JC handmade

for keeps

this one has been kicking around my head for a while, so i sketched and sketched, took a deep breath and gave that pleat thing a go.  i love the little peek-a-boo aspect of a special print in there, especially against this amazingly soft cool pale grey linen (again, from an old curtain). i was really trying to get away from side seams so it would drape softly, so the identical pleat is in back. i love everything about it. and so does she - in fact, she's wearing it to our playdate today. a far better endorsement than she gave for yesterday's dress.

for the waistline... well, let's face it - if you want it to grow with your child, then you need some elastic. but it doesn't have to look like what we all think elastic looks like. (it looks like giving up, right?) so when i saw the way house on hill road did the the waistline on her supercute twirly skirt, i knew i found a winner. functional + pretty + hours of fun for my little "good tie-er".

you may even see a variation of this skirt appear in the shop at some point. and a dress, that's coming soon too, i can feel it. well, eventually anyway. i still have lots to learn. and what fun it is! 

have a happy 4th and a lovely weekend! xoxo

processing

thanks for the little painting love, yesterday.  we've a whole bowlful of those tiny canvases and heaven knows i have endless silly stories to tell.

in keeping with trying something new, i really want to make more clothes for the girls, so i am going to try to give it a go for a while.

a very basic bit of homeschooling, if you will.  i'd like to try my hand at some lovely patterns that have been waiting patiently on the shelf for months:  a few japanese sewing books and the lovely Oliver + S to start with.  and i really would like to work through the ideas in my head, actually write things down (imagine that!) and sketch sketch sketch before the first cut is even considered.

last night was a beginning.

and you know what?  it was relaxing and invigorating.  this morning when we came down for breakfast, i ran into my little creative cove to write down a few reflections on the piece, likes and dislikes, and ideas on where i can go from here.  i have a lot to learn.  a lot.  and that's really cool.  and exciting.  i'm not sure about where this journey may take me, but i am eager to find out.  xoxo

issues

it was a quiet night alone, just me and my new space, an entire shelving unit stacked with fabrics, a few pattern ideas strewn about my worktable, and my sewing machine standing in the corner, just begging for some action. 

but something else was tugging at me - for quite some time actually - the only things holding me back all along have been materials and that nagging voice that i can't do it. the former was quite simple to solve, thanks to a fabulous local art supply store sunday afternoon who helped me assemble my very own little starter kit of sorts.

but it's that second issue that has been paralyzing me all this time. the "can't" bit. the fear that it will be horrible. or hideous. or nothing like i imagine it to be. and recalling the notion that i have no business picking up a paintbrush - it's that same voice that kept me out of any and all art classes until i was well into my 20's. i guess we never totally grow out of (or rid ourselves of) these issues. and perhaps it could be that those internal restrictions we put upon ourselves are what make our creative yearnings stronger.  if it were all easy, all perfect, well then i imagine it would be kind of boring.

here's to trying something new.  xoxo

just in time for summer

i recently finished up the girls' cotton coverups (a.k.a. ponchos) and am superpleased with the results.  cute pattern (#243) for littles + a favorite yarn and we're set for a few seasons.  i would definitely recommend the pattern to anyone, it's as simple as it gets and there is plenty of room for personalization with different colors as i did here, or with different stitches and cables, as i may do with wool for winter.

ponchos are one of those things you can only get away with for so long, so i figure let's work them as long as we can.  a few recommendations, if taking photos on a hot and humid day ::

• have plenty of motivation in the form of a big bouncy ball
• stock up on cool rewards for afterwards
• and be sure to have extras because they will inevitably fall on the ground
• and maybe you might want one, as well (ahem)

 

i had a blue one.  which they ended up sharing.  xoxo

keeping it personal

wednesday afternoon we whipped up the handmade portion of the girls' birthday gifts for their little friend's party this weekend.

she is the first friend they have made all on their own, thanks to the library and music class.  so when mama suggested a book tote, the idea was greeted with a resounding "oh yes, mama. that would be great!" (seriously, they are that enthusiastic.)  as a team, they selected the fabric, chose the images for the buttons barrettes (always a big hit), and even picked out a nice fancy stitch - and thread, "in pink, mama. use the pink one. yeah, that's right." - for the topstitching of the book tote.

in addition, each of the girls chose a favorite game from our local toyshop, making it a special mix of personal favorites and handmade. lovely.

now if i can get my tummy to untwist from that rotten food poisoning wednesday night (yes, again - wtf?)... but i have thankfully made it to the flip side of things, so there's a fun weekend ahead - birthday party, wedding, anniversary, and possibly even some time just the four of us - hope yours is full of celebrations as well, big or small. xoxo

p.s.  avoid the chicken tacos.  all i'm saying.

setting up the essentials

i moved some fabric back in yesterday.  sort of. 

that is to say, i unwound more from that bolt of linen and measured the window to sew a proper café length curtain.  and then a nail went into the wall as i hung the first thing i always put up in my space.

