all buttoned up.

Reprieve

Paul was saying that he felt like these first few weeks of Truly's life are a sort of reprieve given that she came a few weeks early. She is easing us into newborn-dom easily, even though she has a cold at the moment and is pretty snarfley. Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement. We are so happy to be six. 

The night I checked into the hospital, Ann brought by her Pentax loaded with 3200 speed black and white film. She took some fantastic and funny (but only to me) labouring photos and then gave Paul a quick tutorial on the light meter, etc., and left the camera with us. 

Annie picked up the camera on our first day home with her and had the film developed right away. The prints are a rare and wonderful gift to have. I shot a lot of film with Sam. These make me want to begin doing that again.

(Or maybe just hand the camera over to Paul, since he seems to have the knack. You are so busted, dude.)

And Then She Came

When Augie first saw her he said, "she came out just like I wanted her to."

My thoughts EXACTLY.

Truly Adele was born Wednesday just after lunch. She was 6 pounds and 11 ounces. We were surprised as everyone as to where the long, dark hair came from. Otherwise, she looks just like Sam but squishier.

We are home now  (I'm minus a gall bladder that came out the next day) and besides the sweet relief of a newborn that is being gentle with us, I'm totally happy I got the bedroom painted.

I Let Go of Re-Caulking the Tub

I did not let go of moving rooms around, or painting, or thinking about buying a matching luggage set and new robe (because I'm having a baby in 1963?). I realize my priorities need tweaking.

This baby is coming a bit early.

Thankfully, my people know me and when I say "uh, let's paint the bathroom tonight" they go ahead and either get out of the way or help. (Then they thank the heaven's that they are not married to me). A friend was over tonight and followed me from room to room while I gripped a stud finder and a hammer and started banging nails into the walls. She didn't even blink. And thanks to those same people the fridge is all sparkly, the laundry is up-to-the-minute, and we have plans A through F if we have need of them.

You understand though, yes? You know what it's like when motivation replaces panic and the will to sew curtains overrides the worry that things are very quickly slipping out of our hands. It's silliness, most of it, but it helps.

And in the end it's going to be fine, just maybe not the way we planned. But really?? Have I learned nothing in all these years? It is our way: the plan seems to make itself up as we go along.

(*wall decal is from the super-awesome Shanna Murray. It went up as soon as Christmas came down. She's got NEON in the shop right now. Smarty pants.)

In the End, There was Only One Kind of Cookie

The week leading up to the 25th went a little Crazy Town up in here. Saturday, the 24th, had me standing in the kitchen slowly turning circles wondering what exactly I could cull from the list. This December has not exactly found me smug, but it had found me happily laid back and mostly un-rushed. I had thought ahead! The baking for neighbors and friends was finished! The gifts had been done and wrapped for days! I was nearly annoying myself.

Pride goeth before the fall, friends.

So, on the 24th, while slowly turning circles and alternately wanting to cry and to laugh, I realized that in my planning I had left all the merry making and family cookie baking to the days we had just lost. I pulled out the only recipe that I felt like making and tried to channel some cheer. The recipe was for Peppernuts, which in my family are little crunchy bits: mildly spicy and tasting a bit like orange. I realize there are 100 different variations on these (some are an entirely different cookie all together) and the recipes vary even in my own family. So, for the record, this is my mom and my great grandma's recipe, but not my grandma's. This recipe involves Roger's Golden Syrup and lots of orange rind. We are a picky people.

Pickier still, are my VERY OWN CHILDREN who claim to not even like peppernuts (lest you think this was some kind of love gift for them). I made them anyway and I prepped for lunch the next day. The cookies for Santa were cancelled and there were no cinnamon rolls to wake up to. Last minute handmade gifts had long been abandoned and the stockings were a bit narrow. Still, we opened gifts, we laughed with friends, we marveled (and continue to) at our good fortune, and I ate more than my share of those damn cookies. They were good (and they still are, as most of them are now in the freezer).

