sweater to cardigan

i have this sweater which i used to think i loved, then i saw a picture of myself with it on. . . . . so, why did no one tell me that it was not right for me?  so bland, and the length was wrong for me~ just accentuated the eternal post-baby pooch. see, isn't it yucky?!

well, i'm not crazy about it that way so i decided to change it up a bit.  turn it into a cardigan, but since i don't like things to be too simple, i thought i would go for that off-center thing that is kinda popular right now.  started with the center of the bottom and headed diagonally up to the collar. 

 i'm not gonna lie~ it was a bit nerve wracking to be chopping at a seemingly good sweater, but alas~ i made it through.  but then i needed a way to bind the edges~ and not just the simple fold over technique~ i need color!!!  and just my luck~ i had a few strips from a jelly roll laying around.  i pressed the edges down and started pinning to the cut edge of the sweater.

when i got to the top it didn't fit quite right because the collar edge was scooped and the fabric edging was squared off.  See --->

 but no worries because that corner is easily tucked into the fabric binding. 

pin everything in place.

now here is where ya gotta pause and think about how to fasten the cardigan.  do ya even want to fasten it?  if not, then sew this sucker and call it a day, but i decided that i wanted something 'more'.  buttons came to mind so i stitched up 2 straps which needed to be tucked into that binding before it was sewed shut. see --->

now~ if everything is pinned nicely, ya should be able to just run that through the machine and it'll turn out beautifully.  take a swig of beer and get to it ;)
now here is the deal~ the jelly roll strips were not quite long enough for the sweater so there was an issue at the bottom hemline.

see? a bit short ~ but no worries~ use some of that button strap material to corner off the bottom.  while you have that second print out ya might as well stitch up some squares to attach as button platforms.  sew those babies on where the button straps end on the chest/shoulder area of the sweater.

there ya have it, something a wee bit different, (and hopefully better) than the old boring and ill fitting sweater.
 

'snood'? whatever~kid scarf

this winter the wee one has decided that she like to wear a scarf~ or rather a snood~ i think that's what it's called~ a tube of material which goes over the head and settles around the neck. like this --->

 it's great, but as i mentioned, she is just a wee one so this is what happens: which is ok sometimes, until the snot starts flowing. also, the static factor is outa control with all the pulling on and off over her fine hair. ~ we needed a slight alteration, so we came up with this little number:

  the kid LOVES leopard print, so thankfully that was easy enough to find in a fleece. basically just a rectangle with a button on one end and a button hole on the other end. lays however ya want it to and the little muffin insists that the button on the shoulder and point in front is the proper way to wear it. there ya have it~ preschooler functional fashion at it's finest

i pinned it, i did it, i LOVE it!~ necktie t-shirt.

soooooo, i have ideas, i have lot's of ideas, but . . . well, . . . sometimes i just wanna use someone else's ideas. enter: pinterest. i held out on pinning for a long time but i just couldn't resist anymore. there is so much great stuff in one place~ i am hooked. anywho . . . so i recently found a pin (and then re-pinned) for a jazzed up t-shirt. jazzed up as in sew a man's necktie around the collar to take away the 'boring' in boring, plain t-shirt. (original idea master found here.) this particular shirt did not start out as a v-neck but i sewed the necktie on in the shape of a V and then cut the excess material out. starting with the skinny end of the tie and working around the collar will end up with extra tie length on the remaining side of the V. no worries~ fold that sucker into pleats. i ended up running a second row of stitching around just cause i liked the look of it that way. also, the back neckline of the shirt is a lower scooping neckline and i wanted to make sure that the necktie would lay flat. the extra stitching helped with that.

house rules flower

lately we have been hitting the terrible 6's. ya know, when they are now a big-bad kindergartener and suddenly are all grown up and in charge of things. (yeah, right!) a refresher of the house rules was in store. we sat down all together to compile a list of the rules around this joint. things like: no whining, keep your hands to yourself, no sassy talk, no climbing on the furniture, etc.~ all pretty standard stuff. BUT we still needed a way to show accountability. the big bad 6 year old suggested we try something like they do in her classroom. a color coded system of warnings to know exactly how deep the doo-doo is that you are getting into. the little kid agreed that this was a good plan. so . . . . that leaves me to figure out a visual, color-coded warning system. i came up with this little diddy: an old flower pot (painted from an old project) filled with river rocks (from any craft store) and a "flower" for each kid. the "petals" are painted clothespins which are pinned onto a paint stir stick stem. i added the initials to differentiate the kids' flowers. now it's pretty cut and dry. you break a rule = you loose a petal. if ya loose them all . . . . big trouble! the start of each day starts with a full blooming flower. once a petal drops, it stays there. been using this method for a few weeks now and it seems to help.

