monday already?

I am fairly certain that I missed something...I thought it very rude when my alarm went off this morning.  Can it really be Monday again?  The weekend seems a bit of a blur, although I do remember having a fair amount of time to sew on Saturday.  I made the Emmaline Apron and tried to photograph it last night.  I just hate using the flash, and couldn't get a good picture.  So, guess you'll have to come back tomorrow to see that. 

Emma's best friend turned 7 yesterday. 

Bowling and pizza ensued.

Can you pick up on the black light effect? What is cooler than seeing your teeth glow?  Taking pictures in that lighting also proved to be difficult- that, and the fact that they never stop moving.  All that giggling and fluttering about...I remember what it was like.  Emma (above in blue) was funny about what ball she would use.  It took me a while to catch on, but I realized the reason she would not come and sit by me in between her turns- was not that she found me to be "uncool" (to my relief) but that she wanted the pink ball. She would not leave its side.  She stood there coaxing it to herself through the entire 10 sets (am I saying that right?  I know nothing about bowling!)

I made The Birthday Girl the "artsy" clutch from Bend the Rules Sewing and we filled it with a ribbon belt (which took exactly 5 min to make!!) and bubblegum, chapstick and nail polish.  Emma jumped on the "handmade" bandwagon and insisted that she also make the card.  We both had such joy working together and giving away our handiwork. 

Oh they are quite a pair! Seven years old is the limit.  I will not allow 8.  Stop it already.

Okay, Monday begins, apron tomorrow- see you then!

I made something

My niece turned 11 over the weekend.  For me, this is a tricky age to buy for.  I really struggled with what to get her.  She is at that "in between" stage.  Not quite a teenager, not a little girl anymore. And too, I always go back and forth between gifts that are practical and gifts that are totally frivolous and fun.  I wanted to make her something because that is my thing now, right? Handmade.  A couple of months ago I found Meg's blog  (don't you love it how I use her first name like we are close personal friends) and bought up a few of her patterns.  More recently I snatched up her adorable apron pattern! When I went searching through my patterns for something to make Haley, the pattern for this reading pillow caught me.

I thought it would be fun/easy to make and that she would enjoy it.  I already had all the supplies that I needed so I set out to work.  The pattern calls for making you own cotton cording...I cheated and used a package of ready made.  Attaching this was the trickiest part of the whole deal.  My zipper foot saved me and I made it through just fine.  The rest came together fairly easily,  which is more that I can say for my selection of a book for her.  Do you have any idea what kind of garbage is out there for girls this age?  Maybe I was my selection was limited but it seemed that I had to choose from stories about hooking up with guys (again, she is 11), dragons/magic/witches, or Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  Don't get me wrong, Little House in the Big Woods is our current favorite (along with the show Little House on the Prairie which we rarely miss each day at 4:00pm) but I didn't really think this kind of book was Haley's style.  So, I fell back on good ol' Nancy Drew.  I thought it would at least keep her attention in a wholesome way.

When my girls saw how this pillow works, they immediately started requesting one of their own.  I definitely see more of these in my future.  At the party, this pillow was up against other gifts like a Karaoke machine, American Idol dvds, gift cards galore, a mp3 player, and on and on!  I was proud to offer something so low-tech and heart-felt.  I am not sure that it was received with the same enthusiasm...but that is understandable I guess. When she opened it, Carl was so sweet. He read my mind.  He gave me a little pat on the leg and said, "It was really neat, Honey- you did a really nice job on it." 

I had fun making it.  The pillow turned out cute, and it is the thought that counts right? Happy Monday.

a.m.

Mornings are good aren't they?  Saturday mornings are even better.  I have always been a morning person.  After about 8pm I am not worth very much- things start to go down hill.  Usually I have to ask, "so how did that movie end last night?" I get this trait from my father.  We have no need for alarm clocks.  For the most part we seem to just wake up when we are supposed to.  Setting an alarm makes me nervous.  It is typical that I wake up at 15 minute intervals before the set time waiting for the "beep".  Even though I am not much of a sleeper-inner, just knowing I could if I wanted to makes Saturdays something to look foreword to. 

So, this Saturday morning we indulged in puffed oven pancakes.

Growing up we always had a "real" breakfast on Saturdays in place of our cereal on weekdays.  I always looked forward to watching cartoons.  (Whatever happened to Looney Toones?  Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Coyote and Road Runner were the best!)

Some of us ate our pancakes with orange marmalade, which we pronounce "marm-a-lawd" in our best English accents. Others opted to eat their pancakes bare.

I have been doing some sewing the last few days.  I was feeling a bit sheepish after such a kind feature over at Sew Mama Sew.  Thank you to all the people who visited!!  It was fun to read all of your comments.  I do hope you come back often!  Anyways, I really haven't sewn very much as of late.  I have been on more of a crochet kick these days.  Hannah is hurting for clothes.  I hate to buy anything for her knowing that spring will soon be here.  So, I whipped out a few skirts for her. (that is all that she will wear)

This is the twirly skirt from houseonhillroad.  I used a light-weight denim and some vintage trim I have been saving.  I love this pattern.  It is so easy.  I especially love that it doesn't require a double fold hem- those are the worst.  I will do almost anything to avoid them.  Like sew ribbon on the edge as you would bias tape.

Not the greatest picture, but a super easy pattern from the Autumn 2005 issue of Ottobre. And yes, I finished the edge with ribbon.  I have had this fine-wale corduroy since October.  Better late than never I guess.  I made it a tad big so that she can wear it again next fall.

I took Mama K's advice and turned one of the thrifted sweaters into longies for Laurel.  They work great over cloth diapers.  Wool absorbs wetness especially when it is lanolized (I use this and this).  Normally I would use the sleeves and make pants using this technique...but I wasn't sure that they were long enough so I used the britches and bloomers pattern again.  Whew! That was pretty linky.

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday morning!