Mari is a crafter, reader, and cat wrangler. Rob is an architect and prolific photo taker. We both love to travel, eat, watch TV, and laugh.

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    Saturday
    Jul022011

    Happy Birthday Baby J! Only 4 months late!

    So, blogging has taken back seat here (as it always does) to family, work, and actual crafting.  I'm hoping to fit in some time here and there to take some photos of some finished crafts, as I have taken on:

    - Crochet - Took a class from a fabulous teacher and made a wonky flower

    - Latch Hook - Bought a super cute kit from the same teacher and finished 2/3 of it

    - Waldorf-inspired dolls - Took another class and made a somewhat wonky, but sweet doll

    I think my experience with the Heather Ross weekend made me more open to taking classes.  I've never done it before but I love the communal experience of sharing with other crafters.  I'm usually crafting in such a vacuum, after Baby J goes to sleep, so it's such a thrill for me to talk and observe other crafters.  Such fun!

    But before I talk about any of those, I want to share a little bit of Baby J's birthday back in February.  It was supposed to be a backyard karaoke extravaganza, but the weather wasn't compliant.  So it turned out to be an indoor 13-infant packed playtime. 

    Baby J's finger kiss in action!  She wore a beautiful dress from the Liberty line for Target - I love it!  She's also wearing her Tiny Tea Leaves Cardigan, which came off for the cake eating.

    I so wanted her to smash into the cake (her first taste of sugar!) but she was super dainty and just scraped it with a spoon.

    Of course, I went a little crazy with the favors.  Not that I made anything that elaborate, just more Fat Kittys.  But I made them the day before the party.  14 of them.  I just really wanted to give Baby J's friends something hand made.  And I wasn't organized enough to make them in advance, as any sane person would do.

    I like that they look like a box of crayons!  So, Happy 1st Birthday Baby J!  I promise to be more organized next year!

    Friday
    Feb042011

    Palm Springs bliss

    I am still in the haze of the wonderful weekend we had in Palm Springs.  Sewing, great company, pools, hot tubs, cute babies in showers... what more could one ask for?  Especially someone who hasn't really had a chance to focus just on crafting in almost a year... this was a welcome break from our daily routine.

    It all started when my friend Shannon and I decided that someday we would leave the babies at home and travel to Blueberry Hill Inn and partake in one of Heather Ross' weekend sewing workshops.  You know, in one or two years when life was a little more settled.  But then Heather announced she was going to have two workshops in Palm Springs and I pretty much forced Shannon to go with me. 

    Thanks Shannon!  You are the best!

    Luckily, our husbands agreed to come along and take care of the babies!  So it became a family vacation as well as a crafty weekend.  Baby J's favorite pastime became crawling into the shower any chance she got.

    Baby J is a water baby!

    What followed was a weekend full of sewing, stenciling, eating and pretty much all around fun.  After our intro dinner with wine and cheese (Heather kept urging us to eat the cheese!), Heather had a very interesting tutorial on how to create fabric in Photoshop.  I don't remember much, but I do remember that she uses "channels" for colors.  Hmmm... must do more research...

    Oh, a "private" workshop!  Is that for us?

    The first morning started out with a stencil workshop with one of my idols, Lotta Jansdotter.

    I so wanted to get a glimpse of the rest of her sketchbook!

    Lotta was warm, friendly and patient instructor.  I could have stenciled all day long.  I loved seeing what others created during the lesson.

    Mary and Lynsey's pin up space.

    After the workshop, we took some photos.  What fun!

    Such a cute candid!

    I grabbed one of my Purl "P" totes and stenciled on the back.  Lotta signed it and, of course, I had her pose in a photo with me.

    Fan girl alert!

    Afterwards, we headed back to the sewing room (which was right off of the main pool - very surreal) and everyone became very focused.  It was intense!

    I am fake sewing!

    I was incredibly embarrassed because after I cut out my muslin, I couldn't thread my machine.  Heather helped me out but I think she was thinking, "Uh oh... this one can't even sew!"  Thankfully I am a fast sewer so I busted out my muslin in no time!  I decided to make the Sunny Day Dress mainly because my body is still a little wonky from breastfeeding.  The pattern has forgiving elastic and no darts.  Perfect!

    My messy corner with my supplies.

    Heather brightened up my pin up space with one of my stenciled pieces and a little pink tape!

    I absolutely loved eating dinner with everyone.  Vera, Heather's assistant, had her birthday and was serenaded by one of the Ace Hotel's employees.

