Twirly Fall Skirt

Lately, if it isn't a quick project it's not getting sewn. And by quick, I mean under an hour--including prepping, pinning, cutting, everything.

I ordered some of this gray Little Red Riding Hood fabric (Tasha Noel for Riley Blake Designs) awhile back for another project. It was going to be part of a quilt that I decided not to make but I still really loved the fabric and wanted to use it. I only had half a yard though, which made it challenging. I packed away most of my girl's skirts since they're all very summery looking so I decided to make her one for fall--a double layer twirly skirt.

The other fabric I used is from Fig Tree Quilts--I'm not sure which line it was from, maybe Avalon?

Here they are together:

And about 30 minutes later I had a finished skirt. :)

I love simple, fast projects.

Happy Sewing.

It's Fall!

As of yesterday it is officially fall: my favorite season (with summer coming in a very close second. The other two aren't even worth mentioning, except for maybe the last week of spring and about two days of winter during Christmas).

I was looking at Pinterest at some of the decorating that people do in their homes and was blown away. People spend some serious time and cash on fall decor, inside and out--especially for Halloween. My indoor decor consists of a few artificial pumpkins, some random silk leaves that fell out of a wreath that I saved (?), several candles and one single wreath. Oh, and a fall-ish looking bunting I just made. My outdoor display includes several real pumpkins (including a white one! Fancy.), one hay bale, and because I thought I would pull out all the stops this season--two cornstalks.

It's simple, cheap, and only takes up one small box worth of space. And while it may not be the most elaborate seasonal showcase, it works for me.

Strangely, a single hydrangea flower decided to bloom even though the rest of its friends turned faded and crispy a month ago:

Sorry little guy, fall is coming no matter how pretty you are.

This girl is happy about it:

We've talked to her about Halloween and she thinks the whole concept of trick-or-treating is pretty amazing. Now when we go on walks she'll ask to "pretend trick-or-treat?" to the neighbors houses. She'll also tell anyone who will listen what she's going to be for Halloween (answer: Little Red Riding Hood). She's neat :)

Happy Fall!

~Stacy

Second Chance Purse

I started making my little girl a shirt a few weeks ago and it was going all wrong. I set it down, walked away, and picked it back up a week later. I kind of fixed part of it then promptly messed something else up. Put it down. Went back today. Things quickly went downhill again and I had to admit to myself that it was never going to become the shirt I had set out to make. Or really anything ever resembling a shirt. It was beyond hope.

Or was it?

After some brainstorming and one rare but sure spark of clarity, I came up with a new idea to salvage the fabric that was left. The fabric, by the way, that she loves because it has kitty cats all over it. So I made a purse.

My girl loves purses--she's always taking mine and walking around with it or putting stuff in it. She loves to fill it up with random objects she finds in the house, empty it, repeat. I knew a purse would be a hit, maybe even more so than the original shirt I had planned.

I drew a half circle (well, more oval shaped?) pattern (about 9" wide and 6" long down the middle). I cut two pieces from the kitty cat fabric, two from the lining, and another two of fusible fleece. The fleece was then ironed to the wrong side of the outer fabric. I used a 7" zipper and made two straps about 2" wide by 22" long. Someday I'll get a real tutorial written up on this with photos :)

I think it turned out cute--and I'm so glad I was able to still use this adorable fabric.

The fabric is by Michael Miller but I don't know the name of the specific line...and the polka dot lining is also a Michael Miller--by Swirly Girls Designs, I believe.

All's well that ends well. :)

Happy Sewing.

You'd Be Happy Too...

...if you were done teething forever.

I've been done teething for about 28 years now but I'm still beyond thrilled that she's done teething. Forever. It is one stage I will not miss or feel any sort of sentimentality whatsoever at its ending. None.

We celebrated this monumental event yesterday by getting flu shots. She didn't even care that much, probably because it felt better than the past 4 1/2 months straight (not a typo) of having her gums swollen over the knife blades trying to cut through.

Then after that we went and picked out some pumpkins. That was way more fun :)

Ahhh. Peace at last :)

Happy Weekend.

~Stacy

Fall Bunting

We made it back safe and sound from our trip to Vermont and it left me ready for fall! Vermont IS fall, even if the leaves haven't changed much yet. The air there was crisp and clear and everywhere we stopped we could fill up on apple cider, donuts, or something maple related.

I was inspired to break out some fall decorations at home this week and I decided to make something new with a few fat quarters I picked up at the Waterwheel House Quilt Shop in Vermont. The fabric is Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt:

I made a scalloped bunting (I just traced around the top of a bowl and folded the paper in half to make a pattern). I cut 9 flags, double sided, and used a package of white extra-wide double fold bias tape across the top.

Crock pot meals. Apple cider. Pumpkin pies. Football games. Changing leaves. Chilly nights with the smell of woodsmoke wafting in.

I love summer, but I love fall. This pin says it all:

Happy Fall.

Vermont Trip

After five days and many, many hours spent in the car we are home! Our Vermont trip was mostly successful, with the exception of some drizzly weather, missing our girl, and a ridiculous situation involving the college. Besides those three things, we managed to have fun and see a good portion of the state. I apologize in advance for the amount of photos :)

We stayed at the Haven Guest House in Fair Haven (a tiny town in western central Vermont). This place is the best--it's gorgeous, the rooms are large and comfortable, the owners are the nicest people you'll meet, and the breakfast is delicious. Win all around.

On day one, we drove south through a bunch of little towns and covered bridges and ended up in Woodstock, VT--a cute town with lots of neat shops and restaurants. It was small, but by Vermont standards it was a pretty happening place.

We didn't have cell phone signal in many of the areas we went through. Most of the driving is on country roads and even when you travel on a highway it's likely that you'll be one of just a few other cars. We had our map with us and just picked places out that sounded interesting and drove. That's one of the great things about Vermont: nothing is far. You can cross the state in 1.5-2 hours. Another great thing? No billboards. They aren't allowed in the state, which makes the driving even prettier.

The next day we did more of the same, except we drove north. We went through dozens more small towns and stopped in Vergennes, Shelburne, Burlington, Waterbury and Montpelier. Monteplier, the state capital, is teeny tiny-- it looks like downtown Medina (for those of you who live in Ohio). Burlington was my favorite of the bunch since there's a lot to do there and it's located right on Lake Champlain.

My only good picture from Burlington, since it rained most of our time there:

And Vergennes:

The leaves hadn't changed as much as I'd hoped, but there was definitely some color starting to show.

Another major highlight? Meeting Henry's identical twin. Seriously, look at this and tell me they don't look exactly alike:

Henry is on the right and the dog on the left is Homer, a five-year old Corgi who hangs out with his owner at a bookstore (she owns a used bookstore in Poultney, VT). I was looking at my phone and then put it in my pocket and turned around to find Homer sitting patiently in front of me waiting for pets. He was just the sweetest thing and I couldn't get over how much he looked like Henry. I would have taken him home if I could, but I ended up just buying a book instead :) He made my day, but it was also a little sad--I miss old Henry!

As with all trips, especially ones that require a lot of travel time, it was good to be home. It's always good to be home :)

~Stacy