nothing but goats

Alrighty.. it's mid February and I haven't posted anything since November. So, instead of a year end review, or a slew of new years resolutions, I'm giving you this: Two minutes of nothing but goats yelling like humans. Enjoy!

I'll be back with more sewing/crafting related posts soon!

(oh, and happy new year!)

melissa x

colette, hazel and random thoughts..

This past weekend, Sarai from Colette Patterns was in town for a little pattern release party at Spool of Thread. I'm a huge fan of Sarai and her blog which is always packed with gorgeous design inspirations and expert sewing tips and techniques, so I couldn't wait to meet her in person.

clothing samples (I love this Oolong Dress)

The new Anise Jacket. Totally adorable!

The new Juniper Pants. I ended up buying this pattern along with the classic Ginger Skirt. Can never have too many wardrobe basics patterns.

And here I am (being a total groupie) with the fabulous Sarai (who is incredible sweet in person!) I'm wearing my Hazel dress (which is actually my wearable muslin). It was fun to see so many people wearing their Colette creations. For more photos from the party, check out the Colette Facebook page.

I never did end up doing a post on my Hazel dress which I started working on way back in July. I actually did finish it over a month ago but didn't get around to taking any pictures of it. Here are the only full dress pictures I took (hmm, looks like this was even before I had finished hemming the dress..) And please try to ignore the dirty deck and garden hose in the background. Not an ideal backdrop but it's all I've got for now.

 

Although I own about half a dozen Colette patterns, this was actually my first time sewing with a Colette pattern. I have to say that it was probably one of the most well written patterns I've worked with. All the instructions were super clear and it was kind of like I had a little Sarai on my shoulder rooting me on through the process. Now I'm all gung-ho about sewing up my other Colette patterns.  Seriously though, if you are at all interested in sewing women's clothing, Colette Patterns (and the Colette Sewing Handbook) are the absolute perfect place to start. Yep, seriously! :)

And now on to some random thoughts:

-Speaking of fabulous pattern designers, Shelley from Figgy's Patterns is on a mission to create a sewing studio and 'Figgy's Kids' Foundation that will help develop and encourage sewing and crafting skills for kids who may not otherwise be exposed to or have a chance to learn such skills. She has a campaign on indiegogo where she explains (much better than I am) what her hopes and dreams are for the studio and foundation. I was lucky enough to have been exposed to sewing at a very early age through my mom, and then again in high school home-ec classes and I think what Shelley is trying to accomplish is so important. If you feel the same way, check out her blog post about the campaign and help out if you can.

-I'm not sure how I missed this but I just read on Melanie's blog, A Sewing Journal, that the Japanese sewing book Stylish Dress Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori has been recently translated into English! I have the original Japanese version and have tagged many things I want to make from it. I've sewn with Japanese patterns before but only kid's clothes and bags. Sewing women's clothing from a Japanese pattern still kind of scares me, so I'll definitely be ordering this version.

-A friend of mine told me about this craft show series of posts on the Stitched in Color blog. I read through her posts describing her thoughts and reasons for selling at a craft market right through to trying to figure out inventory and booth layout.. It was fascinating! As a relative newbie to the craft market scene (I just started selling at markets last year), I thoroughly enjoyed reading someone else's candid thoughts about it all. There are so many emotions that go with 'putting your stuff out there' for others to see, judge and hopefully buy. I love the craft market scene and for the most part, there is such great energy there. But when it comes down to the planning, the inventory and making, I tend to get stressed out and I think to myself, why am I doing this? I'm in this place right now. Planning and making my inventory for a holiday market that is fast approaching. Do any of you sell at craft markets? Do you find it to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster too?

x melissa

oh hello..

