Lusting over Union Jack

I love flags in general.  But there is just something special about the Union Jack.  I have been collecting images of them on Pinterest and really wanted to work one into my son Dunn's room. Our dog Max has recently decided to be roomies with Dunn.  The perfect time to make a new dog bed to match his room. 

The Union Jack Dog Bed

 This is a pretty big bed.  32x46 inches.  It is stuffed with 4 standard bed pillows.  The perfect way to reuse older pillows instead of throwing them away.  Also you can wash them unlike most large dog bed inserts.  I used denim & twill fabrics and I left all my applique edges raw as I want them to fray a bit in the wash.

Hanging above the dog bed is a vintage poster from 1975 by Ken Dallison highlighting Charles Lindbergh's achievements. The drawings are done in pen and watercolor which gives them a wonderful times gone by charm.   Perfect for a little boys room.

Cheers!
Sonja

Men's Shirt Refashion

They are all over Pinterest.  Men's Shirt Refashions.  I have a lovely stash off men's dress shirts that I buy for my hubby but he refuses to wear : (

After seeing a girls dress on MADE sewn by Dana I decided to give it a try.  Excuse the wrinkles as Soren wore it to school today!

The shirt was from Boden : (
My husband didn't like it.
Soren loves it : )
Soren wears a size 8
The shirt was a size 17 neck  34/35 sleeve

I used one of my Japanese sewing patterns for a peasant style top.  I used the existing hem of the shirt.  I cut out the dress in a very exaggerated A-line shape using the entire width of the shirt towards the hem.  I think it turned out great.  It is really very flattering on her and I will be making more dresses in this style from yardage and shirts alike.

Cheers!
Sonja

Lego Display

Re-purposing Vintage 35mm slide boxes into Lego Minifig display cases or travel boxes.

 I cut heavy card stock (think cereal box thick) to make the shelves.  You could use 35mm slides if you have some around the house.  I then dug through the boy's Lego tubs and fit together enough pieces to fill the lid.  This was actually really fun!  Kind of like solving a puzzle.  I held the pieces in the lid with glue dots so that they could be removed easily. This is fine for display but glue may be in order for actual play.

This stack of three 35mm slide boxes can be found in my Etsy store.  There are many single cases available on both Etsy & Ebay.  Search for  metal Brumberger 35 mm slide boxes.

As I worked on this Lego display case I started thinking of other things that could be displayed.  Vacation photos held up with magnets (yep.  magnets stick like a charm) on the lid and trinkets, shells or other small mementos on the shelves.  So much potential!  I hung my box on a single galvenized nail.  I love the industrial simplicity of using these boxes for display. 

Fall sewing

It never ceases to amaze how when I sit down to sew something kinda hard how easily my sewing comes together.  And when I sew something that could be constructed in my sleep I end up ripping out seam after simple seam.  Why is that?

I have a very simple tunic for Ella that I have given up on (no photo).  It was meant to go with these legging.

The leggings turned out darling even though I was really starting to hate this fabric.  They were no joy to cut out and sew but I love those ruffle legs a bunch.  The tunic is a darling owl print.  Ruffles and owls.  It was going to be cute I tell you.  For now I am going to put the tunic down and walk away. 

My other successful project this week was a pair of cute corduroy winter shorts for Soren.  She loves to wear shorts over thick wool tights or leggings with boots in the winter.  So she requested a pair for back to school.

Excuse my lint!  What a joy these were to sew.  The pattern is from Japanese Pattern Book ISBN 978452904163.  I wouldn't say the pattern was easy to understand but in true Japanese style all the pieces did fit perfectly together.  It just took me a bit to puzzle through the construction. 

There is a problem with them however.  Too short!  I think my fix is going to be to take off the narrow leg binding and add at least a 1.5 inch binding...maybe 2 inches to be safe.  Soren loves them so much that I will make another pair making sure to adjust the length.  I also think this would translate really well into a skirt.  That's on the sewing list too.

Happy Sewing!

Sonja

33 Days~One Colossal Road Trip

So some people might say driving around the country with 3 children and one largish dog is not a vacation.  For me this was not only a vacation but a mental welfare trip.  Yes, there should have been concern for my mental welfare as this first winter living in the Pacific Northwest was brutal.  BRUTAL!!!  I needed sun.  Lots and lots of actually sunny summer.

For the first two weeks my lovely husband was with us as we camped at Yellowstone, explored Mt. Rushmore and then landed safely at his family lake home in Wisconsin.  Much water play, boating and frolicking in the sun ensued.  Jon flew back to Washington to continue funding our travels leaving the rest of us free to further explore our beautiful country.  And yes-oh-yes Ms. America is a beauty indeed. 

 

After leaving Wisconsin the kids, dog and I headed for Taos New Mexico.  We visited my parents and played in the land of enchantment.  Once again, the sun baked us to a dark golden brown as we laid in our mountain stream to cool ourselves.  At this point I hadn't cooked a meal or cleaned a house in a good three weeks.  I was one relaxed mama!

After about 10 days there we packed up again and headed for Colorado to visit with my brothers family in Monument for two nights.  Then we all travelled on to Steamboat Springs for a bit of summer ski town life.  We all fell madly in love with Steamboat.  Can't recommend it enough as a family vacation spot.

 

 

Whew!  Another day and we made it all the way back to Washington.  33 days, 8 mountain passes, thousands of miles, countless adventures, one speeding ticket and I managed to keep all three children alive!  I'll take my mother of the year award now.  Giggle Giggle.

Time to VOTE!

My top "MINGLE" made into Rae's Top of the Tops for Spring Top Week.  Woo Hoo!  I am seriously shocked as the pictures I took of it were soooo bad.  In any event I am so happy to have sewn something for me.  And of course there is the added pleasure of being recognized as vote worthy : ) 

So if you feel so inclined please head over to MADE and vote for your favorite top.

Here are a few more outtakes from my spring top photo shoot (me and my camera's timer feature).

Happy Voting!
Sonja