Fancy Pants

Here are some pants I made for Louie today. I'm going to applique a patch of the fishy fabric on a $2.50 t-shirt when it comes out of the dryer. Lou is a big Nemo fan, especially after our trip to the Baltimore Aquarium a few weeks ago. He actually enjoys getting new clothes, so I know these will be a hit.


I used my old standby Easy Fit Pants pattern, but made some modifications to make them REVERSIBLE! The technique involves taking a bit off the top, lengthening the bottom, and finishing off the cuffs in a most impeccable way. I'd be happy to publish a "tute" if anyone is interested :) . Anyways, I just love this style for rapidly growing kids. Louie always outgrows pants in length rather than girth. Since the cuffs are adjustable, I can get so much more life out of pants made this way. For example...

Here is my "sweet pea" - barely two and enjoying a cold, wet mud puddle in Cleveland.

Fast forward to age 3. He was a big hit at the 2007 Celebration of CT Farms. Now he is 4 and the pea pants are still in his drawer. They fit more like board shorts now, but I just can't bear to part with them!

Using the same technique, I also made a pair of grown-up pants for a dear friend of ours. Her name is Julie Jordan, and she is an incredible vegetarian chef and cookbook author. I just adore her - she is so intelligent, funny, caring...I could just go on and on. Her food is unbelievable, too (ask anyone from Ithaca, NY about her "Wings of Life" salads).

I actually bought these fabrics about two years ago with her in mind. I wanted to make her a pair of snazzy chef pants that she could flip over and wear out on the town. I used the same one piece pattern (meaning no side seams) that I use to make Del's pajamas. I just added a few extra inches to account for the cuff and the fact that she is several inches taller than he is :) . That is another nice feature of reversible, cuffed pants - you don't need to have exact measurements to get a perfect fit!

Bowl-O-Rama

I'm happy to say that my new eBook is listed on YCMT, and I'm back in the swing of making gifts! I used my Bowling Shirt Pattern to make these presents for some of my rowdy girlfriends. Actually, the shirts are for their kids, but hopefully they will bring back memories of all the crazy things we did back in the day. Things like...


...going out for sushi. We girls could put some hurt on a "boat!"



...gossiping around the chimnea on warm summer nights.


...planting flats and flats of peas so that we could isolate the chloroplasts from the seedlings. There is no better bonding experience than cleaning up the gooey green aftermath of that procedure!


This last one is for my Louie. One our former neighbors used to say he was a "card," so this fabric always makes me think of him.

There only FOUR days left of the "Thrifty Under Fifty" challenge, and I still have lots to do. I still need to make pajamas for Louie, pants/shirts for Louie, finish three dollies, two name pillows, a quilted runner, and some handbags. I'd better get to work!!!

In that mode...

I've been hyperfocused on my latest eBook for the last few days. I get into kind of a weird trance when I am at this phase in the process. All I can think about is finishing the eBook. Laundry is piling up, my hair is getting greasy, and Louie is disassembling things right and left. Thankfully, I have an understanding husband who is keeping us fed and withholding comment about my hair.

This "mode" is nothing new. I used to get myself in the same state back in my science days. It was especially bad when I would write grant proposals. I'd usually put off the boring paperwork until the dead last minute, and would end up in fighting with the departmental secratary's typewriter in the middle of the night. The lack of sleep would make me terribly emotional and completely antisocial. It was always such a good feeling to get the fat envelope sent off and grab a shower and a long nap.

My eBook writing zone is a much more blissful state. It is really a joy to write about sewing and crafting. Bodices and bows are so much more fun to draw than enzymatic pathways. Any deadlines are self-imposed, and it isn't the end of the world if I go ahead and go to bed when my eyes start to ache. In this case, I'm really pushing to get this eBook finished in time for holiday sewing projects.

Since I am sooooooo close to finished, I'll go ahead and disclose what I've been working on...


I've been wanting to make a vest pattern for the longest time. Louie wore a prototype to my brother's wedding last April (poor kid always cries at weddings).

I'm very excited about this eBook! Vests are hot right now! And they aren't just for dress-up, either! I love the look of an oversized vest over a big T-shirt - very retro 80's! I'm including options for collars, mock pockets, and ties/belts in the back.

These vests super-duper easy to make, too. They are definitely good for instant gratification! Speaking of which, the ties are made from this eBook by my friend Sherrie, aka PatchworKids. Talk about an easy, adorable project!

OK, back to putting the finishing touches on my eBook. I'm really looking forward to washing my hair tonight!

Treeful of Gifts

My mom has the nicest group of friends. They take such good care of each other, and are always going out to do fun things like lunch and shopping. When we visit, they go out of their way to drop by and see us, and bring little gifts and treats for Louie. I'm always wishing I had something special to give in return. I'm happy to say that this holiday season, I'll be able to show my appreciation for these great ladies with some handmade door-hangers.

This was such a fun, easy project!!! I downloaded the FREE instructions from YouCanMakeThis.com. It comes with a pattern and very detailed instructions for hand-stitching "Home for the Holidays" surrounded by dainty snowflakes. The design was created by my friend and favorite stitchery artist, Shelli. Also known as "Needle in a Haystack," she creates the most beautiful, whimsical, and meaningful samplers and motifs. For the longest time, I've wanted to sit in front of the fireplace and carefully stitch out one of her lovely designs. Alas, between child and work, I just don't seem to get that kind of quiet time. That is why I was beyond THRILLED when I found out Shelli was going to offer machine embroidery designs. It is the next best thing to having her stitch it out for me!

The "Home for the Holidays" machine embroidery design is actually available for FREE on YCMT's sister site, SWAKembroidery.com . Shelli has so many other charming designs at SWAK, I just had to try out a few more for this project.


This is the Joyeux Noel design. I adore the topiary and the holly leaves. I really want to make myself a decadent throw pillow using this design (someday...sigh).


This is my all-time favorite! I made two of these - one for my mom (because I wouldn't dare make these for her pals and not reserve one for her) and one for her Red Hatter partner-in-crime Selma.

The door hanger instructions suggested adding batting behind the stitching. I'm the worst hooper in the world, so I just hooped the stabilizer, and pinned the batting and the fabric on top of that. It worked beautifully! The light, airy, "prim" designs are really perfect for giving a quilted homespun look.

Not only did the design stitch out in a jiff, but the hangers went together very quickly too. I sewed them up "assembly line" style, and I used my 1/4" piecing foot. It is amazing how the guide on the side of the foot makes stitching so much more accurate (you'd think a 1/4" seam allowance would be easy for me by now, but I tend to daydream and wander all over the place).


My parents were actually here for the last 3 days, so my mom got to see these babies go together. She is thrilled with the results, and can't wait to give them to her friends.

Since my favorite babysitters were here, I was able to get a lot of work done. I actually started on a new pattern - YAY! I'm not quite ready to reveal what I'm working on, but I'll give a few hints...

1) It is for girls and boys
2) It is super easy to make
3) It is FESTIVE!!!

This particular garment is perfect for the holidays, so I am going to work my hardest to get it out before the middle of the month. I still have lots of gifts to make, too, so I'll be spending lots of time "at the bench," so to speak :) .