Live Free

Sewing Again

My to do lists for much of the month of January ended up having a significant amount of non crafty type work on it.  Yes, really, I don't know how to make tax preparation fit in the crafty category.  My brain hurts just thinking about it.  But all that is done and over with and my plate is very happily looking a bit emptier for February.  

A couple of weeks ago, as I was sorting through Bea's bigger sized clothing, it became quite apparent that her size 3 stack was growing nicely with a large variety of items, yet her size 2 items (of what she's beginning to need now) included just a few summer dresses. Anybody else slowly collect pieces of clothing for little ones seasons ahead of when they'll need it? We've been fortunate enough thus far, that Bea's wardrobe has consisted of a mixture of hand me downs from cousins, cute scores from thrifting, a few mama made pieces, or deeply marked down new items that I've bought from end of season sales. 

So for the first time ever, Bea needs some clothes!  Not a lot, but a few pieces that she can mix and match, layer, and put on and off herself.  This last reason is the most crucial reason for taking on the task of making her clothes for the spring and summer.  She has hit the sensitive period for wanting to care for and dress herself.  She can easily occupy herself for twenty minutes or so, exploring different ways to put on underwear, mama and daddy's clothes, socks, and shoes.  Very endearing indeed!   I want her to be successful at this and I want her to be comfortable as continues to be a busy, busy little girl. So much of the clothing that is out there being sold for babies and toddlers, looks so uncomfortable, and so cumbersome to put on.  Skinny jeans for a pudgy toddler.... Um, no.  

I've begun to make some little wide leg elastic pants. I'm using the Made By Rae pattern. Fair warning to all: this pattern is quick, easy, gratifying, and therefore, addictive!  I've made Bea two pairs already.  One of the greatest things about this pattern is that they are made to fit over the poofy cloth diaper bottoms! Hooray for the end of diaper overflow! Once she becomes potty trained, I think I'll still be able to use the pattern for her.  I can size down (if necessary) and lengthen the bottoms.  

I'm also going to make her a few jumpers and a few more cross back sleeveless smocks with little bloomers/shorts to mix and match.  Fun! Fun! Since, she's napping right now, I've got to take advantage and get cutting into some fabric. It's suppose to get really cold here this week.  Brrr..maybe a nice pair of corduroy trousers would be nice to wear this week...  

Work and Play

Two posts in one day!  I know, I didn't post much last week. I wasn't feeling wordy, but now I am.   

I had planned to do some water color painting this morning with the little one.  But before we got started, she made it clear that painting was not what she had in mind for her morning work. Ahem. 

Well, then let's move on now shall we? And so, I backed off and continued to do the regular daily chores that needed tending. A little while later, we found ourselves in her room and she just went to town. For about an hour, she worked and played peacefully. I was able to do my own work while she did hers. When prompted, she even obliged and put away one activity before choosing another, which is something we've been working on.  

She's grown lots these days. I've noticed that more and more she likes her work. Oh, she still spends plenty of time in my feet and helping me with my chores. But she is also becoming more and more her own little person, with her own joys!  It's so very sweet to witness.  On her shelves right now, we have lacing shapes, stringing beads, lacing cheese, and Matroyska nesting dolls - all of what she adores! I also keep crayons, color pencils, paper, and playdough on the shelf for her to choose as she likes as well.  

Though she loves her work, she is also a real hoot to observe when she is engaged in imaginative play. Oh my, does she mirror her mama so acutely some days when it comes to taking care of Hazel and Dolly. "Heavy!" she exclaims as she lifts them to her chest! I don't know where she gets that from? Here, she is organizing a game of A Tisket A Tasket for the farm animals.  How cooperative of them to play so nicely in a circle! 

Today unfolded just as it should. She worked. I worked. We played. We listened to music. We read books. We snuggled in bed for a nap time.  When she wakes up, our evening routine will commence with some outdoor time spent visiting (chasing) the chickens, hanging out laundry and then dinner preparation.  

Ah, wow! I suppose we really do have a rhythm!

Note: I'm not sure how it happens, but Bea always seems to snag the room with the best light in the house. My word! No wonder, we've been migrating to her room more and more often. The light in there is fantastic. As you can see from the enormous amounts of photos in this post, for a little bit, my work became my camera. How I do love to chase good light!  

Out and about

If you know me well, then you know my 'out and about's' are of the predictable and mundane sort. Let's see, the grocery store, post office, bank, grocery store, grocery store, grocery store... On the weekend, I might tackle one or two thrift stores.  Yes, and that's about it!  

But this weekend, my oh my, I put myself out there. The weather was sunny and bright on Saturday. And so I just had the greatest craving to drive alone and stretch my legs, and think uninterrupted thoughts without having to answer "wa ya doin'?" five hundred times.  And I also wanted to see some pretty fabric and yarn.  So off I went to two of my favorite little shops in Austin.  I bought a couple of yards of fabric because the little one will need some "I can do it all by myself" items for the spring and summer months which will be here before you know it.  She is, of course, all about the care of self these days.  More on that (and toddler clothing ideas) later....

