Party Dress

I just love the tea party dress from Oliver + S. Such a sweet little dress couldn’t have been easier to put together and that just made me fall in love all over again.

At Elise’s suggestion I traced the pattern onto paper rather than cutting it out. Although it was tricky at times to ensure I was tracing the right line it was worth the extra step. Because the pattern wasn’t sacrificed for a single size, dresses can now be made for summers to come.

I did talk myself into cutting into some of my Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabric for this project. For the bodice I chose Happy Dots Pink (AB29) while for the main panels I chose Garden Maze Pink (AB23). I love this combination of pinks, yellow, green, and orange. It says girl without being too girly, just like its recipient.

The construction was smooth, apparently too smooth. I felt it necessary to add some challenge. While trimming the seams after I’d installed the piping along the dress front I cut into the fabric! Thankfully it was at the bottom of the dress and I just had to make a ¾” seam at the hem rather than a ½” seam.

To finish the hem the pattern recommends hand stitching the hem facing to the dress. Frankly I’d had enough of hand stitching from doing the quilt binding. That was all the excuse I needed to try out the blind hem stitch on my Bernina. I watched a quick video to be sure I had the folds right, practiced with some scraps to get the stitch width perfect and in no time the hem was complete.

I think this dress is ready for a party. Tea anyone?

Stitching time

Cute, aren't they? I've decided that embroidery is the perfect take-along craft: all the supplies fit into a zip-lock bag and scissors are the only equipment required. Plus, assuming you pack enough fabric, it can keep you endlessly occupied. These four Stitchettes were completed during my recent trip. The umbrella and gardening girls were done on cotton sateen and the fishing and skateboarding girls on linen. It was my first experience embroidering on linen and I was surprised how much I liked both the look and feel of it. My linen came from a dress that I got for $5 at the Salvation Army last summer. I've found thrift stores to be a great source for affordable linen; this particular dress also yielded enough fabric to make two smocks. Next up, the Tulip Fairy.

Big beyond belief

Tory kindly loaned me her new Birdie Sling pattern while she's away for a few days. Very sweet of her considering she hasn't yet had a chance to use it. So yesterday I dug out a linen/cotton print from Superbuzzy that I've been saving for a bag and set to work. The construction is similar to the Frenchy bag but simpler to put together, in my opinion. Perhaps because it's so much bigger and easier to work with or maybe it's just my perspective after having made a half dozen of the Frenchy Bags. Either way, it took me somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 hours to complete it. The only thing I might do differently the next time is add extra interfacing to the band segment. The pattern recommended this for heavier weight fabrics but I decided I didn't need it. After I was done I realized it would have helped and possibly prevented some of the wrinkling you seen when it's hanging on my arm.

And it is BIG, my friends. The photo on the pattern is deceiving, I thought it would be a little bigger than a Frenchy bag, but you could possibly fit a small French toddler in this bag.

It's so big it would require it's own seat at a restaurant.

I tried to take a photo of it with my new green sandals ($50 at Nordstrom - score!) using the timer on my camera and couldn't get us all in the same frame (or in focus, apparently). The size is actually perfect for what I wanted: I can fit my school binder and my big camera inside at the same time. Now, if you'll excuse us, my new big beautiful bag and I are going out to get a Matcha Green Tea Freddo.

Stress sewing

We found out we had to travel to Sarajevo for family reasons on a Thursday but couldn't get flights until Sunday night. Three days is a lot of time to wait under such circumstances. To pass the time, my husband watched sports on TV and I cleaned the house from top to bottom and made this skirt. I had purchased a Barcelona skirt pattern last year but never got around to making one. The fabric is from the Amy Butler Nigella line. I got in on sale in January thinking it would make the perfect summer skirt. And then winter went on and on and I thought we'd never see spring, let alone summer so it remained neatly folded for months in my sewing room. Desperate for a few hours of distraction before our trip, I pulled the pattern and fabric out and started cutting.

Since the fabric is home decor weight I skipped the lining - definitely the right decision. It's still swooshy, has enough structure and isn't see-through. It's been a while since I made an article of clothing for myself and I am delighted that it turned out to be the correct size without any modifications. I was a little worried that it would wrinkle easily, but as you can see from the photo above, taken after a full day of wear, it doesn't. Which is awesome because I really hate to iron.

