Thanksgiving Prep

When I was little we moved into a new house and the next door neighbors where this older couple from Norway, Ellen and Lloyd. They where really sweet folks and had a perfect yard. I would go over and visit once in a while and would stop by to sell girl scout cookies. I remember their house have a very distinctive smell. I never knew what it was, some combination of old people and Norwegian food was what I assumed. Ellen passed away when I was a teenager and Lloyd passed away during my first year of college. I ended up with some of their kitchen stuff, because their niece was the only surviving relative and I was about to move out of my parent's house, so she let pick through things before the estate sale came through. A few pans and their teacups.

I was reminded of them today because I was polishing silver. For our first anniversary my mother-in-law gave us a silver sugar bowl and creamer set that had belonged to my husband's great-grandmother. They were very tarnished. Any other silver I have had in the past has been able to be buffed up with just a silver polishing cloth. These needed something stronger though. So I went to the hardware store and picked up "Wrights Silver Cream." It turns out that the smell of that silver cream is the exact same smell I remember from Ellen and Lloyd's house! This cream worked great and now they are shiny and ready for Thanksgiving!

Very tarnished!

All shiny! You can see me reflection.

We are hosting this year. This is not the first time we have hosted Thanksgiving, but I think this will be the biggest yet. I got all new napkins, I bought these from Pier 1. The napkins we have are starting to look a little worn and I don't have enough to have them all match for the number of people we have coming over.

I have also been working on decor. My plan for the table is to get several big rolls of Kraft paper and cover the table, we've got white napkins and mis-matched white dishes (we only have a set of 8, so I'll be borrowing from my mom who has plain white dishes also) and I want to have some hand drawn labels for food and place cards. I also decided to make a banner. I saw this great saying "Gather here with grateful hearts" on a set of project life cards I ran across on pinterest and I thought it would make a great sentiment to hang above the fire place. I worked out the design on some scrap paper and then traced it onto the Kraft paper. I used the "rub the side of a pencil on the back" method. Simple.

I attached a dowel to the top with hot glue to give it something to hang from.
I've had the paper sitting under a pile of books all day trying to straighten it out. (The joy of cooking and the etiquette book, how appropriate).

So I've got my napkins pressed, the silver is polished and the decorations are nearly done! Now I just need to go shopping and get everything prepped. Good thing I've still got a few weeks!

All done and hung above the mantle! 

Green Moneta

This is my green Moneta. I've only worn it once since we have had such a warm fall so far, but I’m looking forward to wearing it with boots and tights as the days cool off. When I first saw the collar variations. I thought the tie collar would look great in a forest green. I searched all over for just the right fabric, I went to three different fabric stores and could not find the right thing, but then just as I was about to leave Mill End empty handed I looked up and there it was on some weird high shelf. I had to get someone to come over and help me. And then, the best part of it all was that it was only $7/yd and it was super wide so I only had to buy two yards!

This went together really quick. I made plans to use my mom’s serger one Sunday. I cut it out one evening the week before and then put it together in a few hours on the serger. I am not a serger expert, so mom helped in a few spots. Attaching the collar was a little tricky since you have to do it in the round, but we figured it out.

I made a few pattern adjustments from my previous Moneta, I narrowed the neckline a little bit (had to make sure to change the collar pattern also) and cut about an inch off the bodice. If I did this again I would probably modify the collar pattern so that it is all one piece, not front and back. This is a pretty thick jersey and the seams look pretty bulky.

I got lots of compliments the one day I did wear it to work, it is always fun to see people’s reactions when I tell them I made something that I am wearing. :)

Colette Myrtle

This is my hack of the Colette Myrtle dress. It is a lovely, easy pattern but the fabric I got for it just did not have enough drape and the cowl neckline was not flattering. Instead I gathered the neckline, hacked off a chunk of it and added two small ruffles. I wore the heck out of this dress all summer. It was really lightweight and breathed well.

I have been wanting to take pictures of this dress but haven’t gotten around to it, but then last week my friend posted pictures from her beautiful August wedding and there was this cute one of C and I playing giant jenga. Bingo, dress in the wild. So here you go, not the best picture of the dress ever, but you get the idea, and I get one more un-blogged sewing project off my list.

Craft room update

I have been really lucky, the last three houses we have lived in there has been a spare room that I can use for my craft room. Its wonderful to not have to use the dining room table for projects (although I do still use it for cutting out patterns) and then clean up before dinner. I can close the door and leave a project in the middle. But these spare rooms have always had to serve dual purposes, as storage, or a guest room, And to compound the fact that the space is not entirely mine, I have always had to work with hand-me down storage. But just a few weeks ago we made it work so that I could get a new shelf from Ikea. I love it! It has made a world of difference in the craft room and inspired me to make some other changes as well. Let me take you on a before and after tour.

Before

After

My parents gave us a twin futon so that the room can do double duty as a guest room. Before, it was in the way when not in use and hard to get to when it was unfolded. Now it can be out and set up all the time. I can use it as a place to read, or do a bit of hand work (the light is great) and we are ready for guests any time. 

My two, ill-fitting hand-me-down shelves.

Brand new, everything fits Kallax!

I rearranged in order to make the guest bed have a permanent home. The new Kallax is slightly less storage than I had before, but I'm ok with that since it means things are tidier and easier to find. In the process of putting things away on the new shelf I threw out a bunch of things and also moved some stuff to basement. I figured that if I hadn't used it since we moved into our last house I could get rid of it. 

