all buttoned up.

I Love Patchwork (I do, I really do).

 
Hey!  I'm baking today and maybe sewing-- I'm four gifts short.  At least one (maybe two) of them are coming from my scrap pile and my new book.  I have mentioned I Love Patchwork! before and I am very happy to be holding my very own copy.  No one is happier, I imagine, than Rashida Coleman Hale-- author, creator, and mother to small children.  She graciously agreed to share some of her thoughts (answer my prying questions) on all those rolls as a part of her blog tour. 

First off, congratulations!  The book is fantastic.  AND I hear you've found a new place in your new city where you'll be adding to your family with a third baby-- it sounds like you have a full life at the moment.

Thank you so much, Melissa and thank you for hosting the blog tour! The experience has been amazing and I'm so pleased to be able to share my ideas with everyone.

Yes, yes, life is indeed full at the moment.  We've traded in our big apples for peaches and relocated to Atlanta from NYC/NJ about a month ago.  It's been quite interesting moving into a house from a 2 bedroom apartment.  The kids are loving it, they have so much more room to run around now.   We're super thrilled about the baby as well.  I'm about 30 weeks along and it's flown by oh so fast.  I've been too busy to really think about my pregnancy this time.   

So, you were taught to sew by your mom and also attended FIT-- did your "formal" education change the way you thought about sewing or textiles?  Has it changed again after becoming a mother? 

FIT certainly changed my views about sewing.  I actually completely lost interest in sewing for several years after school and decided I wanted nothing to do with the fashion industry.  Ironically because I hated all the sewing!  I switched gears and focused on learning more about illustration and graphic design. 

My interest was rekindled when I became pregnant with my daughter.  I wanted to sew everything for her and that's when I realized how much I really did love to sewing and truly missed doing it.  I found greater joy in making things for my family and friends.  Being able to create with one's hands is not only a learned skill but also a blessing and being able to share it with loved ones is such a delight.

Are you going to put your kids in front of the sewing machine at some point?  

Heck yeah! ^_^  I'd love for my wee ones to learn to sew and I hope they want to learn! My grandfather was a tailor and my grandmother sewed her children's clothes by hand.  They passed the skill on to their children and they passed it to me.  I'd love to be able to keep the skill in the family.  I will certainly show them if they have the interest, but I'm not going to force it on them.

 
Okay, so I know that you don't do it all (and if you do, please lie and tell me otherwise) and I imagine that finding the right balance is hard-- do you have a top five list of "Must Do" when it comes to managing your house, your children, and making time to work and sew?  

It has been hard finding that balance and I consider it a WIP.  Oh, how I wish I could do it all and look gorgeous doing it too!  But that's indeed not the case! (Well, maybe a little bit of the gorgeous part. :P)  Sometimes our house looks like someone picked it up and shook it and then put it back down.  Sometimes my brain is swimming with ideas and I wish I could drop everything and run to my little sewing table and start to make.  But then I hear a little voice say, "Mommy?" and I come back to reality.  The wee ones come first!  And then the list of a billion other things that need to be done. 
Hmm, five things?  Well, I don't know if I have five, but these are things that work for me....

• You know, the one major thing I've learned, especially this past year is to not sweat the small stuff. Let it go, girl.  Just let it go. 
• I am also your typical Capricorn, perfectionist to the end and I've had a hard time shaking that off and realizing, it's okay if you drop the ball once in a while.  You can't be superwoman. 
• Have a sense of humor!  I've learned to laugh at myself and I try to keep the mood light.  I'm a big dork and can't help myself sometimes but, I know when to be serious, when the time calls for it. 
• Nap times and bedtime are my best friend.  I know!  You're supposed to rest when they rest, right?  Well, most of my sewing and creating is done when the wee ones are asleep. 
• My husband is fantastic and he's so helpful with the kids and our household.  We try to work as a team and have each other's back.  We keep each other in check and if one of us drops the ball the other tries to catch it. 

I sometimes struggle to have the energy to think through projects let alone the time to sew them.  Of course, half the time I forget about an idea before I start to think through it.  How do you work through ideas?  Do you sit down with specific plans or do you create through experimenting or fiddling around? 

