wrapagami - furochic it!
i adore the idea of using fabric to wrap gifts. my mother in law was doing this at xmas time and i loved it! any excuse to use fun fabric is a good one in my books. check out the new book wrapagami by jenn playford:"If you think origami is cool, wait until you see Wrapagami! This colourful little book is written by Jenn and is a collection of projects using a square piece of fabric and simple techniques to wrap gifts and incorporate FurochicTM and furoshiki into your everyday life. Who would imagine a square piece of fabric could be SO handy! Embellish your gifts with the luxury of a fabric wrap that becomes part of the gift and can be reused over and over again."
for those of you lovelies that live in Victoria, "join jenn at silk road on april 26 at 11am for a furochic workshop where you will learn how to wrap your gifts in fabric using inventive and creative techniques."
for those of you lovelies that live in Victoria, "join jenn at silk road on april 26 at 11am for a furochic workshop where you will learn how to wrap your gifts in fabric using inventive and creative techniques."thanks to my friend erica for the heads up on this great workshop!
she had a good day yesterday
playing in the sand
picking dandelions at the ocean
we are so lucky to live here
skipping stones with nana and auntiecapturing the mood of the day
these pictures captured my mood today - cheerful and bright even though mackenzie and i both have coughs and a bit of a cold...again. we took these yesterday while out and about enjoying my folks being in town.thanks for understanding the lack of posts this last week or so while we are enjoying some serious family time. things will be back to normal next week.
what captures your mood today?
my baby is "2" today!
happy birthday to my precious little girl! i started writing this post a thousand times over and had about 20 pictures and then decided to just put up one of our all time faves of mackenzie. she wasn't even 1 here, but it just captures her little grin so well and i am feeling nostalgic today.
mackenzie and i went through all her baby pictures today reminiscing and seeing how much she has changed over the years, her laughing and me crying at how fast time has flown by. i was told i may never have a baby (a story for another time) so she is truly our miracle baby. life has been such a joy with her and we are blessed to have her charming little self in our lives.
the day is filled with sunshine, lakes, beaches, grandparents and beautiful blue skies today. wishing you all the same :)
etsy monday in the mommyhood
"those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."james matthew barrie
i have been all about yellow this weekend and have been enjoying the recent burst of sunshine. i couldn't help but spread a bit more sunshine with some cheerful and sunny summer dresses in, you guessed it - yellow.
2. vintage inspired gauze ruffle dress - whimsycouture
3. raglan mini dress - wholegrainbaby
4. strappy sundress - arfeiniel
5. sweet shoulders dress - parsimony
6. lemon yellow hello - hotellemotelle
7. erinleighheart
8. sunset yellow shirt dress - lemonstorynyc
our weekend so far
how to close a seam with a ladder stitch
as a newbie sewer i am always on the lookout for new ways to hide my stitches when closing up a softie or a pillowcase. i am a visual learner so sometimes books just don't cut it for me. i spotted this video on closing a seam with a ladder stitch on craft today. what a great way to hide those little stitches you just don't want seen. i wish i had seen this clip a few months ago! it sure would have saved me a lot of work when trying to seam up a few projects my poor chubby fingers bled over.
what's your favorite way to close a seam?
what's your favorite way to close a seam?
a peek at what i'm working on
i've been feeling the need for some serious sunshine lately and have been drawn to all things yellow. here's a sneak peek at what i've been working on the last few nights when mackenzie's been sleeping. my little girl's bday is on monday (how time flies) and this will be a surprise for her to wear to her party tomorrow - that is if i get it finished.things have been hectic in our household with my family in town visiting and a bday party to plan. we should have lots of fun projects, pictures and posts to share with you next week.
wishing you all a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable weekend filled with nothing but sunshine!
what are you working on?
easy ruffle skirt tutorial
sew, mama, sew has a free tutorial for a ruffle skirt. i adore a pretty ruffle. i haven't learned to sew a ruffle yet and thought this might just be the project to get me started. i also saw that the skirt is drafted to fit your body which i love because nothing ever fits me right. the pattern is from emu and this girl is one busy sewer! check out her flickr page for all the things she has made. now, if only i could learn to sew better, i could whip up a new summer wardrobe!what is your favorite skirt to sew?
