Twelve Days update: you can sub Pellon 70 Peltex for the wings, and two other notes

Hey, guys! I always like to share updates with you that might make the construction of your ornaments easier/faster/better/cheaper. (As I typed that, the opening sequence to The Six-Million Dollar man began playing inside my head.)

FIRST ITEM: Way back when I wrote the bird patterns in the series, I specified double layers of heavyweight iron-on interfacing to give the wings stiffness, and used Pellon® 70 Peltex® to reinforce the beaks.

I discovered recently that the 70 Peltex actually works well for the wings. Quite well. Okaaaay...better. I did this in the set I just made for FOTF and really liked the results, and it was less trouble than cutting multiple pieces of interfacing. So why didn't 2014 Larissa think of this? Mmmmnot sure? Maybe I did and decided against it? You know me. Detail obsessed oriented. I'm sure it crossed my mind. Maybe I thought it would look too thick? But 2019 Larissa knows better.

So as I'm going through and revising the patterns (just minor changes and tweaks) to make them more streamlined and consistent in the way they are made, I'm subbing in one layer of the 70 Peltex in all the bird wings (and also the tail in the case of French Hen) instead of the double layers of iron-on interfacing. It's a win-win because
1) it works better to help the wings keep their shape over time, and
2) also makes for one less item to buy, because you already use the 70 Peltex in the beaks. Yay! (You can skip buying the craft weight iron-on interfacing.)

So make a little note to yourself on your existing patterns to use the Peltex instead. That includes Turtle Dove, French Hen, Colly Bird, Goose a-Laying, and Swan a-Swimming. (Partridge does not have a free standing wing, so that is not affected.)

SECOND ITEM: Specific to the Swan a-Swimming pattern, also make a note to yourself about using a cotton pipe cleaner inside the water of the swan instead of using the interfacing or even the Pellon. It won't hurt to use either of those, but I think a pipe cleaner works better:

That's another minor revision I'm making in the pattern because a cotton pipe cleaner keeps the water nice and straight and not bendy. Bendy water looks weird. When storing the ornaments, the water tends to bend upward around the swan if you use the interfacing or Pellon. Even if your pipe cleaner gets curvy in storage, you can easily straighten it. I used a pipe cleaner in this one.

OK, THIRD ITEM: Circling back to the wing and beak Pellon, I thought I'd mention that when I made the baby banner recently, I noticed stiffened craft felt has about the same thickness and stiffness of the 70 Peltex.

Soooooo if you find that you have trouble locating the 70 Peltex to use for the wings and beaks, you might try the stiffened felt? *Emphasis on the ?* I hesitate to even mention it because I haven't used it in the ornaments myself, but I know you guys are perfectly capable of trying it out for yourselves if needed. You guys are smart. Be careful if for some reason you have to press over it with an iron -- I'm pretty sure it will melt or shrink if there is direct contact with the iron.

new colorways in 100% wool felt - WIP

Hey, guys. Stitching like a busy bee in between driving my kid all over creation to volleyball. This is the first time I've been an athlete parent and MAN, y'all. It's a lot of driving. But my kid loves it. Go, Holland! Bless her, she's working successfully to overcome the combined set of awkward genes she got from her very unathletically gifted parents. I have other talents.

So anyway, the three Twelve Days ornaments^ up there are from the blue/pink color bundle that I'm putting together for Janet at Felt on the Fly using her luxurious 100% wool felts. There will be three different colorways and they are going to be heavy on the rich, dark and bright colors. I'm excited to share more later!

In other news, I decided it was time to replace my blog, shop, and social media profile pictures with one that actually looks like me. The old one was the Brunette Larissa from several years ago. It was time to switch to Granny Hair Larissa. But how embarrassing is it to take a bunch of selfies? I'd rather be poked with knives than ask my teens to photograph official shots of me, so I hid in the kitchen and tried to figure out the best way to get a shot of myself with my phone timer (multiple fails) that didn't look 100% contrived and awkward. I kept checking over my shoulder to make sure they couldn't see what I was doing and mock me. It felt completely ridiculous. #generationgap

I'm not sure the one I am using over there > in my profile is even acceptable but I give up for now. It's me Living My Truth (aka swilling coffee). 

minor correction for Swan a-Swimming pattern and maybe I should just use a pipe cleaner anyway...

