My Sewing (And Knitting) Story...

I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up. My Papa would play checkers, backgammon and chess with me, and I would sit with him at his workbench in the garage and watch him carve. He was a woodcarver. He would visit with me about my day and explain to me what he was carving as his hands moved expertly across the wood. It was always the favorite part of my day.

My Nana would do puzzles with me and I would watch her sew. My Nana was an amazing seamstress. She could sew even the most complex pattern to near perfection. Every stitch was straight, every seam was finished.  She also knitted and crocheted, beautifully. I was always amazed at how nimbly her fingers worked the fabric or yarn as she was making something. 

Despite my interest in the art of sewing, I never really got into sewing when I was younger. I didn't have a machine and even if I did, I wouldn't have even known where to start. There weren't a whole lot of resources for the teenage audience at the time. Not to mention that it took a level of time, perseverance and patience that was overwhelming. 

My freshman year of college my Papa died. It was days before spring break, so I came home and stayed with Nana during that week. During my stay, sitting on the sofa together one evening, I asked her to teach me how to knit. She gave me a large pair of needles and showed me how to cast on, knit stitch and cast off. We practiced, sitting side by side, working the yarn. The rhythm of the needles was so calming. I think it was something we both needed at the time. 

My first knitting project was... unique, to say the least. I wanted to make a scarf. 

... I did not end up with a scarf. 

As a novice knitter, I didn't quite realize that as you cram those rows together on your 13" needle, they will not knit into a tight little 13" scarf (those of you who knit are probably already laughing...). Yes, novice knitters, count your stitches. Those tightly crammed stitches will expand into... well... not a scarf. My little mishap required that I buy a couple extra skeins of yarn (okay, maybe three or four...) and in the end, I created a slightly narrow throw blanket when I finally admitted defeat and cast off. Nana laughed with me when I told her about it, and said she admired my perseverance. I followed that project up with a couple of scarves (that actually looked like scarves) in my first year of college, but as classes got busier I put the knitting needles down to focus on school.

Fast-forward to after I had my daughter. I saw a sewing book, Amy Butler's Little Stitches, and impulsively bought it. I didn't have a sewing machine. I hadn't used one since middle school. But I knew I wanted to sew. 

I came home with my book and pronounced, "I am going to learn to sew!" to my husband. (Much like Gru from 'Despicable Me' walking into the room and pronouncing, "We are going to steal the moon!")

... I should insert here, how blessed I am to have a husband who just shakes his head knowingly, hugs me, and supports my ridiculous "I AM GOING TO  ___[fill in blank with crazy project]___" moments. 

I borrowed a machine and powered my way through the monkey laundry bag (pg 113 in Little Stitches). 

I was hooked. 

At the end of the project, I started researching sewing machines online. I read reviews. I went to every store in town and tested the different machines. I asked Nana about hers. We saved, and finally I bought my machine. I've been sewing ever since.

Last year Nana passed away. It was a very difficult loss for me. I wish I spent more time learning all she had to teach, but I feel so blessed that I was able to have her as long as I did. 

This week I picked up the knitting needles again. Nana knitted afghans for each of her granddaughters, and she gave me the extra yarn left over from mine. It was just a small ball of yarn left from that skein. I knitted a small doll-sized scarf for a doll I will make Little Tomato.

Yesterday I picked up a knitting book. 

Once again, husband gave me the knowing shake of the head as I declared, "I am going to learn to knit!" and began teaching myself to purl, rib and cable knit away...

Creative Slump

I've been in a bit of a creative slump. This time of year gets me so stir crazy. The holiday buzz is over, but it is still months away from spring weather and activity. I just feel like curling up with a book this time of year. It certainly doesn't help that our new puppy has kept me doggedly tired from her 3 am potty breaks!

Speaking of the new puppy... did you know that with some breeds of dogs, their ears can droop while they are teething? Earlier this week, one of Nala's ears began drooping. By the end of the week, both were drooped. Apparently this is not uncommon, but it was quite an odd sight for us. We have nicknamed her "Beaker" because it seems everyone (including me...) makes Beaker-like sound effects when picking her up. Well, that... and she has a Muppet-like quality to her.

Anyhow... while there have been few projects around here, during my January Craft Day I worked on a tutu for a gift. I made a 'Bobbing for Apples' tutu, which I designed a couple of years ago.

The photos below were taken by Laura Benitz Photography of my first 'Bobbing for Apples' tutu.

I have a few projects on the docket for this month, so hopefully I'll be posting some new projects soon! 

Holiday Hiatus

This past month has gone by in a blur, a season of family, friends, and festivities. We hosted and attended many a Christmas party. We had great friends over for the New Year. We were able to really test how efficient our home was built when the power was out for 12 hours during a snowstorm (it did well)... and we got a puppy!