kid bedtime water cups

anyone with children knows that the little buggars always seem extra thirsty when it's time to go to bed. any any wise parent knows to resist the big ole cup of water so close to bedtime to avoid a bed-wetting experience. at his house the solution is medicine cups. each kid is allowed a cup of water after brushing teeth and those medicine cups are constantly cluttering up the cabinets so it seemed a natural solution. i even painted a stripe of color on the bottom of each to differentiate between the kids' cups. (painted with nail polish). they work great!~ except that my uptight self just can't handle the clutter on the bathroom sink counter top. sooooo . . . . since annoyance is often the root of ingenuity i found a solution: magnets!! had some spare magnet discs laying around (magnetic discs with sticky foam backing~ can be found at any craft store and in bulk for fairly cheap~). a magnet on the bottom of each cup and then some on the UNDERSIDE of the medicine cabinet~ voila!!! cups are up off the counter top. AND~ you can barely see them!

flannel dresses

recently made flannel dresses for the kids. i used 3 different patterns and mismatched the dress parts for each girl. turned out pretty good. when i had the babe try hers on for size, she had a temper tantrum at having to take it off. i used a basic "scrub"-style top as a base pattern for the bodices and altered from it to add button closure in the front of each (for ease of dressing in lieu of a stretch fabric), a ruffle collar for the wee one, a sash waist for the big kid and and elastic waist for the midget. i just winged it for the skirting and added one crooked pocket to each girl's dress. add a white undershirt for each kid and some leggings and - voila! cute outfits.

sweater dress

here is my cheap side coming out again: this "sweater" material was marked down to $1/yd. a STEAL!! i bought up the rest of the bolt- 3 1/2 yds. that was enough to make a dress for myself and jumpers for the girls. (still have to make those- i'll get to it soon) i love how my dress turned out. the material was very easy to work with and has a "jersey" stretch to it. very comfy.

vest

i wear a lot if solid color items instead of prints. this gets a wee bit boring. i found a great cotton scrap with a black-gray "checked" pattern. still too boring by itself, but used as an accessory to another solid= not as boring. here is the vest that i made.

tunic

i love the look of a tunic with leggings. unfortunately i have a hard time finding a tunic in a store that fits my shape, comfort level, and budget. my solution: make one.
i could tell you which pattern i used, BUT- the list of changes i made is a mile long.

name afghan

a woman at my church was due to have a baby girl which she and her husband had already decided on a name for (faith marie) so i thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try out something new. to make a name (or any image you can graph) you just need to graph the letters out and keep track of open vs. closed stitches as you travel across each row. it is tedious to keep your graph with you as you crochet, but it was worth the effort as this afghan turned out just as i hoped it would. i finished off the edging with a scalloped effect for a little bit more interest.

ham casserole

this dish started as a way to pull foods together for pre-packaging for toddler-on-the-go meals and is now another family favorite.
all measurements are approximate as i don't measure as i cook.
in large skillet combine:
2C diced ham
1 1/2 C sweet corn
1 1/2 C frozen peas
2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 C milk
cover skillet and simmer until potatoes are softened (approx. 15 min) add 2 Tbs. cornstarch (to thicken soup base) and mix well.
put entire mixture into 9x13 pan and place biscuits on top. i used a herb and cheese frozen biscuit from schwanns but any frozen biscuit would do. bake @ 375 for appros. 20min. dish each serving with a biscuit and eat as a potpie or biscuit and gravy style. i peppered my own plate which made it wonderful. the kids could not get enough of this.


(yes, thats a frizbee she is eating out of, works great!)

chicken and squash spaghetti

this dish is a new favorite. i was given a GIANT butternut squash and tomatoes fresh from a local garden and felt the need to put them to use pronto. (all measurements are approximate as i don't measure as i cook)
start by peeling and dicing squash into 1/2 - 1" cubes. this squash was so big i only used the neck for this dish. dice tomato and 2 chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.
get your pasta into boiling water now because cooktimes are about the same for pasta and other stuff. in large skillet combine chicken, tomato, squash, approx. 2 cloves of chopped garlic, and a wee bit of e.v.o.o.. saute until chicken is cooked through and squash is soft. (approx. 8-10min.)
drain pasta and add chicken/squash mixture. add as much parmesan cheese as your tastes demand and enjoy.
(this was still amazing reheated as leftovers)

hot iron sleeve

i am getting ready for an 8-10 day trip where i will be needing to look nice for at least one evening. as a hairdresser, i "can't" accomplish this without my flatiron. soooo . . . . as i am busy dealing with prepping things for a house, 2 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 adults to deal with this trip, i found time to make a hot iron sleeve. this was my first time working with insul-bright, but it wasn't a big deal at all.

crochet hook rollup

crocheting is a family thing. both my sisters are addicted, too. my little sissy just had a birthday and i was stumped on a gift for her, so i made her a crochet hook rollup. i didn't get pictured of hers, but ended up making one for myself as well.

basically this is a rectangle with slots stitched in for the hooks and elastic loops on one end to hold the whole thing together when rolled up. after i thought this was finished i realized that the hooks could slide out the top if not enough hooks were in it to created tension on the elastic straps, so i added a flap to cover and hold the hooks into place.