As you may know, we’ve been using cloth napkins around here since 2007.  I’ve gone a little loopy over them from time to time (the evidence can be found here, if you need some convincing).  I have an everyday set, and three seasonal sets of 20-25 coordinating prints each, and I change them out in January, May, September, and December.

I have been very happy with this setup.  Sure, all of those coordinating fat quarters were a little pricey when I first bought them. But most of these sets have been serving us well for four to five years, and are still going strong.  I’d rather not do the math (I like to avoid rude awakenings wherever possible) but I do feel some optimism that the benefits have outweighed the costs at this point.  Plus if we keep using the same four sets for the foreseeable future, the savings will just continue to grow.

So why bring this up now?

A few reasons, actually.  For one thing, there’s the state of my everyday napkins.  They get used the most out of all of the sets, and they are showing signs of wear.  I sorted through them today and discovered that of the original 25:

• four have gone missing – can’t find them anywhere
• twelve had visible stains
• nine are fine

(12 stained napkins)

(9 napkins still in nice shape)

(a few extra fat quarters)

Technically, I can deal with the missing ones by making some more. I have extra fabric from that collection.

And I’ve been thinking (for nearly a year now) that I could deal with the stained ones by over-dying them in navy blue and/or red.

So, problem solved, right?

Sure.  Sure, it would be, if I didn’t know about this  (“this” being French General’s Panier de Fleurs collection). I’m in love with the stripes, in particular, and the fact that there is blue in this collection.  Most of the French General fabric I have seen in the past has appealed to me, but it’s been all reds.  Red looks nice in my kitchen, but blue is really what belongs in there.  So now that there’s one of these collections with navy blue stripes? Swoon!

I have started daydreaming again about kitchen improvement.   About navy, cream, and red striped napkins alongside dark blue stoneware bowls.  About new curtains, new seat cushions, and a new apron.

Our kitchen has gone largely unchanged since we moved here 14 years ago.  The more I think about it, the more I want to splurge on that fabric, make some new napkins, rip down the old white+navy wallpaper, paint the kitchen navy blue, pull up the old white linoleum floor, put down some stone tile, or wood, replace the cabinets, get a new counter top…

The price tag on the striped fat quarters is hard enough to swallow on its own, but factor in the chain reaction of home improvement that could follow? Probably best to let this one go.  But, oh! the wanties are strong with this one.  Really really strong.

*sigh*  Think I’m going to try the over-dying thing on the old napkins.  I’m sure it will breathe new life into these designs.  It’s a shame that no amount of dye could make watercolor flowers and teapots look like vintagey stripes, though…

Darn you, French General, and your old-fashioned, European countryside charm!

Another year, another Project 365.  This was my third one, and I so enjoyed it!  These are a few of my favorite images.  You can see the rest on flickr or picasa (your choice – I’m in both places at the moment, waffling between which I prefer more).

This time around I gave myself a theme of “up close and personal” for two reasons:

1. it would force me to pay attention to the little things in life
2. it would give me some practice with close-up photography

I think it was a great success! Why? Because I had fun with it, because I am pleased with so many of the photos I took, because I’ve learned a thing or two, and because I am not ready to stop!

I felt this way when I did “a year of mornings” in 2010, too.

So, what’s on the docket for 2012′s daily photo project? I’ve decided to call it “a year in the life,” which is basically just a cheap way out of making a decision at all… I suspect there will be a lot of close-up shots taken in the morning, though… stick with what you love, right?

Speaking of things I love, would you like to see the 2011 handmades?

This isn’t just a highlights mosaic. This is all of them! I feel like maybe I was less prolific this year than in previous ones. There are still so many unfinished projects living in my brain (and some that have gotten a hold of my credit card to purchase supplies and are living in little bags my house).

You can see these completed projects up close here on the blog, or you can check them out on flickr or picasa.

So. It’s January, 2012. So many pictures to take and creative projects to tackle in the coming year.  The world is brand new with possibilities.  What should we do first?!