Whoa! I just realized it's been almost a month since I last posted anything here! Crazy! It's not like I've forgotten about this poor little blog of mine.. I kept thinking of things I wanted to post about and share on here but just never got around to writing it all out. It's been a busy month I think, and I've actually been doing a lot of sewing, some for friends, some as donations, but mostly for myself. Here's what I've been working on:

I completed two blocks (of nine) for my Swoon quilt! I'm doing this at a rather slow pace but totally loving the process. Because each block is so big, it's like nine mini quilts in one!

I made another Wiksten Tank muslin (wearable of course) trying to adjust the size a bit. I made the top part one size bigger than the first one I made and the bottom part the same as the first. Although I still love and rave about this pattern, I think I can still do a bit of tweaking on the fit to match my body type. I think really what I need to do is add some mini darts and possibly lower/widen the armhole (is this called the armscye still when it's a sleeveless top?) a bit on the original size. And I'm sure this is old news now, but Jenny now offers her two amazingly awesome patterns as PDF downloads! That means no more waiting for a restock of patterns, and no more shipping fees. Just instant gratification!

I've also been working on a muslin for the Sewaholic Crescent Skirt and have been following this old sew-along which is so fabulously detailed and easy to follow. I have completed my muslin in, well, a rather drab, worn out muslin fabric so I won't  show a picture of me wearing it. I'll be sewing up the 'real' skirt in a lightweight denim fabric for a look that was inspired by this version.

Finally, I have also started sewing up a 'dottie angel-esque' frock from this sweet vintage pattern I bought off Etsy. I'm hoping to have it completed for when I head out to the dottie angel workshop in Seattle in just over three weeks (I AM SO CRAZY EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!)

And just for fun, check out this sweet little scrap pack Laura of Charm Stitch sent me! She was cleaning out her sewing space (something I've actually been doing as well) and she was offering out some little fabric scrap packs for free! I was totally stunned to find such wonderful scraps included in this pack! Look at those mermaids! I've wanted those mermaids forEVER! and lots of other Heather Ross, Nani Iro, and Amy Butler scraps. Thanks so much Laura!!

And aside from non-sleeping children, sunny days mixed with random snowfalls/hail storms, spring break, spring cleaning/organizing, sewing with good friends and many trips to the thrift stores and a fabulous flea market, that pretty much sums up what I've been up to this past month. Hopefully I'll be back here before another month passes. I miss this space and want to thank you all for continuing to visit and read my ramblings :) What have you been up to? What have you been sewing/crafting/creating? 

late night rambling

-My kids have been having a hard time sleeping lately. I don't know if it's just a developmental thing, or a weird winter gloominess thing. Lil c has been hanging out with me while I sew late at night and although it's kind of cool that she's interested (and likes to copy what I'm doing) I have to say that it also kind of drives me nuts! At the end of the day I really crave my alone (with my sewing machine) time and I just can't relax when someone is watching me. Very closely. Anyways, I've been sewing up little things for a market that's coming up in just over a week. Zipper pouches and tissue cases have been in assembly-line style production. It's actually been great going through my stash and finding fun bits of fabric to make stuff with.

-lil c has always been a chatty girl and started talking pretty early on. She learns by copying sounds as opposed to big C who started speaking a bit later on and made up words and sounds that made sense to him (gacks = bike, mogacks = motorbike). So while lil c can properly pronounce all the names of the cars characters in the Cars 2 movie, something she says that totally makes me smile is "ewk-mew for bweh-fix". That's supposed to be "oatmeal for breakfast". I love it so much I actually don't want to correct her pronunciation, quite yet...

-for anyone wanting to learn more about sewing with Japanese pattern books, check out Katie's blog over here. She's been posting tips for sewing with Japanese patterns and really gets into some wonderful detail on how to read the patterns and work your way through a project.

-Karyn from Make Something just posted this today about the iPhone app for Project 365 and I think it just might be easy enough that I'll give it a go! I've seen other people post their photos on their blogs and although I'm not sure I'm going to actually post mine on the blog, I think it would be super cool to keep a daily photo journal.

