While She Naps

handmade hat

I finally made this hat from Amy's book.  I've wanted to make it for a long while and now that we finally have a 21st century printer that can create an enlarged copy (!) I was able to enlarge the pattern to the proper size.  This project was super satisfying. It took ten minutes total, from cutting the fabric to tying the finished hat onto Stella's head.

Roxanne chatted with me the whole time and picked colors for her own hat, which I made for her last night after she was in bed. I put it at her place at the table and she found it this morning at breakfast.  Now Charlie wants one.  Not so sure about that.

hope you had a happy one

Stella dressed as her beloved Pink Kitty for Halloween.  Unfortunately Kitty has become a rather limp, gray, raggy sort of cat. Stella, though, was very happy being as pink as could be. 

She and Abe were quite a pair. 

swan

I made this fabric swan while developing some new patterns.  She is in my shop now.

Abe

Roxanne as her favorite president.  Turns out very few of her fellow kindergarteners know of Abraham Lincoln, but their parents think it's a riot.

finger puppets for Loretta

I have a new niece, Loretta.  I haven't met her yet, but I hear she is adorable and resembles my father.  This must mean she is a bit swarthy with thinning hair. I couldn't resist making her a set of hand-stitched finger puppets from Kata Golda's book. She will get these for Hanukkah.

I almost never sew while my children are here.  In order to get into my creative groove I need a quiet house. I usually sew in the morning while they are at school or in the late evening once they've gone to sleep.

 

I've found with these hand-stitched felt projects that I can sew with my children playing nearby.  The pattern is all right there in the book.  All I need is the big box of wool felt scraps, some embroidery floss, scissors, pins and an needle. 

 

I made all of these puppets while Stella played with the felt scraps, making a little cape for her stuffed monkey.

I am not a knitter and I always look enviously at so many knitting women's ability to make something while taking care of children.  Making these little felt things let's me do both and that is very nice.

apples and pumpkins

We went to Dowse Orchard on Sunday afternoon to enjoy the beautiful fall day and to pick the last apples of the season.  We also chose our Halloween pumpkins and went on a tractor ride.  We went late in the afternoon and the colors were so saturated.  It was amazing. 

Shabbat child

Stella was the Shabbat child at nursery school on Firday.  She took her duties very seriously, passing out cups and challah  to everyone.  And she picked the first Shabbat song to sing with the class.  And she got to be line leader going out to the playground AND back in again.  Charlie and I can't believe how big she's gotten.

sneak peek week: day five

sneak peek week: day 4

sneak peek week: day 3

sneak peek week: day 2

sneak peek week

Well, after that last post I thought I would do a few image-only posts to give you a sneak peek at the projects I am designing for the book.   How about five images, one each day, to give you an idea of what is going on around here.  Welcome to sneak peek week!

what's going on

Okay, I am officially in the black hole of craft book writing. I sew and sew, draw and create, and sew some more and in the end have no pictures to post here.  This is a bit frustrating, but that's okay.

I think this is a common experience among craft bloggers who write books. So here's reporting from the black hole.

I've made 16 bird patterns and I have at least two more to create. That feels significant.  For each pattern I have to draft it on paper, take pictures as I make it at every stage, write up the pattern and label all the pictures, and then finish sewing it up.  In addition to the 18 birds there are numerous side bars and extensions that need to be designed, photographed and sewn. 

I  like some parts of the process more than others for sure. I would happily sew away the day and forget to photograph as I go (this has already happened several times causing  me to have to make yet another bird and remember to photograph it the second time around). I really like writing the creative parts, where I explain how I came to make that particular bird, what makes it unique.

I am trying to discipline myself to write the technical parts as I go so that I'm not left with a whole bunch of to do  on December 1 with only 10 days to go until my deadline.  I'm sure, though, that there will be tears and stress and more tears around that time anyway. 

I have so many ideas, so many ways to extend each project. I feel like I could continue to make birds and variations on birds endlessly for this book and it is hard to accept that at some point I will have to call it a day and turn it all in.

I have been stretched as a crafter in such a great way during this process.  I've used different materials, tried new techniques, created brand new birds patterns I've always wanted to try but in the past had gotten bogged down and never gotten to. There is nothing like a manuscript deadline to get you moving and to make all those ideas take form.

My table of contents is like a big to do list and it is almost all checked off. We are officially out of counter space to store all the birds.  I'm going to miss them when they are in Colorado for their January photo shoot without me.

My editor is at Quilt Market in Houston this week.  Just the thought that my book will be at Quilt Market, that my birds might be seen by such a wide audience, makes my heart skip.  It's coming together, even though this post has no pictures.  I can accept that. 

