By Brienne

Let them be.

I finished up some knitting last week, a quick Barley cap to block out the balance of the winter cold.  

The snow turned into rain. 

This transition was a thrill for the littles. They couldn't wait to try their limbs out in this new medium. 

This is how we wash away the winter. 

I've been mulling over this article in the Atlantic all week... Have you read it? 

I always fret about, well everything. But parenting in particular. While I fret, they grow. Scratching out meaning on their own. 

If you need an extra dose of funny this week, be sure to give this hilarious short story your ear: We are Fine Parents  by John Jodzio. 

What are you working on?

Joining Frontier Dreams readers today. Thanks to Nicole for hosting:)

Slow Sewing: Practicing the Button Placket

I'm getting to be a relatively quick sewer. Relatively. And I feel like I'm beginning to get a feel for patterns - to sort of know what to expect from the sketches, what the techniques used will most likely be and how I can tailor the pieces for what I need. 

But when it comes to technique, I could really benefit from practice... Especially the finishing!! So I'm taking the plunge. I'm trying to tackle techniques that have long been ignored on my sewing list. Patterns that I've been avoiding because I can't necessarily bend them to my will:) 

First up: taming the button placket. Here's my first attempt...

I love buttons. My mom is a pioneering seamstress. She made my baptismal gown, quilts, stuffed toys galore, a poodle skirt for the school play, added feathers to my prom outfit, and on and on. She did put her foot down about making my wedding dress but I think that was because she was already responsible for making the genache for 300 plus guests and because I wanted her to make a Vera Wang or something ridiculous. Oh youth...

Insert gratuitous shot of youth with mom waiting on me literally hand and foot at the end of the aisle, which I insisted on tromping down alone. Wince. 

As a saavy seamstress, she has always had a box full of intriguing buttons.  I remember combing through them as a kid. Some time over the last couple of years, she handed them over to me and now my daughter spends hours sorting them in the sewing room while the machine hums. 

So, I've long wanted to add buttons to projects but it is a tough step. You know, you have a perfectly pretty garment and the final step is to cut holes in it? Eek. But Rae's Geranium dress got me used to the idea a couple of years ago. And she makes the process foolproof. 

I added the buttons to the front, instead of the back and made the placket extra long to overlap the skirt. 

It is not perfect, it almost was, though, but at the last minute I decided to make the buttonholes that I had already marked, washed off and remarked, horizontal instead of vertical and instead of taking the time to mark them again - I eyeballed it and they ended up quite a bit east of where they should have been:( But I still think it's sweet and next time I'll do better. 

About the dress and the alterations that I made: 

• I cut out a size 3/View A
• I changed the hem to a high low, inspired by the dress in this post and using my previous notes for monkeying up a hem. 
• I eliminated the overlapping button placket part on the Geranium's back bodice piece and cut the back bodice on the fold instead of in two. 
• I used this tutorial for making the new, front button placket and made mine 9.5" long. 
• Additionally, I omitted the lining and instead used bias tape as facings. I made the bias tape using this tutorial .
• The lavender shot cotton and gray linen are from here. The whitish/bluish dot is from here (this shop is so super awesome, fastest shipping ever and pixie sticks in their packaging, woot!). 
• The buttons are from here. 

It took me most of the weekend to make. And it really is something that I'm proud of - just a muslin, I don't think that it'll end up in her regular rotation but now I know! I can make bias tape, I can make a placket and practice makes perfect, right? 

What are you working on?

Joining Nicole and her readers today over here.

And finally, just caught a lovely little Geranium with back ties over here. Check it out:)

Friday

Happy, snowy Friday.

Joining Soulemama readers today for This Moment. 

 

This is How You Lose Her

Here's a little sewing room sneak peek. I'm putting some gorgeous fabric from Frances to work as I'm heavy into some sewing for sale these days in anticipation of the summer craft fair season. 

This one is going to be tough to let go, though... 

In the wee hours of the morning and late at night, I am still knitting up a storm. My guy needed a hat for spring training and I've had a hankering to make one of the Barley's for a long time. 

I'm joining the Small Things readers today to share what I'm reading and knitting and it's a good thing because boy am I eager to talk about Junot Diaz's most recent novel. Have you heard of this guy? I hadn't read anything of his before, though I had meant to read The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao and never got to it. 

