house wren studio

packing up and shop talk

Good morning! Today I'm packing up my shop samplers and samples (and a ton of other stuff) to head out to Los Angeles. I'll be selling the samplers at the French General class Saturday and then heading over to the Blend booth at CHA. 

Letting you know this because I have more of the valentines samplers in the shop now and the expanded PDF as well. Thursday night I'll be closing the shop to be sure everything is good to go before I go. And then I don't know how much of what will be left when I get back. 

Wishing everyone a day that's super productive and efficient so there's a little extra time for everything else. That's what I'm hoping for!

with red buttons

Finished the dress over the weekend. Hemmed it, clipped all the threads, pressed it. I poured the precious red button jar out onto the ironing board and found two just the right size that matched.

Must admit that the buttonholes were a huge pain. My sewing machine is old, quirky and not very reliable. Whenever it's time to finish anything with topstitching or buttonholes, it goes all wonky. (Other times too actually.) The second buttonhole was a total mess and I had to pick out all the tiny stitches without cutting the fabric. But I did it and then held my breath when I gave it another try a little closer to the first. Success. 

So here's the back then. Very cute.

When I laid out the pattern pieces to prep for cutting, I traced the full yoke onto a piece of newsprint and then cut it out to make a window. I used the window to move across the fabric and identify the parts of the print design that I wanted to see in the yoke front and back. Love the way the silhouette appears on the back shoulder and the buttons over the button card.

And then I made the bloomers to finish it up. They look kind of strange just flat for the photos. But they are really sweet too. I used to make these for the girls to wear with a sunhat and plain tee decorated to match.

Wish I had a little girl for a model so I could show you how adorable it is together.

Yes, that would be lovely.

a dress for a baby, an adventure for me

For months, I have been dreaming of this dress. From the moment I saw my fabric, I wanted to use it to make something this sweet. I've been shuffling patterns and combinations of prints around the studio and finally just had to start. It's been so long since I sewed from a dress pattern. Even though I made all the dresses the girls wore when they were little, an awful lot of time has passed since then. A pattern I picked up at the church sale for 25 cents was the winner here. Simplicity 3807, vintage 1950's. Never used! Written and designed in the vintage pattern language I'm comfortable with, it was also the simple, classic style I was looking for.

And, seriously, how cute is this?!

The dress is actually the second view of a pinafore for a fussier party dress (as we used to call them), but it allowed me to combine two prints from my Walnut Hill Farm collection. I made the yoke from the Button Box print and the body of the dress from Queen Anne's Lace. I haven't finished them yet, but the bloomers are from Button Box also. 

The minute I started cutting the pattern pieces, I felt like I was 25 years old again. I know - really, that's all it takes? The sound of the scissors crunching the paper, then snapping crisply on the fabric beneath just felt so wonderful. 

Snipping notches, stacking cut pieces, reading Step 1. It was like riding a bike again.

It's not perfect. I fell off the bike a few times. Messed up the pockets, forgot to trim a few seams as instructed. Ripped out the armhole facings twice. I spent the whole day on it and was finishing up some of the handsewing at dinner time, realizing it was dark. 

Lucky for me, the baby girls grew up to be amazing cooks. Such a happy day!

On to the hemming, buttonholes and bloomers ....

If you are going to CHA, do stop by Anna Griffin's booth #973 (Blend Fabrics). The dress will be there along with some of the other projects I made for the collection. I'll be in and out of the booth too! 

inside out

A few postcard snapshots of these cozy studio days. 

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And a favorite from yesterday's brisk errands though town.

winter days

It had to happen that our warm winter would turn cold. After all, it IS January. We've burned stacks of logs in the last few days and pretty much just camped out near the fire (and football games). Erin made the most wonderful dinner for us last night - chicken tikka masala and sweet potatoes with apples. 

Thanks so much for buying up all the valentines samplers! I Iisted an expanded version as a PDF in the shop. On Saturday's visit to the post office, the teller told me that postal rates are going up on the 22nd. Just in time for Valentine's Day.

I guess that had to happen too.

