Connecting the dots…

Lickety Spring

I made a Lickety Split bag for spring a while ago as a gift for a special blog-friend. I didn’t show you then, but it’s more than appropriate now, because I think I can say with confidence, that spring is finally here!

These are pictures from yesterday afternoon, when the girls and I enjoyed the sun in the garden. Mads was out with his friend Martin and thousands of other motorcyclists celebrating the annual opening of Bakken Amusement Park – the oldest amusement park in the world. (If you’re curious, the first to paragraphs here explain the event rather well.) I do believe they enjoyed themselves as well!

So now that I’ve proved to you that spring is really here – this is the Lickety Split in my dotted spring-version.

I made it just the same way as usual (previous versions here and here) – followed Rae‘s pattern, and added sew-in interfacing to give it a touch more body and a magnetic snap. I’m really fond of it, and I think the recipient was as well.

And speaking of Rae – don’t forget that her awesome Spring Top Week is about to begin. Tops can be entered from March 30th, and all the details on how to participate are on her blog. Even if you don’t participate, the amount of inspiration found in the many contributions is amazing – and that will be revealed over on Rae’s blog in the beginning of May.

Taking It Easy

It’s definitely time for an update, don’t you think? I found a job – I even managed to find one that I’m totally looking forward to, with Denmark’s largest publishing group called Berlingske Media! I had my last day at AOL Advertising last week, and the office is pretty much closed down now, so I’m enjoying a few calm days before taking on my new challenges. I love that!

Yesterday I was sewing – it has been a while, and there are so many things I want to make. I actually wanted to take part in Sarah’s Pattern Challenge, but I haven’t had the time or energy to make concrete goals for myself, so I’ll just go on to sew a bit here and there, using her challenge as an inspiration.

Anyway, I made these things – a vest and a pouch for my Ipod Touch.

The vest is from an Onion pattern, #6013, it has a dart on each front piece, and I really like the fit of it, though it is quite simple. I made a size small, based on measurements, and it is just right, but it couldn’t be any smaller for me (normally I’m a size M in Onion patterns). I used a quilted fabric, and the pattern is easy peasy, so it didn’t take me long – also I love wearing vests, so this is a welcome addition to my wardrobe. Oh, and I left out the tie in front – like the look better without.

The pouch for my iPod Touch has been planned for a while, but I wasn’t sure which style I wanted to go with. I have been looking at (and drooling over) these beautiful pouches by KapomCraft on Flickr – she has an Etsy-store as well, so if you’re not into sewing, you could go there. I wanted to make something in a similar style, but wasn’t sure if I could do it without a tutorial or something to go by. So I went back to the same tute I used for Ronja’s Nintendo DS pouch, using new measurements, and adding a pocket in the front. I used the same fabric as I did for the vest – it’s already padded, so I didn’t need to use any interfacing or similar. Otherwise I would have.

Everything came together almost right – except when I was done it was just 3 mm too small in the width, so I turned the wrong side back out, undid the seam, and made a new one adding 1.5 mm on each side. Now it’s just right – nice and snug.

At first, I didn’t add any kind of handle or strap, but I quickly realised that was a mistake – so therefore I went to my all-kinds-of-stuff-drawer, and found a nice piece of ribbon, which I added as a neckstrap. It really is just the way I wanted it now.

Only thing I would want different is the Ipod Touch itself – ’cause what is an Ipod Touch really? An Iphone without a phone – that’s what it is. I want the phone too… 

We’re finishing off with a funny story today: Frida has taken the first steps towards getting rid of the diaper, and she has started using the toilet. Her doll though is using a potty for that very same purpose (well, perhaps not entirely, but still). In Danish a potty is a ‘potte’ – however Frida seems to believe it’s called an Ipodde. Now, where could that possibly come from?

Oilcloth Apron For A Little Painter

Frida loves to paint. A LOT. And so far she has been using an oversize bib as an apron, but yesterday I decided we should be able to do better than that. So I made her an apron.

The oilcloth is something I bought for another project – those of you who have been with me long may remember the oilcloth backpack, which is still Ronja’s preferred bag for her gym class. I got the fabric long ago from Stof&Stil, but it’s over a year ago, so I don’t think you will find it there anymore. I used Amy Butler dots for the straps – I never seem to stop turning to that fabric, it just adds a great touch to almost anything.

