A couple of years ago I appliquéd a pair of overalls for a friend’s little girl, took photos of them, shipped them off, then forgot to post the photos. Yeah, I’m an airhead that way sometimes – I blame it on “Mommy Brain.”

When I came across the photos the other day I decided to post them. After all, “Better Late than Never” has been my M.O. since Little Guy was born.

 

At the time I wasn’t making anything except diapers so I really enjoyed the opportunity to make something else. Besides, it had been years and years and years since Princess and Angel Face were young enough to want me to sew for them, so it was nice to sew for a little girl again.

 

It was kind of a PITB to stitch through all the layers of denim at the seams and pockets but the end result was definitely worth it.

 

I had fun digging through my craft supplies for pearls, ribbons and flowers to add a little something “extra” to the design. I was able to do the octopus’ face with the machine, but I knew that the mermaid would look like she’d run into an ax murderer if I tried to do her face on the machine.

 

My mom offered to embroider the face by hand, and since she likes hand embroidery more than I do I “let” her do it for me. Thanks mom!!

 

Someday when I’ve got time to regularly haunt my local consignment shops I’d like to upcycle clothing with appliqué, but right now I’ve got more than enough to keep me busy!

 

Thanks for reading; your comments are eagerly anticipated and hugely appreciated!

The other day Teacher was chasing a wasp with a rolled up magazine and accidentally knocked down the kitchen valences. As he replaced them after smashing the little menace I got a good look at them and was instantly grossed out; they were covered with a layer of dust and cobwebs. Ewwwwww!

Of course I washed them right away, and when they were all fresh and clean I took another look at them. They weren’t bad curtains, as curtains go. I’d made them from a cream and dark green striped Lands’ End sheet when we were living in St. Louis. In fact, they were probably some of the nicest curtains I’d ever made because they were even lined – not just thrown together from the cheapest not-too-ugly fabric I could find.

As I looked at them I realized that I was tired of looking at them. When I’d made the valences I’d been pregnant with Angel Face. She just turned fifteen this year. These valences had been in our various apartments and rental-house kitchens for the past fifteen years.

It was definitely time for something new.

Teacher and I took a trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics to find fabric. I had a vague notion of what I wanted: something with green to go with our counter tops, maybe something whimsical, but nothing striped, plaid, or too old-lady-flowery. We walked up and down the rows of printed cotton, waiting for something to jump out and bite us. Nothing. We kept walking; not fleece, not corduroy, not… wait… where’s Teacher?

He’d stopped in front of the brocades and satins. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous fabrics!

At first I was unsure because in my head I’d been picturing a printed cotton, but the brocades were so gorgeous and on sale that I couldn’t resist. After a little hemming and hawing on my part – we know I’m not great with decisions – we went with Teacher’s first choice.

 

The green is more “mossy” than our counter tops, but we figured once it was on the wall the difference wouldn’t be noticable. The cream and rose coordinate perfectly with the walls and curtains in the rest of the house. It’s great being married to a man with an artists’ eye – and great taste!

The first chance I got I started working on the new curtains. I thought it would be easy-peasy, but I didn’t anticipate how challenging the fabric would be. It was slippery and shrunk where I pressed it, both of which made all the hems and seams more difficult than they should have been.

 

After much perseverance and more than a few four-letter words the valences were done! A light pressing and gathering on the rod helps hide the wonky parts, and the green looks darker against the window and light wall so it coordinates nicely with the counter tops.

All in all I couldn’t be happier. Thanks Mr. Wasp, for invading our home and starting the chain reaction that resulted in our gorgeous new valences! I’m almost sorry you’re not around to see them.

When my beloved leather checkbook cover started looking like something the cat dragged in I knew it was time to get a new one. I had recently made myself a new purse so I decided to make a checkbook cover to match.

 

RIP poor, old checkbook cover. You served me well.

 

I loved the basic design of my old checkbook cover but needed more space for coupons, discount cards, photos, etc, so I used the old one as a model. I liked the driver’s license “window” and pulled the plastic out to use in the new checkbook cover.

