Enchanted

Before we had kiddos, Mr. Jones and I visited Enchanted Forest and were totally charmed. We had always planned to go back, but who would have known it would be our two daughters, only six years later? Now old enough to just start understanding fairy tales, Penny and Lulu appreciated all of the sculptures, and structures, and stories. Penny's best friend Estella joined us, too. There's nothing like riding the slides and bumper boats, peaking in mysterious windows of fake thatched houses, and strolling the streets of a faux western town with your best friend and your sister. Truly enchanting!

  

  

 

 

PS. Penny and Lulu's dresses are here.

What's Old is New

Oh, how I love vintage. I like poking through thrift stores and yard sales, love transforming the old into the new. Two toddlers has left me no time to do this anymore, but there was an estate sale just blocks from my house recently, and I was able to pop in during naptime. In the house, I found small stacks of vintage fabrics, taped together, each stack organized by color and marked $2. So I bought two stacks, not exactly sure what I was getting. It was a grab bag of sorts, and when I took it home I was unsure whether there was enough in each for anything, but I was able to make Carousel Dresses for both Penny and Lulu, out of the scraps:

I have the perfect destination in mind for the girls to wear them, if they so choose. Stay tuned! In other sewing, I've been using my vintage patterns to make a Liberty smock from vintage Simplicity 3177. I love how the blue lining on the bodice makes the outer fabric look a tiny bit blue, in hue.

I've had this vintage polyester forever. It also came from an estate sale and I had been meaning to sew up the pattern, vintage McCalls's 8635 forever. There's something about solid accents on busy prints that has my heart. The pattern has an adorable tie option, for the back, though I knew it would be too fussy for busy Lulu, so I made it without.

Sometimes I think about all the things I'm going to get back to when I have more time on the schedule. I'd like to do some canning once or twice a year. I'd love to travel again, and see all the places on my list I haven't yet seen. I want to thrift a bit more (though Mr. Jones has no wishes for me to do so). In the meantime, it's fun to dip into old things, and be able to transform them into something new, for my family.

On Puff Sleeves, and Sisterhood

When Penny was tiny, one of the hardest things for me about having a new baby (there were so many hard things!) was that, for a time, all my creative ventures stopped.  I didn't leave the couch much, constantly breastfeeding and figuring out a whole new world of needs and solutions.  These days, I seem to be in a sweet spot of making things, thanks to standard nap times and a great new babysitter.  Before our second baby arrives and my making comes to an abrupt halt again, I've been crafting things for the future. I made Penny this shirt, recently... 

...from this vintage pattern, part of a collection I scored at the thrift store, of all different sizes.  I've made the jumper, too, but it's for a gift, so I'll have to show you later ;).

The puff sleeves and Peter Pan collar are just what I want from vintage patterns: small touches that make them look cute, classic, and sweet.

Penny seems to like it already.  And though it's for her when she's a couple years older, I'm already imagining that if she doesn't want it, I can pass it to her sister.  And that maybe a mention of that might make Penny want it all the more.

Isn't that how it works with sisters? :)

You're the Tops

Estate Sale: two words that can make my heart beat fast, and get me in the car to go to unknown parts of town as often as I can.  When I got a tip-off from my smocking club comrades (yes, I have these) that there was an estate sale with tons of craft supplies (TONS, the email said), I was sure to stop by.  Thank goodness I got there in the last hour of the last day, when everything was half off, and there wasn't as much as there had been! I still came home with too much, including a bag of vintage fabric scraps perfect for making toddler clothes.  I made these two shirts immediately:

The pattern is from a book I've had for a while, part of my Japanese collection:

Penelope has been wearing them on Summertime adventures around town, doing her thing and, I dare say, collecting compliments along the way. 

The most comment thing I hear is, "I think I used to have a shirt like that! The print looks so familiar."  I tell them they could have!  It's this sentimental affection that I just love about anything vintage. 

Last of the Summer Sews I

Summer sewing has almost come to an end.  I'm almost in the mood for flannel and corduroy, even though it's still in the high 80s here in Portland this week.  Before the season ends, I'll be getting a couple more wears out of this dress that I made recently.  

I used the vintage McCalls pattern below, for a basic shirt dress, though I wanted to avoid it looking too dated (whom, me? scared of dated?) by omitting the collar included.  Instead, I drafted my own kimono collar, loosely based on the Lisette Traveler dress.  I took that pattern piece and measured it to my dress pattern, making adjustments where I needed to.  It worked out well.