I was looking for a nice apron tutorial online, and I found this one (pdf) on Sew Liberated. Her blog is amazing, she has made some gorgeous patterns, and I wantwantwant her book, so do take a look over there if you’re in the market for inspiration.

Anyway, her apron pattern wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, I only wanted to use one layer of fabric due to the sturdy quality of the oilcloth, so I couldn’t sew straps and ties in between two layers. Also, even though I like the idea that a child can close the apron herself, I think that a proper tie is best for an apron that I want Frida to use for a long time – it is more adjustable that way. I ended up using her pattern as a guide line, but widening the apron a bit and shortening it as well, since Frida is younger. I trimmed the apron and the pocket with bias tape. For the neck strap, I followed her directions exactly, and it works perfectly. I could have made it a bit shorter, but again, it isn’t crucial, and this apron will last for a long time.

And as for the little painter, she loved the apron the moment she saw it. I wanted to put up a picture of her where you could see the entire apron, but I wasn’t able to drive her away from the painting, so I guess that proves a point as well…

Sunny and Freezing

Yesterday afternoon, while Mads was working on the preparations for installing the exhaust hood in the kitchen, the girls and I went to a nearby playground. The weather was beautiful, which was such a thrill after what seems like an eternity of grey weather.

Frida finds it hard to move around with the amount of snow we have, her legs just aren’t long enough yet… We did have a lot of fun though, but it was freezing, so we eventually headed home to get warm, make tea, and sink our teeth into the yummy muffins we made before we left.

Earlier in the day, while Frida had her nap, I made dresses for the girls’ dolls, Lise and Laura. I don’t make many things without a pattern, but I didn’t have one for these – it’s actually fun to make such tiny garments.

The fabric is from Stof&Stil, and the buttons were given to me by my sister-in-law who lives in Amsterdam – aren’t they sweet? There’s velcro below the straps, so the buttons are just an embellishment. The dresses were a huge hit, so I’ll probably make more for the dolls sooner or later.

Butterfly Pouch and Costumes

For 10 weeks, Ronja has been saving her pocket money in order to be able to buy a Nintendo DSi. The rest of the money has been given to her through birthday presents, but she needed to save up for 10 weeks for the rest. She gets DKK 10 (around $2) a week, and usually they are spent on candy, so I do think the successful saving is quite an achievement for her. She has been looking soooo much forward to getting it, and has literally been counting the days.

Anyway, today she went to get her Nintendo DSi – and she has been spending the afternoon playing with it. We will definitely need to make some kind of rules in that area, but we didn’t today. Now she’s in bed, but we’re going to be spending the weekend at my Mom’s, so I had to make a pouch for the thing, of course.

I found the perfect tutorial over at Mad Quilter, and it took me around 45 minutes to make it. I used heavy sew-in interfacing which worked well and velcro for the closure. The fabric is from the Danish fabric store Stof & Stil.

The tutorial is super-easy to follow, and the pouch is just the way it should be. Next time I make this, I may add a strap to it, so she can carry it easily. Other than that – it you have a child with a DS and no pouch (or you are missing one yourself) – get to it!

Finally I just want to show you what Ronja and Frida ended up looking like last Sunday at Fastelavn (carnival).

This is after they came home, and Ronja’s hair has dropped a bit. I think Ronja was really happy with her costume, and even though Frida initially had a bit of a “I-want-to-be-a-ballerina-as-well” trip, when she got to choose the colour of Pippi’s freckles (purple), and a flower on her cheek, she seemed alright with it.

As for the organza for the pettiskirt – I cannot advise anyone to use it, it frays too much, and the seams will fall apart eventually. I will be making two more skirts for sure – this time using the right fabric. It costs a fortune to have nylon chiffon sent here from the states ($50 shipping alone), so if any of you wise women out there know of a way to get it at a more reasonable rate, please let me know!

Pettiskirt for a Ballerina

Shrovetide (fastelavn) is coming up here in Denmark, and Ronja wants to go as a ballerina. I decided to try to make her a pettiskirt, and even though the rest of the costume isn’t there yet, I wanted to show you how it turned out.

