Juicy Bits

235: that time we had a quilt exhibit

A while back, my guild (Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild) had an exhibit at a large quilt show called NJ Quilt Fest.  It was our chance to show off the modern quilting style to other quilters that might not be familiar with it. 

So we asked our members to submit quilts that reflected the modern aesthetic and I think we pulled together a pretty sweet little exhibit.  I apologize for the quality of the photos...

 The feedback we got was positive and I think we peaked a few quilters' interest.

 There were 21 quilts total in the exhibit. And they included our guild "banner" which is really just a large quilt.  This banner was a group effort with lots of members contributing blocks and a few piecing it together.  I sewed one block, the lettering part, and quilted the banner on my longarm and I love how it came out.  We now like to hang it at retreats etc to show our guild pride. :)

 

These are the rest of the quilts in the show:

 Trio - made and quilted by Jessica Levitt

 Set in Stone - made and quilted by Krishma Patel

 Jessica's Quilt - made and quilted by Robin Buscemi

 Modern Trees - made and quilted by Neva Asinari

 50 Central -made and quilted by Elaine Hagaman

 Sisket - made and quilted by Lori Saporito

 

 Retro Rubies - made an quilted by Neva Asinari-Post

 Arbutus Menziesii (Madrona Tree) - made and quilted by Robin Buscemi

 Windows to Madrona - made and quilted by Jessica Levitt

 Birds of a Feather - made and quilted by Jessica Skultety

 Cantilevers - made and quilted by Jessica Levitt

 URBAN - made and quilted by Tatiana Kennedy

 Slice and Dice - made and quilted by Neva Asinari-Post

 Plus 5 - made and quilted by Elain Hagaman

 Broken Logs - made and quilted by Krishma Patel

 Pumpkin Spice Latee (back) - made and quilted by Jessica Skultety

 Improv Pods - made by members of the CJMQG, quilted by Jessica Levitt

Swirling Medallion - made and quilted by Neva Asinari-Post

A Sunny Day in Portland, Oregon - made and quilted by Robin Buscemi

Pebble Road - made by Jessica Levitt, quilted by Angela Walters

 

A few of our members at the show...

And what was super-fun for me was that my sassy kiddos got to see my work hanging in a show.  

JT 

 

231: poor planning, good results

Did you notice I skipped blog post # 231?  Unintentional.  I just forgot to post it sometime at the beginning of the year.  Whoops.  Well, here it is:

I made very few gifts for Christmas again this year.  Honestly, doing so has saved my sanity the last couple of years.  I love homemade stuff and the thought and care that goes into it, but I'm not enough of a planner to get things done early and by the time the holiday season rolls around, who has time to make masterpieces?  So, I've been making small and quick gifts, and just a few.

The main one I did this year is these cute little ipad stands.  These are just the two I made for my kids (yes, we got them mini ipads this year, don't judge).  I made 5 others including one for me. :) Really by sewing them all at once it didn't take much longer than making a couple.  

I started with this pattern that I saw on Pinterest.  Obviously.  What didn't I get from Pinterest lately? There's also this pattern which I referred to.

The major changes I made were I filled it entirely with rice and the lip on the bottom front is a casing with a piece of wooden dowel in it.

Because I used all rice they're very plump to say the least.  And not entirely triangular shaped (especially the tip which is empty so it doesn't always stand up). The reason I did this was the theory that if it was set on a surface not totally flat, it could conform to a curve.  Haven't tested that theory yet, but they are functioning quite well on our countertops.

So, you might be wondering how this project amounts to poor planning (if you ever read the title, that is).  It doesn't.  That project was beautiful.

But I also decided to make ipad mini cases for the kids.  Adorable right?

But you won't ever be seeing a tutorial for them here because they were kind of a pain in the butt to make.  That's because I designed them for their cuteness and functionality and neglected to think about all the aspects of construction.

Here's what I wanted:

-a somewhat fitted pouch case for traveling

-to fit over them when they have their permanent "case" on as seen above

-a hard outside so that if something pokes them in a bag, the screen is protected (this was really the key, because the case they have has no screen protection)

- a hole where the power plug goes so they can be charging in the case

-a pocket for storing power cords and headphones

Here's the problem I encountered when I started sewing my brilliant design: a hard case (pressed illustration board inserted between layers) doesn't bend.  Duh.  So when I went to sew the binding around the top I realized I couldn't get it under my machine.  I was able to do most of the long edges but then I had to very slowly sew around the corners by hand and since it doesn't bend that meant poking it in and pulling out the other side.  Ugh.  Not fun.

