And the Winner is...

Cottonista, Amy Y, and Kris, you are the winners of the felt pin kit! Please email your mailing addresses to beesnest dot deb at gmail dot com and I will happily send a kit your way.

Thanks for all the kind comments about Advent Conspiracy and the DIY Fair. If it has caught your attention and interest, please tell others about it. I would love to see the word spread. And, hey, if you have a blog, please link back here, because I would love to see my blog readership go up too!

P.S. For more ideas on giving of yourself this Christmas, see Rethinking Christmas. There are some fabulous ideas over there!

Forties Fashion

I love clothes. I don't think I'm a particularly good dresser but that's a reflection of the amount of time and money I have to put into fashion (not much, not much at all). Along with my Project Runway daydreams and my adventures in patternmaking, I've been inspired lately by the fashions of the 1940s. I think this started with seeing Julie and Julia on the big screen---big, brassy Julia Child with impeccibly dressed Parisians in the 30s and 40s.

Then I saw a whole spread in Lucky magazine of 40's style. I've loved menswear-inspired trousers--one of my wardrobe staples for work. But I've recently taken a liking to the fiercely-tailored jackets, pencil skirts, sweater sets, and saucy heels that are inspired by the forties.

And then, the Wise and Bearded One were invited to a party with a 1940s theme and a request for the guests to wear "flirty forties" apparel. Fuel for my obsession. Here's a page from my "inspiration journal"---basically a sloppy notebook where I jot down ideas and tape, glue or staple all sorts of random things that I like.

Like many of my interests and obsessions, I have no idea where this one will lead, but I thought you might like having a peek at it.

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Random, but somewhat related:

--Here are some Scandinavian paper dolls that I think are just forties fabulous!
--Polyvore is a site that I could waste hours upon. Sort like an adult version of paper dolls. You get to put together fabulous outfits for absolutely free.
--Archival Clothing is a blog I recently happened upon that celebrates classic clothing styles, timeless designs and handcrafted perfection.
--Harvey Faircloth makes "standup modern classics". I would like to have one of everything they make, please.

Tutorial: Living Water International Christmas Tree Ornament

Now this one may seem a little odd! A water drop on the Christmas tree? You should know that part of the Advent Conspiracy is to donate some of the money we would have spent on conventional Christmas presents to Living Water International to dig wells in Africa and other less-developed countries. Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience “living water”—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst.

(I also happen to be privately amused by hanging raindrops on a Christmas tree since it seems more accurate here in the Pacific Northwest than pretty snowflakes)

YOU NEED:

-a pen

-sharp scissors

-a needle

-felt and embroidery floss

-pattern ( I drew mine by hand as seen in the bottom photo. You can make your own raindrop shapes by folding a paper in half and cutting out a shape. Folding the paper in half helps to develop an exactly symmetrical water drop shape. Adjust until you have a shape that you are satisfied with. My large raindrops were approximately 3 1/2 inches wide by 5 inches tall. My small water drops were about one inch smaller all around.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut out pattern pieces.

2. With a pen, trace the water drop shapes onto the felt. Cut two felt water drops from each size. To avoid having the ink marks show, cut just inside of the ink line you traced.

3. Carefully split the embroidery floss in half. It is much easier to sew with 3 strands than with 6.

4. Center one small water drop on the larger drop. Stitch around the edge of the smaller drop to attach it to the larger drop. Repeat with the second set of water drops.

5. Embellish the front with any additional stitching. If you know some fancy stitches this would be a good place to show them off. Or you could stitch the year or the recipient’s name.

6. Stack the water drops together with the decorated sides out. Stitch around the edges through both pieces of felt. Be careful to tuck all knots and thread ends between the two pieces of felt.

7. Tie a loop at the top of the water drop so an ornament hanger can be attached.

8. Go to https://www.water.cc/ to make a donation to Living Water International.

9. Give this ornament to a friend or family member with a card explaining the mission of Living Water International and how, in lieu of a traditional Christmas gift, you’ve chosen to provide clean water and the gospel to those in need.