lisa hannigan - sea sew
lisa hannigan has been popping up all over the blogoshpere with her wonderfully creative music videos filled with crafty delights. i am a long time fan of lisa hannigan and love her work with damien rice, who i also adore. you have probably seen these videos already, but just in case, i couldn't resist posting them anyways. i like to sit and watch them over a few times myself and it's nice having them in one spot to take a peek at and get inspired.
check out lisa hannigan's latest solo realease "sea sew" and let your imagination go wild.
view from the mommyhood - flower power
what a cutie pie!
doesn't she look so sweet and innocent?
ya right! this is the face i got when i asked her to smile for a picture. she didn't think i was taking her picture in the above photos, but she caught on real quick and out came that little tongue....fit friday in the mommyhood - stroller fitness workout
remember when the only stroller a mom had was one of these? could you imagine those skinny wheels surviving the everyday usage we put our strollers through?now we are decked out with top of the line jogging strollers and strollers featuring all kinds of bells and whistles. how would we exercise with our strollers if they looked the way they did back then?
the weather is warming, the sun is starting to shine and hopefully the snow is gone. if you are like me (no car) you may already be getting your daily dose of stroller fitness in, but if you aren't, it's never too late to start! it's a fun, economical and easy way to ease back into fitness after a baby or to start a new program with a toddler.
if you are wanting to start getting involved in stroller exercising you don't have to look hard. with the fast growing popularity of stroller fitness classes popping up, they are not a hard thing to find anymore. such companies as "stroller strides" and "fit 4 two" are 2 such businesses that franchise and have many fun and motivating classes all over canada and the united states. they both offer class types fit for every fitness level and pre-natal classes as well. you can also find stroller walking classes in most malls. it's a great place for indoor walks when the weather is bad and super convenient for indulging in a cup of coffee with another mom after the workout. remember - socializing for you and your little one is also part of the fun of stroller fitness classes.if you are looking to be self-motivated and take the reigns of your stroller and head right outside, then check out the videos below. incorporate the moves shown into your regular walking or jogging routine and you've now gotten yourself a free and refreshing workout outside, with your baby, in the sunshine (hopefully), on your own time schedule and best of all, you aren't cooped up in a sweaty gym dreaming of the blue sky, wishing you weren't on some stinkin' treadmill staring at some sweaty guy on the bike in front of you.
mackenzie and i have put some serious miles on our BOB jogging stroller and i don't know what i would have done without my trusty SUV wheels and shocks. it was well worth the money i paid for it a zillion times over. i have no complaints and my daughter loves riding in it. but don't worry, you don't need to have a certain kind of stroller to get out and walk, the most important thing is to make time for you and to get moving. i find the easiest thing for me on the days when i just don't want to drag the stroller out is to give myself a goal. anything at all. go buy toilet paper. i need bananas. pick up diapers. whatever the end destination is, it's not important, what is important is that you got out the door and walked. as moms, we all know how hard sometimes just getting out the freaking door is, especially when we have 2 hours of sleep, a cranky baby, a dirty house and haven't had a shower. the magic is in the air. once outside, all that fresh air and vitamin d work wonders for our moods and our hormones. like i always say, a happy mommy is a happy family. if mom's not happy, neither is anyone else in the house.
jeremy, mackenzie and i after finishing the times colonist 10km run last yearis exercising with your stroller & child part of your fitness routine?
got craft?
i'm missing vancouver right now. i wanna go to the "got craft" show. if you live in the lower mainland be sure to check out the got craft show on sunday, may 3rd, 2009 from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm at the royal canadian legion @ 2205 commercial Drive (at E. 6th Ave.), vancouver, bc.why?
"…because MALL is a four letter word.
With over 50 handmade vendors ranging from clothing to jewelry to ceramics and wall art, Got Craft? is Vancouver's largest indie craft fair.
Now it's your turn to pledge handmade and shop local. Why? It helps the environment by reducing your carbon footprint, it keeps your hard earned money in the community and it supports Vancouver's handmade revolution!