I didn't get anymore yarn. Nope. Not until this is done. Alright, let's not go there.  

We were sort of caught up on chores around the house, or at least, we didn't feel like facing them on Sunday. So we took a drive.  Which is something Byron and I use to love to do "before we had children."

Aside: I always get perturbed by people who complain about or compare their life to before and after they "had children."  But here I am saying it too because Bea is not the "let's take a drive kind of child"!  At least I don't say it very often though.  Really, we like having the little Bea around a whole lot. We were quite a bore before we knew her! 

What was I saying? On Sunday we took a drive out to one of our favorite small towns close to Austin. Besides a couple of antique stores, their main street looks like so many other American small towns. Beautiful, yet vacant, brick buildings with for sale or for lease signs adorning their windows. All just waiting to be revitalized. It's always, always fun to do a little antiquing in between herding and buffering a toddler from collectibles and breakables. Good times! Really, it was! My spirit can't be broken! 

And that, my friends, was my weekend. By Sunday afternoon I was exhausted from all the out and abouting I did. And now I should be happy and content at home for another couple of months! 

 

Randomness

We're toodling along. The busy, mad dash to the finish line is winding down. The list making is now including trip details and packing. We are off to Louisiana in just a few days. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas sometime remind me of the Olympic games for DIYers, crafty bloggers, homesteading mamas and such. I'm not feeling like Olympian material these days.  Though, I did manage to crank out some handmade goodness for some of the people I love dearly. 

My camera has been with me throughout much of the holiday preparations, yet as I uploaded tonight for the first time in almost two weeks, I quickly noticed the randomness to its use. Random is just fine to me right now. Perfectly accurate representation of what our days have been. A great, huge mix of so much activity, with tasks getting completed in an often random order. 

Because sometimes I just can't creep out without taking yet another shot.

Salt dough ornament fun. Inspiration gathered from the winter edition of Rhythm of the Home. 

Coming up for air from all of the holiday crafting, baking, teaching, working, party planning, cleaning, washing, parenting...by soaking up my little neighborhood's BIG art fair. It was real nice, I tell ya. Not for tacky grandma's.  

All dolled up - and ready to play in the coop.  

We took a quiet walk around the advent spiral together at The Natural Child and lit two candles. 

Yay! Music in the mornings!

The euphoria of breakfast tacos and coffee. 

Their little bedtime ritual.  

Our very own cozy nook detector! 

A modest (ehem) mound of gifts!

The good stuff. Right. in. front. of. me.

 

 

 

 

A Little Felting

What's two girls to do on a steamy, summer afternoon to keep from wilting while outside? Why, we can felt. I'm needing to prepare lots of little felted beads in the upcoming weeks to use as a necklace making activity for the fall at school. I always appreciate a little good company when I'm working.  Good thing, Bea volunteered her assistance. Together, we accomplished a lot!  

Really, Byron and I had a nice moment under the shade of the oak tree, chatting away while Bea popped in and out of the project between her stints of taunting our neighborhood kitties. Good times. 

 

   "Mama, what will you say if I dunk my head in here?'"

This sopping, wet, wool feels luxurious.

Soap, water, and wool = loads of sensory discovery. 

 "Mama, you wanna felt this basket next?"

     
 

The Sea

Life is settling down after our wonderful getaway last week. We have so many great memories. It was so nice to explore in another part of the country. To be together everyday and to just enjoy each other's company. We talked, we laughed, we sang, we dreamed, we explored, we studied maps, we got lost, we found our way back, and we saw the world through a toddler's perspective (which is always the most refreshing and endearing, don't you think?).  

While in Maine, we stayed at the most lovely bed and breakfast in an 18th century farmhouse.  The hosts were so warm and interesting.  Their lifestyle was so inspiring and I just knew that if time were not an obstacle, so much could be learned from them and their journey to this farm and their life thereafter. The home was cozy and so beautiful. I could of taken photos of the interior forever and never bore - it was that lovely! The grounds were just as inviting. Chickens, a great big organic garden, two work horses, and 200 plus acres of wild blueberries. Bea was in heaven. As were we. 

I can't tell you how comforting it was to be near the coast again. Byron and I were reminded of our days living at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. There's just something about the air and the pace of life that really makes me want to breathe deeply.  

We smelled the ocean.   

We had a lobster roll.
We watched and listened as fishing boats coasted into the harbor. 

We squeezed in a little thrifting here and there.  

And... I got to make it here!  What a lovely little fabric store. Oh boy, it was thrilling to see all of those fabric lines in person. I had to stop twice - the first time to take it all in and then the second time to decide on one yard of fabric to purchase. This was our first time traveling to a new place with a little one. It was so much fun to watch Bea make friends every where she went. Visits to coffee shops, bookstores, cafes, and parks are so much more interesting with a bubbly and curious one year old!  

After spending a few days in the lovely Down East, we left Maine and drove west to the Green Mountains of Vermont. I'll post about our adventures there soon!  

