M’s play opens this week, so I absolutely had to finish the costumes during the weekend. As you all know, a sewing marathon requires (a) lots of coffee–always in good supply in this house; and (b) fortifying foods. Saturday morning, I whipped up a batch of banana chocolate chip muffins to get me started.

They were quite possibly the best muffins I have ever made…light in texture, moist and sweet, but not too sweet. I’ve used this recipe before, but this time, they were inexplicably better.

By Sunday afternoon, I had finished the bodies of the costumes.

It was an awkward affair sewing on those tails. I can’t say my stitching was particularly beautiful. I *think* they’ll stay attached…if Eeyore’s falls off, I hope the actor has presence of mind to pretend it was meant to happen. After all, Eeyore’s tail is supposedly only affixed with a tack. I used an uncovered button from a make-your-own button kit for the “tack.”

M and I decided to use flannel–and not faux fur or fleece–for the bodies of the costumes so the actors wouldn’t get too hot under the stage lights. I couldn’t live with an unfluffy skunk’s tail, however, and used faux fur for that. Boy, that stuff makes a HUGE mess. I think I still have bits of that up my nose and my sewing machine certainly needs a good cleaning.

I finished two hoods shortly afterwards. Here’s the skunk and Piglet.

Eeyore’s hood required a little more work, since it needed a mane. I didn’t finish that until later in the evening…

I’m not too thrilled with how the mane turned out. It looks a little bit like the moppy ‘do worn by Moe of the Three Stooges. I am not a hair stylist for people or talking animals. I did the best I could and called it quits when I ran out of the yarn.

My pattern review can be found here.

The kids are both old enough now to appreciate holiday traditions. They remember doing some of these things in years past and look forward to doing them again. As you can see, pumpkin carving was a big hit with them.

Sam and Claire cleaned out the pumpkins as best they could and directed the cutting of the designs. I, of course, was in charge of sharp implements. Sam chose an elaborate spider design. Claire was happy with a goofy face.

Our jack-o-lanterns garnered compliments from the neighbors!

Of course, trick-or-treating was the most exciting part of the holiday. Their dad and uncle took them around the neighborhood and they came back with an unbelievable amount of candy. I guess our neighbors were suckered by how cute these two kids are (I know I would have been!)

More holiday photos can be seen here.

I had hoped to finish my orange jacket in time for trick-or-treating. I had imagined attaching some black felt cutouts (only temporarily) to make it look like a jack-o-lantern, but I just plain ran out of time. I did finish it the next day and am very happy with it.

I think I managed to save it from looking too “clownish.” Cutting down the sleeves helped a lot. It’s not something I can wear all the time, since that neck is deep and wide. It looks best when I wear a turtleneck or crew neck top underneath it. Also, the wide neckline allows the cold in. My next jacket is going to be less “stylish” and more practical. Even though I disparaged the material a lot in the past, I’m eager to sew with fleece again. It’s easy to handle and makes perfect outerwear for the damp weather we have around here.

More details on the McCall’s jacket can be found in my pattern review.

I have a confession to make. I am completely obsessed with sewing. So complete is my obsession that I resent having to take out time to do other things like eating and sleeping. I attribute this phase to a “eureka” moment I had recently about getting things to fit me. That was my big stumbling block for so long–and now that it’s gone, I want to sew all the wonderful patterns I’ve got filed away.

I’ve been busy test fitting garments by first pinning together the tissue pattern pieces (often retraced onto separate tissue to keep the original intact) and sometimes sewing up muslins, i.e. test pieces out of cheap fabric. It’s going really well, but I don’t have much to show for it yet.

Folks, I’ve got to air a pet peeve of mine. The term is MUSLIN–ending with an N. Muslin is a type of fabric. Many people seem to confuse this term with MUSLIM, which is a practitioner of a certain religion.

Stepping off my soapbox for the moment…

In the meantime, I’ve stitched up some garments, which required less fitting work than what I hope to make in the future. Here’s the pajama pants I made using the instructions in Heather Ross’ book, Weekend Sewing:

They turned out great and are extremely comfy. I made a pair for myself out of the same fabric as Claire’s. I’m going to make many more of these!

