SouleMama

Back Tack Done!

Whew! After a marathon session last night (thanks again, dear Steve), Back Tack II is done. I really struggled with this one--not only trying to figure out what my partner would like, but then finding the time to think about it, shop for it, and then create it. I'm having a hard time being "done" with this project--I feel like it could be so much "better,".... but I gave it all I had/have at the moment, so I'm going to have to let it go! Oh well, a lesson learned. ;) I do love, love, love these green fabrics together, and hope my partner does too. She wants to learn to embroider, so I hope this kit can get her started!

I included:

• a tote bag for carrying all the goods;
• a pouch full of embroidery floss;
• vintage linens and tea towels to embroider;
• embroidery hoop;
• a sewing "book" with sciscors and needles (I tried to "coordinate" by embroidering a flower just like the one on the fabric...let's not talk about the fact that it looks more like a cannibus leaf.);
• The Complete Guide to Needlework (the bible, as far as I'm concerned!);
• some Sublime Stitching iron-on patterns and instructions.

I need to add some yummy fun treats, and then pop it in the mail today. Thanks for your patience, my back tack partner!

Mail of the Paper Variety

So what does one do when a teeny tiny paypal stash is building? Why, spend it of course, on your favorite web treats!

Hence, the arrival of the King Pod quilt cards from Amy. Knew I'd love 'em, and of course, I do. Fabulous cards which only make me want to *touch* one of Amy's quilts even more--ah, the texture!! Do I really have to share these? Or can I hog them all to myself?

And then, another order I've been wanting to place for awhile is this one from The Paper Princess, by Leslie of Rubber Sol (a co-survivor of life with three children!). I ordered the "a little birdie told me" cards, and I LOVE them--the color is so vibrant and lovely. She included a few little treats too, including the eraser in the center of the picture that I tried to EAT, even though she included a note telling me NOT to eat it, lol!!

And then...The Crafty Modster was giving away her copy of Knitscene and I happened to be the lucky first respondent, so this just arrived for me! (thank you! Thank you!) I'm digging the patterns in there--I had no idea I was such an instant gratification type of knitter, and this does seem to have a bit lighter patterns that Interweave Knits. In my opinion, it was a brilliant marketing move for them to make this additional mag. The pattern I'm thinking of trying from it is the sweater on the front cover...you know, in all my spare time.

Speaking of spare time...I actually have been crafting, and I promise you'll see some results soon. But the weather here's been so crappy, I can't get a decent picture of anything (see above photos!). Excuses, Excuses. I'm working away on BackTaack (um, yeah, talk about waiting until the LAST minute...I think I'll be working on this Sunday night--along with the halloween costumes I promised the boys!). Oh yeah...and my ROOM! Pics of that coming soon too....

Feet

Is there anything as cute as baby feet? I think not, but baby booties are certainly a close second. And look at these sweet ones that arrived in the mail from Joelene of Misocrafty as a gift for Adelaide. Joelene's an amazing knitter, and these are so well made and just gorgeous. AND, coolest of all, they match exactly the knitted dress I'm making for Adelaide. Yay!!

And here are the booties with the postcard she sent that Ezra is obsessed with carrying around. Thanks so much Joelene for the wonderful gift!

Self Portrait Tuesday

I took this picture of my hand, and the hands of my sisters and mother, as we finished a belly cast for my sister Michelle, who's due with her first babe (a girl) in two weeks. This image is powerful, and emotional for me on many, many levels. The following day was the traditional baby shower full of "stuff"...I was grateful that we had just had this more intimate evening together of henna, belly casting, and loving connection. I wish my sister a beautiful birth and a healthy baby, and most of all--with all my being-- I wish peace for her and her baby.

Self Portrait bloggers here.

Weekend Finds

It feels like forever ago since I've been out on the yard/rummage sale circuit (really only two months!), so I was grateful this weekend that one of my favorite church rummage sales was happening. Adelaide and I made the journey together, and thankfully, she was happy in the mei tai as I literally crawled around *under* the tables, digging through boxes hoping for some real treasures. 

Who can leave a church rummage sale without atleast one old apron? Not me.