When in Bosnia

I'm just back from an unexpected week in Sarajevo. It wasn't a pleasure trip (a funeral unfortunately) and I had rather a lot of time to sit and reflect. I thought of a few things that you will want to know if you are considering a trip to the Balkans. Which you should totally do because it is beautiful, steeped in history and inexpensive.

Pack slippers
When entering someone's home you will be required to remove your shoes. Your hosts will have slippers for you and insist you wear them. Bare feet are not an option. On occasion an exception will be made for an elderly person, but if you can bend down, your shoes have to come off. I noticed that a lot of women actually packed lightweight slippers in their purses.

Hostess gifts
All visitors come bearing gifts. Specifically, a pound of coffee, a box of sugar cubes and a liter of juice (optional variation includes a box of sweets).

Coffee, juice or cigarettes?
As a guest in someone's home you will be offered coffee and juice. Bosnian coffee is strong: I can manage half a cup once a year. Also, there is a good chance that there will be tray of cigarettes available for your convenience (very 1950s).

Smoking or smoking?
There isn't a non-smoking section in the entire country.

Cafes
Cafes are everywhere. At one, you will be able to order coffee, juice, soft drinks or mineral water. Smoking is always allowed, but if you are there in the summer you will find an outdoor cafe every 20 feet in the city.

Ice cream (Sladoled)
It is good, people, very good. Similar in texture to gelato and served in a glass dish with a square-shaped spoon. If you happen to be in Sarajevo, there is a terrific ice cream shop just up from the eternal flame that was reputed to have the best ice cream in the city.

All tea is herbal
I am a serious black tea drinker and I have to say that this is one area where the Balkans lets me down. While there are countless varieties of tisanes lining the supermarket shelves you will have to hunt for that single box of "India tea" that, when brewed, will taste like it is left over from the Raj. Can't live without your tea? Take your own.

Speaking the language
Written Bosnian is phonetic, so learn how to pronounce a few different consonants and you will be able to read out of your phrase book like a native.

Hospitality
I have never been treated with more kindness from perfect strangers than in Bosnia. On my first trip I came down with Norwalk virus and fainted on the street. A complete stranger took me to her apartment, let me use her bathroom repeatedly (it wasn't pretty) and called a doctor who gave me some fluids by IV and didn't charge me a cent. Another time we were trying to buy water in a convenience store but didn't have any small bills. So the store owner gave it to us for free because it was a hot day. Good people, Bosnians.

Need more convincing?

Pop Quiz

Been wondering which Sex and the City male would be perfect for you? Well, wonder no more. The Sex and the City movie site has a cool little quiz (very Vogue, very Carrie) to determine which guy is your soul mate. Hands off Harry! He’s mine.

Happy Long Weekend!

Shaken, not stirred

The dudely and I have a house cocktail. It is a dirty gin martini, shaken and served straight up. The dudely’s preparation is perfect and cannot be reproduced by me no matter how hard I try. In fact the only dirty martini I’ve had that was better than his was at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center four years ago. He would agree with me. I think the view and location created an advantage that had nothing to do with the actual cocktail though.

About a year ago I added these great vintage cocktail napkins to our martini gear. The napkins are in the shape of painters’ palettes and feature hand applique and embroidery of a shaker filling martini glasses. I picked them up at a local consignment shop for a song, just $5 for a set of five. Because they are white, and I love them so, clear cocktails are all I can bear to use them with.

Over the weekend we added another fabulous consignment shop find to our collection. This time it was a vintage glass cocktail shaker with a very mid-century mod kind of strainer lid. I think we both honed in on this one at the same moment. Although we both were playing it cool there was never really a doubt that it would come home with us. At just $6 how could it not?

Happy Birthday to Lou!

She is boundless energy.
She is a storyteller.

She is a singer and a dancer.

She is sure a trip to the park includes ice cream.

She is interested in knowing who you are.

She is insistent you hold her hand as she falls asleep.

She is certain I made all of her clothes.

She is three years old today.

She is my niece.

She is loved.