First 30 people through the door receive a FREE, handmade swag bag stuffed full of goodies from all of our vendors. Make sure you arrive early!"
in the meantime, i caught this great little clip off of the get crafty site here and just fell in love with the tshirt shopping bag! hello! too cute! i am making one of these!
have you seen handmade nation yet?
moms in the mommyhood - jane richmond
some of us knit & some of us who knit sell & design their work & patterns while some may dream of one day doing just that. i have always been curious about pattern designing, but suffer from a very bad case of "i just can't seem to get this whole freaking math thing figured out" syndrome. i can visualize my end piece but can't get my head around the numbers.
i envy those who can get past that stage and wonder how they do it. i figured i can't be the only one who finds this interesting. when i spotted jane richmond's patterns on ravelry, i couldn't resist writing the gorgeous, creative & talented lady behind "alterknits" and asking her. it seems we both live on the west coast, have little girls and love knitting. this is what followed:
i am a ravelry addict, judging by the fact that you are a volunteer editor you must be as well. how has ravelry affected your sales & designs since you joined? ravelry is an ideal place to sell my patterns, people are very enthusiastic about them and they give me really great feedback and a big boost of confidence. in return i've made sure to offer some of my patterns for free to ravelry members as my contribution to the community.
did ravelry help play a role in you deciding to sell your own patterns?
ravelry opened up the knitting world for me. before i received my invitation i felt like the only knitter on earth, or at least the craziest! seeing what other people were doing with their knitting and designs is what inspired me to do my own thing.
you currently reside on vancouver island. does living here come into play in your design aesthetic? i noticed your love of cowls and hats.
absolutely. my designs begin with a basic need. if there is a gap in my closet or some wonderful knit i long to be wearing, i start sketching. all of the hats, cowls, scarves, and mittens that were published this winter were designed as christmas gifts; each design is named after the receiver. it just so happens that the things i knit are worn locally so they must be practical garments for island living. west coast casual is very much my style, i like to be comfortable.
most knitters dream of one day selling their handmade goods/patterns. how did you get started and what prompted you to start your etsy shop "alterknits" last year?
i began designing my own patterns simply because i am so picky. when i work from a pattern i like to follow it to the t, i rarely modify anything because i feel it was written that way with good reason. these two traits combined, lead to endless knit garments that didn't measure up. i won't wear something just because i made it by hand, it has to be something i want to wear, would love to wear. and so i began designing to satisfy my own particular taste. as each finished garment would make it's debut as the latest addition to my wardrobe, i would receive compliments and inquiries, this pushed me to self publish.
you say your nerdy love of math played a big role in you deciding to design your own patterns. give us an example of how this comes into play?
my patterns begin with a swatch followed by an elaborate spreadsheet. i spend hours or sometimes days crunching numbers in excel. when my figures have me stumped it doesn't frustrate me, i enjoy the challenge and relish the satisfaction of knowing that everything adds up, nothing was overlooked, and most importantly, my raw numbers translate into a wearable finished garment.
i started knitting when i was a young girl, how old were you when you picked up knitting?
my mother taught me the basics when i was 5 years old on a pair of wooden chopsticks and some scarp yarn. she bought me my first set of needles and i would make these little swatches. i must have lost interest eventually because as a teenager i had to relearn on a pair of metal grilling skewers. i haven't been able to stop since.
what are your favorite needles & wool to work with?for christmas this year, my mother (also a knitter) bought me a set of nickel plated interchangeable circular needles from Knit Picks, everything else has been collecting dust since then. i'm sure if i had ever had the privilege of knitting with addi turbos our life savings would be gone by now, i am a huge fan of slippery metal needles with zero drag!
as for yarn, i seem to fall in love with whatever ends up on my needles (with the exception of acrylic - i'm not against it, it just isn't nice to work with). i am incredibly passionate and picky about colour, constantly sacrificing my first choice of blend for that perfect colour.
do you spin as well?
i have yet to learn to spin. i have a feeling i would acquire not only a spinning wheel but a farm and a new lifestyle! it's a dangerous prospect.
we all love etsy. have you found having the shop a positive/negative experience?
after spending days on my computer getting my files in order, cleaning up my photographs and composing descriptions for my sale items, i was ready to launch alterknits. within minutes of the shop going live i made my very first sale, i was elated. i love the community feel of etsy, everyone is very supportive. it has been a very positive experience.