The fabric is from Fabric Depot's 'Yard Sale'.  The entire 3 yard cut cost me just over 10 dollars.  It's a really soft stretch cotton made by Mood fabrics.  It washed so well and has worn really nicely.  I just used some ribbon for an easy belt.  Each Summer I seem to get smitten with a large floral print.  Last year it was this one, also found on sale.

Maybe it's that these prints allow me to strike even posier poses than usual. This one being my action hero pose, for the hour-long Hawaii Summer Special.  Stay tuned.

A Trinket for Penny

I finished a sweater for Penny.  It could well be my favorite thing I've knitted for her so far.  It's from this 1957 booklet:

I've seen this booklet in many vintage shops (I got mine in a stack from an estate sale).  I think it's readily available, and has so many great patterns in it.  Pick it up if you see it, Knitters! I chose this style to knit for her:

The instructions, like those of so many vintage patterns I find, are straightforward and clear.  I used one of my favorite yarns ever, Tosh Sock in the color way 'Amber Trinket". It's got a lot of yardage on the skein, has a lovely drape, and is machine washable.  

Isn't the stitch pattern adorable?  Now Penny has her own trinket, to wear when she's a bit older.  She's growing so fast these days, it won't be long!

Yesterday I took her to our baby group and, though she's been there consistently since she was 2 weeks old, she had more fun yesterday than she ever had.  She loved the babies, rolling toward them and reaching out to touch them.  She laughed at six month-old Elise next to her for 10 minutes straight!  Then...it all got to be too much.  The party was over and she was crabby, wanted out of there, came home and was too tired to let herself sleep.  Aren't these little creatures funny?  In some ways, they are really like little adults.  That could have been a description of any given college party I attended years ago.  Sometimes, though, even though it ends badly, you just have to go to the party no matter what. Right Penny?

Dressing Miss Jones

On the weekends, I like to take a couple hours and go out in the car by myself.  I love time with the baby but, by the weekend, it's been a. lot. of. time. with. the. baby.  You know?  Usually I go to a yarn or fabric store, sometimes I get a burrito or bubble tea, often I just run errands.  This weekend I picked up my Bernina from a tune-up and on my way home, saw a shop that said "Vintage by the Pound".  Whaaaaattt...  I went in. It was amazing.  I got all these vintage baby clothes, in various sizes, all great condition, for $20 total.  Oh dear, is dressing Miss Jones going to be fun!

...plus a few more still in the wash!  Is there anything cuter than vintage baby booty?  Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Jean and Chuck: Parental Preperation

When we last heard from Jean, she was squatting around the house, limbering up for delivery. These days, she and her husband Chuck are doing similar things to Mr. Jones and me, to prepare for our upcoming addition (please click on these hilarious photos to enlarge):

I might be hemming and crafting all sorts of things for the baby, but Mr. Jones isn't so 'up' on that insurance idea quite yet. We did go for a tour of our hospital, however.

Boys have all the fun, don't they? Straight for the gas, probably giggling away...

Oh how I love this image. I'd love for Mr. Jones to meet with a pediatrician (or psychiatrist!) to discuss improvements over his own childhood. They might never let him out of the hospital, with all his great ideas...

Of course the women are left to see where they'll actually deliver the baby, without their husbands. Mr. Jones and I did our hospital tour together, of course. But the looks on these ladies faces were the same as ours: interest, resignation, or shall I say nervous anticipation.

Next up: Jean gives birth!

Sweetie Pie

Let's get back to some Oregon knitting, shall we? I sure have. One of things I marveled at, while on vacation, was that I wasn't so interested in crafting! There was just too much to experience. I made this little dress in days since I've been back in Portland (though don't worry, there's much more Hawaii to share).

I fell in love with the pattern. It's called "Sweetie Pie". Is there any cuter pattern photo than this one? As a friend said to me, "This is from a time when children were seen and not heard". So true. It also looks like every photo I've seen of people who grew up in the 50s and 60s in the Middle/North of England.

The pattern book is dated 1943. I picked it up from a local estate sale. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see this garment come to life on my needles. I couldn't stop thinking about all the people who made it previously, so many decades ago.

The back is similar to the front, with three small buttons for closure. I made the dress out of my favorite sock yarn (all the Ravelry details are here).

The dress is going to my friend's daughter, who will be modeling for me in upcoming days, as I write up the pattern for my own creations.

I'm sure she'll look just as cute in this dress as the girl in the pattern photo (how old might she be now?), and hopefully even cuter in my vests!