...so we can test out our new porch swing cushion...
...it's blue but of course it's green too...
proof that not everything I make is ugly...tummy time...Wee One loves to help Wee Too
boxy dishcloth, pattern can be found HERE
robot of my own creation for Wee One's second birthday
robot innards...unbutton the flap and this is what you find
Sometimes I think the months of June and early July rival the Yuletyde season for our family. Lots of celebrations: birthdays, anniversaries, Father's Day and then the Fourth of July. Needless to say Ms. Knitsburgh has been quite busy with Old Girl (aka my sewing machine).
First, a little purse for a niece turning 16 sweet years...
Button and quilting closeup
Open
See? Computer fits inside all nice and snugly. Phew! Now onto the next batch of homemade silliness...
This post is for all of the millions of visitors this blog gets who have been waiting to see what I've been biased about these days. I'm so very sorry for my having kept you all up late wondering, tossing and turning about as your anxiety grows with the suspense. What could it all have been for, you asked?
For these!
Wee dresses for three wee lasses. I hope I have not ruined the surprise for anyone; the blue dresses were made for some sweet lasses who live in other parts of this grand world. They were made using a pattern from Prudent Baby, but modified to have bias tape ties for the straps as opposed to a ribbon threaded through a channel at the top to cinch it. I'm hoping the straps will help make it adjustable for some time, maybe even allowing them to be little shirts as the wee ones sprout upwards.
I also made Wee Too a blue dress but ran out of brown thread whilst sewing on the bias tape so until I acquire some more, it will sit on my sewing pile. No, you really don't want to see what my sewing pile looks like today! Damn, I was just in stupid Joanne Fabrics today too and neglected to pick up more thread!
Besides forgetting stuff, today we visited the Arts Festival downtown and had such a great day. A word of warning though; the food vendors aren't the greatest and Nature Boy shelled out $9 (yeah, that's not a typo) for ONE large French fry. It didn't even come in a plastic bucket like last year either. They were ok and we ate every one (of course we did, we spent 9 freakin' dollars on them!!!) but truth be told, would have been far better off to wait in line for some Primanti Brothers fries instead. Lesson learned!
We also had Ivan Stikman follow us home from the Kreepy Doll Factory booth as Wee Too's dolly. He is waiting to take a bath and once he is clean, will be hanging with Wee Too. If you go to the festival, check this booth out, we had a blast looking at all their names. Looks like we will be able to see him at some point in the sold dolls library!
I can't believe it's been over a month since she came to Knitsburgh. Time really goes too fast sometimes.
Life with two wee is double everything. Love, fun, diapers. All of it. The good and the not so good. So any type of time I find in the day to make something is the biggest triumph in the whole of Knitsburgh. At first it seemed impossible. But then every once in a while I find an hour where there is simultaneous sleeping occurring. Both wee napping at the same time. This is crafting magic. Crafting goldmine. This is the stuff of crafting legend and lore. The elusive crafting Loch Ness Craftster.
Now this doesn't happen every day so one has to plan out things a bit better so when this serendipitous event occurs, one can actually craft. I have taken the advice of the wise Affectionit, who manages to knit sweaters, socks and other lovely things as well as sew quilts (yes, plural, quilts as in more than one a year), veganize French cooking on her other blog as well as fix things about her estate in very creative ways. She has talked about how she crafts in 15 minute increments. Thinking this way has greatly helped get me back to making things again. I don't say, oh I want to sit down and sew an entire something tonight. I break it down and plan to first choose the fabric, iron it and cut it out. Then it's ready to sew when I have more time.
Here are some of the little things I've made of late...
Wee socks for Wee Too...
Wallet or makeup pouch for Kay for Mother's Day--tutorial here by Noodlehead.
They may not be the most elaborate crafts, but the fact that I could finish them has thrilled me.
Here is a sneak peak of my newest crafting in progress. A big ole bunch of homemade bias tape. What will Ms. Knitsburgh do with all of this bias tape, you might ask?
A few more of those Simultaneous Sleeps and you shall see!
Walk in the woods this past weekend.
From the front I look like normal...
Egad! From the side, you can see Wee Too is still on board. Sadly, no trillium were spotted yet. 
New larger bibs sewn for Wee One. I used two different prints on each side so they are reversible. I also used different colored thread in the bobbin so each side has a contrasting thread for top stitching detail. Made fourteen bibs total. 
These three are my favorites, made from two of Wee One's flannel receiving blankets. Love to upcycle! Each bib has one side of polka dots, one side of green gingham. Used brown thread for top stitching.
Knit up a Mikey Hat for Wee One. Modified THIS PATTERN which is for an adult head. The fit was good but...
