Nola's Creations

The baby's fall/winter wardrobe begins.

2008-10-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

Cotton velour sweats with an impressionist rose applique.

More velour sweats with a dachshund applique. The dark parts are a scrummy chocolate colored velour that didn't photograph well.

Shirts. Can you tell I like this style?? I need to find a different shirt pattern for her now, lol. The first one was made with a Gymboree blanket, baby was gifted the blanket and pants from the same line. It's an older line that wasn't coming across ebay very often, so I chopped the blanket up for the shirt. The "GIRL" applique was on the blanket too, I just reappliqued it.

Penguins interlock.

Brown/cream floral jersey.

Blue euro floral ribknit.

Red/oranges floral jersey, I love these colors on her!

Sleep sacks, the spots are sweatshirt fleece and the stripes are tee shirt jersey. Great for keeping her covered at night.

Vintagey flannel robe and matching washies.

Velour leggings and stretch terry tunic. Just the right length so it doesn't interfere with crawling/climbing. I have some more prints that will coordinate with the green leggings, I'll get a few more tops out for her.

Pants! Black velveteen, dark blue denim, and canvas stripes.

Jeans, different pattern that came out really wide.

More jeans. Same pattern as the other jeans, but I took the outseam seam allowances off.

Up next is my tween boy, but I've barely put a dent in his needs. Lots of black, skulls and skateboards. I'm raising a punk!

the dress that was rejected

2008-08-14T13:07:00.001-07:00

I made this for dd2 on a whim. The pattern and fabric were calling each other. She doesn't like it.
:P~ I considered trying to bribe her into wearing it, then I remembered that pile of her clothing on my kitchen counter, waiting for a soak in Oxo-Brite, and wondered why on earth I sewed so much white for that particular child. Anyone wanna buy a size 3t dress??? *snort*

Unders.

2008-08-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

These are for someone else's kid. Height of a 4, width of a 3.

These are for my kid. A dd! Height of a 3, width of a 2, and after seeing them on her I could have done width of an 18 month. The 2 width is still saggy on her bum. She keeps saying she likes the boys boxer brief undies better than the girlie style, so I adapted that pattern to be more girl friendly. The bum and cod pattern pieces were merged to be one long piece, thus eliminating the seam that would be going across her girl bits. I also made the legs longer and hemmed them instead of putting a strip of ribbing there like the boys.

My kids each have their own tag or ribbon color for marking things. This is 2yo dd's current tag.

squishy soft baby shower gifts

2008-08-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's a very good thing these will be too small for my youngest dd by fall. They are just as soft and squishy as they look! Size 3-6 month/62, for a baby due next month.

These are the nursery colors, I didn't have any shabby chic flowers to applique on, the euro flowers are pretty cute though! Silky soft velour.

The dress and leggings are a stretch terry that washes up just as soft as velour.

I wanna reach out and pet it, and I made it! lol

couple cute outfits, getting caught up on orders!

2008-07-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

This was for a swap on a sewing board. Five piece mix and match set. My notes said "No pink" and "loves butterflies and metamorphosis." Would you believe I didn't have a single butterfly in my stash?? I have three girls! So I dug through some batik scraps and freehanded this applique. The sides of the skirt are held up with ribbons, it can be let down to an a-line skirt.

These go with the above set.

Ahoy there me hardy! This is for a customer. My 4yo boy had an order put in for one like this before I got the pictures taken. Good thing this one is too small!

the skivies that took two weeks

2008-06-19T17:41:00.001-07:00

Thankfully baby is sleeping better now and I'm starting to get caught up. :P Between her wonky naps and my serger throwing a fit these took two full weeks to get finished. I gave up by the time I got to the waistbands and skipped the serging.

6 skivies in my boys' favorite style, with enclosed waist elastic so no elastic touches skin, and every seam topstitched down, cotton/lycra blend jersey fabric, size 6 short. Every detail is a custom request. Yup, I'm raising skivie snobs.

This set for my ds nicknamed Moose. When I ran across moose tags I couldn't resist!

My first doll

2008-06-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

Why did I wait this long to start making toys?? These are fun to make! Pattern from Bitofwhimsyprims on Etsy. Body, "hood" and appendages are flannel, her face and hair are jersey (tshirt). Face is machine stitched on with a skinny satin stitch.

the squid

2008-06-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

My Lawyer (big ds) picked out every fabric for this from my scrap box, and chose where they'd be used. He's worn most of those fabrics in some form. :) Pattern from bitofwhimsyprims on Etsy. The squid has been named General Grievous and was lovingly tucked under his arm and off for adventures as soon as I cut the thread that sewed his last eye. He's been to the backyard, his boy's bed, and errands with us so far.

baby romper dress

2008-06-05T11:02:00.001-07:00

I started out with a jon jon pattern for this one. I put a dress front over the romper front and left off the front facing. I also made the crotch snap closing instead of sewn shut. I'm going to take the (slightly wonky) pocket off and put a white ruffle on it instead, needs more contrast.

For A Public Diet ~ To create that kitten diaper I used the Very Baby all-in-one baby diaper pattern and scaled it down. You can buy that at www.verybaby.com :) If you poke around the web there are oodles of free diaper patterns out there, I think the Wee Weka site has newborn sizes for free that would be simple to scale down. Hope that helps!

nautical dresses for baby

2008-05-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

I used a big 3 pattern for both of them, Simplicity I think? Whichever one was on the $10/10 sale last. Gotta love big 3 sizing! Err lack thereof. They're both "0-3 month" and have oodles of room to grow on my 3-6 month size kid.

This sailboat print was a local purchase that I just love. None of my other kids like it. Hmph. The anchors reminded me how much I dislike bias tape binding on necklines and arm holes, I made facings for this one instead.

Not my cleanest zipper installation, it would look neater if I'd ironed it afterwards.

The anchors are vintage fabric. My local girlfriend's mother bought them for HER when she was a baby, she never got around to sewing them up. Then gf never got around to sewing them up for her dd, who just turned 8 and is "too old" for anchors. Gf gave them to me while I was pregnant, I was saving them to find out gender. There's enough left to do a mostly white camp shirt for Moose if I can talk him into wearing anchors, lol.

Pleats at the neckline. The only pattern alteration I did here was adding a button placket to the back instead of the zipper it called for. Oh! I shirred the pantlegs on both bloomers, instead of putting an elastic casing in. (Pure laziness there...)

Upcycled gymboree blanket...

2008-05-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

becomes two 3-6 month summer rompers. :) The printed one isn't as wonky on the bottom as it looks. ::scratching head::

I'm all caught up!