Confession

I thought I knew how to hand sew a blind stitch. I really did. I’d studied the diagrams in various books and patterns. I’d even made several projects where blind stitches were required to close a small seam. The stitches had never been as blind as I thought they should be but I just thought it would come with practice.

Well, I’d been getting a lot of practice attaching the binding to the back of the quilt and the stitches weren’t getting any better. I had half a side done and I didn’t like what I saw. It was late and I was tired so I gave up and went to bed. The light of morning did nothing to improve my assessment of the previous night’s work. Something was not right.

Obviously looking at 2D sketches was not working for me. What I needed was someone to show me how to do it. My source for immediate information is typically Google and once again it came through for me. It directed me to YouTube where a lovely little 90 second video showed me what I was missing.

This has opened my eyes to another craft resource. I had no idea how useful YouTube could be. I had, wrongly, thought its only value was entertainment. I’ve never been happier to be wrong especially since I now have a perfect little blind stitch that is actually blind. If only I could find a video that convinced me I enjoyed hand sewing.

Delicious

Lemonade cocktails, chicken enchiladas with roasted tomatillo chile salsa, spicy black beans, tortilla chips with fresh salsa, and fresh strawberry shortcake....the perfect Saturday night in.

Bernina girls

Tory and I have joined the Bernina club. These machines have been in our hands for a few months (photo is from our training class in February) and they have literally changed the way we sew. Good-bye imperfect buttonholes (Elise) and birds' nests (Tory). Hello perfect top-stitching, automatic buttonholes and decorative stitches.

To give you some perspective on the magnitude of this change, my previous machine was a mid-century Singer that I inherited from my Aunt Mabel. It saw me through high school (clothes and drama costumes), curtains and pillows for my first apartment and so much more. During the twenty or so years that I've owned it the only maintenance required has been regular oiling, needle replacement and occaisonal timing adjustment. Although undeniably a workhorse my antique Singer has its limitations: there are only two stitches (straight and zig-zag), one speed (crazy fast), finicky tension adjustment and, though I've put in plenty of both, buttonholes and zippers are painful. I was more than ready for an upgrade, as was Tory.

How did we decide on the Aurora 430? Well, we started on the web reading manufacturer's websites and FAQs from craft blog superstars and then moved on to visiting local sewing stores and asking for advice from other people who sew. It was surprising how quickly we focused our search on Husqvarna Viking and Bernina based on available features, reliability reports and whether or not there was a local dealer who we felt would provide us with support for years to come (very important to us). There happened to be a new Husqvarna dealer in Tory's neighborhood so we went in one afternoon to take a look. Unfortunately our first impression was negatively affected by the owner's unpleasant manner. She seemed more interested in when we might be making a purchase than whether or not we were getting the machine that was right for us. At one point she actually slapped Tory's hand out of the way while she was showing her how to do something. (Note to store owners: pushing, slapping, sighing loudly or indicating impatience in any way will earn you neither a sale nor a return visit.)

We moved on to Ann's Fabrics which was a little further away but sold both Husqvarna and Bernina (and is only 10 minutes from IKEA - an added bonus). What a different experience: our salesperson, Maxine, was incredibly helpful and patient, asking us what we wanted and then demonstrating each machine in our price range. Based on our specifications we quickly zeroed in on the Platinum 775 and the Aurora 430 and spent over two hours test-driving them. We even used some of the specialty feet that were available for each. Quite honestly it was hard to choose between them, they have very similar features, were fun to sew on and looked and felt well-built. If price was a deciding factor I think we both would have taken home the Platinum 775 and been completely satisfied. In the end, the Aurora 430 won our hearts with it's solid reputation, sturdy build and the ability to add on features such as BSR in the future. I'm planning on having my Bernina for a good long time (as is Tory) and hopefully passing it on to a future sewer one day.

While we are in love with our Berninas (our training class was even on Valentine's Day) and don't hesitate to endorse the Aurora 430, we don't recommend that you run out and buy one without exploring all your options like we did. Our research process was worth it just to learn about what else is out there, who is using them and for what. There are many good machines on offer, but like anything, they have to fit the user. Spend the time talking to vendors and test-driving machines, you won't regret it. Finally, we strongly recommend buying from a local sewing center that you trust and can provide you with training and repairs.