Fabric, fabric, fabric. I love the old sheets--they'll be perfect for bag linings, and perhaps a skirt too.

An old Felix the Cat needlepoint pillowcase thingy.

Check out this old gorgeous wool coat for Adelaide!! Thanks to my friend Karine's super good eye for spotting this one. ;)

Perhaps my favorite score of all--a vintage dress--that FITS ME--by Vested Gentress. I love their stuff! The print is so gorgeous--bunnies!--I'll have to restrain myself from cutting it up this winter before I can wear it in the spring.

Check out this funky Mod-Glow vanity light/mirror set! Hysterical! I think the case would make a great  purse!

A very randomly pieced, vintage quilt of sorts. I love some of the fabrics on this.

Vintage patterns, zippers, and a Stitch N Bitch book for 10cents, which is headed to a newly-knitting new friend of mine. ;)

And last...this amazing, large piece (2+ yards) of vintage fabric, with a date of 1956 on it. LOVE it. No idea yet what it will become...

Okay...that was SO much fun! I can't believe it will be next SPRING before we're out there again on the rummage sale circuit. Atleast I ended this "season" with a bang. Oh, and can I tell you how much it all cost me? (Sorry, I have to be obnoxious like that)....I spent $4.75. Yup. Gotta love Maine church sales.

A Dress

A little blurry (where's the sun??!), but here's a picture of the dress I've been working on for Adelaide. Have I said before how much I love gathers? I think I have. But seriously, they're fun. (I'm such a dork). And this dress has gathers not only around the yoke, but also on the sleeves. Heavenly. Oh, and the row of buttons down the back. Love it!

I used this vintage pattern, and the adorable vintage fabric is a gift from Jacquie, a.k.a. Jessie's mom.

And here it is on Adelaide. Obviously, I need to make the matching diaper cover thingy. Ooh, or get some of those cute ruffle-butt tights (what's happening to me??!!).

A close up of Adelaide, oops, I mean the dress! Cheeks and chins! And yokes and gathers, too. ;)

More Holiday Inspiration

Though we mostly celebrate the Solstice around here, we do have a few traditional Christmas celebrations that I don't want to part with. One being stockings on Christmas morning. And so, I've made (mostly knit) stockings for Steve, myself and the boys on each of their first christmas' (I'll post pics of those when I finish Adelaide's!). And now, somehow in the next two months, I must do the same for sweet Adelaide. I've been looking around for inspiration and found these:

I love the bull's eye look of these (but could do without the fringy top), and the bold colors. Might be fun with felt. From Garnet Hill.

And these felt ones (also from Garnet Hill), designed by Hable Construction, are fabulous too. I'm loving that red one.

Why am I so drawn to these Adler Big Foot Stockings from Hold Everything?  Could it be because they're $4.99!!??

I also kind of like this Pocket Design, also from Hold Everything. This might be fun in felt, in much cooler colors.

Perhaps my favorite, this Elf Stocking from Anthropologie, of course. (Ezra's knit stocking, which you'll see soon, is pretty much a direct rip off of one I saw here last year! Bad, bad me.)

One more from Anthropologie--this gorgeous Pearl Icing Stocking. Thought not appropriate for a little one, *I* really love it!

Okay...time to stop browsing and start making!

Adding to the Stash

I've been very, very restrained. I haven't bought any new fabric in, oh, months! But Jessie opened the floodgate when she gave me this wonderful pile of goodies for my birthday last month:

Fun stuff, no? Of course, I put the Munki Munki to use right away on the jacket for adelaide. I think the other prints would make a fabulous quilt together--it's all variations on the same print in different colors. Such loveliness! Thanks, Jessie!!

And then, I happened to spot a "blog yard sale" that Alexia of Craftopia was having. (brilliant idea, isn't it?) And I snatched up these goodies--the two on the left are for bags, and the green salt and pepper print is for a gift, and then the four glorious yards of dotted flannel will become jammies and the back to my Wild Stripes blanket, because what goes better with stripes that polka dots? Nothing, I assure you...