There's a little process I go through most times. I think I do a little bit of both planning and fiddling.  It starts with sketches usually, then when I have time I'll sit down in front of Adobe Illustrator and come up with a pattern. Illustrator really helps me come up with precise measurements for my ideas.  Next, I go to the stash and pick colors and then sit at my table and start to experiment and fiddle with the pattern I drafted.  Making adjustments here and there and changing my notes until I'm satisfied with the design.  

 

I love the sweet aesthetic of Japanese Craft books and I think you've really captured that same cleverness and simplicity in your book.  Do you have projects that are especially dear to you?

Thank you!  I LOVE Japanese craft books as well and I really wanted my book to have that same look and feel.  I love all of the projects and I have a hard time choosing a favorite.  I'm really in love with the Eco-bag.  That's the one project that isn't in fact patchwork, but it's so practical and I think everyone should have one!  The lap quilt is a favorite because the aqua's and yellows thrill me to bits!  The little lamb softie, because my wee ones love her so much!  The flower pincushion because it's just so darn cute!  But my absolute favorite is the button calendar.  There are so many different ways to customize the design with buttons and your fabric choices.  I never get tired of making it! 

Oh, I love that lamb.  I'm still thinking I might try to bust one out before the holidays.  Thank you, again, for coming by.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday together in your new yard!! 

You can find out lots more about Rashida and her book by checking out the rest of her tour (there are several very thorough book reviews as well) and her sweet blog, I *Heart* Linen.  I Love Patchwork! 21 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew is published by Interweave Press and would make a fabulous gift for you or the aspiring sewist in your life. 

Origami Wrap and Other Things I've Done (not done)

 
I made gingerbread today and it is NOT GOOD.  I used one of the Martha recipes and I think I did something wrong along the way and then overbaked them for good measure.  The boys decorated some anyway and then we put them aside for Santa and PHEW!, there are enough for the reindeer, too.  More truth from this week:

• There has not been as much sewing as I had hoped because, among other things, I have not felt like doing any.  I have ordered a good number of books this week.
• The babies stayed in disposable diapers all week because I was pretending that we don't have a basket full of cloth ones. 
• I let August eat as many oranges as he likes every day.  After all, they are only this good for so long.  I let myself eat all the nutella I liked. 

I need a little full-proof gift making and Martha (the other one!) has come to the rescue with her free wrap pattern.  Initially, I was not sure if it would work on different body types, but I consulted with my people and decided to try it out.  It is really lovely.  It is hard to find something like this that is so simple and so structurally sound.  I made mine out of a lightweight Merino Wool Jersey-- that's it above.  I got it at Bolt (they had 10 colours/weights, I think) and it was all between 18 and 23 dollars/yard.  You need more than two yards BUT you get two full wraps out of each cut.  In my case, each wrap was 20 dollars a piece on the dot and they are both gifts. 100% soft, soft wool!  That is hard to beat.  It took me a whopping 15 minutes to cut and sew-- WIN!  Check out the one Jen made for her sister-in-law.

A Baking Book That Might Drive Up Your Popularity

  

 

I made Karen DeMasco's Butterscotch Cream Pie for Thanksgiving (recipe here).  I made my own cookies for the crust, bought vanilla beans, candied pecans for the top.  I made the pudding and stuck my head inside the pot to lick the remnants out. I grew slightly resentful of the pie and how long it was taking.  I accidentally over whipped the cream for the top, prompting Paul to say that it didn't matter how it looked as long as it tasted good.  Uh, no.  A pie like this has to look as good as it tastes.  I took it to dinner. 

Let me tell you-- it was so good that our friend announced that she didn't actually care how long it took because it was worth every little bite and frankly, she would not feel bad if she asked me to make another one. And it was better than it looked, so I was wrong.

So we tracked down the book: The Craft Of Baking: Cakes, Cookies and Other Sweets for Inventing Your Own

It's beautiful and well written and very instructional, which I love.  She talks techniques and isn't that so important when you're trying something new?  Just like sewing.  DeMasco provides frameworks to improvise, talks about baking in soup cans, and goes into candy making which is both terrifying and exhilarating.  Jellies!

 

These are black raspberry flavoured, and they are delicious.  I have a horrible track record with candy and these came out first go.  The recipe calls for 1tsp of Vitamin C powder (a large bottle was 8 dollars-- not cheap, but hey!  Vitamins! I got Country Life Brand from New Seasons) and Pomona's Pectin/powdered pectin.  I think you could also skip the C powder.  The rest of the ingredients you probably have, especially if you have frozen fruit in the freezer.  