Hello, guys!
You are all awesome, have I mentioned that lately? Well, you are. Vigilant mmmaker Judi (thank you, Judi!) brought a mistake to my attention in the Swan a-Swimming pattern. If you haven't already noticed it, grab a marker and make a note on your patterns:

On step 31 it should read as follows:

Trace this water outline twice on heavyweight fusible interfacing (glue side up), then once (glue side down). Cut them out.

So the mistake was that I had the 'glue side up' and 'glue side down' switched. What you want to end up with is two layers of interfacing on the wrong side of the WATER BACKING and one on the wrong side of the WATER FRONT. Not a huge deal even if you make it with this switched, but it does end up making you feel like you went wrong somewhere. Sorry, Judi! If you've been cheating like I sometimes do by just gluing the interfacing in place instead of ironing it on, you may not have even noticed.

However, I'm re-thinking the whole interfacing thing for this step anyway. The more I store my Swans, the more I realize the water tends to curl on the ends and not stay level. (Do yours do this too?) So I'm thinking a pipe cleaner shaped and glued lightly to the wrong side of the water backing might work better than the 3 layers of interfacing. Feel free to do that instead!

Were you naughty or nice?

Santa's checking right now. Merry Christmas to everyone far and near! I'm wishing you a wonderful, peaceful, delicious day in which you feel surrounded by the love of God and the warm company of friends and family.

This is a photo I took years ago of one of my very favorite ornaments. It's one that was my husband's when he was little and I love it so. I keep having to glue his tiny pencil back on over his ear.

Soooooooo...I have to confess, y'all...it's not looking great for a Lord a-Leaping release by new year's eve. I'm working on Mr Grand Finale but he's being difficult and tricky. Leaping can so easily translate as spaz attack instead. It's a fine line. I'm going to take the time needed to get him just right and if that means extending over into the new year, that is what it means. *sound of slow air leak from personal goal balloon*

The bonus ornament is going swimmingly though! It looks awesome. I can't wait to show you that one! (Patterns 1, 6 and 12 all have a 2nd ornament included -- I think you'll LOVE this one. Truly. hint hint.) I'll be updating you guys again by the new year to let you know how it's going, but for now--

God bless us, every one!

things I've learned in DramaLand

My Love From Another Star

Goblin: The Great and Lonely God

Secret Love Affair

You guys might know I like love to watch South Korean dramas.
*Sound of the majority of my readers immediately clicking away from this post*

For those of you who are left, perhaps you watch them too? I have a hard time explaining it to folks who don't watch them. To most Westerners who brave the subtitling, they might at first seem too slowly paced and too overly dramatic. At first. But you might hang on just because the story is intriguing, or you might be curious about Korean culture, or you might be sick of smutty American programming, or you might just like looking at impossibly pretty people wearing great jewelry.

The K2

Cheese In The Trap

I Hear Your Voice

Then somehow you get sucked into DramaLand and become an honorary South Korean! Chincha! So here are some things I've learned about South Korea by watching dramas. I'm 100% positive that these facts are as reliably true as what you learn about real Americans by watching American TV.

