Design Week at Casa C

So last week the kids went back at school and my New Year officially began.  We were away for the week between Christmas and New Years so there was a little re-acclimation going on over the weekend.  My goal for that first week was to create a sample of the skirt I will be making for the Germantown Friends Craft Show in March.  For over a year, I have been wanting to add a design for older girls to my collection of standards.  Yet I have just kept making the Reversible Roundabouts because people love them.  And they keep selling.

This year I told myself I was going to take a break from the Reversible Roundabouts and come up with some new designs.  Last week turned into Design Week in the studio.  I posted Monday on Facebook (eieio is on Facebook now!) that I was heading into the studio to start a batch of Storybook Skirts.  Based on a design I did a long time ago - a simple skirt with an attached apron.  As I started constructing it, I changed my mind.  And changed my mind again.  What came out of the studio on Thursday is the new Twirly Skirt.  Which I am very happy with.

I think one of the things I struggle with in a design is keeping it simple in a way that allows the design to show off the fabric. And the child wearing it. Because really, to me, that's what it's all about.  I used to love the boutique look, but lots of ruffles and layers don't excite me as much anymore.  And really (again) eieio is about keeping kids looking like kids.  Clothes they can play in and clothes that they love.  And clothes that are easy to put on, take off, and wash.  Right?

O's New Favorite Pants

 

I love that O loves for me to sew for him.  The glee, the pride, the desire.

I took Liesl's sewing-with-knits class last weekend and came away with a pair of the Nature Walk Pants for him and an almost finished nightgown for E.  I used Michael Miller's new-ish Interlock Knit and while it was challenging, it wasn't bad!

O had the pants out of my bag before I even got into the car and had them on in less time than it took to fill the tank at the gas station.

They are his new favorites.  They are oh so soft and comfy.  He wore them for three days before I wrangled them away for the wash and asks for them every morning (unfortunately they haven't actually made it into the machine yet!)

Two more pairs are in the works.  One in a solid black and the other in a brown stripe.  They come together in less than an hour and I figure the more I practice sewing with this fabric, the better I'll get, right?

Introducing the Itty Bitty Tote Bag (That Needs A New Name)

So I wanted a couple new things for The Highlands this weekend.  My hope had been to have a design for a larger girl's dress (size 4-8) but it just wasn't ready in time.  So instead, I bring you the Itty Bitty Tote Bag.  Reversible like the Roundabouts.  Some match dresses, some don't.

O saw them in my studio and immediately said "I want one!"  He calls it a "Church Bag", as in bring it to church stuffed with little things to keep him occupied.  I made a couple in non-girly prints, too.  I know first hand that the desire to carry around a little bag stuffed with treasures (that some may call a purse) is certainly not gender specific.

One ended up green with orange handles.  I looked at it.  And looked at it again  It screamed Halloween at me.  So off to the fabric store I went for some Alexander Henry Halloween fabric.  While The Dad had the kids up in NY for the weekend, I whipped up some little Trick or Treat Totes.  Hooray for new ideas!

The only issue I have is with the name.  While Itty Bitty Tote Bag is what popped into my head while I finished the first batch, it has evidently popped into lots of other people's heads, too.  So I need another name.  I thought of The Reversible Out-and-about (sounds cooler when said with a Canadian accent) but it doesn't quite roll of the tongue.  Or the Kiddo Tote.  I'm kind of leaning toward that one.  Any ideas?  What do you think?

Kids' Sewing with Liesl's City Weekend

I have to admit that I went to the Vermont Sewing weekend with grand (and knowingly unrealistic) visions of a bit of free fabric involved.  A girl can dream, right?

We did receive, in our little welcome bags, charm pack of Liesl's new fabric line City Weekend.

The kids were fascinated by all these little squares and in a moment of desperation on Monday I sat them down on my studio floor and spread the squares out between them.  Then I let them choose, taking turns, one square at a time until they were all divied up.

O wanted to make a tail.  Attached to a belt that he can wear.  Which he's been fascinated with since seeing If You Give A Mouse a Cookie last Spring.

O lined his up in the order he wanted them and I stitched them together and then stitched them to some webbing for the belt.  One snap later and he was all set.  And beaming.  Oh, if things could always be that easy.