    So fun!

    One of the instructors, Gretchen Hirsch, sat with us the second night and we all got a little tipsy and agreed to go to the hot tub later.  Gretchen is a wonderful teacher and she did a presentation of her dresses.  The construction was so incredible!  I can't wait for her book to come out next year.  Melanie Falick was also in attendance and gave a fascinating talk about the craft publishing industry.  I learned so much from her and Heather.  I came away thinking that we all should buy more craft books!  Tee hee!

    It doesn't get more Palm Springs than this - soaking in the hot tub with Lotta, Melanie, Gretchen, Shannon, Pauline and Chrissy while drinking champagne!

    The final morning we all tried to finish our projects.  I did!  Yay!  And I had everyone sign my muslin because it was the summer camp experience I never had.

    Heather drew flowers on the waist band - cute!

    Here is my final completed dress.  I promise to have a model shot soon!  It's made of Liberty Tana Lawn, the main piece is one that I've been hoarding for years.  It really needed to see the light of day!

    Heather gave me great advice when it came to pairing Liberty prints - anything goes!

    Rob and Baby J had a fantastic weekend too, hanging out with Raul and Big Baby B, swimming in the pool, and taking long drives (well, that was to help Baby J take a nap one afternoon!)

    The boys and the babies!

    We had a final photo call after checking out.  I love these photos - especially the one in front of the van!

    I don't think Baby J realizes WHO she's meeting!

    Everyone loves finger kisses!

    Gretchen is so fun! And she has a liberty dress on that is to die for!

    Heather is so sweet... the reason the weekend was so wonderful!

    Thank you to Leslie and Pauline for the beautiful photos I borrowed!

    If you're interested to see more photos of the weekend, the flickr group pool is here.

    I think what I loved most about this weekend was feeling like a part of a larger craft community.  Having a baby can be very isolating at times.  Even though I get to spend so much time with the wonderful "Purl Girls", it's still work.  I'm not sitting around sewing or knitting and talking about whatever enters our mind.  There were so many amazing people at the workshop!  Everyone was so talented and inspiring.  And from the first moment we got together as a group it was just so... comfortable.  I really hope this will encourage me to explore other craft groups and get more involved.  Thank you Heather, Gretchen, Lotta and Vera for a wonderful, memorable weekend!

    Sunday
    Jan232011

    When I was crewel...

    I promise to stop with the crewel puns!  I just wanted to go from one Elvis (Presley) reference to a different Elvis (Costello).  Tee hee!

    When we first got the crewel kits at Purl, I had thought about trying my hand at one but was pretty intimidated about learning all of the new stitches.  Then we got the Crewel Work kits and they seemed easier.  So I started out with the Jacobean Sampler.

    This was the perfect intro to crewel because it's small and not too intimidating.  Then I did the Scottish Thistle.

    Even smaller and so fun to make!  Then I decided I was hooked but I didn't want to overrun the house with my crewel projects.  So now I make them for the Purl store in NYC for samples.  A win-win for everyone!  Here's Party Line - it took me a long time to complete and made me realize that I don't really like creweling birds... especially when there's 18 of them!  (This one is super big and it makes me smile that it's the smallest photo!)

    The next one I did I zipped through.  It's called Olde Towne (which I constantly call "Oldey Towney") and was so so much fun!

    I think what I really love about crewel right now is that there's no counting.  I think constantly looking at a yarn pattern or chart is just above my thinking level right now.  I also love the fact that the wool yarn is more forgiving than cotton floss, so, just like knitting, when you block it, it all evens out and your imperfections are less noticeable.

    But I couldn't do this much crewel without my most beloved tool - the seat frame!

    It's a hands-free embroidery hoop that allows you to sit on the bottom and have your hands, well, free!  I can crewel for so much longer now.  I also use an OTT craft light as it's hard on the eyes. 

    It's fun to discover a new craft, isn't it?  It reminds me of when I first started knitting and I couldn't stop!  Now that my free time is much more limited, it's a great way to get some crafting in at random times of the day.

    I just wanted to share this photo of Baby J and Rob - even when sitting down and watching the dogs, she constantly wants to give finger kisses!