I also stitched up what I’m thinking of as a “lady of leisure uniform.” I really should be sipping (a) martini(s) when dressed up like this:

While the design is fairly simple, it was my first time sewing on knit fabric and I’m thrilled to report I got the hang of it. I read Wendy Mullin’s book, Home Stretch, and studied my machine’s manual before I began. I do not have a serger (nor can I afford one right now), but am glad I can do a nice job with these fabrics. I’m planning on sewing some t-shirts for myself and the kids…special t-shirts…fun!

Finally, Robert cleaned out his closet to make room for some new spring clothing he purchased. This made me giddy with excitement–not because we would be getting rid of a pile of stuff that was cluttering up our home–oh no! I was excited because all that fabric could be cut up and used to make something new and fun.

I’m going to use some of the fabrics to make blouses for myself. I’ll use others to make shirts for Sam.

This is what has been depriving me of computer time for the past few days:

Yes, I finally finished this quilt, which is destined to be a Christmas present for my son. It took me a little over a year to complete Why so long? Hunting down the perfect fabric for each part occupied a lot of my time. I also discovered that my old sewing machine just wasn’t cut out for creating a bed-sized quilt, so I had to shop for a nicer machine–and I do love my Bernina!

Then, there was the episode where I tried to quilt the thing myself, broke four needles and injured my shoulder. As much as I wanted to do the whole thing myself, I just couldn’t. I sent it out to the Quilting Loft for long-arm quilting. I’m so glad I did! They did a fantastic job! If only the lighting were better, I’d show you a close-up of the border. It’s amazing…really. The quilter stitched little cars and “beep beep” along the top and bottom portions. The sides are decorated with little airplanes and pilots.

If my son isn’t totally ga-ga over it when I give it to him on Christmas day, then I’ll gladly keep it! I not-so-secretly think this is the best thing I’ve ever made.

The pattern is by Hot Possum, an Australian company. They offer a number of patterns for cute kids’ quilts. Now that I see how this applique thing works, though, I’m more likely to try drawing my own patterns in the future. The technique would lend itself well to personal expression.

I started out my day by pouring coffee on my Golden Grahams. Thankfully, the flavor combination wasn’t half bad. However, due to that not-so-auspicious beginning, I’ve been trying to play it safe and stick to tasks I shouldn’t be able to screw up too much. I thought laundry was a good idea, but managed to shrink my husband’s favorite wool stocking cap. It looks as if it would fit a Lilliputian now. Hey, at least it’s a clean Lilliputian hat!

So, for now, I’m going to sit in this here chair and read through my favorite blogs. That seems fairly harmless, right? I can also show off my latest creation. Voila! The orange apple dress!

It’s a dismal grey day outside and I couldn’t coax my model into venturing forth to take prettier photos. That’s all right. She hammed it up pretty good indoors.

She gave the dress two thumbs up for its twirliness (is that a word?).

The number of pieces invovled in this project daunted me initially, but the actual construction was straightforward. I just had to take my time (two weeks or so) and proceed carefully. I’m really pleased with the result. I made it a little bit on the large side so she’ll have room to grow.

I found the fabric at a thrift store a few weeks back. Claire says she’s going to pretend the orange apples are really pumpkins. Hey, if she’s happy with it, even if it requires a dose of her imagination, I’m happy too.

The pattern is from Ottobre – Autumn 3/2005.

With the arrival of the colder weather, my family’s inclination has been to slow down and take life easy. Robert’s wandering around the house in a fleece jacket and Sam has actually been persuaded to wear socks when indoors. (He usually sheds them within seconds of entering the house. I wish I could induce him to shed footwear into the laundry basket instead of directly onto the floor, but that’s a battle for another day.)

Claire has spent a fair amount of time cuddled up on the couch with a good book and some friends.

She’s also made sure her bunnies are warm and cozy before bedtime.

All of us have been nibbling away at the Amish friendship bread I baked the other day.

Everyone seems peaceful, except me. It’s like a creative bomb has gone off inside my head. I’m full of ideas of things I want to make and am working on half a dozen projects all at once.

