A preview of Hallowe'en

I put together a Princess Leia costume for Lil'A and it turned out so great. I don't have time to post a tutorial right now but I will within the week. The Bun Hat was so easy and turned out so cute that I must share it with the world. It is great for Hallowe'en but I am sure she will wear it throughout the winter to keep her head warm (and her Daddy delighted)

A new cape and hat in time for the Halowe'en train

Inspired by this tutorial from Ruffles and Stuff blogger Disney, I raided my stash and whipped up this little cape. I added a hat with some ears and it made the perfect outfit to ride on the Hallowe'en train. Lil'A was warm and happy!

Yikes!

It has been way too long since my last post. Never fear faithful readers, I am not completely off track with my Christmas gifts. After I completed the awesome clutches I made the matching necklaces, sewed up the pad and crayon holders, cut out all of the fabric for the tissue holders, the car garbage and the car organizer. I also received my order for the Waldorf doll kit (so excited about that), ordered some wonderful felt from Lupin to make a busy book for Lil'A, won an Ebay aution for 4 cashmere sweaters (only paid $13.50 including shipping, score)to make Lil'A a cashmere quilt, won and received 12 awesome vintage patterns, celebrated Thanksgiving and my birthday, received two Japanese Children's pattern books (birthday gift from the hubby) and received a copy of Amanda Soule's new book, Handmade Home(birthday gift from a great friend). Whew - I have been too busy to blog, but I promise I will post about as many of these things as I think you might be interested in reading. I'll leave you with a snapshot from Thanksgiving!

My version of the artsy little clutch.

This gift is fashioned after the Arsty Little Clutch featured in Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. Again, I won't give you all the details but I will include some photos to give you an idea about how these are put together. I will say again that I love this book. I haven't had an opportunity to check out her new book but I am looking forward to it! I used quilting cotton for the outside and lining of three of these (the black one is lined with Amy Bulter home decor weight fabric). I used some felt I had leftover from last Christmas as a stiffening layer and I will say that it worked great - it really gives the clutches some shape and will be a nice cushion should they be used to store things like ipods, cell phones or makeup. I really love how these turned out.

I used hair elastic for the closure (thanks to everyone who blogged about that ingenious methods)

Once all of the pieces were assembled and sewn together I was left with a little opening (where the material is flipped so it is lined perfectly) to top-stitch. I chose to use some of my decorative cams that came with my Elna and crossed my fingers...

... I am glad I did. I love the detail.

They look so pretty lined up in a row. This is definitely another gift I will have to make for myself when I have some time.

and I weep with embarasment

It's funny how sometimes even with the best of intentions you can produce something you are not at all proud of. My blog post about nursing bras was one of those things. I just reread it and wow - I was going to funny and manic and I came off as, well, absurd. What I really wanted to emphasis is that Bravado has managed to make a bra that feels like it was made just for me and fits my specific criteria for a good nursing bra. Instead I rambled on about ogling men and expensive lingerie and gigantic breasts and weeping. To anyone who wishes they could get their 5 minutes back, I apologize. I offer you this picture in the hopes that it helps you capture a few moments of bliss.

Cashmere Lap Throw

This project comes from Sewing green by Betz White. I'm not going to include step by step instructions because I don't think it would be fair to publish for free what some one worked so hard to perfect and then put in a book. (Not to mention I don't want to be sued). This book is filled with great projects and well worth the cost. If you want a copy follow the link above and buy one from Amazon. If you don't, check your local library for a copy.

Basically I purchased 3 used cashmere sweaters on ebay.

When I received them I threw them in the washing machine on hot with some laundry balls. I also dried them on hot.

Cashmere doesn't really shrink or felt much but washing them ensures the quilt will be machine washable when it is finished. I then cut the sweaters into the largest rectangles possible.

Once I had all of the pieces cut, I decided on a pattern. I laid out the rectangles to make sure the pattern looked right.

The pieces were then pinned and sewn together. Betz White has a really good method for piecing the quilt - it is easy and the seams look great.

Lil'A loves to hang out under my sewing table while I am working. It used to be a problem when I had a sewing machine with a foot pedal but now that I have a knee lever it works out just fine.

