I heart this book!

Seriously, I borrowed this book from the library and very quickly realized that I had to own it. I like her other encyclopedia of crafts, but this is 400 pages devoted entirely to sewing and fabric crafts which is just...so... totally... awesome! I have started three projects in the book and haven't yet completed one (durrr) but am very happily on my way. And with cooler months ahead, I'm sure this book will be taken down off its shelf and lovingly paged through many evenings.

Here are a few of my favorite projects...

Felt banner

Dolls!

Happy sewing!

Sweet and easy crocheted baby booties

Since I recently learned how to crochet (I'm a knitter) I've been looking for a simple basic project that I could practice my new skills with.  This may be the one! I wonder how long Jack would keep these booties on for...

The free pattern and photo credits are here.

Biodegradable Orange Birdfeeder

Isn't this a cool birdfeeder?  Once the birds "have eaten all of the seeds, you can refill it as many times as you like. Eventually the orange shell will degrade and fall to the earth, and the wool yarn will prove to be a lovely addition to any bird’s nest." Done and done. For directions, click here.

Inspiration

I've been thinking about Halloween costumes lately. Halloween was a different kind of fun before we had Jack, it involved elaborate costumes, parties and usually copious amounts of alcohol. Now that Jack is here, it's tame. No less fun, just different. You parents out there understand.  While I love making costumes for Jack, I kinda miss making elaborate costumes for myself. While I could certainly put on a costume myself while pushing Jack in his stroller while trick-or-treating, it's just not the same. And I think some people might find it odd were I to wear the kind of costumes I'm used to wearing. Not that they're risque, just elaborate.

But anyway, the costume I've been imagining for myself--for an elaborate event in the far future, is an ostrich. I see layers of petticoats topped with feathers, ballet pink tights, black suede heels, heavily makeupped eyes and wild, flyaway gray hair. A Tim Burton ostrich, if you will.

Here is what Jack wore last year. Cute, huh?

You can find directions on making the lamb costume here.

Dressy Bessie fix up!

Well, the Dressy Bessie project is complete. It was fun working on a beloved doll from my and my sister's childhood. First, I mended the big rips by just sewing them closed as best I could.

Since her dress was so shot, I decided I needed something big to cover it up. But I wanted to keep the snap, zipper and button accessible, so I made a little apron for her. Then I appliqued patches over the big rips using some cute, retro fabrics. She also needed some new hair and shoe ribbons. And voila--done!

Isn't she cute?

Tree sweater

So my knitting group has been working on a sweater pole project, that is, a knitted sweater for a downtown lamppost. I saw this tree and got all inspired to try something like this next. Crazy? Maybe.

photo credits here

Scrappy Owls free pattern

Aren't these the cutest owls you ever did see? There's a free pattern for them right here. Happy crafting!

A Project

While going through some old toys in Hawaii, I found my old Dressy Bessie doll. She has some damage but is still such a cool vintage doll that I've decided to fix her up and pass her down to Jack. First on the agenda, a good cleaning.  Next, her snap and zipper are a bit stiff, so I'll need to grease those up a bit.  Last, I'll fix the big rips in her dress, stockings and arm. I haven't decided the best way to go about doing this--maybe patches?  But do you see the potential?

We are slowly readjusting to being back in California. Hawaii is such a peaceful, beautiful, natural place, it's always a struggle to get used to freeways, traffic and reliable weather again.

I love the changeable weather in Hawaii, and I love that you spend so much time outdoors that you can't help but feel at the whim of Mother Nature. Yeah you wanted to go for a hike, but there's torrential rain coming your way. Sorry. And the pace of life...well, this picture says it all.

So I guess my next question is, when are we going back?