We saw some turkey fabric last month, while we were killing time at a Jo-Ann’s in Maryland, and Eamonn asked if we could buy some for pajama pants.  Eamonn was four years old, last time I made him seasonal pj pants.  Aidan was seven.  And now, four years later, Eamonn has long outgrown his own pants and can barely wear Aidan’s hand-me-downs.  One more growth spurt, and nobody around here will own mama-made pj’s anymore.

That’s a little sad to me, so I was all too happy to buy him the turkey fabric.  When we arrived back in New Jersey, I pre-washed the fabric, folded it neatly next to the sewing machine, and promptly forgot all about it.

Tonight, I spotted it, peering out at me from under a pile of miscellany that had sprung up over the course of the last month.  Well, shoot.  I had missed making the turkey pants in time for Thanksgiving.  Lucky for me, Eamonn is the type of guy who has no qualms about wearing Santa pjs in July or Halloween pants on Easter.  Turkey pants after Thanksgiving is over? No problem!

For a pattern, I traced a pair of well-fitting lounge pants.  Sadly, I neglected to add enough extra fabric at the top to make a good casing for the elastic, and the resulting pants looked somewhat, er, wedgie-inducing.  I asked Eamonn about it. At first, he tried to spare my feelings and said they were fine, but when I pressed him, he said, (and I quote) “they kind of hurt when I scratch my butt, and that will probably be a problem because I scratch my butt a LOT.”

Boys, eh

Thank goodness the pattern on these pants is crazy-busy, because it let me get away with doing a little surgery.  I pretty much just sliced across the top of the pants, cut off the first three inches, and then reconnected the two pieces by way of a two-inch wide strip.  It’s completely inelegant, but he isn’t particularly concerned with elegance (see butt scratching comment above), and it’s only really noticeable if you’re looking for it.

I have enough fabric left to make Aidan a pair, so once again I will be able to tuck my matching mama-made pj-wearing boys into bed at night.  At least until the next growth spurt.  Oh, they just grow so quickly, don’t they?? *sigh*

Thanks, Sarah, for suggesting grosgrain ribbon.  My sweater no longer falls off of my shoulders, and I was even able to move the button closer to the button band, where it belonged.

I machine-sewed the ribbon on.  Maybe not the best idea? It doesn’t sit quite right.  Still, it’s way better than it was.  While this may never be my go-to sweater, at least it’s no longer my run-from sweater!

The boys and I (and our filthy bathroom mirror) wish you a goofy, fun-filled weekend ahead!

I don’t usually have so many active projects going on at once, but I guess that’s Autumn for you.  Or for me, anyway.  I get excited about wrapping myself and my loved ones in warm, handmade things, and I can’t help myself.  I start things.  (And sometimes I even finish them.)

First up, the next Project: Granny Square project, which is going to be two throw pillows for my aunt.  Technically, all of the crochet work is done on these (and has been for at least a month now) and all I have to do is sew some backs onto these granny square fronts & stuff a pillow insert inside.  I don’t really know why I’ve been putting these off – I suspect it’s half an hour or work, tops. If I don’t get to it soon, I’ll just save it for her Christmas present…

Next is a project I started back in March: quilts for the boys.  I had finished Aidan’s quilt top a while back, and shared it with you here, but I hadn’t started sewing Eamonn’s at all.  Yesterday I got half of it made, and I hope to have time to finish the other half today.  After that, it’s backs for both quilts, followed by making batting sandwiches, quilting, and binding.  If I concentrate hard on it, I could have them done by the end of next week.

Big IF, that

The project that’s been getting most of my attention the last few weeks is Aidan’s sweater from Knits Men Want.  It looks like it’s going to be long enough to touch the poor boy’s kneecaps, but that’s ok. He’s due for a growth spurt.

I’ve done the back panel, and am currently working on the front.  After that, it’s hood and sleeves, and then it will all be finished, much to the glee of Aidan and of me.  After two sweaters, I’m eager to get back to some small instant-gratification stuff.