But for today, it's slippers, sitting, stitching. And some fantastic left-overs.

stitching hearts

I've shown you a few peeks at this project, but it's finally wrapped up and in the shop today. This is the inspiration piece finished. Thinking about those sailor's valentines we are making at French General in a few weeks, I'm going to stitch this one onto a small linen pillow. 

I did this design in two styles, one is brown on ivory and the other is pink red blue peach on white. Both stitch up into 6 ornamental hearts that you can finish in a number of ways. A garland, a mobile, a pillow, a card, an entry to a journal page, a patch stitched onto something else. (Wouldn't the panel itself be a sweet valentine gift bundled with a few skeins of thread?)

Here's a little guide to the simple stitches I used in my sample. Of course, you can use any stitch you like. It's just fun to have something in the hoop - to stitch at home or take along in the car.

I love mixing the different stitches and changing colors. 

January stitching for Valentine's Day! xoxoxo

grammy's great adventure

My mom turned 82 last weekend. I know that some of you are big fans of Charlotte, the elder. She's had a really tough year with fewer bloggable moments to share here. Gratefully though, things are looking up and this birthday warranted a big Grammy-style celebration. Maggie started the festivities with a sweet family party at her house. Cake, hats, streamers! She brought out this old photo of Mom. Wow, right?

On Monday we whisked her away to the historic 1869 Victorian Mohonk Mountain House in the Catskills for a mini-vacay. Downton Abbey style.

For the middle of January, we enjoyed mild weather and maximum fun.

By the fire in the Lake Room where we camped out when the afternoon clouded over, we read, stitched, wrote and talked the day right up to its scrabble tournament finish. 

82 and she still comes up with "coyote" off the letter tray.

We explored the historic building and hotel grounds.

Hiked up to the skate house.

Marveled at the layered history and natural beauty all around.

Mohonk mountain is a hiker's paradise. When the sun warmed things up, we managed a little of that even with the wheel chair.

The days at Mohonk finish with a four-course fine dining experience. Mom loved the dress for dinner elegance. She was so happy surrounded by family, tradition, the energetic bustle of life. And all the love in the world.

Happy, happy birthday to the original, matchless Charlotte!

Glam on.

studio days

Postcards of my studio vignettes. Still loving Instagram and enjoying the challenge of discovering or composing these daily studio shots. For the last four days, it's the first thing I do each morning when I settle in here. Wonder how long that will last.

I see a valentine theme shaping up. Pink, red, ivory whites.

By now you know that I do love Valentine's Day. Excited to hear that my Sailor's Valentines class with Pam at French General in LA this month is sold out. There are several classes that weekend and if you will be there for CHA or live nearby, here's your chance to be in one of the loveliest workrooms ever, making beautiful creations with master teachers.

In the meantime, I'm still looking for creative ways to sew with my new fabrics. Just as Walnut Hill Farm begins arriving in stores everywhere, we're finishing up a second collection at Blend for spring market. Sew, sew much fun!

january stitching and sewing

Finished my latest design into a pillow. I used my new Queen Anne's Lace print for the side panels and love, love, love the way the little doily florets repeat in the stitched flowers. Hadn't really planned for the two to go together, but it seems meant to be. 

That beautiful color of rick rack was exactly the amount I needed for this. Just 2 inches left over. Love it when that happens. 

So, my stitching friends, the stitch design is in the shop and the fabric ships from Blend this month! If you have a favorite quilt or fabric shop, please do ask them to carry it. Current online and shop sources are listed here. 

As always, thank you so, so much for the support. You make my world go round!

walking out into a new year

Our weekend was sunny and warm, quiet and sweet. Moving from one year to the next came simply, without resolutions, toasts or horns. Well, the neighborhood teens did fill the air with whoops, shouts and hollers, but it was fun listening to them celebrate in the darkness. 

Erin and I took a long walk yesterday with the dog she is minding. Considering the old and the new, we walked along the Aqueduct and ended up at historic Lyndhurst in Tarrytown. A perfect day finished with a delicious dinner she cooked for us and appropriately, a replay of the entire season of Downton Abbey. Happy new year!

Cherishing the past, welcoming the future, here's to all good things ahead!