I have been sewing for most of the day today – geeeeez, there are so many yards to go over!

I should share the details, because I have been using quite a few resources, and learnt a few things during my sewing. I know I link to this tutorial/video in my section of tutes that I want to try. I did watch the video in the link, as well as read through the instructions, but I needed a bit more than that. A link in the comments led me here, and that tute did it for me. But you know, I do tend to Google everything to the extreme, so I’ll share a few more links.

• Best free tutorial (that I’ve found) by Kerri of Kerri’s Kreations

• Martha Stewart tute video with Kandi Lightner

• Overview of pattern pieces at Made By Bronwyn

• PDF with some great tips on how to not make it too hard on yourself

• Fabric source for nylon chiffon

Oh, and if it’s just too much to spend hours reading online before you can get down to business, Kerri has a photo tutorial here as well for purchase.

Let me tell you right away – I got the fabric wrong. And it wasn’t because I didn’t know what was recommended, no actually I was just way too late. Ronja needs the costume by tomorrow, and I didn’t go fabric shopping until yesterday afternoon. Noone has nylon chiffon in the shops, polyester chiffon is supposed to fray a lot, soft tulle wasn’t an option since the shop I went to didn’t have it in pink (the requested colour), so I had to take a wild guess on what would work. I left the shop carrying a bag of organza and some satin.

Organza does have the right lightness to it, but it still frays terribly. It’ll do the job, but you will be tearing your hair out over why you didn’t get the right fabric from the beginning – I know, ’cause I have been doing just that all day.

I got myself a gathering foot for my sewing machine, and I must say, I couldn’t have done the pettiskirt without it. I know some would – but they would have to be much more patient than I am – and not have kids. You are supposed to be able to attach and gather at the same time using the foot, but I tried that with the tiers, and it was a complete nightmare. The organza kept slipping out of the foot, and I had no control whatsoever. Soooo, I cut 9 new 4½ inch strips of organza, and decided to just be happy that I bought enough. Then I gathered first using the new presser foot, and attached afterwards using my regular presser foot.

It does take a long time, but still it’s a fun project, and once you get it, it’s not difficult.

Ronja loves her skirt. She wasn’t overly enthusiastic while I was sewing, but she definitely was when it was finished, so I just had to show you right away in spite of the lack of light for photos. Tomorrow for shrovetide celebration the rest of the costume will be a simple improvisation. I will tie her hair up in a bun if she’ll allow me, and I have sewn some of the pink ruffles to an undershirt to go with the skirt. A bit of facepaint and she will be ready to go.

The only problem is, that after Frida saw this skirt, she is not quite happy anymore, that she is going as Pippi Longstockings. Do I need to say that I will be making more of these?

Quiet World

Yesterday, early in the morning we had another heavy snow fall. I had been looking forward to all 4 of us going for a walk, but as Frida had a terrible cold that came with a fever, and Ronja wanted to do something else, I decided to leave them all at home while Frida took a nap and just bring my camera.

I decided to head in the opposite direction of the toboggan run and the crowds, so my feet led me to the woods and the fields. Usually, there is a gravel road that leads to the woods, but at the moment everything is so covered with snow that you just can’t see where the trail is supposed to be. I took my guess and made it there anyway.

Making my way back, I thought I’d take a shortcut, but as I haven’t done that before, the “shortcut” ended up leading me to knee-high snow in the middle of a field. Lifting my boots high and sinking deep again with every step was exhausting, but now and again when I stopped to listen, everything around me was just really quiet and beautiful.

I was terribly tired yesterday – the impressions from spending an entire Saturday at a bloggers meet-up, in an atmosphere of inspiration, warmth, excitement and creativeness were still very fresh, and the lonely walk was a nice way to collect my thoughts.

I eventually found the path I was looking for to get me back home. Frida was feeling really bad yesterday evening, and her fever reached new heights, so today I’m taking care of her at home. She looks terrible and is a bit more whiny than usual, but other than that she demands entertainment – just as usual.

Going Downstairs

Just wanted to show you Frida in her new dress – I think she’s beautiful, but I may be biased…