Toppled Turtle

Freecycle is for crafters

2011-06-03T23:33:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of freecycle yet? Are you a freecycler? Here's why I love freecycle....

That's a whole lot of knitting, crocheting, quilting, and other crafting magazines for....free! I've seen fabric, yarn, scrapbooking supplies, etc posted up for free. I've gotten countless toys, clothes, and other miscellaneous items from freecycle. And, I've given away lots of stuff that we would have otherwise thrown away or hauled over for donation.
Here's the nitty gritty: I get a lot of emails everyday and I have to weed through them to find what interests me. Most days, its nothing. Some days, there are lots of goodies I'm interested in. My local freecycle uses yahoo groups and members post their free wares for those interested. You can get emails one by one or once or twice a day. I've tried both methods and have found that the once or twice per day option is useless. By the time I read through all of the posts, most of the items have already been taken. You have to check your email several times a day and respond immediately when you'd like something. The great thing about the way my local freecycle group runs is that each post states the item and nearby location/intersection in the subject of the post, so weeding through all the posts goes very quickly.
Its not all perfect. One big downside is the number of posts by people trying to get rid of items that are basically useless/used beyond repair. The very first item we picked up was a bike trailer that was purported to need "a little TLC"...turned out there was no tow bar, the tires were rusted on, and the parts were no longer available for that model. We learned a lesson from that first attempt...be weary of "needs TLC" or "needs repair/work" posts.
But, once you get the hang of it, and you get your hoarding tendencies in check, its a great way to supply your craft and toy closets and to pick up some random items you've been considering purchasing. I highly encourage you to check it out at least...perhaps sign up for a short time to give it a try. I absolutely love the idea of passing along perfectly usable items to people who could get some use out of them and thereby keeping items out of a landfill, as well as getting some great things for free. The more people who freecycle, the more great items there'll be to pick up!
Now that I've got a lot of reading to do, its time to pull out the post-its and mark patterns I'd like to try. Enjoy your freecycling!

Seriously cute, simple, panel skirt (photo tutorial)

2011-06-01T00:54:00.000-04:00

I was out with the family this past week and saw a little girl wearing the cutest little skirt. I fell in love and knew I needed to make some for my girls. We immediately ran across the street to the fabric store, picked out some fabric. A little planning and a couple of naptimes later, each of my girls have their own panel skirt for the summer. I am extremely pleased with the way these came out and hope you enjoy making one for your own little love.
Below, you will find a picture tutorial for this skirt. Warning, its very picture heavy. I made it in toddler size 2-3 and 4-5 and have included the cut measurements below.

Disclaimer: This pattern/tutorial is being presented for personal use only. A lot of time and effort went into planning and creating these skirts and this tutorial. Please be respectful and do not utilize this tutorial to make items for sale. Thank you.

Supplies:
6 different fabric patters (5 for the panels and 1 for the yoke/waistband and bottom trim)
1/2 yard of Fabric A (for yoke & bottom trim)
1/4 yard of 5 additional patterned fabrics (these will be cut into a total of 10 strips and then pieced together to make the main part of the skirt)
Elastic (I used 7/8 in wide non-roll elastic)
Thread to match fabric

Cuts:

Size 2-3T                                                                 Size 4-5T
Fabric A: 1 strip 5.25 x 26 for yoke/waist                 Fabric A: 1 strip 6 x 28.5 for yoke/waist
               1 strip 3.25 x 51 for bottom trim                1 strip 3.5 x 56 for bottom trim

Fabric B-F: 2 strips each 7.5 x 6                               Fabrics B-F: 2 strips each 9.5 x 10

Elastic: 17.5 in                                                          Elastic: 19 in

Skirt Construction:

If you have a serger or sewing machine with an overlock stitch, start by overlocking all edges of your cut pieces. This will help keep the selvages from fraying and prolong the life of your skirt. (If you don't have this option, don't worry, we're going to topstitch all of the seam down, which will also serve to prevent any fraying of the edges.)

You may have to piece to sections of fabric together to get the length required for the bottom trim. If so, sew the pieces together first, then press the seam open, and then overlock the raw edges. This will ensure that the seam is sewn into the garment pressed open, which will reduce bulk.

With the right sides of the fabric facing each other, sew all of the strips of Fabrics B-F together using a 1/2 inch seam allowance to form one long strip of fabric. Then join the two ends of the long strip of fabric together to form a loop.

Now its time to head over to the ironing board and get friendly with your iron

Press all of the seams down, ensuring that they all face the same direction. (You are not pressing the seams open for this step.) Set this aside and move onto the yoke/waistband.

Fold down approx 1/4 inch of the top edge and press.

Fold down approx 1.25 inches, encasing the above .25 inch in between the right and wrong sides of the waistband. This will be the casing for your elastic, so hold up the elastic to be sure you're not undersizing your casing.

Press your 1.25" casing down. (If you've done this right, you shouldn't be able to see your overlocked edge)

Let's head back to the sewing machine.

Gently unfold the 1.25" casing and sew together the two ends of the yoke/waistband to form a loop. (You CAN do this step before pressing down the casing for the elastic, but I find it easier to do it in the order presented - just a matter of personal preference).

Sewing closely to the edge of the casing fold (so you can catch that 1/4 fold underneath), sew the casing down, but leave about 1 -1.5 inches unsewn. This is where you will feed the elastic, when the time comes.

Here's our cute little opening into which we will feed our elastic.

Ok, now all of our pieces are almost ready to go (the yoke/waistband, the center strips of fabric, and the bottom trim). Now let's move back to our stripped piece and work on tacking down all of those seams.

Now we are going to topstich the seams down. This serves 2 purposed: to keep the edges from ravelling and to preserve the integrity of the seam after washing. (You *can* skip this step, but you'll find all of the seams will be pointing in every which direction after a couple of washes. While it doesn't affect the function of the skirt, it makes for an untidy and unprofessional finish.) Oh, and sorry for the orientation of this photo...blogger is not playing nice with this pic.

Here is what it'll look like for the wring side after you've topstitched down the seams. The stitch line on the left is from piecing the skirt together and will not show on the front of the skirt. The stitch line on the right is from topstitching the seam down and WILL show on the front of the skirt.

Now its time to take the bottom trim and pieced section of the skirt and line up the edges (with the right sides of the fabric facing). Now that their lined up, pin them together. No seriously, PIN them. I'm generally the one to skip the pinning, but it will make your life a lot easier to have it pinned before you try to sew it together. Go ahead and sew it together.

Press the seam down toward the bottom trim. Then, press approx 1/4 and then another 1/4 down on the bottom edge of the trim (using the same method we did with the casing for the elastic).

Topstitch the seam down and sew the bottom edge very close to fold line (see arrows)

Look at what you've accomplished!! YAY!!

Ok, now, if there *is* a "hard part" to this skirt, we're about to tackle it. Its reall not all that hard, but does require a wee bit more patience than the rest of the skirt. At this point, you will notice that the main part of the skirt is significantly wider than the yoke/waistband. This difference will give the skirt that flowy look that's important to every little princess out there.

So, let's get ready to gather the top of the skirt to bring it into the same measurement of the yoke. You can do this my hand, but my motto is "why do it by hand, when I can do it in less time on the machine". So, start with pulling out at least 3 inches of thread (both upper and lower).