E wanted to make a barbie quilt.  She, who has been asking to sew with my machine for about a year, was determined to piece the squares herself.  After a little guidance in the beginning, she was quick to push my hand away when I tried to help guide the fabric.  "Mom!  I'm six years old.  I know how to do it myself."  And really?  By the end?  She did.

I backed it with some minkee and she was good to go.

Of course, the next time I went to use my machine it was kind of dead...  The result of the 6 year old foot on the pedal?  Or just too long since the last servicing...  Keep your fingers crossed.

Sewing Weekend at Blueberry Hill

I spent three days this past weekend in the mountains of Vermont.  Where it was chilly enough that I actually donned a fleece and slept snuggled under my covers.  While I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the area, surrounded by lush green mountains and blue skies, the bulk of my time was actually spent inside a barn, converted into a sweat shop sewing center.

Wine and Cheese at the Tipi

I joined 14 other women to spend the weekend working with and learning from three fabulous instructors: Heather Ross, Liesl Gibson, and Kelly Wilkinson.  I was surrounded by creativity.  And I have not laughed so much in a long time.

Heather Ross and Ava

But really?  What I think hit home the most?  Being surrounded by so many like-minded people.  It reminded me of the high school summers I spent at music camp, when after the first couple days I was struck by how amazing it felt to be surrounded by strangers who I had so much in common with.  This weekend, people would stop to borrow scissors and ask "Can I borrow your fabric scissors?"  Really?  Other people have fabric scissors and paper scissors!  Really?  Other people hoard fabric!  And are afraid to put in a zipper?!?!  It was great.  Better than great.

My main project - The Sketchbook Shirt by Oliver + S (Liesl) in Mendocino fabric by Heather Ross

I came home motivated, too.  I watched garments being constructed from scratch around me throughout the weekend.  We sewed uninterrupted for hours.  I came home wanting to go fabric shopping and needing to end this summer long studio hiatus I have been on. 

Really?  It was summer camp.  And I can't wait to do it again.

A Little Pink: Summer Song by Riley Blake

As I neared the end of my load of dresses for Art Star, I realized that I was missing some pink.  Lots of teal/blue and cream with graphics, but not a whole lot of that girly color some folks (like my almost 6 year old) are drawn too.  So, off to the fabric store I went.  Really, my life is tough...

A little Summer Song by the new(er) Riley Blake Designs.

Beautiful colors, great quality.  Just what I was looking for.

Now back to the ironing board.

Literally!

Highlights of the Week

This week things have been a little crazy.

I finished a batch of 10 dresses for Art Star.

And had my leg peed on by a little boy still working on aiming while sitting down.

I started working with Minkee again - a fabric that drives me nuts but gives me the softest blankies ever.

I sent O on his first real school fieldtrip, riding the train downtown to the American Institute of Architects to see an exhibit on 'Constructing Play' - and didn't chaperone.  A huge step for me.

And I Registered for a summer weekend of sewing with Heather Ross.  I think I'm a little starstruck, feeling like I've been e-mailing with a celebrity.  But really, a whole weekend in the mountains of Vermont?  Sewing with the designer of some of my favorite fabrics??  You can see bits and pieces here (her pattern) and here (her fabric).  Love, love, love her stuff.

And it's already the weekend again.  The creamy (camel) and polka dot blanket is for a baby shower we're going to Saturday night.  The whole 'gender neutral' dilemma.  I like the way it turned out.  And the flannel?  The new Amy Butler flannel - Let me tell you:  Not ALL flannel is created equal.  This is the softest, softest flannel I have worked with yet.  Yum.

Spring? A Pile of Park Slope Makes It Feel Closer!

You get one nice day around here and it feels like Spring is coming.  And then I remember that it is indeed only the middle of January.

Still, I am starting to prepare for this year's Art Star Craft Bazaar (May 15th and 16th), in an effort to not feel the need to cram for inventory at the end.

I got a great kick start today with this fabulous collection of Park Slope.  I've loved this fabric before, in a different colorway, and was so excited to walk away with a whole pile of it this morning.  A matter of being in the right place at the right time - as the quilt shop owner was putting it on sale.  Hooray!

And on top of that pile?  My astroturf pocketbook.  One of the best Christmas presents ever from The Dad.

