I have been sewing quite a bit. A few birthday presents for kids that left before I could snap a shot. A little twirly skirt and a zippered pouch meant to hold tiny horses.

I finally finished the Doll Quilt for Iz. I started it a while ago, and finally finished sewing on the binding. I love her reaction when I make her things. So thrilled and she just loves everything I make, and you know that makes it so much easier to keep making her things.

Remember this hat I made for Iz last year. Well I’ve been noodling with the pattern and have already made this one, then I made this one:

I am really in love this with hat. The brim is nice and big to keep the sun away. I am even thinking of making a few out of felted sweaters for our nice cold spring, or next winter. (the lovely pics are from my HomeSchool LuckyStitchers – thanks guys! you ROCK!

I made a spring coat (Built By Wendy, Simplicity 3966), and I am so not in love with it. It’s HUGE! I made it two sizes smaller than what the pattern suggests, and it is still too big. The fabric is wonderful, I love the bright green lining and I am thinking big black bakelight buttons. I haven’t hemmed it yet, I think that I just need to make it the right length and it will be flattering. I’m bummed. I still need a spring coat.

I am almost finished with a lovely wrap dress. I’ll post pictures of it when I’m done (soon, soon, soon)

I am super excited about my next big project. The girls have been wanting to make quilts, and that’s what we are doing this month at LuckyStitches. I’ve also been trying to get everyone to think about their resources and using what they have, so I’ve asked them all to bring a bag of old clothes, bed linens and fabric scraps to share. These items up for swap go in the center of the table and the girls can grab and trade as they cut 3″ strips.

Or tear 3″ strips. Everyone got a bit of practice doing one of my favorite things, tearing fabric. With a little snip at 3″, then a good strong pull on either side and sheets and big pieces can rip beautifully. I love their faces when they make a little magic too.

Here’s the start of mine. From left to right – tweed pants, angora sweater, wool flannel pants. I’m not an earthtone kind of girl, but I am falling in love with these textures and colors. I have a bit more cutting to do as next week we’ll start sewing our scrap strips together.

I’m asking everyone to save all of their scraps from their cutting of the strips and we are going to try to use everything. I’m looking for scrap projects, so if you know of any, please share!

Happy Sewing!

Do you remember sewing with your mom or grandmother or aunt or a good friend? Or maybe it wasn’t sewing, but knitting or gardening or cooking? Doesn’t a smile just start to sneak up on you as you remember the embroidery sampler, the scarf, the doll clothes, the vegetable garden? I find that I remember these things with my mom (sewing, gardening crafting), my grandmothers (painting, fashion show lunches, needlepoint, cooking), aunts who stitched, crocheted, photographed, read books, listened to music: the loving people in my life that were so passionate about their craft it seeped through every aspect and into mine? Sifting through their “tool boxes” as they baked in the kitchen. Smelling the oil paint, trying on thimbles, reading the climate maps on seed packets, fingering the embroidery floss and loving the colors, staring at bookshelves, loving the wonderful art books they found inspiration in. Maybe that’s one of the wonderful reasons sewing and these other arts are so comforting to me? The act of focusing on all these activities is so zen like, but how much of it is due to the love in how I learned to do it?

Each month at LuckyStitches I offer a class for kids and their parents to come in and sew a project together. This month, we made bucket hats.

Perfect for Spring. Especially since we keep having storm after storm and more snow (although today it was rain).

Everyone learned how to adjust the pattern to their measurements.

Cutting always takes practice.

Sewing circles takes practice and some advice from mom.

Making sure tootsies can reach the pedal, make for a tear free sewing experience.

Ages 7 and 10 – these little LuckyStitchers, along with their mom, made their very own hats. Together.

**Don’t forget to sign up for the 200th Post-O-Rama Giveaway by leaving a comment on that post by Friday. 

I love the cloche shape and this hat totally makes me want to learn to crochet. :: camelliadesigns

Great graphic hat :: KatEyez

Cute stripes reverse to a yummy orange :: littleguystogs

Vintage dots are so sweet :: twinklythings

Lovely shape, wonderful spring/summer colors :: Sookie etc.

I know it’s not very spring like – but up here in New England, this could very well be a spring hat! :: luvlugs

and…last but not least…punk rock :: Infantile

I made this one for Iz last spring:

and it actually fits her perfectly this year.

I picked up some lovely remnants at Osgoods the other day, some really fabulous geometrics that would make excellent hats.  I’ll make a few more this year, with Iz being a lot more active, I’m sure we’ll leave a few behind.  I’d like to have one or two, and Rob could probably use one too.

I’m teaching a bucket hat class in March.  Since this hat is like “magic”, the class is “Sew With ME!!: Make a Bucket Hat” and is geared to adult/child pair stitchers (all ages are welcome).  We’ll measure our heads and make our own patterns then stitch up a loverly hat.  The class is Sunday, March  2, 9-12 at LuckyStitches.  I hope you’ll join me!