    Finally, I have some sad news that I've been avoiding for the past few months as I feel very guilty about it.  Maybe some of you sharp eyed readers have noticed that while there have been many Baby J photos around, there haven't been as much Unki photos.  Well, as I like to keep this blog as happy as possible, I never mentioned some of Unki's other traits.  We could all tell he was loving, mischievous, and affectionate.  He also had some aggression problems and was very territorial.  Poor Maggie got the worst of it as he would attack her whenever he could.  We had done everything we could to mitigate his aggression, including contacting an animal behaviorist.  He had attacked me a couple of times and once Baby J was born, I worried constantly about her safety.  So we decided that in the end it would be best for Unki to have a new home.  Unki is now at a wonderful cat sanctuary up near Fresno.  Because we just couldn't know how he would be with a new family, I think this was the best course of action.  He is roaming with 400 other cats and some goats on a large compound.  Rob likes to think that he's become best friends with one of the goats and they are constant companions.  Here's one of his final photos with Baby J and me, always wanting to be part of the action.

    So here's to Unki, my handsome photogenic cat.  We love you and we hope you are enjoying your new life!

    Tuesday
    Jan182011

    Little girls with horses and pandas for buns - Diversity in craft?

    (to all of my regular blog readers - I'm sorry to go off of my usual subjects, like fat cats and chubby babies, but I feel the need to express my views on a topic that hits close to home for me.  I promise to return to my regular blogging shortly!)

    There's been a topic that's been discussed around the blog world recently.  It started out with a preview of an adorable fabric from Heather Ross' upcoming line.  I "squee!"-d when I saw it.  A drawing of 3 little girls playing with horses.  I didn't play with horses as a girl but I loved the innocence captured in her simple drawing.  Who doesn't remember being so into something that you lived and breathed it 24/7?  It also reminded of the joy I see through Baby J on a daily basis.

    Then the grumblings happened.  People were asking Heather Ross why she didn't included more skin tones in her drawings, or even boys.  Here was her response:

    Thanks for all of your comments! I just wanted to offer an explanation for my subject matter to those who expressed a desire to see the children in my prints as more diverse in terms of gender or race. This particular print is a great example of me drawing from memory, trying to re-capture a small moment in my own life. Since I was a pale little girl with a dark haired twin sister and a red-headed mother, those are the colors that usually end up in my palate. The period of my life that has informed this particular artwork was one in which my sister and I were very far away from any other kids, with the summertime exception of our girl cousins (the boys were playing D & D all night and slept til noon every day, so they don’t show up in many of my drawings either).

    I guess I never think about my drawings of children being representative of every child, if I did I would certainly give the importance of diversity in every aspect of fine art more thought. On the other hand, I’ve developed a certain amount of defensiveness about choosing my own subject matter. In my licensing days I was often asked to draw things that I couldn’t relate to or hadn’t any real personal experience with. I found that this led to a period of my career that was wholly unsatisfying, during which I created some of my least favorite fabric prints and artwork. And to make it worse, I was working full time and making very little money. We’re talking a dollar or two an hour, here. Really. It was only when I allowed those licensing contracts to end and began to draw the things that mattered to me, things that I actually understood, that I began to love my job, which I do now, whole-heartedly. I also believe that I became a much better artist. Interestingly, it also marks the beginning of when I actually started to make some money. Hmmmmm….

    Still, I apologize for offending or upsetting anyone or making anyone feel left out. That certainly wasn’t my goal. I was six or seven when I realized that the reason for art is to make you feel something. Maybe art school would have matured my perspective here, I guess I’m still clinging to my six year old self’s opinions, but I’ve never been able to see the point of making people feel anything but happy.

    To me, this was a perfectly logical explanation.  Artists (I include Heather Ross in this category) don't need to justify what they create.  In fact, I would rather have someone pull from their own upbringing and culture to create art than to force their art to meet other people's expectations of what that art should look like.

    Now, here's where the topic started to rub me the wrong way.  On Flint Knits, Pam invited Ashley Shannon to speak on the topic in an essay entitled, "On Privilege and Ponies".  Please read it in its entirety, but to sum up her essay, Ashley is (was?) a big Heather Ross fan.  When she saw the aforementioned fabric, she was thrilled because she used to play with Breyer Horses as a child.  A friend of her mentioned that she wishes there was a black girl in the fabric because her niece is black, and Ashley had this to say:

