M is for...

I am playing along with Katy from

nobigdill.com as she

Sews through the 26 letters of the alphabet

 

This week's stitches are inspired by the letter "M".

 

It's been a cootie-fest over in our version of shortyville!

 

When Nu gets sick, she doesn't sleep,

and therefore neither do the rest of us.

 

Oh yah, and once 1 kids gets pink eye...

snap: 3 sets of eyeballs!

 

 

I am therefore hostage in the middle-ish

part of the alphabet

Moaning for Mental Medication

 

I had high hopes that "M"

might be for "me" a few weeks ago.

 

I bought and downloaded my first adult patterns.

Printed them out, taped them together

rubbed my hands together with glee...

and then was confounded at every turn.

 

Fast is what I am looking for.

I stalled out.

And then I moved to mittens.

I cut up a reclaimed cashmere sweater

and drew up a mitten pattern...

 

FAIL!

I abandoned human sized mittens

and mini-me'd them.

 

And so, though I can't claim these exact mittens,

I did make a similar set and sent them in the mail.

 

 

This is our advent calendar and it's the thing

the 6 year old loves most about this season.

 

 She is very clear-that what the mitten says,

will be! 

 

After all the little beasties are snug in their beds

(for 5 minutes before the night zombie's take hold)

 

I think: "Oh man, I didn't do the mitten!!!"

 

Then at about 5am when the shortest of our

shorties wakes...

I think: "Oh man, I didn't "help" the Elf hide!!!"

 

"M" is for mayhem, madness, magic,

and monkeys, but in our house it's also for:

 

 

I will spare you the photos of children being

buried alive by Kleenex.

But they exist in my mind.

 

And in keeping with the season of good cheer:

 

 

Pu- the anxious lover of the family,

loved the idea of mistletoe when I explained it.

 

She said A) we must make one and

B) once it was up, if anyone needed a hug or kiss

they should just run under it and yell

 the "code word".

 

Since she is 6,

the code word was complex and multi-layered

& involved elaborate scenarios and rules.

 

It's now "Mistletoe".

 

Thank goodness,

"M" is for "Moving On!"

 

 

 

 

 



L is for...

I am playing along with Katy from

nobigdill.com as she

Sews through the 26 letters of the alphabet

 

This week's stitches are inspired by the letter "L".

 

Lightly Loved!

I belong to this fun group of women,

who for more than ten years have been 

hosting and participating in a clothing swap.

 

It' super fun! 

Everyone brings things that no longer work
 for them, and with someone new
their threads find a second wind.

Anything left over after the munchies, wine, and Mock-Walk-Off 

(If there's say a Hot item) 

Gets donated to a women's shelter.

Fun, feel good, frugal, fashion, & friendship.

(Perhaps this should have been an "F" post).

 

Well, this women' skirt had a life
with my friend Jess.

Then I think my friend Nina was tagged to give it some wings.

And many swaps ago when it was put out to pasture,

I thought...

"I've got thousands of daughters,
 a giant pink skirt can find a home with us".

 

But then time marched on and I did nothing.

And so this most recent swap, I brought it back
with the hope that someone else
would claim this pretty lady.

And no one did.

I was cleaning up the rejects
 and bagging them for the donation bin,

when I swept her up again.

The very next day I did bad things to this beautiful skirt.

I hacked it.

I sewed it straight up the middle.

 

I ran it thought my serger and broke a needle

I sewed both layers together.

So many crimes committed against this innocent frock!

 

But in the end.

A pink skirt for the wiggliest girl who loves it with abandon.

 

And the biggest sister likes it too!

 

It isn't perfect to be sure, 

but I love the idea that this fabric,
these stitches added to by me,

has another chance at adventure.

 I also love that Nu is swishing around in the same tulle

danced in by her auntie Jessie, and hemmed up by her Auntie Nina.

I love the reuse, up cycle possibilities of things well loved.

 I also get seduced by fabric shops and all the new flashy amazing fabrics out there.

 

What' s a stitcher to do?

(Everyone looks pasty and walking dead in these
shots, because we are.
Stomach flu?
Yup.
Then a run-of-the-mill-cold
that makes Nu wake everyone and party at 3am?
Yup!
"L" is also for "lick."
As in:
 "Don't lick your sister with your cooties!".
Word to the wise)

K is for...

I am playing along with Katy from

nobigdill.com as she

Sews through the 26 letters of the alphabet

 

This week's stitches are inspired by the letter "K".

 

 

I am so relieved that I had this post in the can,

having finished it last week.

 

 

Because this week I either had

a) stomach flu or

b) food poisoning brought on by...

suspect seaweed !!

