Wednesday’s Child - My Wonderful Family

I had originally promised a friend to post an article about yarn, but instead decided to write about my family.  My mom and dad drove up over 1,500 miles to visit us last week.  They are both 81.  Mom will be 82 in August.  We tried to do everything they wanted to do, all crammed into a few days.  We must have gone to every thrift store in the city as well as some in other towns.

Now, I love shoes.  I torture myself looking at shoes.  I can’t wear most of them but I love trying a pair or two on.  My mom, on the other hand, loves shoes and takes it a step further.  She doesn’t just look at them and maybe try some on.  Oh no…she tries them all on and then walks up to the check out counter with at least ten pairs.  In every style and color of the rainbow.  And that’s just in one store.  She always entered empty handed and walked out with at least two, maybe three, bags full of shoes.  I guess it runs in the family.  My daughter and my oldest grand daughter love shoes too, not to mention hats and bags to match.  As my daughter says, “You can never have too many shoes.”

You should have seen them packing the car for their trip back home.  The car trunk was full, and the back seat of the car was packed to the roof.  If there had been a luggage rack it would have been full too.  Most of the back seat was full of an older wonder horse and fencing for her tomato garden.  The wonder horse was so large and akward, it had to be broken down to its smallest parts, which were still pretty big.  She would have cut the legs off to get the wonder horse to fit.  She almost took a kitten home with her too.  The cat carrier wouldn’t fit in the floor board of the back seat anyway.  My dad, he just smiles and lets her have her way and do what ever she wants.  He always says, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”

It gets hot here in the summer and there is no air conditioning in the old farm house where I live. In the evening, they like to sip on a glass of wine out on the front porch while gazing across the gravel road toward the rolling fields.  The breeze always smells of flowers and fresh hay.  Mom and Dad sit and let their minds wander back on when they were younger and would sit in the porch swing talking with my grandmom and granddad every evening.  All of us young children would play in the front yard climbing trees and playing chase.

The two of them attended my dad’s high school reunion.  He and one other person are the only two left of his high school class.  They were supposed to attend the family reunion, but needed to leave instead.

  My dad promised his doctor he would return by Tuesday.  I would love if they could have stayed.  I love my mom and my dad.  They have so much love to share with ALL family, regardless of who that person is or what someone has done.  I hope to grow up to be like them someday!

This week's project

I've been totally pulled away from sewing the last couple of weeks and it's been completely awful. My days have been filled with work, and my evenings and weekends have been packed with activities for the kids. But this week, I'm dedicated to putting something together.

A few weeks ago, I got a cute pattern from the Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop called the Brooklyn Frock. The Brooklyn pattern includes sizes three months to eight years old and it looks like it's still being offered for free on the website so go download it!

I bought enough fabric to make two dresses, so I should be ready to go. Except for the buttons, which I'll get today since I will be out and about yet again.

Look for a post next Saturday on how the first one turns out.

Wednesday's Child - A Crochet Tutu-Torial

Wednesday’s Child:  No Sew Tutu-torial!

Every little girl wants to be a princess, right?  With the tutu craze still going strong, anyone can be a pretty princess. Lately I have seen them everywhere; at the mall, the grocery store, and at kindergarten. Even my 3 year old granddaughter will not go to bed with out a skirt or a tutu on. I kid you not. So, I thought for today’s blog I would post a crochet tutu tutorial.

Most tutorials and patterns call for tulle, a finer, softer mesh which unfurls gracefully like a blossoming flower when a little girl twirls. Tulle is easily bought and available in the colors of the rainbow!

You will need: 

Tulle

A small amount of yarn

Crochet hook

Scissors

I used scrap (about a yard and ½ to 2 yards) tulle, a bulky weight yarn and a size J hook to make a baby size tutu.  There is no real pattern to this, but it can be made in any size - just make sure you have enough material to finish your project.   

Measure the waist of the person you are making this tutu for.  I measured about 21” or 56 chain stitches.