    And then I had one of those annoying but necessary moments where I realized that my white-lady privilege had completely blinded me to something that is obviously problematic about something I love — which, that is what privilege does, and so the thing you have to do with privilege is try really hard to find out where your blind spots are, try to make those blind spots as small as possible, and, when someone points those blind spots out to you, you don’t say “BUT I AM RIGHT!” You say, “oh man, I FUCKED UP.” So, here’s me saying exactly that: I fucked up, looking at that print, because my initial reaction to it was “why isn’t it more like meeeeeeeeeeee?” When in fact it was entirely like me, because I am a white girl in America, and my family was well-enough off when I was a kid to buy me an entire stableful of Breyer horses, and 99.9% of representations of human beings in the media, in popular culture, in politics and, especially, in the crafting world, are about me and people who look like me and people who exist in the same socioeconomic stratum as me. I fucked that up. And I will remember that I fucked it up, and next time, I will try harder not to fuck it up.

    And then Ashley condemns Heather Ross for her response to people's requests for a more diverse skin palette in her work by saying the following:

    Seriously, listen up, Heather Ross: no one is asking you to draw, like, the Lower Ninth Ward, or Hamsterdam, or how it feels to be made fun of because your name isn’t “American,” or how it feels to live in a culture that tells you every single fucking day of your life that you’re ugly because your hair isn’t straight and silky and blonde. No one is asking for that. No one is asking you to step outside of your own lived experience for even two seconds when it comes to the subject matter that you put on your fabrics. What they’re asking for is for you a) to be aware that there are plenty of little girls of color who liked, and continue to like, the same stuff you liked as a kid, and b) to reflect that awareness by using more than one color on your palette when it comes to creating skin tones, and by making infinitesimal changes to faces and hairstyles on a few (not even all! really! just some!) of the little girls that you draw, and possibly even by changing some of them to little boys, who also like dogs and ponies and mermaids and princesses and VW campers.

    I have to say that this statement made me feel more of a minority than I have in a long time.  A woman, with self professed "white-lady" privilege has told me that the American CULTURE thinks I'm less than a blond-haired, blued eyes ideal.  To be honest, I thought I was part of the American culture.  And am I really being told everyday that I'm ugly?  That I'm being made fun of because my name isn't "American"?  Wow, my life must suck!  Why can't I be white too?

    Is this what people whose skin tones don't fit the norm feel like?  From my point of view, no, not at all.  It's true, I've searched hard my whole life to find a community who accepts me for who I am.  Growing up as a 3/4 Japanese 1/4 Russian freckled faced girl I never had any representation of me in any sort of media.  I will admit that being a minority within a minority was hard at times.  Really, does anyone else know a Japanese Russian woman?  But finally, at the ripe old age of 37, I feel like I have a wonderful community of open minded amazing people to rely on.  From all walks of life and all cultures.  Part of that community is the wonderful crafting community I have found.  But I didn't look to the media or society to find my identity.  I looked to myself.

    To me, the biggest problem with this argument is the question of skin color.  When I first saw the fabric, I didn't think, "What cute white girls!"  I thought, "What cute girls!"  That's the way I hope most other people view the world.  If there was a fabric (made by a Japanese artist) that had Japanese girls wearing kimonos, I hope people's reaction would be, "What cute girls!" not "What cute Japanese girls in kimonos!" 

    To truly create a culture of social change, we need to get away from skin color as a definition of diversity.  Really.  The color of one's skin doesn't define us.  To me, it is the CULTURE that we own that defines us. 

    What is culture?  I like this definition of culture: "the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations".  When we use "culture" as a means to define diversity, you know what happens?  We are all minorities!  Think about it - is there another person that has the same exact knowledge, belief and behavior as you?  No!  That makes us special.  That makes us unique.

    So, in my opinion, Heather Ross' fabric doesn't offend me.  Why?  Because it is through her background, her culture that this fabric is created.  If she chooses not to vary skin tones in her fabric, that is GREAT with me.  Because you know something?  When you force political correctness, you end up with some mistakes... like this one.

    Does any one recognize this pattern?  It's Panda Buns, by Hillary Lang, one of my favorite crafting gurus in the world.  But I feel she missed the mark on this pattern.  It's almost as though there was a checklist of stereotypes that Hillary went through to create her doll.  "Ok, what is Asian?  Pandas! Check! Slanted eyes! Check!  A kimono! Check!"  But, do I think that was her intent?  I have to give her the benefit of the doubt and just chalk it up to an excess of excitement over an idea she thought was cute.  Did I call for a boycott of her book?  Of course not!  But, now having pointed it out, I will write her a note telling her my views on the pattern.  Who knows if she'll answer in the way I would want.  But at least I won't demonize her in my blog.