1. The only city that exists in South Korea is Seoul. And sometimes Jeju Island puts in a cameo appearance. 
2. 50% of the people in Seoul are rich, corporate heirs and heiresses or entrepreneurs. The other 50% are the poor but good-looking folks that the rich corporate heirs and heiresses will fall in love with in opposition to their overbearing parents.
3. If you get a fever or a small cut you must immediately go to the hospital where there will be no waiting. 
4. By the way, most fevers are caused by Love Gone Wrong.
5. Moms and prospective boyfriends are super serious about your not skipping meals. If you have not eaten breakfast it's a cause for major alarm.
6. Amnesia is a very common side effect of any kind of mental trauma or a car accident.
7. If someone hugs you, the only proper thing to do is stand there looking shocked with your arms hanging down. DO NOT HUG THEM BACK. 
8. If you are in love with the person who is hugging you, and that person knows it, and everyone else knows it, it is then permissible to gently pat them in slow motion on the back while looking embarrassed. But still do not embrace them.
9. If you are sick, the man or woman of your dreams will make you rice gruel and hand spoon it to your mouth. You will immediately recover.
10. There is a Holly's Coffee shop every 50 feet in Seoul.
11. High school is made up of cutthroat girl gangs in plaid mini skirts who roam the streets looking to take your money.
12. The only thing most people fantasize about eating is convenience store cup ramen noodles. 
13. Asking to eat cup noodles with someone late at night is the equivalent of asking to come in for a nightcap. *wink*
14. It is a sign of True Love if it starts to rain and then you realize someone is silently holding an umbrella over you.
15. All lithe young men seem to have a camera in their shower.
16. If your parents divorce, you will be abandoned with a mean relative while they go get new families. And at least one of your parents will move to America and never be seen again.
17. Birthday cakes are always presented on top of the box they come in.
18. There is a fried chicken shop every 50 feet in Seoul.
19. It is a sign of True Love if someone notices a tiny cut on you, immediately consigns you to a park bench, sprints to a pharmacy, buys disinfectant and bandages, returns, blows on the cut, and spends minutes in utmost concentration putting on a bandaid.
20. If you like someone unabashedly and openly and seem the perfect match for them, ALERT: you are the second male lead. You are deep in the FriendZone. And it's likely you will die in some sacrificial way by the end of the drama, so get your affairs in order.
21. Nothing of consequence is ever discussed until you have one of the following beverages in front of each of you: 1) hot tea in fancy cups 2) iced cafe Americano 3) layered elaborate fruit drinks with whipped cream on top. Under no circumstances will you drink these drinks during your talk. 
22. If you sit down to discuss anything of consequence with just a plain glass of water, someone will be wearing it in under five minutes.
23. Marriage is not about love. It's about showing up your high school friends that you never liked but are somehow still hanging around with ten years later.
24. There is an exclusive designer bag shop every 50 feet in Seoul.
25. If anything has gone awry in your life, group karaoke and a few drinks will fix it.
26. A sign that you have made it big in life: you have a special glass display case for all your watches.
27. If your oppa (male love interest) doesn't lunge for your wrist as you are walking away, it's not True Love.
28. If your oppa grabs your wrist without even looking, it's Double True Love.
29. Any 'American' in a drama 1) will mysteriously speak with a heavy European accent 2) will have never taken even one acting lesson 3) will likely be waving a gun or signing a multi-million dollar deal.
30. There is a Subway sandwich shop every 50 feet in Seoul.
31. If your oppa doesn't return your feelings and you find the focus of your life is now to kidnap/publicly humiliate/falsely arrest his virtuous love interest, ALERT: you are a mean girl. You will die alone. 
32. If you are down on your luck, go spend the night in a sauna and wear a towel Princess Leia style on your head. 
33. Good looking high school boys are routinely mobbed wherever they go by worshipful high school girls who keep snapping pictures with their phones and saying how dreamy he is right in front of him. He cooly accepts this as his due. 
34. Good looking adult corporate heirs are routinely mobbed by female secretaries and underlings who keep snapping pictures with their phones and saying how dreamy he is right in front of him. He cooly accepts this as his due.
35. It's True Love if your oppa reaches across you to put on your seatbelt.
36. If your legs are tired or sore, ball up your fist and hit them two or three times. This makes a handsome oppa appear in a luxury KIA sports coupe.
37. America is considered a land of milk and honey where lucky and/or rich people go to live the high life or get Ivy League degrees.
38. America is considered a depraved and violent cesspool, where innocent people learn to be indiscriminate huggers and speak to their elders disrespectfully.
39. There is an outdoor soju bar in a tent every 50 feet in Seoul.
40. Accidental time travel happens all the time and never ends up anywhere but in the Joseon era in the royal palace complex. Usually in the royal bath house.
41. The best way to peel a boiled egg is to crack it on your forehead.
42. If someone kisses you, the only proper thing to do is stand there looking shocked with your eyes wide open and arms hanging down. DO NOT KISS THEM BACK.
43. You know you are in like Flynn with someone's parents if their mom reaches over with chop sticks and puts some meat on top of your rice.
44. It is not weird to have a kiss that lasts for the entire duration of a Kpop ballad, with no one moving their lips at all.
45. It is winter three seasons a year in Seoul.
46. High schools boys fall into three categories: 1) poindexters 2) street thugs or 3) painfully beautiful and gifted orphans with great hair.
47. A sign of True Love is when someone grabs you and whirls you around so that a motorcycle doesn't run you down and/or splash water on your pretty dress. You should wear a shocked expression while this is repeated in slow motion two or three times.
48. All mothers immediately and irrevocably hate the girl their son loves and will routinely offer her money to go away.  
49. Under no circumstances clear up a simple misunderstanding by communicating properly. Wait three episodes before you do this.
50. No one turns on the heat during winter. No one notices this even though their breath is crystallizing in their living room.
51. It's True Love if cherry blossoms are falling around you.
52. Any oppa worth having will cart you for miles piggy-back style if you 1) drink too much soju 2) break the heel off your shoe 3) have a fever caused by Love Gone Wrong 4) are a mermaid.
53. There is a cook-your-own-pork-belly restaurant every 50 feet in Seoul.
54. Young, good looking, and conservatively raised people will inevitably end up living with/spending the night in close quarters with the man or woman of their dreams quite by accident and under unavoidable circumstances. NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

