"oh firenze dolce firenze"

in october, the thin man and i will celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. :)

after our wedding, we travelled to italy for our honeymoon. we started in venice and ended in rome, with stops in florence, pisa, siena, san gimigiano and capri.

i'd always wanted to visit italy. to me, italy was a bigger film celebrity than any international film star since most of my favorite films used italy as a backdrop -
fellini's 8 1/2, roman holiday, stealing beauty, night on earth, life is beautiful, godard's contempt, and a room with a view:



eenyway... a while ago, in a galaxy far far away, i picked up this quirky fabric that had a poem about florence printed on it... i didn't know what it said, so i was afraid to make anything from it until i got it translated and made sure it didn't say something that would make an italian want to point and laugh at me. ;)

recently, i've become friends with a wonderful mom (ciao marcella! *hugs*) at paloma's school who happens to be italian, from a small town near milan. she took a look at it and reassured me it was not offensive. :) i really wanted to make something that was large enough to show off the entire poem so, i decided on yet another dress from matsumoto's "feminine wardrobe":





the text of the poem is as follows (i still don't have an exact translation unfortunately):

"oh firenze dolce firenze
che portastionde magiche nel-mio io
dove nelodie ronantiche e statue autkhi
come la guerra e la pace
si ripetono nel tempo, celand o amori
nato nella tua culla.
dove maratonando nelle tue vie, he
sognate me raviglie nascoste.
alloggi casuali dove il neglie stpuc'
dare con l'aiuto della luna....
e l'alba dalba per ricominciare ad amare
circndata da un lungo fiocco d'argento
si rispecchia il tuo mondo d'arte
donandori un senso completo di liberta'
libenpa' di conquistartl..."

grazie & ciao ragazzi!

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friday dance: volcanoes & raccoons edition

(i'm posting this on thursday night, 'coz imma be busy tamarra... and it's friday somewheres, right?)

a week or so ago, i was working on these two t-shirts to give to my friend M. he turned 8, this past monday. he loves raccoons and volcanoes.

i moseyed on down to my local Michael's craft store and picked up some blank tees and some fabric markers... (click on pics to enlarge)



i used a grid to freehand draw the "happy volcano" with a vanishing ink pen. then, i colored it all in...



i used a light box to trace the image and text for the raccoon tee. although you can't tell - the t-shirt is heather grey in color... y'know, raccoons are grey... :



paloma and i were very happy with the results:




and last but not least- my offerings for FrIdAy DaNcE!!!

veruca salt's "volcano girls":



and ben folds' "rocking the suburbs": (ok... so the only raccoon that came to mind was the raccoon from the kids movie over the hedge... the song is from that film.)



HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

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Maclaren Triumph Stroller (2003 - 2010)

ever since i discovered that my kids' photos on my flickr account were being favorited by users who liked "blindfolded kids in closets", i slowly stopped posting about my children on my blog. i really have missed writing about them and how they astound/confound me on a daily basis...

however, not too recently, i wrote about getting a little weepy when we gave our bassinet away, so i thought it only fitting that i give the stroller a similar eulogy...

2004:
2006:

7 years and 2 children later... our trusty Maclaren stroller finally gave up the ghost... (actually the frame and cloth parts were fine, a little sunfaded, etc... the wheels however were shred to ribbons...)

in my third trimester, i remember researching strollers online and reading that the maclaren triumph was a favorite for urban dwelling moms who didn't drive because it was very light and folded easily with a hand and a foot - perfect for us subway moms! :)

i also read it was preferred by tall folks like my husband.

so, thin man and i cruised over to the local babies r us and took their floor model for a spin thru the store. he noted it didn't hurt his back and i folded and unfolded the model, with a hand and a foot, while cradling a stuffed animal from the toy section in the other arm.... sold, we took it home...

that stroller went with us everywhere... planes, trains, automobiles, boats, hay rides, etc... its little mesh basket (and sometimes even the hood) held toys, goodies from garage sales, groceries, library books, etc... as a new mom, it helped me get acquainted to a different kind of independence and as a result, i was enouraged to stretch the boundaries of my new life.

the maclaren was my other constant companion in the summer. we had the babyjogger for the winter and the sit and stand double stroller for longer walking trips... neither of which were as easy or light...

i remember many early evenings, watching paloma or porkchop's little head, darting around at random moving objects (dogs, bugs, leaves) and giggling and pointing. then, nodding off a bit... and finally, falling asleep... i will always treasure witnessing someone so fragile, trusting me... the stroller facilitated so many quiet opportunities to be close to my child, even if only connected by metal and fabric...

although it was beyond our budget as new parents, to purchase in 2003, i'm immensely grateful that we did. i don't think we'll have any more children... but, i probably shouldn't tempt fate by saying so... but if we were blessed with another child, the first thing i'd run out and buy (and hug): a new maclaren. :)

ennywey.... i hope you're having a tolerable monday!! :) thanks for coming by and reading.