Set your machine to the longest straight stitch possible. We only want to baste here, not actually sew it for keeps. Baste the top edge of the skirt at 1/4 in and 5/8 from the top edge (this is assuming you are using my 1/2 inch seam allowance. If not, then sew 1/8" on either side of where your seam allowance will be). Here's what it looks like with both lines basted.

Now, pull the thread to roughly gather the top edge of the skirt. Try to ensure the gathering is fairly even across the entire skirt.

Line up the top edge of the skirt with the bottom edge of the yoke, adjust the gathering as needed, and pin the right sides together. If you didn't heed my advice last time and skipped the pinning, then at least heed my advie this time. The pin not only serve to keep the two edges aligned, they will help ensure the gathering remains even.

If you measured correctly with the basting lines, then you should be sewing between them when you sew the skirt and yoke together. (sorry again for the picture orientation - can't seem to get blogger to cooperate with me)

Here you can see your seam line in between the basting lines. Now, you can pull those basting stitches out. I tend to leave the basitng line that won't show and only pull out the one that will. If you're not sure which one that is, turn your skirt right side out and you'll immediately see which one needs to come out. Go ahead and press and top stitch the seam down (pointed up toward the waistband).

Put a safety pin onto the edge of the elastic and feed it through that opening you left earlier. Bring the two ends together and overlap by approx 1 inch. Sew a line down on each side of the overlap. You really want this to be secure!

Feed the rest of the elastic into the casing and sew the opening closed (again, with the silly photo orientation!)

You've done it!! Step back and admire your hard work!!

Knit Tutu Ballerina Dress for Waldorf Inspired Doll - pattern

2011-05-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

Last year I designed a knit tutu dress for my 3 year old who desperately wanted to be a ballerina for Halloween. She absolutely loved it! Fast forward to this week and I thought it'd be fun to utilize my pattern for a custom ordered waldorf inspired doll. An evening of knitting and pattern editting and this is what I came up with. This is my first attempt at posting a pattern, so I hope its relatively clear.

This pattern is for a 14-15 inch waldorf inspired doll. The circumference of this doll at the waistline is approx 11 inches.

Yarn: Bernat Satin
Needles: Size 7
Gauge: 4"=18 sts in stockinette
Other supplies: 48 strips of tulle cut to approx 3" by 7"

Bodice (make 2):
CO 26 sts
Knit 2 rows in st st
Row 3: K1, *k2tog, yo, repeat from *, knit last st
Work 3 rows in st st
Repeat Row 3
Work in st st until piece measures approx 4.5" from cast on edge.

Shape Armholes:
Bind off 3 sts at beginning of next 2 rows (while maintaining st st pattern)
Next row: ssk, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog
Next row: purl
Work 2 more rows of st st

Shape Neckline:
K3, attach another skein or section of yarn, bind off 12 sts, knit remaining 2 sts (you should now have 2 separate sets of 3 stitches at each end of the piece, each with their own working yarn).
Work 3 rows of st st
Bind off remaining 6 sts.

Finishing:
Seam together the shoulder and side seams. Weave in ends.
Cut 48 strips of tulle to approx 3" by 7"
Hook a strip of tulle to each yo opening at the bottom of the dress to make the tutu. There are two rows of yo holes and tulle should be hooked through both sets of holes in order to ensure a nice, full tutu. Below is a step by step picture tutorial for how to do this.

Step 1: Fold strip of tulle in half lengthwise

Step 2: Feed the folded end of the tulle through the hole created by the yarn over

Step 3: Open the tulle at the fold line

Step 4: Grab the tails of the tulle strip and pull them through the opening created at the fold line

Step 5: pull tight

After both rows of tulle have been hooked through the yarn over spaces, you should have this result:

Organizing my stash

2011-02-24T22:01:00.000-05:00

Anyone with a yarn or fabric stash knows that organizing it is a daunting task. You ask yourself dozens of questions: Do I organize by color? fiber content? weight? quantity? The dirty little secret is it doesn't really matter how we organize it. The reality is that organizing it means we have to own up to our stash addiction, something we'd rather not do. We tell ourselves, "I love this and I KNOW I can use it in a project in the future." The problem is the future rarely comes along. Instead, when we have a project in mind, we run to the local yarn or fabric shop and pick up what we have in mind, completely neglecting our growing stash which is collecting dust in a closet, under the bed, still in their store bags, etc. (Come on, you know its true. Somewhere in your home, you've got a bag of fabric, yarn, or craft supplies that you've completely forgotten you own.)
In our new home, I have an entire closet dedicated to my crafting supplies providing me no excuse to be disorganized. So, I started my organizational journey with my yarn stash - a couple of trips to target and an hour or so of assembly - and here is the result:

The upside: I LOVE organization. It makes me smile and gives me inner peace just to peek in on my stash.
The downside: I now realize I have a ton of yarn that I really need to use before I go out buying up more yummy fiber. Of course, I'm getting ready to start a project and realized that I'm a little light on boyish colors, so perhaps there's still some room for stash improvement.....

Now, onto the fabric....

If at first you don't succeed....

2011-01-17T22:49:00.000-05:00

I've failed. There, I said it. I've been dreading writing this since stopping my workout regimen in mid Oct. (Honestly, that's probably a big part of the reason I've avoided blogging about much of anything.) I could list lots of excuses why I stopped working out, but they'd be just that - excuses. And listing excuses doesn't do a thing to change the fact that I've failed. I've failed everyone (anyone?) following this blog, my friends who were rooting for me, my family, and most importantly, I've failed myself.

The only positive thing about failure is that it travels in tandem with fresh starts. Today is my fresh start. I've finally committed to starting my challenge anew. Same challenge - workout for a MINIMUM of 5 minutes everyday for the next 365 days. I'd say "wish me luck" but I don't need luck to get through this, I need perseverance. So, instead, send me your best wishes for continued strength and commitment toward my goal of a healthier life.

Today's workout: 10 min on the stationary bike at a good clip. Its not much, but its a start. I would like to start up the Couch to 5K again, but I need to learn from my past mistakes and take it slowly. First I'm going to start with just getting moving and in a week or so, I'll look at starting a little bit of running again.

Waldorf Love

2011-01-14T20:46:00.000-05:00

Here's my issue with crafting....I get bored. Easily. I'm always in love with my project when I begin, but by the time I'm halfway through, I'm ready to move on to something new. Enter Waldorf Dolls. I was introduced to these little gems by a post on a local The Mommies Network site (look them up in your area - seriously one of the best mommy networks around!) and I fell in love with them immediately. But, would making one stand up to my crafting ADHD? The answer, in a nutshell, YES!!! Each step provided a new challenge/skill to be conquered. I made two of these for my girls for Christmas and I enjoyed every last minute of them. From forming/shaping the heads to sewing the bodies to hand painting and spinning yarn for the hair to knitting and sewing the clothes. I think I may have found my crafting true love! If you are at all inclined to try your hand at these, I highly recommend giving it a go!

Now, down to the knitty-gritty of the how-to's. I found loads of tutorials online, so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel or add extra internet clutter by posting one of my own. But, I will help you navigate the tutorials I found and used.

First off, for shaping the head I compared these two tutes: The flickr tutorial by toureasy47201 is easy to follow and written very clearly AND consisely (big bonus). I *highly* recommended readining through the entire toureasy47201 tutorial before reading any others. It gives you a really good idea of the overall project. When you are ready to read something more detailed/complex., the Silver Penny tutorial is loaded with details and walks you through everything nicely (even though the format it a little more difficult to read/follow and could be overwhelming if its the first doll tutorial you're trying to read).