2008-04-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Now maybe I can keep this blog current. ;)

Even more dresses.

2008-04-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Twirly poplin dress for big dd. The skirt is 8 gores that make a full circle, the poplin gives it enough body to really soar for twirling.

Another twirly poplin dress for someone else's kid.

Laces up the back of the bodice. I need a better pic of this part. :P

Sweet wrap dress that still needs closures. This is my first item intended for Etsy, when I get a few more ready I'll open a shop there. It's in middle dd's size just in case.

back

vintagey dresses for my little girls

2008-04-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

These started out as the vintage baby pattern Simplicity recently reprinted. The lavender one is the only one that stuck to the pattern though. :) Their closures are all different.

This was made with scraps from a dress I made for big dd.

For this one I used a onesie pattern, cut it off under the arms and added a skirt.

Sweet garden print dress for middle dd, still needs buttons. I cut it out two days before Pancake was born, took me more than a month to get it sewn. ::grin::

The sailor collar is my favorite part. :)

diapering and apron set

2008-04-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

My first PUL diaper cover, size small, for Pancake. :) Her sisters have dresses in this print.

Child's play apron.

With matching chef hat (adjustable, fits me and my two year old).

"Pocket" diapers for Pancake. They're all the same, the top are laying wonky because they don't have stuffers in them. Can't wait to see those zebra stripes peeking out from under sundresses this summer. :D

18 good sized flannel sherpa wipes

ok, last one for the day

2008-04-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

This will have all the good pictures I found in my picture files, up to the birth of Pancake, all caught up.

Skateboard shorts for big ds. Mock fly, elastic waist, adjustable velcro tabs on the bottom of the pantlegs, "floating" pockets, front and bum pockets.

side view

The floating pocket. The pocket itself was assembled on it's own, then just tacked to the pants at the corners

update number eight

2008-04-17T10:59:00.001-07:00

Tiny newborn outfits

Another one. :) I love this little zipper romper pattern!

Bet you'll NEVER guess who the shirt with little moose all over it is for. ;-)

Spiderman shirt for big ds. The Spiderman fabric was a gift, the whole print was a bit too young looking for big ds's tastes, and little ds doesn't like Spiderman. I cut Spidey out and reverse appliqued him onto a solid black tshirt (that I also made) for big ds. The Spiderman day was saved! :::Rah rah rah::: The cape and pants were also made by me.

update number seven, why yes I do sew a lot

2008-04-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

This was the first outfit Pancake wore after birth. :) All four of her sibs wore this fabric in some form, took every scrap that was left to finish this set up.

Doxie outfit.

Bugs! Bugs are a requirement for homeschoolers I think.

Treasure map and "the key" for my big ds. Grabbed a fat quarter of the map print off ebay, backed it in faded old looking crinkle cotton, and sewed a ribbon to the side for tying it when it's rolled up. And you have to watch Pirates of the Caribbean two to get the significance of the key thing. I sharpied it on a piece of painters cloth, after zigzagging the edges to keep fraying in check.

Undies and undershirts for big dd. She loves stuff like this. :) The different pair on the bottom is little dd's.

update number six

2008-04-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

the start of the newborn clothing :)

matching coat

Funky outfit for little dd. She loves the little flowers swinging on her hood. I picked both pieces of fabric off a remnant rack, total cost is about $3 for this outfit.

Itsy bitsy diapers.

This is my favorite of all the newborn things I made for Pancake (dd #3)

update number five

2008-04-17T10:39:00.001-07:00

The baby is asleep on my lap, and blogger is being cooperative. May as well keep going!

Fleece capes for my girls. That fake fur the hood is lined with is one royal pitb! I had to use a lint brush on anything that went into my sewing room for a week after sewing with that stuff. This is big dd's.

And this one is little (now middle) dd's.

Tshirts and boxers for hub. Yup, just put my hub's unders on the web. They were Christmas presents for him, big dd chose the fabrics for the grey tshirt. Never did get modeling pics of these. :::smirk:::

Engineer striped jeans for little ds.

update number four, made it to Christmas '07

2008-04-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

Frosty raglan, this was a holiday gift for someone else's kiddo.

Reading pillow. Straps to hold the book, one in the middle to use as a bookmark, pockets on the side for glasses, pens and such.

Fleece sleep sacks, size 3-4t, for a customer. Her dd had exceeded the size on the largest commercial made sacks. Her dd wears a club foot brace at night, and the sacks keep mom from getting whammed by the bar. :)

My girls' Christmas outfits.

Big dd's doll Alexis got a matching one, after Christmas (Alexis was one of dd's gifts).

update number three - lots of brown

2008-04-17T10:25:00.001-07:00

Pants for a local friend's dd. She needed dark brown pants for a play, but couldn't find any that weren't low rise, for her SEVEN year old. I had one week to do them in, and one chance to measure this kid. I had her try on a pair of pants I'd made for my kid, and used that same pattern for her. It was a boys pattern so I reversed the fly, slimmed up the knees and added some flair to the bottom.

The fly. Velcro button.

Adjustable waist. She's a skinny kid and there wouldn't have been any time to get the waist altered if I was off.

Yet another camp shirt for my big ds. Piratey print.

Dark brown pants for my boys. Notice how the widths are barely different? *snort* One skinny ds, one not so skinny ds. :)

update number two

2008-04-17T10:19:00.001-07:00

Twirly skirt set with bike shorts for a customer.

Another twirly set for a different customer.

Birthday shirt for my youngest ds, also a McQueen lover.

Camp shirt for someone else's kid. Would you LOOK at how I got that lined up?? I impressed myself.

Hoodie for my big ds. He found that splatter gray on a clearance rack for a buck a yard. Lined with light gray thermal.

Time to get this current

2008-04-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Prepare for lots of loaded posts to get this thing up to date!

Legolas costume. Made mostly from scratch. The undershirt is a vintage pj pattern, the jacket was inspired from an adult size pattern I saw, boots are just soft fabric and slip over his shoes.

Night time "skivies" for my 4yo ds. The legs are thin microfleece, it's polyester so it won't wick moisture. The cod pieces are layered, waterproof PUL on the outside, hemp fleece and french terry for absorbant inner layers. I used the same pattern I use for his regular skivies sans the leg ribbing. He gladly wears these to bed, unoffended.

Hooded wintry playdress, made with scrumptious soft stretch terry.

Cars movie outfit for my McQueen and Mater loving girlie.

Pirates of the Caribbean camp shirt for my eldest ds.