Then once I put the ipad in I realized that my fit was so nice that I could barely get the ipad out.  That was solved by adding the little strap.  It is a piece of ribbon that actually goes under the ipad and part way up the other side.  So when you tug on it, it pulls the ipad out part way.  And it doubles as a nice little handle, so I guess necessity is indeed the mother of invention again. :)

But despite the troubles, I love how they came out in all their Japanese cuteness.  And they function well, until we decide we need different permenent cases, then I'll need to make new ones to fit.

JT

230: a new year and a new "toy"

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping you are starting yours with peace and joy.

And the big news I have neglected to post here is my new machine, Lucille.  Isn't she a shiny beauty?

I've been considering purchasing a long-arm for some time now.  I had planned on buying a Gammil but at Quilt Market I fell in the love with the APQS machines.  They just glide as light as air.  And the support is awesome.  So I changed my mind abruptly, which is so unlike me.  :)

But I'm not regretting it.  Not one bit.

Hopefully you'll be seeing lots of beautifully quilted quilts from me soon.  I have plenty of tops lined up so 2014 is looking be the year of finishing.

JT

229: animated characters

This year we actually had halloween.  Yay!  Last year was such a let down.

The kids both picked characters from animated films. 

Aurora wanted to be Vanellope Von Schweetz from Wreck it Ralph.  If you're not familiar, this is her: 

Super cute.  Both the character and the girl. :)  

For the most part it wasn't a ridiculously challenging costume to make, except then it kinda was.  The sweatshirt was store bought (Thank you, Target).  It's not exactly the right color, but I can live with that.  But finding leggings that were in a close color proved impossible.  So I decided to make them. Just go buy some turquoise and white knit fabrics and bust out the serger, right?  Nope. No knit fabric at all close in color.  I attempted painting some tights.  Disaster.  Finally in a last desperate search of the mall I found an XL woman's Tshirt that was close in color to cut up.  Turned out to be a slinky material that got holes kinda easily, but the leggings made it through the holiday with only one repair.

Then came the wig.  Ever made a yarn wig before? In theory it's easy.  And probably for ones that hang down, not too bad.  But this was a challenge to get it in a decent looking ponytail and stay in place.  The sewing on of the yarn was easy enough, but I definitely was a little too liberal and the pony tail ended up being like 6" in diameter.  So my advice is to start with less and add as needed.  I used the top of a pair of tights as the base (knotted and sewn up).  The elastic made a snug fit but it didn't come close to staying put.  But I found some wig clips (little combs that snap like barrettes) to sew in around the edge and they did the trick. Overall, not on my list of things I want to make again.

Theo's was a bit easier.  Of course it was the second choice.  At first we were going with Toad from Super Mario brothers, but boy that mushroom head is challenging to get right.  I have a mostly formed foam base that's all ready for a try again next year. :)

But when I suggested that he and his buddy go as minions, well, the friend aspect won him over.  If you don't know, they're from Despicable Me.

His costume was mostly about finding the right stuff.  Overalls bigger than toddler size are hard to come by.  And funny thing is if you searched for them on Amazon, yellow sweatshirts and googles come up too.   Obviously a popular costume this year.  I found the overalls at a local tracor supply store.  And the sweatshirts online.  I'm not thrilled they had writing on them, but again, yellow hoodies weren't exactly in every store. 

I made the google from the rings of mason jar lids.  They're help together with a metal epoxy and the rest is hot glued on.  I sewed the patches on the overalls and used pie cleaners for the hair.  I did agree to make 2 costumes, but still easier than Toad's hat.

 Hope you had a great Halloween and got to eat as much chocolate as I did!

JT

220: happy valentine's day

Just a quick hello to say I hope you and yours have a sweet day.

These are the pinterest-inspired and much-too-elborate valentines my kiddos are handing out.

Theo wanted juice box robots.  It's all about the fruit punch.

 And Aurora liked the fishy ones because she likes swedish fish. :)

  Sadly, she's sick and will likely miss the chance to hand them out herself.

xoxo

JT

217: the Harry Potter trio (and their props)

I mentioned that I didn't sew much in the way of holiday gifts this year, but in the past I've always tried to make some.  True, it did elminate a lot of stress this time around, but look at the cute results when I do make them...