For forming the nose and embroidering the eyes and mouth: hands down, my favorite is the aformentioned Silver Penny tutorial

For head and body patterns: I liked the contoured shape at the end of the Silver Penny tutorial, but found it too small once printed, so I used that for a launching point and roughly enlarged in (eyeballed) and then fitted my enlarged fabric cutout around my formed head and trimmed until the shape was a good fit. For the body, I really like this pattern, but again, found it too small for my needs. I chose to make a 15-16 inch doll and although this pattern is for that same size, it seemed really scrawny to me, so I upsized for my needs. Consequently, there is a complete tutorial from which this pattern came located here if you are interested in reading up some more before starting.

For sewing up/securing the head and arms to the body: I thought the flickr tutorial mentioned above was the easiest to follow - why complicate things if you don't have to, right?!?!

For hair: I found only one that fit my needs published by Crafty Sheep. In case you get stuck with covering the back of the head, she clarifies her technique here.

If you are interested in hand painting and spinning your own hair: well, let's just say that's a whole different topic. Stay tuned, I'll likely post about spinning since I'm enjoying this newfound fiber craft.

My New Year's Resolution

2011-01-03T01:01:00.000-05:00

Blog more. I've been creating like crazy and its time to share my creations. Stay tuned!

The Challenge: Days 56-77

2010-09-28T23:18:00.000-04:00

Its confession time. I've been flirting with mediocrity this month. More often than not, I've been forgetting about my challenge until I am ready to crawl into bed. Out of sheer exhaustion, I'm doing 5-10 min of halfhearted isometrics or stationary bike and then crawling into bed. My heart has just not been in my challenge as much as it should be. Not to make excuses, but after 2 weeks of increased running, my knee was a little sore and I got a cold, so I laid off the running for 2 weeks (again). Well, all this apathy and lack of motivation resulted in first challenge failure. I completely forgot to do even 5 minutes yesterday. 75 straight days of doing something, and a falter on day 76. I realized it as my eyes popped open this morning and I couldn't believe it. The good news, I think this may have refired my motivation and commitment to my challenge. Today, to make up for my shortcomings yesterday, I did my C25K workout and then a couple hours later, walked around a local lake for 45 min, with Kailyn strapped to my back for half of it. Do 2 workouts today make up for none yesterday? I'm not sure. Technically, the challenge is a daily requirement. But, I feel great after putting in a "real", sweat inducing workout coupled with a good walk. Perhaps this falter was exactly what I needed to renew my commitment.

The Challenge Update: Days 31-55

2010-09-06T21:24:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe that its been 3.5 weeks since my last update. Sorry for not being as on top of updating this blog as I should be. I am happy to report that although I have not been good at updating the blog regularly, I have been going strong with my 5 for 365 challenge. My knee is finally healed enough that I can start really getting sweaty again - YAY!
Last week, I started running again. This time, I am following the Couch to 5K program to avoid further injury. I've done all the workouts from week 1 and will be starting the week 2 workouts tomorrow. The hardest part of the first week of workouts was forcing myself to only run for 60 seconds at a time and then having to walk 90 seconds. I don't know why, but walking just doesn't do it for me, especially on a treadmill. I think I'd rather do about any other exercise than walking on a treadmill. But, if this is the path to getting fit, I'll do it. Because I am feeling it a bit in my knee after each run, I've been taking the off days pretty easy and sticking to mostly isometrics and/or walks.
Its hard to believe that its been almost 2 months since I took my pledge and I haven't faltered yet. I'll admit that there have been a few busy days, when I've almost forgotten and have been forced to do my workout (usually isometric) at midnight right before hopping into bed. Despite the overwhelming urge to just crawl into bed on these nights, I've been true to my pledge. I am really excited that I am able to run again and can't wait until my knee is strong enough to really get my heart pumping everyday!

Repurposing: From Moses Basket Bedding to Lovey (Tutorial)

2010-08-13T01:44:00.000-04:00

Let's start at the beginning. When I was pregnant with Kailyn, we were living in a 630 sq ft house. We had no space for an extra crib, so a friend loaned me a moses basket and stand. Perfect, except that it had no accompanying bedding. So, I went to the local fabric store and purchased some minky and a cute cotton print to make my own bedding. When Kailyn was about 3 or 4 months, she outgrew the moses basket (in length) and I just couldn't bear parting with the bedding I had worked so hard on. So, I decided that someday I'd repurpose it into a lovey for her. Well, here we are, almost 1 year later, and I've finally done it.

Here's how (note: I was using repurposed bedding for this, but you can certainly use these tips/techniques and start the project from scratch):

The first step, of course, was to deconstruct the bedding *sniff, sniff*

The next step was to cut out the largest rectangle possible. This is where a rotary cutter and mat come is handy!!

Now, I had originally made 2 sheets/bedding for the moses basket, so I had 2 pieces to work with. I cut rectangles out of them separately, then I placed them on top of one another (wrong sides together) and squared them out so that they would be the same size. Unbelievably, they were almost exactly the same size. I only had to do one cut to even them out - pretty amazing to me, considering that I didn't use a pattern to make the bedding and I made each one separately by laying the fabric in the basket the pinning and cutting.

Now, before moving the pieces, I pinned them together quilter's style. It is important to pin before you move the fabric, otherwise you will have a heck of a time trying to line them up perfectly again later. If you are unfamiliar with how quilters pin their works, here's how:

Start by placing a safety pin in the center of the piece, then place pins out to the sides and up and down, making 4 quadrants on the piece.

Add pins quadrant by quadrant (here it is 1/2 completed)

Here is what it looks like when its fully pinned. I know, I know, it looks like a LOT of pins, and it is, but these pins will keep everything in place as you proceed with the rest of the project.

Okay, once it's pinned, you are ready to proceed with the binding. Because mine was ripped from the old bedding, I went ahead and re-pressed it to make it easier to work with. If you are starting from scratch, here is how I constructed the binding. Basically, I decided I wanted a 3 inch border, so I cut strips of fabric 6.5 inches wide and sewed them together to make one long strip (technically, the best way to do this is to cut the fabric along the bias so that it has some stretch, but its not necessary, and I didn't do that for this particular project). Then, I folded the long strip in 1/2 and pressed. Afterwards, I folded approx another 1/4 inch of each edge over and pressed so that the raw edge would be sewn into the inside of the border. Here's what it looks like after pressed (and then folded open again, for your benefit):

Next step: pin the binding to the lovey. Note: do not start sewing the binding right at the corner or else you will have difficulty completing that corner at the end. I like to start just a little ways down from a corner.

all pinned on and ready to sew

After pinning, sew down along the edge. Now, if you are not accustomed to doing mitered corners, here's what I do that works for me:

Sew down to about 1/4 inch from the edge of the fabric. I like to use the presser foot as a guide (as you can see here). Then secure the end with a back stitch and cut your thread (sadly, you have to remove the project from the machine to get a good looking mitered edge)

I like to hold the work at the outer edge, then I fold the remaining binding over to make the mitered corner (If you look at the arrow, you can see where the stitching ends along that edge)

Here is what it looks like after I folded it over. You can see my fingers still holding that outer edge in place so that it doesn't squirm around while folding the corner over.