    Ashley said that Heather Ross could just change a few skin tones on a few girls and that would be enough.  But you know?  That's not the solution.  The solution is to embrace our diversity through the exploration of our wonderful country of multiculturism.  The change doesn't start with forcing someone to change a fabric that you deem racist.  The change starts by looking at your own life and explore different ways to become a scholar of life.

    To conclude, Ashley says the following:

    Here’s the thing: especially if you’re a pretty well-off white person, it can be genuinely difficult to see past your racial privilege. There’s almost nothing in the world we live in, in America in 2011, that’s going to force to you do it. You have to be willing to want to do it, and you have to be willing to admit when you’ve failed to do it. And when somebody says to you, as people sometimes will, because of how easy it is to fuck up, “hey, that thing you did was kinda racist,” you have to be open to saying, “huh, is it possible that what I did was kinda racist?” AND THEN YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO GO TO WORK. You have to make acknowledging and fixing your fuckups with regard to race an active, if occasionally humbling, part of your life.  So all of this to say, Heather Ross, if you happen to read this, GO TO WORK. Draw your life! Absolutely! Be super-focused on what you did and what you loved in your own personal staying-true-to-yourself life. And then? Then you zoom out, just a little bit, just the tiniest little bit, because that’s all you need to do, so you can include everybody who’s part of the world. Because those people? Whether you realize it or not? Are part of your life.

    In my opinion, this essay is offensive.  Ashley is welcome to her point of view.  But she seems to be patting herself on the back, saying, "Look at me!  I got past my white-lady privilege!  Hooray!  Now get to work and be like me, Heather Ross!"  She also seems to assume that her white racial privilege gives her a life that is better than mine.  Guess what?  It's not.  In fact, I've always believed that I've had the wonderful opportunity of growing up in a family that is wholly unique, wholly special.  Seeing a little freckled face Asian girl on a fabric isn't going to change my life one bit.  Do you know who I look to to see a role model?  I look in the mirror.  I look at my mom, my sisters, my friends.  I look at my husband and my daughter. I don't need society to tell me I'm worthy.  I KNOW I am worthy.  That's what we need to instill into our society.  Not by essays that presume to know what the minority experience in America is.

    The way Ashley uses the word "privilege" as though it's only something that white people in America can know rings false to me.  The definition of privilege is: "A special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste".  You know what?  I have a privilege that many people in this country don't have.  I have the privilege of experiencing my wonderful multicultural life with all of its diversity and beauty.  I do it on a daily basis.  I wish everyone could have the privilege of living life the way I do.  Do white people have an advantage in our society?  In some aspects, they do.  But do Asians?  Have you ever heard of the Asian discount?  It's part of all of lives.  Do I wish these differences didn't exist?  Of course!

    My heart sank further when I started reading the comments.  Ashley was praised for writing "a reasoned and articulate analysis" and was thanked for being "thought provoking but not mean spirited".  Is writing a f-bomb laden tirade not mean-spirited?  Isn't this an attack on Heather Ross?  I was really shocked at how many people found this to be an appropriate response to the topic.  I think a more powerful argument would have been for Ashley to ask a variety of people how they felt about it and dissected their answers, versus championing a train of thought that, in my opinion, fell short of the mark.

    I do understand what she was trying to get to.  We do need more diversity in crafting.  But that won't happen by making some faces on a piece of fabric different skin tones.  It will happen by supporting those artists who have their own unique voice no matter what the color of their skin is.  It will happen when we look at our own lives and change ourselves, not force others to be the change.

    If you've gotten this far - kudos to you!  I would ask everyone, especially those who who supported Ashley's essay, to do the following.  (I did this in a class on multiculturalism that I took in my Teaching Credential program and everyone was surprised at how simple but powerful this exercise was.)  Go outside your boundaries and visit someplace that you normally wouldn't go.  Little Italy, Thai Town, the Museum of Neon Art.  Before you go, write down 10 things that you expect to see or experience on your visit.  After your visit, write down 10 things you did see or experience.  Do the two lists differ?  Why do they differ?  How did you feel visiting somewhere that was outside of your comfort zone?  Maybe it'll give you a glimpse into what it feels like to be a minority in America.  Now re-read Ashley's essay.  Do you see where a woman of "privilege" championing the rights of the underprivileged (because, if white people are privileged, it stands to reason that minorities are underprivileged) reads to me as being offensive?