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friday dance: golf edition

(i usually post these friday dance interludes to my facebook wall... i figured today, i should share the furry wealth...)

sometimes, i feel like the golf ball...
in a water hazard...
filled with crocs...



sometimes i feel like i'm carl spackler...

but more and more often, i feel like the dancing gopher. or i desperately try to channel the gopher... :) here's a gentle reminder to reassure myself (and you), "i'm alright!" :)



happy friday dance!!!

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my "green acres" camisole

i know... this japanese pattern stuff is probably getting stale for you... so, thanks for indulging me another post about it... :)

below, the "town camisole" (G3) from jinko matsumoto's book feminine wardrobe:



so, i discovered something even more confusing about these pattern books... in american patterns, i can count on the sizing (S, M, L, XL) to be "standard" across the board. however, in this japanese book i found two different size charts in the book. one is front and center in the beginning of the instructions portion of the book. however, when you look at each pattern instruction separately, there is another size chart...

for example: i was a M when i made the ruffle blouse (F3) & dress (F2). i was a S when i made the town one-pc dress (A1). then, i noticed my bust size didn't even register on the size chart for this camisole. if i read it correctly, the size LL was for a size 30" bust measurement. (LL!!)

i figured out (for each size) that the designer multiplied the bust measurement x 2.4. so, i made a pattern for me using that formula.... (yes, i kept in mind that maybe i'd have too much fabric round my bust and look like a balloon...)

i got this unique farm scene border fabric from my mother in law's vintage stash... i really like how it turned out... i think it may look kinda cute over a jersey shirt in the fall/winter too.



in the future, if i feel like i resemble too closely a thanksgiving day parade balloon, i made a belt with a bakelite buckle that i purchased from ebay a while ago. so, i have the option of comforting my vanity if/when i have to:



oh come on... you didn't think you'd get away without hearing the theme song:



EN FRANCAISE!!! :)

thanks again for reading/stopping by!

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chasing fireflies

unlike me, my children LOVE bugs...

so it should not surprise me that they like the chasing fireflies catalog - despite the absence of actual fireflies to chase... and the over abundance of really cool kids clothes...

i just recently received the fall/winter 2010 issue. paloma likes to dogear pages of dresses she likes and then, slowly points to each one just to make sure i can knock them off for her... :)

she didn't ask for this lovely ruffle front corduroy jumper:



they had me at the silly ruffle... and corduroy... i'm such a 70s child... :)

i had some grass green corduroy in my stash and simplicity pattern 9854 for a simple jumper. it was so easy to do...



i eyeballed the ruffle and i liked the idea of making more of a bib shape to mimic the neckline... each ruffle is about 1.5" wide after turning the sides and bottom... the length is the neck measurement(s) x 1.5.



happily, paloma loves it... too bad it's a little too heavy/warm to wear while chasing fireflies... :)



thanks for reading/stopping by!

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"resort" dress & "town" dress

i finished two dresses from jinko matsumoto's book "feminine wardrobe":
(click on pics to enlarge)

the "resort" F2 dress:

from book: mine:

the "town" A1 dress:

from book: mine:

i love these dresses! they're perfect for these hot & steamy summer days in chicago... i made a small (1" wide) matching belt (w/ vintage MOP belt buckle) for the F2 dress because it was a little too billowy. now, it looks more like a tunic... the A1 dress is very vintage looking, can't wait to try it out dancing...

both dresses were very easy to make... for the F2 dress, i only had to draft the extra ruffle and lengthen the front and back pcs i'd aldready made for the ruffle top. the A1 dress required only one pattern to be drafted - the belt - all other patterns were included with the book.

the only thing i thought really confusing was how to apply the facing to the A1 dress... so, i've included how i sew a facing below, just in case anyone else needs some tips:

here's the back facing and the back:



i mark the seam allowance at the shoulder seam as a guide. then, sew the armholes and necklines, stopping at the seam allowance, clipping curves, trimming seams:



turn it inside out and press:



after doing the same thing to the front, pin the front and back together at the shoulder seam. IMPORTANT *DO NOT PIN THE FACINGS!



this next part is tricky (and so i sew the slowest i ever sew...). sew the front and back together at the shoulder seam WITHOUT catching the facing. you create a "facing sandwich" sorta :



press the front seam allowance down and fold/press the facing seam allowance over it. and then slipstitch the facing seam:



ennyhoo... i hope you like my dresses... :) thanks for stopping by!

