Mandala

Here’s my boy’s little self-made art project from yesterday.  A sunny Sunday, and I noticed he was outside with a gluestick, pasting something to the wall.  I just stayed back and watched – he was concentrating so intently, I wonder where he got this idea?

Here's the long view. That's our cement retaining wall that is in desperate need of its annual spring whitewashing (just mix lime, salt and water!).

he gluesticked (gluestuck?) the little "helicopter" seed pods that fall out of the trees onto the wall. What a pretty pattern!

close up!

It looks like rain, so I thought I’d better take a few photos.  Who knows how well Elmers glue stands up to the elements?

Just goes to show, art is everywhere…..

Upcycling T Shirts

What a busy day in the sewing room!  Every once in a while, I need to just have a fun day and make quick and dirty clothes for the family.  I keep a huge basket in my sewing closet where everyone puts the clothing they have outgrown, is torn, or they no longer like.  It’s kind of like a mending basket, but more extreme.  Then, when the spirit moves me, I dive in and find some pieces to “upcycle”, or redo.  Here’s what I did the other afternoon:

An ancient t-shirt of daddy's becomes a little tunic for Ry.

Detail of neckline. Cut off sleeves and neck. Make a casing in front and back, make a drawstring, and thread it through to tie at the left shoulder.

Here’s a shirt I bought at Goodwill last summer for the fabric. It was too small for me, and too big for her, so I cut the sleeves off, recut the armholes, and whittled in the sides to make a lovely well-fitting tank.

Here you can see the armholes - I sewed clear elastic tape to the inside as I hemmed so there would be no gapping at the armhole.

Last but not least, a little something for moi. This is not made from a t-shirt! My fashionable aunt gave me a silk nightgown when I was about 19, and I've always kept it for the fabric, but it was always a little too big and had buttons that weren't comfy to sleep in, so I recut it to a simple sundress style with casing and drawstring for straps. It'll be lovely to sleep in.

Neckline detail. I'll probably make a simple scarf out of the sleeves that I cut off.

Well, that’s it for that sewing session! Get creative and brave, and cut up your old clothes to make new ones – it costs nothing, and your kids can play with no worries of messing up their nice clothes!  Would any of you like to see more of a tutorial for this idea? Let me know…

Spring Break

I’ve barely been online in a week!  You’d think that with the kids home, we’d have lots of lazing about time, and therefore plenty of free time!  Alas, a break for the kids is not much of a break for mom.  We did quite enjoy our slow mornings with no alarm clocks and pajamas until 10 am – our natural rhythm works very well this way.  We had time for hikes, and ice cream, and did some spring cleaning and a few projects, but mostly we just walked the dog in the woods and played backyard hoops.  A nice week, really, but now I feel out of touch with my work.  I’ve spent the last 2 days with them back in school at my sewing machine.  What a treat! I’m working on some new summer/fall dresses that I can’t wait to share with you, but for now, a little look back on our week:

Classic Paas egg dying kit. The kids love this project! There are never enough eggs to dye.

pink and orange

spring green

like a robin's egg

lemon yellow

Easter morning, searching for jelly beans. Do you know how much dusting those shelves require before you can hide the eggs?

Jackpot! she found a purple egg in the climbing tree.

cleverly hidden in the tulips

pretty girl, pretty weeping cherry tree.

beautiful blossoms

easter egg

found an egg!

a basket full

A Spring Pizza! Try it - just precook a pizza crust, and add goat cheese, strawberries, arugula and pistacios - yum.