I work on Aidan’s sweater in front of the TV at night, but I only have so much patience for stockinette.  Once the boredom creeps in, I either force myself to do a few more rows & then quit, or I change gears entirely and make a few granny square centers.  These are destined to become a skirt someday.  At least, that’s the plan.  I’m remaining so laid-back about the completion of these squares, though, it could be some time before they’re done, and it could turn into a different project entirely, too.  I’m flexible.

So there you have it.  Lots of stuff going on, but not a lot getting finished just yet.  How about you?  Got anything fun and exciting in progress at the moment?  I’d love to see what you’re working on!

Pillowcase dresses are a favorite thing of mine to make, although I don’t do it very often.  In theory, there are few things easier to make than this.  I say “in theory” because today the process was anything but easy.  User error.  And plenty of it.  Ever have one of those days where you just can’t seem to sew a straight line (or insert your own easy-as-pie crafting reference here)?  That was me today.

I almost gave up a few times in favor of curling up in my cozy chair with a bag of Heath Bar minis and some streaming Netflix, but I stuck it out, and of course I am glad I did.

So these aren’t pillowcase dresses, strictly-speaking, but they are made the same way.  And they have the same benefit of being wearable for years.  These two dresses are for our twin friends who are celebrating their first birthday this weekend.  The girls could probably get away with wearing these as sundresses for a while. Maybe.  A few years from now, they could likely still wear them as shirts.

I thought they would be nice paired with tees and leggings (hooray for Target!), particularly as the weather starts to get cooler.

So here are a few details:  I used a pattern I downloaded years ago at Made by Petchy to get the basic shape of the dresses, but then I winged it: sewed up the sides, hemmed the bottom, added bias tape to the armholes, made a casing on the front and back, inserted a length of bias tape in each casing, tied at the shoulders. Voila!

The plaid fabric is from Anna Maria Horner’s Chocolate Lollipop collection and has been in my stash for ages, just waiting for the right project.

The mustard fabric is Michelle Bencsko’s Nature Walk, which is a nice organic cotton that I used on my crochet top earlier this summer.

I’m very happy with the way they turned out, and I like that the two tops are different enough not to give off a “matchy” vibe.  I’m particularly drawn to that second outfit.  If I could pull off a tent-like top and jeggings (ew), I’d be all over a set for me…

Friday afternoon, I signed for an eagerly-awaited package at my door, brought it into the house, tore it open, and beheld with glee my very own DSLR camera. Squeeeee!

It’s Sunday afternoon now, and I have easily taken 600 pictures in the interim, all which are proving to me that there was more of a difference between my old camera and this one than I’d thought.  Oh, this was soooo worth squirreling away my pennies for the last year.  So worth it.

Undoubtedly there will be more camera talk here later, but today I want to show you the new patchwork strap I made.  New expensive toys need new handmade accessories, I think.

Sure, I probably could have just used the old strap – the one with the pocket for the lens cap, but where’s the fun in that?  (Remind me I said this in roughly three days when I have misplaced the cap, again.)

It’s been a while since I pawed through my stash of designer remnants, so it was a nice surprise to find some Lotusstill around.  And there was still more of that green linen skirt from last time, waiting to be chopped up.  I cut it to roughly 2 inches wide by 30 inches long (I like my straps longer than is standard), and made a patchwork strip from the Lotus pieces.

The strips were placed right sides together, and sewn along the perimeter, leaving a section open for turning.  Seams were trimmed to 1/4-inch, the strap was turned right-side-out, and pressed.  Vertical lines were sewn along the length of the strap, paying careful attention to the opening and being sure to stitch it closed.

Then came the irritating part – ripping the seams out of the little leather tabs in the strap that came with the camera.  It was time-consuming, but eventually I prevailed, took out the existing strap, and added my own strap in its place.  I sewed it together following the original stitch lines, attached it to the camera, and voila!

New camera, new strap.

It’s got its flaws (as most of my sewing projects do), but I can look past a little bit of wonky in the interest of being able to whip up something useful and pretty in a relatively short time.

And with that, I am off to find something to feed my family – we’ve been out to eat more times this week than should be humanly possible.  It’s crazy. And I will be big as a house if it doesn’t stop!