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The Reporter Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

dear reader,

you (and i) need this dress... so you (and i) need to comment on/link to The Reporter Frock Grosgrain Giveaway for the greater good of all womankind.

click it (the "the reporter frock grosgrain giveaway" link above). comment on it. link it. and win it, ladies... :)

mamazilla 1, metric system 0

so... i did it!!! :)

i converted all the measurements from metric into (good 'ol, familiar, clunky) american units, drafted the patterns (including the varying seam allowances), and sewed up a camisole from the japanese pattern book, "feminine wardrobe" by jinko matsumoto.

here's mine:



and here's the model from the book:



i used this funky vintage fabric (another goodie from my mother in law's old craft room stash...):



notice how the screenprint is printed on the crosswise grain... (??) i wasn't sure what to do with it but after i saw the bipatterned camisole, i immediately thought of that fabric and was curious as to how it might look as a finished product...

i LOVE it! :) and really, as soon as i got over my fear of all things metric, it was a breeze... can't wait to start on another garment!!! huzzah!!! :)

me vs. the metric system - battle royale!

it was a such good idea at the time...

i was in sanseido books, a not so local (to me) japanese bookstore, where they stock a number of lovely clothing pattern books and magazines...

it was all the pretty pictures and the cute colorful diagrams that lured me in... despite all the blog posts i've read to scare me off the prospect of actually making patterns and garments from these books... (the conversion of cm. to in., the variant seam allowances in one (freeekin') pattern piece, the actual drafting of pattern pieces, the language barrier, is there a zipper or isn't there? what size (width) elastic?!! etc...)

i bought two... *facepalm*

feminine wardrobe by jinko matsumoto:



and the latest issue of cucito magazine:



so, i've FINALLY gotten thru converting most of the measurements for one garment... the simplest blouse of the bunch... i have fabric... i have to hit the fabric store for some more interfacing and elastic... let's all hope i survive... with some hair intact.

fox on the run...

i've known my friend, flahute, for over a decade now... and he is one of my beloved friends.... :) after seeing the raccoon i made, he requested i make a fox to add to his collection:

i started with a sketch (click on images to enlarge):



i developed a pattern and cut her (him?) out of felt:



i embroidered her (his?) nose and mouth and topstitched his stripes and socks:



i sewed her (him?) up, sewed/stuffed up her (his?) tail, sewed it into the back:



then, stuffed the rest of her (him?) up:



and here she (he?) is all finished:




it was such a pleasure making little fox/ i'm so happy that she (he?) is done. mostly because while i was making little fox, i couldn't get this song OUT OT MY HEAD:



hope you like little fox... thanks for stopping by!

make it, wear it! challenge

** UPDATE: I WON THE CHALLENGE!!!!

i actually sat there for a while staring at sew mama sew post announcing the winners... and i didn't even notice that i'd won... i was SO sure i wouldn't win... it wasn't until i received the message via flickr that i found out!

i'm SO happy!!! i love my little brother straight stitch machine that my mother bought for me 20+ (zomg!) years ago... but it will be very nice introducing a new machine into the works to give my little brother a break... :)

i can't wait to start sewing on my new machine!!!

and last but not least, many heartfelt thanks to the lovely folks at Sew Mama Sew for hosting such an awesome and inspiring giveaway!!

**END UPDATE

i'm a new reader to the sew, mama sew blog and i just recently read about the make it, wear it! challenge. all one has to do is sew clothes in june and enter a photo of the garment(s) to the flickr pool or their forum. (the prizes include a sewing machine... i love my little brother sewing machine... but i've had it since high school... it would be nice to have a new one.)

immediately, i thought - "oh that's easy, i can do that...."

not so fast, sewing sistah... enter the custom designed/fitted sofa pillow covers from h*ll... *insert psycho music here*

a few months ago, i agreed to make some pillow covers for a friend of a friend. it would require me to knock off the existing cover into a new pattern, cut and sew up 6 of these babies...

little did i know, the sheer boredom of the project would absolutely suck the soul right out of me... thankfully, despite a few roadblocks (customer didn't buy enough fabric yardage (i gave ydg amt) or the correct kind of velcro) they're done and banished from my sewing table...

it reminded me of working for one of my teachers, Alice Berry... after meeting with a client one day for a fitting, alice confessed to me that after many years of designing, she finally felt like she liked what she was designing, that she would actually wear some of it... that hit me like a truck... her business was so successful and there was so much about her design philosophy and her fabric/color palettes that i admired and yet, she was just NOW (circa mid 90s) enjoying her work... my dreams/ideas of what it meant (and what it cost) to be a fashion designer were completely altered that day...

mark my words i will never, EVER make stupid, boring pillows again!!! *shakes fist to sky*

anyhoo.... i was SO relieved (after finishing the PILLOWS OF DEATH) that it was still june and i still had time to make something... (i entered the dress i made for paloma's classmate into the challenge, but i wanted to make something for me too). and here it is:



the fabric was part of a large donation, compiled from my mother in law and her mother's craft rooms... the vintage geometic print fabric was made by a company called soptra. the yardage has this sticker on it every yard or so. love the five and dimes!:



i used simplicity pattern #3833. the only change i made was using an invisible zipper instead of a lapped zipper... i just prefer the look of invisible zippers. :)

wish me luck! and thanks for stopping by and reading! :)