We discussed a second dog for a couple of years.... and I may have periodically trolled Petfinder to see the dogs available in our area... But finally, in December, we stumbled upon a little dog that we just had to take home. She is a Lhasa-Poo (Lhasa Apso/ Poodle) and a little sweetheart. We adopted her from a wonderful rescue in central Nebraska, A Passion for Paws.

She is all puppy, with her snuggles, playful romping, and the evening wake-up call to go outside. I almost forgot how tired you become when you are regularly getting up at 3:00 am! 

So please excuse the holiday hiatus from posts. We are finally getting back into the rhythm of our days, with a new member of the family. :)

Christmas Cookies

The cookie parade started innocently enough. Husband came home with a 'ready-made' tube of cookie dough with the usual groceries. He said that cookies sounded good. Well, they didn't quite measure up to homemade cookies.

So we began with the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies from Allrecipes.com. These are delicious, basic, 'like your mom makes' chocolate chip cookies.

But then I remembered the DOUBLE chocolate cookie recipe from Allrecipes.com which were absolutely amazing the last time I made them... so I had to make those too. The "Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies I" recipe is absolutely addictive. There is a reason I save this recipe for special occasions... they are kind of like your favorite Girl Scout cookies- somehow the box magically goes empty and you are accused of 'not being good at sharing.' The special tip to this recipe is to use 1/2 regular chocolate chips, 1/2 mini chocolate chips. This allows for your usual chocolate chunks in the cookie, but leaves melted chocolaty goodness where the mini chips reside.

Now, the original recipe of the double chocolate chip cookies makes approx. 48 cookies. The beauty of Allrecipes.com is that you can adjust the number of servings and it will adjust your ingredients. However, I looked at the '48 servings,' shrugged my shoulders and said, "Sounds good to me!"

So between the classic and double chocolate chip cookies... lets just say there were a lot of cookies here.

Now, I could have just stopped there and made gift bags with these cookies alone. But, Pinterest can be a dangerous thing. This year I have seen so many fun cookie and treat recipes for the holiday season, I figured that I could just KEEP GOING and make some fun cute cookies to add to the heap. 

So... adding to the above mentioned cookies, I also made:

Reindeer Nutter-Butter Cookies

Snowmen Nutter-Butter Cookies

Chocolate Cherry Christmas Mice

Our kitchen was overflowing with Christmas goodies! Today we began the rounds of dropping off the holiday treats. Hopefully they will enjoy eating them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Have you made any great Christmas treats this season? Please share your favorite Christmas recipes below, I still have three weeks of holiday baking left!

More Dolls

I love the uniqueness of handmade dolls. For Little Tomato's first birthday, her gift from mom & dad was a handmade doll I bought on Etsy. I was not quite as adventurous with my sewing machine at that time.

Last year, I made a small doll for Little Tomato, which was my first attempt at making my own pattern. However, shortly after that project, husband and I were fully immersed in building our home and the sewing machine gathered some dust.

This November, I stumbled upon a new book, "Storybook Toys" by Jill Hamor, which looked like a great resource to learn how to make more complex dolls (my review of the book is here). Thus, this past month, I have been tinkering around with making doll patterns, and have made a couple as gifts for Little Tomato's pen pals. I still have one more to make (hopefully to be delivered by Christmas!), but I thought I'd share the first two which will be en route to their new homes soon!

The Blonde Ballerina:

 The ballerina has velvety soft alpaca yarn hair in a bun, a satin pink leotard, and satin ballet shoes. Her outfit is complete with a dusty pink tutu with a satin wrapped waistband and bow. I think I will make a different pattern for the leotard in the future, as I don't like how the arms attach to the leotard on this one.

 Banjo Bear Jumper:

The first yarn hair doll I made this month was Libby (see post here). Libby was pretty small for a doll, at about 10" tall. This made turning the limbs inside out very difficult and is just an awkward size- too big for a dollhouse, too small to be a huggable doll. After making Libby, I adjusted my pattern to make a larger doll. Since I loved the outfit, I made the new doll in the same banjo-bear jumper, but her features match the little girl who will have her.

I really enjoyed making this outfit in the larger size. It allowed for more detail in the banjo and the shoes. They are moccasins with 'fur' trim. :)

Thankful

Yesterday Little Tomato had her first surgery. It was a minor outpatient procedure, but I was still beyond relieved when she was brought back to the pre/post op room where I was anxiously waiting.

We had the procedure done at the children's hospital. I designed healthcare buildings for 7+ years and I have worked on more than one children's hospital. But it wasn't until yesterday that the gravity of it hit me... children's hospitals are full of really sick kids. As we were leaving, I saw a mother checking in with her child, who was obviously a cancer patient. It broke my heart to see this family and the struggle they are facing. We so often take our health for granted. We so often take the health of our children for granted. During this season of thanksgiving and reflection on the blessings in our lives, I am beyond grateful that my daughter is healthy. I am thankful that we were at the hospital for only a few short hours, and that it is not a regular setting in our lives.  I am thankful for the many wonderful people who make it their life's work to care for the sick. My heart is full of gratitude today. Full of gratitude for something I so often take for granted.