After measuring, cutting, pressing, and sewing the first attempt ended up being an epic failure. I didn’t account for the space all those coupons, discount cards, photos and etc would use so it ended up too small. And I accidentally ironed over part of the driver’s license window and melted the plastic. Bummer!

I remeasured, cut, pressed and sewed again, making the entire thing a little bigger. Since I’d melted the original plastic I had to find another alternative and after thinking about it a while I remembered a length of laminating film I’d cut from a poster I’d had laminated a while ago. I cut a rectangle from the laminating film, basted it into the driver’s license window and voilà – good as new!

Since this was my first attempt at a checkbook cover I didn’t take step-by-step photos to write a tutorial, but I did take a couple of photos when it was done.

 

Here’s what I ended up with – doesn’t it look great?

The bottom section is the three sets of checks I usually carry with me; one for the daycare, one for the diaper business and one for family stuff.

The middle and top sections have lots of places for coupons, discount cards, photos, etc. My old checkbook cover didn’t have enough slots for the gazillions I usually have, which is why I added a third section to the new cover.

The top section also has the driver’s license window and an opening at the bottom for the kids’ immunization records. I’ve always carried the charts in my purse so I’d have them when I needed them.

I was very proud to think of putting the driver’s license upside-down, so when I’m writing a check I don’t have to flip the checkbook cover around for the clerk to see.

It’s better than my first attempt, but still not perfect; the credit card slots on the far right in both middle and top sections are too close to the outer edge, so next time I’ll either leave those out or move them all more towards the left. The driver’s license window is a bit wonky on the left too. I’ll have to experiment to figure out how fix that.

I decided not to add a section for cash and change – partly because I have a purple coin purse I just love, and partly because I was worried about how thick it would be when folded with the three sections. It was a good decision; it’s a good 1 1/2 – 2 inches thick when it’s folded up.

 

Here it is filled with all my junk. No fair laughing at the old driver’s license photo – it’s from when we first moved to Wisconsin, way back in 1999.

 

So far it’s working out great! I don’t regret not putting any closure on, or adding that fourth section. Next time I make a purse I’ll use the same basic pattern to make a matching checkbook cover – assuming I can find where I stashed the pattern…

 

Want a chance to win a free diaper?

Hurry over to the Etsy HS Street Team blog!

This week I’ve been the featured artisan and in addition to a short blurb about Zany Zebra and a brief interview, I’m giving away a FREE diaper.

This diaper to be exact:

It’s a luscious bamboo (viscose) fitted – size small (will fit babies from about 10-20 pounds). The outer velour was hand-dyed by Teacher in shades of blue, and the inner is undyed natural velour. The snap-in soaker is velour-topped fleece, and features our exclusive stitching as a special surprise for you. Retail value: $22.00.

The drawing is open to residents of the USA and Canada, but you have to enter at the Etsy HC Street Team blog, not here. Hurry, the winner’s name will be randomly drawn on Monday, May 17.

Good luck!

Even before Princess and Cowboy set a wedding date Princess had been dreaming about her wedding dress and veil.

“I want to look like a princess…” she sighed with stars in her eyes.

Since I’d made her prom dress a couple of years ago she asked me to make her wedding dress.

I was honored.

And scared.

A prom dress is a big deal, but a wedding dress is a humongous deal.

I hoped I wouldn’t mess it up.

Princess spent hours, and hours, and hours of looking at wedding dresses online. Then more hours gathering opinions from friends and family. And even more hours online looking at wedding dress patterns.

Finally she found a pattern for the Perfect Dress: the one on the upper right.

 

My mom loves fabric shopping and jumped at the chance to look for wedding dress fabric. She found a gorgeous ivory peau de soi with a rich buttery sheen and the perfect weight for an elegant drape.

 

We searched high and low online and in local fabric stores but couldn’t find any lace medallions we liked so instead we bought some lace fabric to cut apart.

“It’ll be easy!” my mom promised.

I’m holding you to that, Mom.

 

Not only is this lace absolutely gorgeous, it came with sequins and pearls so we didn’t have to add them ourselves.