Yes, it's now over a year later, and these may or may not have just been finally completed, but I do love how they turned out.

These pictures actually show my gifts for both Aurora and Theo from last Christmas.  Aurora got the cute Harry, Ron, and Hermione dolls.  Theo got a set of branch blocks that I made from fallen branches from that year's storm.  They are cut in increments of 1 inch so they stack nicely together.  There are a ton more than shown here.  Those were actually complete on Christmas. ;)

The dolls, however, were partially naked.  They all had robes, but Ron and Harry were shirtless and poor Herminone had nothing on under there!  Thankfully they're now ready to make their internet debut fully clothed.

The dolls were made from the Pocket Pixies pattern by Ginger Melon.  Hers are not Harry Potter themed, that was my own addition.  I wish I could say I highly recommend the pattern, but I was pretty unimpressed.  Yes, the design is just darling, but I felt the pattern really lacked detail and instruction that I expected especially because I paid $15 for it (I think it's less now).  It was mostly the outline of the dolls that you were paying for.  I did learn how she attached the arms which was useful information.  Some stiches etc were included but if I remember correctly it didn't tell you what stitch to use for every step and it certainly didn't tell you the number of strands to use etc.  Shelly herself was very helpful and responded to my question I emailed her about which color felt to use.  Her style is so great, but I just felt the pattern was too basic for what I paid.

Anyway, the clothes were a pain to sew. SO tiny.  I had trouble getting the hood to look right.  It ended up being skinny and way to small to put on their heads but looked right with the bodies.

They did have shoes, but they didn't last long.  Probably should have sewn them right on.  And Harry's glasses are a little bent in these pictures but I'm too lazy to retake them.  Picture him just a touch cuter.

I'd say it's about time for us to start reading the 6th book.

JT

 

215: the halloween that wasn't

As many of you know, halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  The costumes the kids chose this year, may not have been my favorite, but still lots of love went into making them.  And then halloween just didn't happen. Overshadowed by a little thing called Hurricane Sandy.

First I was stuck in Houston after Quilt Market for the storm and some of the aftermath.  Couldn't get back until late Halloween night and there was no trick-or-treating.  We went without power for 10 days and went to a hotel and then family's to keep warm.  There were some rescheduled Halloween activities, but we couldn't make any. :(

The good news is the kids' school had a Halloween party the friday before, so they did can a chance to wear their costumes at least once.  And I took pictures before I left.

Aurora chose to be Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter. So basically I had to make the same kind of Hogwarts uniform as last year, but in all grey so she looked like a ghost.

Here she is happy:

Then typical pouty Myrtle:

Notice the Ravenclaw crest which I had to make by hand because obviously they don't sell them in grey.

 

Theo's choice was no surprise.  He's crazy for Angry Birds.  I don't really get it.  It's cute and all, but how does it have that much appeal?  It's just everywhere!  And from the first time he tried it, he was hooked.

His costume was a hoot because he loved bouncing around and bumping into things in his own protective pillow.  I knew if was going to be hot and unwieldy at the party so he had a t-shirt underneath for when he had to take it off.

I love his angry face.

Of course he changed his mind about which color he wanted to be after I bought all the materials... but he had to stick with the classic red.

 

Hope you Halloweens were more enjoyable and frankly safer than ours here in NJ.  And have a great Thanksgiving!

JT

211: stuff you don't see

I've been a bad blogger.  I'm not talking about the post-so-infrequently-that-all-my readers-have-probably-gotten-bored-and-abandoned-me kind (which, let's face it, is most likely the case).  I'm talking about the not-doing-a good-job-of-documenting-my-crafts/life kind.  And that's what's frustrating me right now.

Life has been so hectic lately (totally my own fault for doing too much and never catching up on the regular stuff) and I haven't shown you what I've been up to.  And that means I haven't been documenting it so I can look back on it.

So.... One of the events I haven't mentioned yet is that I did Denyse Schmidt's Improvisational Patchwork workshop.  The Philly Modern Quilt Guild and my guild, The Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild, brought her to the area for a lecture (which was awesome) and workshops.

 

It's was a such a fun day and so against my over-planning nature.  Just letting loose and sewing without planning.  I had hard time playing by the rules and using whatever fabric I pulled out of the bag.  Honestly, I don't know what, if anything, I will do with my blocks.  Here are some of them:

I'm not a hug fan of the randomness and wasn't crazy about using fabrics I don't like, but as a whole, they really do have a amazing quality that couldn't be created any other way.