Self Portrait Tuesday

I still haven't had the chance to try out my idea for the Self Portrait Tuesday October theme (I've got one more week!), but as I was uploading pictures from my camera, I found this series. Apparently, Calvin was trying out the Self Documentary Series himself, unbeknownst to me (though it does look like he had some help with a few of these--Papa, do you know about this?).

No, this is no halloween costume (as Steve and I keep saying, EVERY day is halloween around here). This is Calvin the Clown, someone who's been hanging around our house for quite some time now (since Orphan Annie and Lucy left). He finally got the "professional clown make up" (no kidding) he's been asking for, and was obviously quite pleased with himself. We're on the hunt for a white bathing cap now so he can pull all his hair back into it, and be truly a "real" clown. Though we've told him he can't join the circus until he's 8.

Self Portrait Tuesday blog here.

Let the Sunshine In

Photography is definitely not where my skills are, but I had to try to snap this image. After a full week (or more?) of rain, the sun was shining today. I saw this on the wall this morning--can you see it? It was so crisp and clear that it really looked like a drawing on the wall, and not just a shadow of the light shining through the trees, and then through my favorite window in the house.

Hooray for the sun. It was nice to see it today, even if only for a moment (it's been behind the clouds again all day).

Mystery Revealed

Give up yet? Okay, here's one more clue about the fab blogger I met yesterday. This is a little treat she presented me with when we met yesterday: (forgive the crappy flash photo--it won't stop raining here).

The letterpress queen herself--it was mav, of course, of port2port! After being nervous to meet her, it all disappeared the second I saw her--she was so lovely and warm and kind (and Raven and Charlie too!). And what a treat to peek inside her space--so thoughtfully created, it makes me want to come home and chuck about half of my "stuff" for a cleaner, simpler look (oh, but I couldn't really!). I left our visit with the wonderful cards above (aren't they fun?), but more importantly, with the hope of more time spent with mav during this upcoming long, cold winter. Perhaps chatting by our woodstove over knitting and wine? Ah...
Oh, and one more mav related surprise coming in the next week or so!

Alright, back to working on my ROOM! Can I add enough caps and exclaimation points to that to express my excitement? I think not.

One more thing: I committed the ultimate craft blogging sin this weekend by making something and giving it away before taking a picture of it. When I realized this aloud to Steve, he said, "does that mean you didn't make it?". Hmnn...interesting. ;)

Weekend Update

I've been so crazy-busy this weekend that I haven't had time to post, let alone make much of anything to post about (of course, there has been a *little* crafting). I'm trying to dig my way out of the piles around me--piles of laundry, toys, dishes, diapers (why do I insist on HAND washing all my covers?), and emails too. But the exciting news of the weekend is that I'm getting MY own ROOM!!!!! Yay!! We're in the process of rearranging pretty much the entire contents of our home to accomodate some space for my new craft room. It won't look quite (ha!) like this dream studio, but I don't care...it's MINE! Be assured that I'll tell you all about it, and post pics as soon as it's "done," and I've cleaned up the rest of the house.

This is the other very exciting thing happening this weekend. I'll be meeting one of my favorite bloggers tomorrow, pictured above. Any guesses? I won't tell. Hee hee. I'm very excited, and also very nervous--I'm so inspired by this woman and her beautiful words and art. More to come on all of this soon! I can't wait!

Happy Weekend!!

Vintage Pattern Fun

I'm finally getting on the ball and getting some stuff together in my Flickr albums. I just added a set of My Vintage Patterns, and uploaded most of the baby/children patterns I've been gathering at yard sales and received as gifts, etc. I love these vintage styles of clothing for children, and have grand plans (of course) to make lots of them. And the thought of using vintage fabric on them as well, makes me practically giddy.

These coats are so fabulous. I intended to make the boys coat for Calvin last winter, but got overwhelmed at the pattern instructions. I'm amused that the older patterns assume so much more sewing knowledge (mostly that I don't have!) than modern pattern instructions do. It seems like what is said in one step in 1960 ends up being 10 steps in a modern pattern.

