Good Grief

It's that time of year again and since my office has a big Halloween party I figured it was a good excuse to practice my limited apparel sewing skills. After much deliberation I choose to go with the classic style of Lucy Van Pelt.

Using only 3 blue t-shirts and a few stray buttons I managed to make a pretty decent approximation of Lucy's iconic dress. It's a very simple design but since I was working without a pattern it did present a few challenges and the end result is far from perfect. That said, I'd say the quality is as least as good as the costumes you can buy at the local party store. I added a black wig, leggings, bobby socks and mary jane inspired sneakers to complete the look. And, just in case, a Charlie Brown stuffed doll.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to the pumpkin patch to wait for the great pumpkin.

Still Sewing

A new hobby means new things to sew. I raided my fabric stash to whip up some helpful knitting accessories.

First up a basket to corral all that yarn.

Next a bag to tote supplies for knitting on the go.

Complete with lots of pockets for needles.

New Obsession

I've started knitting and I can't stop. It started off small with some simple washcloths, then wristwarmers and a scarf. Pretty soon I moved on to sweaters.

He's actually worn this out in public!

I love the portablity of this craft and there's definitely more knitting in my future. After all, all the cool kids are doing it like my talented friend Joanna and my fabulous knitting teacher Lydia pictured below.

Girl Power

A few weeks ago I had the honor of joining my favorite girls for the final few days of "Girls week 09." My best friend's husband and son were off on a camping trip and Josh was on a deadline, so it seemed like a good excuse to get together and do some crafting.

First up a little sewing.

Then it was time for a knitting class. My knitting teacher (pictured below) helped me with my first project "rocker girl wristbands" from this fun knitting book.

Turns out when you're wearing a rocker girl wristband you have to strike a rocker girl pose.

There was also some non-crafting fun.

And I didn't even mention the furniture refinshing, yard saling, fabric shopping, yarn spinning lesson, Little House on the Prarie DVDs, freezer paper stencils and an lot of laughing. We do love our boys but every once in a while it's fun to hang with the girls.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I was feeling really good about my latest project yesterday. Today not so much.

There is a serious flaw in the pattern. It seems Step 26 will not make any sense if you sewed step 12 backwards. Time for some un-sewing. And maybe a drink.

Question

Does anyone else have this problem?

Brimfield Adventure

The Brimfield antique show is the largest in New England and draws dealers from all over the country. It's held three times a year in May, July and September. July is typical the slowest month but we still managed to find plenty of good stuff on Sunday.

Buttons, notions and rick rack - oh my!

Pretty painted furniture

Beautiful jadite dishware

And a few conversation pieces.

Since I live in a small space I tried not to do too much shopping but a few things did manage to find their way home with me....


That's a vintage scarf box (perfect to hold my growing collection of Vera Neumann scarves), yet another Vera scarf, and elephant ring holder, a sweet vintage curtain valance with pom pom fringe for my kitchen and a hand-pieced quilt top. Not a bad haul for less than $40.