Tip: I embroidered my raindrop with pale green and pale gold embroidery floss. However, I think they would be stunning with bright blue or turquoise stitches.

Tutorial: Felt Cuppa Joe Pins

GIVEAWAY!!! GIVEAWAY!!!

Comment on this post and you could win one of three kits with all you need to make 2 Cuppa Joe Pins this Christmas season. Just write a comment about your favorite warm winter beverage! I'll pick three random comments on Sunday. That is, if there ARE more than three comments! Is anyone out there? Anyone? (Bueller?)

I'll post the directions for the "losers" in the vain belief that there are more than three readers out there who might want to make some pins themselves.

FELT CUPPA JOE PINS

YOU NEED:

-a pen, sharp scissors, a needle

-scraps of red (or blue), brown, and white felt and embroidery floss

-pattern (I hand drew mine so I don't have a "digital" version. You can try printing the photo or you can draw your own if you'd like. It's about 2 inches across at its widest point.)

-pin backs (you can buy these in the jewelry section at your JoAnn's, Michael's or other craft stores)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut out the pattern pieces.

2. With a pen, trace the mug pattern on to the red (or blue) felt and cut two. Carefully cut out hole in the mug handle.

3. Trace the coffee pattern on to the brown felt and cut one.You may also chose to cut marshmallow shapes from the white felt.

4. Carefully split the embroidery floss in half. It is much easier to sew with 3 strands than with 6.

5. Sew the coffee shape to the front of one mug shape. Embellish the front with any additional stitching or felt marshmallows.

6. Sew the pin back to the back of the second mug shape.

7. Stack the front mug on top of the back mug. Stitch around the edges through both pieces of felt. Be careful to tuck all knots and thread ends between the two pieces of felt.

8. Give it away.

***Relational Giving Ideas:

Give a pin to a friend with an invitation to meet up at her favorite coffee shop for a long conversation.

Know a busy mom? Give her a pin with a gift certificate to her favorite coffee shop and an offer to babysit so she can take a mini-vacation.

P.S. Please excuse the crappy quality of these pictures. The dark winter evenings are the bain of my existence here in Portland, Oregon. I hate "flashy" photos so I just set the camera settings to compensate for the low light as best as possible. Someday I'll have one of those fancy flashes that I can point up at the ceiling to get some nice diffuse lighting. Someday.

Tutorial: Felt Flower Barrettes

The felt flower barrettes were by far the favorite item of the folks who stopped by my DIY Fair table. Several people sat down and made barrettes on the spot. Others grabbed the directions and supplies to make their own at home. Here's a tutorial in case you'd like to make some too.

YOU NEED:

• a pen, sharp scissors, a needle, red and pink felt, and embroidery floss
• barrettes--the silver clip kind that are sort of long triangles like these
• pattern (I hand drew mine. You can try printing it from the picture. It is about 1 1/2 inches wide--just wide enough for the barrette to fit securely between two flower petals with about 1/8th inch extra on each end. The center circle is about the size of a dime.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut out pattern pieces.

2. With a pen, trace the flower pattern on to the red felt and cut two.

3. Trace the circle on to the pink felt and cut one.

4. Carefully split the embroidery floss in half. It is much easier to sew with 3 strands than with 6.

5. Sew the pink center to the front of one red flower shape. Decorate the front with any additional “fancy” stitching desired.

6. Sandwich the barrette between the front flower and the back flower. Cut a small slit through the back flower for the barrette clasp to go through.

7. Stitch around the edges through both pieces of felt. Be careful to tuck all knots and thread ends between the two pieces of felt.

8. Give it away.

***Relational Giving Idea:

Give a barrette to your favorite little girl with an offer to get dressed up and go dancing with her (in your living room to her favorite songs).

These barrettes are not my original idea. My friend, Stephanie, graciously shared the idea with me. She has made all sorts of cool barrettes--trees, monkeys, guitars, etc.--for her favorite little girl.


P.S. Heather Jane, this is definitely a project you could do with your girls!