Big boy pants

2007-10-16T11:05:00.001-07:00

They still need a velcro button and hem, but they're done otherwise.

not going back to school jammies

2007-08-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

I keep telling my children and myself I'll get their portraits done in the morning. Morning comes, morning goes, no portraits. :P These pictures aren't very good, and you get complimentary shots of my toes. I used big 3 patterns for these out of laziness, I didn't feel like tracing that day. I'm coming to believe they're nicknamed "big 3" for necks running big and not being the 3 biggest companies.

Girls nighties. Little dd's is cotton sweat shirt fleece. Big dd's is really stretchy interlock, recycled from a nightie that a girlfriend sent for repurposing. Little dd's is probably too warm for this time of year, but I was thinking fall. There's a good inch on the arms I can let out if she grows that much before spring.

Big ds's. He picked out the print, really! When I showed him my available options for boy jammie fabrics I fully expected him to say, "Let's go shopping Mom." They were all pretty young looking. I about fell over when he picked a PRR print. The construction vehicle print is cotton sweatshirt fleece, and the white is french terry.

Little ds's. The print is a flannel, and the white is french terry. Bonus! Muffin toes too.

Lookie lookie!

2007-08-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

Can you see it??

Let me give you a closer view....

See it yet?

Sneak peek of wee baby knits

2007-08-04T19:06:00.001-07:00

waistband tut'

2007-07-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

Speaking of that Shanon creature, this one is mostly for her. :) This is how I usually do a waistband on a woven pant or short. It isn't the easiest for the beginning sewer, but I consider it fairly simple, and easy to master. It's quicker than sewing the waistband seperately, then inserting the elastic (that method is FINE if that's where your comfort level is!).

Starting with a pair of corduroy toddler pants, that are completely done except for the waistband. I'm using 3/4" cotton braided elastic, cut to the exact waist size my toddler has. It will shrink in the wash to give her a nice snug fit. In my experience and opinion cotton braided has a much softer stretch than poly elastics.

Ironing a smidgeon over an inch down for the waistband. That little metal thing is called a "seam gauge" or a "hem gauge" and comes in quite handy. The red piece in the center slides up and down to mark your position. This step is not necessary, it just makes it easier to keep it straight while you're sewing it down.

Sew the elastic shut with a zigzag stitch.

With a sharpie, lightly mark halfway points on the elastic. There is no method to this, I randomly pick a spot, fold it in half, and graze the sharpie across it. Holding the freshly sharpied fold, I flatten the rest of it til I reach the other end, and graze the sharpie across that part.

Line up one sharpie line to the center back seam and pin it down. Line up the other mark to the center front seam and pin it down. The hip seams will not work correctly for this, as the back is almost always not the same width as the front. My pins are upside down and on the right side of the pant for a reason.

Holding one pinned area firmly in each hand, stretch the waist open as far as it will go while pressing down on the ironing board (or table, or whatever happens to be handy). Walk your fingers inwards and place one finger firmly on the hip seam that will be in the middle. With the other hand grab a needle, and put it in at the spot you're holding. Turn the pants over and do this to the other hip seam too.

Now, since my pins are on the outside, and upside down, I can flip the waistband in without getting poked, and the pin head will not be in the way of the foot on my sewing machine.

Time to sew it down. Start at one pin, find the next and stretch it out. With your other hand hold the waist just behind your presser foot at the same time, while you sew through all three layers. When you get close to the pin in front of you, stop sewing, rearrange your hand near the next pin, and the other closer to the presser foot, and go again. Lather, rinse, repeat, until you get all the way around. My hand isn't holding the waist behind the presser foot in this picture because my camera aide went to bed, and I couldn't hold both at the same time.

Ta-da! Done. :)

kitten diaper

2007-07-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

For a real live kitten! Getting shipped off to a girlfriend in CO later today. She's an animal foster mother, and tired of using preemie sposies on her wee kittens that either aren't ready for a cat box, or too hurt to use it.

Compared to the diaper I just made for Muffin.

puppy outfit

2007-06-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

This is the cutest little set! Moose fell in love with this puppy fabric. I found the coordinating lightweight denim later and fell in love with the idea of the two prints together. :) I'm plotting a raglan T to go with it, white body, orange sleeves, brown pawprint or bone or puppy face? appliqued on the front. This one will easily take him all through fall. As much as he loves it, and has hauled it all over the house already, he said no modeling yet.

close up

pockets

the cutest little pupppy face buttons! They get lost in the print, but they're perfect for it.

mock vents

side view of the sailor style pants

more birthday loot

2007-06-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

I bought the halo and wand set from a wahm on hyenacart, and made the coordinating playskirt.

Sneak peak of her apron. There will be a girly chef hat soon, and her brothers picked out the wooden birthday cake set from Target to go with it.

uber twirly for someone else's kid

2007-06-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

The skirt.

The tshirt, sans hem.

Detail.

All together now...

first outfit for big dd's bday

2007-06-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

It still needs hemmed, I'm going to lettuce edge it after she goes to bed. :)

knight raglan camp shirt

2007-06-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

itty bitty undies

2007-06-11T16:47:00.001-07:00

The leg elastic is loose, but it snugged up nicely after laundering. Muffin size! She's not ready for them quite yet, though she does pee in the potty a couple/few times a week. If I toss one or two in occasionally, hopefully she'll have a full stash by the time she is ready for them.

No seams inside! The crotch piece is turned and topstitched.

finished quilt

2007-06-09T20:27:00.001-07:00

Completely designed by my big son. I showed him the pattern, and did the sewing, that's it. He chose all fabrics, topstitching colors, border, everything. I think I did suggest black for the binding, he show me a huge smile with a nod for approval. :) I'm guessing by the way he's hauled it around with him all evening that he really likes it. I heard him asking his sibs to please wait until it's not so new and special to ask him to share it.

That's my 3yo driving a car on it, for size comparison.

This poor thing has been in the UFO pile for FAR too long! I'm glad to see it off to it's boy.

SMT update

2007-06-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

I'm working on it, really.

I put an order in for custom Silver Moon Threads clothing labels yesterday. I think the turn around time is a max of two weeks. The wahm everyone reccomends for this was on break for awhile, then only taking repeat customers for awhile.

I have two skully skater shorts to get out this week. An uber twirly skirt after that in trade for some fabric. I have another raglan camp shirt cut out for my son, and one of those promised to his cousin that needs cut out, I'm waiting for size confirmation on that (I bought fabric to make lil ds one too, but I won't mention that one yet). AND, the lady who purchased the going in the mail lot a few posts down, has a relative that wants to order something too. (btw, she loves them, and her kiddo is adorable, she sent pics in her new outfits)

Somewhere in there I need to get a few more instock outfits made too.