Favorite Christmas Books

I am a major advocate for reading. Even the smell of books is enough to put me in a happy place. 

This, coupled with my addiction to beautifully illustrated children's books, has amassed an impressive library of children's books. Today I am going to kick off the holiday season with my favorite Christmas reads. 

Image Credit: Amazon.com

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, by Susan Wojciechowski. This is my all-time favorite Christmas book. I have linked to the Amazon 1995 print. There is good reason for this. While the new books have a CD, they have done a hatchet-job of the breathtaking illustrations. It is a travesty, as the illustrations make the book extraordinary. You can see the difference against the newer copy here. 

A sad, reclusive woodcarver is visited by a widow and her son. They are new to the town, and she has realized that her family nativity set is gone. She asks the woodcarver to make her a new set before Christmas. He grumpily accepts the job, and is visited the following week by the widow and her son because the boy wants to watch him carve. As the woodcarver works, the boy teaches him about his nativity set- each figure and why it was special. Slowly, as each visit approaches, the woodcarver is softened by the kindness of the widow and the joy of the boy. The illustrations are warm and heartfelt and the story is lyrical and poignant.

Image Credit: ZiggityZoom

The Christmas Magic, by Lauren Thompson. I have to be honest here, I am a complete sucker for anything illustrated by Jon Muth. Not only are the illustrations frame-worthy, but the stories are almost always guaranteed to be spectacular. This is no exception. The story is a sweet and almost poetic narrative of Santa preparing for Christmas. This is not your 'holly, jolly Santa' story, but rather a more wise, kind, and old Santa whom you can imagine hand-carving toys of the past. 

Image Credit: Amazon.com

Great Joy, by Kate DiCamello.  This is a touching story of a little girl, Frances, who shows great compassion and love for others. I can't do justice to the simple, beautiful story by trying to explain it. Check it out. 

Some other great reads for the holiday season: 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss

A Charlie Brown Christmas, by Charles Schultz

The Jolly Christmas Postman, by Allen Ahlberg

The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg

Please add your favorites below! 

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Last Friday, Little Tomato got in a wee-bit of trouble... she decided to give herself a haircut. In the time that it took for me to change clothes, she had lopped off some massive chunks of hair. She didn't just get the front, but had somehow managed to hack off some of the back too.

I didn't so much 'yell at her' as I began to squeak the words, "No, no, your beautiful hair!" in an eerily high-pitched voice.

Needless to say, the day did not go as planned and we spent the morning at the hairstylist taking a good 4-5 inches off the length (with lots of layers to hide the more 'dramatic' chunks of missing hair). I spent the afternoon vacuuming human hair off the floor that had somehow traversed half the rooms in the house.

So this morning, while we were working on a Thanksgiving craft, I opened the drawer to her desk to find what looked like a dead animal.

Oh, wait... no. Never mind. Just some evidence of last Friday's debacle.

Blessing Bags

Today my friend Sarah and I made 'blessing bags' together with our kids. We had both seen this idea on Pinterest [original link here] and wanted to do this as a November activity.

Sarah brought a book called, "The Tooth," by Avi Slodovnick which addresses giving to homeless and read it to the kids. We briefly talked about how some people do not have homes and the simple things we use every day like a toothbrush, chapstick, warm gloves, and food.We then gave each child five bags to fill with the various items and they enjoyed walking around the table filling the bags with blessings.

For anyone interested in doing this activity, there is a great 'how-to' on the link above, and I have included our list of items below.

A video of the reading of "The Tooth,"Avi Slodovnick can be found HERE at Storyline, read by Annette Bening.

We purchased gallon-size plastic bags and filled them with the following items:

• Gloves
• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Facial tissues
• Reusable collapsible water bottle
• Shampoo, lotion & soap
• Chapstick
• Cough drops
• Band-aids
• Deodorant
• Granola bars
• Cracker sandwiches
• Applesauce
• Gum

Meet Libby

Yesterday I was planning on having my November 'craft day' with friends, however Little Tomato was feeling under the weather, so it was cancelled. However, Husband graciously watched her yesterday to allow me to still have the day to sew. I just purchased a new sewing book, Storybook Toys by Jill Hamor, and was eager to get to sewing with this book.

I ended up making my own pattern for both the doll and clothing, but I found the book really helpful regarding general information on face embroidery and yarn hair construction.

I have named her Libby, and intend to also make a handkerchief to tie in her hair for a little accessorizing. Libby was inspired by this adorable photo I saw on Pinterest.

Libby's shoes are removable so she can run with her bare feet. :)

Her hair is Nature's Choice Organic Cotton yarn, and is incredibly soft.

Her facial features are embroidered.

I couldn't resist adding the banjo playing bear to her smock. And the knee pads just added to the cuteness.