Before

After, doesn't look that much different.

So my actual sewing space hasn't changed that much, but the rest of the room is so much better. The table is my grandma's old sewing machine, unfortunately it needs to be rewired so it is currently not functional, but it make a great perch for my trusty Viking Emerald.  

Let me show you a few more cool things about the new space. 

This teddy bear has a hat that says 1988. My uncle gave it to me this spring and told me he bought it for me when I was a baby but then he liked it so he kept it and started a teddy bear collection. He had to get rid of the collection and figured I should have this bear, you know 26 years late. I've also got a few softies I made, my doll from when I was a kid, and the chicken was brought back by some friends who went to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Pictures of my sister, and Camp Namanu. I've got my grandma's old school bell and my giant scissors. It is so nice to have some room to display things. 

The shelves are jam packed. For now I've got the bins I had before. But I would like to get some pretty ones that all match. If you have any recommendations on where to look or specific models, leave them in the comments. I also want to get some nice labels for the bins and the shelves. 

Close up of the guest bed. Doesn't it look nice and cozy? This is a scrap log cabin I made a few years ago. It is super warm, I put two layers of batting, and here it is doubled over. Probably too warm for the fall, but it looks nice and was on the top of the stack of quilts in the closet so it ended up on the bed. I'd like to get a little stool that can be used as a night stand as well. And really long term I'd like to get some kind of day bed frame and get the mattress off the floor. I actually hemmed the curtains, we've been here almost a year and I finally did it. 

This space still needs a little work, but it is a vast improvement over the space before. Thanks for letting me show you around. Let me know what you think!

Bench

I made a bench! We have a really great little covered back porch, and ever since we moved in I've been thinking it would be nice to have a bench for sitting out on our porch with coffee in the morning or a cocktail in the afternoon.

On the side of the house is a big pile of old 2x4s and other wood. I used these, we own a chop saw, a drill and I borrowed a skill saw from the SE Portland Tool Library, so this project ended up only costing me about $15 for the cost of screws.

Giant pile of old wood on the side of our house

I started with a plan from Ana White. But because I was working with the wood I had I ended up making quite a few changes and my bench ended up being a lot “chunkier” than the original.

I was able to cut the back pieces at an angle using a skill saw. I tried to rip 2x4s in half but since I don't have sawhorses it didn't really work. All other cuts where made with the chop saw.

My work space in the back yard

Sides dry-fitted together

I started this on a Sunday afternoon and got it nearly finished by that evening, but the battery in my drill died so I had to wait for the battery to re-charge. I manged to do most of it myself but I did press my husband into service to hold some boards while I screwed them together. If I had had a set of clamps I could have done it without him. 

Original back design dry-fitted 

Since I couldn't do the fancy x back of the original inspiration I figured I would do slats instead (see above) I went back to the hardware store for longer screws (the rest of the bench is built with 3' screws) but when I got home and started to drill my pilot holes (always drill pilot holes!) my drill bit was not long enough to go all the way through the top 2x4. So the design changed again. 

It took me a few more days after work to complete, but we've been enjoying this bench for a good part of the summer. It is still living in the back yard, but it will start raining soon and I'll move it to the porch. At some point I'll sand and stain it but for now it is nice and rustic. I need to make some pillows too, but that is a project for another day.  

Arm rest and seat supports in place

Seat slats added

I'm pretty proud of it!

Hexie update

Remember all the hexies I had prepped? Well here are all the ones I have sewn up so far. Not quite enough to make a quilt but its getting there. I've been working on them here and there when we go on road trips. 

Two Mabels and a Moneta

Have you tried Colette Patterns new knit patterns Mabel and Moneta? They are wonderful to sew and wear.

I was lucky enough to be a tester for the Mabel skirt and this black one is the one I made to test the pattern. So easy and simple! And super comfortable.

I had some issues with the tension of the double needle I used and the first time I wore it the hem popped. By the time I got around to fixing it I had thrown out all the knit scraps I had and I needed to test the tension before sewing the real thing. So I grabbed a t-shirt I never wear and used that, but then I had a great idea, make a skirt out of t-shirts I never wear!

Its got a polka dot lining!

My husband and I used to be in the same union and between the two of us we had about six union t-shirts. He is no longer in that union and doesn't ever wear the shirts, and I really only need one of them. So I cut them up! And made the longer version with the kick pleat in the back. I wore the skirt to a party with a bunch of activist friends and told them that I had made it out of t-shirts and they thought it would be fun to make political t-shirt skirts where you leave the graphic in place. That would be pretty awesome. A project for another day!

Here is the back with the kick pleat.

The Moneta Dress is amazing. I only have one, but I would like a closet full.

I bought the fabric and the pattern at the book launch party Colette hosted at Modern Domestic. The fabric is an organic cotton bamboo blend and it is absolutely dreamy.

The stripes are a little wonky around the waist. I’d like to take it apart and re-do it so they are a little tidier, but for now it works.

I’ll make a few changes the next time I make it up. the neckline is a little wide, my bra straps often show which is annoying when I want to wear this to work. And the waistline is a little low. I think next time I will chop an inch or two off the bodice so it hits me a little higher. Have you seen all the collar variations you can add to Moneta? I really want to make a three quarter sleeve length with the tie collar for fall. Possibly in a forest green. I think it would be really cute for work with boots.

These are both great patterns, and I can’t wait to show you my take their new pattern, the Myrtle.