-I just started my exercise routine (and I use the word 'routine' very loosely..) I've heard people say that you're not supposed to share your goals if you're serious about them because the act of sharing them gives some of the gratification of accomplishing the goals.. without actually having accomplished them.. And I've also read that you SHOULD share your goals so you can be held accountable to them.. Either way, I've been trying to exercise more and lose my 'sewing gut' (I only call it that because I mostly started gaining weight when I began sewing more regularly - sewing time somehow replaced exercise time) but I never really followed through. So since I've shared my sewing goals with you already, I'm going to share my exercise goals too. Without going into too much detail, my overall goal is to loose 10 lbs by my birthday in May (or the equivalent in belly-inches since I know muscle weighs more than fat - yadda yadda..) And to sweeten the challenge, if I achieve this goal, I'm going to splurge on some of that amazing liberty fabric that I've only dreamed about to make myself a sweet (hopefully sexy) little dress! Yup, now there's motivation for me :)

Aaaand, it's time for bed.

family time and a happy new year

I hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas holiday! Here's a bit of what we've been up to..

illuminated tree at Stanley Park's Bright Nights

kid-made sugar cookies (yes, it was messy, and a little stressful at times, but sooo fun and delicious!)

 family trip to Victoria (Vancouver Island) where most shops on the main strip seemed to require *very* large, often well dressed animals to sit at the shop entrance

hotel dining at its best :)

 Duncan, BC (Vancouver Island) to visit some family. Amazing backyard!

Aunt S's sweet dachshund relaxing by the fire

back home for Christmas Eve and some pretty awesome presents - 

 fairy wings from Aunty S and a spy suit from Nana

Christmas day dinner with the family at my childhood home. Especially excited my sister made it home for Christmas this year! (yup, everything in that kitchen is yellow. It's no wonder I am so drawn to that colour now)

 the classic punch bowl

 the dessert table (I forgot to get a picture of the actual dinner spread which is always an impressive mix of potluck contributions - turkey with sticky rice stuffing (my mom's specialty), Thai noodles, radish cakes, yams, veggies, dips, spring rolls, zucchini pie, prawns, curry pastries...)

C with one of his favourite aunts

stockings lined up and ready for Santa :)

I'm feeling a little sad that the holidays are almost over. It was actually pretty relaxing and although we didn't end up doing half the things I thought we would, it ended up being perfect. New years eve for us will also be pretty laid back, dinner at home with the kids and maybe some grandparents. My kids haven't been sleeping all that well lately so I'm sure it won't be too much of a stretch if they wanted to stay up until midnight (not sure I'll make it though..) And then it's a new year! I'm not normally a 'resolutions' kind of girl, but I do like to think about what I'd like to do with the fresh year ahead. You know, the usual 'start exercising more', 'eat better both health-wise and in a more sustainable, ethical way' (just watched FOOD, INC. again and feel like I just got a good kick in the butt to be more pro-active with our food choices again)... But as for sewing and crafting, oh man, looking all the patterns and books I've accumulated recently, it seems like I have pretty lofty goals for the new year. I'll get into this more in another post.. Do you normally come up with new years resolutions? Do you believe they actually help achieve your goals? 

Well, I'm not sure I'll get back on here before the new year, so I'd like to wish all of you an absolutely wonderful, exciting, and joyful new year! And thank you so much for reading this little blog of mine. This past year was an exciting one for me with the start of this blog and my shop and I feel like since I joined this community, it's really helped me focus more and actually make time for doing what I really love to do. And for that, I'm grateful :)

xo melissa

some silliness and a GIVEAWAY reminder

So it's just one more day before the Urban Artisans Craft Market, and things are starting to get just a wee bit silly around here. While I was busy doing some last minute sewing and tagging, lil C decided she wanted to do some modelling.

The picture's a bit blurry because she also thought it would be 'nice' to do a dance while modelling the Bloom Dress. And here she is checking out the price tag of the Kaleidoscope Skirt. (I think she's saying 'wow, what a bargain!')