...it really needed a good blocking! I finished it the eve before the annual St. Pat's parade so I did not want to chance it still being wet. So it was worn with wonkiness, the stamp of handmade upon it! When it was worn that is, it came off several times. The plastic inside the brim is cut from an old plastic coffee can. We have a stockpile of these as Nature Boy's father cannot bear to throw them away or recycle them as they seem so useful so he saves them and gives them to us. We have also made a "drum kit" out of several of these in different sizes duct taped together; one is poised under the leaky sink in the bathroom; and several hold odds and ends like nails, screws, etc. If you need any coffee cans, you know who to call...
A Valentine pictorial...
A "green" bouquet! I made these fabric flowers out of two old shirts and a stolen wedding napkin (don't ask!) that were in my Reuse Me basket of textiles. Plus some sticks from the neighborhood and a hot glue gun. I used the tutorial found HERE. Best part is, they will last and grace our table long into the spring. Sorry the pics are so dark; we are having an overcast, gloomy looking day.
Handmade card using some embroidery floss, card stock and a pen, all of which were just lying about the estate. I traced a piece of heart shaped chocolate, then cut it out on the front part of the card. I then traced that negative space with my pencil to make a heart shape on the inner part. I used 6 strands of floss and did a very rustic looking satin stitch along the outline on the inner part. On the front, I did a rustic back stitch around the opening, leaving the ends long to tie in a bow. Write something cheesy and sappy, and there you have it!
Wee Too's baby booties.
Vegan sugar cookies with strawberry icing. The berries eliminate the need for any food colorings or dyes and make the hearts the sweetest shade of pink.
Vegan Strawberry Icing
4 medium strawberries
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Pulse the berries in a food processor until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Add in the vanilla and two cups of powdered sugar; with electric mixer beat. Add in additional sugar to make a stiff icing. If it gets too thick, you can add a teaspoon of soy milk.
Hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day too!
I am thirsty, hungry and Wee Too is kicking like a champ. I toss and turn, my legs are restless. I sigh and get up to use the bathroom for the second time. Yes, it's 3AM again. And I'm awake. Some nights I'm not up long, other nights I can't get back to sleep and get up for an hour or so. This is one of those.
I've been trying to finish up some projects and cross things off the list before Wee Too gets to Knitsburgh. One of the projects was a new nursing cover. You may remember the nursing cover and nursing wrap I made for Wee One. The nursing cover I used all the time but it seemed a bit skimpy at the sides due to the triangular shape and could use some improvement. The nursing wrap was never really used for nursing in public. Wee One was a babe who liked to pull the nursing covers/wraps/blankets away and unless something was fastened securely around my neck, was a bit risky out there on the streets.
Behold the new nursing cover. I used the tutorial from Diary of a Quilter and pretty much followed it exactly. The only thing I would advise is to check the size of your boning before inserting it. I did not and the top seemed a bit loose. I removed it (before sewing it in, thankfully) and measured it; the woman at the fabric store had been generous and gave me 15" instead of 12" which was either a mistake or nice of her. Either way, it fit much better at 12". It was really an easy project; Wee One refused his nap on the Project Day and I pretty much made it while keeping him occupied (i.e. not playing with the ironing board, iron or sewing machine).
In the background you can see an easel Nature Boy designed and constructed for Wee One. He told me he wanted to leave it in it's natural wood state and have Wee One's paint splashes and errant crayonings as the "finish" and you can see Wee One is complying like a champ.
Wee One's Organic Guernsey is finished now, save for sewing on three buttons. As soon as the buttons are one, I will try and arrange a photo shoot. I'm also excited to see if it fits...
I hope all had a lovely Imbolc/Groundhog's Day. I did here and was reflecting on being a vegan pagan. Imbolc, named for "ewe's milk", is at first glance not so very vegan. Dairy products figure prominently in the Irish and Scottish lore of celebrating and traditional feasting. However, this year I focused on the care and love Bride had for animals, particularly cattle, and this really seemed to help me forge a deeper spiritual connection.
Seems now I am looking for all the signs of spring. We had a strange two days' weather; cold and snow-covered, then warm, rainy and melting, then windy with more snow and cold. The warm, rainy, melty part gives me hope it won't be long now.
Here are the Secret Sewing Projects I finished a couple weeks ago but had to hold back on discussing as they were birthday presents for my two lovely sisters, who yes, are twins!
What are they, you ask? Why little makeup brush/tool rolls.
Front of one...
Back of one...
Front of another...
Back of the other!
I used the lovely tutorial from Susan at Freshly Picked. The only mods I made were I made mine out of three 10" x 10" sqaures and opted not to use interfacing so they would be more flexible. Now you should really check out her picture and post of Christmas morning at her house. Just trust me!!! Thanks Susan for your tutes and your awesome sense of humor!!!