Now it's New Year's Eve and I'm just catching up. And I still feel a little behind. But I didn't want this last day of the year to pass without letting you all know how grateful I am that I can come here, check in, write some stuff down, and be the recipient of a whole lot of good love and good humour. This space, with it's never changing header and occasional silliness, has been the source of so many good things and so many good people in my life.

Thank you, thank you. Happy New Year.

Staving off the Restless Leg (Whole Cloth Quilting)

I imagine a whole lot of folks don't count whole cloth quilting as real quilting, but I assure you that as long as that sandwich is in place accompanied by stitches and ties-- it counts! Both of these throws are for good, wonderful friends; one of which I've known since college and the other I've come to know and love in the last six years. They are radically different sorts of people who's tastes are near opposite of each other. For the first, I used Melody Miller's Ruby Star Spring backed with plum coloured voile and for the second I used two voiles: gingham and black (all of which I purchased at Bolt). I wrote up the details on the first over at Bolt Neighborhood, including a quick how-to in case you're wondering if you still have time to put something like this together for gift giving (you do). The second was constructed in nearly the same way and I quilted it in scattered squares using the gingham as a guide.

(The construction is a bit besides the point, as these were both exercises in hand quilting and evening distractions. I used Pearl cotton and gold eye embroidery needles for the quilting. I pinned and hand bound the quilts first, so I skipped the hoop. This was probably a mistake. Incidentally, if you hand quilt, what sort of hoop (brand/size/type) do you use?)

The quilting started out a little rocky, but it was meditative and it took longer than I had thought it might-- which was just fine. As soon as I get to sit down at the end of the day, I generally get a wicked case of restless legs. With the accompanying heartburn, I imagine I look a bit like I'm having a semi-violent seizure trying to stretch without cramping while trying to get comfortable. It is super cute. Handily enough, the symptoms nearly disappear the minute I pick up a needle and thread and begin to sew. I like the print sides of these, but that Pearl cotton makes the solid sides sing a sweet little song. And they are for people that I love which is the most important thing.

I just got one of Alicia's ornament kits to see if I can continue this whole stitch-so-I-don't-twitch thing. I also plan on tackling my 20 year battle with crappy looking french knots. BIG PLANS.

A Hex on That Overwhelmy Sort of Feeling

We all got The Sick and frankly, I was a little relieved to wake up with a sore throat on that Saturday morning. I knew it was coming. I just didn't know when and I was ready to get it over with. No amount of preventative measures (short of a bio-hazard outfit) were going to prevent those germs from getting in my body when my sleepy child inadvertently coughs DIRECTLY INTO MY MOUTH repeatedly.

We have had visits from aunts, uncles, cousins and Grammie and Grandpa. I brined my first turkey. The tree is up and the boys went to go see The Muppets. Paul and I got a night out where we ate well and stopped in quickly at Sunday's Best to meet Lynn and hug Shanna. I'm checking in with Crafty Wonderland this next weekend to finish up gift getting. Yesterday there was a little baby shower that was big on laughs and awesomeness. Today I'm going to try and get the rest of the leaves (there are MANY) out of the yard and onto the street for the city to pick up. It is cold and sunny outside.

I have been sewing quite a lot and trying to finish things from The Pile, one of which was this table runner that is too wide and slippery for our table but fits our island much better. Besides, if there's something on the table it will most likely end up on the floor. I initially wrote about this project here and mentioned that I was hand-quilting it. Nope! I pulled out what I had started and finished it up using my machine. I hand bound the edges and gave it a good wash.

I've finished two more quilts for my friends which both involved a lot of hand-sewing, something I'm a little desperate to get better at (because I do so poorly at it for some reason). The friend quilt thing is going to extend into next year as I was hoping to do two more. I got side-tracked. But I'll post about the two finished ones this week. They are the sort of quilts you could still have time for this December. Not that I want to add anything else to your list. Take it easy on yourself, good people.

Polaroid

Our friend and personal family polaroid photographer, Ann McGarry, is having her first opening tonight at Albina Press over on Hawthorne from 6-8. That's her up there. She's going to be smiling JUST LIKE THAT tonight. I'm going to waddle through (I do that now. It's awesome.) somewhere near the beginning. You guys, it is a really beautiful show. It's up through the beginning of January.