The fit of the fabric part was all wrong, too, so I shortened it by a few inches, and took it in on the sides.

Turns out, if I had just chosen one size smaller when I made the shirt originally,  that part would have fit me perfectly.  Live and learn!

And just because I enjoy side-by-side before-and-after shots:

Yep.  Much happier with it now.  I may even make another…

First, she chose an attractive project out of Crochet Adorned – The Floral Motif Yoke Top, with it’s crocheted shoulders and fabric body was just the thing.  She eagerly dragged her less-than-enthusiastic boys out of the hotel and off to Cambridge to check out gather here in person and choose her supplies.  Half an hour later, they emerged from the store, the crafty girl clutching her shopping bag with glee, and the boys feeling even less enthusiastic than before.

Don’t worry about those boys.  Far more interesting to this story is the contents of the bag: one skein of Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton in Natural, some yardage of Anna Maria Horner’s Little Folks voile, and some of Michelle Bencsko’s organic Nature Walk as well.  (What can I say? she couldn’t decide between the two! And, in fact, had you been there, you’d have been impressed at the restraint that only buying two fabrics entailed.)

Back at the hotel, she found herself a cozy corner and started in on those flower motifs.  Four days, one five hour car trip, two loads of laundry, one sink full of dishes, and a surprisingly small amount of cursing later, the yoke was complete.

And, oh, how impressed she was to see what she had accomplished in such a relatively short time!  And with much more ease than she could have possibly imagined.  Yes, there were some difficulties, but nothing too terrible, and nothing that wouldn’t get easier with each successive project.  This was the tricky phase of the Flower Motif Yoke Top, and it was complete.  What a relief!

The most difficult remaining step was to make a decision about fabric…

She hemmed, she hawed, she polled her Twitter followers… and then she went against the consensus of the Twitter followers when she realized she actually did have her own strong opinion on the subject.

And so, the crafty girl’s first crochet project was complete.  And she was oh, so pleased!

Even the back was lovely with its pretty red button.  She could hardly wait to put it on and wear it all afternoon!

And, indeed she did put the shirt on.  But she didn’t wear it all afternoon…

Uh oh.  Perhaps she should have made the straps a wee bit shorter.  Or even a whole lot shorter.  The crafty girl’s lovely shirt, as it turned out, had a multitude of fit issues, but I am happy to report that she is not in the least bit discouraged.

Perhaps some day soon there will be a sequel to our tale – one in which our heroine performs delicate shirt surgery and emerges victorious, brandishing a garment with which she can live happily ever after.

Wait, did I say “perhaps”? I meant “absolutely definitely!”

Still, I have been wanting to show you this tablet cover I made over the weekend.  I looked all over the internet and just didn’t find anything that fit my tablet, or was affordable enough, so I dug through my stash for supplies and made my own.  Actually, I made two, but the first had “issues.”

I don’t have a full-blown tutorial in me, so I just took a whole bunch of pictures and thought maybe you could figure it out for yourself, if you’re interested in making something similar.

It uses home decor-weight fabrics, quilt batting, a button, and a hair elastic.  Additionally, I sewed elastic onto the four triangle corners in order to make them hold the tablet more securely.

If you are thinking about doing something similar yourself, here are some rough measurements to get you started:

• the tablet itself (an Eee Pad): 7 x 11
• the outer fabric + two layers of batting: 16 x 13
• the inner fabric: two pieces 8.5 x 13 each
• the corner triangles: two 4 x 4 squares cut on the diagonal to make four triangles

BTW, I am loving my new tablet!  I have resisted the smartphone craze all of this time, mainly because I couldn’t imagine paying so much per month for the service (I have a $10/month TracFone that is more than sufficient for my mobile calling needs).  So this tablet is like a honkin’ big Android smartphone without the cellular service – wifi only.  And it’s really cool.  I’ve been waking up to the sweet sounds of Pandora every morning, followed by a quick glance at my calendar, task list, and email, all before my feet hit the floor.

So many apps to play with, so little time!  That sounds like a good post for later in the week… I’ll tell you some of my favorites, and you can tell me some of yours.