Once I had my quilt top completely assembled I let Lil'A test it out - she loved it so much I had to pry it away from her to attach the backing.

I attached a backing of cotton velour, topstitched the entire quilt and I was done. It is absolutely gorgeous, so soft and warm. I am delighted with it and I think I may have to make one for Lil'A because she loves it so much.

and I weep with happiness...

I have a confession.

I have been wearing the same bra for 9 months.

It is stretched out. It is ratty. It smells faintly of over sweet breast milk.

And worst of all - I made it into a nursing bra. Not very neatly.

It is probably the ugliest thing I have ever had on my body. In a fit of desperation and the desire to wear something cut slightly lower than my collarbone, I gathered a nursing bra that never fit me, some elastic and a bra that I wore before I got pregnant and performed surgery.

If I was an actual surgeon I would have been sued for malpractice and lost my license. As it was, the result was so hideous that someone should have taken my sewing machine away. But I was going to wear it beneath my clothes and no one was going to see it but me, my husband and my baby and none of us cared right? Plus I knew that I was going to suck it up and buy one of the gorgeous, comfortable and affordable nursing bras available at every major mall.

Wait - there are no gorgeous, comfortable and affordable nursing bras available - anywhere. There are nursing bras at the mall but they are only made to fit tiny, barely swelled breasts, not the gigantic G cups that are living on my chest. They are also made of materials that are not meant to touch the always sensitive nipples of a breastfeeding mother.

There are comfortable and appropriately sized nursing bras available online but they are not precisely expensive and as anyone who wears a bra know, you really have to try them on. I could not face the idea of ordering, trying on, returning, ordering, trying on, returning and errrgh.

Then there are the gorgeous, comfortable and appropriately sized nursing bras available in the few high end lingerie stores around town. You can try these on but since they cost the same as your car payment, you are going to have to take the bus for a while and with your new, well supported and exceeding large bosoms, you are probably going to be ogled which will make you realize that all men are pigs and wonder why your husband isn't ogling you more and then you'll have to call him and ask him why he's not ogling you and you won't speak to him for three days and by then you'll be going crazy because you don't have a car and you can't ask for his because you aren't speaking to him (remember) and errrgh.

So this is why I have been wearing this horrible bra for 9 months. Everyday.

I finally hit the breaking point and starting looking into the availability of those expensive nursing bras in my area. I checked on the Bravado website and saw that they have 2 new bras on the market and they both had potential. I checked their store locator, made a few calls and found a store that had them in stock and was close enough to drive to in a day.

We loaded into the car and headed out.

As I walked into the store I saw an entire wall of nursing bras. They were pricey but cute and there was more than one style available in my size. I grabbed the Bravado bra that I had researched and a few others to try on and headed to the change room. I hung the bras on the back of the door, peeled off my shirt and there it was, the terrible bra, looking so much worse compared to these fabulous, glorious, brand new bras. I saved the Bravado bra for last. Each of the bras fit and were pretty but none of them was perfect and boy, were they expensive. I admit that by the time I picked up the Bravado bra I had lost heart. I just knew I was going to have to wear that terrible bra forever ( oh and this is where I begin to imagine my daughter doesn't ween, ever, and I am doomed to spend the rest of my natural life in this bra)

I check out the tag, 36 F/G, $50.00,it is called The Sublime Nursing Bra and I am trying it on in French Vanilla.

Oh, please fit, please please please fit and be comfortable and cute and supportive and easy to unclasp.

Please.

I hook the hooks, slide it around, put the straps over my arms, adjust and look in the mirror.

It is perfect. It is wonderful. I am jumping (okay, I am thinking about jumping). I want to run out into the store and tell everyone how great it is. I don't want to take it off.

But I do. I take it off and put on the old bra and walk to the cash and pay for the new bra. I gather my husband and my daughter and we go to the car.

Where I remove my old bra and pull it out from my sleeve. Then I put the new bra on without removing my shirt. I am the bra Houdini.

My husband asks how if I like it and I say

"It's perfect"

and I weep with happiness...