 Healer

School 2015: Who Are You

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

:-) I hope you enjoyed reading what I've learned from Korean dramas. (I posted a Part II to this here.) A few more things I've picked up from DramaLand: 1) a few Korean phrases 2) a new taste for Korean food 3) a burning desire to visit South Korea 4) the urge to bow to my elders. 

I watch my dramas via the DramaFever and Viki apps on my iPad and most of the time the subtitles are very well done. But as you may have gathered from the credits I've listed under the photos, they need serious help coming up with good English titles for their shows. Don't let the lame titles put you off. I've noticed that Netflix is getting quite a selection of Korean dramas, so you might try one there. (They change the titles. Hah! Good decision.) I don't love every drama that I've watched, but I find that a lot of them are worth a try. And the best thing is, they just keep making more! The pictures here are from just a few of my favorites but I have a Pinterest board with more if you are interested.

(Those of us who love the Kdramas can chuckle about the formulaic plot devices, ammiright? But seriously DO NOT mess with the formulas, people. It's one of the things I love about them. I certainly hope they never start making them more like American TV. Horrors! American TV is the whole reason I watch Korean dramas.)

Ready for more? See More Things I've Learned in DramaLand

panic averted

...and there they are, at the bottom of the last unpacked box. My Twelve Days samples. Countless hours of hand work and color testing.

I have to admit I could feel the panic start to set in yesterday when I still couldn't find these samples. I rummaged through several studio boxes yesterday, becoming increasingly concerned as I pawed through them. I started chastising myself for letting them be packed at all, "Why didn't you hand carry them, you ninny?"

And then I found another studio box in the hall underneath a box destined for the attic. Yes! Huge sigh of relief and a prayer of thanks.

So now in the studio I have a functioning computer (high fives self, didn't wait for the hubs to set it up for me), functioning internet (after the 7th, yes that's right, the 7th visit from cable guys) and have successfully located my felt, needles and samples. *cues Back In The Saddle Again*

I won't show you what the studio looks like. *cues Welcome To The Jungle* It makes me want to cry when I come in here. Nothing's organized. Baby steps!

what I'm up to

Well, hey there! It's me. Can we talk hair color?
See my nice silver sideburns growing in? This photo was taken at the end of December after about three weeks of no color. It's hard to tell but there was about 1/2 inch of gray all over my head at my roots. Creative combing.

I've been covering my gray since I was about 23. Which means I've been coloring my hair for more than 20 YEARS. Almost 25! I can't tell you how tired I am of it. And the last few years in order to keep the brunette illusion I've had to intervene with either all-over color or touching up roots every two weeks. Dumping smelly chemicals on my head every two weeks doesn't seem like a great idea.

So I made a big decision in December (a big decision in Frivolous Beautyland at least). My silver hair wins. I'm going to embrace it. No more squeezy tubes of color and plastic gloves for me. I'm going gray! This decision feels so right. I can't tell you how happy I am to never have to purchase a box of Espresso brown EVER AGAIN.

On the other hand. I feel like I'm violating some universal female pledge to do what I must to look younger at all costs. My wonderful, diplomatic, seldom negative mom says I won't like it. She may well be right. Gray hair might be a large blow to my vanity. I'm going to have to look at myself in a whole new way. My big sister is also very skeptical. But she kindly went with me to get some highlights to help with the transition right after Christmas.

Because. Y'all. I'm not getting a pixie cut. And I can't just let it grow in cold turkey and have a skunk stripe for months. I DRAW THE LINE THERE.

Post highlight picture! OK, so I asked for gray highlights. Hmmmmm. These look blonde to me.

Right? However, it has softened the effect of the gray growing in very nicely, I think. So far. We'll see how it goes over the next few weeks. Next time I go for a touch up I'm going to ask if it's possible to get truly gray/silver looking highlights with a glaze or something. That certainly seems to be possible, judging by the number of twenty-somethings on Pinterest sporting 'granny hair'.