I was thinking late June for a grand opening, we'll see?

baby gift

2007-05-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

3-6 month size

customer loot

2007-05-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is going out in the mail today. All of it is for the same kiddo. Peasant dress with bloomers, block capris with peasant top, and primary striped wide ruffle capris. It's been done for awhile, the payment just cleared today.

mythical creatures camp shirt

2007-05-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

A lady in my quilting club gave this fabric to my big ds. :) Notice how I almost got the images lined up on the button plackets? No closures yet, I'm leaning towards black snaps.

A close up. Just because having the ability to take a close up still amuses me.

The back.

Shoulder. I was trying to get the sleeve detail, it has raglan sleeves. :)

Moose jammies.

2007-05-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

the whole twirly set

2007-05-18T08:56:00.001-07:00

I think I forgot to post the shirt too. She has a pair of bike shorts in the same magenta, and a ballet wrap type shrug, and there was finally only scraps left of that magenta knit after that.

skivies are done

2007-05-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm enjoying having a new camera or anything.

sorta boring sns

2007-05-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

But they are cute! Moose's new skivies. He picked out a yard of the orange at the fabric store today, it was enough for the side parts of 9 skivies. The middle pieces (the cowboy print in the pictures) all came from my knit scrap bag, and most of the leg cuffs (some leg cuffs are in the same orange). Including the elastic that's about $5-6 for 9 skivies, that really fit him! Size 4t skivies are getting snug enough on his waist and hips that they're getting hard for him to manage, but if I put him in 6s they'd go to his knees. Not to mention I skunked the store bought prices.

front

back

lap t style dress

2007-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

For my Muffin. Hanna Andersson inspired, but I have a soft spot for lap shoulders on toddlers and babes. Very very soft cotton fabric.

the camo pants

2007-05-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Can I start by saying I don't really like camo? Well of course I can, it's my blog. Especially realistic camo on kids. I tried talking him into the kiddie versions, or the blues. No dice. He had his heart set on the real camo. Hunter quality fabric even. He was promised a yard or two of whatever he wanted that day, and camo was what he wanted. Then he flipped through my Ottobres and picked his pattern. These are "high water" pants (essentially a manpri) from an '05 Otto. Lots of topstitching, a hammer loop (well, Jack Sparrow sword loop in this house), reverse yoke panel on the back, pleated back pockets, twill tape covering the lower seams so there are no raw edges showing when it's flipped up. I veered off the pattern for the fly and waist, it called for a zipper and real button, I put velcro in for the fly and button, and added elastic to the back of the waist for my skinny boy.

The legs really are the same length, I didn't have the cuffs flipped up the same length so it looks a bit wonky.

rough draft price chart

2007-04-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, rough draft of a pricing chart. This is subject to change. Please bear with me as I figure up materials, time, etc for all this. It all assumes kid size 8 or down at this point, and basic cotton wovens at regular cost. I will work with other fabric like knits, linen, etc but they can increase the cost of my materials. If you send your own fabric I will take my average fabric cost out of the price, leaving my notions and time as your expense. I have no problems tweaking patterns or extras if you have something else in mind, options listed are not limitations. My main sizes are 12/18 month, 2/3, 4/5, 6/7, and I have larger sizes in the works (past 6/7 the prices will go up slightly because of the extra material needed). The skaters aren't down to a 12/18 yet, and some things I will do baby size if asked. The uber twirly doesn't go smaller than 2, and goes up to a 8/12 (Euro 134/140). The largest uber twirly will have another fabric yard added to the price.
__________________________________________
skater shorts, below knee length
start at $12 for basic (can have front pockets but no other extras), and run up to $18 with options like cargo pockets, back pockets, and embellishment (trains and skulls are embellishment examples).

plain shorts, above knee length, no extras
$7 alone, $6 if in a set, $8 or more for pockets and embellishments

flannel lounge pant $10 with no extras

block capris, $16
pockets on the back, patchy/block front, with drawstring cuffs. These look good as "high water" pants, and easily become capris as they grow.

Plain capris, can have front pockets, $12, like the skaters misc pockets and embellishments can pull it up

wide ruffle capris/pants $14
The legs are roomy enough to start as pants if you go up a size, and turn into capris as they grow.

tiered skirt in woven, $14
simple 3 tier skirt (I'm not offering knits for this pattern, yet)

uber twirly skirt, $20
Twirl to the max! Very very full skirt. Not my original pattern, but it comes with a copyright allowing a small amount of selling.

peasant shirts, $10
Can be all one print, or contrasting sleeves. They can come with no elastic in the sleeves too. Add $6 for a coordinating or matching short, or $10 for plain capris.

peasant dresses, $14
Options are elastic in the sleeves, or not, or thin ties for the back. Pockets or a ruffle on the bottom will add time.
_________________________________________

No shirts for boys yet, I want to work my raglan a bit more yet, unless you want to be my guinea pig. And there's a reversable wrap dress for girls in process, look for it within the week.

Look for Silver Moon Threads' grand opening in June! (We're planning a week long trip at the end of May. I didn't want to open just in time to go out of town.)

McQueen raglan

2007-04-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

For my lil Moose man.

more embellishments

2007-04-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

train shorts

2007-04-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

front

side

back

These were so fun to make! Size 2/3, and tossed in the instock pile.

stuff for instock

2007-04-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

12/18m peasant dress. I'd intended on making this for Muffin, but there wasn't enough fabric. She had a cross back dress in this print last summer.

The flash killed this dress. It's really a very nice pastel yellow. Seersucker, with pre-embroidered flowers. Size 2/3. My toddler son's toes not included.

I love this print! Repurposed, size 6/7 with my newly adjusted length (this size only). Rayon/cotton blend. My toes not included.

If this one had've been big enough for Muffin, it would not have made it to the for sale side of my sewing room's closet. These fabrics were pleading for me to put them together, but this was the biggest I could squish out of them. Size 12/18 month.

Repurposed capris, size 6/7, same style as the orange ones for my toddler a couple posts down. Cotton with a bit of lycra, stretchy, and very soft. They still need drawstrings in the cuffs, and elastic in the waist.

I know the pictures stink. It's late, and it was windy and yucky outside all day, and my digi cam is pretty old (as far as digi cams go anyway). I'll try for better natural light shots when the weather calms down. I won't load them on HC until I get good pics.

Customer stuff.