And these dresses!! They remind me so much of pictures of my mom I see from the late 50's. So adorable. And then the 60's summer fun outfits on the left--how cute??!!

A Baby Jacket (or five)

I'm so excited about this jacket and hat set--I made it for Adelaide from the vintage pattern below. It's with my absolute favorite fabric of all time--the Munki Munki cardinal jersey (thank you, thank you Jessie!! What kind of a friend not only KNOWS what your favorite fabric is, but then gets you that fabric for your birthday, when it's nearly impossible to find? A damn good friend, I tell you!). I'm digging this pattern--I love that it's lined, so it's all comfy and cozy, and I really adore the scalloped edging on the front.

And because I'm completely insane (certifiable, I'm sure), here are the other FOUR jackets I made this week:


I told you I got a lot of crafting done this weekend!! Most of these are jersey on the outside (lots of Munki Munki here--I must be making room for the NEW line), with flannel on the inside, so they're pretty thick and warm. I have a few baby showers coming up that I might use these for, but I might start stocking up on them for the craft fair I'm doing next month (I told you I was insane).

A Birthday Pillow

Happy Birthday, Dad! I'm pretty sure that he doesn't read my blog, so I'm safe posting this ridiculous picture of him (holding me), circa 1978. Very funny.

And here's his birthday gift, made this weekend (thank you, thank you Steve for all the sewing time! more results of that crafting time coming tomorrow!). In the center is Calvin's art, scanned and printed onto fabric (using the Bubble Jet stuff). I've done this before with only minor success, but I think a key point is using really GOOD quality, high thread count white fabric to print on (a great tip from Gerrie - Happy Birthday to her too!).  The drawing is of my parents' new log cabin, which they've built, and this pillow is made to match the wall quilt I made for them this spring. I think I'll be doing some similar pillows and things for family holiday presents with more of the kids art.

One Month

One Month.

(Wow, two posts in one day. Must be the coffee.) So I vaguely remembered a few days ago that Adelaide would soon be one month old, but then promptly forgot about it until a few minutes ago when Anamaria mentioned it in an email! Thank goodness for blog friends! And speaking of blog friends, recognize anything in the photo?  Her sock monkey and lovey are at the other end of the basinet--I thought about taking a photo with all her sweet blogworld treats, but she wasn't so into having me mess around with props.

Can you believe those cheeks? Apparently the nursing is working--I swear I can feel it all leaving my body (I can't stop eating to make up for it!) and headed right into her cheeks, and chinS! At 11 lbs, I'd say she's doing well. Happy One Month, baby girl!!!

Self Portrait Tuesday

This is what I saw as I got to the bottom of my Sunday coffee (yes, I know...SUNDAY coffee--I'm on the slippery slope down to daily caffeine addiction). Yes, that's A SEWING PIN IN MY COFFEE. It must have fallen in when I was cutting out a pattern. The kicker, though, is that Steve is always after me about where he (and worse--the kids) find my pins--on the couch, the carpet, the tables, etc....and of course I ignore him and reassure him that "they always just pick up my pins and put them where they belong!".

Think this is the motivation we need to get my craft space OUT of the living room? Ah...a Room of My Own....it's coming, it's coming! ;)

Self Portrait bloggers here. A fantastic October theme of a Self Documentary Series. I've had an idea for that, but not the time yet to follow through with it...next week perhaps!

Wow.

Look who just arrived in the mail!! Wow, wow, wow. From Lyn at Molly Chicken, of course. (Remember her sweet boy baby sock monkey? I gushed and gushed over that one!) I knew that this was coming, yet I was still completely surprised by it when I opened the package. First, I didn't think it was so small, and the wee-ness (a baby sock, of course!) of it makes it even more adorable (and harder to create, I would imagine) than what you see on the web. And then--all the amazing little details--the blankie, the bow on the tail, all the stitching! It's really marvelous!!! I'm so thrilled to have it, and so is Adelaide, I'm sure. Thank you, thank you, Lyn for sharing one of your beautiful creations with us!

