Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Project Run and Play sew along: a Doe a Deer for M

I have been following the Project Run and Play seasons for a while now.  I have thought about participating for a while, but this is the first time I have made the jump to sew-along.  My personal goal for participating is to have a project on theme every week, as well as to use up fabric in my stash.  There are so many gorgeous new spring fabric lines out right now, it is tempting to go crazy.  But I am determined to use up my old sheets and hoarded fabric instead.  So here we go!  My sew-along version for "Put me in the Zoo" week.

I thought for quite a while about what animal to choose for my daughter, M.  Although we have a zoo in our city, we tend to walk the mile to the nature center in our neighborhood with much more frequency.  At this urban gem, there is a fairly large number of deer, which my kids looooooooove.  There is something truly magnificent about turning around a bend on the hiking path and coming within a few yards of a buck, looking at you with dark, alert eyes.  All within city limits.  I love that my children can have experiences with nature on a daily basis.  But I digress...  This post is about SEWING, right?


The hooded top is the literal part of my "a Doe a Deer" outfit.  This was my first time sewing the hoodie from Happy Homemade Volume 2.  I bought this book back before it was translated into English, and I had some issues figuring out how to insert the elastic near the neckline.  I fudged it and I think it looks OK.  You know that episode from The Office when Michael asks Dwight how his breath is, breathes right into Dwights nose and Dwight says, "good, not great."  That's how I feel about the quality of my sewing on this hoodie.  ;)

The fabric is from a sheet in my stash that I think KINDA looks like chambray if you squint a little from a distance.  It cost $1.99 when the Village Discount Outlet had one of their half off holiday sales.  I then embroidered some off-centered antlers and had fun randomly adding color and texture wherever my "inner creative buck" led me.  Is it me or did that sentence sound vaguely sexual?  Hmmm... The fabric on the lining of the hood is from a thrifted dress that I bought for a Western/cowboy themed party last fall.

For the skirt, I made a simple elastic waisted skirt using a vintage sheet that I am certain is also thrifted from The Village Discount Outlet.  That place is full of grimy treasures!  The sheet reminds me of a meadow.  While planning and sewing this skirt, I thought of it as "the habitat skirt."  The binding on the bottom is the last of some homemade binding I had been squirreling away for the right project.  It is this fabric by Lotta Jansdotter bought at The Sweden Shop, in my neighborhood.


And here is M doing what she does best:  being goofy and silly.  What do you think of my a Doe a Deer outfit?  Does it make you want to go on a hike?  ;)



Friday, February 28, 2014

A beginning

I have been meaning to start this blog for some time.  I want this space to be a meaningful little spot on the Internet for me to share stories about mothering my three little girls as well as a place to share projects I am working on.  Hopefully, this will also become a space for me to share some of the handmade goodies I have for sale in my (upcoming!) Etsy shop.  My sewing machine has been busy!

I don't consider myself to be an artist.  But I do love color, texture and design.  My goal is to share projects that have brought color and richness to my home and/or my family's clothing.  I have never liked the term "homebody," as it somehow has some negative connotations to me.  But that is, in fact, what I am.  I love being home, surrounded by family and the beautiful handmade things that help make our apartment a home.

Most exciting for me, is sharing with you the items I have been sewing late late LATE into the night, for my Etsy shop.  I will write more about my goals for the shop later.  I just needed to get a first post out.  To make it real.

I am off now to cut out the fabric to make myself a new shirt!  I have a date with a really nice and attractive man tomorrow night.  Spoiler alert:  it's my husband.  I'm hoping he puts out, so I gotta go sew me some sexy!