Weekend Plans

• Finish the hand stitching on the quilt binding (with these to keep me entertained)

• Make a tea party dress for the birthday girl (I wish this dress pattern came in adult sizes)

• Get in the kitchen (especially after seeing this post from Alicia)
  

(photo from Food Network)

I wish all a Happy, Crafty Weekend!

Anniversary at Home

It’s hard to believe that five years have past since I made the largest purchase of my life. It was five years ago today that I closed on a two bedroom, 642 square foot condo. It was, at the same time, the scariest and most exciting day. Page after page of legal jargon kept coming my way to sign. At the end I turned over a very large check and was given the keys to my own house.

I say house because it took some work before it became home. The two biggest offenders were the kitchen and bath. The previous owners had attempted a country theme in the kitchen. This consisted of foam "beams" adhered to the ceiling, plaid wallpaper, and two-tone kitchen cabinets. As you might guess the beams came down, the wallpaper was removed, and the kitchen cabinets took on a single paint color. Other changes included a new faucet, molding, an additional cabinet over the sink, new light fixture, new fridge, and fresh paint.

The bathroom is on the small size and the brown vanity and combo medicine cabinet/light fixture did nothing to help it feel spacious. Out came the vanity and in it’s place a pedestal sink was installed. Down came the dated mirror/light fixture. It was replaced with a simple oval mirror and light fixture with frosted glass shades. A coat of paint to finish and it suddenly felt like a huge, new space. (The painting was a bit tricky. For some reason the paint was resisting sticking to the wall no matter how thin a coat was applied. In the end, I triumphed.)

Of course, more has changed in these last five years. The items littering the kitchen counters have found homes, curtains have been made and hung, and the blue bathtub has disappeared. The other rooms have been decorated and in some cases have been re-decorated. And I have loved every minute of making this house a home.

Version 1.0

I want the perfect handmade fabric wallet and I would like to be the one who designed it. The problem is that I want a lot from this wallet. I want it to be sturdy. It should have a closure that will stand up to lots of opening and closing. It needs to have a pocket for cash but who am I kidding I never have cash. What I want is a place to stash receipts so they don’t litter the inside of my purse. I also want lots of slots for all those plastic cards you need to pay for things, get discounts at stores, get library books, and legally be on the road. Oh, and I want it to be small and not too bulky so that it fits in a wide range of purse sizes. I don’t want much, right?

Using my current wallet as a guide of what I like/don’t like I made an attempt at constructing the perfect wallet. On first glance I thought it would be a piece of cake. I took some measurements and jotted some notes on the size and number of pieces to be cut. Excitedly I pulled out cutting mat, rotary cutter, fabrics, and interfacing. Then construction began and I realized the way I thought it might go together would put too much bulk in the seams. So I slept on it and spent the next day folding pieces of paper when it finally came to me.

It was pretty smooth sailing putting together all the card slots and assembling the wallet until I turned the whole thing inside out. It was then that I realized I ended up with some raw seams in my cash pocket. No problem, I decided to go with it for now.

Overall I’m pretty happy with version 1.0. The card slots are perfect, as is the overall size. In version 2.0 I’d like to somehow make it sturdier. It feels a bit too fabric-y and light in the hand if that makes sense. I’m not sure if the answer is Peltex or layers of lighter interfacing. I’d also like to improve the snap. It tugs a bit too much at the fabric when opening. Over time I’m worried it might damage the fabric. Of course I’d also like to solve the problem with the seams in the cash pocket but that I could live with that if need be.

What about you in blogland? Any experience with wallet construction? Any tips you could share with this novice?

Carry On

With all my excitement around the release of Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern fabric I nearly missed out on the release of two new patterns. Elise alerted me last week to the arrival of the Birdie Sling. It reminded us both of the Frenchy bag but with even more real estate. It would be the perfect size for an afternoon of errands. Nobody will look at you funny if you pass up their plastic bags in favor of using this more eco-friendly, and stylish, option.

While wandering around etsy looking for that pattern I noticed the second Amy Butler pattern. This one is for a laptop cover and mp3 case. The mp3 case is very cute and has all the features a person might want in a great mp3 case. The mp3 instructions cover sizes for the ipod classic and touch, iphone and the Zune.