Four - 30 Days of Summer

Bea and I are settling into a routine, or so it seems.  This afternoon, after she woke from her nap, we went on a little adventure to the south side of town. It seems as though a new fabric store opened several months ago and I heard nothing about it! Oh, all these months, beautiful fabric displayed in a beautiful little house  so close by. How could I not know about this? Where have I been? Oh, yeah, working...lots.  And now I'm not. Having the time to take little excursions for items (like Japanese prints) besides the weekly essential grocery list feels so divine. It's so easy to forget during the school year how good summers really are. But then again, I think it's great that I forget. That way, little treats like this become the nicest and most unexpected surprises.  

And I should also mention that I really, really hope this new little fabric store makes it! Since I moved to Austin five years ago, I've always been a little depressed by the lack of interesting fabric shops. But, this place cheers me up so much! 

And if you are wondering if I bought fabric. Well, of course, I couldn't resist. Rest assured, I didn't buy just for the sake of buying.  Oh no, I'm sensible, don't you know?  :) Yes, each and every window in our entire home is in need of curtains.  These mini-blinds have got to go (or at least be hidden). So there, that's one of my BIG summertime projects on my long list of to do's. I've been dragging on this project because 1) too tired from long work hours to think about it and 2) fabric for curtains can run up into some serious change.  I have a few ideas on how to create interesting and beautiful curtains on the cheap.  Stay tuned. 

    

30 Days of Summer - Day 2 Quilting Update

You might remember my talk of a quilt last fall.  Yes, months ago, when Bea was just a tiny baby, I knew the girl needed a home-made, mama-made quilt.  "No rush," I thought.  She's got a crib quilt that we love. Seasons came and went. I did a bit of piecing here and there.  Mostly, I pieced it together during holiday breaks when I had the mental stamina to approach the project. Otherwise, the stacks of squares, mostly remained in piles stuffed into my fabric basket. Boy, is it a great feeling to see a project to completion - or in my case - at least to the turning point. Both the top and bottom pieces of her quilt are complete. And we are both pretty happy with how they turned out.  I know Bea will both love the finished product even more. Oh, how I imagine these large swaths of fabric once they are quilted into a heavy drape of warmth.  I can just see her examining each piece of fabric pointing to different objects and animals and noting their cuteness.  

Even though this quilt is a simple and easy one to make, I have so many hopes when I look at it. First, I hope I finish it!  And if I do finish it, I hope it keeps Bea warm on many, many nights as she grows from a little girl to a young adult. I can see us snuggling at bedtime, reading stories or chapter books. I can see us talking about our days. Moments when she is unloading and confides her thoughts or worries to me. I see her leaving home - perhaps for college - taking her quilt for security and as a reminder of where she comes from. Or perhaps sharing it with her own family one day. This quilt needs to be completed. Her future already has a role for it. 

Easter Basket Preparations

I spent the morning felting Easter eggs for Bea's basket.  Felting is so relaxing so much fun. For an hour, the noise of my modern day was muted as I simply rolled, dunked, squeezed, and patted.  And while I did this, I mostly thought about nothing, focusing only on the shaping, and the binding of wet, slippery, wool fibers. As I completed each egg, I couldn't help but fantasize about what our family may look like, may be like in the upcoming years.  Unlike hard boiled dyed eggs, we can keep these from year to year adding to this small collection of eggs creating different shapes and sizes as the years roll on.  It's nice to imagine the three of us, and perhaps others, in years to come and to appreciate the longevity of use these eggs may see in all the many spring times ahead.    

A Quilt for Bea

I've been out of the sewing habit for quite some time now. There's a few reasons for this. I won't divulge, but I will say that I'm trying to rectify my excuses for so little crafting these past few months. Slowly, I feel some rhythm reoccurring and my days are beginning to fall into a calmer groove.  Therefore, I think it's time to make a quilt for Beatrix. She's lucky that she hasn't really needed another hand made quilt from her momma. She already has a few lovely ones passed down from her great grandma's. Worn in and perfectly soft for a little babe.  I love them. Having those quilts passed on to Beatrix were the most special of baby gifts to us. Tucking her in at nap times or at bed time, I can't help but imagine all the babeness and love that those quilts have cuddled and paid witness to. 

There's so much great inspiration on the web for quilt ideas. It is so hard for me not to become overwhelmed. I've enjoyed  this book and have gotten lots of ideas from flickr. And, oh gosh, this blog is just filled with beautiful quilts that I adore. So, I think with the help of such inspiring resources out there, I hope to create something special for Beatrix. 

I plan to make it twin size even though her mattress is crib size since I want her to get many years use out of it. In September, I drooled over fabric on a couple of my favorite fabric web stores.  And then after weeks of holding my shopping cart, I committed to placing the order. The fabric sat in my fabric stash for over a month.  Until yesterday. I followed Denise's introductory directions and I trimmed the edges with my pinking shears. Gave all of the fabric a good wash. Line dried, ironed, and folded. It's all ready to be cut. I'm determined. Wish me luck!