2007-04-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

The fishy set, my first one going out in a 12/18 month size. Slightly nervous about this one going out. It does match my sizing charts, and it should fit fine, but I have no one this size to compare to anymore. Peasant top and shorts. I fussy cutted the top to center pretty fish on it, and I did the shorts boxer style, so the images can go right around the side of the shorts without being interrupted by a seam.

Close up to get true color better. There's shimmery gold outlining some of the fish. My camera just can't capture the beauty of this print.

This one is for a friend who saw my toddler's citrus set, and said she MUST have that shirt. :)

better details

2007-04-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

If you click on it you can see the topstitching I mentioned. And this is the real color.

you might need sunglasses for this one

2007-04-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

Front. The bottom picture is closer to the true color.

Back

The peasant top is my pattern. The bottoms will fit like short pants now, and turn into capris easily as she grows. I promise I'll get a new digi cam with my tax refund so you'll be able to see all the little details. The front of the pants is actually four pieces sewn together, all the topstitching along the seams looks adorable.

The fabric is a very lightweight cotton that will take her all through summer, I forget the technical name of it. It's essentially a wide wale seersucker.

colorblock raglan sets

2007-04-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

(the shorts aren't finished yet, their waistband will be dark pink, and I'll hem them too ;) )

baby gifts

2007-04-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

It's too late to crop it and make the picture look better. ::::yawn:::: Baby boy gifts! They're done except for the waistband elastic. The cowboys with navy blue is a 3-6 month, and light blue/natural is a 6-9 month. So sweet and tiny! I may stick an embellishment on a pantleg of each short. I can't ship them til Monday, so I have awhile to stare at them.

2007-04-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

My new book full of awesome kids clothing patterns came today, and a box of fabric scraps from a friend, and a box of tshirts and pants to repurpose for my kids from another friend, and I'm stuck here nak! Ack!

Must. sew. something! *fuse sizzling sound*

adjustable waist shorts, prototype 1

2007-04-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

I think this is my best prototype 1 ever. They fit Mr Skinny Butt perfectly! And have good room to grow. Velcro fly, elasticized back waist, buttons near the inside side seams to hook the adjustable elastic on.

Side shot. There's a button underneath the elastic that's sticking out. Velcro fly over on the right.

They're a hit with big ds. He calls them his "wood" shorts, that was his first reaction when he saw the fabric. Hub was bummed to find out there wasn't enough wood fabric to make a pair in his size!

logo, take 3 and 4

2007-04-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Not too much change, the moon is more centered, star sizes are slightly changed.

This one I like best. Everything but the stars are the same as #3. By this one I learned to put each part in it's own layer, so I can edit just the moon, or just the stars, without having to start all over.

Now I need to make a huge one for the top. Coming soon to Hyenacart! I considered Etsy, but I'm more familiar with HC, and HC has a pretty good customer base too. And Ebay is where people to go save a buck, myself included. If I have to undersell it won't be worth it. :)

Not too bad for my very first attempts at creating images aye? Anyone know a graphics designer that works for sewing? *grin*

whaddya think?

2007-04-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

testers 3, 4 and 5

2007-04-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

The last peasant dress, this is the size inbetween my girls, and the one I'll be watching the closest to see if I've got the size right.

Skater shorts, basic on the left, full on the right, both in the size inbetween my boys.

Whew! Now to finish the Easter stuff I promised for my family. Not accepting a single tester or project until I get those finished. My girls' dresses just need hems, and elastic put in (same peasant pattern). Lil ds's shorts are done, and he has a white polo to go with it (well, mostly white anyway, he's 3). Big ds's shorts are cut out and ready to roll. Hub's shorts aren't quite halfway done. The fly is in, the fronts and backs are stuck together, and the cargo pockets have been prepped. Just need to get the cargo pockets on, close up the short, get a waistband on it, and hem. If I get all that done, I have a print I may try to wiggle a new summer shirt for moi in.

Tester #2

2007-03-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

It's my biggest size, fits my big dd.

One of the testers.

2007-03-29T23:01:00.000-07:00

Cute aye? That's my self drafted peasant dress.

My serger threw a fit at me. *shaking head* I'd get the tension adjusted perfectly on scraps, send a dress part down it, and the loops were wonky. It won't affect performance or durability, just doesn't look as pretty inside as it could. I assembly lined them, so each dress has an edge or two inside that is like that. (By the last dress it smoothed out, naturally!) If they weren't testers I would mark them as seconds for that reason alone. So either I'll eat the first class shipping, or give them a % off a future purchase. Their choice.

I guess the peasant dress is a hit.

2007-03-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

I offered a tester for my peasant dress, one in each of my three sizes (2/3, 4/5, 6/7), just before I left for my quilting club meeting last night. When I got home each slot had been taken. Color me shocked! I might have a tester for my medium skater short pattern too. I'm pretty confident in that pattern, my boys have worn oodles of them, and they're still lasting from one and two summers ago. I just don't have a kid in the middle size to try it on for me. The peasant dress is a fairly new pattern of mine though, I'd really like to see how it fits other kids in the shoulders. And I got a request to make a 12-18m size, too. I'll have to draft a pattern up for that after I get the three dresses made.

pricing?

2007-03-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

So I'm getting my kids caught up on summer gear, and I've had a few people allude to wanting stuff my kids are wearing, and I could use some help supporting my fabric and yarn habit. This is a rough draft, and a sample of my own patterns that I'm confident enough in to sell. Am I way off here? These are all kid sizes, and they assume basic cotton woven, quilting quality, fabrics. There would be adjustments for doing linen like big ds's skull shorts, for example. Toddler through 8ish. Or should I have two prices for each? One for up to size 4-5, and another for bigs? Think I can really make enough to make it worth it? :P~

basic short - $8
no pockets or extras, above the knee length

basic skater short - $14
front pockets only, below the knee length

full skater short - $18
front pockets, cargo pockets, optional embellishment, below the knee length

girly skater shorts - $18
preview to come

peasant dress - $16
look at the monkey sister dresses for an example

peasant top and shorts set - $18
look at the baby's jammies for an example, I've lengthened and widened the pattern since making those.

wide ruffle pants that turn into capris as they grow - $16

And I'm not offering my stuff sewn with knit fabric yet. I want to see how they hold up after a couple months of rough kid play and laundering. Those patterns are too new.

2007-03-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Lap shoulder dress for the baby. Made with my self drafted lap T pattern. I didn't put enough seam allowance in the shoulders, so this one fits -just- right, not a scrap of growing room. I'm going to try it again with the red abc print. I love how it swings around her as she toddles around. The smudge is where she got pizza on it before I got a decent picture.

