September | 2010 | little cumulus

Archive for September, 2010

headband winner

Published September 29, 2010 giveaways 1 Comment

Did I say Monday on that giveaway? Sorry ’bout that. We were busy on Monday. And Tuesday. And today.

But we are back now — more on that later. So, a winner:

Number 5 is my dear friend Tina G, who said:

Nice job! You are so dang talented! I like. Pick me 😉

Aaww! Thanks, lady! Tina and I go way back. And I miss her. So I’m excited to send her a little something in the mail (wink wink). We’re back from a mini family vacation to Florida (paradise, I’m telling you), so there’s a lot of post-vacationing cleanup to do tonight. I hope everyone is enjoying their autumns!

the peacock feather headband tutorial (and giveaway!)

Published September 22, 2010 crafty , tutorials 12 Comments

On our last trip to California, my mom and I spied this awesomely outrageous-but-not-too peacock headband at Urban Outfitters.

I really wanted it, but I didn’t $25-want-it. So, one trip to Hobby Lobby and a few feathers later, here we are! Just in case you want-it-but-don’t-$25-want-it (besides, UO isn’t selling it anymore), here’s what you’ll need to make your own (or scroll to the bottom for the giveaway!):

1 black satin-covered headband
Needle, black thread, & scissors (rotary cutter & mat are useful, but optional)
Assortment of small and medium black feathers
2 medium-ish peacock feathers
Small scrap of black fabric
Small piece of black netting (roughly 3×6 — you’ll find this next to the tutu-type material at Jo Ann; it’s super cheap)

To start, fold your netting into thirds.

Position it on the headband, with the raw edge down, about two inches from one end of the headband.

Cut a long length of thread and knot it at one end. Starting about half an inch in from one end of the netting, take several long stitches to secure the headband into place (don’t worry, they won’t show).

The netting should be pretty firmly secured, except for a little bit at each end.

Feather time! Pick out 3-5 black feathers, varying in length from long to short. Play around with different combinations until you get a little bundle that looks nice.

Position your feather bundle so that the quills are at the center of the netting. Holding them down with your thumb, stitch them down using lots of sloppy, ugly loops (these won’t show, either, so it doesn’t matter). Don’t cut your thread yet!

The quills should be firmly in place.

Now take a few very small stitches in the middle and towards the outer tips of the feathers, securing the shafts (that’s the backbone part of the feather) to the headband and/or the netting, so that they won’t shift around when you’re finished.

You’re halfway through the hardest part!

Now do the same thing on the other side of the headband, overlapping the quills at the center of the netting.

And now for the really fun part! Take out your peacock feathers. Mine were attached to some larger blue feathers. If yours are, too, you’ll need to disconnect them by grasping the base of the feathers and pulling out the blue ones.

Clean up the peacock feathers a little by pulling off some of the long, scraggly bits from the sides.

Cut off the tops of the feathers, right above the eye, using scissors or a rotary blade. Just make sure the feathers are about the same length.

Attach the peacock feathers to the headband in the same way you did the black feathers (you might need to trim the quills a little). Almost done!

Cut a small piece of black fabric, about 1×2 inches.

Wrap the fabric around the exposed quills, making sure the raw edge is at the bottom, and stitch it shut.

Et voila! (‘Scuse the surly expression. I took like 4,000 awkward one-armed self-portraits trying to show the headband in action, and this is the only one that actually showed the whole thing.)

If you have some tiny black beads, it would look super cool to add those to the fabric part. But I was feeling cheap and didn’t want to shell out the $2 for the vial of beads.

And guess what! I totally made two of these. If you want one, leave me a comment, and I’ll pick a winner randomly sometime on Monday. Happy feathering!

tee for two, big butt baby pants

Published September 21, 2010 clothes , sewing 11 Comments

All the buzz about the Kids’ Clothes Week Challenge over at Elsie Marley has given me a good kick in the pants to get some kids’ sewing done.

The tally so far: two Ts and three pairs of pants, all for Maren. I used the Tee for Two pattern for the shirts — super clear, super un-indimidating, super versatile. The pattern gives great instructions for using a regular sewing machine (as opposed to a serger…which, by the way, I didn’t win [boo hoo], but boy howdy you should see the entry that did — she totally deserves it — though I did make the honorable mention list!). I used two of my old shirts (Maren is wearing one of them above), and here’s the other —

The other pattern: the Big Butt Baby Pants from Rae. It’s also very well written with lots of easy variations. I do wish it had some more hints about getting the crotch seam set correctly. I feel like mine are a bit wonky — but I doubt anyone will ever notice. That said, I love the pants — they fit great with cloth diapers, which, of course, is the whole point. The only change I made was that I chopped 1″ off the top of the pattern and used FOE instead of making an elastic casing (muahaha!). I am worried that the pants on the right look like clown pants. But when I expressed that worry to R, he said, “No they don’t. And who cares, anyway?” Indeed.