Book Review: Hand-Stitched Felt by Kata Golda

I recently received a copy of a very sweet new craft book by Kata Golda called Hand-Stitched Felt: 25 Whimsical Sewing Projects.  I had noticed Kata's softies before in some catalogs and wondered how these little handmade felt softies ended up in there.  She tells her story in the introduction of the book. It turns out Kata' is very successful selling her creative, handmade felt animals and and other goodies at retail stores all over the country.  Like me, she began sewing when she became a mother.  In the years since her business really developed and now she has employees and a web shop and hundreds of retailers that carry her work including ABC Carpet and Kate's Paperie in New York.

The book is very lovely to read and to look at.  One of the things I like best is all of Kata's little drawings that are overlayed on the photos of her work. And I love the hand lettered chapter titles. 

I had a few minutes this morning and needed a break from obsessively working on my own book (whew!  it's been intense this week) so I decided to make the Everyday Journal on page 63.  It really took only a few minutes (I used my machine instead of hand-sewing the felt together, but still) and the little book I made is so adorable. I really like it!  A great way to use up wool felt scraps for sure. 

These little journals would make adorable gifts, with a set of colored pencils, for any little person. They'd also be great in goody bags. 

Sometimes I give away books that publishers give me to review, but not this time. This one's a keeper.

the Sukkah is up

The Sukkah is up!  We put the walls up on Friday afternoon in about 45 minutes.  This is our Sukkah's fourth anniversary and we're old pros now.  It rained all day Saturday and threatened rain for Sunday morning so our annual Sukkah party didn't happen, but we managed to put the roof on and the walls on Sunday and then all the decorations. 

I really think Martha Stewart Living should do a Sukkah.  I can see this spread of photos of an amazing Sukkah decked out in impeccable Martha fashion with harvest golds and oranges, full of pumpkins and gourds.  Can't you see it?  Maybe with a menu and recipes for a Sukkah party, too.

I'm sewing a swimming bird today for the book. And writing introductions for each bird project.

Here is a little project we like to do with scraps, trims, buttons and all the other stuff that ends up on the sewing room floor.  Embelished paper dolls.  These are great to do with a playdate, too.  Put out a big tray full of scraps  - maybe some wrapping paper, gems, yarn - and get started. 

Fold a piece of 8.5x11 paper in  half and in half again, like an accordian.  Draw a simple doll shape making sure that the arms extend all the way to the edge of the paper on each side.  Cut it out, unfold and viola. Four paper dolls.  Draw some faces and then decorate.  

I'm sad to hear that two of my favorite magazines, Gourmet and Cookie, are both folding.  I really like Gourmet. I've cooked dozens of Gourment Everyday dishes, some of which have become weekly staples around here. Cookie was always fun to read. I liked the reviews of new kid's music and books, and the nice style photos of kid's rooms.  I love magazines and it makes me so sad to see the good ones go.

i couldn't resist

When Kim at Three Graces emailed me asking for six more tiny bird collages for her Teeny Tiny Art Vending Machine I couldn't resist.  I love making these and this time the vending machine will be traveling to the DeCordova Museum for their annual art auction.  We are huge fans of the DeCordova's sculpture park where we like to run around and discover all the amazing outdoor sculptures placed on their beautiful grounds.  Making these little collages was a nice break from book-related projects.  Thanks, Kim!

soft elephant hoop

A new embroidery hoop project.  Sweet little elephant face smiling at you.  Backdrop is a vintage Vera linen napkin stretched across an 8" diameter embroidery hoop. 

little fish with a shiny tail

This little fish with a shiny tail is up in my shop now.  She can either hang from a length of clear fishing wire or sit on a shelf with her tail draped around her.

Cute Yummy Time and a giveaway

I was given a sneak peak at a new book out by Penguin called Cute Yummy Time: 70 Recipes for the Cutest Food You'll Ever Eat by La Carmina.

The recipes are like little projects inspired by food that might be included in a bento box, but geared to be really appealing to kids.

When we opened the package from the publisher my kids sat by the front door turning the pages and asking which recipe we could  make tonight.  So many adorable ideas.  Chickens, monkeys, bunnies and elephants made from all kinds of foods like eggs, pancakes, PB&J, rice and cheese.  I had not ventured beyond cutting sandwiches with cookie cutters a few times so this was new and a lot of fun. 

Roxanne is a big nori eater so we decided to give the Panda Rice a try. 

We are on a bulgar kick around here so I used that instead of brown rice.  We cut the nori into eyes, ears, and a little smile, sprinkled some paprika for rosy cheeks and made this adorable panda.  I served this with snap peas.

Of course Stella had to get in on the cute food action, but she doesn't like seaweed or snap peas (are you sensing a theme here - not so hot on green food right now).  We made her panda with raisins and teddy grahams instead.

Very excited.

They gobbled up all the bulgar, and everything else on the plate, along with some roasted chicken, for dinner.  Fun!

The publisher gave me a copy of Cute Yummy Time just for you.  Just leave me a comment by Monday evening and I'll draw a random winner and send it off to you.  I think you are in for a treat.

sweet little hanging bird

This sweet little hanging bird, all in white with glittered wings, is now listed in my shop.