that was enough for one day.  xoxo

resurfacing

the hub and i went to see sloan sunday night - for the sixth or seventh time since we met 11 years ago - and it was amazing, as expected.  (the new album does not disappoint, by the way.)  those nova scotian boys always have a way of getting us excited about playing together again.

so anyway, we ran into a friend there who asked if we would be resurfacing anytime soon to rock out again.  and now that the basement is finished and the soundproofing is in, we are looking forward to getting back to it.  really, we are.  weekly practice night is set - things just move a bit slower now that we're not in our (cough cough) 20's anymore.  don't even get me started on the metabolism thing. and speaking of resurfacing + metabolism ::

when the girls and i recently sorted through their bin of summer clothes, not only did i find a few mamamade dresses from last summer, but they still fit!  woo hoo to my littles for extending their wardrobe into a second summer.  i drafted a simple pattern for this dress and it's around here, somewhere... once i get my space organized and everything in its place, me thinks there will be a few more mamamade dresses on the rack.  sooner than later, i hope.  they won't stay this little forever.  xoxo

frozen

every so often when i catch a glimpse of my little ones riding a tricycle or sitting in a quiet spot reading a favorite book to a bunch of stuffed animal friends, i am overwhelmed by how they are getting so big so fast.  too fast, sometimes.  there have been many many wonderful memories over the past few years, and most certainly even more amazing adventures yet to be - but every once in a while, it's nice to have a little freeze frame in the form a family tradition, little "rituals" which are welcome respite in the busiest of times, allowing us to pause, connect, and laugh.  a lot.

whenever possible, saturday mornings are spent snuggling, watching cartoons and slowly sipping hot coffee, all the while lounging in pajamas, of course.  and pancakes.  we were gifted a canister of delicious gourmet pancake mix for the holidays and ever since then, i have been on a quest for an equally yummy homemade version.  so, a few weeks back after watching a recorded episode of nigella, i immediately mixed up a jar of her pancake mix.  while slowly measuring the ingredients with my wee sous chefs, we could already tell it was going to be a hit.  the one, indeed.  they are even good cold the next day.  so good in fact, that we've since finished that first jar and are halfway into our second one as of yesterday.  and since the girls are really into taking turns with the whisk and the hub is not one to complain about homemade anything, it's become a weekly request.  oh, all right.  twist my arm, if you must.  xoxo

p.s.  i add some cinnamon to the mix, as well - it gives an extra deliciously aromatic mamamade embrace to just about anything, don't you think?

the past 24 hours

:: yesterday afternoon.  thank you rainy day and library dvd.

:: then the flu hit overnight.  yuck.  poor baby didn't get a wink of sleep.  and her sister was right there trying to help, despite mama's pleading that she stay back a bit.  my fingers are totally crossed we don't get a second wave this evening; it was an all-nighter of bathe + comfort + launder + repeat.

:: i did manage to set up one important element in the new space this morning - before making a much needed pot of coffee.

wishing you and yours a lovely weekend!  xoxo

as to yesterday's post :: you listened - thank you ever so much.  and for your comments and supportive echoes, i thank you as well.

flux

transition can be a challenge for me.  particularly when i am not in control of the timeline, ahem.  when we began work on the basement a few months ago, it initially felt as though the project would move quickly and we'd be back into the swing of things in no time. but the truth of the matter is that during the course of the work, our "swing of things" has changed, our routine morphed.  it's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just a challenge to see through the haze.  and now that the dust has cleared, i find myself at a point in life where i am making a conscious effort to step back and breathe before jumping right back into the same things; and beginning to contemplate my own creative fooprint just a bit before jumping ahead.  just because.

there has been this feeling growing inside me as though i've misplaced my creative footing.  there are bits and pieces strewn about, a sewing machine in one room and an abandoned cutting table + fabric stash on an entirely different floor of the house, and - most tragically of all - blank inspiration boards.  i was simply not permitting myself to even imagine during this time of transition.  there was this unsettled uneasiness inside me, as my "want to-do list" was more and more frequently sidelined by my "to do list". i have learned - from myself and so many of you in this community - that carving out some creative time for myself feeds my soul. it balances my world.  and i need to get that back - here and now.

making makes me happy.  i need it.  i deserve it.  it is part of who i am.

saying that - particularly here - is a huge step in the right direction for me.  the workers are all gone and our home is in better shape than we could have imagined.  it's a blessing.  all of it.  there is a light out there, it is bright and warm and inviting me to explore and create once again.  and today, i am (finally) allowing myself to respond.  again.  i am moving my studio to an old familiar space, paring down considerably to make room for what is yet to be.  i am excited and delighted and filled with inspiration.  i have closed the blinds on my shop during this transition, but hope to reopen sometime in july.  please stay tuned, as i begin work on new designs and look forward to the new directions life will affect, inspire and lead my making.  xoxo