1.  Chain 56

2.  Single crochet in second ch st from the hook.  Sc in each ch st to last ch st, chain 3, turn. (55)

3.  Double crochet in each single crochet stitch to the end, chain 1, turn. (55)

4.  Single crochet in each double crochet stitch to the end, finish off. (55)

Weave in loose ends.  The waist band is now finished.

 5.  Lay out the tulle lengthwise, fold in half.  Cut a 2” strip from the short side of the tulle. Cut the 2” strip in ½, giving you 2 strips. Cut as many as you want.

6.  Insert the crochet hook into a hole, fold a 2” strip of tulle over the hook, and pull about half way through. Pull the loose ends of the tulle through the loop you just pulled through halfway (this is the part you folded over the hook) until it is pulled tight. It will be self knotted. Repeat this step from end to end of the bottom of the band.

7. Cut a piece of tulle long enough to pull through the holes on the end of the band, tie together, trim tulle (if needed), and you’re finished!

This is a super beginner project! It would also be a good learning project for a child. My friend Bev and I sat down and did one each. I used red and purple tulle while Bev worked with red. It took us about 2 ½ hours from start to finish. If you don’t want to use a strip of tulle as a tie, you could sew on buttons or Velcro, or what my friend Bev suggested: leave a long tail of yarn at the beginning and end of the band, using the tails as a tie. We also found it easier to lay the tulle out flat, then folding it and cutting it. We started out by holding it out and cutting it while sitting on the couch. The strips were not even and they had jagged edges, but the end result was still great. 

My friend Bev’s first tutu!

As always, if you try any of my projects, please let me know how you liked it!  Questions, suggestions, and comments are always welcome! 

A Cute Baby Romper and Other New Tutorials

Let's get real. Have you ever seen a baby romper that wasn't just darling? Well, maybe, but babies are pretty cute no matter what you put on them, especially if what you put on them is ruffled.

It's not my design, but it sure is cute. Julia-Faye just started her blog and this is her first tutorial. Pretty good for a first!

And since I'm talking about blogs and tutorials, my friend Anne over at The Elegant Artist has also written a new tutorial on how to upgrade that old vintage sweater! Hers is written for a baby sweater, but it could be easily applied to a child-, teen-, or even adult-size clothing. You can also check out her Etsy store for some cool stuff.

Another favorite blog of mine - Welcome to the Mouse House - has a guest tutorial on how to make a Tutu Swim Bottom. 

Off Topic Tuesday - My New Haircut

That's right. I had my fabulous stylist, Kim, from A Touch of Plasch, chop it off this past Saturday. I do about every two years, so it was about time. I went with a nice, short, easy-to-manage cut inspired by a couple of celebrities!

and this, for one of those need-to-get-out-of-the-house-NOW! days.

You'll be disappointed to know that I forgot to have my husband take a picture of my hair before he left on a quest to buy a wood chipper (I'm such a nice and loving wife!), but I will have him do it when he gets home. Here's a picture from a three weeks ago, when it was still long.

I feel like it's a bit short to achieve the exact look from the styles in the pics, but it will grow. And I have naturally wavy hair so I won't even have to use a curling iron! And I'm far from being a celebrity, but at least I have fun trying ;)

And now for the crazy lady montage (taken in rapid succession)! Because who doesn't like to make weird faces.

My Busy Two Weeks

Hi Readers!

Sorry I've been gone. I just started a new job and have been trying to adjust to a completely new schedule, to cranky kids who have new schedules and have to be at daycare all day, and to a total lack of know how to cook quickly once everyone is finally home. And what a two weeks it has been. Sick kids, a super-long (but super-fun) trip to Iowa with said sick kids, finding two disgusting deer ticks on my dog (so so so gross), new job, and just trying to figure out how in the world families with two working parents do it (I can't even begin to imagine how single-parent families can do it!).

I can't tell you how much I've slept. I get home, we eat dinner, we put the kids to bed, and then I go to bed. Very sad. No sewing, reading, watching TV, or relaxing of any kind.

But I'm happy to tell you that everyone is starting to adjust. I even got a haircut! And don't worry. I'm back now and starting to get my energy back! Yea!

Look for a post on Tuesday this week