Then, as a spin-off, the CJMQG did an improv challenge.  We swapped scraps (in part so there would be some overlap in our stashes) and each got a fat quarter of Kona Cotton in Sage.  The challenge was to make improv blocks of any kind using scraps and the Sage fabric.  We kept some, swapped some, and donated some to be made into charity quilts.

These were some of my blocks:

I also did one not so random with a method I call "planned improv".  Love it!

In general I think I like these more than the ones from the workshop, probably because I used a lot of my own fabrics and I wasn't afraid to break the rules and make some more design decisions. :)

These were most of the guild ones:

As for other goings ons...here's a gratuitous first-day-of-school shot for the grandparents and such:

Sad that summer is over...

JT 

210: backyard movie night

Nope.  I don't do anything small.  Can't help it.

I got in my head to do an outdoor movie night to celebrate the start of summer.  First I thought I'd rent the equipment, but then decided I was going to do it more than once (we've already used it 3 times) so it was best to invest in our own.  

Then I had to go for a specific look for the night.  I blame Pinterest.  Truth be told, that's the part I love and I always do details anyway. But I was inspired to do the whole thing by some pictures I found on Pinterest.

Anyway, the look was supposed to be a sort of chic retro on the farm.  Or vineyard.  Or something like that.  I got a bunch of vintage sheets from thrift stores.

This is one of my favs.

And I tried to use a lot of antique looking wood, like the crates and board we used as little tables for drinks etc.  I also put out some flowers and candles.  There were some twinkle lights up on the deck by the food for dim lighting and more ambiance.

My mom has a bunch of nap mats from her preschool days that I sewed pockets in the sheets for, so it was more comfortable.  And I borrowed chairs because in my mind the adults weren't going to be thrilled to lay on the ground.  And there were many, MANY pillows.  Also, my parents have 2 papasan chairs so basically it was like a living room outside.

As for the actual equipment, I bought a projector on Ebay and a receiver/speakers at a yard sale.  The screen I built out of PVC.  Not too difficult.  To give you an idea of scale, the screen is about 14' wide.  The actual material is blackout material meant to line curtains (because it doesn't let light through).  It has a seam down the middle but you can't tell when the movie is playing.  It's attached to the frame by velcro.  

It's somewhat weather proof. It can stay out in the rain but the wind did knock it down.  I can leave up the frame but take down the material, but I am a bit worried the homeowner's association will have a conniption.  If you want more info on how to built your own movie screen, check out backyardtheater.com.  These people are crazy hardcore and it was an awesome resource to help pull it all together.

And of course I had to do snacks.  3 types of popcorn and some classic sweets.  There were bags for the popcorn (regular brown paper bags I printed "fresh popcorn" on myself) and separate one for the GOODIES (so cute!).

Drinks were soda (in glass bottles), beer, water, and orange juice/lemonade served in mason jars.  And boy did we need ice cold drinks that night.  It was HOT!  It was the first night of summer (also the first night after school got out) and I thought we would all melt.  The kids didn't care one bit and ran around before it started.  

Thankfully, it cooled enough after the sun was down that we were reasonably comfortable.  We had a lot of people (mostly families of the kids' friends) and had a blast. Here's how we looked enjoying the show.  We watched Over the Hedge because I thought it particularly appropriate in suburbia. :)  We've also watched How to Train Your Dragon, and one of my all time favorites, Princess Bride.

I used to love going to the Drive-In as a kid so this was great throw-back.  And even though it's not HD or surround sound or anything, there's something that just feels so "real" about the big screen and being outdoors.  It gives me the warm fuzzies.

So what else should I show?  It mostly has to be family movies but maybe we'll do an adult only r-rated night.  I'm thinking classics like Goonies, ET, and of course, Harry Potter.

JT

 

208: easter sweetness

A little behind as usual, I'm finally sharing our Easter portraits. 

I did make Aurora's dress this year (actually I made it for a wedding before easter), but I tried to just follow a pattern.  Honestly, I really tried.

The pattern is Kyoko by Patti Young.  I've had it for quite some time and been meaning to make one.  Aurora actually picked the main fabric herself about a year ago.  I think she like how it looked golden.  It's Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner.