DIY Fair

I DID finish my Design-it-yourself Patternmaking pencil skirt, and I'll blog about it some day soon. But I want to talk about a different DIY event---The Advent Conspiracy DIY Fair that we hosted on Saturday.

I've posted about Advent Conspiracy several times over the years--here, here, and here for starters. Basically it's a group of churches that have banded together to do Christmas differently. The themes are: Spend Less, Give More, Worship Fully and Love All.

This year my friend, Sarah, organized the DIY Fair. This is not your average Christmas Craft Show. Oh no. There are no finished products to buy. Just a bunch of creative people demonstrating ideas for how to give of yourself this Christmas.

I hosted a table with all the stuff you would need to make felt barrettes, pins, and Christmas tree ornaments. Some people sat down and made barrettes or pins on the spot. Others pitched in a buck for the directions and supplies and took it home to make on their own time. I tried to have projects that were simple and accessible for even a "not crafty" person. A six-year-old girl made one of the barrettes so I felt like I had accomplished my goal.

I always leave the fair with so many great ideas for creative gifts! My favorites included hat patterns, how to make juggling balls out of balloons and kitty litter, and a project that involves burning fabric. Seriously. I'm sure I'll be blogging more about that one!

I took my camera but was too busy talking to folks to ever take any decent shots. Sarah's a serious photographer and she took a bunch of pictures. She let me "borrow" these and posted a few more on her blog.

I'll be posting my simple felt projects here in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your ideas about how to "Spend less. Give More. Worship Fully. Love all."


P.S. Gratuitous photo of the Sprout below.

Design-It-Yourself Clothes

I am currently obsessing over this book. I saw it at Borders a couple of weeks ago and was intrigued. Then I remembered that my mother-in-law had given me an Amazon gift certificate for my birthday, and I miraculously had not spent it yet. A quick trip to Amazon for the book and Amy Karol's killer gift labels, and I'm in business. Maybe.

I've hated sewing clothes ever since I HAD to in high school home economics classes that resulted in several hideously ill-fitted items. I hated the fabric choices available. I hated the patterns. And I hated spending so much time on a project only to have it turn out so very, very wrong.

The last couple of years I've been slowly turning the corner. With Fabric Depot, Mill End, Bolt, and Cool Cottons all within easy driving distance, I have thousands of great fabric options at my disposal (Yes, thousands, it can be a bit overwhelming). And I've come to like great fabric made from natural fibers. Give me cotton, silk and wool any day over the synthetic fabrics used in the mass-produced clothes in my price range.

But I still have a hard time with patterns. I can go into the store with an idea in my head and end up completely frustrated that I can't find a pattern to match the idea. Or I can find a pattern but it seems exorbitantly expensive for tissue paper on which is printed a pattern that may or may not fit my body.

Enter Do-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified by Cal Patch. I am so stoked about this book! If it works the way I think it will, I'll be able to think up a simple silhouette in my head, draft a pattern on my own, and sew a garment that is uniquely fitted to my body. So far, I read most of the book which was pleasant and easy-to-understand. I sweet-talked the Wise and Bearded One into measuring me 18 different ways, and I've drawn up my first simple skirt pattern.

I'd be in my studio sewing up my prototype skirt this very minute if it weren't next door to my lightly-sleeping daughter. Hopefully I'll get to tackle it tomorrow.

So if you're a latent fashionista, a Project Runway devotee, or simply tired of crappy cheap clothes, this might be the answer. I'll let you know how it works out for me. I have high hopes, friends. High hopes.

P.S. You can get a taste of the book over on this tutorial on Etsy.

Another Photo

IMG_4135
Originally uploaded by ndmiller

Another Lazy Day's Skirt

IMG_4130
Originally uploaded by ndmiller

I feel like I never have time to be creative anymore, but then, here and there, I find a minute or two and a bit of inspiration and something comes of it. The Sprout had a red onesy and some black leggings and it was just begging for a little skirt. So one night after she went to bed I cranked one out in less than an hour. No pattern. Just the memory of making a few Lazy Day's skirts. Little people clothes are so forgiving...especially those with elastic waists. I sure hope I have more to share here or I'm going to lose the loyal few "followers" that I have!