Shirred sundress for the baby. Shirring is fun!

Easter shorts for lil ds.

Vneck T for the baby, the sleeves and bottom still need hemmed. I like raglans better.

Sundress for big dd. It's a simple A-line. Soft tshirty fabric.

My first lap T prototype, self drafted pattern.

sneak peek

2007-03-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

Skater shorts for my oldest kid. I promise you will never have to see his skivies hanging out of them. The waist and ELASTIC are custom sized just for his butt. Done just in time for the dragon in laws visit this weekend. ;-)

new soaker

2007-03-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

Knit with "farm yarn" from Little Turtle Knits, leg cuffs are crocheted. It really could have used a bit more length, but there wasn't enough yarn length to allow it.

My favorite repurposing project so far.

2007-03-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

This was a receiving blanket that was gifted to my youngest as a newborn. Soft stretchy cotton. I've always loved the white print, and knew I wanted to do something with it once she no longer used it. She hasn't been snuggled up in it for a looooong time, I just got it cut and sewed last night. :P The pink stripe on the side of the shorts was actually put there to widen them, I couldn't squeak any more out of the white print.

Not pictured from yesterday is a pair of capris for my big dd, that used to be my capris (they were too big for me), and a Mei Tai baby carrier (put "mei tai" into google image if you want to see some in action). That Mei Tai involved enough top stitching to drive a seamstress mad. I understand why wahms charge $50 for them!

the outfit Moose designed

2007-03-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

The shorts are skater length, with inset pockets on the front, cargo pockets on the side, and yellow topstitching. The shirt is an outgrown undershirt of his brothers with some fabric sewn on it.

I made a raglan tshirt!

2007-03-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

For my big ds. :)

toddler summer jammies

2007-03-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Both are cotton flannel purchased from a remnant rack, the Peanuts was even on a 75% off of that sale.

Another pair!

2007-03-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

That's my toddlers 3t pair, beside a 12 month pair for a friend's kid. She saw my girls shamrock pants and wanted a pair for her babe.

shamrock capris for my girlies

2007-03-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Close up of the tags I put in, using the same fabric. Hopefully I won't have to hear "Mooooom! I can't find the front!" or Hub telling me he thinks he puts the baby's on backwards.

Toddler headband

2007-03-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

Adapted from the pattern at Libilou Creations. The shamrock pattern is from Priscilla's Crochet.

soaker shorts

2007-03-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

There's still enough of the solid green to make a couple embellishments. A shamrock? Leprechaun hat? Or . . . something Irish.

2007-01-31T14:04:00.000-08:00

ONE HOMESCHOOL BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED: Does the Rainbow Resource catalog count?

ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT: I agree, the computer.

ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT: I can't think of one that's been a bomb for us. I'm really selective and downright picky about what we buy.

ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR: The ability to just set it all aside, for as long as we needed to, when our youngest "student" was born.

ONE RESOURCE YOU'LL BE USING NEXT YEAR: Hmm... no solid plans yet, the gobs of reading books I know we'll pick up perhaps.

ONE RESOURCE YOU'D LIKE TO BUY: Huge science kit.

ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED: A self cleaning house.

ONE HOMESCHOOL CATALOG YOU ENJOY READING: RR

ONE WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY: Google and Wikipedia get used pretty regularly.

TAG OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS: Shanon

Raspberry Mocha soaker

2007-01-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

Manos del Uruguay wool, knit soaker, crochet leg cuffs and icord.

Bags, hats, and toys.

2007-01-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

Bag one, gifted to a girlfriend. Easily big enough to be a diaper bag. :)

Bag interior

Big dd's hat, crocheted skully. There's a slightly lacy dc twin stitch thing through the middle, but barely lacy so that lil noggin will stay warm. It's back on my desk! She wants ear flaps like her brothers now. The butterfly you can barely see was made because she needed a butterfly toy. Silly me used the same yarn as her hat and she decided it would look better on her hat.

The huge fair isle mittens I made for a stage prop. I traced hub's hand and cut them out of a sweater from the thrift store.

The second butterfly, this one has remained a toy.

A snake for big ds. The circle is a quarter.

Lil ds's hat. It's a superwash wool.

Bag two. This one will be gifted as well. It's the same size as the one above, but I put a whole strip of pockets on the inside, and none on the outer sides like bag one. The inner pocket has elastic on the top, and dividers so it's 3 small pockets. This is the interior.

Whole bag. The person it's being gifted to someone who loves all things patriotic.

cable hat

2006-12-31T19:46:00.000-08:00

I had a hard time capturing the true color on this one, the top picture is closest. It's really a true, darker, purple.

This was right after blocking, still wet.

And these two show the detail better, though they were both taken before blocking.

This is the colorway I used. Scrumpcious Malabrigo merino! It's called Purple Mystery.

This one is for ME! A girlfriend gave me some yarn for Christmas, so I actually knit something for myself.

Frogging

2006-12-27T22:25:00.000-08:00

I just frogged 4 inches of knit cable work. Ack!!

But I've learned something. This cable work is the basis for the whole hat, it's all the way around a hat rather than just a cute addition to one particular area. It tightens up more than ribbing, and stretches less. So I have to cast on even more than I should according to my usual gauge.

I'm a bit bummed over it. I was nearly to the decreases on this hat! But I'm still in love with this hat, and the way this yarn compliments it. I just cast on with the adjusted amount. Cables here I come.

Christmas gifts

2006-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Is it me, or does blogger never, ever, upload pictures in the order you put them in? Anyhoo, this is a collection of stuff all going in a Christmas package for my girlfriend and her family.I'm being lazy and not getting it all in the right order.

Tiny newborn flannel lounge pants and a matching hat.

A smiley baby toy and some Christmas ornaments, the white and green on top are trees standing up.

Flannel lounge pants for the big sis.

Flannel lounge pants for the big brother.

The detail on big sis's cuffs.

I put tags in with the same fabric so they can find the backs.

Recycled wool pants for the baby.

I took a picture of these two just because I felt like it. I plan to make a handbag with these for another friend that loves patriotic stuff. The print will be outside, lined with the red, and inner pockets in the print. This is a pipe dream at this poing because I'm out of detergent and can't even start prewashing.

Back to the in utero babe, some washies, a nursery rhyme flannel print, backed with cotton velour. Soft and yummy. Same kind I took to the previously mentioned baby shower.