And since it's still Movember, check out big C's 'green juice' mustache (he was especially proud of this one)..

Or how about his 'noodle mustache' from a couple weeks ago..



Yup, it's pretty silly over here. By the way, if you haven't entered the Japanese Pattern Book GIVEAWAY, make sure you head on over and do that now. Contest closes end of day Sunday and I'll be drawing a winner on Monday! And also a heads-up that I'll be closing the shop for the weekend while I'm at the market, but should have it up and running again by monday along with a nice little SALE :)

market dresses and some distractions..

A couple new dresses for the Urban Artisans Craft Market coming up in just a few weeks at the Roundhouse Centre in Yaletown. I have to admit, it's been a little slow going with the 'market sewing' lately. Aside from just wanting to curl up with a cup of hot tea (and halloween chocolate) every night after the kids are in bed, I've been distracted by all the lovely things everyone else is making and showing off in blogland. Like this dress (I actually have and love this book but have yet to make anything from it), and this coat (I've seen so many gorgeous variations of this coat like this and just found out that the pattern is now out of print - gotta get my hands on it NOW), and this freak'n amazing quilt! (Ok, I'm not even going to attempt this one, but it's definitely making me want to dive into the *beginner* quilt I just started a few weeks ago.) Aaaand, back to my regularly scheduled sewing..

one of 'those' days..

I'm having one of 'those' days where my patience is quickly running out. Seriously. Tantrums galore! Bickering, attitude, throwing stuff (like plates of mac & cheese).. We are full on into the terrible twos AND the terrible (almost) fours. No one tells you about any terribleness after the twos... I was a bit late in the game for registering for summer programs and camps and so even though we are getting outside and running around every day, I think they might be getting a little stir crazy spending most of our time in and around our house. I will definitely have to start planning out my days and weeks with activities to keep us all sane. Breathe in rainbows, breathe out stress..

So, since I'm feeling a bit scatterbrained right now, I thought I would share some random things that ARE making me happy right now:

-SUMMER HAD ARRIVED!

-we made it out to the Kitsilano beach on the weekend and dug huge holes in the sand while some guy played guitar and sang Neil Young behind us. LOVE that sort of thing :)

-the postal strike is over and all my poor little packages that were being held hostage are coming home to me!

-have you heard of (or possibly already follow) the blog oh, hello friend? (yes I know, similar name, but it wasn't my intention to 'copy' her blog name. I do have a very good reason for choosing my name which I might share sometime down the road). Anyway, it's a really sweet blog which is usually full of lovely, happy things. And, she is now doing something called Good Cheer Deals which is sort of like a group buying thing. (Ok, this is becoming a long random thought..) Well, there have been some really good shops and goodies featured on Good Cheer Deals like this. I've been coveting these super cool totes for a while now and haven't yet ordered one, but I am sooooo tempted...

-my friend Jenn (who crochets like a mad woman and I've mentioned her before over here) is having a giveaway over on her blog. Go on over check out her crocheted milkshake and burger set. I definitely say 'cheers!' to free stuff and to 'healthy' fast food!

-I finally ordered some Heather Ross FFA3 and now am very impatiently awaiting it's arrival!

-everything about this blog makes me smile. A LOT :)

(by the way, you may have noticed the orange mac & cheese on the floor in the above picture. I know I don't have to justify the 'boxed orange food item' but I'm going to. My son at age 2 1/2 decided that this said 'boxed orange food item' was the GOOD macaroni and cheese, and deemed my healthy homemade kind the BAD macaroni and cheese. After altering my recipe and trying to convince him that mine was actually pretty good, I finally gave up and gave in. He is also currently eating a bowl of dry Cheerios for supper because he's disgusted in my yummy homemade lasagna. Sigh.)

(also, I really have been sewing and crafting lately although I don't have too much to show you right now. I will hopefully get some crafty stuff up on this blog again soon as well as a formal introduction to the little critters that have been poking around..)