Things That Amuse Me

It's Friday night, and we've made it through another week relatively unscathed. Adelaide will be one month old on Tuesday. It's been one wild and crazy month of adjusting to life with three children. There's no other way to describe it besides "completely insane". I've quickly figured out that I have two options in any given moment of parenting now: I can completely melt and fall apart (tempting), or I can laugh at the craziness of it all and just roll with it. If it weren't for the influence of my amazing partner--I'd probably choose the former. BUT...if there's anything that's rubbed off in our time together it would be his wonderful attempts to find the beauty, and humor in all of it. So in that vein, here's what amused me this week:

• Going to the grocery store for the first time with THREE children. One adult.
• What my children wore to above mentioned grocery shopping trip (a knight and a farmer, by the way). (Oh, and yes, Mom, I put shoes on them first. No socks. But shoes.):

• (This falls under the category of: WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!) Taking a ferry to Peaks Island with a 4 year old; a SICK two year old; and a THREE WEEK old baby  on a COLD, foggy night, to a "nice" RESTAURANT for dinner, putting us out HOURS past their bedtimes. Take a peek at the only 3 pictures to come out of the evening. Pretty telling, I'd say.

• A photo shoot (or rather, several photo shoots) for Adelaide's birth announcement, which resulted in about 200 pictures like this (Jeremi--help me!):

• Playing "pirate" for the bazillionth time:

• And many, many moments like this, which fill my heart beyond words:

I must go rest and read and knit and play now for the weekend. I'll be back on Monday!

Lovin' My Mail

Amazing. Really....all the sweet wishes and lovely treats that people have sent for Adelaide. What a blessed little babe she is (and me too!) to be welcomed with such love.  The cards, emails, well wishes, song (Thank You, Gemma!)--all of it so warmly sent our way.

This package just arrived from across the pond (hee hee) from Panther, a blog reader (but not a blogger...yet!). Isn't this fabric just beautiful (and yes, I do LOVE pink!)? And a gorgeous rose crystal quartz, and bringing tears to my eyes--inside the card is a poem that she wrote for Adelaide. So special.

And look at this beautiful package that came from Joleen, with some of her beautiful prints! And of course, as fate works, these are just the ones I've loved the best. I can't wait to put the three of them in a frame together for the kids' room.

And also from Joleen is this sweet, sweet "lovey" that she and her mom worked on together (I love that part of the story), and a super cute framed picture.

And more mail love (this time for Mama).....the fabulous port2port postcard. I loved seeing this, and I'm starting to get a better understanding of letterpress. I'm very excited that mav and I are working on a little collaborative project too!! More on that later...

Adelaide and I say, "thank you".

Yarn Recommendations?

I MUST make this dress. Is it not just adorable? It's the Dress with Eyelets from the Debbie Bliss Baby Knits for Beginners book. (Why I'm about to put myself through the torture of a Debbie Bliss pattern, and size 2 needles is beyond me--I swear each time that I'll never do it again). The pattern calls for her yarn (surprised?)...the wool/cotton, which is no longer made, I believe. Does anyone have a good replacement for it? I know her cashmerino is the same weight, but I kind of like the idea of doing a wool cotton blend since this will be a winter dress. Oh, the gauge is 25st and 34 rows to 4in., or 6.25  sts to 1", DK weight, for those of you as atrocious with math as I am.

Any ideas?

Back in the Saddle Again

...well, briefly in the saddle, atleast. This didn't exactly feel like a great experiment in creative expression, but it's a start. I made this bag this weekend for a friends' birthday. It's the Amy Butler In Town Bag pattern, with a few minor tweaks. I added interfacing (why doesn't she call for that?), a magnetic snap for closure, and changed the inside pockets a bit too. I love this fabric that I was surprised to find at JoAnn's. I wish I had added some more fun embellishments--ribbon or button on the outside, etc....but I was getting sleepy.

And the inside, with my personalized tags that I can't for the life of me remember where I bought them.

Gene Autry will now be in my head all day long.

Self Portrait Tuesday

From my rear view mirror.