Taggie was a hit :-)

2006-12-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

The taggie was a hit at the baby shower! On the way out I happened to spy some cotton velour on top in my craft room when I went in for a gift bag. Every baby deserves some cotton velour rubbed on their precious new skin. I found some coordinating flannel quickly enough and made him 4 9x9 washies to go with his brand new taggie blanket. His momma had to pet and pet it before handing it over for everyone else to see. :)

Taggies!

2006-12-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

One taggie blanket is for an expecting girlfriend, and the other is for a baby shower, both have baby boys. :) The colors are teal and chartreuse. The fabric is the cheaper faux crushed velvet, soft and yummy!

More random show offs.

2006-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

An outfit for big dd. Microfleece jacket/shirt, cordaroy pants. Why am I typing in linkese font?

Cordaroy pants for big ds.

Lambswool sweats for the baby, made with felted sweater sleeves.

I posted an action shot of one of these already. They were both made from the same felted sweater, the left one was from the body panels, the right one from the sleeves. They are crazy cute to see her walk around in.

These are from an acrylic sweater, and are too big for the baby right now, but she'll grow into 'em. There I go typing in linkese again???

The blue nautical pants are for lil ds (they have to be rolled up, thankfully, they should fit for awhile), the tiger stripes with black are fleece sweats for the baby, and the blue skirt is big dd's.

A newborn soaker for a gift.

A rag quilt for the same baby, fleece on one side, denim squares on the other (from jeans with busted out knees, or that really high cutting waistline that anyone who's been pregnant before can't fit into).

These were actually made for my big two kids, now the little two wear them. Fleece jackets.

I had this ALL typed up once already, blogger ate it! *grumble grumble*

random stuff

2006-11-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

He's learning English.

2006-08-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at my desk when 2.5yo Moose walks up.

"Hi Mom. Howzit goin'?"

"Good."

"Whatchyuu doin?"

"A puzzle."

"Ooo a puzzle. Dat's coo."

Then he walks around my chair, points to the box of snacks on the printer.
"Pwease foodfood?"

All that small talk for the food on my desk.

More clothing recycling

2006-08-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

(This is cross posted over at Raya's Thrift too)

I started with a $3 100% lambswool sweater from the thrift store. After giving it a good felting I cut it apart at the seams. I used the front and back panels to make soakers custom fit to baby (yes the carpet needs vacuumed, and it's a lousy pic, but you can see how it fits her). After giving them a bath with wool wash that has lanolin in it, they'll make awesome covers for her cloth diapers. Then I used the sleeves to make her a pair of pants. There is quite a bit of growth room left in them so they should still be fitting by fall.

So that's 3 diaper covers total, for $3. Well, $3.33 if you count the yard of elastic I would have had to buy for the pants, but I grabbed a small piece from stash. Even if I purchased recycled from sweaters covers straight from a wahm, I would spend around $35 for all three of those. Hand knit would more than triple that amount. I couldn't knit one myself for that amount.

Once again, I've posted the tutorial over at Homeschooling Life.

homeschool forum

2006-07-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Homeschooling Life

A forum for homeschooling parents. It's a place for hs peeps to hang out and discuss all the areas of our lives, not just the educational stuff. It's so NOT just a place to discuss curriculum and homeschool ideas. Posting off topic is encouraged and there are several forums for just that.

Recycled skirt

2006-07-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

For now I am just going to link pictures in here. It's not worth the frustration of only being able to upload pictures when Blogger is in a good mood.

I had this shirt in my donate pile. It was too big for me now, and looked frumpy on me. My dd took it out of my donate pile because she loved the stripes. I cut it up, did a bit of sewing, stuck some elastic in it, and handed this skirt to my dd. She loves it. :)

If you'd like to see exactly how I did it, I posted the tutorial at my Homeschooling Life forum. You have to register to see it.

Lake Tahoe

2006-07-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Whaddya know! Blogger decided to let me upload pictures again. We played at Lake Tahoe yesterday. We had a great time. :) Gorgeous aye? Those heads at the bottom of the picture are my hub, the baby, and the big two monkeys. My toddler was at my side.

See that SNOW behind the boat?? Speaking of that boat, it has a glass bottom so you can look down into the lake. It would be over $100 to take our whole family on it for a 2 hour trip. My kids had an absolute blast just splashing in the lake and admiring all the boats, for free. We parked at a school and walked half a mile in, didn't even have to pay for parking that way.

Afterwards they begged to check out the yuppie mcdonalds, though they didn't use the word "yuppie". It had walk through windows on the sidewalk. So the trip up there wasn't completely free, paid for burgers and gasoline. But the smiles on their faces were worth it. There were happy, tired, and lightly pink faces in the back of the SUV on the way back down.

boxer short sewing tutorial

2006-07-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Well dangit, blogger is having issues letting me upload the rest of the pictures to finish this. So here's the last half or so of the tutorial. I'll get the first set of instructions included when I can.

****************************************************

Now tuck the right side out one inside the wrong side out one, matching the seam and corners to each other. We're going to sew the rise now, see my orange line? That's where we'll sew the rise seam. This is what it looks like tucked together.
This is what it will look like after sewing. Flip it all right side out.
Now it looks like this:
Next is hemming the pant legs. Option 1: fold under 1/4 inch, fold that 1/4 inch over again, pin or iron in place, and sew it down. Option 2: serge or zigzag the raw edge, fold over, pin, iron, or just hold it, in place, and sew it down. You can see I've chosen to serge. Then, either finish (finish means zigzag or serge the raw edge of the fabric) the waist edge, or fold over 1/4 inch and iron it down. Now it looks like this:
Ok. Now you have two options to finish the waistband. Option 1: Stitch the waist down all the way around, leaving a one inch hole open to slip elastic through. Put a safety pin on your elastic and slip it through, pull both ends out, sew the elastic together, then sew the one inch hole shut. Option 2: Sew elastic together, hold it in the folded down waistband making sure it's away from the needle, and stitch the waist down this way. I use option 2, it's just less fuss and is done much quicker. To decide how much elastic I need I held it around my 2yo's waist unstretched, then cut it the exact length of his waistline. I overlapped half an inch and sewed it together, then sewed the waist as option 2 describes. I use cotton braided elastic, and this will seem loose right after sewing, but the elastic will shrink after washing and drying and then fit nicely.
Sewing the waistband down with the elastic held in in it. By the time I get halfway around I will have to adjust the elastic a bit to get it right, and on the last stretch I will have to pull the elastic out to hold the fabric straight for sewing. If you're uncomfortable just winging it around like I do, go ahead and pin it in place, stretching the elastic out before placing each pin, then sew.