Quickly and carefully pin it in place so that you don't lose your grip while placing in machine (trust me, you will get frustrated quickly if you have to refold the corners over and over again!) Put this back in your machine and sew down along that side, repeating the above steps when you get to the next corner. Viola! You've mastered mitered corners!!

After attaching the binding onto the lovey, I decided to use the ties from the moses basket bedding to add some embellishments. These embellishments serve 2 key functions: 1) to hold the 2 layers of fabric (minky in this case) together so they don't slip and slide around as it is handled and 2) give my girlie a little something to play with/worry as she is falling asleep. I wanted to make sure they were super secured, for safety reasons, so I stitched, back stitched, stitched, back stitched, and stitched again. So, each tie was stitched on a total of 5 passes through the machine (without ever breaking the thread).

I stitched it on in the center of the tie so that I could knot it to get the look I was going after

And here is the finished project. I purposely sewed each tie on at a slightly different angle, so that they would lay in a random way.

All done!!

The Challenge: Days 26-30

2010-08-12T23:50:00.000-04:00

Photo Courtesy: Fuquay Varina Parks & Rec
With beauty like this, who wouldn't want to hike? Yep, that's right, we've been exploring our new home state while getting our "5" in. This morning, we hiked the CHJEEP (Carol Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park) trails in our town. It is so hard for this California Native to believe that a jewel like this exists just minutes from my home. We walked/hiked for about 30-40 min with a toddler is tow and Kailyn strapped to my back. (That's an extra 25 lbs of work out weight!). The time flew by - Olivia walked the entire time by herself and she was really enjoying seeing the butterflies, spider webs, frogs, and trees. Earlier this week, we went for a walk around a local lake - something we stumbled on quite by accident. I am loving being able to get our exercise in outdoors and am wondering how anyone can truly love living in Southern CA where these things just don't exist! To each their own, I guess.
So, while I haven't gotten back to running yet, I am happy to report that my knee is a ton better now. I have been getting back into more serious cardio using our stationary bike, rowing machine, and treadmill, in addition to our recent outdoor walks. I am so thankful for having pledged my 5 for 365. If not, I know myself well enough to know that my knee setback would have been the end of my workout aspirations for months (if not years). But, because I had to push through and do something everyday, despite my knee, I am now enjoying a more physically active lifestyle and loving it!
Oh, and as an aside, I am thrilled to report that a few of the people who are following along with the 5 for 365 challenge have reported weight loss!! I have lost a couple of lbs as well, but for some reason, I am more excited to hear about others having success - maybe because I feel like I played a small part in their success (if only as a point of inspiration).

Getting Back in the Game: The Challenge, Days 19-25

2010-08-07T22:15:00.000-04:00

Wow, has a week already gone by since my last update? Well, in the past week, I've been keeping at it, though at a considerably slowed pace. I've been mixing up isometrics with some easy cardio. I've spent some time on our stationary bike, rowing machine, and treadmill (though not running yet!). I've been letting my knee dictate how much/how hard to work. My knee is doing a LOT better, but stairs are still really challenging (painful). I'll fully admit that I'm not feeling anywhere near as energized as I was in the beginning of this challenge. Working out for only 5-10 min each day at an "easy" pace, just doesn't get the juices flowing for me. If I'm not dripping sweat and out of breath, I just don't feel like I've really worked out. Fingers crossed that in the next week or so, I'll be able to get up to a 20 min (and more intense workout). As a side note, a friend of mine recommended working out via hula hoop, since that should be fairly easy on the knee. Doesn't that sound FUN?!?! Apparently, it burns lots of calories (that is, if you can manage to get the thing going for more than 10 sec at a time). Now, I'm on the hunt for a decent hula hoop - they're not as easy to find as you'd think. Can anyone say: Amazon?!

The Challenge: Days 15-18

2010-07-31T22:14:00.000-04:00

We love isometrics! Ok, maybe not, but I've been seriously sidelined from cardio because of my knee. Since I am unwilling to give up on the 5 for 365, isometrics it is. I know, I know, its not sweat inducing, heart pumping, physical activity, but I'm trying here. Trust me, I'd much rather be breaking a sweat that doing isometrics. I don't know why, but they just bore me to death. Over the last four days I've been working on abs, knee strengthening, and upper body.
Yesterday (day 18), I broke down and sought the advice of a Dr who specialized in sports medicine. After poking, prodding, twisting my knee in every which way, and taking great pleasure (or so it seemed to me) in causing me additional pain, he giddily diagnosed my problem. (Its never good when the Dr is excited about your injury.) He brought out the text book to show me where I was having trouble and why I was experiencing pain. He explained that he doesn't see my injury much as an "isolated" injury (meaning, with the exception of an inflamed Pes Anserinum Bursa, the rest of my knee is uninjured and working just fine). I was half expecting a team of interns to come in and oogle at my knee, but, oh wait, this isn't Grey's Anatomy. At any rate, he precribed a topical anti-nflamatory, ice, and rest. The great news - he explained that by "rest" he meant no activity that causes pain. So, the rowing machine is OKAY!!! The bad news...I think he bruised me up pretty good, cause my knee now hurts more than when I went in, so I'll have to give it another day or two to recover before getting back to my cardio. But, ahhh! There's a light at the end of my cardio free tunnel!

Easy, Cute, Knit Skirt

2010-07-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

So, a timeout from working out (or at least blogging about it) to share with you one of the knit projects I worked on during our move. About the only upside to being away from my sewing machine for months was the time it allotted me to knit. I decided to knit a skirt for each of my girls. For Olivia, I selected a free pattern off ravelry (Barefoot Knits Twirly Skirt), picked out some reasonably priced yarn and went to work. I had just finished learning how to knit fair isle, so I added a little pattern at the bottom of the darkest green band in white. Unfortunately, the skirt naturally rolls up a bit and the pattern is mostly lost in the fold. Ah well, lessons learned. I absolutely love the way this skirt turned out. It took me about a week to complete and was super easy. Of course, Olivia wanted nothing to do with it for the first 2 months, but now she's taken to it and is starting to wear it regularly - YAY!!

Hello Calves, I've missed you!! The Challenge: Days 12, 13 & 14

2010-07-26T15:03:00.000-04:00

TWO WEEKS!!!! Today's workout concludes 2 full weeks of working out every single day. I can proudly say that I haven't taken mself up on a 5 min workout yet. For the most part, I'm up to 25-30 min or more for each workout and loving it (with the exception of day 11 - that sucked). I've been nursing me knees for the past 2 days, especially the left one, and taking it a little easier (i.e. not running). Here's the thing, I didn't set out to be a runner. That was never my intent. But, I can say, that I've always dreamed of how cool it would feel to complete a marathon, so running has always been in the back of my mind. I ran some in college, but asthma slowed me down. When I started running for a few minutes as part of my workout on the treadmill, I quickl remembered how awesome it makes you feel. The heroin of the endorphin world. So, now running is what I really want to do when I get ready for my workouts. Having to take a step back from running to let my knee heal has not been fun, but I know that its important. So, here's what I've been doing for the last several days:

Day 12 (7/24/10): 15 min on rowing machine, 10 min brisk walk, knee strengthening exercises, ab exercises, stretching, icing and motrin (my new best friends)

Day 13 (7/25/10): 25 min on rowing machine while kids played in the next room. This was my first attempt at trying to workout while the kiddos were awake. The first 5 min sucked because they just wanted to be right next to me and I was afraid I was gonna konk Kailyn in the head with the rowing bar or seat, but after the first 5 min, they happily discovered that the roomful of toys was much more interesting than watching mommy go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. More icing and motrin, then had dinner and took the girls and dog on a walk around the neigborhood. Nothing too fast paced or strenuous, since Olivia was determined to walk and not ride the entire time, but still a little extra to add to the workout count for the day.