Awhile ago, though, I caught this interview with Diaz and Kerri Miller. Now, I am one of those weirdos that has NPR kind of droning on endlessly in the background while I'm working, eating, cleaning - you name it. I do tend to shut it down when my kids are around because, well, it can be so totally violent and depressing. Anyway, when I caught Diaz talking about women, I sat right down and sobbed. His interview was funny and informative but really moving too. I had to get this book on  my book club's list. 

It did not dissapoint. And how could it with that title? The book was vivid and painful, impactful - what else can I say? Having been born and raised in Northern Minnesota, I'm not terribly familiar with Latin American culture so I was very curious about this book. I do have a veracious appetite for social history and although this is a work of fiction, I think you could argue that it addresses some very real life gender issues. Not to mention a story about immigrant experience in America that is so often glazed over. 

I'd encourage you to give a listen to his interview - it's eye opening. The book took him 16 years to write, yet it's relatively short and well worth your attention in my opinion. I listened to the audiobook version and was thrilled to learn that Diaz, himself would be the one reading. 

Please, tell me - what are you stitching on and reading?

Happy Dance Duffle and my Life with Leather

My life with leather - sounds a little seedy I guess... I'm going to go with it anyway. 

I have been dreaming about making one of Noodlehead's, Cargo Duffles since the tutorial first came out last fall. I couldn't really find a zipper easily, though, and I couldn't cope with picking the fabrics. Then Kristin made a catnap duffle and I caught the fever all over again. Anna's been posting all kinds of beautiful versions again too - and then Sophie of C'est la vie decided to host a sewalong, complete with all of the trappings (even a post about choosing the fabric!) and I could wait no longer. 

I started slowly, as planned and shared a few shots of my progress on flickr. 

Soon, though, I couldn't stop. I LOVE THE CARGO DUFFLE! 

I made mine using leather that I got locally, here. And a sweet paisley print from here. Originally, I had gotten this print to complement this one, but I ended up not using it and I'm so glad that I saved it for this Mary Poppins - style duffle. 

It's been awhile since I've had the luxury of sewing something slowly. I totally heart Sophie's sewalong. It gave me the courage to try something new and to take my time. Her tips are invaluable and I learned plenty to apply to my other projects as well. Thanks Sophie! Oh, and did I mention that the sewalong was also bilingual? Too cool!

 I lined the duffle using Kristin's tutorial and I really like the result. I would even argue that putting the lining in is easier than pinching all of the quilted layers into a binding. Kristin recommended handstitching around the bottom parts of the zipper but I was able to get in there with my zipper foot without too much trouble, making the lining installation even quicker. 

Originally, I had planned to sew the outside in just the plain navy and to line it with the paisley but changed courses at the last minute -  the print is a bit out of my comfort zone but I really like it. 

I have sewn over the past couple of years with leather quite a bit - frequently for sales (gulp) and I've had good fortune. I've learned some tricks along the way, though I'm by no means an expert. 

First, I think that the reason that a lot of people are nervous about sewing with leather is because of the supposed finality of it. It's not quite so risky, though. Leather does stretch more than a woven and more in one way than the other - it also varies from hide to hide. So - I always baste using a narrow seam allowance before taking the plunge. It's less risky this way and gives you a chance to see how the particular piece that you're using will behave. Afterwards, the holes punched by the basting can be simply hidden with your new seam. You can always trim off the ugly too if you like. 

I always use a leather needle, this is pretty obvious. Probably the single most helpful tool for sewing with leather, though, is a good presser foot, made for feeding through heavier layers. Mine is called a "jeans foot" and it came with my machine. I've been advised to use a walking foot with leather but I find that the jeans foot is a surer bet. In fact, I used my jeans foot for this whole project.  Also, Anna recommended these Clover Wonder Clips in a great post about sewing notions recently and they were an excellent tool for holding the leather in place while I sewed. 

So, all in all, a very fun, very satisfying project. I did not sew it perfectly (surprise) but I promised myself that I wouldn't go on about the mistakes I made. Once I started, I had a hard time slowing down and as a result, there are some imperfections (oh horror). I love my new duffle and I've got two more on the cutting table for the kids. Woot! If you'd like to see some more, be sure to head over to the sewalong pool and to Anna's pool too!

P.S. I got my zipper on Amazon, just remember that it should be NON-SEPARATING. 

Two Totes

A couple of humble little Super Tote's, now in the shop. The first features an original print of a pileated woodpecker created by Mr. Moody on upcycled linen. 

The second, in my favorite Nani Iro canvas. Simple and slouchy = totally practical.

La, la, la, la Lila...