Yippee!!

order status

2006-07-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

Can you *believe* I *have* such a thing?!

orders in the order they came in:
CB~ 10 7.5" moon pads with snapping straps- 9 are serged, all straps are made and ready to be sewn on, then I'll put snaps on them. Need to cut one more out.
~ 6 little boy boxers. Two are assembled short of elastic, need to cut out one more.

FM~ wants baby wipes and moon pads, is mailing the materials she wants me to use so this is not started yet.

R~ 6 10" moon pads with wings, fabrics set aside, need some more before I can start though. When I get these I'm working on done I'll tinker with the wing pattern.

With that I'm good for moon pad testers! Once I get these done I will make up some boxer testers too, though not sure who for yet.

By fall I hope to be able to offer hemp inside the moon pads, it's just as absorbant, if not more so, than a layer of terry, but less bulky. I don't really want to try overnight style pads until I get my hands on some hemp.

This is what working hard looks like people.

2006-07-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

We were at a big patriotic outdoor bbq/potluck/party type thing yesterday. There were big bump n jumps for the kids, an obstacle course one, a water slide one, and the regular just jump around kind too.

I was so proud of Rj. The water slide bump n jump had water spritzing from the top, and a shallow pool you fell into at the bottom of the slide. To get up to the top you had to climb a ladder or a rock climbing thing. She'd tried the ladder and slipped back down twice. I saw the second time and ran over to cheer her on. Kids were being kids and making cutting comments. One boy told me she'd fallen already and expected me to get her down. After falling off the ladder for the second time whe went over to the rock climbing side, curled up her fists, and went after it. 3 times she froze up and had to refocus, and nearly panicked near the top, but she never looked back or gave up. A couple of the kids started copying my cheers for her. She got to the top! In spite of water spritzing her face and the failures, she did it!! I ran around to the other side to see her come down, she did absolutely awesome. After climbing out she stood next to the pool, sopping wet, in a daze, with a goofy grin on her face. She didn't try that one again, but she was so proud of herself. She didn't even demand being taken home for dry clothes (we were very close to home so we could have), she let them air dry as she ran around and did fine with them. This from the girl who as a toddler and preschooler, would be nekkid in two seconds when three drops of water touched her shirt, regardless where we were. She's come so far.

decision

2006-07-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

I *think* I've decided to use the name Tread Lightly Threads. I won't be opening a hyenacart very soon though. I have some current custom projects for friends that need wrapped up, and I want to build some instock to open with first. For my first stocking I hope to have some felted wool bags, baby sundresses, serged wipes, moon pads, some baby toys, and I don't know what else. Maybe some of those boxers I've been working on for my Moose? I could use another tester for the boxers and moon pads if one of my friends are interested. I would sell them for just slightly more than my costs if you promise to give me as much constructive feedback as you can. The boxers are meant to be undies, and are not cut full enough for a diaper to be worn underneath.

another soaker

2006-07-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

This was knit with the Curly Purly pattern, using Targhee wool yarn (as I previously raved about in a lower post). The colors are a smidge brighter than this picture shows. The orangy looking color is really a bright yellow, and the green isn't quite so neon.I'm very proud of this one! It fits baby like a glove.

Grr!

2006-07-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Why are people so DUMB! This fire season. It's common knowledge that this is fire season. Looking at the cheet grass cross eyed can start a fire. The last fire, right here IN TOWN, was human caused. We have an awesome fire fighter team and it was put out before any buildings were damaged. Unless the person fesses up the odds of them being caught are slim to none. &#%*#^$.

Back to my regularly scheduled craft ramblings.

I did up 6 of those little boy boxers yesterday, 3 of them still need elastic. Moose is running around in the dark blue ocean waves print one this morning. Some of them were french seamed, some were just serged, which is much faster. The boxers for the boy that's not mine will be french seamed. A boxer is something that will be worn a lot, so I want every raw edge serged. But the other little guy has some sensory sensitivities so I don't want serging against his skin. Thus the french seams to hide the serging inside a seam. I'm using thin elastic enclosed in a hem as well, instead of the thick waistband elastic. 100% cotton fabric is the only thing that will be touching his skin. The reason his mom asked me to make him some is because the waistband elastic on skivies is wigging him out. She didn't ask me to french seam the whole boxer, but I know SI kids. Therefore, I french seam.

And to occupy my brain with something other than stress, I started a soaker last night. Using Targhee wool yarn. Oh my goodness do I love this yarn!! It's very soft. It's also very strong and sturdy. Usually those two quality traits are exclusive of each other. That soaker is over half done now. The top is completely done, I've split for the legs, and am two rows from having the bum side finished. Then I'll need to finish the front side, kitchener it closed, and put some leg cuffs on it. I hope to have it ready for her to wear by tomorrow. Since this yarn is so scrumpciously sturdy I'm using the Curly Purly pattern that doesn't require a drawstring. This yarn doesn't have a lot of stretch to it so it should hold it's shape well in the snug ribbing.

A bunch of WIPs

2006-06-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

A bunch of moon pads for a custom order from a friend. I'm not happy with the serged straps. I haven't put the snaps on them yet so I'm going to do T&T straps sered on just one short side instead.

I have over a dozen of these little boy boxers cut out. Some are for my Moose, some are for a friend's lil guy. I put enclosed waistbands on them so no elastic is touching little boy skin. I've made two patterns, one has more stride for a taller boy.

This is how the roomier pattern I made fits on my Moose. He's a 2-3t for heighth, and a 3-4t for width. The picture quality could be better here, but he's a constantly moving target.

My first knit socks. This is just the ankle cuffs, they're ready for the "heel flap" thingiemabobber. I'm doing two at once, working a few rows on one, then the other. If I did them seperately who knows how long I'd have just one sock before I got around to doing the other one.

A couple dresses for the baby. The bandana print just needs buttons, it's a cross back style. The cherries print needs the neck and armholes finished, it will have bows on the back.

More shorts for my oldest. I didn't make these. They're part of his Ranger uniform and they're too loose for his skinny butt, even after washing and drying on hot. Since they expect the boys to have their shirts tucked in he can't just roll the waistband down. I need to put belt loops on them for him.

Shorts for my oldest son, cargo pockets, beachcomber length. They just need elastic. I can't find my wide waistband elastic anywhere! I know I just bought a big package and I've only done two waistbands with it since.

Rainbow Soaker

2006-06-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

Rainbow soaker take two! I got two soakers out of that ball of Blackberry Ridge merino. This is one of my favorite yarns so far, very yummy. Stretchy, squishy, so very soft, doesn't pill a whole lot. Comes in awesome colorways when you order it from Wooly Wonders By Nada ;)