Clothespin Apron

With all the clothesline hanging I've been doing lately, I decided an apron for the hundred or so clothespins I use would be helpful. And I just so happened to have a pattern from the book One Yard Wonders to make one!

I do the bulk of my sewing when the kids are asleep, so last night I raided my fabric stash only to find that I didn't have enough fabric in the print I wanted to use. So I got creative and took down an old sheet I had in my closet. It was a twin sheet I used growing up. My mom had given me a bunch of old sheets and pillowcases to use as I wanted and I had planned on using the pillowcases for sewing, but this was perfect for what I needed last night.

The whole endeavor took me about 3 1/2 hours (4 if you want to count gathering materials and cutting out the pattern pieces), including the time Skyler scared the living daylights out of me while my back was turned at the sewing machine.

I'm happy with the end results--this pattern was much easier (although more intricate) to work with than the failed "simple" pants for Liam last weekend. But there are many many other projects I have on my to do list and I must take advantage of this down time before dinner!

(And for those of you who've asked how I get so many projects done, I stay up very very late. I absolutely love sleep, but I love making things even more!)

P.S.

The writers of One Yard Wonders are having an open call for submissions to their next book, Fabric Extravaganza in which they'll feature one yard projects using an array of different fabrics. So if you're a sewing extraordinaire hop on over to submit your project ideas!

Library Bag: The Domestic Arts

Not that I'm in love with the menial tasks of housework (trust me I'm no expert cleaner), but I think there is something to be said about the traditions behind making a home. And so here are a few books that I am currently in love with:

Jane Brocket's The Gentle Art of Domesticity: Stitching, Baking, Nature, Art & The Comforts of Home. This book is a treasure trove of color and inspiration, covering everything from knitting to quilting, to gardening, baking, and books on the domestic life. And to justify my obsession with creating more than cleaning, Jane aptly states in her introduction, "Domesticity rises above the bossiness of cleaning products and media exhortations to keep our houses pristine and hygenic, and focuses instead on creativity within the domestic space."

So it's okay if dust collects every now and then if we're enjoying ourselves in the greater picture of making a home, right?




The author with her family cozying up under her quilts. You can visit her equally colorful and creative blog, Yarnstorm, here.




I have recently fallen in love with hanging clothes on the line. It started off with hanging the cloth diapers out to dry (it helps them last longer and naturally bleaches out stains & germs), but I think I'll be hanging more of our laundry out in the sunshine. I happened across The Clothesline by Andrea VanSteenhouse in the library this week and love the exploration of this age-old tradition.




It contains the history of laundry (much more interesting than it sounds!), old tips on washing and hanging laundry, and clothesline artwork. It's a cute little book that makes me want to wash some clothes and get outside!




And this isn't really one I found at the library (I perused through it at Borders), but I thought it suitable to include here. How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew is a humorous and helpful little book on some of the forgotten skills of the domestic life. Some of the tips include how to fold a fitted sheet to crisp perfection (which I will probably never master), how to use baking soda and vinegar to clean your house without toxic chemicals, and even how to write a letter to your representative. I wish I could remember some of the funnier tips I enjoyed but my mind's a blank!

What are some of your favorite things about creating and making a home? Any traditions that have been passed down?

One Saturday Morning

I had the brilliant idea of making Liam some new pants this morning. Several pairs of his pants won't snap shut anymore and I figured an elastic waistband would be the solution. I just happened to have a pattern for toddler pants in a cool book called Simple Sewing for Baby by Lotta Janesdotter. I didn't have a problem following the pattern, but I don't think it was quite made for Liam's size.




I realized as I was sewing that they were going to end up looking more like capris than full-length pants. When I finally tried them on him though, they didn't make it up all the way over his bum either.



The good news is that it only took me (most of) the morning to put these together and I didn't really waste any material since I used an old pair of my jeans to make them. They also ended up fitting relatively okay on Eleanor. They're not at all fashionable, but will do for getting dirty.




And of course Skyler (my 6-year-old) was the one to fall outside and rip a hole in his perfectly good corduroys while I was busy sewing. Another day in the life of mamahood!

Head Over Heels

Eleanor just loves her cloth diapers...okay she's indifferent, really, but that's part of the goal in making the switch--you don't want your little one to notice (or at least not put up a fuss). Liam, our two-year-old has also made the switch (he took a little more convincing), and we've gotten into a good routine with washing, etc.

Our favorite diapers are luckily the ones we first invested in, called Flip. They consist of an outer one-size snap cover with prefold diapers that you place inside. We liked the idea of being able to reuse the cover rather than only being able to use all-in-ones once before you have to wash them.

Right now we have 8 covers and 18 inserts between the two and need to wash every 1-2 days. I usually alternate between two covers for each of them unless they get completely soiled. We've had a couple nap/night time incidents with leaking, but I think it may have been a result of using too much detergent (and it's been less frequent than disposable accidents anyway).

So far I've ordered the diapers from Kelly's Closet online, but am thinking about ordering from Diapers.com again now that they have them (I love their free 2-day shipping!). We'll definitely be building up our inventory with the goal of less frequent washings, and I'm still thinking about cloth wipes--we've been using the disposables we still had up to this point.

If you're looking for a cloth diaper system to try I'd highly recommend this one--they even have disposable inserts you can use when you're on the road!




Oh, and Eleanor struck the poses all by herself--she's been doing this a lot whenever I put her on the changing table for some reason--so I took advantage and got a few cute pictures!

Handmade Hearts

This week up to Valentine's Day has been quite a busy one. Here are a few photos of what we've been up to...




My not-so-neat sewing cabinet, and a pair of handmade Valentine cards beside my sewing machine.




Some thumbprint heart magnets inspired by this tutorial on The Wonder Years blog.




And some yummy heart-shaped breadsticks to go with our Valentine's dinner. Find the recipe on Kraftfoods.com.