Rainbows and ruffles

She likes it! 

I finished this rainbow dress today. It's my day 2-3 project of Kid's Clothes Week.  I LOVE how it turned out. It's fun, whimsical, and pretty, all the things I love in a little girl's dress.  I did have a little trouble with this dress at one point and had to turn to my seam ripper but it all worked out in the end. 

The back is simple, slit with 2 covered buttons to close. It has some imperfections but I'm hoping that if I don't mention them no one will notice them. :)  

(Most accurate colors)

Twirl - check. 

There are so many wonderful creations in the Flikr group. Go check them out! 

Rainbows and clouds.

I've been sewing away today but do not yet have anything to show for it. Hopefully I'll finish the rainbow dress I am working on tonight after 'bedtime'.  I did get Anaiah to consent to posing for me in her new dress.. 

She had just woken up from her nap.  I think it's fun and summery and hopefully will not just decorate her closet this summer but will actually get worn!  I think the cloud could have been slightly smaller but I love how silly and fun it looks. Only a cute little kid can get away with wearing a big cloud like this I think! 

I think that the back is my favorite bit of the dress! 

Cloud 9

Well, things are off to a good start. I managed to finish a dress today.  I'm calling it 'a walk in the clouds'. I like how it turned out and I think it's going to look great on Anaiah.  I'll have to wait till tomorrow afternoon to find that out though because it was a bit passed her bedtime when the last stitch was sewn.


Overall I like how it turned out. I like the crisscross straps and the shirring, they should help keep her cool in the hot Delhi summer.


I almost wanted to line the whole dress because it is ever so slightly see through but I am glad that I didn't because that would have added weight to this airy dress.

I wonder what other ladies have gotten accomplished today?! I'm sure that there are some wonderful things being lovingly made for little ones all over the place! 

Now what to sew tomorrow.. 

Ready, Set..

It's starting tomorrow, that fun bi-annual week of sewing that is Kids Clothes Week. This year they have dropped the Challenge off the end of the title but it still remains a challenge to me. Spending a little time everyday sewing is fun and I do hope that I'll be able to be productive too.  Anaiah does not actually need any more clothes but I still love sewing them for her.  I'm hoping to challenge myself to sewing clothes for myself as I really need some summer skirts, but that can wait till after this week.  

My fabrics are ready to go. Here is what I intend to use but I might not limit it to this stack.. you never know where inspiration may lead. 

I've also done a few sketches. Never been someone who does well with other peoples' patterns and somehow I enjoy the process of going from an idea in my head or an inspiration from fabric to a sketch and then working out the pattern to fit Anaiah from there. Not that little girls' clothes are usually all that complex anyway, or that I do really complicated things.  I just like to do it myself.  Here are some sketches of mine that will hopefully find there way into dresses this week:

  

So I am all set to get started, except of course that I just noticed that I'm low of white thread! Hopefully I can get to the shop today so that I can be all ready to get going tomorrow.  Maybe some buttons too.. Interfacing! Ok, I better write a list..

Do you sew for your little ones? Are you joining in the KCW? 

A little bling.

It's getting hot in Delhi. The kind of hot that zaps my energy in the afternoons and often results in a headache.  Adjusting to the heat is not fun.  So because my brain feels like mush until the evening I have not been getting much done. I have a long list of things I would like to make over the next few months but I have not started a thing yet. Today my sewing machine seemed to be looking at me longingly and I couldn't ignore her anymore. I dug through my stash of craft supplies when I remembered I had these fun rub-on transfers.  It may not have been any actual sewing but my machine did get some attention today. I think she likes the glitter butterflies! 

  I think she looks cute now. What do you think? Have you made your sewing machine 'pretty' or is it just a tool?  I don't know about you but I am very attached to my machines! 

First day of school.

Today was a big day in our home. It was my daughter's first day of Kindergarten/prep I. (there are 2 years of kindergarten here.) It's still feels a little odd to be sending her for her first day in April, but that is how it goes here in New Delhi. We all got up early which was the greatest challenge to me because I am NOT a morning person.  Anaiah however got up and was in a good mood, ready to start her new adventure.  She enjoyed putting on her new school uniform and even didn't complain about having to wear socks and shoes in this heat. She LOVES her new sippy cup that has a cord for carrying. Her new uniform proved to be a little too big even though they had measured her for it; we'll have to get a smaller size.  She didn't even mind mommy taking her picture! She really is growing up fast. 

