Return of Girly Style

For those looking for the Give-Away post, it’s the next one down. And now to our regularly scheduled program. . .

Girly Style Wardrobe is back(more here and here)!  L4 will now be stylin’ in these new tanks this summer:

The two with the ruffle-edged bottom are pattern G from the book.  I made it for L4 two years ago, here.

See that middle one (my favorite!)–the irony of my comment request for the give-away came to bite me in the afternoon after posting that.  BTW–I highly recommend reading the comments on people’s crafting mishaps.  They are highly entertaining and a huge reminder how we’re all in this together in a variety of ways.  Anyway, I sewed the facing on wrong and had to rip all of the stitches out.  It took far longer than sewing the facing on.  All worth it in the end, no?  Of course now that they’re done we’re having rain and cooler temperatures.  They’ll be waiting patiently for the return of the warm weather, as will I.

Read Full Post »

May Give-Away Day!

The folks at Sew, Mama, Sew are doing it again, organizing a lovely, huge give away day in blogland.  I particatped in the December Day.

For this give-away I’ll be giving this project bag away:

I sell these bags in my shop. Here’s a description for you:
Do you knit and walk at the same time? Are you always bringing a project along, “just in case” you have some moments while out and about to knit a few stitches? Does your project every get lost in a large bag, stitches sliding off of needles as you tried to extract it from the depths within? I know I’ve had all of the above experiences and kept yearning after the knit-on-the-go bags I would see from big retailers. I didn’t like that they were made of nylon, so I never purchased one. Instead I kept saying to myself, “I’ll make one someday!” I finally did and love having it. Now I’m sharing my sock sack with you!

What’s different about this on-the-go bag? The outer material is made of mid-weight cotton/home décor weight fabric so it is sturdy. The inner material is a recycled vintage sheet with a leaf and butterfly print in shades of green. All the seams are serged for durability, and the lining assures that your needles won’t get stuck in any seams. Seven grommets surround the top of the bag allowing for an easy drawstring closure. The drawstring itself is a sturdy, all natural, unbleached cotton rope cord. It’s long enough to tie around your wrist, to a belt loop, or to another bag you might be carrying, just in case you “need to” knit and walk at the same time.

Measurements: 8.5” tall, bottom measures 6” in diameter

How to win:

• Leave a comment between now and May 31st.  Tell me about a project mishap you’ve had (walking and knitting mess-ups, sewing sleeves in backwards, etc) and what you learned from it.
• I won’t be able to ship internationally, I’m sorry.

The winner will chosen randomly, with possible bonus points (as in another entry or two) depending on the humor or lesson learned in your comment.  I’ll announce the winner on Monday, June 1st and will ship the bag by June 3rd.

Also coming next week–look for vintage sheet produce bags in the shop.  In honor of the bursting season I thought I’d change up the cotton muslin I usually use in making my bags and will have a few limited edition produce bags made from vintage sheets.

Enjoy and check out all of the other blogs out there participating in the May Give-Away Day!

Read Full Post »

Signs of the Season: Warm Weather Sewing

Funny that L4 doesn’t fit into the shorts I made her as I began this blog two years ago. . .  oops.  We have begun making her a new summer wardrobe so she can wear clothes out of the house that fit her!  First up, the Lazy Days Skirt by Oliver and S.  My only modification was that I gave it a hem because I didn’t have ribbon that would go with the fabric:

Second, shorts!  I even made some little pleated pockets for them so she could stow away little treasures on her outdoor adventures.  I’m LOVING the pockets.  🙂

This second pair has a little bird appliqued on the one pocket. I made two other pair as well, but got a bit lazy and didn’t make pockets on them, but it was approved by the girl, first.

I’ve been busy working on some tank tops for us both, and there will be another skirt or two, as well as at least one dress in the mix.  For me, too. 🙂 Oh, how I love sewing for my girl! And in general! It’s been a bit too long. OH–I have to make some things for this little darling that entered the world last week, my cousin’s daughter (Still can’t believe he is a daddy!).

One more thing–check back tomorrow for another blog give-away, like the one in Decemember.