I’ve started sewing a dress for Claire from the thrifted apple fabric I showed you a few days ago.

I found the pattern in an old Ottobre magazine. It’s one of those projects that’s fun, but requires a lot of attention to the little details. Although my progress is slow, I have high hopes for the finished outfit. It’s going to have an underskirt to make it fluffy and especially good for twirling.

Meanwhile, I’m decorating t-shirts using freezer paper stencils, drawing cats and bats and owls with my son for a school project, and, yes, I’m even knitting a little bit. I’ve decided to finish off a couple of projects that have been marinating in my closet for far too long. One is the Chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and the other is a Kureyon cardigan. The scarf will take FOREVER, since it’s made out of sock yarn. I must have lost my mind when I started that thing. The cardigan could be finished very soon, if I would just buckle down and work on it. All it needs is a collar and a front band. As some of you know, I have to take it easy with knitting, so I don’t aggravate a painful problem I have in my neck and shoulder area. I’m trying to be good about it, but it’s hard when you’re really excited!

It has grown downright chilly and damp in this part of the world. We’ve been harvesting lots of goodies from the garden: cucumbers, gigantic pattypan squash and these lovely Royal Burgundy beans:

They’re bush beans, which means you don’t have to fuss with crazy creepers, they’re very prettily colored and they taste great. There’s only one downside. They look like this after you cook them:

How disappointing is that? It’s kind of like waking up to find your date from the prior evening wasn’t quite as handsome as all that beer made him seem. Not that I’d really know what that experience is like.

Ahem.

If you really want to enjoy the season, there’s nothing like apple pie. I made this one last night, following a recipe for the crust from Everyday Food (July/August 2008). The crust is the best I’ve ever eaten, but it’s fussy to work with. I’d never use it to make a lattice pie top, for instance. It’d just crumble to pieces and look like a regular mess. However, if you want a crust that TASTES divine, but looks rather humble, this is the recipe to use.

The apples were just right too. I’m not sure what variety they were…just plain little green things (not Granny Smiths), a bit bruised and scarred, but juicy and spicy. Our friend brought them across Puget Sound just for us to try. We counted ourselves lucky to receive such a wonderful gift.

Meanwhile, I’m working on a doll for my daughter. Two funny things about it:

1. Both Sam and Claire were freaked out by its blank face. Using pins to create a dopey smiley face reassured them it wasn’t a scarey monster. (Makes me wonder how they’d react to Waldorf dolls with their blank faces…or, is it something with the shape of this doll’s head?)

2. One of the kids in the neighborhood saw the half-finished doll sitting in my recliner. She wanted to know if I was making The Stinky Cheese Man. That one still makes me laugh. I don’t know if I’ll be able to call it anything else, even after it has a real face and some hair

There was a time when our family hardly ever sat down together for a relaxed meal. When I was working, I returned home at about six in the evening and then drove to two different daycares to pick up the children.* Needless to say, those evenings were hectic. I was exhausted, Robert was exhausted, the kids were exhausted, bedtime was looming and everybody was STARVING. Food had to be put on the table fast and without a lot of fuss. Thank goodness for frozen pizza.

Now, however, since I have the luxury of preparing meals in peace, we enjoy each other’s company over dinner more often. It’s one of the best improvements in our lifestyle since I quit my job. To honour the good food and good company, I dressed up our table with new placemats and napkins.**

It’s funny how such simple things can make life so much nicer. And when I say they’re simple, I’m not just referring to their ubiquity; I’m also referring to how easy they are to make. I didn’t think to take photos and turn this post into a complete tutorial, but I don’t think all those extras are necesarry for explaining how to construct these items. Think of it like learning to make one of your grandmother’s most admired cakes. You add a handful of this, a handful of that, mix and bake.

Here’s my recipe for placemats:

1. From a piece of paper (newspaper, gift wrap, freezer paper, whatever…), cut out a rectangle. It can be any size that pleases you. Just for reference, mine was 17″ X 13.5″. I just liked the look of that ratio. There’s no special reason for it.