what is your favorite/least favorite thing to knit?
i love to knit sweaters and cardigans, nice big projects that i can settle into. they certainly get the most use out of all my finished objects.
my least favorite thing to knit would have to be gloves, i love the end result but aside from the cuff, there isn't enough "down time" in a glove pattern where you can get into a rhythm.
i don't enjoy fair isle knitting (sorry fair isle lovers out there), do you have a technique/style of knitting you dislike?
i don't enjoy fair isle knitting either. i rarely ever use more than one colour in a knitting project and i have yet to publish a pattern that involved more than one colour. it's a personal preference, just thinking about working with more than one ball gives me a headache.
the photography for your projects caught my eye on ravelry. do you do your own photography?
it's funny because i didn't realize i was taking good photos! thank you. i model my designs and take my own photographs simply because it is convenient. i am quite picky about how i want the shots and the garment to look so i like the control it gives me. nice clean photos are so important and i spend an embarrassing amount of time posing, taking pictures, and reviewing to get pictures i am happy with.
the one exception would be the photographs for my design "elsie". my oh-so-talented brother nicholas, was kind enough to stage a photo shoot with my daughter elsie for those fantastic shots.
how do you find balancing being a mom/wife with running the shop? when do you find the time to knit?running the shop is fairly easy to juggle with the rest of my motherly/wifely duties. shipping orders, responding to customer inquiries, and keeping the shop up to date can normally be accomplished during nap or bed time. designing and launching a pattern is a different story. for these things there is never enough time.
i find myself the most creative at night, what time of day do you find yourself the most creative?
just like people daydream, my mind wanders to patterns and design ALL the time. when a design is "haunting" me at bedtime i often make a sketch and jot down a few notes just to get it out of my head.
what tips/advice would you give other mom's thinking of selling their handmade goods?i love designing knitwear. it is a constant source of happiness. i feel very lucky that there are people out there who are willing to support me in this endeavour by purchasing my patterns. i only charge what i would be willing to pay for a pattern (considering the outrageous amount we spend on yarn as well as the use the pattern will get). my perspective is more of an artistic one rather than of an entrepreneur. i can't live off of my designing income at the moment, but i don't try to either. if there was that much pressure for my designs to succeed, i don't think it would be enjoyable anymore.
what is your favourite knitting resource?
ravelry is a wealth of information. every day i set aside a half hour for "research". i log onto ravelry and browse my friends activities to see what everyone is in the "mood" to knit, i pour over their latest finds and favourite things, it inspires me. i can discover new designers and follow old favourites. checking out ravelers' modifications to existing patterns always leaves me in awe!
what project have you been dying to knit but haven't started yet?
i have this nagging desire to design the perfect cardigan. something light weight that could be worn under a jacket during the cooler months and over a tee-shirt once the weather warms up.
we all have had to do the dreaded unravel, what is your worst knitting experience?
louisa harding's fitted textured sweater from her book modern classics. the sweater was knit in pieces and then seamed together, so trying it on mid way was not an option. the pattern instructed me to block the pieces with an iron before seaming, after that nothing would fit together properly, i must have ripped out the armhole seams a dozen times.
the end result was very disappointing, the body was ridiculously short on me, yet baggy and unflattering. it sat in my closet for two years before i decided the rowan kid classic deserved better. the yarn was quite fuzzy and stuck to itself constantly while i tried to unravel the garment. after all it had been through, i had to borrow a knitty knotty and make skeins so that i could give the yarn a warm bath to get the kinks out. once dried and wound into balls, this very expensive yarn has new life as the drops cardigan. i can honestly say it was worth it, i wear it every day.
a lot of us start out knitting and then broaden out to learn many other crafts. do you have any other favorites besides knitting?
on occasion i will draw, sketch, or paint but i don't actually do any other crafts other than knitting.