Day 14 (7/26/10): Enough with the "rest" already. Walked for 1.5 min, ran for 10 min, walked for 3.5 min, then 11 min on rowing machine. My knee hurts, but it felt SO good to run again. Ah, the high! I immediately popped motrin and I'm sitting here icing my knee as I type. Tomorrow, I'll have to rest and work on those knee strengthening exercises again.

The Challenge: Days 8, 9, 10, & 11

2010-07-23T23:03:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a week. I can honestly say, that each day this week, I've thought, "If ever there were a day to skip a workout, this would be it." Just goes to remind me how easy it is to make excuses to skip workouts. In reality, no day this week was unmanageable. Its all a matter of perspective!

Day 8 (7/20/10): I took the girls to the Outer Banks. We left at 6:30am, drove for 4 hrs (including 1 stop for a screaming Kailyn), met some friends for swimming, lunch, and a little beach time, then headed home around 3:30 in the afternoon. We stopped to meet Matt for dinner about 15 min from home (again with a screaming Kailyn). Instead of hitting the workout equipment, Matt and I took the girls on a walk around our neighborhood so that I could realy stretch my legs after so many hours in the car. Its great that we live in a neighborhood that is a little hilly (and we're at the bottom part of a hill, so the hard part comes first) to add a little extra umph to our workouts when we walk. We walked about 30 minutes at a good clip - when Olivia was out of the stroller, she had to run to keep up with us and the poor thing fell and skinned her knee at one point, but she was determined, she was not about to give up and get back in that stroller. That's my girl!!

Day 9 (7/21/10): Somehow, the stars aligned and I was able to get both girls down for a nap at the same time, which freed me up to workout midday. I hit the rowing machine first, set the timer for 15 min, and when that went off, I was feeling so good, I kept at it for another 15 min. That's a total of 30 min on the rowing machine!! But, I wasn't done. I promptly hopped onto the treadmill and walked for 1 min, ran for 7 min, then cooled down with a final 2 min walk. I was feeling so good and loving it. I think I might be able to get into this running thing!!

Day 10 (7/22/10): Another rough day. Kailyn has been absolutely miserable and I'm not convinced her ear infection is clearing up. So, I took her into the Dr again and low and behold, the antibiotics aren't working. Well, that would certainly explain why she won't let me put her down or let me out of her sight! The house is a mess, the kids are a wreck, and what I really want to do is put the kids in bed early and have a margarita. But, instead, I strap on me tennis shoes and hit the rowing machine and treadmill. 15 of rowing and 15 on the treamill. I ran 11 of those minutes at a faster pace than before. I'm feeling really great about running and in addition to having the goal of running 1 mile straight, I'd like to up the ante and run 1 mile at a 10 min/mile pace. I'll have some work ahead of me to get there, but I'll do it!!

Day 11 (7/23/10): I've hit a wall. My knees hurt, I'm tired, the girls went to bed waaaayyyy to late (Costco, could you please look into opening more locations in NC, I'm really not digging a 30 min drive for toilet paper....). My goal tonight was to run for a total of 15 min, up from last night's 11 min. Um, yeah, every step hurt. My knee feels like its on fire. Instead, I ran for 2, walked for 2 for a total of 17+ minutes on the treadmill and then I called it quits. I still wasn't feeling any workout high, seconds were ticking by slowly, my mp3 player "randomly" selected every slow song in its database, and I was hating my new (and supposed to be improved) tennis shoes. All in all, it was a crappy workout :( I need to take something to make my joints feel better and I need to dig deep to find my motivation for tomorrow after tonight's workout. Help me out, if you can!!!

The Challenge: Days 6 & 7

2010-07-19T23:25:00.000-04:00

What can I say, I'm really starting to feel great about working out. Yesterday, I actually broke out into a run while on the treadmill!! By the end of my 30 min workout, I was dripping sweat and feeling awesome. I was not at all perturbed that it was 10 pm and I had a 3 year old that had gotten up, yet again. Instead, I was so in my groove, I told her to sit in the bonus room, where I was working out, and play, then I put her back in bed when I was all done. It was me time, afterall, and I was putting me first. I only had 12 min left of my workout, so she could certainly go to bed a few extra minutes late. This is new for me, by the way, putting myself first. What an awesome feeling!
Today, I did my typical 15/15 split between the rowing machine and treadmill, but ran 7 of the 15 min I spent on the treadmill. It was a painstakingly slow pace, but I did it nonetheless. Now, this is a huge victory over my lungs, kegels, and mind (though, surprisingly, not as much as I would have thought - I thank the workout high for that). My goal is to be able to kick up the pace a bit when I'm running as well as perhaps run an entire mile *gasp* (haven't done that since college, and it was a big victory over my lungs and mind, then, too). So, with the conclusion of today, I have completed my first full week in the 5 for 365 challenge and I am feeling great!! Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support, and for playing along - you are an important piece of my success. 51 more weeks to go!!

The Challenge: Days 4 & 5

2010-07-17T14:08:00.000-04:00

I did it!! 2 more days down and now I'm up to 30 min per workout. Yesterday was tough, too. I decided not to wait until the girls' bedtime and instead headed in when I got Kailyn down for her nap (and Olivia was also napping). Unfortunately, 15 min into the workout, Kailyn was screaming, then Olivia got up, and the workout was over. A trip to Urgent Care (Kailyn turned out to have an ear infection), dinner, and some playtime later, I put in another 15 min (at midnight).
Then, first thing this morning, for the first time ever, I actually anticipated my day and took the dog on a nice long, hilly walk, at a good clip before breakfast. I know this evening is going to be late and I'm not going to have the motivation, so now, I can rest for the remainer of the day (though, I haven't ruled out putting in a little more time on the rowing machine tonight).
And, I'm happy to report that I have several friends following along on this journey with me. Thanks everyone for your support so far. Keep it coming and keep yourselves moving along too! We can do this together!!!

The Challenge: Day 3

2010-07-15T22:34:00.000-04:00

Today I had one of those afternoons where I was just counting down the seconds til the kids were in bed, where every minute that passed was painful and challenging. In the past, I would have been counting down til I could serve myself a bowl of ice cream, put my feet up, and flip open my laptop. But tonight I had this Challenge hanging over me. So instead, I got the girls down, took the dog out for a potty break, and put on my tennis shoes and workout attire. 30 minutes of cardio later, I'm feeling much better - energized, happy, and ready to take on a 3 year old again tomorrow. But, truth be told, I haven't yet ruled out that bowl of ice cream....

Days 1 and 2 of the Challenge

2010-07-15T10:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, so let me get you caught up....
Day 1 (7/13/10): Matt and I worked out together. I had planned on doing 15 min on the treadmill, then an additional 5-10 on the rowing machine, but 8 min into my treadmill workout, Matt was off the rowing machine complaining about back pain. So, I relinquished the treadmill and hopped on the rowing machine. Now, its important to note that the rowing machine we have is water based, so there is only one resistance (how much water you added to the tank), so Matt and I have to work out at the same resistance. Well, Matt finished my workout on the treadmill while I rowed and let me tell you, after 5-6 min, I was dying. I finished out whatever time Matt had left on the workout, but it as not easy. So, I got in a total of 15 min.

