penny carnival

Baby doll dress for my baby

J had to stay up late working last night, so I thought I'd join him. The result: this "picnic dress," as I'm calling it, for Magpie.

It's really more of a shirt than a dress when Magpie wears it, which was my intention. But hanging here in the breeze (recognize the hanger, Nis?) it looks more dress-like than anything.

This was my most successful attempt at pattern making to date. It's a very simple design--just seven different pieces of fabric sewn together. No lining. At first I was disappointed by how tapered the sleeves are, but when I put it on Magpie this morning the narrowness at the wrists, plus a bit of elastic in there, made it so she isn't bothered by drapy sleeves as she goes about her 10-month-old business (usually that involves racing with me to the dog food bowl and then looking all pissy when I snatch it away from her).

The fabric is a stretchy jersey knit I couldn't resist one day last winter at JoAnn's. I think the only other time I used it was here. Doesn't it remind you of a picnic? We're heading to one this afternoon ... 

Happy Thursday, everyone.

Craft night and a silly kid

I have to share two funny conversations I had with Bo today. 

The first occurred in the bathtub. She and her sister had been in there for a while. Insert their real names here if you know them (Bo and Magpie are their blog names, obviously).

Bo: Hey, Mom. I and Magpie and Bo are ready to get out of the tub.

Me: You mean both you and your sister are ready to get out?

Bo: Yeah. And Bo.

(Lesson to myself: it's time to stop speaking in the third person, as in, "Mommy needs to go tinkle.")

The second happened this afternoon as I was running with them in the stroller. To preface it, you should know that I've been making them a bunch of stuff lately. Stuff I haven't even had time to photograph and put on here. Just this morning I finished sewing a pair of slippers for Bo because she's required to have some to wear during preschool (I didn't see anything I liked within a 10 mile radius of our house--they were either the wrong size or had Dora's big head on top). Anyhow, I think I've successfully taught her that we don't always have to buy things we want. We can depend on ourselves when we want or need something.

Case in point, this afternoon we're jogging past a house with a swimming pool visible from the road.

Bo: Look, Mom. A swimming pool. Can you make that for me?

In other blog news, the wonderfully talented Klay over at Klaydoughdreams has a post up about a craft party I attended last month. I was there as a reporter, working on a story for the new Spokane Metro magazine. I'd interviewed Klay over the phone before, but that was the first time I'd met her in person. Even though I'd never seen her until then, I detected a certain glow about her that night and lo and behold it turns out she is preggers after trying for a long, long, long time (she has blogged about that, so I think I'm OK saying that here). We had one miscarriage here and it was awful, but it was after Bo so she kept us smiling. I cannot imagine the frustration of trying for so long, but now I'm so happy to be around for the joy. I seriously choke up every time I think about it.

Anyhow, Craft Night was awesome. Picture 20 or so people spread out in various rooms of a house, everyone working on something different. Beading. Knitting. Sewing. Making flowers out of old bicycle tire tubes. Pair that with lots of yummy-looking food, wine and great conversation. My kind of night. 

I haven't seen the current issue of the Spokane Metro yet, but I swiped these images from Klay's blog. Cool cover, huh?

Cover your cans

Let me admit something right off the bat: I'm a part-time nurser. I stopped at 8 months with Bo and 9 months with Magpie. 

That can only mean two things: dirty looks from female strangers (not all, but plenty) when I shake up a bottle of milk in public and lots and lots and lots of empty formula cans.

I can't bear to toss those cans. Formula costs so dang much--It's like I owe it to myself to get a second use out of them. 

So let me introduce you to the latest thing taking over our home: covered cans. 

The idea came from the fabulous blog Elsie Marley, written by Meg, who got it from a Japanese magazine. Meg's cans are much more subdued and charming than mine, but I needed some punches of color in my otherwise white-brown-and-black kitchen.

I'll post a more detailed tutorial here later, or you can follow Meg's. Basically, it's a slipcover for a can, and you can modify it to fit any size can you have. I like to make them nice and snug, so much so that you kind of have to work to get it over the can. But they come off, so you can wash them easily.

Speaking of nursing, check out Bo's fixation this weekend at the county fair as a calf was drinking its mama's milk. I could hardly tear her away. When she grows up, looks like she's either going to be a plumber (plumber's crack in training there) or a lactation consultant. 

Mish mash

I took my first ballet class in more than 25 years today. True, I wasn't supposed to be the one taking ballet, but when Bo fell to pieces at the start of her first class ever this morning, I jumped in and did all the moves with her. Every time I tried to ease my way out of the room, her eyes filled with tears. So there I was in my jeans doing plies with all the 3 year olds while the rest of the parents watched from the other side of the mirrored wall. I guess the visions I had of myself knitting during ballet lessons won't be reality anytime soon. Luckily no one took pictures of me, but here are a few of our budding ballerina.

Let's see. What else is happening in Penny Carnival land? 

-My avocado green Sears Kenmore sewing machine, circa 1969, went t-ts up on me (yet again) so I finally threw in the towel and bought a replacement. It's a Singer something or another. Not a crazy expensive rock star machine, but a dream compared to that old beast. I stuck with the Kenmore for a long time for a lot of reasons--I loved that I was recycling something my mom used, I loved that it had metal parts instead of plastic. But it was the source of much frustration, too. I must admit I was a little overwhelmed when I took the new machine out of the box, but now that I've figured out the basics it's like riding a rocket ship after years on a tricycle. 

RIP, little green Kenmore:

-Last week I mentioned a free skirt tutorial the good folks at Oliver and S were sharing. Leave it to my friend Carolyn to sew one up for her sweet daughter, Joey. She sent me the photo below the other day, and then we met each other at this great fabric store yesterday afternoon and she and Joey were wearing matching skirts. Too cute.

-There are some more details available now about Fresh Abundance's new craft fair that's going to be held on the second Saturday of every month. As you can see, it's about way more than crafts. Sounds pretty great. I can't wait. And again ... no vendor fees, folks.

-The first week of preschool went really well minus a little clingy-ness (to be expected) when I dropped Bo off on days three and four. I'm already noticing a lot of big-girl changes at home. Without me having to remind her, she puts her shoes in her closet when she gets home, she brings her dishes to the sink when she's done with them, puts away her toys and she actually helped me sweep the floors--for real--yesterday. I know what they're doing there goes deeper than just teaching the kids housework (they're teaching them to focus, concentrate), but oh, Maria Montessori, how I wish you were alive so I could thank you anyway.

(Yea for preschool:)