A day late and a dollar short.

Hi everyone. I meant to post yesterday but it's been a weird week. Kids ate salmonella tainted granola bars (I'll let you guess what that means), Alex is leaving me to go to Company Y (or as I say "Company Why Why Why??!"), and I've been so sleepy for some reason I need to go to bed at 8:30 every night.

Oh, but there have been lots of bright spots. Like the box of yarn that arrived from Knit Picks for the holiday sweaters for the boys that I wasn't going to make because I am simplifying my life. I know...I know...

Old man sweaters for little boys!

Now that I am done with all the pieced blocks, I've begun the embroidery/applique panels for the big quilt. There is nothing better than working on embroidery to make someone feel happy. Seriously. It works even better than knitting on me.

Block 1 of 6 is 80% finished...

And what do you do when you already have a lot of crafty projects going? Start sewing little pajamas! I have the pattern pieces cut out and hopefully this weekend I will get them all sewn up.

Oliver & S "Bedtime Story" pattern.

And then there is this lingering design project. The good thing is that it resides on the needles that I need to start the boys sweaters! It's the perfect reason to finish this up quickly and cast on for the holidays. Now that the weather is turning cold, my hands have actually been itching to hold some knitting needles.

Shhh...this is the secret project in my bag.

And then I've been cooking. Fall always makes me want to try new recipes. Do you like Broccoli-Cheddar Cream Soup? This recipe was most excellent. I did however add shredded carrot and black pepper to mine. Plus I used a vegetarian stock as opposed to chicken. The next time I make it I am not going to add the 1tsp of salt because it really didn't need it with the saltiness of the cheese.

Lots of irons in the fire. Again, "Mighty Distractible" isn't just a cute name! But hopefully these will turn into finished objects soon...

–Cassandra

Art Smock

When my eyes met the words "art smock" on this year's school supply list for my little kindergartener,  I'm pretty sure I let out an audible squeal. You see, I've been itching to make the art smock pattern from Little Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson of Oliver & S for quite some time now.

Little boys don't take my photo shoots seriously.

This pattern is so darn cute and also super-practical. It does what it should, protects the clothes underneath. Some of my favorite features of this garment are: the elastic at the neck and the wrists keep your child's shirt tucked safely away from paint spatters and chalk smears, little front pockets to hold a crayon or two, and the length is great for catching spills that might fall on a little lap.

Another "action" shot!

I opted to do a velcro closure (a snap is also mentioned) so that my little guy can put the smock on himself and the teacher can easily help him fasten it closed without too much fuss.

The pattern was well written and logical. They have an advanced beginner rating on it and I think that is appropriate. One of the more interesting features of this pattern is that it employs french seaming. A french seam is a way of sewing your seam and finishing the raw edge on the wrong side at the same time. This project was a perfect application for that technique. I often forget about this method when sewing so it was a nice reminder.

All the fabric was purchased at Jo-Ann's on sale dirt cheap. This smock is going to be stained in no time so why spend a fortune right? I am so excited that my boy picked out the mushroom fabric all by himself from my stash. It gives me a warm fuzzy because it reminds me of my childhood in the 70's and now that aesthetic will be one of his memories too. I keep going back to the store and buying a yard here and there...inventing reasons why I need more. Alex thinks I should just give it up and buy a bolt!

Blurry images of a boy who can't stand still!

This was a great pattern, I highly recommend it. And there are some other really fun/practical patterns included in this book such as a bear puppet bath mitt, messenger bag and a cozy winter hood. If you have little ones in your life to sew for...check it out.

–Cassandra