So, yes, another dessert book which is not good news for me and my jeans.  BUT, it is unlike any baking/dessert book that I have and I've already put brioche and honeycomb brittle on my must try list.  Incidentally the other two big desserts I brought to dinner were a Raspberry and Pear Pandowdy from the Rustic Fruits book and Pumpkin bread from the Grand Central one.  We are three for three on the good books front.  They would make fantastic gifts, too, along with Molly's Book which has made the rounds through all my friends-- unless, of course, you want to be the person who always shows up with the fabulous desserts that nobody else has the recipes for.  In that case, keep these under your hat. 

Throw for One Person or Two Sets of Legs (or a Smallish Picnic)

 

This is not a very large quilt and if you really put your mind to it, I think you get it all put together and quilted in an evening (a long evening).  The binding is handsewn, but other than that-- wham bam!  This is for a family member and the colours were especially requested, though I'm not sure she's super into florals.  I would say that I'm not especially into florals either, but some of these fall into my all-time favourites category so you can call me a liar.  Florals are so tricky, don't you think?  I get bored of them pretty quickly but I think they work en masse like this.  The quilting is freehand and swoopy-- small swoops (or waves) are much easier to manage than larger swoops.  Trust me. The back is pieced with a large piece of plum coloured cotton and a couple of the front fabrics.  

  

I'm going to sew ties to the middle of one edge so that they can fold, roll, and tie it up so that it can make a trip in the car.  

Other Patchwork Things To Make or Buy:

• It is along the same lines as Erin's great quilt.
• What about a quilt or other sewing kit for a beginner sewer?  Purl (as usual) has some great ideas. 
• Which brings to mind Sharylin's beauty, that happens to be a free pattern.  I can't tell you how much I love this. 
• Rashida's book is out!  Just in time for giving (also at Powell's.)
• And have you see the new quilt patterns from Denyse Schmidt?  Next year, Peeps. 

How are you doing with holiday sewing?  Do you get all crazy or keep it low key?  If I had my way, I'd save up all my monies and blow huge wads at Crafty Wonderland or on Etsy.  But as it stands, I have problems called A Large Stash and Over Confidence. 

Do You Crochet? A Gift I Did Not Make.

 

Let's start this business off with a gift that I did not make but that you may be able to!  My girl Heels sent me a Living Crafts magazine subscription this last year.  The last issue came a couple of weeks ago and I immediately contracted out this great crochet project by the very talented Linda Permann.  My aunt is always up for an assignment and she has some skillz when it comes to the needles (these called for #1s and she said she did it mostly by feel once she got going). 

 

I LOVE THEM.  So much for gift-giving, I'm keeping these and encouraging her to make some different version to give away.  The magazine has two different patterns (there are some chandelier type earrings that are very sweet, too) and she said she started the first one three times, but even then they only took her an evening to finish.  

 
More Doilies to Like or Love:

• I love these cards by Tiny Happy. 
• Lisa Solomon and Heather Smith Jones both do lovely things with crochet motifs on paper.
• Sweet Ornaments by Firewood Furniture on Etsy.  (My love for fiber motifs in porcelain runs very, very deep-- and sort of unrelated but SO Good).
• Curtains and Mantle at Chez Crazy from two years ago.

I am officially pushing my re-entry in jewelry wearing into overdrive. 

We Are Warm

 

I am in charge of desserts for our Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, which means I'm going to make, like, 10 of them.  I have to cover the pie lobby (Not I) and the fruit contingency.  I don't want to leave my boys out so I'll have to go straight up vegan for at least one item.  Then you need something snacky and something chocolatey and something that keeps well so that when I come to my senses and realize that I've made too much, I can stuff it in a ziplock and put it in the deep freeze.

Starting this weekend I'm going to start posting this year's handmade lineup.  My family shouldn't be reading this blog during the month of December so there won't be any ruined surprises.  And if they DO check in then they are either going to have a month to get excited or a month to resign themselves to the fact that this stuff can't be returned. 