Another Reason to Get Busy

Shelly Figueroa just relaunched her pattern company, Figgy's. Holy Mother of Little People Sewing. The new patterns are pretty girl-centric, but as the mother of two awesome boys, I know she won't leave the boys out in the cold (not to mention, she co-wrote a whole darn book on sewing for boys). But that's beside the point-- do you see that dress?

I love these patterns. They are a little Ottobre meet Japanese Craft Book. They are sweet without being too sweet. They are simple but they don't skimp on the details. Shelly recently began working with Daniela and they are making magic together. I saw the samples at her house today and I'm getting my hands on all three patterns (there are 5 total garments and variations of each) of these as soon as possible. I have nieces. They need leggings and easy-over-your-head blouses. They need that freaking dress.

Figgy's is running a pre-order free shipping promo at the moment (until the 24th). They are printing up next week and will ship the first week of December, so you can eek out some pre-holiday sewing if that's your game. See here for close-ups and variations and more patterns from previous seasons.

This is most definitely my game, folks.

Hello Yellow

We are having the most colourful autumn I can ever remember having. The people in the know say it has to do with the late warm temps and the leaves holding onto their sugar longer. Maybe this is what it's like to have fall on the east coast? It is amazing-- even in the fog and rain. I hope we can take a drive this weekend and really get a good look. The boys hate to take drives.

• I wrote a piece for this month's NW Kids Magazine. If you're local and you're seeing a Dr. in the next few weeks, I'm guessing you'll run into one in the waiting room. (Two of Autumn's kids are on the cover)! Otherwise, you can read it here. We went to the dentist yesterday and someone was reading it when we walked in and I wanted to sink into the floor (there are pictures). That was before the three year-old's meltdown over the prize machine. 
• Stephanie came over late this summer for an afternoon of cucumbers and brine. The results are in the most recent 3191 Quarterly. I love the Quarterly-- and my hand's cameo aside, this is a really beautiful issue. Thank you Stephanie and Maria!
• I just opened up the sweetest package from Eireann's shop. I have loved her calendar this last year and this time I ordered cards: these and these.

Thanks to my sister, Paul and I are going to a show tomorrow night! I'm very happy. They are the authors of the quilt, after all. And it's a sit down show, which suits old-lady-sunday-drive me just fine.

Happy Machine

We are happy about this baby girl. I didn't quite get there last post, did I? Yes. Very happy. Shock and happiness don't have to be mutually exclusive, right? Thank you for your good thoughts and kind words. I have already serged up the edges of some of that double knit. I washed it and put it away in the drawer next to some of my nieces hand-me-downs and a unopened package of tiny onesies. I love tiny onesies.

The rest of my piles don't look so neat, and I had a good little chat with myself about the amount of fabric sitting here and vowed to keep any new textile purchases confined to batting, thread and solid white and off-white cotton. I have finished up two more small throws for friends and I am trying to work my way through the unfinished pile. It's now or never, people! On top of that, I have a new sewing machine that I purchased used at the end of the summer. I had been casually looking for a while, and then specifically looking for several months. I had all but given up and then the craigslist stars aligned and I was able to bring home a barely used Bernina 440 for a stunner of a deal. I feel pretty lucky.

Luck precipitated action and I pulled out two cotton linen prints to make it a cover and practice free motion quilting with the stitch regulator. I used a print from the Tammis Keefe tribute line and a Japanese folk print I've had for ages. I bound it to be double sided and used two leather buttons and two lengths of fold over elastic to finish it up. I used elastic so that it will fit around the table that is usually attached to the arm. It's very similiar in style to Rashida's cover in her book I *Heart* Zakka.

It is a great machine and before it's novelty wears off (maybe it never will?) I'm getting through that to-do pile with lightening speed. It feels so good to be sewing again. And who am I kidding about not sewing very many little girl things? That just seemed a silly the minute I wrote it down.