I'll start by saying I love the look of this dress.  It's darling.  The only significant change I made was I didn't make the skirt in alternating panels.  I put one contrast panel in the front and then two sides of the main fabric.  The biggest challenge was cutting because I didn't have a lot of excess and I wanted to match up the pattern and make it symmetrical.  I was a little disappointed in the list of fabric requirements because it just said 1 1/6 yard of fabric, but since it is shown sewn out of 2 different fabrics, it should have said how much for each.  But I think she's fixed it on later versions and it now seems to call for a lot more fabric so I don't feel bad that I definitely needed more than I originally bought.  However, it did claim that you needed 1 yard of fabric to make your own bias tape which was way, way, too much.  

Once I got over these minor issues, the sewing was quite easy.  Diagrams and photos are very clear and really, because I have experience in garment sewing, I didn't have to more than glance at them.

I think it turned out great.  I had to do the hair in two buns cause it's just so stinkin' cute with the dress.  I do wish it was about 3-4" longer.  Aurora is barely a size 7 and that's what I made, but I think it being shorter makes it less formal.  I was going to add length but I didn't have enough fabric anyway.

For Theo I made a tie from my Kingdom fabric that matches the bow on her dress. He was clear he wanted blue even though I wanted something golden like her dress.

And here is the whole happy family.  My husband gets frustrated that I make everyone stand through the portraits, but I'm always so glad I did when I have one like this where we all look our best.  Are they better than spontaneous fun pictures?  No, but nice nonetheless.  

After brunch, we went to a carosel.  How appropriate that Theo chose the bunny. 

And I love this action shot of Aurora.

Hope you've enjoyed your spring and are ready for summer.  I know I am!

JT

 

 

207: we *heart* teachers

If you have school-age children, you know that teacher appreciation week just went by.  I'm class mom for Aurora's second grade class this year and we just love her teacher.  Really we've been so lucky to have great teachers for both kids so far.  And we do truly appreciate them.  

This year Aurora's teacher is pregnant and due this summer.  When her class decided to throw a baby shower for her, I knew I wanted to make her a baby quilt.

I always think to myself how easy it will be.  I'll keep it simple.  Yeah, right.  Inevitably, I get carried away.  This is the pretty quilt I came up with:

 

Actually, it's not super-complicated or anything.  I've been doing a ton of half square triangles lately.  And all I had to go on were that she likes bright colors, her favorite color is turquoise, and she's having a girl.  But I did add some time-consuming details, that, I hope, made it really special for her.  

I had each of the kids in her class write their name.  Then I traced them and stitched them (by machine) into rectangles around the border.  I wanted their personalities to be there in some small way (without becoming too childish or overwhemling), so it's neat to have the names in their own handwriting.

I also couldn't stick to simple straight-line quilting (yes, there's a pattern developing here) so I came up with a flower motif for in each star.

As you can see, she really loved it and I know she can treasure it and know that she's made a difference to every child in her class.

JT

205: puppy party part 2: the day

So here's how it all went down:

First, kids arrived and they just played around a bit.  The cardboard doghouse my dad made rocked!

Next it was time to adopt your own puppy (sorry, I don't have a good picture of them all doing it).  They got to choose from a big bin of cute stuffed puppies of lots of different breeds. And they got to fill out an adoption certificate and name it.

Next, we headed outside.  I had set up an obstacle course (which I also have no good pictures of) for them to run through like at a dog show.  I didn't make them do it on all fours, but they had the option.  It had things to jump over, tunnels to go through, planks to walk across, and hoops to jump through.  We even asked them to puppy tricks like "sit", "speak", "roll over" and gave them treats if they did so.  It was great fun and they all got a "Best in Show" ribbon.

Then the real fun began.  The puppies arrived.  Actually it was 1 puppy and 2 small dogs.  They loved playing around with them and giving them treats.

They even took some of them through the obstacle course.

After we had to say goodbye to the puppies we headed inside to do a quick craft.  They each got their own wooden doghouse, just right for their new puppy, and they got to paint it however they liked.  I made the dog houses by cutting a larger door into pre-made birdhouses and gluing a bone above it.  It was a bit tricky to get the jigsaw into the tight space but they came out great.

Next up: food.  We had sandwiches and goldfish all bagged up and ready to grab. There were healthy additions like fruit at each place and cups of veggies and ranch.  And the yummy, buttery, dog bone pretzels are to die for.  In dog bowls we had Scooby Snacks and Cocoa Puffs to look like real food.

