Nevermore shrug

A sweet friend gifted me three skeins of some beautiful Knitpicks yarn in a shade called Nevermore (now discontinued). I loved the combination of blues and purples and greens, and decided I need to make something just for me.

After finishing Esther Mae's baby shrug, I thought a shrug was just the thing for me. I adapted the Evening Shrug pattern from Purl Soho into just what I wanted, a nice casual shrug that looks great thown on over a tank top with a pair of jeans.


I made the sleeves more simple, and I added ribbing around the edges to prevent curling.




I didn't love the way this was constructed...don't think I would make this pattern again, but it still is cute enough for what it is. I think it will get a fair amount of wear as we enter into fall!

More details on my Ravelry page.

Lounging

Once in a blue moon, the stars align....and I just lounge.

A Monday afternoon.
Kids in school.
Me and my little sis both with a day off work.



Hanging out with some homemade soup, chips and dip, a quilt, and The Vampire Diaries. Ohhhh...the joy of guilty pleasures!

Wishing you a day just like that!

Heather Ross summer blouse

When I started sewing, prior to my blogging days, it was to sew cute outfits for my daughters. But I have never, ever sewn something for myself. Mostly this is because I have big boobs. Hard to find patterns that cater to the sistas! But I have been a wee bit obsessed with sewing myself a fall wardrobe lately, given all the amazing fabrics out there, and I decided to take the plunge and start with the summer blouse pattern from Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing book, which has been sitting up on the shelf for ages. Incidentally, that book has now been joined by her latest, Heather Ross Prints, which is absolutely freaking awesome and I assume you are all smart enough to buy! ;)


I definitely had some blips along the way making this shirt. I originally planned to make this in my long-hoarded Amy Butler lotus flower and moon dots, as the pattern called for 1 - 5/8 yards and I had 2 yards of each. BUT, wrong-o. The layout of the pattern pieces showed that the sleeve piece should fit alongside the front and back pieces, but it didn't, so I ended up needing about 2.5 yards to lay the pieces all out. Of course I didn't clue into this until I had ALREADY started chopping up the fabric (grr). Lesson learned, check and double check! So, to avoid further spoilage of dear and hard to find out of print fabrics, I started again with this cute print I picked up for a good price at Fabricland ages ago. I love the style of it for this shirt.


Overall, for a first attempt at sewing, this shirt is wearable. I love the laid back style of it, and certainly plan to make it again. When I do, in addition to the fabric quantity modification, I will definitely lengthen the shirt. It falls a bit too high for my liking, and while it looks good layered with a longer tank top, I think it is too short to wear on its own. Conversely, the sleeves were way too long. Also, I would probably shorten the neck slightly in the front. And while we are splitting hairs, I may choose a fabric with a bit more drape.

What I love about this shirt (and where I think I kicked some clothes-sewing ass), was the hand stitched orange detail and button along the neck. Just adds so much to the look! I love it.


Also, I made the shirt using French seams, which leaves no raw edges, and this makes the finish look so much more polished. Will definitely do this for all clothing I make in the future, and judging by the ridiculous amount of online fabric shopping I have done lately, there should be plenty of clothing to follow!

the most wonderful time of the year....

I couldn't resist posting some pictures of the kids on their first day of school today. We have had a great summer full of fun, but let me tell you...it was time to return to routine! Little monkeys were bouncing off the walls this last week or so. AND, it will be nice to find a quiet hour here or there in my own house to do some crafting!

This year was extra monumental in that Last But Not Least started Kindergarten. She is more than ready to follow her siblings to the "big kid school," and it certainly simplifies things for me to have them all in one place, but of course this moment did pull at my heart strings a bit.


I took the day off work and, to celebrate her first day, she and I shared a special "Mommy and Me" afternoon which included her favourite lunch and a trip to do some pottery painting. We made a plate with her handprint to commemorate the big day!





And the "big" kids just keep getting bigger. The Middle Child is now in Second Grade...



...and it is Grade 3 for Big G!


Onward and upward!

that stinks.

At my house this morning......

Last But Not Least bounds into my bed for morning cuddles (as she often does), and wakes me with a big hug.

LBNL: I love you, Mom. You should buy some Tic Tacs.
Me: Oh?
LBNL: Yes. They are the one calorie breath mint.
Me: Are you saying I have bad breath?
LBNL, smiling sweetly: Very. You should buy the mint kind, not the orange. The orange are just for taste, the mint is for breath, you need the mint kind.
Me: Got it...
LBNL: And you should eat them in the nighttime, so it won't be so smelly when I come to snuggle.
Me: Noted!


And at breakfast.....

Kids: Can we have some friends over for playdates today?
Me: Not today, I want to relax and don't feel like watching a houseful of kids.
LBNL: You don't have to watch us! You can just look at your iPad and we'll get you if somebody bleeds!

Just another day in Paradise!

Source: yougetthepicture.net via Kristie on Pinterest

A quilt and sweater for Baby Kiera

Seeing as Last But Not Least snapped up the vajayjay quilt, I had to whip up a new one on the double for Baby Kiera!


Like the other, this quilt used the grey, yellow and pink colour scheme, to match Kiera's nursery. I love how the two quilts look so entirely different! I have to say this is one of my favourites. I loved every minute of making it, I completely improvised as I went, adding bits here and there. I started with the wonky log cabins, and as Kiera's mom likes strip quilts, I added a couple other different block styles in strips. My kids especially loved the strip of "ruler" fabric along the top, saying that would be perfect to help Kiera's mom measure her as she grows!



I quilted it with an all over loopy pattern, my first time trying this, and I honestly kinda sucked at it. But overall I still think it looks fine, and I love the crinkly effect. I used some Aurafil variegated yellow/white thread, another first, and liked the product. But I am just as happy with the performance of my Connecting Threads thread, which is much less expensive!


On the back I used a large piece of my new absolute favourite fabric by Heather Ross, the pin people, that my friend Angela was kind enough to pick up and send to me when it went on sale at Hancock's (I think??). I absolutely love the light grey colour with the pink and orange and lime accents, it is the perfect backing for this quilt, and I think I need to plan an entire other quilt around this fabric. Lovity love it!


On the back I included a label that I made using printer friendly fabric, and made it in the wonky log cabin style that I had on the front.


This quilt was a bit big for a baby quilt, about 40 by 50 inches. It will be good for Kiera to snuggle up with for some time, I hope!


Along with the quilt, I knit up a sweet little coat using the Baby Tiered Coat pattern by Lisa Chemery on Ravelry (see details on my Ravelry page here). Such a cute pattern! I made it in a nice neutral grey, using a Wool Ease worsted weight yarn held double for thickness, and added some cute yellow buttons as an accent.



Inside I added a label by Izzy and Ivy Designs that we got in our grab bags at Sewing Summit last fall. They are a great product with some really cute styles! I may just order some more of these.


The two were gifted at a nice casual baby shower the other day at my home, and seem to be well loved.

Welcome to the world, Kiera!

Shared at Sew Modern Monday.

made fresh today :)

Even though it was a million degrees outside today, I was in the mood to do some baking. After cranking out several dozen cookies and 2 large chocolate zucchini cakes, I decided to make a batch of homemade almond butter using this recipe I found via Pinterest. Let me tell you, it is oh so good.




I substituted some pure vanilla for the vanilla beans, and made a batch with just almonds and sea salt as well. I got four 125 ml/4 oz jars from approximately 6 cups of almonds. I dressed up the jars with a wee bit of fabric and jute string, with a handwritten label, for gifting.


Yum!