what is an average day in your life like:8:00 elsie eats breakfast while i check my emails and deliver etsy orders that were made during the night. 9-12:00 play time while mum tidies the kitchen, house work, etc. 12:00 lunch then nap time. 1-3:00 elsie naps while i update alterknits and my ravelry store. if i am in the middle of a design i work intensively on that for the whole 2 hours. if i am between designs i will use the time to do "knitting research" to get inspired and learn new techniques. 3:00 elsie up and with any luck we spend the rest of the afternoon in the yard. 5-6:00 dinner. 6-9:00 play time with dad. 9:00 off to bed for elsie. 9-11:00 more catching up on emails, sending out orders, and working on current design ideas.
you can buy both patterns and finished products of jane richmond's at "alterknits" here or on ravelry here. you can also find jane on ravelry under the username janeyfromcanadia. a big thank you to jane for agreeing to let me ask her my many questions and for being such a sweetheart.
so dust off your needles, find a colour of wool you adore and knit up some west coast cool. if you pop by jane's shop leave her a message - say hi and tell her we sent you! happy knitting & hopefully - one day designing!
are you a mom with a business you would like to see featured here? we would love to hear from you!
***note: alterknits has now moved to a new store! you can find all of jane's patterns and her new ones over at "jane richmond" on etsy. click here for the link.
charm pack baby quilt tutorial
don't you just love a charm pack? diary of a quilter has a great tutorial up for a charm pack baby quilt. i can't seem to stop looking for as much help as i can get with the process of making mackenzie's quilt and this tutorial cleared up a lot of questions for me. click here for the tute and while you are there, amy's got a great how to for a diaper clutch.
potholder loving
potholders, potholders, you know you need to make a new potholder - c'mon, make one with me. we all have pots and we all need holders. i am collecting all the fun potholder tutorials for when i get some spare time (in my dreams) to start whipping some of these bad boys up. this one can be found over at craft here.do you have a favorite potholder?
issue two of antler magazine is up!
i was supposed to be in bed when i got the email that antler magazines 2nd issue was up. so what did i do - yep, you guessed it, i didn't go to bed. i spent about half an hour oohing and ahhing over the pictures and interviews in this delicious ezine. i figured it was worth it because i just know when i go to sleep tonight, my mind is going to be filled with inspiration, wonderful goodies and lots of beautiful pictures. that's a good way to go to sleep if you ask me.you can check out antler magazines 2nd issue here.
(p.s. - my email got in the love letters section of the mag!)
view from the mommyhood - goat leapfrog
awww, look at all those cute goats. so innocent and docile. ya right! what may look like a sweet pic is actually hilarious. this is another one of the many petting zoo pics i am sure to post this week and it is probably my favorite. we had a good laugh at another woman's expense that day, sorry lady, whomever you are, but it was too funny not to laugh at you.at the local petting zoo you are allowed to go in and sit in a huge pile of goat droppings and brush the little guys. they are cute, but watch out, they aren't as lazy as the look. if you glance over at the top right hand corner of the picture you will see what i mean. that goat is just about ready to leapfrog right over that poor woman's head - and he just about did. i just happened to glance over and see the little bugger take a running leap for it and pounce right onto the unsuspecting mom's back. meanwhile the hubby came running to the rescue and grabbed that little pouncer right off the top of her head and i mean top of her head. it was priceless. one of those - you had to be there to see it moments.
when we left the zoo, i was wishing i had a picture of it. i got home and uploaded my gazillion photos and realized after the second look through that i actually did. funny thing was i was laughing so hard, i don't even remember having the camera up and aimed at the victim of the goat leapfrog. poor lady. all i can say is, don't ever turn your back on a goat and definitely, definitely, don't ever sit down in a goat pen. they'll jump you those goats, without a second glance, because one goat is not enough for a frolicking fun game of leapfrog.
do any of you have a petting zoo tale to tell?
drunkard's path block - free tutorial
i am in the middle of making the "quilt sandwich"right now for mackenzie's birthday present. i'm also in the middle of a new dress for her (pics to come soon) and about a gazillion other projects left either on my needles or in a pile by the sewing machine. even though that's the case in my house, i thought why not add another quilt block to the list. what's another project when you already have tons in the works? i adore the curves and lines of this block and thought that if not used for a quilt it would make fabulous coasters - which are also on my soon to be made list. you can find this free tutorial for the drunkard's path block here at "the sometimes crafter".
what project would you use this block in?
(images the sometimes crafter)