The kids ate (where else?) on the floor doggie-style.  I laid out a runner on the deck and they even had dog bowls to eat from.  Many of them gave the "no hands" approach a try!

Last we sang to the birthday boy and had cupcakes.  

It turned to be a wonderful day and I know Theo had a great time.  However, it did nothing to help satisfy his desire for his very own puppy.  :)

JT

204: puppy party part 1: the details

 

In my usual delayed fashion, I finally have the details of Theo's puppy party from last summer.  The theme selection was pretty easy as he is just crazy about puppies.

 

Let me answer your first question right away, no we did no surprise him with his very own puppy at the party.  Or any time after for that matter.  I was VERY tempted though.  All that focus of puppies had me looking in non-allergenic breeds and all that.  But, at least for now, a puppy just doesn't fit into our hectic lives.  Maybe when he's a bit older and can share some of the responsibilities.

Anyway, back to the party.  It was a great day.  The puppies themselves were the main activity.  I mean what more entertainment does a group of 4-year-olds need but a couple of cute doggies to play with.

 

If you're wondering where we got the puppies/dogs to come to the party, they were from an animal rescue organization.  They had brought some dogs into Theo's pre-school to share with the kids and I thought, why not see if they could bring them to a party?  Although they were quite generous and really just did it for the love of children and dogs, I did give a donation to the organization as well as asking the guests to bring food or toy donations.

And the black lab puppy even got adopted by one of the families at the party!

It was a day filled with playing with puppies, pretending they were puppies, and even adopting their own little stuffed puppies.

I'll be back soon with all the details of the events of the day, but here are some of the sources:

Photography: mostly me, but some by my dad

Invitations, adoption certificates and graphics: custom by me

Real puppies: Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue

Stuffed puppies: Aurora brand bought from Stuffed Safari (great customer service!)

Dog bowls: Petsmart

Cake and cupcakes and dog bone pretzels: Deirdre Thauer

Pretzel recipe: King Arthur's Flour Baker's Companion cookbook (Yum!)

Cookies: me

Wooden doghouses: Birdhouses from Michaels with the openings cut larger

Cardboard doghouse: my dad and me

"Best in Show" ribbons: me

 

 

 

200: holidays

Phew!  Nice little "blog breather" there.  Wish I had something more monumental to share on this, my 200th post, but alas, just a bit of catch-up.

In my usual delayed fashion I haven't really talked about the holidays.  Of course they were busy, busy, busy over here.  I made a bunch of gifts, but I'll have to share most of them at a later date.

But to start with, this is an awesome project I did for my sister.  She just moved into her very very own city apartment and of course I had to help with the decor.

This is a large canvas that I painted and then mod podged on some fabric.  The inspiration is actually from a bedding set, but it was totally different colors, in a different scale, and had no print fabric.  So it's not a copy at all.

But I did make it to coordinate with this bedding set I got her.  I'm not going to put a link because I'm sure by the time anyone cares, it will be long gone, but it was from Macy's.  

It was fun to do.  I normally sew stuff so painting was a departure.  Actually if I could have found a background fabric that coordinated well, I probably would have sew this too, and then stretched it on canvas, but time was limited.  Painting is always a bit more difficult than I think it will be, but I'm quite pleased with how it came out.

Our holidays were mostly spent at home.  I enjoyed my newly converted wood burning fireplace and spent lots of time just hanging out with the kids.  I've even completed an entire quilt since the new year! (More on that later).

Here are a few of the basic holiday holiday portraits.  Aurora chose her own dress this year which she was just dying for, so I went with it.

Hope you had great holidays and that your new year is shaping up to be a good one.

JT

197: Errol and Hermione

It's time for this year's Halloween creations... a continuation of our Harry Potter mania.

I didn't really have to make much for Aurora's Hermione Granger costume, because I had already made most of it for her birthday party.

But, Theo decided to be Errol (The Weasley family's owl. He couldn't be Hedwig because she's a girl.)  That was more of a challenge.

In reality he first wanted to be a Chihuahua, but really?  How exactly does one make that?  I mean I can do pointy ears, but he'd just look like a cat.  So with some mild suggestion he went with owl.  Yay!  So much cute potential.

So, no, I did not use a pattern.  I referenced a hood on a commercial pattern, but that's about it.  I started with this Beenie Babies owl called "Hoot" I have and used it as a model.