BLACKHAWKS WIN!!!!

back in october of 2005, i witnessed the white sox win the world series on the south side of the city... for this cradle north side chicagoan, it was an awesome sight to behold and i was SO happy for my southside neighbors and die hard sox fans....

last night, i watched as the blackhawks brought that same euphoria to their fans and this city that i love SO much... ACK!!!! so happy for you, chicago!!! you were really loud (fireworks, car horns, screaming) and totally obnoxious (helicopters and mosh pits? really?) and thankfully, you remained giddy and happy when ultimately FUBAR...

thank you, blackhawks! congrats on a great season and the stanley cup!!! (please don't leave it at a truck stop or urinate in it by mistake.) :)

in the event you missed it:



and well... i HAVE to play "the song" as well... :)

baby steps... outside "the norm"

so... i finally broke down... and bought labels...

i often wonder if other moms (or even former garment industry folk), with backgrounds similar to mine, have as difficult a time as i do, in doing things like this, that other crafters maybe take for granted...

after 5 years in a fashion design program and 10+ years in the garment industry, i became indoctrinated into the "how one correctly goes about starting a fashion design label" idea.

it's a sound and well tested hypothesis. and, of course, there are exceptions (i never expect to be that exception). but for the most part, in my experience anyway, after clearing all the requisite physical, financial, emotional and political hurdles, one becomes 1) a small designer with a small label 2) a small designer with someone else's BIG label or 3) a BIG designer with a BIG label.

however, you DON'T just *willy nilly* go out and purchase a label online (!)... without already establishing a business... researching to see if your label already exists... drafting a business plan... lining up the funding, etc... calendaring/scheduling out your production season.... designing a line... selling the line at a market... determining yardages of fabric (haggling for the best prices in fabric) and the notions (closures, thread, elastic, etc)... lordy, the notions!!! producing the line... domestic or international... getting the finished products to the final consumers... yada yada yada...

you can't imagine how buying this little (like .5" x 1.5") woven label... actually - first of all - finding a supplier with the teeniest minimums, and then actually buying the label - very nearly produced a grand mal seizure in me... i would be too embarassed to tell any of my sourcing friends how much i spent on the labels... they wouldn't stop laughing at me...

someone like me just doesn't do what i just did... and if any of my professors or former employers asked me why i did something so miscalculated, so amateurish... i wouldn't have an answer except - "baby steps"

'cuz i don't know why i did it... but i felt like i wanted - or maybe deserved - a label... like a newly mobile baby wants (or deserves) the tv remote control lying across a vast expanse of living room rug... i still haven't got past the feeling that i just cheated or as the porkchop says "don't be a cheeto, mom!"

i dunno... maybe these clothes and accessories that i make will actually continue to go somewhere... maybe they won't...

i just felt, at this time in my life, after all the wonderful and varied experiences i've had in this chaotic and ever kaleidioscoping field, it would be nice to hold a small label, woven with "my name", and sew it into something i made... that's all... :) jeez... when did i pass that threshold where i based decisions on logic and not on my emotions?

anyhoo... after my little crisis of conscience... paloma was invited to a classmate's birthday fiesta tomorrow... so, i made this little dress from butterick pattern 3889 and another little fabric flower - i sewed it to a barette this time.



i hope the gifts are well received... :)

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p is for pangolin (and paloma...)

the subject of paloma's final 1st grade project was the giant pangolin. paloma's teacher gave the class numerous ideas on how to present the project - diorama, mobile, poster, clay figure, etc... i noticed after looking thru the packet, that most of the animals were endangered. and the idea of making a t-shirt popped into my head... i mean, what better way for the paloma to not only learn about the animal but become something of a mini activist for the animal as well...

first came the research... mostly done online (we only had a few days) and we started with savethepangolin.org of course! :) much of it was really depressing and difficult for the paloma... oftentimes, she would get a little teary eyed... and frankly, morbid/morose... i got a leetle worried and redirected her from the sad reality of the plight of the giant pangolin and into the depths of the project...

i started us off by finding a great pangolin image. i traced the drawing and some text onto the shirt w/a fabric marking pen. paloma followed behind with some fabric markers





then we finished up with the poster portion of her presentation that listed a little background info about the giant pangolin - habitat, interesting facts and threats, etc...



we were both exceedingly happy with our work. she came home with a score of 12 pts./12 pts. and she can't wait to wear the shirt when it gets returned to her. i'm kinda jealous - i want a save the giant pangolin t-shirt!!! :)

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