So there's this thing with knitting a sweater... There's this giddiness when you first get a glimpse of a new and very stylish pattern. And then you think, the woman in the picture, she looks great. And comfy too. You commit. You buy the pattern. You find yarn that will work. It's in a dk weight, so it should go fast. Then you knit, feverishly, all through February. And then, magically, and finally it is complete and this is when the heartbreak always commences. 

I bought this pattern fresh off of the press. Why oh why didn't I wait for my cyber - knitting-mentor to complete her experiment first?! Side note: if you are a knitter, new, old or thinking about starting, head on over to Felicia's space right now!! There is a wealth of knitspeak over there that is very, very useful. Not to mention plenty of other inspiration to keep you busy. 

I don't mean to be tough on little Lila but if I were speaking to you in person about her, you might detect a bit of pitch change in my voice as it rises higher and threatens to whine. 

There are so many things to love about the concept of this sweater: the high-low hem, the garter cuffs, the beautiful neckline that just graces the collarbone... But there's something about the fit that's off. It can be demystified - Felicia's got the potion. But it's too late for me, for she is no longer on the needles. And she's too big. Even after a lengthy spin in the dryer... The arms and the body are too wide. The torso is shorter than I'd like.  I wanted it to fit like this - casual through the torso with well fitting arms. 

All of that said, I have worn her every day since I finished. I think that the test of whether or not a new garment will get worn takes about 24 hours. This test goes for ready-to-wear too, excepting special occassion wear. But especially for the handmade. If it's right, after all of that work, you'll be reaching for it within the first 24 hours. If not, it's possible that it's not right for you. There's some room for improvement. 

Full Ravelry notes are here for the strong at heart:) What are you knitting on these days?

Thanks to Frontier Dreams for offering a space to share today. 

Bird Bag. Baby Goats.

If all goes as planned - this bird bag, featuring an original print by Mr. Moody, will be in the shop on Monday morning. Good luck Anton, at this weekend's  fat bike birkie!

 Some baby goats too. These guys are sans drawstrings and have stubbier horns and tinier ears than their big brothers. 

 They're made using a buttery gray double knit and upcycled fleece. 

 

They're sewn, not serged and made to weather many a pretend-play session. Perfect for crossing the bridge and scaling the hillside in search of spring's greener pastures. Enjoy 20% off on anything in the shop through next Friday with the code: SPRING20.

Now offering international shipping:) 

I Was Wrong.

I was in no way ready to have kids. I didn't plan on it. Never planned on being married, never planned on being a mom, never planned on raising a family in my hometown. My only plan, in my twenties, was to flee. 

Somehow I ended up back on the shore of Lake Superior where I grew up. I fell in love bought property with my boyfriend, lived in a tent, then built a tiny house that we lived in with our two dogs and without running water. I went back to college. I got pregnant. I had two kids that were born 16 months apart. I studied all the time and traveled back and forth to my school, five hours south of home,  every other weekend. 

The travel and school plus two new kids was a strain on us financially, to put it mildly. I taught dance in the evenings to supplement my husband's modest income. We boiled water to do dishes and carried our son up a ladder to bed with us at night. 

I was a fearful new parent. I read everything that I could about parenting and scoured the internet for advice. My college courses offered an opportunity to do scholarly research about child rearing using many different lenses: biology, history, womens studies and literature. It was pretty thrilling to discover concrete research to back up my more casual reading about parenting - you know the guys, Kim John Payne, Dr. Sears and Alfie Kohn. The one that I liked the most was probably Naomi Aldort's, Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves.  

I graduated when I was 31 years old, with honors and with two toddlers in tow. I will never forget how proud I felt. I'll never understand how my husband coped so lovingly with all of the chaos that my education brought to our young family. 

I got to be a pretty confident parent. I've even dared to think that parenting is what I was meant to do - if there is such a thing. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to raise kids. I'm so glad that we're doing it.

While teaching preschool children to dance, I could never understand why a parent would drop a screaming child off at class and leave them. I judged. I felt so sorry for the little, misunderstood people. The early childhood parenting techniques that I favored included: holding your children when they cried, nursing them (if applicable), sleeping with them - protecting them from harm above all else. 

My son started preschool this past September. I wept when I dropped him off the first day. I pledged never to leave him there if he was crying or distressed, like the children in my dance classes had occassionally been. To me, that would have been an expression of neglect - of disrespect. 

