Oh Hello, Mr. Monkey

This week I sewed up a sock monkey for one of two sets of friends expanding their families this fall with their first little baby.

When I was younger, and still in college, I love sewing sock monkeys.  Until this past week, it had been years since I had sewn one of these cheeky little fellows.

I think that this guy right up there is surely one of my favorites.  He's a dandy about town and is looking quite dapper in his polka dotted bow tie.  The bow tie really sets off his personality, I think.

His isn't perfect, of course.  I really don't think any sock monkey should be.  But I quite like him and I hope little Liam will too, some day soon.  I think my other pair of friends are in need of a sock monkey for their baby as well.  Every little one needs a sock monkey friend, don't you agree?

My Weekend in Pictures

Happy Monday everyone.  This weekend was a quiet one for Dan, Heidi, and I.  With the rainy, cool weather on the East Coast we weren't really up for doing too much running around and opted to stay indoors where it was warm and cozy.  I actually preferred this because I got a bunch of work done on projects that I wanted to do for myself.  I thought I'd share a few of the photos with you.

We had an embarrassing amount of brown, mushy bananas is the freezer that were just waiting to be used up so I made deliciously moist Banana Blueberry muffins on Saturday morning.  I'll be sharing that recipe with you later this week - it's a winner, for sure.  I also used some of that banana to make Banana Coconut pancakes on Sunday morning.  Those were also quite delicious.

I nearly finished my Wiksten Tank.  Isn't it lovely?

Wiksten tank, in progress.

I really struggled with the neck line.  I'm not quite sure what happened but I think I'm going to pull out my stitches and try it again.  It's also gaping a little bit in the front and back, but it's nothing that I can't live with and I think with a little tweaking I can get a better fit in the future.  I really like the pattern and for the most part (excluding that curved hemline!) it's a quick one to sew up.  I'll definitely be making more for my spring wardrobe.  

I also turned these little guys:

Into this:

Isn't it fantastic?!  I'm ridiculously excited about my new desert terrarium.  Here are a few more shots:

Aerial View

Detail, showing the terrarium's curious little inhabitant.

Please excuse the photos.  I snapped them with my phone but I intend to get some better shots with  my camera in natural light.  I'll be doing a post dedicated to this terrarium detailing the materials, cacti and succulents used.  Readers, I am seriously in love with this.

A few more highlights included finally watching the English-version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  We saw the Swedish-version a few months back and had been really looking forward to the 2011 film.  I'm completely enwrapped in the second book, The Girl Who Played with Fire, so viewing the film served as a nice little recap for me.  AND Sunday was the season premiere of The Killing.  Ah, yes.

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend, as well!  I'm looking forward to a four day work week (hooray!) so Monday doesn't seems quite so bad. :)

Spring Sewing: Wiksten!

In an effort to expand my spring wardrobe and do so on a budget, I just purchased my very first Wiksten pattern.  Hurrah!  I've been crushing on them for so long now.  Jenny Gordy of Wiksten just recently released downloadable PDF sewing patterns which make her limited released patterns much easier to snag.  I ordered the Wiksten Tank.  It seems like to perfect top to carry one from the spring into the summer and will still look fabulous with a cardigan.

Wiksten Tank Downloadable Pattern, Source

Wiksten Tank and Dress, Source

The design is very simple and it seems to have so many possibilities depending on the fabric that one chooses.   It can also be sewn up as a dress, which is really very nice.  I'm looking forward to many belted dresses when fall rolls around.  But for now, I'll be working with a Kaffe Fassett 100% cotton fabric.

Kaffe Fassett Asha in Grey, Source 

I've had much luck with Kaffe Fassett's fabrics, particularly his hand-dyed shot cottons.  They are a dream to work with and I think that his Asha pattern in grey will prove no different.  It seems like just the perfect pattern for spring time. 

Have any of you had experience with Wiksten patterns?  If so, I'd love to hear about them!  Which patterns and what sort of fabrics did you use?  I'm so excited about all of the possibilities!

Sublime Stitching's Meaty Treats Patterns, and a Rather Epic Apron for Dad

My dad recently celebrated a birthday, way back in January.  I had the wonderful idea to make him an apron, since he's always cooking for someone- whether in the kitchen for family, on the grill, or for his fellow Masons and all the other organizations he's involved with.  The apron that I had in mind would feature steaks.  I searched and searched for the right fabric but nothing really caught my eye.  I wanted it to be quirky and fun, maybe a little retro.  Finally, with nearly one week to go and no steak pattern fabric in sight I realized it was time to seek out other options.  Enter the amazing Sublime Stitching patterns of Jenny Hart.  

Though familiar with Jenny Hart and her embroidery company, I had never used one of her patterns, nor had I done any major embroidery since I was in the 5th or 6th grade when I embroidered a colorful daisy flower on the back pocket of my most favorite jeans.  A quick Google search directed me to the company and her then newly released Meaty Treats pattern.  I hit the jack pot.  With designs for sausage links, and steaks, and hams, and hamburgers, and chicken wings I was equipped to make the most epic food-themed apron for my dad, ever.  I would not stop with a single steak.  Oh no, I had to add as many items on the apron as I could- complete with a sausage link pennant-like banner across the top from which various meat items would hang and a Sunday ham dinner flanked by two partially eaten chicken wings across the front pocket.