Hoping For Rain: The Oliver + S School Days Coat

I had the great fortune last Saturday of taking a sewing class at Cloth and Bobbin with Leisl Gibson, the designer behind the Oliver + S patterns.  So much fun - and a fabulous pattern!  One of the more challenging I've done, made more challenging with Laminated Cotton - but how cool that I could actually sew E a raincoat - under the tutelage of the designer?!

I had actually been eyeing a different Kaffe Fassett laminate and was showing it to E online (I've learned it's sometimes better to consult her ahead of time since she is a child of definite opinions) and she pointed to this one - immediately smitten.  "But mom, it will look like the roses are growing all over me in the rain!"  I folded, still not in love with it myself.  But I tell you, with each stitch it grew on me.  And by the end, I loved it as much as she did.

It's lined with some super soft Kaffe Fassett Shot Cotton (in caramel) which almost shimmers.  Luckily I bought more yardage than I needed - she has already requested a nightgown out of it, too.

I'm already planning a wool coat for O for the fall....  (After these pajamas for both and this dress for E...) 
And there are even more new patterns coming out in the Spring...

Some Productive Studio Time

 It always amazes me how much more productive I feel - in general - when I get a couple quiet hours in the studio.

I love this Modern Home print by Michael Miller.

It's such a big print, though.  This dress doesn't quite do what I wanted it to.

I have another idea, though.

And a full day in the studio on Friday.

Stay tuned!

The Fabric Covered Head Board - Take Two

A little over a year ago, The Dad built E a bed.  He did it over a weekend while I was away with the kids and surprised ALL of us with a great fabric covered headboard.  Unfortunately, we didn't get any great pictures of it.  I did at least get this:

It's a little hidden behind the pillows and multitude of stuffed animals, but it is there.  Pink batiked and embroidered fabric, taken from my stash, over a layer of cotton quilt batting and a piece of plywood.

I was very impressed.

Fast forward a year or so.  We have inherited a set of nice maple bunk beds and are setting those up for E, passing on her low dad-made platform bed to O.

Now, O is not really a pink swirly little kind of guy (unless he's running around in E's leotard and tutu).  I pulled a couple pieces of fabric from my stash for him to choose from (strongly discouraging his preference for the yellow flannel with monkeys) and ended up with this:

 So fun and so easy.  We actually did this one right over the other layers.  All done with fabric and a staple gun.  I think it took me longer to iron the fabric than to actually attach it!

It's A Crafty Advent - Day 5: The Auction Dress That Wasn't

So I got the studio picked up.  And spend the rest of the morning making a dress for our nursery school's Winter Auction.  I actually finished the dress in one sitting and photographed it in hopes of listing it as a custom item in my shop.  I took pictures of the front.  I flipped it over to take pictures of the back...  And found a couple spots/fabric flaws I had missed when I ironed the fabric before I started!

So, no longer a viable donation, I switched gears and finished this up for the auction instead - one of those moments where it is good to have a couple projects sitting around half-done.

But really, while it was frustrating at the time, I'm more excited and motivated that I managed to finish two pieces today!  On top of a little straightening up/de-cluttering of my workspace.  I call that a success...

A New Batch of Dresses - And a Plug for the Crafty Planet

It's funny, I went to label this post 'Finally Back in the Studio' and realized it had already been used on this post.  Evidently, these long breaks from the studio and fervent return happen on a somewhat regular basis around here.

After four months of quiet, I am finally starting a new batch of dresses.

What better way to start than with sock monkeys?  This sock monkey fabric actually holds some special meaning for me.  While my Mom taught me to sew when I was a kid and I made curtains for E's nursery before she was born, I attribute my real sewing beginning to a little place in Minneapolis called the Crafty Planet.

Somehow, I got it in my head that I was going to sew little clutch blankets for a craft show way-back-when.  I think it was even before O was born.  And somehow I stumbled on this sock monkey fabric, the whole funky monkey line of it (which was much more minimal back then).  I searched for a brick and mortar store where I could buy it locally and found the Crafty Planet.

I was smitten.  The best fabric store I have been in.  Ever.  It's not that they have a huge selection.  Or fabulous prices.  But what they do have?  It is exactly what I am looking for.  Always.  And the spirit of the store?  It is right on.

So I took a quilting class.  And an applique class.  And an embroidery class.  And two years after moving I still miss it dearly.  Every time I want to go fabric shopping.  Or I see a cool print on line and think "Oh how I wish I could see it in person.  Touch it.  See what would go with it."