He's always been happy to go. He's quiet and cautious but loves his friends and the teacher. Then we were ill for almost three weeks and he remained home with his sister and I during that time. When he was well and I brought him back, something had changed. He clung to me and screamed. He was exhibiting behavior that I was not at all familiar with. He rarely crys and I really can't remember a tantrum. He's easy going and skilled at articulating his feelings. This was uncharted territory for me. 

I asked his teacher, a friend and studied early childhood educator, what I should do. She gently recommended that I allow him to lean on her for help - that I would leave and that he would remain for his regular afternoon class. 

I trust her fiercely. Eero has known her since he was a wee babe. She is kind and respectful. Her classroom is well ordered and provides predictable rhythyms for the students that include songs during transition times and independent work opportunities followed by reflection time. So, I left. It was awful. And I expected him to have stopped trusting me by the time he got home. 

But I realized that it's not my job to teach my son how to avoid discomfort and suffering. It's quite the opposite, isn't it? The most difficult part of being  a parent, for me, has been teaching my children how to experience sadness, anger and frustration fully and in such a way that they are able to move past it, once it has run its necessary course. 

So I was wrong. I was wrong to say that I would never leave him somewhere while he was crying. And I was most certainly wrong to think badly of those parents who left their distressed children with me. I wish that I had been as compassionate with them as my son's teachers have been with me. Sheesh.

It was very difficult to leave him when he was so sad. And I wish that it hadn't happened. Still, I am confident that my role in this case was to reassure him that he is safe, that he can rely on people outside of our family to help him through difficult times and that although suffering is a part of life, it is fluid. He will move past it. 

I haven't talked about parenting much here. I don't know if I will again but this lesson was significant for me and I hope that it might be a comfort to someone else out there. I'm interested in your thoughts. 

P.S. I'm almost through with the Lila and I'm totally in love. I simply cannot wait to get it off of the needles and onto my shoulders.

Nursing my emotional scrapes todayby joining the Frontier Dreams readers "Keep Calm and CraftOn..." and yarning along with the Small Things readers too. 

Also, hats like his can be found in the shop. And I talked more about his galaxy sweatshirt here. 

Slouchy Harlequin Skinnies

I'm so happy to be a part of the Small Fry Skinny Jeans Tour today, put on by lovely Laura from Craftstorming. 

One of the things that distinguishes Laura and her blog is her clever take on boy duds. She is not afraid to bring on the cuddly, the purple or the playful for her little guys and I heart this. My son has not yet shown an interest in sharks or orange or warriors. It can be really difficult to find him clothes in the store. So, I was thrilled when she asked me to be a part of the tour for her new, super-fabulous skinny jeans pattern. And I found no shortage of inspiration to get me going over on her blog. 

So, on to the pattern. This guy had me at flat-felled seams. The pattern is so very carefully done. Every detail has been considered and there are plenty of tips to help you along the way amongst the 84 pages.  This is a put-your-big-girl-pants-on sewing project. It requires your focus and attention. And it's a total thrill. Please take a moment to check out the stellar fit of these skinnies - does this guy not look like a little rock star?

About the sewing. Laura really did her homework here. The pattern is very thoughfully crafted and I can't believe that she just started sewing a couple of years ago - it's so professional! Unfortunately, because of the busy fabric that I used, it's a bit difficult to catch the details here but there is a coin pocket, topstitching and the option to put in a real live zipper and button-hole elastic if you so choose. The pattern goes up to 12 years and I plan to make it again and again. For now, though, I know that my littles won't use a zipper or button so I kept it simple. I put in a faux fly and a standard elastic waistband. You can kind of see it plus the topstitching and coin pocket here. 

The biggest change that I made was to drop the crotch. I love the new skinnies for boys that are cropping up with a super skinny leg but a slouchy, comfy top. I added an inch and a quarter to the rise and got some good, rock star slouch from it, I think. 

I added piping to the yoke, which made the construction a bit confusing because there was supposed to be a pretty, little flat felled seam here too (the pattern includes perfect, professional finishing techniques) but I like the little bit of blue to break up the print.

My boy is totally in love with these pants. They are made from a stretch twill that I got from my favorite brick and mortar store. And I'm kinda feeling fevered about them too - like... maybe I want a pair?

 

Oh, this kid. How did he get so lanky? And how did I get so lucky? Such a bright, kind little guy. 

I'd like to make a couple pair in upcycled, distressed denim next. Now hop on over and get yourself some skinnies to sew. You can use the discount code: TOUR20 to get 20% off of this pattern. 

And if you're looking for inspiration, check out these fine sewists and their skinnies.