Day 2 (7/14/10): Matt worked late, and I didn't want to lose any momentum, so I worked out alone. I started on the treadmill again, and did 15 min then switched over to the rowing machine for 6 more minutes. It was easier today and I worked out harder. Now, if only I could break Olivia of her recent habit of getting out of bed 3+ times each night before falling asleep, I might be able to workout sans interruption....
Oh, and I'm happy to report that Matt did indeed put his 5 min in last night, despite getting home around 11pm and being exhausted. He definitely didn't have the patience for any of my cheerleading, but he did hold up his pledge! YAY!!

365 Day Workout Challenge

2010-07-14T22:58:00.000-04:00

(As my sister would say) HERE'S THE THING:
I need to get myself motivated and going. I need to stop making excuses and start achieving. At one point, I was healthy, fit, and confident about my physique. Now, well, suffice to say, its a different story. In college, I lived in a bike friendly community, rode almost daily and additionally worked out at my apartment gym several days a week. I didn't know it then, but I was at the peak of my fitness. Then, I moved to Los Angeles. Don't be fooled by the sterotype, Los Angeles is not as healthy and fit as it appears. My active lifestyle was replaced by a 2-3 hr/day commute, regular eating out, and a dramatic increase in stress. It didn't take long before the pounds started adding up and the excuses kicked in. Throughout the past 10 years, I've worked out sporadically, lost and regained weight, had 2 babies, and made more excuses about being physically active than I can even fathom. It was always, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
Today (ok, yesterday), it ends. Tomorrow IS today.

MY PLEDGE:
I will put on my tennis shoes every day for the next 365 days and do at a minimum 5 minutes of heart pumping physical activity. I know, I know, I know, you're thinking, "Are you kidding me, FIVE minutes? Anyone can do that. Set a REAL goal." But, that's the point. Anyone CAN do that, including me. Seriously, what excuse could I possibly come up with to not put in 5 min? It doesn't matter how tired, sick, frustrated, overwhelmed, busy, I am feeling - 5 minutes is doable. A 5 minute pledge does not make me feel burdened for time or overwhelmed by committing to a full year. And, to be perfectly honest, I know myself well enough to know that if I go through the trouble of putting my tennies on and hitting the pavement, I'll be at it for more than 5 minutes.

This is not about losing weight (though that would be an added bonus), but about improving both my physical and mental health, so I do not feel its apropriate to measure this goal in pounds lost. Setting weight loss goals, for me, has always led to a yo-yo of emotions (YAY, I'm down 5 lbs. DAMN, I've been working my ass off, and I gained 2 lbs this week). Its a recipe for failure for me. So, I'm taking a different approach this time.

Join me, please. I'll encourage you, if you encourage me. (Ok, I'll encourage you even if you don't reciprocate). And, don't even start with me, you DO have time every day to work out, even when you are on vacation, even during the holidays, even when you've worked a 12 hr day, even when the weather sucks (dance, baby, dance). Ask yourself, is it really more important to update your status on facebook? Is it really more important to read (or write) a blog? Is it really more important to upload and email those photos? The answer for me, now, is a resounding NO.

Please, leave a comment, send me a message, write me an email, conact me via facebook, text me, call me, whatever works for you. If you don't want to play along at home, at least encourage me to keep going. My dear hubby has agreed to do this with me, but between you and me, he's working late tonight unexpectedly, and I anticipate he'll take a hiatus tonight (which is day 2 of the pledge), so I'll need your help!!

Unpacking the Craft Room!!

2010-06-04T23:07:00.000-04:00

So, we're in a house and our stuff is off the ABF truck. I've been feverishly unpacking for the past 2 weeks, knowing my reward at the end is a dedicated craft space. Today, I started unpacking all my goodies. After not having my stuff for the past 5 months, its like Christmas in June!! In addition to the items that were packing up in December, I've located all of my art supplies which were packed away approx 5 years ago when we moved into our itty bitty house. And, the thought crossed my mind, "Oh yeah, I used to draw". Oh boy, this is going to be fun. The fact that my hubby goes to bed early so he can rise before dawn for work is going to mean lots of late nights spent in my craft room. I'm so giddy with excitement, I just had to share. The creative juices were already flowing, and I haven't even set up my machines yet! Stay tuned!

Sorry I've been MIA

2010-04-07T21:33:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I'm no longer working 40-50 hours per week, so you'd think that I could find the time to at least update my blog. Well, turns out being unemployed (*ahem* being a full-time Mom) eats up a lot of free time. I'm not sure how it works, but I'm thinking it has something to do with having my husband home every night. Yes, that's right, spending time with my husband actually does trump blogging....for now (I'm sure the novelty will wear off).
In spite of my lack of blogging (and facebooking, and emailing), I have been quite busy knitting. I recently took a class at a local knitting shop to learn how to knit Fair Isle and I am in love! I promise I'll blog about it very soon. I've also completed a skirt of each of my girls that I'm about to block tonight, so one they are done blocking, I'll post pics.

While I desperately miss my sewing machine, I'm enjoying my hiatus to get reaquainted with the knitter in me. I used to laugh at my crafting ADD, but now I am very thankful I dabble in so many things. If it were not for my knitting (and crocheting), I'd be going crazy sans my sewing machine. My point: if you've ever considered taking up a portable craft like knitting and crocheting, DO IT! Its pretty easy to get started and you'll never know when it'll come in handy!

Car Travel with Young Kids: 5 Tips for Success

2010-01-27T01:34:00.000-05:00

So, you've got young children and are looking down the barrel of a long, excruciating car ride? Well, my husband and I just finished a cross country trip with a 7 month old, 2.5 year old, and an 80lb dog. Along the way, we saw amazing sites, had more than one meltdown, and laughed lots. By the end of the 11 day trip, we learned several lessons that I'll pass along to you in the hopes that you don't experience the same growing pains we experienced at the beginning of our trip.

1. Know When to Travel. I know, I know, it sounds tempting to travel by moonlight. The kids will sleep, so no entertaining or stops necessary. But, stop and think it through for a minute. Travelling at night means that, most likely, the driver is tired and not as well rested as they should be (yes, I'm being the safety police). The kids, while sleeping, are not getting the same quality of sleep that they would get if they were in a bed. So, come daylight, when you are dog tired from driving all night, and the kids are cranky from poor sleep, you've got yourself a recipe for major family meltdowns. So, think about the personalities and needs of your children rather than letting yourself get woo'ed by the lure of nighttime travel. What we discovered worked best was getting up early and hitting the road between 5 and 6am. That way, we'd all gotten a good amount of restful sleep, and yet we had the benefit of sleepy children. This allowed us to get through the first leg of driving (2-3 hrs) with sleeping children. It was the best of both worlds!