 

Of course, being a procrastinator I didn’t start the dress until two weeks before the wedding.

It’s not because I was scared of messing it up.

Really.

 

When I couldn’t put it off any longer the first step was cutting out the pieces. In the words of home improvement weekend warriors everywhere: “Measure twice. Cut once.”

Words of wisdom my friends, words of wisdom.

The first time I laid out the pattern pieces they didn’t fit right-side-up like the instructions showed.

Did I panic?

Not a bit. I refolded the fabric and tried again.

And again.

And again.

Then I panicked.

 

My heart raced, my stomach dropped and my mouth went dry.

I did what any grown-up mother of six and grandma of two would do: I called my mommy!

I talked to other seamstresses.

I looked at the fabric right-side-up. I looked at the fabric upside-down.

I looked at the fabric folded so some was right-side-up and some was upside-down.

I worried, I stressed, I smiled so no-one would know that inside I was a mass of jelly.

Finally I told myself “Get a grip! You’re no dummy; put on your big girl panties and figure it out.”

I had to get the dress made, so I decided to cut the front pieces one way and the back pieces the other way. Since each piece is roughly triangular shaped, putting half right-side-up and the other half upside-down fit all the pieces on the fabric – barely. The only problem would be if the right-side-up and upside-down pieces reflected the light differently, which is why I cut all of the front and all of the back pieces the same way. I figured the side seams would be the least noticeable place if there was a difference; who’d be looking under Princess’s arms?

 

Once you start cutting you can’t go back. I held my breath… and cut.

 

I was too busy sewing to take photos, but I couldn’t resist taking one of the invisible zipper. I’m so proud that it really is invisible – and it only took two tries to get it that way!

 

The lace medallions were very time-consuming to cut, glue, and stitch on, but the time was well worth it. They’re gorgeous! This photo was taken by our photographer, Jen of Jennifer Tabbert Photography. Princess had been the Tabbert family’s regular babysitter for several years, so having Jen do her wedding photos meant a lot to Princess. Jen gave us permission to use the photos however we want so I’ll be posting more when I can.

 

I knew you wanted a close-up. Isn’t it cool that I knew what you wanted before you did? Or maybe it’s just freaky.

 

It turned out beautifully – almost as pretty as the bride.

More to come…

I first met Rachel of Threebies Knits in 2007 when we were the “new kids on the block” at Lily Pad Landing. She knit amazing longies, shorties, and soakers to use with cloth diapers. Even though I didn’t use wool on the boys I drooled at her awesome knitting and gorgeous colorways.

A couple of years ago she started making Java Jumpers. At the time I wasn’t as big a coffee drinker as I am now, but I’d been drooling over her knits for so long that I just couldn’t resist; I got one in the “Lily Pad Landing” colorway pictured on the bottom for myself and one in primary colors the one on the top for Teacher.

Since that day my Java Jumper has become one of My Favorite Things. My cappuccinos and macchiatos usually aren’t too hot, but Teacher’s Americanos are scorching! I can’t hold his cup without a Java Jumper or gloves. Since I get weird looks when I wear gloves in the summer I opt for the Java Jumper.

I keep them folded in my coat pocket or the bottom of my purse so they’re always ready when we need them. They make great gifts too – just tuck a Jo to Go or Starbucks card inside and you’re done!

What are some of your Favorite Things?

I’m doing a happy dance in my kitchen – looky, looky what I got in the mail today… a beautiful box of fabric from my favorite fabric store, Fabric Bliss! I can’t stop petting all these yummy fabrics; it’s an addiction. Hi, my name is Amy and I’m a fabriholic…

I don’t know where I first heard of Fabric Bliss… maybe I was doing a Google image search for a certain fabric and she had it, I just don’t remember. What made me fall in love with her store was the remnant boxes. Although her kooky descriptions and irreverent newsletter didn’t hurt! The remnant boxes are stuffed with less-than-a-yard bolt ends in a box and sold at a great price. Since I like to buy smaller pieces of fabric so I can offer more variety and avoid having a thousand diapers in the same print floating around, the remnant boxes are perfect for me. I bought my first one about a month ago and as soon as it arrived I started bugging Jen about when she’d offer them again.