Next up: more tees for Maren!

fauxdorf beauties

Published September 20, 2010 crafty , friends , sisters , stuff 4 Comments

I’ve been meaning to introduce you to these sweet little sisters.

Lizzy and Maren play/sleep/snuggle with their dolls just about every day (although Lizzy is much clearer on whose doll is whose). My dear friend Janie made them, reversible dresses and all, and I can’t tell you how thrilled we are with them. What I can tell you is that these are going to be toys that last.

And look — if you peek underneath —

Hee hee!

Janie is also an Etsy seller, and she’s happy to take custom orders for your very own doll. She follows the Waldorf method, though she uses synthetic materials (hence the term “Fauxdorf”) — which I think is fantastic, because it is still a quality handmade toy, but you don’t have to spend upwards of a hundred smackers on it. Contact Janie via her Etsy shop for more info.

The yarn for their hair came from Jess’s Etsy shop — she even custom-spun it for me, using all the colors I asked for. It is absolutely gorgeous yarn! I would so love to try spinning one of these days. I just worry that bringing up yet another crafty hobby might send my sweet husband into cardiac arrest.

woodland scarf

Published September 18, 2010 etsy , vintage sheet love 2 Comments

The first (of many?) linen + lace tidbits for autumn, now in the shop.

totally jazzed.

Published September 16, 2010 clothes , refashion 12 Comments

This might be the first refashion I’ve tried where it hasn’t completely flopped. Usually the finished product ends up being worse than it was when I started. But this, I think, is going to be a happy exception.

This used to be a long linen jumper my mom bought for me when I was in high school. I wore it all the time back then, but since getting married, I think I’ve worn it maybe twice (and we’ve been married six years). Then, during this last visit home, my mom let me snatch a handful of stained/unfinished doilies my great-great aunt made a million years ago. I sewed a few of the doilies to the front, cut off the jumper at the knee, then used the trimmings and some lace I had to make four gores (basically just a long triangle inserted into a vertical cut in the skirt) for some extra swinginess.

Linen + lace = happiness. I think I’m going to steer the shop in this direction for fall — more on that very, very soon!

babyhood

Published September 15, 2010 mama 7 Comments

This is me and my baby, most nights, just before bed.

This is me, pretending for a few short minutes that the rest of the world simply doesn’t exist. This is me, smooshing my nose into her cheek until she smiles and pushes my forehead away with her chubby baby fingers, then swigs her bottle back up for a long drink of warm milk. This is me, curling my body around hers — teasing, tickling, kissing — marveling at her feathery eyelashes and the smooth creaminess of her skin. This is me, soaking in her babyness and trying my best to slow down time itself — feeling the sharp awareness that her babyhood is slipping away so fast, even as we celebrate the joy and the beauty of her growth.

linen & lace

Published September 15, 2010 clothes , refashion , sewing 2 Comments

two words: fried. pickles.

Published September 13, 2010 food , Uncategorized 14 Comments

Is it alright if I talk about pickles again? Ok, good.

When we first moved to the South, I suggested that we should eat at a barbecue joint sometime (they are everywhere). R objected. Not because he dislikes barbecue, but because barbecue is easy enough to make at home. Eventually I conceded and dropped the subject.

Then on Friday, out of the blue, R suggested that we go out for barbecue. Because he knew I still wanted to. And because it would be fun. And because we really should experience the local flavors.

So we hauled the babies down to Country’s for lunch on Saturday, and it was really good, though we both agreed that it’s just as easy to make good barbecue at home. The one thing we did not expect was the fried pickles.

Head over heels, people. We are in love. They were a crisp, crunchy, tangy, greasy bit of heaven. They rocked our world. They are one of the best things to come out of the South (I hope this does not offend any Southerners). If you have the opportunity, I seriously exhort you to try them. We demolished the platter, and there is a fair possibility that there may be more platter-demolishing in our near future.

(I’m not pregnant, in case you were wondering.)

{image via Flickr}

reflections of motherhood

Published September 10, 2010 mama 10 Comments

My rockin’ sister in-law Jenny posted this today. It’s a video of what these moms would tell themselves if they could go back in time before they had their first baby. It made me cry — and smile — and be glad. Thanks, Jenny.