    I said in one of my comments in Ashley's essay that I believe true diversity includes acceptance of diversity of thought.  I accept and honor Ashley's opinion and her right to make her feelings known.  I wish she would have done the same for Heather Ross.

    I know I don't write things like this, EVER, on my blog.  So why did I do it?

    For my beautiful Baby J.  Full of hope and joy and wonder.  With her dark hair and blue eyes who will never find a representation of herself in any media.  But I hope I can be a strong enough role model to help her believe that this doesn't matter.  When the (inevitable) question comes up, "Mommy, am I Asian like you or white like Daddy?" I hope I can say, without sarcasm or cynicism, "My little love, you are an American.  And do you know what that means?  You can be whatever you want.  Don't let other people define you.  And most of all, STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF."  Just like Heather Ross stayed true to herself.

    And Julia will respond, "Finger Kiss!"

    (Go ahead!  Touch her finger with yours.  It'll brighten your day!)

    Ok, now back to our regularly scheduled programming!  Next up?  Don't be crewel...

    Monday
    Jan102011

    Getting over blog frustration

    Happy 2011!  I hope my two readers have stuck with me through the latter part of 2010.  I haven't been blogging, mainly because it's been so busy!  Of course, it doesn't make much work to upload photos, so I'll try to be more proactive this year.  My other issue has been all of my photos prior to changing over to squarespace have changed their URL, so I need to begin the laborious process of moving them over...  Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to it.

    Having said that, let's start out the new year with a craft collaboration between Rob and me.  It was Baby J's Halloween costume!  Another knitter thought she could look like a m-o-t-h (we knitters never speak that word aloud!) but she's a sweet owl.  I'm still in shock that we managed to make it together.

    Here's to a wonderful 2011!

    Saturday
    Sep182010

    A last minute baby sweater - just in time!

    Have you seen it?  I hope you have... Joelle's new knitting book!  She really outdid herself this time.  It was fun to hear the anecdotes while this was being created.  I had to hurry up and knit one of my favorite projects from the book.

    Pattern: Easy Baby Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts

    Yarn - 3 skeins of Fibre Company Terra in Hollyhock

    Why did I hurry up to knit this sweater?  Because Baby J is quite the big baby!  At 6 months she was already just a hair under 20 pounds.  The sweater only goes up to a 9 month size.  Was she able to fit it?

    Yay!  Success!  It *just* fits.  I knit it exactly as written for the largest.  It's very cleverly constructed - knit in one piece from back, cast on for sleeves, divide and cast off for fronts.  I'm not sure how many hours it took me to knit, but I think it took me longer than it normally would have because I was so enamoured with the Terra yarn.  I've knit with it before, but it's the perfect small project yarn.

    And the sweater?  Super comfy.  Look how relaxed Baby J looks!

    We also had a cold enough day (yes, sweater weather in September in Los Angeles!  It's been a crazy summer) for Baby J to wear her Tiny Tea Leaves cardigan.

    In the next post - I make something for myself (what the what?!?!) and I discover yet ANOTHER new craft.

     

    Friday
    Aug062010

    The final dolls for Baby J?

    I've had fun making dolls for Baby J, but I think I've dolled her out.  She's not even 6 months yet and I've made her... seven dolls?  Ok, two of them were years ago, before she was born, but still, I had her in mind for them!

    First of the last dolls is from Kata Golda's book Hand Stitched Felt.  I've wanted to make a bunny because the ears are great!

    It's a fun and relatively easy project.  The one thing I have to redo is the neck.  The instructions said to stuff it firmly before sewing the head to the body but clearly I didn't stuff it firmly enough.  I love that it's made to look handmade so all of my wonky stitches just add character!

    I wanted to make Julia a Wee Wonderfuls doll before she was born, but I waited to see what eye and hair color she would have... here we go!

    I realized after I finished her she looks like a Christmas doll.  Oh well, I love Christmas!  The fabric is from Lecien's My Folklore line.  I got it in a random fat quarter pack and I adore it.  The pigtails are taken from Wee Wonderful's new book.  I think I sewed them too high, but they are jaunty, aren't they?

    I had to take a photo of Baby J surrounded by her toys (on the Unki Paw Quilt, no less!)

    Finally, I have two photos to share that we had lots of fun doing.  About a month ago I dressed Baby J in her coming home outfit to see how much she had grown and recreated some shots we took at the hospital.

