Wonky and Bright

Wonky and Bright, that's me! I am on my second week of recovery from a minor surgery and it's getting better all the time.  Minor or not, surgery feels a bit like getting hit by a truck and the first week was a little wobbly. This week I'm back to school drop and pick up, quite excited to be driving again. The Engineer has been a whole lot of Superman lately and I can not thank him enough for taking over. Of course, family and friends have been stunningly helpful too, I am truly blessed to have such a caring support group around me.

I have done the tiniest bit of making whilst laying in. Crafting under the influence I'll call it. Under the influence  of pain medication, sunshine and Spring! Everything is blooming in the brightest of colors! Yesterday on a family Sunday drive I nearly cried seeing rows of Dogwood in bloom, the flowers were the most amazing shade of salmon pink!

To celebrate the kaleidoscope of my neighborhood in bloom and my feeling well enough to make a little something, I grabbed my long neglected hooks and found the brightest of all yarns in my stash and just began. It took me a minute (or half an hour) to remember what it was I needed to do. It took me another half an hour to get my stitches relaxed and even. The Engineer got that worried look on his face that he gets every time I take up the crochet and asked what I was making. "I don't know," says I, "I'm just moving my hands and getting the rhythm."

And it grew. Then pony Girl suggested that it should be a blanket, for her. "Alright," I said, "it might be done by Christmas."  Anyway, it doesn't really matter. The yarn is crazy colorful, fun and makes me happy to look at.  The thing I'm making is decidedly wonky and bright, just like how I am feeling right now.

And how are you my friends?

Gretchen goes to Barbados - A Pattern Review

Ah, the first dress of the new year! For me this is the perfect way to start a fresh crafty year. Making a dress for my girl is one of my favorite things to do. I find that it centers me, inspires me and is ultimately very satisfying.

Just before the Holidays Pony girl and I were in my favorite local fabric shop, she pulled this pattern from the stacks and said, "Please Mama, will you make this?" How could I resist?
The pattern is "Gretchen" by Modkid.

I have seen Modkid patterns before, but never picked one up. When I use a pattern company that is new to me, I like to resist the urge to alter, modify and forge ahead in my own wild fashion. Instead I keep to the pattern faithfully (mostly) and carefully follow the pattern's own instructions so that I get a sense of the company overall. This makes it perfect for a review too!

First Impressions:
The Pattern Booklet is beautifully photographed with an "Inspiration Gallery" showing the variations and lovely fabric combos. The pattern itself is printed on good quality paper with clear cutting instructions.
I like a pattern that allows for a ton of variations, this pattern definitely fits the bill.

I decided to make view D without the bottom band. I do believe I must have been day dreaming about tropical locales and sunny beaches... perhaps The Caribbean with it's vibrant colors, maybe Barbados! I used Moda's Trade Winds fabric by Lily Ashbury, very bright and colorful! I decided to make the largest size 10. Pony Girl is an 8/9, but I like a little room to grow.

Work in Progress:
The instructions were very clear and thorough, illustrations of cutting lay out and sewing steps were helpful. There are a lot of pieces to this dress, so once I had them cut I kept them in organized piles for ease.

As I was working I found that the pattern drafting was excellent. Every piece came together perfectly and even the sleeve attachment was close to effortless - which is not often the case.

This is a straight forward pattern and quite simple really. There are no button holes, no zipper, and the block piecing makes it easy enough for a beginner with just a little experience.

The only things I did that were not a part of the original pattern instruction were 1. increase the width of the side ties to 1 1/2" and 2. top stitch around the neck opening. Purely for personal preference.

What I especially like about this pattern:
Cute! Endless variation possibilities.
The sleeve gathering on the long sleeve version, nice design detail.
Oversized pockets! You all know how much I love a handy dandy pocket.

Things to note:
There isn't any thing I dislike about this pattern, just some things to keep in mind.
Using quilting weight fabric as I did, makes this a pretty substantial garment due to the linings. For a more Summery dress, I think it would make up wonderfully in Seer Sucker or even a voile. This is a full cut dress, the waist is very wide and then cinches in with the side ties - this makes it easy to pull on and off over the head. The size 8 would have fit my girl much better in the shoulders and neckline, though I did find that the length on the size 10 to be just right. If you have a tallish girl (like I do) you might want to double check the length before cutting.

I often find that the back of a garment is my favorite, wonder why...

The Stats:
I spent a couple of hours tracing the pattern onto my own pattern paper and then cutting out the fabric.
All together the dress took about 5 hours of sewing time to complete.
Yes, I would make this dress again.

And most importantly, my girl loves it!

Be Bold

After finally coming out from under the covers, I discovered that I am terribly behind. Much to do my friends! Many thanks are owed to the Engineer for laundry doing and dish washing, you are a gem my dear! And thanks to you all for your get well wishes, they helped a lot.