My plan is to keep going every couple of months for probably the next year or two for these highlight touch ups so that my new gray hair blends with my old colored-to-death hair, and then at some point I'm going to chop off the colored ends and be left with my au naturel hair. I'm pretty curious just how much gray I do have. It's hard to tell until it grows in more. But I think it's a lot.

I have a Going Gray Pinterest board under construction if you'd like to be inspired! This lovely young lady is a great encourager. Wish me luck. It's going to be a rough hair year. I keep telling myself when my silver streaks are grown in I can try occasionally dyeing some of them lavender and be really hip and cool*. Can't do that with brunette hair.

*Possibly using the old school words 'hip' and 'cool' make me inherently unhip and uncool but you know what I mean.

as long as the front looks nice

There are some excellent crafters in this world whose embroidery looks as great from the back as it does from the front. I am not one of those crafters. 

My philosophy about felt crafting embroidery is as long as it looks neat from the front, the back doesn't matter. I'm all about gettin' it done. I'm just showing you guys this so you don't sweat that part. I've heard from crafters making the Twelve Days ornaments who actually worry about this! Bless your hearts.

I design the ornaments so that any knotty, tangly wrong-sided messes are always hidden in the end. The only thing you need to do in this ornament series is make sure you have no anchor knots on the front. Make the back as ugly as you like! Snip the long ends, tuck in any stray threads, and forget about it. No one's going to see it (unless you publish a shot of it on your blog).  

what I've been up to, Pt 2

Getting geared up and organized for school. Buying used textbooks and new pens. And skinny jeans. Organizing our school carts. I've decided I need one more cart. For me! Adding it to the IKEA list.

We attend a Christian homeschool hybrid academy for the last two years. We absolutely love it. However, it snuck up on me this year. Even though everyone else I know has been back in school for several weeks. I cannot think how the whole summer has actually got by me like this. Was I clubbed over the head? Did I fall through a wormhole?

Y'all. I have a high schooler this year. NOT POSSIBLE.

Pretty paper in your binder covers helps make up for some shocks to the system. A bit. Totally justifies hoarding all those gorgeous Rifle Paper Company calendars I've bought over the years. They make capital binder inserts! Cut to fit and slip it in. Tired of the picture? Whip it out and put another in.

Undoubtedly buying another pretty pretty one this fall for future binders! Have you seen that Geninne Zlatkis has a Feathered Friends calendar out? Sold!

Also I have been furniture shopping because my well-loved leather sofa and loveseat now have tape on the cushions covering actual holes. TAPE, people. My mother would be shocked and appalled. But not duct tape. I draw the line there. Because clear packing tape is way more classy.

Worn out furniture kind of snuck up on me too. That's my theme this summer, I guess. So this^ is the gray fabric for the new sofa and loveseat (left) and blue fabric for the chair (middle). I get pillows thrown in also so I chose the mustard dot (right) for those. Now I have to wait several weeks for the new stuff to arrive so I'd better put a fresh patch of tape on the couch in case company comes.

In entertainment news, I read this book recently. Wow. I loved it. Such a well-crafted and delightfully creepy story! I recommend it to you. I'm trying out The Nightingale at the moment.

It's possible I've been burning an inordinate amount of time on South Korean dramas. I'm hooked bigtime. Both my girls lean over my shoulder to see what I'm watching on Netflix and if they see subtitles they immediately roll their eyes and groan "not another Korean drama!". What do they know, anyway? I keep insisting to them it's educational. I know how to say 'hey', 'hello', 'no', 'wait a minute', 'thank you', 'I'm sorry', and 'yes, your majesty' in Korean. I'm burning with curiosity to taste kimchi.

Anyway, the dramas are not all fantastic of course but I have seen some really great ones! The pacing is set on slow and the acting style can be a bit over the top, so brace yourself. I think I might be slightly in love with Yoo Ah In. *eyes drifting up and to the side, dreamy smile*
If you are curious I highly recommend: Moon Embracing The Sun (top photo), The Slave Hunters (middle photo) and Sungkyunkwan Scandal (bottom photo).
(Yoo Ah In plays the role of Moon Jae Shin in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. He's adorable.)