Funny girl. 

She had no problems being dropped off at school. No tears, not worries not even a bye bye mommy.. That's my adventurous little lady! So proud of her! I had told her the night before that there might be 'little kids' who would be crying and asking for their mommies and told her that she should be a helper and tell those kids that everything would be ok and their mommies would come to get them later. She can be a really sensitive girl when she sees other kids crying so I hoped that telling her to be a helper/comforter would keep her from getting weird-ed out with all the chaos. I think it worked because there were plenty of crying little kids. 

When I went to pick her up there again was a bit a chaos, as is expected, on the first day of school. Most of the parents crowded the door and the steps to collect their children.  I just waited not wanting to stand in the crowd. However the sun, and the lack of organization meant that the 10-15 minutes I waited have resulted in a sunburn. :(   Tomorrow I'm finding some shade!  Anaiah said she had a good day and was very talkative on the way out. I asked her if she wanted to go again tomorrow and she seems very positive about it. I hope she continues to enjoy it and has a chance to really make some friends at this school. 

It is however tough to see her growing up so fast. Where did my baby go? 

... life happens..

What can I say, life has gotten in the way of blogging once again.  I do hope to be better in the future. There has been some crafting, sewing and baking for birthdays since my last post and want to share a few of the highlights. 

I dyed some yarn and then knitted up these lovely fingerless mitts in February. 

Made a birthday dress and cake for my special little lady in March.  

And now, in April, I'm excited to start sewing summer sundresses for my daughter. What better way to get all ramped up for summer sewing than the bi-annual Kids Clothing Week!  I'm excited to participate again this spring!  It's running  April 22nd- 29th and should be great fun. If you sew for the little ones in your life be sure to check it out here! 

It's a hoot!

The weather has finally taken a dip here in Delhi which is great. I enjoy the break from the hot weather even if it's only a short one.  I've been trying to clear out some of Anaiah's old clothes and filling her drawers with her winter wear. How I wish I could turn back the clock a little and see her in some of the cute dresses she wore as a baby, she is growing up way too fast!  As it's getting cold, I like to have layers for her to wear now. I picked up some very basic and cheap camisoles or vests as they are called here. They were such a boring plain white that I decided they needed a little extra something! Freezer paper to the rescue! 

I brought some freezer back back with me from the US this summer for just such an occasion. If you have never done any freezer paper stenciling, you don't know what you are missing. It's pretty easy and fun and turns out super cute! There are probably a million and one tutorials out there for this so I am not the first one to explain the simple process. 

I found a cute owl design here, it's really a pumpkin stencil but works great for this also. You could certainly draw something yourself too! 




Just draw/trace your design onto the dull side of the freezer paper and cut out the part that you want to have painted onto you fabric.  An craft knife would work great for this but I couldn't find mine so I just very carefully used my scissors. 

I loved this simple owl. Isn't he cute? 













Once you've cut it out iron the freezer paper onto your fabric. (for best results pre-wash your fabric)

Make sure the paper has fully adhered to your fabric. 







I used Faber - Castell fabric paints because that is what I had on hand. Anaiah picked out this color. Please refer to your paint for drying times. Most fabric paints require you to set the paint by gently ironing on the back side after the paint is dry. 




Before painting.. place a sheet of paper under the layer of fabric that you are going to paint. This prevents the paint from seeping through to the backside if it's a little runny. 

Paint! I painted 2 cotes, letting the paint dry in between them. Do as many as you like. 



After the last cote was dry to the touch I very gentle peeled off the freezer paper and there he was in all his owly cuteness! My paint requires it to dry fully for 24 hours before ironing on the back and 72 hours before washing it so that is what I'll do. 

Simple. Fun. and Cute! My kind of project. 

There are so many possibilities with freezer paper stenciling. You could add several colors, customized initials.. you are only limited by your own imagination!  

More hats! F.O. Friday!

I just finished up my 5th hat of the season. It feels really good to get more done and more stash used up!. (I've posted about my resolution in this post.) I'm aiming for at least one more.. hopefully many more but I must do at least one.  I'm also excited to give these hats away to kids who need them this winter. I hope to get my daughter involved with that part too. 