Read Full Post »

Better Late Than Never: April’s Energy Report

I was swept away at the beginning of May with end-of-semester doings, friends visiting, painting, and the heady excitement of green all around me.  For those of you waiting on the edge of your seat for May’s energy report, I apologize!  Here it is:

Electric		Gas		Water
326		41.5		176
11.27		1.42		6.1

All three were down from last month, gas by about half.  Yippie!  Gas should get and stay lower until next fall.  Electric will probably stay lower until June, maybe July, when it becomes dehumidifier season.  Ick.  Water is probably going to start increasing because gardening season is well underway.  L1 began to lay out the driplines in the beds last night.  They’ll be functional by the end of the weekend, I hope.  We have a plumbing repair to do for the outdoor faucet (which, incidentally, will save us gallons of water when in use!) before the system is a go for the season.  Plumbing is probably our least favorite household repair.  And just so this post isn’t bereft of a picture, a violet in my herb garden from earlier this month:

Read Full Post »

Element of Air: The Power of the Wind

Photo taken through a window, car moving ~65mph, thus low quality

This past weekend we had a wirlwind trip to Virginia for a visit with a friend. Unfortunately most of the pictures from said trip were taken by the kids in the newer Air & Space Museum as they ran about like crazed beings. The one above was taken on our drive down. It is an absolutely beautiful drive through NYS’s southern tier, then western PA and a bit of MD and finally VA. There are green, rolling hills, free range cows and horses and even some goats! Amidst all of that natural beauty we saw this wind farm in south-western NYS. While it is obviously not part of the natural landscape, there was still something beautiful and graceful as we watched the turbines turn round and round with the power of air. I wondered if these were the turbines that provide us with 200kwh/month. I know there are pros and cons for wind turbines, but in those moments as we drove swiftly past in our petroleum-powered car, I felt hopeful for the future. There are changes for the better happening. In the metropolitan DC area we saw a newly constructed building with a sign on it that read, “This building is 100% powered by wind.”

I’ve read about how we’re going to have to change so many things about our life in the future, depending on how much change comes with global warming and depletion of resources.  Sometimes I feel very scared and overwhelmed by this thought.  This past weekend I felt hopeful for our ability as a species to adapt.  I think that our individual actions are starting to make a difference because so many people are adopting actions that are healthier for the planet and ourselves.  Just for today, at least, I’m going to wear some blinders to all of the inaction around me and bask in the glow of hope.  Pessimism can wait.

Read Full Post »

Signs of the Season: May Day

Although we celebrated a bit late this year, this past weekend was our annual May Day get-together with close friends.  My mother’s day gift was my kids having a sleep-over with their grandparents so that we could have adult alone-time.  It was a wonderful gift and I was still able to have dinner with the kids and watch them do their own maypole dance on Mother’s Day.

This year’s dance made me realize just how out of cardiovascular shape I am! Time to get this body moving in all of the spring riot of color and sound. Thank you, all, for sharing your spring moments with me in your comments. I enjoyed each and every one. And now I’ve just shared another of my favorite things about this time of year–our May Day celebration.

Read Full Post »

Blogaversary 2 Winner!

The winner is. . . Kate!

“I am enjoying being able to be outside and watch JH explore nature, it is the greatest.”

Kate, let me know what you think you’d like from the list and I’ll make it up for you and get it out to you.

I’ll be back either later tomorrow to share pictures and weekend happiness.  Happy Monday to all!

Read Full Post »

It Snuck Up on Me!

Happy Belated Blog-A-Versary to me!  Yesterday was my 2-year mark.  I’m so happy that I began this blog and have kept it up over the past two years.  I love the new experiences to which I have been introduced as well as the new people.

To show my appreciation for you tagging along on my blogging adventure, readers of new and old, I propose another give-away!  Please leave a comment telling me what you’re currently enjoying about spring.  I haven’t decided what the give-away will be yet, but some ideas include:

• a grocery tote
• some bulk food bags
• a log cabin sachet
• ???

If you have another idea (within reason!) leave it with your comment for me to consider.  Happy May to all!

Please leave your comment by Friday at 9am, EST.  I will close the comments at that time and randomly chose the winner.

Read Full Post »

Worth It in the End?

This semester past all you’ve heard about on this blog was a bit of complaining about my students.  I’ve finished up the semester, making my way through final projects and exams.  While most of the projects were so-so, there were some that were quite satisfying to read.  I thought I’d share a poem that one student wrote about his experience in Social Psychology.  It, among other things, made me ask the question, “was it all worth it in the end?”  I feel so much more jaded than I did ten years ago when I began teaching. But at the same time, I still find moments of bliss in my pedagogical experiences.  Once I was very idealistic about this job, but a number of experiences have tarnished that idealism.  Reading pieces like that which follows the bump help polish that tarnish and I feel a bit more shiny again.  Enjoy!

Read Full Post »