2. Activities. I know it sounds obvious, but seriously, OVER prepare on the activity front. Everyone told us that we should just invest in a portable DVD player, but we have not introduced our toddler (and certainly not the baby) to the wonderful world of television and didn't want to break our own rules simply to make our lives a little easier for a few days. So, instead, I packed a large bag of goodies for each child (since the ages vary so much). In my toddlers back, I included lots of books (she can spend an hour happily flipping through her books), a piano, dolls, favorite stuffed animal, playdough, play computer, and other various toys and art supplies. I was sure to include some favorites, some oldies (and forgotten goodies), and some new toys. For the baby, well, I just grabbed up various teethers and infant toys that she hadn't played with much or really enjoyed. When the toys failed to entertain, we'd sing or point things out on the road and talk about them (trains, trucks, broken down cars, cows, horses, etc). One of Olivia's favorite activities now is to be quizzed on the color of the semis as we pass them. So, put on your creativity hat - we discovered you could have a lengthy (albeit simple and repetitive) conversation with a toddler on just about any everyday "sight".

3. Breaks. I know, I know, the destination is in sight. You are planning a 6 hour road trip and hope to make it to your location in 5.5hrs flat. But, let's be honest, children do not travel well and being cooped up in a car for hours on end is a recipe for disaster (or at least the loss of your sanity). So, slow down and "enjoy" the ride. We found this schedule worked best:

Leave early and drive approx 2.5 hrs (kids sleep)
Stop for breakfast
Drive another 2.5 hrs (kids play)
Stop for lunch/playtime
Drive another 2.5 hrs (naptime!!)
Take a snack break
Finish out the day of travel (everyone is pretty done with travel and ready to get out of the car - this is the hardest part of the trip)

When we stopped, it was typically a 45-90 min stop. We always ate at restaurants (or a park if we got lunch to go). We discovered it worked best if we found a play area for the kids to run/crawl around during/after our lunch break. That way, when we got back in the car, the kids were ready for nap and not nearly as restless. While breaks add a lot of time to your overall drive day, believe me when I tell you, they make the drive sooo much easier. We could usually get away with a 45 min stop for breakfast, then a 90 min stop for lunch (lunch and park play) and then a 30-45 min stop for a snack.

4. Know your Limits. Only travel as long as you need in one sitting. If you have a 12 hr drive ahead of you, seriously consider doing the drive in 2 days rather than 1. We found that 6-8 hrs of "drive" time was fairly doable (this actually took us 8-11 hrs total with stops), but much longer than that got excruciating. After about 6 hrs, everyone gets restless and whining, fights, and crying inevitably ensue. Since we were going cross country and weren't on any time constraints, per se, we stopped and visited friends and family along the way. We were able to work it out so that we didn't travel more than a couple of days in a row before taking a couple of days off.

5. Laugh it Off. Its gonna suck. You're going to have moments when everything is coming apart at the seams. You are going to get more than a few grey hairs from the trip. So, try to brush off the small things and laugh whenever you can. Hey, you've gotta balance out those miserable moments with good memories. Otherwise, you will never again want to get behind the wheel for a long drive with your kiddos and you'll end up tethered to your home because, let's face it, air travel with kids is equally painful and even more cramped. So, sit back, throw out your expectations for arrival, and enjoy the scenery.

Switching Gears

2010-01-05T05:12:00.000-05:00

Christmas is over and the New Year is here, which means the time has come for our big move across the country. In a mere 36 hours (or less), we'll be hitting the road and driving from our current home in Southern California to a new home in North Carolina (exactly where is still to be determined).
We are currently in the throes of packing and let me tell you, if you've never tried to move with kids, I'd advise against it. Or at least hire movers instead of doing it yourself. Whew! THIS is tough work!
So, for the next few months, you will not be reading a lot about crafts (except knitting and crocheting since that's a mobile craft). Instead, I'll be blogging about our move and our new family adventures. We will be spending 2 weeks on the road, 2 weeks in Charlotte, then 2 weeks in Raleigh-Durham. Then its off to stay with my brother for a spell in the DC area, where we'll be adding our 2 kids to their 3 kids and pure chaos is certain to ensue.
So, stay tuned - letters (blogs) from a gypsy family coming soon!

Felt Dollhouse - the update

2009-12-24T02:17:00.000-05:00

So, here's how it looks as of tonight:

I'm pretty happy with how it looks now. I still need to work on embellishing the back, but that'll have to wait until after Christmas. Now, the dolls, on the other hand, its back to the drawing board with those. Something tells me I'm not going to be getting a lot of sleep Christmas Eve.....

Felt Dollhouse: Sneak Peek

2009-12-21T03:17:00.000-05:00

First off, let me apologize for being MIA lately. We are in the midst of packing and prepping for our upcoming move while also trying to prepare for and enjoy the holidays. As usual, I probably bit off more than I could chew. If there was any year to shop online, this would have been it, but *oh, no, I had to make some handmade gifts* As a result, I've sorely neglected my little blog.

So, here's a sneak peek of what I've been working on for Olivia for Christmas:

Obviously, there's still a lot of work to do. Since taking these pics, I've added windows to the front and the back of the house. I still want to add flowers and grass along the bottom and need to add the buttons to side so that it can be buttoned up (you can see the loop closures already sewn into the opposite sides. And...the dolls....I still need to make dolls and accessories (bed, table, couch, etc, etc). I think I'm gonna be working on this right up until 6:30am Christmas morning. And, in all likelihood, I'll be adding to her collection for the next several months. Afterall, I'll have lots of extra time while we're traveling around.

Here's my dilemma. I really want to take advantage of the *sticky* property of felt on felt, especially since Olivia will be playing with this in the car a lot. So, I'm planning on making everything 2 dimentional. What do you think are the most important pieces to try to have done by Christmas (aside from the dolls and a bed - Olivia is obsessed with putting babies to bed)? Please leave a comment with your thoughts and ideas - I'm feeling tapped out and low on inspiration at this point.

Crafting is good for your brain

2009-11-21T02:51:00.000-05:00

Seriously. I don't know if there are studies out there to back it up, but I can tell you from experience, its a hard core mental workout. I've been pondering the logisitics of making a felt dollhouse for my 2 year old for Christmas for weeks. Tonight, I sat down to work on it. I think I have it all figured out, but man my brain hurts. I'm stopping and going to bed before I make a mistake that will have me seam ripping and swearing (something I'm trying to reign in, as my 2 year old is apt to repeat our choice words any day now).

Its official - the word is out!

2009-11-17T00:55:00.000-05:00

Recently, I moved from quilting and craft sewing to garment sewing.

My first project: a circle skirt for Olivia

My second project: Olivia's fairy costume

And now the word is out. My sister called me last week asking me to make a concert skirt for my 10 year old niece. A few phone conversations, mailed fabric, and a couple hours later: 1 black concert skirt, made to order:

In this project, I completed my first zipper (hidden), first braided hem, first waistband (non elastic), and I got to play with the button measuring and auto button feature on my Bernina. I am loving garment sewing, learning lots with each project, and getting more and more confident. I'm so glad I took the plunge a few months ago. I still have yet to complete a project with an actual pattern.....

Can't forget Kailyn

2009-10-30T00:59:00.000-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from my little bunny

pattern here

Super Simple Fairy Costume

2009-10-25T02:06:00.000-04:00

So I decided this year that I would take a stab at making the girls' Halloween costumes. For Olivia, I went with a fairy. It turned out to be really easy to make and is so cute! Here's what I did:
I followed these instructions for making circle and pixie skirts. I make 2 pixie skirts for the body of the skirt and 1 circle skirt for the lining.
I did a quick hem on the bottom of the pixie skirts and a simple overlock on the bottom of the lining. Then I sewed all three layers together at the waist using an overlock stitch (making sure the orientation of my 2 pixie skirts were askew to create multiple "peaks" at the hemline).
For the bodice, I purchased a set of girl's undershirts (it doesn't get an easier - or cheaper - than that). Then I lined up the waistband of the skirt with the waist of the shirt. I turned the shirt inside out and slipped the shirt (right side out) into it. For this step, it is important that the right sides face each other. If you're not sure you've got the orientation right, then pin it and carefully open it up to see what you've got.

