on sewing and spring

I have been filling every spare moment, and stealing the unspare ones, to make things for my Etsy shop and sew things for fun, but mostly trying to fill the shop up a bit. The napkins have been flying out of the machine, and I must say, it feels a bit like knitting used to feel to me- repetitive and kinda relaxing. I'm sure this would not be my description if I was still using my old Singer, but my new Janome "Sewist" (what's with that name? I look at it and I think something between sexist and Jewess) is truly a marvel of a machine and I swear there is something other worldly about it as it only seems to run out of bobbin thread on the last stitch I intend to make. I mean it! My Singer seemed to always run out about 3 inches from the end, and then would come the re threading the bobbin drama and curse flinging. Ah, well.

Here are some things I have made recently. For our friend's 6th Birthday, I made her darling dolly Charlotte a reverse applique sleeping bag. It was quick to whip up and turned out just as I wanted. She loved it, the lovely gracious gal!

I have also been making some children's clothing. Some if it is made for 5 year olds, so Harry models the dresses and skirts for me. He wants to keep everything so much, I feel bad. I think he might get away with wearing a dress to his school, but I don't know and I don't want him to buy into the boys don't wear skirts or pink thing yet, in case someone does say something. Dress-ups would be way less fun and wacky.

Here is a swing dress modeled after a favorite of Ava's when she was 5.

I have also been making skirts. One is done with reverse applique and the other is decorated with a print of a bird contemplating birdseed.

I just bought my first silkscreen and I intend to use it this week. I am very excited. Stay tuned.

Oh yes, Spring. I nearly forgot since yesterday's 60 degree day turned into today's snow and sleet. But I need to be nostalgic for yesterday because it was glorious and I had an honest to goodness spontaneous date with my little boy. We had dropped Ava at a birthday party and were driving home when he saw the levee and river and said, "Mama, I think it would make me feel so much better to take a walk there with you". Not knowing he was feeling in any way bad, but always game for a walk on a perfect day, I swung to the side of the road to park. We ended up walking down West Street to his favorite cafe, Esselon, for hot drinks, stopping at every single sap bucket to taste the barely, almost imperceptibly, sweet sap. We chatted and ran and stopped to look at things on the ground. We had NO agenda and plenty of time. Now some of you might be bored to tears by this simple little story because it is a nearly everyday occurrence for you with your little folk, but not me. With Ava as a little one, it happened more often, but this guy...not so much. We were in love. We were not in jackets. He even noticed and commented, "We are being so nice, Mama". We were. Who wouldn't. Mental note taken.