Here's hoping you're using YOUR creativity!

End of Summer

Summer has officially ended, so I thought I'd look back at my summer goals and see how I've done.

Here's what I'd LIKE to get done this summer:
--re-pot all the houseplants DONE
--paint the dining room back to a warm white DONE
--patch and paint the trim in the living room FAIL--fall project?
--make the obligatory doctor, dentist, vet appointments for all the members of the household DONE
--exercise every day--walk, bike, or yoga I'd give myself a 50% on this
--spend some time in meditation and prayer every day same as the exercise goal
--stay on top of the laundry EVERY day DONE, I did more loads of laundry this summer than I have over the total of my entire life up until now.
--relax for a weekend at the coast DONE---Well, actually a couple of day trips, not a whole weekend
--get to know the other mamas in my neighborhood so we can network about baby-friendly activities and hang out in general DONE
--sew.....skirts for me, clothes for the Sprout, "Maker" items for my facebook friends Not done--fall project
--finish Sprout's baby quilt Not done--fall project
--paint or draw...just get some marks on paper for once instead of thinking about it FAIL
--take a class: either photography/Photoshop, painting, or machine quilting FAIL, unrealistic goal
--visit the family in Indiana in August DONE
--repaint the lawn chairs FAIL
--gather and preserve some local food: blueberries, peaches (?), apples, etc. so the Sprout has food to eat this winter when she starts into the Real Food In progress, froze some blueberries and hope to make applesauce sometime in October
--spend some quality time with my female friends Not enough, must do more of this!

I'm fine with my progress, even though I wish I would have had more time and energy for art and craft. I have been working on enjoying my time being the Sprout's mama and reminding myself that I am pouring a lot of my creative energy into raising her as a strong, healthy, curious woman.

More Owl Fabric

Miss A. , the daughter of the lovely and talented Rachel Austin, had her first birthday party last month. I didn't have much time at my disposal but I knew I wanted a handmade gift for this special little girlie (and the Sprout's first party invitation, no less). So here's a quickie birthday gift--the Lazy Day's skirt in my favorite owl fabric with another little owl zigzagged onto a gently-used shirt.

My husband grimaced when he realized I'd repurposed a garage sale purchase as a birthday gift. Knowing Rachel's appreciation of thrift and craft, I feel pretty safe. What do you think? Is it tacky to give a recycled gift?

Photographing the Forest Floor

We went hiking last weekend on Bald Mountain. While the hubs is busy toting around the Sprout and admiring the trees and the views, I can hardly take my eyes off the forest floor. In part, this is because I'm a total clutz and I HAVE to watch the path or I'll trip and tumble off the mountain. But it also indicates my complete fascination with lichens, mosses and mushrooms. I shot a lot of terrible, blurry pictures but here's a few that aren't too bad. I really want a macro lens for my good camera....someday. In the meantime I need to learn the patience to hold still for the longer exposures necessary for low light situations in the woods. Patience....someday.

Gee's Bend Quilt Kits and Fabrics

Can I just say, "Yes, please."

I have blogged before of my love for the quilts of Gee's Bend and someday I will make one for myself. Someday.

Doll--Mimi Kirshner

Bloggety Bloggety Blog

Yes, we have returned from vacation with the family in the hometown, and we have returned with a vengeance. Since I have a quasi-administrative job in a nearby school district the two weeks leading up to the school year are very busy--fielding phone calls from anxious parents, hunting down materials and curriculum and files for anxious teachers, getting teachers up to speed on new software, holding a few emergency IEP meetings, and on and on.

So blogging, especially crafty blogging, is going to remain a little slim for the rest of August. In the meantime I'll post a few interesting and inspiring things I've seen around the internets lately.

Thanks for stopping by to see what I have to say and enjoy those last little bits of summer!