The body is made of fleece.  It's lined and stuffed with polyfill and batting.  The tail does stick out a bit and has more stuffing.  Then I added the "feathers".  They are flannels, fleeces, and wools and because I didn't want some to fray more than others I fray checked all the edges.  Yes, I'm psycho like that.

They are sewn on everywhere but around the face (where they are glued).  I also added little pleats in the tops of each one to add volume.

The body is velcroed (is that a word?) at the shoulders, as are the removable wings.  There were even little pockets to keep his hands warm (which was a good idea considering that, indeed, that is snow on the ground).

He was a big hit everywhere we went.  He had two Halloween parades and he was able to go trick-or-treating this year (he was sick last year).

 

Aurora was an adorable Herminone.  I had attempted to make the cloak accurate to the movie, but really did you know they change from movie-to-movie?  So I went with my best interpretation.  The patch was bought.  The tie was made (I even made the striped fabric by sewing on ribbons) because the color of the commercial ones was all wrong.  The sweater was from a thrift store with ribbons sewn at the collar.

I made the wand also, which I will go into on the posts about her party, whenever they are.  Sadly, it was a casualty of the night as it got dropped and ruined.

The funnest (don't care that that's not a word) accessory was the book.  It was an old book, and we didn't bother to change the title or anything.  But what we did do was make it scream when you opened it.  I bought one of those recordable greeting cards and we all yelled really loud and told you to "shut the book, would ya!".  The idea was like it was one of the magical books from the restricted section of the library.  She loved it and enjoyed showing it to all her classmates.  Plus, who is Hermione without a book?

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

JT

 

 

191: I will blog tonight

I've been telling myself that all day, and while it's technically now tomorrow, I'm on it.  Obviously.

A while back I promised to share the results of all serger-sewing-fun I had this summer.  These dresses are my favorite.

One is for Aurora and the other for her best friend who just happened to move half-way around the world this summer.

They are made from recycled t-shirts that I mostly got at the Salvation Army Thrift Store.  A few pieces are old dresses or t-shirts that Aurora used to own and probably had  stain or something on them.  One is even from old PJ pants of mine.

I knew I was going to do very piece-y stuff in bright colors and I found this etsy seller for inspiration.  The patterns are my own, and obviously that took the longest time.  The actual sewing of the dresses is quite quick.

 I got very addicted to shopping at the thrift store.  I went there at least 3 times and spent more than $30 on t-shirts, most of which only cost $.99 each.  You do the math.  I now have big bins of t-shirt scraps to work with.  Luckily I feel pretty certain I'll make more.  She loves the style and wearability of the dress.  I've also made her another and Theo a couple of pieced t-shirts.  I'll try to get pictures of those.  I love Theo's t-shirts because boys clothes often bore me.  And I might want to try some adult sizes, but it's harder to come by big enough pieces.

 

And now I frequent the thrift store on half-off day.  I just can't get over buying Gap jeans for the kids for $.99.  They both now have several pairs of jeans in too big sizes.  I have to scour the racks, but I always find some good stuff.  And I did get quite a few props for her Harry Potter party.  By the way, it's over (thank goodness) and it was a smashing success.  Whenever I have the photos edited, I promise to share.

JT

189: Kingdom in da house

Yes, the time has come to blog again.  Over a month is a bit too long, don't you think?  Even with summer as my excuse.

Well, while I've been gone we've checked off quite a few item on that summer to-do list.  Including fireworks, the beach on Cape Cod, and 5 nights of glamping in the beautiful Thousand Islands area of New York.  Great trip.  Beautiful weather (finally, not rained out!), interesting sights, yummy food, and lots of smiles on the kids faces.  This year we tried "hobo eclairs".  Yum!

These pix were taken at the Heritage Museum in Sandwich, MA.  If you are a bit of a hippie mom like me, you MUST visit. They have this new area called Hidden Hollow (below) that it one of the most amazing places for kids I've ever been to.  Everything is wooden and natural (most right from the grounds) and it has art, storytelling, blocks, sand, play house, theater, musical instruments, a tree house, and so much more wholesome goodness for the kids.  It was just MAGICAL and I totally want it in my back yard.

And now Kingdom is hitting the shops.  Woot!

I don't really have a comprehensive list of shops that are carrying it, so if you are one, let me know and I'll add you.  But here are a few places to pick it up:

Hawthorne Threads

Venezie Designs

Sew Mama Sew

You can get the free pattern for the Prairie Glass Squared quilt here.