Oliver + S: Birthday Party Dress

One lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon way back in September, I grew stark raving bored because I had nothing to work on.  I had been admiring the Oliver + S patterns and decided to give one a whirl, even though I have no children of my own to sew for.  I do, however, have a friend with a wee little girl who I knew would appreciate a handmade garment.  So, off to the fabric shop we went where I picked up my pattern- the Birthday Party Dress by Oliver + S and my fabrics and notions.  As soon as I got home I got straight to work, confident that I would have a dress completed by the end of the weekend.  Silly me, I was a bit over ambitious as I did not finish the dress that weekend. Nor the next.  Or the next after that.  Life got in the way- that lazy weekend in September was a thing of the past- we adopted our little Heidi, Halloween arrived, and then Thanksgiving, and finally Christmas and New Year's.  Each weekend busier than the next.  I did not finish the dress until last week- approximately 3 months later.  Life does that to you sometimes.  

It was well worth the wait and the time spent because I am so proud of the finished piece.  I don't mean to lead you in to believing that this dress took me 3 months to sew- I just spanned it out that long.  It probably would have taken me a week to work on if I stuck with it every night.  (I am a very slow and cautious sewist- often staring at the pattern and searching online for examples before I make the plunge into the next step.)

Howl-o-ween Scarf

A festive scarf for our little beagle, Heidi.  I had no desire to dress my little one up in an uncomfortable costume for her first Halloween with us, but I did think she needed something to show the spirit of the holiday.

This scarf/bandana was a snap to make, and best of all, I was able to utilize my stash.  I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out but I do wish I had made it to fit over her collar.  She didn't seem to mind this new accessory, but I do think she wore it to humor me.  (According to Dan, at one point when I wasn't looking she attempted to eat it.) 

I'm thinking a turkey-themed scarf is in store in the coming weeks.  However, it will be a fit over the collar scarf which should allow it to sit peacefully and comfortably at her back, without falling forward like this candy corn scarf.  Also, this should prevent her from being tempted to eat it for lunch.... or dinner.... or breakfast :)

Reversible Bag

Here are a few shots of my new reversible tote.  The pattern is from the ever-adorable and talented Novita of verypurpleperson.

I used a grey, home decor weight sofa cushion cover found in the discount bin at Ikea and a cream and grey fabric from Jomar.  I really love the result.  It's adorable.  I'm going to make some more, but I have plans to tweak the pattern to make it a little longer and a bit deeper.

I love this bag.

And here is a peak of the book I've been devouring most recently - The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin.   So far it's been a really great and helpful read.  

Be sure to read about the original bag and download the tutorial here.

Welcome to my humble little blog.

I've been intending to get around to this whole blog thing for quite some time now. . . and by "quite some time" I do mean to say two maybe three years. I never understood why people blogged until I stumbled upon Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate and Zucchini- and then there was Molly Wizenburg's Orangette- and it all sort of made sense and seemed very right, even for a girl who had a habit of purchasing the most beautiful journals but never seemed to know what to write.

I've started this blog as a means to catalog my many ventures into the great craft abyss by way of a tiny apartment in Philadelphia that (much to my boyfriend's dismay) also serves as my studio space. By day, I am a historian for a very old stained glass studio. By night, a mad woman attempting to conquer as many projects as humanly possible. Again, much to my boyfriend's dismay. I mainly work in polymer clay, creating handmade beads that I use in jewelry. I also love to experiment with new recipes in our even tinier kitchen. However, this is not to the boyfriend's dismay. In this case, he's my partner in crime as we tackle new cuisine and bribe our friends into coming over for barbecues to test out the goods. I like to think that we don't have to twist their arms too much. : )


There is lots of excitement on the horizon (read: "I've got a crazy amount of stuff going on. What the hell am i thinking???!") and rather than talk poor Dan's* ear off, I've decided to channel it all here. Lucky You!


Let's see:


-Sewing projects! My parents (I love you!) bought me a sewing machine for Christmas and I am getting all of the practice in that I can. Currently en route is a package filled with delicious Anna Maria Horner cotton voile that I intend to use for Ms. Horner's Ruthie Clutch. I'm planning on making this for a dear friend for her 30th birthday. Let's hope it gets here within the next day or two as I would like to give it to her this weekend. At this point I should point out that I am afflicted with the terrible habit of procrastination. In this case however, I was too busy fighting with my very first hand made article of clothing- a denim wrap skirt- and forgot to order the fabric. Also, I couldn't decide on a pattern/color-way. I'm also incredibly indecisive.


-Baking! I'm entering a pie contest. This is very exciting as I have never been involved with any sort of baking competition. It's really not very serious, however. I think it's more of an excuse to get lots of pies to a Twin Peaks inspired art opening. A very good idea, I might add. I've got two pies lined up that I would like to make. This coming weekend will be the weekend of pie, in which I perform recipe experiments and force Dan to try my pies. Sadly, the boy has an inhuman power to say "no" to all things dessert. Unless it is steak, and for some crazy reason it is listed under the dessert category of a menu.


-More sewing projects! I figure that if I have my own sewing machine, I may as well use it to make clothes that I actually like and can afford. Therefore, I am planning on taking part in Made By Rae's Spring Top Week. So, I have from March 30 to April 30 to post at least one hand made spring top to the Spring Top Week 2010 Flickr Pool. So far, I've have a Sencha Blouse by Colette Patterns in the works and Amy Butler's Cabo Halter on deck. Anyways, enough for now.


Thank you so much for visiting. I hope you enjoy my little sewing/polymer clay/cooking adventure.


I leave you with a photo of our tree. It isn't very exciting I know, and it has nothing to do with what I've just rambled on about, but I like it. It's calming and it makes me smile.

*Dan = The Boyfriend (Will surely pop up from time to time)