes, however life really is hard knocks for a kid. And that just takes all the laugh right of of me.

Yesterday was just such a day. We received news that Dunham's best buddy Will (age 6) from back in Minnesota has been diagnosed with a very aggressive and rare Cancer called Sinonasal Teratocarcinosarcomas. He will under go Chemotherapy multiple times, be isolated for months and then be subjected to a pretty rough surgery to boot. Never have I cried as much in one day as I did yesterday. I cried big heaving sobs. You see Will & Dunn spent almost everyday in each others company between school and play dates. When you spend that much time with someone-elses child they become a little bit yours to. There are pieces of our dear Will dispersed through our everyday. Like when Dunn asks for a sandwich "like Will likes it". Or when Dunn is playing Lego's and sets up a play scenario that Will came up with and he drags me by the hand to come take a look. Wills favorite Koolaid flavor, Bionicle, sword ect...its all documented in Dunns beautiful head. Does that make sense? My heart says it does and its grieving and scared.

I cried so much yesterday that my children were at a loss. I just couldn't stop. And so with wet cheeks and puffy eyes I shared the news with Dunn about Will in the simplest way that I could. The look on my baby boys face was immeasurable sadness. Jon used to work at Children's Hospital and so all of our children know what cancer means and what it looks like on a child. Dunn asked me a few questions about how Will was doing and if he was in pain or did his tummy feel sick yet?. He processed the information and walked away from me with slopped shoulders. About an hour latter as I was making dinner he came and hugged my leg. I picked him up and reassured him that it would be all right because Will was one tough little bugger. Dunn then leaned his forehead against mine (I started crying again) and he said "Mom, I know everything he likes and I can make him feel better".

Ah, yes doll that is true. So true and simple. So we wrote down some ideas and came up with a plan for doing exactly what Will likes cause Dunn knows. And as I laid down to sleep last night with all my children tucked safely in their beds the thought of Dunn knowing was reassuring. Is it odd to be reassured by a 6 year-olds knowledge?

This morning as I sit writing this I am pondering how amazing children are. The natural empathy that a small child posses is enough to light up a very dark corner of the world. I am making a vow today to help my children nurture their friendships even the long distance ones. And to make sure that I put some more effort into nurturing mine too. I am certain that there is nothing nicer than knowing what another person likes and that they know the same about you.

S~