It has taken two months for us to all be healthy and well and I am so grateful that we have a few days off together.  I'm not much for this holiday ("Geez, Scrooge, what holiday do you love?") but I do love a good meal, good will towards men, and the fact that we are loved and taken care of and in return are able to love and take care of others. 

Mom and Lizard Boy Time

  

Thank you for the Birthday Cheer.  We are happy to be family.  For sure.  I took Sam up to B.C. for a 24 hour (or more like 36) visit, mainly to hold a tiny baby.  I told Paul the other day that (with many, many disclaimers) I felt like we should be getting ready for one of our own.  He was all, "I KNOW... I thought I was going crazy".  Apparently it only takes two years for something to feel like tradition. 

Sam put on this lizard costume he found at my mom's house sometime on Saturday.  On Sunday morning he put it on instead of his coat and wore it all the way home.  This included a brief stop in at the border patrol while we had our car searched for agricultural contraband.  

Gifts I am thinking of Giving and Receiving:

• Today is Awesome print by Ms. So-and-So.  And while you're at it-- please check out these Labels and Stickers from Chronicle (I think you also get 20% off when you sign up for their newsletter through their website). 
• I am getting this cash register for the boys-- it's solar powered!  Fantastic. 
• Also, Walkie Talkies. 
• I am a huge fan of Susan's earrings and necklaces.  After many years of being jewelry free, I have been trying to make a concerted effort to do something with the many holes I have in my ears.  These are especially rad (and shipping is included in the price!).  
• Oh, here's two more prints for good measure.  I feel so good about giving prints-- they don't take up much room and they bring so much good into a room. 

 

 

And This Baby Turns One.

 

What??!! 

He was our tiniest baby.  I think he was only in the 7lbs when I flew back with him at 2 weeks. 

 

He has been walking for two months.  He's the first baby who has figured out how to open up all the cabinets, the dishwasher, the toilet and the flour bin quickly and quietly (I'm sure my other two could have figured it out, but he's the first one that cared enough to try).  Otherwise, he's very, very loud. 

Sometimes I take the two little boys out for toast after we drop Sam off at school.  The boys are familiar with the procedure-- try to stay at the table, no spilling and if you start yelling or pooping we are OUT.  The last time we stopped in, Manny got straight off my lap and waddled over to one of our friends (and our server). He doesn't know her very well but (as is his custom) put his arms up.  When she picked him up he immediately hooked his arms deep around her neck and burrowed in for a hug.  He held on.  She was so surprised she started to cry a little.  

I knew exactly how she felt.  

 

This Baby Turned 2.

 

We celebrated August's second birthday last week. 

  

I bought him a small baby doll and a disappearing bottle.  Actually, I bought it for Manny (who has a birthday very soon, too) but Augie found it and would not let go.  That's sort of his deal-- once he gets a hold on you, he will not let go. 

 

We have all been taken down with various degrees of sick, with little mr. getting the worst of it.  I'm not exactly sure if it was the flu, but whatever it was, it was terrible.  He spent a lot of time on my lap and I thought of tiny August from two years ago.  He had thrush and the ladies at the motel told us to swab his mouth out with a little bit of his urine to take care of it (we didn't).  I could not wait to get him here... home.  It was cold and dark the day we got back.  It was a world away from the Miami light and heat.  I was hoping with every part of myself that we were doing the right thing for this teeny tiny baby.  

  

So far, so good. You are loved by many, baby boy.

Josiah's Blanket.

You might remember the small version of this quilt from back when I was trying to get Sam to play with dolls.  It is still one of my favourite quilt projects even though the crib it was for has since been broken twice (but fixed) and Sam never really took to mothering.  They took down the Better Home and Garden's link that the original was based off of long ago, but the concept is very similar to Blair's value quilt.  They are just 1/2 square triangles-- nothing too complicated. 

 

You would not know it was so straight forward from how long it took me to get it finished.  Quilts take me FORever.  I get bored, there are too many decisions to make, I hate pressing every piddly thing out (but I do).  I bought the first fabric last January along with the off white Kona cotton and everything else came from my stash.  The back is a super soft plaid flannel and the binding is a combination of Japanese egg fabric, and two pindot fabrics from RJR. 

It measure approximately 76" by 54" and it's machine quilted but hand bound.  It's for my 3 1/2 year old nephew for no occasion in particular except for that we love him very much and he's going to be an excellent big brother (again).