So if you're in the Twin Cities area, and you haven't experienced the shop, I highly recommend it.  We're heading back there (for the first time in two years!) next weekend and a little fabric shopping spree is on my short list.  While The Dad takes the kids somewhere else for a little bit.  What's the luggage weight limit these days on airplanes??

30 Days of Summer :: Day 21

Some of the materials taunting me from the table in my studio.

Some fun, fresh Metro Market fabric I received in a swap with Julie of Jaybird Quilts. She was one of two people I met at Art Star who bought dresses for kids they didn't have yet (with husbands they didn't have yet) because they loved the fabric. I love that!

So this fabric, combined with some red Michael Miller checked bias tape and ruffle rac, hasn't decided what it wants to be yet. It's coming, though! I had first thought of another pillow case dress (which needs another name, by the way) but maybe a fun little skirt with a trimmed pocket... Or something from my Japanese pattern book... It's so hard to decide!
I will though. Maybe tonight...

30 Days of Summer :: Day 17 :: The Lunchbox Napkin

I haven't had nearly enough studio time since The Dad began working from home. It's much more difficult to keep the kids quiet enough up on the third floor while he is on the phone.

But I did manage to get about 20 minutes the other day to whip up E's first Lunchbox Napkin.

I hope to make a handful of these (I don't do laundry as often as I should) in different fabrics for her to take to school in her lunchbox. The napkin is double-sided, so it's thick enough to be a good little mat to spread out her food, as well as absorbent enough for any little (?) mess she may make. I'm sure it will eventually be stained with blueberry juice or the like, but that's what napkins are for, right?

She's having a hard time getting ready for Kindergarten. She's anxious and worried with lots of questions. I forget what a huge transition it is, going into a big school that you've never been to before with a teacher you know nothing about.

I hope that this napkin will bring a little piece of home to her in the middle of the day.

And save some trees at the same time.

The Studio Clean-Up

The Dad took the kids out Saturday morning - rummage sale, state park, strawberry picking... Fun little adventure.

I stayed home and finally got on top of my studio. In a mad rush to pack everything up for Art Star, bins had been emptied, scraps had been scattered - I couldn't walk through the room, let alone sit at the table to get some work done.

I am happy to say it is almost finished. I say almost because I still have a couple fun things to hang, my fleece is still in a rubbermaid bin, and I haven't figured out a way to store my patterns yet. Any ideas? I have a couple, but haven't actually tried them all the way yet.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to work. For me, there's nothing more inspiring than a clean, organized, put together room.

Make It Snappy

Ahhh, my snap press. My reward to myself after the holiday fairs I did last fall. It weighs at least 20 pounds and looks so positively industrial. So, so, SO much easier and more efficient than the plastic snap setter and hammer I was using before.


And my overflowing pile of scraps.
There really is a box under there, attempting to contain it all.
The impetus for a new project to debut soon.

Things here are stressful, bordering on frantic. We have had some health issues with the kids, which seem to be all resolved, on top of The Dad changing jobs and the countdown (3 1/2 weeks to go!) to Art Star Craft Bazaar which I am feeling less and less on top of.

So, nose to the grindstone and a few more late nights coming up.

We're going to get away for a couple days next week - to a truly remote island with no banks or ATMs and no cell phone service! Just lots of time playing on the beach and exploring.
Then back for the home stretch.

Thanks for checking in!

The Finished Product

I finished O's shirt today! I really like how it came out.

Luckily, so does he.

I found this great rocket fabric from Free Spirit at a local quilt shop and even lined the collar with the same coordinating fabric as the pocket.

And I am so in love with my (relatively) new snap press, I may have to devote a whole post to that.

Stay tuned...

The Collared Shirt

I finally got my hands on Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing last weekend and was able to flip through it in person. The moment I hit to this page I knew I had to bring it home.

I have been searching for a good pattern for a boy's short sleeved collared shirt. More bowling, less church. This is, at least, a starting point.

I found some great fabric at the shop where I bought the book and am excited to be starting the foundations of O's summer wardrobe. Stay tuned!

Finally Back in the Studio

My studio is finally put back together and I am sewing again.

Unfortunately, we've had some gray days around here lately and the studio pictures haven't come out. Today is looking promising.

Until then, here are a couple new dresses for the shop. To me, they just look like Spring.