Made so far:

I think number 6 should be another girly hat. 

What are you knitting this November?  Are you knitting anything for charity? 


Go check out some other fun Finished Objects here! 

An early resolution.

I am not usually the kind of person who makes New Years resolutions but this year I am making one and making it early. I want to knit away some of my stash yarn. I want to make hats for those who may need them this winter from my stash yarn and I will not buy anymore yarn for myself till I've done so.  I'm kinda of disgusted right now with the amount of yarn I have, I know I have more than I need and I feel like it's time (past time really) to give something back on the yarn/knitting front.  

I've finished one hat already that will probably be going to a little boy named Lucky. He is the youngest son of the presswallas who do their work near our apartment. They have 4 children and I hope to make them all hats! 

Please join in if you feel like you have more stash than you need and you see a need around you. In India where I live the need is everywhere in the winter time. In fact you probably don't even need to go out to find it because while sitting in traffic these child will come right up to your window!  Plus it's a win-win! They get a hat that has been made with love and compassion and you get more space for new yarn! ;)  

Happy knitting! 

Work in progress..

It's Wednesday, time to share what I'm working on! 

I've been trying hard to finish my Red Coat of a Yankee and am down to the last few very long rows! I'm also still trying to decide which buttons to use. I'm leaning towards wooden ones. 

I've also just cast on a new project. I'm making a Malabrigo Neck Thingie by Anna Sahakian. I'm using Malabrigo Seleccion Privada and it's probably the softest yarn I've ever worked with! There is some pink in the colorway I have that I am not too fond of however, the sheer squishy-ness of this yarn makes me want to forgive it for being pink. (I hate pink in case you didn't know.)

I've also been making fillings for making handmade chocolates! I'm planning to meet up with a friend tomorrow to make chocolates. I've not made too may before so I've been experimenting with different fillings. We'll have to see what tastes the best.  I've also washed and dried some corduroy fabric that I hope to turn into a fall/winter dress for Anaiah some time soon. 

There are always so many things I want to do but just not enough hours in the day to do them all. Do you ever feel like that?  

Check out other fun works in progress here! 

Another use for DPNs!

I was cleaning up my crafting space a bit last night when some alligator clips caught my eye.  I decided it would be fun to make some bows for my daughter's hair. I had seen some in the mall the other day that I liked, being sold for about  6 USD a pair! That seems crazy expensive to me. I don't know who is able to afford to buy such hair clips for their child, and even if I could I find it hard to justify spending nearly twice the amount a day labourer might make in India working all day on a pair of silly hair clips!

I've been wanted to make korkers, you know those fun little pipe curls made out of ribbons, to add to my bows. Directions I find all over the web say that you need wooden dowels and wooden clothes pins.. things I have not seen in Delhi. (I'm sure you could find them somewhere if you made it your personal mission to find them, I just have not. ) However, I had a light bulb moment and grabbed a set of DPNs ( that's double pointed needles to those of you who do not knit.) and some metal binder clips I had in my stash, and I was all set to make my own little curly ribbons.

In case you don't know they are super simple to make, just attach the ribbon to one end of the DPN and wrap around tightly till you reach the end and fasten with another clip. 'Bake' in the oven (about 135 degrees Celsius) for about 25 min. Cool them, remove from needle and enjoy the curly goodness! I found that the grosgrain ribbon worked the best. The satin ribbons had mixed results, the better quality ones did better. (the navy blue was really cheap)

Here is what I made: total cost for these was less than a dollar!

Anaiah of Green Cables

I got it done! (Well, ok if I am honest it is not blocked yet.) I'm really pleased with how it turned out! I think it will be a great addition to her winter wardrobe assuming that is we ever get a real winter here. As you see from the picture she is still wearing shorts! :) 

Anaiah of Green Cables! 

A sweet little goofball! 

Check out other awesome FOs here!

Wednesday Work in Progress

I'm almost done with my Anaiah of Green Cables cardigan!  Just one sleeve and the button loops remain. (and of course all the weaving in of the ends) It feel so good to think that I might have this project finished BEFORE the weekend!  I think it might end up being a tad big on her but I think that is probably a good thing! 

This was on October 5th: 

 This is today:

What are you working on?

Now go check out what other knitters are working on here! 

My sewing machine has been buzzing!

