Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Preschool!


It's been a busy week here, getting used to new routines. Hopefully there will be some sewing time now that the mayhem is starting to settle down.

Happy First Day Of PreSchool, Little Boo!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Happy Birthday Boo! And More Pants...

Guess who turned three on Saturday?! We had a wonderful family party for him and a fantastic day together. He ran around the house yelling, "I'm so happy!", so I think it was a success. 


Since my Boo is starting preschool on Monday while deep in the trenches of potty training, more elastic waist pull-on pants have been on my sewing agenda. Look at this adorable little pair:


I made the pants out of a repurposed thrift store pillowcase and used scraps for the contrast. All told, these pants cost me $.50!


The rear view is nice with patch pockets.


Boo loves cargo pockets because his toys fit in there.


I love how the contrast lining peeks out like piping.


All in all, another successful pair.

I'm currently working on a pair of cranberry pants in the same pattern and then I want to hunt down some pants fabrics in navy blue, khaki, and maybe a purple. That should cover all my bases and give a good selection of neutrals and brights.

After the school pants, I think it's time to focus on sewing for me (I want to sew my way through Cal Patch's book Design It Yourself Clothes) and FINALLY getting back to designing children's wear. Boo is starting preschool on Monday which means I have 3 glorious hours to sew everyday. I plan to work really hard on my business and finally get it off the ground. Stay tuned for sneak peeks!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

L'Shana Tova!

L'Shana Tova! Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, ends this evening and I just wanted to show y'all the pretty decorations that my toddler and I made to decorate our dining room for the large family dinners we held for the holiday. Since it's traditional to eat apples and honey to celebrate the new year, because they are thought to symbolize a sweet beginning to the coming year, I decided that apple printing would be the best way to go.


Boo and I printed apples onto white drawing paper with tempera paint in red and green. We each used half of a Fuji apple, and switched halves partway through because he wanted a chance to share. How could I say no to that?


After they dried, I cut out apples from the paper and hung them on fishing line to make garlands. Then I framed a really cool print that Boo had made to use as a central focus to the wall. I hung the print and arranged the garlands in strips around it. It was really cute and made a great background for the shindig.

I also baked two GIANT loaves of challah - aren't they gorgeous?!







Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Pajama Time

Fall is in the air. It's rainy, chilly, and all around lovely outside.

When fall comes, I want flannel pajamas to snuggle in and I've decided that my almost 3 year old son needs to discover the love of flannel pajamas. So I went into my sewing room last night and whipped up two pairs of adorable flannel pants for him to wear to bed.
 

He had begged me for Monster's Inc. fabric in June and being a huge fan myself, I caved, even though it was purchased on a 90 degree day in July. Well, it was perfect for this project! Aren't they adorable?


This is made of a construction vehicle printed flannel, something Boo also picked out himself. His current favorite things are bulldozers and dump trucks, so it was only fitting to make these now.


I love the two pairs of pants. They took about 2 hours total, from cutting to final pressing, and are folded and waiting for him to wear. I think I need to make him another 2 or 3 pairs, but those might wait for the winter holidays. I still need to make myself and The Fellah some pairs too!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Inspiration: Plimoth Plantation

On Friday, my family went to visit Plimoth Plantation. I hadn't been since I was seven years old, when my second grade class went on a school field trip. I remember loving it there though, and a recent perusal of the Plimoth Plantation website made me really excited to bring my family for the first time.


It's about a 45 minute drive from our house and it was rainy the entire trip. Luckily for us, the clouds parted and the sun came out as soon as we parked in the lot!

We visited the Wampanoag Homesite first, a recreation of a 17th century Wampanoag village. Boo was most excited by the small Wampanoag children running around in loincloths and no other clothing. He thought that was incredibly naughty since he isn't allowed to run around without pants in public. Personally, I was intrigued by the demonstrations of boat burning and the man making his own moccasins. The best part was talking to all the actual Wampanoag Indians who were native to the Plymouth area and working at Plimoth Plantation as reenactors.


Next we moved on to the Craft Center. This is where we spent the most time. It's only one room in a large modern building, but it's where modern craftspeople are preserving the historical skills of the settlers and Wampanoags. There was a potter, a man creating gorgeous feather headdresses, a seamstress, a weaver, and a woodworker.



I spent about 30 minutes chatting with the seamstress and the weaver. I love historical costuming. I learned all about card weaving, an art that I'd read about but never seen. Now I can't wait to give it a try. As for the garments, I've made the same clothes that she was sewing as I'd worked on The Crucible in the past, so it was fun to discuss historical resources and technique.

My husband and son spent the whole time chatting with the woodworker. He was building the most amazing carved chairs, tables, and chests. I can't wait until my husband retires so he can start building like that in his free time!



We also visited the potter and saw all of his gorgeous wares. Boo immediately asked for a potter's wheel when "he was a big boy", and of course I said yes. Even if he never uses it, I will! I love to throw pots, even though it's been almost 15 years since I last got to play with clay.



Lastly, we visited the recreation 17th Century English Settler Village. We poked our heads into all the different homes and buildings in the village and chatted with all the costumed historical reenactors. Boo got to help a housewife made bread and loved poking the dough. He also loved climbing onto all the cannons in the fort. The Fellah loved talking to the settlers about the politics of 1627 and examining their gardens. I just loved talking to them about their crafts, be it sewing, knitting, barrel making, or cooking.

All in all, it was a really fun visit. We spent about 3 hours there, a long time for a 3 year old toddler. We left around lunch time, just when the crowds picked up, and made it hope in time for nap. I spent the rest of the afternoon looking up all the things that got me inspired! I now want to make preserves and pickles, sew more clothes for my family, get back into spinning, convince The Fellah to make all of our furniture, and of course, bake. Luckily I need to bake 4 challah, an apple pie, an apple cake, and a lemon birthday cake, all in the next 6 days. That should give me a good fix!