The laptop cover is a simple wrap. The fabric you choose would really make this project something fabulous. The pattern is probably something I could draft myself but I still might pick up the pattern. Why go to all that extra work when Amy and company has already perfected the pattern?

Look Mom....A Scarf?

To say spring has been highly variable would be an understatement. One day it might reach 50, if you hope hard enough. The next day may be nearly 80 and you’re convinced all cold is far, far behind you. Luckily, I’ve made two scarves to cover whatever Mother Nature may throw at us.

This first to be completed is a nice, thick crocheted beauty in green. Over the course of several nights I sat with crochet hook, yarn, and books in lap re-teaching myself the single crochet stitch my mom had taught me over a year ago. I just kept going back and forth perfecting my technique and finding a rhythm that gave me consistent stitches and even edges. Before I knew it I had gone through an entire skein of yarn and had what looked like a scarf. I’d like to add some pom-poms to dress it up but I think I’ll set that part aside until fall. I’m really hoping I don’t need to don this scarf until much, much later this year.

My second scarf is the perfect spring scarf. It features a patchwork strip of Joel Dewberry fabrics in pinks and acid greens with a backing of linen. A flirty little ruffle hangs from the ends, perhaps mirroring the flirting spring is doing with us. The scarf is just the right weight to keep an early morning chill off the neck. Now if only I could find the perfect spring coat to match my lovely scarf. That is one bit of shopping I’d happily set aside with the assurance that my early morning commutes could be done layer-free. Is that too much to hope?

Speechless

This is the story of how I was rendered speechless and should have remained that way....

Not only have I shared my love of BNL here on Funky & Delightful but I've apparently shared it at work as well. Thank God I did. I'm even more thankful that one co-worker in particular was actually listening to my ramblings. She thought of me last week when, on the radio, she heard the announcement of a BNL visit to a local Barnes & Noble for a Snacktime mini-concert and CD signing.

I'm sure you can guess what happened next. I took that afternoon off from work and dragged the dudely with me to Barnes & Noble three hours before the event. He was less than thrilled but I tried to explain, as calmly as possible, our need to get a good spot. Well, three hours wasn't quite early enough. At 9am they started handing out green wristbands which entitled you to a seat and first in line for the signing. Luckily there were still plenty of pink bands to go around.

Pink bands meant you had to stay behind the blue painter's tape line and couldn't get in line for the signing until after the green people. No big deal. I gathered some craft books from around the store and staked out my position in the children's section, directly in front of the stage yet behind the tape.

For two hours I stood and read and waited. Then with mere minutes left before showtime B&N staffers came over to the crowd now gathered around my prime real estate and started taking people out of the pink section and into the coveted green section. Unfortunately they seemed to be focused on those with children and I was passed by. The sadness didn't last long.

There were the Ladies on stage. Just like their concerts they were singing and cracking us up. They quickly surveyed the audience to determine who had skipped school for this special kids' event. Ed and Steve went on to tell us how they had regularly skipped school and, well, it worked out for them. In fact that's when they wrote "If I Had $1000000". It was at this point that a mom behind me revealed herself for the phony fan she was. "I didn't know they wrote that song!" Please! What kind of upbringing could she possibly be giving her kids?

So it was after about 40 minutes of music and laughs that I found myself in line to get my CDs signed. I spent about 30 minutes trying hard to come up with something to say. That's when I found myself face-to-face with Ed. He looked up, smiled, and said hello. Desperate for more conversation, what next tumbled out of my mouth is unbelievable. "Uh, thanks. These will make great Mother's Day gifts." Nothing about my undying love. Not the cute story about my niece, the closest thing I have to a kid, dancing like crazy to "Intermittently". No, I immediately tell him I've giving these away.