While I stalked the store watching for more remnant boxes I fell in love with some let’s be honest here – a bunch of her fabrics. I made a wish list and calculated the total for a yard of each fabric. Then I sat down and put my head between my knees to recover from the sticker shock. Not that Jen has bad prices, I just had a loooooong list!

Feeling sorry for myself because I couldn’t afford all the fabric I loved, I emailed Jen to see if she ever sold amounts under a yard. I didn’t think she would – a yard is the standard minimum – but she surprised me by saying she would. Woo hoo, happy dance! Feed my addiction, Jen!

I cut my list down to the bare bones then emailed the order to Jen. At the same time remnant boxes became available again, so of course I had to get another one. Don’t tell the kids where the Dairy Queen money went… That’s the box that arrived today – Jen even combined both orders to save me money, how sweet is that?

I can’t wait to get the fabric all washed up so I can make it into adorable diapers. I wonder what’s in the washing machine right now… Sorry family, no clean clothes for you today – I have fabric to wash!

On a Sunday afternoon waaaay back in March I started making a prom dress for Princess. It was the most challenging thing I’ve ever sewn, and the one I’m most proud of. Not because it turned out perfect (it didn’t) or because it turned out beautiful (it did) but because it makes her feel felt like a princess when she puts it on. The smile on her face when she’s in that dress is worth any amount of ripping out, fixing mistakes and cussing. And now that I’ve finally downloaded the photos you can see her smile too. Enjoy!

Princess in her dress. Teacher strung the beaded straps, and the shawl came from our guest from Thailand. Her wrist corsage was gorgeous and smelled as good as it looked!

Princess and Cowboy. Princess had her hair done in a salon, and Cowboy’s sister bullied him into leaving his cowboy boots and hat at home. They both look way too grown-up to me!

Princess with her best friend Janice. Janice made her dress, shawl and matching purse all by herself! My mom made Princess’s matching wristlet – she’s gotten into making purses and bags lately. You can see the girls’ purses in the next photo.

The whole group: Cowboy, Princess, Janice, and her date Josh.

Finally, Princess and me. Teacher wanted a photo of us together since I was still dressed up from band competition. I look at Princess and marvel that I’m the mother of such a beautiful, smart, charming girl. I’m the luckiest mom in the world!

According to Wikipedia, Serendipity is “is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.” Like when I was searching in my coat pocket for a tissue and found a twenty. Yippee!

The artisans of Lily Pad Landing have adopted the idea of serendipity for our fifth Thursday stockings. Unlike our regular stockings which have previews beforehand and go live at 9pm, a Serendipity stocking is a surprise stocking. Items don’t preview, they just go live at random times throughout the day. So you could be browsing, refresh the page, and suddenly something appears that wasn’t there before. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

I know that we’re all busy and even though we may want to spend a day on the computer, our kiddos need to be fed, changed, played with and cuddled too, so I’m giving hints as to when my items will stock. Besides, I gotta reward all my loyal newsletter and blog readers, right?

All the answers to these hints can be found somewhere in my blog…
1- How many greenish stones are in my non-Valentine’s Day gift, plus 1?
2- How many of my family members have blue eyes?
3- How many white and pink boxes do I need to be Gaw-geus?

Serendipity to you,

A couple of weeks ago I warned you that I was going to be on TV, and this morning the segment finally aired. Since the day after the interview Teacher has been recording the show and fast-forwarding through it every morning to see if I was on. I had started thinking that maybe they decided not to air it at after all, but this morning there it was!

When I checked my email later I found a message from Millaine at Channel 5 telling me that the segment was going to air today. Since the email was sent at 3am and the show started at 5am there’s no chance I would have gotten the email before the show, but it was nice of her to let me know anyway.

Of course hindsight is 20/20 and over the past couple of weeks I’ve thought of a thousand things I should have said and a thousand better ways to say what I did say, but overall I can’t complain.

Anyway, here it is… Enjoy!
The Interview