I then sewed them together just above the hem on the shirt (so that you can't tell its a separate finished shirt once its all sewn together).
Then, I took scraps of fabric from the pixie skirt and made 3 yo-yos using one of those cool yo yo gadgets and hand sewed them onto the bodice.
And, after a couple hours of work, viola!

Everyone knows you can't have a fairy costume without wings. I found this wonderful tutorial. Now, I just do not have the time to run to 3 stores to get supplies, so I just went to Michaels and Target. I couldn't find the wire I needed at Michaels, so I ended up using some wire hangers we got back with our dry cleaning. Instead of electrical tape, I used white floral tape. I scored some glittery tights at Target which saved me a step also. I found it easier to bend the stems of the wings into the approx angle prior to continuing.

Here's what the wings look like formed and covered with the tights:

I found some cool fabric spray paint (pump) by Tulip that dried super fast and made zero mess. I just stepped outside, held each wing by its stem, and sprayed both sides, then hooked them onto my table to dry (a huge benefit of bending the steps earlier in the process).

Here's what they look like sprayed and taped together:

And after I added the elastic and flowers:

And here are some shots of the wings and dress paired together on my sweet girl:

Hats, Hats, Hats

2009-10-10T00:46:00.000-04:00

With autumn in full tilt, I've been inventorying the girls warm clothes and have found them lacking. Living in So Cal means there is not much need for really warm clothes, but we are headed to WA for a wedding next week, so I decided to knit up some hats.

I logged into Ravelry (if you're not a member and you knit or crochet, it's time to sign up!) and pulled up this pattern: spur of moment baby hat. I love that the pattern includes instructions for making it any size you need! I wasn't able to complete it in 1 hr, as stated in the pattern, but one evening (or about 4 hrs) per hat isn't too bad.

Here is Olivia sporting hers: And Kailyn chillin' in hers:

I created my own embellishments instead of using the flowers in the pattern. See the directions below - all embellishments were crocheted using spare yarn and an appropriately sized hook.

Big flower (Olivia's hat):

Ch 4, sl st in 4th Ch from hook to form loop.

1st Round: Ch 3(counts as first dc), [dc in center space] 11 times, sl st in 3rd Ch of first dc

2nd Round: Ch 4, sc in top of first dc, [ch 3, sc in top of next dc] 10 times, ch 3, sl st into 1st ch of ch 4, finish off.

Leaves (Olivia's hat):
Ch 6, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch 3 sl st in 1st ch of leaf to close, finish off.

Small flowers (Kailyn's hat):
Ch 4, sl st in 4th Ch from hook to form loop.
[Ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3, sc in center space] 4 times, ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3, sl st in 1st ch of first petal to close, finish off.

30 Day Dine-in Challenge

2009-10-06T02:06:00.000-04:00

Quite simply, we're tired of dining out. Sounds crazy, huh? I grew up in a family where dining out was a treat and I never thought I'd tire of having someone else prepare, serve, and clean-up a meal. But, living in the LA area means lots of commuting and a fast-paced lifestyle that often leaves us too tired to even think about meal preparation. The result: we eat out...a lot. We eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We eat out pretty much every time my wonderful husband is home.
After 5 years of marriage, we are experiencing restaurant burnout. Perhaps you are suffering as well. The symptoms: ambivalence about where to dine, restaurant food has lost its flavor, you run through a list of the "usuals" when deciding where you'll eat, none of the aforementioned restaurants even appeal to you....well, you get the idea.
As if restaurant burnout weren't enough, we've learned that its not actually "easier" now that we have 2 children in tow. Here's our typical train of thought: It's already after 6 and will easily be 6:30 by the time we get home and well after 7 before we get food into our toddler's tummy, and then there's the clean-up issue. Hey, let's just grab a bite out on the way home - it'll be easier. The problem: it never is easier. In fact, we've discovered its a lot more stressful. Sure, it starts out great. Our toddler, Olivia, busies herself with the crayons and our baby, Kailyn, is typically snoozing from the car ride. But then it all starts to come apart: Olivia gets bored and Kailyn wakes up wanting to nurse. The second half of the "experience" involves trying to scarf down our food while simultaneously entertaining Olivia and nursing Kailyn. By the time we leave, our wallet is $50 lighter, we are stressed and exhausted, and we can't even recall what we ate.
So, we decided to shake it up. The goal: dine on home cooked meals for the entire month. The rules are simple: everything must be prepared at home. The exceptions: deli-style sandwiches (we had to have one exception to allow for those harried days) and traveling. The challenge: finding the energy to cook every day, pack lunches for work, and plan/grocery shop every week.
Is anyone else out there experiencing restaurant burnout? How have you made dining at home easier? Any great dairy-free, easy, fast recipe ideas you'd like to share? Stay tuned to see how it goes - we are 4 days in and hoping to make big changes to our habits this month!!

Breastfeeding 101

2009-09-10T01:20:00.000-04:00

Let's face it, breastfeeding is hard work. You can read all the books you can get our hands on, meet with Lactation Consultants, talk to your pediatrician, talk to other mommies, and still you will encounter breastfeeding situations that puzzle and confuse you. It all boils down to these 2 rules:

1.) There is no "right" answer
2.) Do what you've gotta do to make it work.

Simple, right? (I wish it were!) Kailyn celebrated her 3 month birthday yesterday and as my present, she decided to throw me a curve ball. Ok, truth be told, its been brewing for several weeks now. The problem: the letdown on my right side is so forceful that it makes her gag, choke, and swallow large amounts of air. Kailyn's solution: pull off and cry (inconsolably). Well, that's not much of a solution if you ask me!

Having had a similar problem with my first, I set about trying the "techniques" supplied by professionals: sit in a reclined position to let gravity do its work and/or form a 'v' with your index and middle fingers and press on breast (with nipple/child's mouth in the middle of the 'v') to limit flow, varying the position of the 'v' to prevent clogged ducts. Guess what...no luck.

So, keeping in mind that there is no "right" answer, I set about experimenting. I quickly realized if I nursed while laying in bed, Kailyn had significantly less difficulty. YIPEE! Oh, wait, that's right, I cannot run to my bed every 3 hrs. So, while I had a solution for night-time and morning nursings, I still did not have a good solution for a busy mom. After several days of experimentation, lots of frustration, and hours of crying later, here's what I came up with: nurse baby in an upright position.

Since Kailyn is only 3 months, this requires that I become a bit of a contortionist. Picture this: I prepare to nurse as though I am going to use the classic "cradle hold", and then tilt my body and pull my arm (and baby) up until Kailyn is almost sitting upright, with her butt rested in the crook between my legs and her legs dangling off my lap. Its a bit tough to maneuver depending on where I'm nursing, but it definitely falls into the "do what you've gotta do" category.

So, I encourage you to research, read, and talk to others, but don't forget to experiment with breastfeeding to see what solutions you can discover! You have more answers than you realize.