Women who aren't Mothers Day

On this day before Mother's Day I invite you to celebrate those wonderful women in your life who weren't mothers. Women like my great great grand aunts Jenny & Mabel, affectionately known as "the aunts" by my mom's generation. Jenny was widowed fairly young and Mabel never married; neither of them had children. But they were still important family members who provided much nurturing and care to their nieces and nephews. They certainly took good care of my mom in her university days, providing her with healthy meals and a sense of home-away-from-home.
Aunt Mabel made the lightest, crispest chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted. I asked her for the recipe when I was about 13 and she sent me a little bundle of index cards with several handwritten recipes and a note.
I debated whether or not to share the recipe (they are that good), but ultimately decided that since it originally came from the back of the Chipits package it wasn't really a family secret.
The key ingredients that make these cookies different from the multitude of other chocolate chip cookies are shredded coconut, dried sour cherries and almond extract. I buy coconut from the local Indian grocer because it's very fresh and inexpensive and dried cherries from Trader Joe's. To make gluten-free cookies I simply substituted the Gluten-Free Pantry french bread and pizza mix for the flour called for in the recipe. Easy-peasy.
My recipe made 45 cookies.
I use a mini ice-cream scoop to make drop cookies. It's much faster and a lot less messy than using a teaspoon.
I've started using parchment paper when I bake cookies, mainly so I don't have to wash the baking sheet afterwards.
It's important to let the cookies sit for a few minutes after they come out of the oven or they will disintegrate when you move them to the cooling rack.
When I went to visit, Aunt Mabel always served me tea in a fancy tea cup that I was allowed to choose from her china cabinet. It always made me feel very important and special. I have some of her tea cups packed away somewhere, I should really get them out.

Seriously, this is a good recipe. Don't lose it.

Friday Archives: have a seat

Just about a year ago I was preparing for my wedding, doing all the typical last minute things like finding jewelry to go with my dress, sewing table linens and refinishing my patio furniture. Yes, I decided the week before my wedding was the perfect time to have the patio furniture that I'd purchased three years before stripped and repainted. Isn't this on the list of every bride?


I scored this vintage metal table and two chairs on a 2004 trip to Brimfield with Tory. It was the last day of the show and we were hoping to get some good deals from vendors who didn't want to haul their unsold wares home. We had seen at least a dozen sets before we found this one. After some negotiation the dealer let me take it home for $75. I scraped it as best I could by hand (it was pretty rusty and had a bad paint job) and sprayed it white. My handiwork held up for a couple of years, but by last May it was looking pretty sad, with lots of rust flaking through the paint.



By the time I'd decided it had to be refinished before our guests descended upon us there was no time (or desire) to refinish it again myself. After some serious detective work I found a local paint shop that agreed to work on it. They heat-stripped and sand-blasted off the old paint rust and then powder coated it a matte black for $150. I recovered the seats with oilcloth and we had ourselves a new vintage patio set.

I'm so glad I spent the money to have it professionally refinished. They did a far better job than I could ever have done by hand and for relatively small money. Now I just need to find a couple more chairs...

Double Trouble

With the news of twin baby girls on the way I immediately knew what I had to make for them, their own twin dolls.

Using the Wee Wonderful's Olive pattern I whipped up two nearly identical dolls. They may be twins, and the best of friends, but these girls are showing off their unique personalities in the best way girls know how....their clothes!

May Day babies

Apparently the babies that Tory and I have been sewing for heard there was a party planned for them and couldn't wait to open their presents. Little Madison and Grace arrived last Thursday and they are teeny-tiny and very feisty. They're staying in the hospital until they fatten up a bit so please send them some good wishes. Thank goodness my baby shower gifts were finished on time.

I used the newOliver&S patterns and I love them. The instructions are very complete and easy to follow and the garments turned out exactly like I expected them to. I knew these babies were likely to be early so I made the 0-3 month size so they'll get to wear them this summer. There were some tiny seams and tight turns to navigate, but they sewed up quickly. The playsuit is made from some of my favorite Superbuzzy fabrics (I think they still have some in stock).

I've been rationing this Heather Ross print since I got it but finally took the plunge and really cut into it. And I'm so glad I did, I think it's perfect for this little tea dress.

In fact, it may be the sweetest thing I've ever made.

It even has matching bloomers, who can resist that? The 1/4 inch elastic casing around the legs was a little challenging so make sure you have a tiny safety pin to use to pull the elastic through the casing if you decide to make this pattern.

I also included a couple of newborn sized onsies that I embellished with a fabric applique.

Identical twin girls: Mom and Dad are in big trouble.