knitted bonnet

My original intention for the hat was knitting it for the new babe. I even bought unisex color yarn because we don't know the sex yet. Somehow it fits Kate! Clearly, I am a beginner. It turned out cute in a funky, pioneer sort of way. Hopefully she can get some wear out of it this winter. And if anything, I learned how to knit an i-cord with double pointed needles. Baby steps. The pattern was on loan from my friend Becca, who got it out of this book. It really is a beautiful book with pretty pictures. And if you're only a sewer, check out their other book, with sewing projects. Remember peanut?

quick, easy and inexpensive napkins

We use a lot of napkins in this house. It's either the little hands that are always messy (or the big ones), I need something to put the toast on or to wipe up the floor. We are always using {and buying} a lot of napkins. We usually use cloth napkins at dinner but we don't have very many. So here are the red polka dots again in action! I cut rectangles, ironed the edges (folding in 1/4 inch twice so the raw edge isn't exposed) and sewed! It took about 30 mins from start to finish and couldn't be more simple. {Just a side note, I bought this red fabric sometime in college on a random trip to walmart. It was before I was really even sewing, I just remember it was on clearance for $1 a yard so I bought 3. I've had it forever and it has served many purposes! Suddenly my kitchen is made up of red polka dots. Maybe one day I will use it all up...} So help save the planet and yourself some money and sew some napkins!

meet Lucy

Aka "dolly". This gal has been on my project list for a long time. And I'm so excited she's finished! I've been reading the Wee Wonderfuls blog for some time and love the dolls she makes. So when this pattern came up for sale, I couldn't pass it up. The pattern was really easy to follow, just a lot of steps and quite a bit of hand sewing involved. There are still more clothes to be made but I think I may take a break for a little while! I'm really happy with how it turned out. I worked with a wool blend felt for the first time {as opposed to the cheaper polyester felt more commonly found} and I really noticed a difference. It made me want to find some 100% wool felt. Felt is kind of addicting. I'm already thinking about all of the things I want to make with it! For now it's off to a tea party with Kate and Lucy. You're all invited :)

Corduroy Pants

I wish I could say I made this jacket... but no, just the pants. Speaking of jackets though, look at this one--it's gorgeous! I've got to get my hands on that pattern. {I think I'm putting it on my Christmas list, hint hint.} But really, nothing special, just simple brown corduroy pants to wear with the cute jacket. I have a hard time finding jeans or pants that aren't knit that fit well over kate's big cloth diaper bum. So I used leftover fabric from this jumper and these pants really are simple to make. Except when you start them at 11pm and sew the wrong sides together, and then have to rip them out and start over. Don't do that. I used Simplicity pattern 5936 and for less than $10 I got a jumper and pants! Not bad.

High chair for baby

Kate's baby, that is. I'm not sure who is more excited about this doll high chair makeover, Kate or me. I found this little chair on craigslist for $5 and it was too cute to pass up. Especially since they sell wooden high chairs at Pottery Barn Kids for $50! I spent $3 on a quarter yard of oilcloth fabric to recover the seat (and still have plenty of fabric left over to make place mats, lunch bags or bibs. Oilcloth is great.} I put on a coat of white paint with leftover paint from another project and voila! A new doll high chair for $8! I was thinking of stashing this away for a Christmas present but considering Kate is all over the house, it's pretty hard to keep things from her. Plus she has already taken a liking to it and likes to put her baby in the "baby high chair".

5 years later...

A scarf. It was 5 years ago that I sat in my friend Maria's apartment and she first taught me how to knit. I made it pretty far and then gave up. Fast forward 5 years later and I decide I want to give this knitting thing another try. While there are about 10 other projects I'd rather be doing than this scarf, I felt that I owed it to myself, and the scarf, to finish! Don't look too closely--it's not without flaws. But it is super soft and maybe sentimental? I remember sitting in that apartment with Maria who shared it with her new husband, Skyler, Paul's best friend. Paul and I were just dating at the time and I can still remember our conversation about marriage, the future, possibilities and where it would all lead. After all that uncertainty 5 years later I'm pretty content with how things played out. And equally content that the pink scarf is finally finished!

Brown Jumper

There is a sad story that goes along with this jumper. Sad to me, anyway. This summer I found Kate some adorable new shoes at the Nordstrom anniversary sale--brown and pink mary janes. I thought they would be perfect for fall so I bought them a size to big so she could grow into them. On our way back from California we mailed a few boxes because we couldn't fit everything into our suitcases. I put the shoes in the one of the boxes thinking we wouldn't need them for a while. We got back to Connecticut and my first project was a brown and pink jumper to match her new shoes for fall. A few days after we arrived the boxes came looking like someone had taken baseball bats to them! I guess the journey was really long! Most of our stuff was fine and we were just relieved it arrived. I began unpacking the boxes and only found 1 brown mary jane. I was sure the other one was buried under something or kate had found it and took it in another room but after a long search we determined that it was gone! The little brown shoe lost along the highway somewhere in middle America clearly fell out of the ripped box. What good is one shoe!? Especially when you have a brand new jumper to match! Needless to say, I was a little disappointed. We've filed a claim with UPS so hopefully we get some money and I can look for another pair of brown and pink mary jane's to match... if not, she's wearing the jumper anyway!

Enough with my sad story, the jumper itself was very simple to make. I embellished the top with 2 covered buttons. I bought a covered button kit at Joann's and it's about the coolest kit ever! Next I'd like to try these embroidered covered buttons. Until then, be on the lookout for one brown shoe. It's got to be somewhere in America. Lonely, I'm sure.