    This is us being wheeled to our car.

    And this is our favorite photo recreation!  Her BSJ shows how much she has grown, and I love the smile on her face!  She is almost unrecognizable from the newborn she once was.  :)

     

    Monday
    Jul052010

    A new doll - for Baby J... or for me??

    I've discovered that once I had a baby, especially a girl, my crafting desires went into a little bit of an overload.  There are so many cute crafts out there!  What to do first??  Well, my crafting these days is limited by Baby J's naps... they are still pretty short and frequent so I need to find a project that I can put down with ease.  Of course, knitting fits the bill but I'm not a big spring/summer knitter.  So I decided to tackle a project that I've wanted to do for a while - Mimi's felt doll pattern from the Purl Bee.

    Here's my version!  Ok, so my hand crafting skills are no where near Mimi's, but I think it's kind of cute!  I simplified the accent flowers a lot and modified the nose so it's just a tiny little thing.

    I decided to make her brown hair and blue eyes, as Baby J has blue eyes (for now, at least!)

    My favorite detail is the little rose on top of her head.

    I learned so much about doll construction making this project.  I was so intimidated to make it, but the directions were so clear it was much easier than I thought it would be, like the color wheel quilt.  However, it really is a doll that isn't meant to be played with, more just looked and and admired.  So, I think Baby J was the excuse to make the doll!

    I wanted to share a couple of photos of Baby J in some crafts...

    Here she is in this dress I made for her.

    And here she is in this hat made by Grumperina!  She looks so thrilled to wear it!

    Wednesday
    Jun232010

    Getting some crafting in!

    I can't believe that it's been four months since Baby J has been born.  It's gone by very fast and, at the same time, veerrryyy slow.  For the first three months I didn't have the brain power to craft, but bit by bit, it's coming back!  Sometimes I just need a little inspiration... like for this sweater!

    Pattern - Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi

    Yarn - Sundara Sport Merino, 2 skeins

    I saw these sweaters on Grumperina's blog and I knew I had to make one.  The grown up version has been in my queue forever!  I did what she did and used the smallest size and used smaller yarn to make a baby sized sweater.  I think my will fit Baby J when she is about 9 months old. 

    The yarn is some I had in my stash, it's more wine colored than purple.  While I love the color, it doesn't scream "baby sweater!", so I chose some sweet buttons to go with it.

    I also made a couple of Fatkittys from Aimee Ray's pattern.

    The one on the right is for a friend's baby.  It was my first one and it's kind of wonky.  The one on the left is for Baby J and I made it to look like Unki.

    For the back of the kittys, I used some scraps of Lotta Jansdotter fabric I bought a while ago.  I love the way they turned out!

    Baby J is getting quite big and active.  She did model one of her handmade gifts recently.

    She gets her smile from her daddy!!

    Sunday
    Mar142010

    Three weeks flying by...

    It's hard to believe that we've had Baby J in our lives for just a little over three weeks now.  It's flown by but at the same time, it seems like she's been a part of our lives forever.  Everyday brings something new or surprising or stressful.  This weekend has been especially nice, having Rob at home and his sister in town as well.

    Baby J had a full day yesterday, starting out with a visit to the farmer's market.

    It was a little chilly so she wore a knitted sweater.

    We also put a blanket on her, she wasn't as mad as she looked.

    Our most exciting part of the day is when the mailman comes!  We have been getting the most amazing gifts almost on a daily basis.  I would show you everything she has received, but then this would become the most tedious blog post of all time.  I'll just share some of the handmade gifts she's received.

    Debbie, one of my co-workers, made Baby J this super cute hippo!

    Calia, a co-worker all the way in New York, made this super sweet hat!

    One of the most special gifts just arrived yesterday, all the way from the UK!  It was from Blossom, aka Whispering Pine.  She got Baby J Treefall Designs Princess and the Pea Set, which I have been coveting for so long.

    The set comes beautifully packaged in it's own tote bag.

    I love the sweet sleeping expression on the Princess's face.

    The bag is full of mattresses from different beautiful fabrics - can she feel the pea?

    I keep hearing that the first 6 weeks are the hardest with a newborn.  The past three weeks have definitely been a challenge, both physically and mentally, but, as Rob says, they have also been filled with more love than we've ever known in our lives.  For Baby J, from our friends, family, and our blogging community too!  Thank you for all of your lovely comments.  We all feel your support from across the internet!