2. Round of the corners of your pattern. You can do this by folding the rectangle in fourths and freehanding a curve with your scissors, or, if you’re more particular, you can use the edge of a plate to draw a curved corner and cut along that line. Whatever works for you!

3. Wash and dry your fabrics. Or not.

4. Cut out the fronts, backs and lightweight batting using this template as a guide. I think I had about a yard of each material and made four placemats.

5. Make your quilt sandwich and baste together using the method you prefer. The basting spray found in many fabric shops works great for small pieces like this.

6. Quilt as desired. I free-handed some swirling lines, but you could also stitch parallel lines for a nice effect.

7. Bind as desired. I used the quick and dirty method and bought a few packages of pre-made binding. Homemade binding could make these extra special.

Here’s my Recipe for Napkins:

1. Cut out 18-inch squares or whatever size you like. If I had had more fabric, I might have made mine about 20-21 inches square.

2. Hem. I used the method described in this Purl Bee tutorial, including the zig-zag stitching, which I really like.

Enjoy your creations!

_____
* My hat goes off to working mothers everywhere.
** I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to color correct these photos. The light in our dining room is not a traditional tungsten light. It really makes everything a ghastly yellow. Anyway, I’m sorry about the poor-quality photos here.

I actually hummed to myself as I was sewing my first pair of pants with a zipper. Constructing the fly was like folding an origami animal. Fold here and fold there, stitch, and voila! An architectural masterpiece of cloth and thread emerges. It was so cool seeing how that especially complicated part of a commonplace article of clothing was actually put together.

Because I was so excited about finally tackling a sewing task which had intimidated me only a short time before, I whizzed through the project. I could hardly put it down and had visions of clean topstitching and embroidered and embellished details making these the most special pants ever.

Those visions weren’t meant to be.

After stitching up the legs (finished with lovely French seams and topstitching), I tried on the pants. The legs were narrower than I liked. That I could live with. Unfortunately, I could not get the pants over my backside. How was that possible? I checked the measurements several times before even tracing the pattern, let alone cutting into the fabric. They should have fit perfectly. Admittedly, I don’t have the svelte behind of an 18-year old. Pregnancy forever changed that. But my backside isn’t enormous either. So, either there is a problem with the pattern, or I made a huge mistake (inconceivable! haha). From now on, I won’t “ass”ume a pattern will work out simply because the numbers on the package suggest it should.

But now I’m on a mission. I’m going to try this again, either by trying a different pattern that looks a little roomier to begin with, or by deconstructing a pair of my pants that fit well. It’s too interesting a project to give up at this early stage.

I actually finished something else this weekend that turned out great and will share that with you soon. I believe in taking risks once in awhile to learn something new, but rely on little successes along the way to keep my courage for the hard things intact.

Just over a year ago, when I first started sewing, I came up with a list of things I wanted to make. At the very top of that list were new throw pillows, placemats and pot holders. In all that time, I’ve only managed to make one pillow.* The other items were left by the wayside as more exciting projects caught my attention in quick succession.

The home dec projects now have a new glamour for me. It’s possible the chilly weather we’re experiencing here in the mornings has reminded me of the approach of the cold, dark rainy months ahead and the need for bright and cheerful comforts.

I’d been hoarding a bunch of Joel Dewberry fabrics and thought it was high time to cut into them. They’ll be appearing in a lot of my next few projects. The pillow on the left was made by following Dacia Ray’s tutorial for a Log-Cabinish pillow. I recalculated the size of the pieces for my smaller pillow form. It was fun to make.

The pillow on the right was inspired by a project in The Impatient Patchworker. I’m hoping the free motion quilting becomes a little less stressful as I practice it more. I have a hard time keeping my loops smooth and rounded rather than sharp and pointed. I had to take a long lie-down after quilting that one. Luckily, I had some nice pillows to cushion my head.

The cooler weather is also making baking very appealing. I used up a little bit of zucchini, carrots and apples in these muffins. They’re good, but a bit like eating a thick vegetable slaw. I’m going to make something decadent and totally lacking in nutritional value next. Sometimes, you just need to indulge.

*Oops. I’ve actually made two other pillows. I forgot about the shark pillow.