I've decided that today I am brushing away the cobwebs that collected in the corners of my mind last week, and shooing away the drab and drear. I am contemplating brights, going bold!

I have this little bit of trepidation, wondering if it will all work out. Can I pull this off, this loud experiment? Still, I am remaining steadfast and determined, I will go forward into this bright and bold new world.



Wish me luck!

Come Spring

The weather 'round here has been plain silly! Now the sun is out in full force but, the temp. has dropped and the wind has picked up, so cold. I am feeling the need for a burst of color and to sing a song of springtime. I'm inviting Spring with a few of my flickr favs. Have a colorful weekend my friends!

1. Tea and Biscuits, 2. happy hearts..., 3. Annie Necklace, 4. a touch of color..., 5. Blooms, 6. Flutter ~ Floral, 7. Imperfection is underrated., 8. Old wood spools, 9. Valentine roses

and it only took me a year to make

Last week whilst I was dabbling in the studio, I went a-looking for something amongst the piles of fabric which got me to wondering, 'Where has that maid gone, she should really tidy up this joint!' Oops, I'm pretty sure we don't have a maid, we just have me. I gave myself a good talking to, in which I used the phrase, "Shape up or ship out!" then I had a proper sulk for I didn't need to be quite so hard on myself. After all that was done, I still hadn't found the item I was searching for but I did find this! A jacket I had started a year ago for Pony Girl, I'd nearly forgotten all about it and felt terrible for neglecting such a shiny bit of possibility. Would it still fit? Would I recall the seam allowance I had used?

Well, I forged ahead and put all the last bits together...

and it fits!

With some room to grow even!

and I even managed a wee stuffed bunny to go along.

Avalon Jacket and Insa skirt from the Book "Sewing Clothes Kids Love"

10 in 10 for 10 - Day 5

click the pic...amazing mural!

As I headed out to run my errands, I grabbed my camera unsure of what I would find today. Then I saw that someone had yarn bombed a telephone pole near where I parked my car, perfect!
All of my shots are taken on one street close to where I live, this one street is full of amazing and colorful murals and art work. "Street Art" if you will. It may not be to everyone's taste but, I truly believe that Community Art is vital, meaningful, and necessary to the fabric of our communities. A vibrant expression of the energy and spirit of our neighborhoods. By the people, for the people.

Also playing along:
Little House in Paradise
Colette
Loess Is More(stay tuned!)
Fledge - flying is easy
Flaming Nora
Handmade - Homegrown
Mad Crafty Mama

10 in 10 for 10 - x 2

Days 3 and 4 rolled into one...

Yesterday I never got out to take my ten. It was raining, pouring, the old man was snoring, and I had a date with some denim and the 'Fraulein' for some stitchery. So today I decided to double the flavor, double the fun and take 20 in 20.

I have to say these are the first I really like. I just focused on color, shape and texture and I think they are pretty ok.

click on the pic for a good look-see

Now for the second 10...

Just don't tell Pony Girl that I went to the park without her.


This is fun, wanna see who else is playing along?
Fledge - flying is easy
Flaming Nora
Handmade - Homegrown
Mad Crafty Mama

I know another one or two who might be joining in soon, I'll keep you posted. Thanks so much to Nancy for putting this into motion!

P.S. I did fix my settings before I went out to take the shots but, I did not touch a thing once I started my photo shoot - nor did I edit after.

Color pop

1. Untitled, 2. corner, 3. Pretty Collections, 4. Old wood spools, 5. Studio 5 ~ yarn, fabric, punches, 6. Untitled, 7. 30's Doll Quilt 2, 8. Sept 29, 2010 318, 9. sous-plats1

Tis a dark and blustery day. I felt the need for a strong dose of color to brighten up the place. Chosen from my flickr favorites, I have put together a color pop! Oh yes, it's making me feel better already!

Have a colorful day my dears!

Hello Monday - Big Bag of Happy

Happy Monday all! This weekend brought the rain in buckets, and a chill in the bones. I was blindsided by an outrageous head cold that laid me up and knocked me out.
Still, there is a silver lining. Whilst snuffling on the couch I finally became reacquainted with hook and yarn. Not performing at full capacity I thought it best to pick up an unfinished project that began ages ago. It first started out as a seat cover for a stool. And then became a bed for the Buddha Cat.

Now it is finished and has turned into a big bag of happy to hold my yarn! Working with these vibrant colors certainly brightened my days. Countless cups of tea were drunk while I went round and round. I am thrilled with the results and so glad to have a place for my yarn lovelies. I am so pleased to be back at the hook again as well.

If you would like to make your very own Big Bag of Happy, Lucy from Attic 24 has the whole lovely pattern waiting for you!

Have a super day!