Before I know it I'll have an advance copy of my book in my hands...eek!

I'd better get back to party prep.  This year, for Theo, it's a puppy party and I've got quite a bit left to do.

JT 

 

180: forest chic treats and sweets

We decided to have another party this winter for no reason other than we really like to bake. The "we" I'm referring to is myself and my youngest sister Deirdre who is conveniently in town to help.  This time around, it wasn't a strictly cookies party like last year. We had cookies, and plenty of them, but also cupcakes, pretzels, brownies, etc.

The look I decided on was lush, forest floor, with a traditional, chic twist.  Does that make any sense? It did in my head anyway.  And I think that's how it came out.

It was very nice to be able to share the work of all the baking. My husband invited like a million people but since it was a holiday weekend, enough people were away and couldn't come that it wasn't too overwhelming.

It was a simple, casual, open-house-type party where you could drop by whenever.  Plenty of Aurora's friends came.  We had one little craft for them to do: decorating rocks with paint pens. So simple, but they loved it and it was appropriate for toddlers to teens.

As far as the decor goes, I designed and printed the labels myself.  The jars are lined with various green print fabrics stabilized with interfacing.  I glad to say I didn't have to buy a single piece of glassware.  The greenery is a combination of fresh and moss.  The invitations can from the $1 bin at Michaels, if you can believe it.  I paid more for postage. :)

JT 

 

179: troop 96

First off, thanx for all your praise of Kingdom. I'm so excited to see what many of you will sew with it, so promise you'll share, OK?  And I promise there will be more posts to come with my projects etc., when I get the fabric.

So, I feel like I have a ton to post about and just no time to get to it.  I will be a tease and tell you I have big, giant, HUGE news coming this month!

One project I haven't shared yet is this banner I made for Aurora's Daisy Scout Troop.  They marched in the a local St. Patrick's day parade with it, but sadly I was in Hawaii and missed it. However, they are supposed to use this for many years to come, so I'm sure I'll get to see it in action.

I hear it was cold, but they had a good time. And the troop just loved the banner.  The girls each added a little decoration to a leaf with their name on it.  Is it bad that I didn't actually want them to contribute? I knew they needed to do something to make it their own, but I wanted to keep it with the fabric leaves.  But I was a good mom and let go of the control (a little anyway). :)

JT

177: aloha!

I just got back from the trip-of-a-lifetime to Hawaii.  Sigh.  So amazing, yet so...over.  And here I am back in NJ and what does it do on the first full day of spring?  Yup, snow.

So, if I choose to live in my memories and these pictures of all the beauty and fair weather, you'll understand, right?

 This trip was an early celebration of our 10 year anniversary.  And, yes, we went alone and left the kids at home (luckily we had both my parents and my sister to stay with them).

Now, you're all aware of the tragedies over in Japan, and some of you may remember that tsunami warnings reached around the pacific, especially Hawaii.  Yes, that was our first night there.  We slept blissfully unaware until the sounds of evacuation sirens and text messages from loved ones woke us around 3 am.  Luckily we were staying uphill from the coast that night, and weren't really in danger.  But that didn't stop me from imagining giant 1000 ft waves sweeping in and carrying us all away.  Freaky, and a great start to the trip.  Thank goodness it was all uphill from there.

We only visited one island during our trip (well, 2 if you count a daytrip): Maui.  Heaven on earth.  We hiked in the Haleakala National Park to the Waimoku Falls and it was the most beautiful hike I've ever been on.  The bamboo knocking above our heads and the wind blew through it was truly mystical.

After, driving around and adventuring for a few days, we decided to settle in and relax.  So we hung out by this amazing pool.  The view and service were both impeccable and since no one under 21 was allowed, it was definitely serene.  And one night as we swam by the edge at sunset we were treated to a show by about 4 whales only about 100 yards away.  Amazing.

I did actually find a little quilt shop while I was there.  Some tropical florals were in order and I loved the hula dancers for a dress for Aurora.

Hopefully you won't all abandon me now because I've bragged too much. If you're still experiencing the winter blues, I feel for you.  I hope we can get away on another extraordinary tropical trip like this again in, say, another 10 years...

 And now that I'm home and back to work, I do have a big reveal of my next fabric collection coming up really soon.  No teaser pictures, but the collection is called Kingdom.

Aloha! 

JT