And of course I've watched Stranger Things along with the rest of humanity. Dug it so much. High fives to Winona Rider! She was so fantastic. I confess I had to watch some of it with a pillow over my face. All the 80s nostalgia (man, those clothes and hairdos were spot-on) and a government conspiracy worthy of the X-files. Thumbs up! I never did play Dungeons and Dragons but I tell you I was friends with exactly the same type of close-knit nerd boys who did.

painted my brown brick hearth white, check

For so long I've wanted to do this. Why O why did I wait?

I um. Didn't mention it directly to my husband just before I did it. I totally did mention it several months ago to him and received a noncommittal noise in reply that completely might have meant 'Yes, please do this, it will be gorgeous' or may have possibly meant 'Over my dead body'.

I got the bee in my bonnet a few weeks ago to follow through so I went right out to the home improvement store and got a quart of stain blocking paint/primer in one, matte finish. Thanks, Mr Paintguy. I actually needed every bit of that quart because the brick and mortar are so porous.

Here's a before shot and also an action shot taken by my daughter. I didn't even think about taking a before shot until she mentioned it right before I started in on the mortar. She'll make a better blogger than I. The brick is the same brick as the accent on the outside of our house and just looked so dated in my light/bright room. It was a light sucker, especially with that black gas stove in the middle.

And yes, I managed to get paint in my hair. The painting took a few hours because I'm super picky about getting very accurate edges.

I wanted pretty full coverage but I didn't get the brush in every nook and cranny. Before I started painting, I considered just hitting the high spots of the brick with a roller instead of a brush to create a more distressed, patchy look. I was afraid it would be too busy in the small space. I wonder if I could go back with sandpaper and knock off some of the paint in random spots? I'm kind of enjoying the white out right now though.

When Michael got home I was in our bedroom. I heard him pause in the family room. I squinched my eyes and called "Don't you LOVE it?? I think it's GORGEOUS." (go for the over-the-top sale)
Short pause.
Then he said, very kindly, as he came into the bedroom and loosened his tie, "I don't love it yet."

He later mentioned that he was going to get used to it quicker than he thought. (For the win!) Now to get rid of the man-chair.

big plans and apathy do not mesh well

I fell victim to the absolute charm of this Miss Dandelion Doe from Alicia Paulson a few weeks ago and have been meaning to get started on the kit. Eeeee! So adorable.

Look and see the different animals she has. The mouse's moccasins! Aw. Since getting the kit in the mail I've been staring at the pretty pieces of felt and Liberty lawn bits and imagining how cute mine will turn out to be, but somehow I've never started it.

So I took the kit with me to Huntsville last week because we were there visiting my mom and I would have plenty of time to make make make. As I packed the kit I was so filled with pie-in-the-sky sewing ambition that I also bundled up my sewing machine and enough fabric and patterns and notions to also make three tops. Somehow after I got settled at my mom's all I did in my spare time was watch Roswell episodes and eat doughnuts. To be honest I felt a little lackluster and depressed. My girls did have an excellent week at Jordan Park VBS. After five mornings spent there, lunch dates with my sisters and round robin dinners from house to house all I wanted to do in my down time was veg. Not make. I did manage to cut out a few pieces of the felt and adjust the placement of the buttons on my Washi peplum top. And that was it. Oh, and I did work off the doughnuts. At the 5:30 class. Yes, that's A.M. I'm not sure what came over me. It was a weird week.

And now I have to unpack all the sewing stuff I didn't touch in Huntsville. I hate unpacking. I hope you are having a more productive week!

snacking revamp, part one

Hi, I'm Larissa, and I'm a non-recovering late night snacker. I can't seem to help myself. Apparently my jaw must be moving up and down in order for me to enjoy a movie or TV show. So I've been looking for healthier alternatives to my typical high-calorie favorites (popcorn, pistachios, pretzels, chocolate).

One of my new obsessions likes: sliced Granny Smith apples dipped in good soy sauce. Please do not scoff at this until you try it. Oh, so awesome. Crunchy, slightly sweet, sour and salty. So good. And it takes a while to chew through a firm apple slice by slice, so it feels satisfying. Also, zero guilt about slicing up a second one if you like. Think of all the healthy fiber.