I took this photo as proof (to myself) that I actually made it out of the house with THREE children (Adelaide is there--she's the bundle on the left)--that they're all dressed, appear to be reasonably happy, perhaps fed, and I even appear to have showered. This is all due to the amazing powers of my new friend. Coffee. I've never been a coffee drinker, but last Friday (which really should be spelled FRYday, cause I feel so freakin' fried by that point in the week), I thought I'd give it a shot to help give me the extra boost I needed to get through the day. And it totally worked. Worked like crazy. By 10 am, I had everyone dressed and fed, the house was clean, and I was all caught up on laundry. Not to mention the craft project we had already completed (and cleaned up after!), and the rousing game of pirates we had played. Oh yeah, and lots of nursing and burping and diaper changing too. Amazing. Coffee. Who knew? So that's my new plan. Coffee on Fridays. I figure if I just do it one day a week, it can't be that terrible for my body (or Adelaide's belly), and it will still have that super strong effect on me. Whopee!

I must say though, that the coffee did little to help with my sudden and complete loss of my short term memory (which comes with the territory of newborn babies...but god, they're cute). Case in point: At the end destination of the above-photographed car ride, I took the kids out to lunch (that part went surprisingly well--musta been the coffee still in me). As we left the bakery, I put the keys on the top of the van so that I wouldn't lose them in the process of loading up the kids. Loaded everyone up, got the bags in the car, etc....and then promptly forgot where the keys were. I searched and searched the van (amazing how much crap you can pile in a minivan! it's great until you're looking for something as small as KEYS!), the sidewalk, the street, and then the van again..... Yup, this went on for half an hour (at which point Adelaide was screaming and needed to nurse, Calvin was telling me he needed to poop, and Ezra was crying about wanting his "purple thing"--huh? "What purple thing?") until I finally unloaded the kids and went back into the bakery to look for the missing keys, which weren't inside either, of course. Upon arriving back at the van, I spotted the keys. On top of the car. Right where I had left them so that I wouldn't lose them.

Self Portrait bloggers found here.

Knitting Again

Besides the Katrina Quilt square, and some light mending, I haven't figured out a way to sew since Adelaide was born. Oh well...it's still early and I have faith that I'll find my way back to the machine. I have, however, had plenty of time (okay, well maybe "plenty of time" isn't the best phrase...let's just say a few minutes a day!) for knitting thanks to our sudden burst of late night TV watching. We're catching up on season four of Six Feet Under, and of course, the Red Sox. Go Sox! (Steve calls me a playoff fan because I ignore the 500 games-I swear that's an accurate count-- prior to this point in the season, and now I'm all jazzed up about baseball at the end).

But I digress. Back to knitting. Here's the hat I knit up for EzzaBoo during all the TV watching last week. It's with leftover yarn from the Wild Stripes blanket, which I swear is almost done (the knitting is done! I just need to back it, and like I said, sewing time is hard to come by these days). I'm so psyched, because the yarn was so cheap to begin with (from KnitPicks) and I made the entire (huge) baby blanket, and will have enough leftover for hats for all three kids (all deserving of their own posts upon completion in the near future, of course). Makes me feel all good and thrifty.

I'm happy with how this turned out, considering I've taken a few years off from hat making, and totally wung the pattern based on guesswork. Yipee! My brain still works!

It's Cool to be a Pack Rat

My habit of saving nearly everything comes from my parents. Often, I'm quite grateful for all the "stuff'" they saved -- like this clown suit we found recently in my parents attic. My grandmother made this for her children to wear in the mid-forties. All 5 of her children wore it at one time or another (my dad included), and I remember two of my sisters wearing it too. It was in need of some serious cleaning and mending, but I managed that just fine, and now....Calvin (who's been performing circuses in the backyard since our circus experience this summer), has the perfect suit for his performances.

My crazy performer and the signs he made for the show. There are tickets too, and a playbill. Oh yeah...he's pretty hardcore about his performances. Two showings a day around here. No rest for the clowns.

And Ezra, the announcer and one man band for the show, who bangs on the banging wall for the "music".

Calvin, on the "set" of the circus. In the high spot where he gives his Mama a near heart attack.

I love, love, love all of these creative and imaginative characters and performances that happen around here..it's such a joy of parenting and knowing these little boys!