 

It therefore seems apt that this week is

 

 

fish inspired.

(Oh how I love a little one in dappled sunlight!)

 

A simple little peasant frock for Yu.

 

And now I'm off to stare at my own feet.

 

 

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

 

J is for...jump!

I am playing along with Katy from

nobigdill.com as she

Sews through the 26 letters of the alphabet.

 

This week's stitches are inspired by the letter "J".

 

 

See these guys here:

 

 

Yup those are the ones.

 

You can dress them up,

but they are still very wiggly.

 

 

And these ones: Leap-y too.

 

 

 

This cheeky monkey,

 

 

likes,

very much,

 

 

 

to jump.

 

 

To climb,

to leap

onto and off of things,

 even people.

 

 

 

(Rae pants, with Anna Maria  Horner Lou Lou Thi fabric)  

 

I guess most kids do.

 

 

This one,

 

 

started very slowly with the jumping

 

 

and now she's making up for lost time.

 

 

These two egg each other on.

 

 

There are puddles,

and leaves,

and life

to be jumped into.

 

 

It's going pretty slow and fast this kid thing.

 

You jump on each other,

and out jumps a baby.

Then (in my case) two more.

 

And then you spend looooong minutes

and short years

  jumping from

baby to toddler to teen etc.

 

From what I understand,

you jump down, turn around and it's all over.

 

 

I'm all for the leaping, and jumping.

 

I find myself jumping

from little questions to big ideas,

 

and of course jumping through

weird technicolour internal hoops

of my own

design.

 

In the flurry of leaping from moment to moment

there is not much down time to contemplate it all.

 

 

 

 

I'd like to stick all the good stuff in a bag

and carry it into my dotage.

 

 



 

I'd love to later,

when I'm batty and crotchety

reach into all these potent moments

 that feel like they are leaping at jet speed into the ether-

and braid them into my memory.

 

I'd love to slow down all the Little's big jumps,

and watch them again in slow-mo.

 

And then,

I'd like to lift my feet

 

 

fall back and jump into the place
 that catches us all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I is for...Indecision & Inexperienced

I am playing along with Katy from

nobigdill.com as she

Sews through the 26 letters of the alphabet.

 

Today is inspired by "I".

 

 

 

Little Nu is such a wild child.

Covered in bruises and bumps as she

ricochets off the world and

leaps from each adventure she sees.

 

I'm always inclined to tuck her in

a little tighter than her sisters.

 

Or, in this case swaddle her

in the softest of Rae's Fanfare flannel.

 

She doesn't notice life's bruises,

she's too busy having fun.

 

I hope that stands just a little bit

for the emotional bumps

that life will inevitably bring.

 

 

The idea of wrapping up my leaper in

something soft when I send her out

into the fates, brings me a little comfort.

 

That's one of the pleasures of making art

with fabric.

Instead of a painting hanging on a wall,

these little fabric creations go on adventures.

 

They stay with my favorite people

even when I don't.

In preschool, at nap time.

 

I like to think that in a life full

of decisions and indecisions,

 

when the Shorties

 are thinking about planting seeds

or hauling life out by its roots...

 

these little fabric co-pilots

that I make with my inexperienced stitches,

will wrap them in

love, and comfort.

 

And possibly reflect a little bit of

mom's love and lightest thoughts

to soften the path.

H is for...

I am playing along with Katy from

nobigdill.com as she

Sews through the 26 letters of the alphabet.

 

Today is inspired by "H".

 

 

 

 Hello!

 

 

I had high hopes that "H"

would be all about Halloween.

 

However, my 3 Littles are fickle.

It was this, then definitely that...

 

 

I was waiting with 2 Littles

 

 

 

for the fabric

store to open,

hatching a costume plan when...

 

 I found myself across the street

from a second hand store.

 

 

You know what's easier than making

Halloween costumes????

 

NOT making them :)

 

 

The Littlest will be a ladybug.

I could never make something this cute!!

 

And the rest of us are all witches.

 

Until it changes again.

So...

 

 

A little shirt for Nu.

This is possibly the cutest jersey

I have ever seen.

Organic. Yum.

 

 



 

It's called Elk Grove by Jay-Cyn designs

for Birch Organic Fabrics.

Heart. 

 

It's a simple peasant top with shirred sleeves

(in the later photos)

 

Although I love-me-some peasant top/dress

I think a more defined pattern would have

taken the cute up a notch.

 

 

Dag Nabbit you alphabet and your 26 letters!

Haste makes the cuteness factor slump.

 

 

 

This should help.

 

 

Happy Halloween!!!

 

(also BOO!)