It's done!  The costume is finished.  Let me just say making it was a pain at times, all those layers of slippery fabric and satin. I had to change my sewing machine needle twice because of that black dotted fabric. But it was all worth it to see her buzzing about this afternoon.  Can't wait till Halloween!

 It's was not a difficult dress to make other than dealing with the slipperiness of all those fabrics.  It's a half circle bubble dress made of satin with a cotton lining underneath a synthetic sheer fabric with the tulle/dots sewn on in stripes. The wings are the same material as the outer layer of the dress with a little trim around the edges. The bodice is 2 layers of cotton broadcloth with a layer of the tulle/dots on top.  Mask is made of felt. 

What I did all Sunday afternoon.

This morning I checked my mail as I usually do and found that my mom wanted me to make her a photobook. She had printed a bunch of photos at Target and discovered that she had a coupon code for a free photobook. She is not very computer savy so the job was left to me. I've spent all afternoon and a little of the evening making this book. I really hope she'll like it. Because I work so hard on it I wanted to share it with everyone. So, here is a glimpse of Anaiah's summer. 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Start your own Shutterfly Photo Book today.

Hope you've had a great Sunday!

Time to dust of the sewing machine!

It's been months since I touched my sewing machine. Truth be told I just kinda dumped the bags of yarn that I had bought in the US on my sewing table and have yet to clear it off. I bought so much yarn that I just don't know where to put it all! :)  

I had asked Anaiah if she wanted to dress up this year for Halloween. She has done so every year so far with costumes that I had purchased in the states. She decided that yes, she did want to dress up this year, not that she has any real idea about what Halloween actually is. So I have an excuse to dust off that machine and get busy! She has decided on what she wants to be and I'm hoping to make a costume that fits the bill but probably a little stylized rather then going for real life accuracy. I want it to be pretty and re-usable(if possible) too! 

Here is a picture of some of the supplies I've bought today. I bet you can figure out what Anaiah is going to be for Halloween!

Are you sewing any costumes this year? What are your kids dressing up as?

The start of something wonderful! (hopefully)

Pineapple! Oh, how I love thee! I get so excited when I start seeing more pineapples around. I love them. They have that citrus flavor mixed with juicy sweetness that I just cannot get enough of. Personally I think they taste best fresh. Made even sweeter if they come with strawberries on the side. However,  I have learned the hard way that in India the season comes and goes sometimes very fast so I want to make use of it while I can. 

I didn't really have a recipe for pineapple jam and the recipes I did find were for people who have loads of them and I just had one. So I kinda made up a recipe, added some pectin and sugar and then there was jam. Next time I'll cut out a bit of the sugar though, because it turned out really sweet.  Thankfully this little jam jar was small enough that it could be processed in a large pot because I'm still trying to get my hands on a bigger stock pot to use as a water bath canner. Hopefully this little jar represents the start of a great season of pineapple and Canning! 

Oh, and if anyone knows where to get canning jars in India I'd love to know! 

Friday and Finished!

It's finally Friday! I've been looking forward to Friday all week. You see it's the day my hubby comes home, the day I can stay up late knowing that I could possibly sleep in on Saturday. (Staying up late translates into getting things done and that is wonderful!)  

It's been a busy and tiring week. Feeling kinda drained but nothing helps revive me like finishing a little project or 2. Drum roll please.. here is what I finished this week!

'Citrouille' - Pumpkin

Mauve Flower Measuring Tape

Columbine tape measure cover.

I finished a that cute little shrug for Anaiah. I had taken the yarn with me to the US thinking I'd be making a different cardigan with it but after finishing nearly half of the other cardigan I realized that I was going to run out of yarn. So, I frogged the other one and cast on Artichaut. A delightfully cute little pattern that complimented the dress I had made for Anaiah really well. I love how it turned out! 

About a year ago we had a visiting Raveller named Carol here in Delhi. She was such a joy to talk to! She also generously brought little covered measuring tapes for all of us to enjoy. I was to taken with mine that I decided that would be a lovely little project someday. Just before coming back to India I stumbled upon a good deal for these little tape measures and picked up some.  It's been really fun and fast to cover these and I hope that the lovely ladies who receive them will be as happy as I was with the ones I received from Carol. I'm not totally sure yet who the perfect recipients are for mine but I have some ideas.. 

What did you finish this week?