Happy First Day of School

Tomorrow is the first day of school for the kids. I made some patchwork apples for Matthew's teacher and some of my close friends at school. (with a few extra for me)

They were easy to make. I first cut the fabric in random sqaures, rectangles and triangles and then sewed the peices together until I had the size I needed. Then I folded the fabric right sides together and cut out an apple shape.

I sewed down the side and across the bottom and turned it right side out. I gathered the top and then, using a long embroidery needle, thread down through the bottom and then up through the top a time or two to pull the apple in. I used a golf tee for the stem and made a small leaf and tacked it to the top near the stem.

Claire and I made cookies as a thank you to our school secretaries. The first weeks of school are always pure chaos for them and they always manage to stay smiling through it all.

A girl needs her apron.

Pouring in the chocolate chips...

And the greatest reward for helping mom... a lick of cookie dough!

Summer Fun Review

A photo review of summer fun we had this year. Tomorrow is our last day of vacation. It's on to another school year- Matthew as a third grader and Claire one step closer to kindergarten. But for now, we remember when our days were filled with ......

sand castle building...
getting feet wet in Lake Michigan (brrrr!)...

enjoying the view...
carnival birthday celebrating...

drying off after sprinkler chasing....

keeping the ball from the dog...

and eating veggies from the farmer's market.

It was a fun summer!

Last Minute Sewing

Only a few short days left of our summer vacation. Monday it's back to work. Which means I won't be able to do much sewing because the beginning of the year is so busy. So I've been sewing like mad trying to get some things done.

I finished piecing the baby quilt and need to find a border fabric. Not sure yet what color I'll go with- I'll take the quilt with me and auction a few colors to see what looks best.



About 10 years ago I bought these great drawstring pants at Urban Outfitters. They were very basic- no pockets or anything fancy, and made out of black cotton. But the fit looked great on me and I actually bought 2 pairs- the black which was full length but short enough to wear with flip flops and a gray pair that was cropped. I loved those pants and through the years the color faded so I re-dyed them several times. Eventually I passed them on to Goodwill and I've totally regretted not keeping them. At the very least I could have used them to create a pattern to make a new pair. Sigh! Lesson learned.

So now I've been trying to make a pair that fits and looks as good.

I made the view A of these pants in a medium. They were way too high in the waist- like up over my belly button, so I took several inches off. But they're also too big around. I love the wide leg- it looks good. I made them out of 100% cotton and they are so soft- they'll be great for around the house. So now I'm trying to decide if I should make a size small- and if I do I'll have to decide if I'll need to shorted them in the waist again. Or I could make View B with the yoke but leave off the bottom panels so they'll be cropped. Still thinking...

I also thought about making the pants in the below pattern.

This is my go-to pattern for a drawstring A-skirt (the middle length). I love this pattern- it's simple and fast and really flatters my shape (I tend to be bigger in the hip and butt areas). I've made many of these skirts- it cotton, rayon and wool; and they've all looked great.

Here's one I made this week for fall. I'm excited about it because I used my new overcast presser foot for the seams and they look great. I also used a new blind hem presser foot and the hem turned out perfect. Plus, I finally was determined to learn the auto button hole on my machine (Bernina 440) so I was able to have better looking button holes for the drawstring.



I also made the wrap skirt from this book.
Here it is- it also turned out well and I'm looking forward to wearing it this fall.

State Fair Fun

We went to the Wisconsin State fair and had a great time. Boy was it HOT outside. But we were still able to enjoy all the fun.

Grilled cheese made with real Wisconsin cheese. Yum!


Coloring in the cow barn.


Riding the bumble bee....

and the trucks.


And of course sliding down the big slide!!

Quilt to Be

Got the fabric for a baby quilt I'm going to make for a teacher at my school. She's due in November. Not sure yet what the quilt will look like- I've got some ideas though. Love the bright, fun colors- such happy colors!

My Summer Reading List

Summer is always the time when I catch up on some reading. During the school year I pretty much fall asleep 10 minutes into reading a book, so I mostly read magazines during the school year and save my major book reading for summer. Here's what I read this summer:
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang. This was in the "new nonfiction" part of the library, which means it can only be checked out for 2 weeks. I was wondering if I'd even be able to finish it because it's like 400 some pages, but it was so good I read it in a week.

Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting by Michael Perry. Perry is a Wisconsin author and so I was compelled to read this book because of that and because of my interest in sustainable living. I really enjoyed this book!

Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin by Norah Vincent. An interesting look into treating those with mental health disorders- I enjoyed Vincent's perspective and appreciated how much of her personal story she shares.

It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather Armstrong. Absolutely hilarious and so so easy to relate to!

Olive Kitteridge: Fiction by Elizabeth Strout. The only fiction book I read and it was a book every woman should read. Olive is a multi-dimensional character and there is some of her in all of us.

I had a great summer of reading and was lucky that I enjoyed every book I read. Unfortunately it's back to school in a little over a week, which means I will have to put other books I want to read on hold until next summer.

Snuggling

There's nothing better then a cozy flannel quilt to snuggle in when watching a movie!

I started this flannel quilt for Claire last year and was determined to get it done before it got cold again. Her room is the coldest in the house and she is always waking up in the middle of the night and needing to be covered up again, which gets VERY old, VERY fast. Let's hope this does the trick. I made two matching pillow cases and have enough fabric left over so I'm thinking of making her a doll quilt as well.