Note: Unsatisfying taste results may be had if you use a milder, sweeter apple for this instead of a nice, sour/sweet Granny Smith. Trust me. Blehhh. Not the same at all. For those of you concerned about sodium intake, I find the low sodium soy sauce also rocks it.

rethinking

I was almost finished with the PDF pattern and samples for the two faced Gramma Wolfie doll, so that was the perfect time to have a creative crisis and redesign the style of the head(s). Now to tweak and redo the pattern and samples. Really for reals this time.

working on a little something

for the mantel.
I have some rare time alone at the house today. I'm supposed to be finishing the duvet, of course. Yes, prolly should do that. Maybe later.

dress fail.

Siggghhhhhh. You know that easy dress I was going to make to wear over Thanksgiving weekend? The super simple one made from an existing T-shirt, wide elastic, and a straightforward gathered skirt that seemingly couldn't go wrong?

Yep. Fail.
Oh well. I did get it mostly sewn together with the helpful assistance of my mom, but it just didn't look great on me so I gave it up as a bad job and watched a movie instead.

Here's what I learned: Adding an elastic waist skirt that is a gathered rectangle may not be the way to go with my physique. It looks really poofy at the top, like I'm wearing an upside down brandy snifter. I refuse to wear a super short length skirt, so this may contribute to the weird lines because my skirt reaches to the top of my knees. As I searched for solutions online, I saw Ruffles and Roses made hers an A-line shape instead to counteract that whole thing, so that might be the way to go on Attempt No. 2., however my fabric has a horizontal stripe so I may have to go with another fabric. Also, I could try having less fabric to gather to reduce the poofiness.

Also, the really wide 3 inch elastic that I love is also a problem because I'm a bit short waisted. If I sew it straight together, it fits great on the hip edge but too loose on the rib edge. If I angle it as I sew it together, it fits much better, but it makes the back of the waistband look a bit odd, like a downward pointing arrow. I can solve that one by using thinner elastic and sewing it straight across, I think, but it will look less fabulous.

Why can't these things turn out exactly like my shining visions? So on Thanksgiving morning I had a clothes crisis in the absence of my intended dress and ended up wearing an unfortunate outfit that made me look like a bloated manatee in annual family photos. Stay tuned for Attempt No. 2. This is not going to beat me.

brain goes click, ruffler goes stitch stitch stitch CLINK

Project Concept: Make two quickie elastic waist plain denim skirts for the girls to layer over leggings. Nothing fancy, need something basic.

End Product: One tiered and ruffled skirt, with one matching peasant top for the oldest.

Kinda sorta Modkid Nina, view C-ish

Ok, so there was some deviation from the original project concept. But I really like the result. I was cutting out the simple skirt found in my Modkid Nina pattern, and I wasn't even going to add the contrast band at the bottom, you know, KISS. My goal was to knock out two skirts in a short amount of time so I could get to some other stuff that needed doing.

Then I thought (hear small click of left brain disengaging here), wouldn't it look cute with a ruffle at the bottom? No big schmeal. Won't add much time. And it would be a great opportunity to use my ruffler gadget, which has been sitting idle for a long time.


Then I got the first ruffle done and attached on the bottom and then I thought, wow, that IS really cute, but it would be even BETTER with a second tier of ruffles above that one. Won't add much more time, really. Might as well, since I have my ruffler out already.

Then I got that one on and just loved it. Now the skirt was actually kinda special, not a plain layering piece. I thought, since I've spent so much time and effort on the skirt, I should really make a matching top so it would be a complete outfit. And looky there, I have the perfect fabrics already in my stash. How about that.

So then I made a Modkid Nina top to go with the skirt, adding more ruffles (stitch stitch stitch CLINK) to the placket, elastic and bias binding to the sleeves and also a band on the bottom for contrast. Ok, and because the top was too short.

Nice twirl factor, always a draw to the young ladies. It will look so cute with boots and maybe a long t-shirt layered underneath for the colder months.

As I view it on a twirling Thing 1 above, I'm thinking the skirt is a bit long/big, but I guess that leaves room to grow. At the rate she is eating, I expect some vertical progress over the winter.

So now of course I also need to make a similar (but not the same oh, no) outfit for Thing 2. I'm thinking the skirt will have a hem decorated with a series of horizontal tucks and a shirt with some tucks on the placket.

Yes, my time management methodology is a trainwreck, hard to look at really. But my creative side is certainly happy. My inability to focus on what needs to be done in favor of experimentation is all part of my charm. Right? Unless you live with me. Still need to make those two skirts, only now I have to buy more denim. I'm really in a fall clothes making mood, and looking forward to seeing what Meg decides about school clothes week.