Meet Stella & Stewart

The newest addition(s) to my Retro Mama PDF sewing patterns! These sweet owl softies are sure to make your little ones smile. With easy, tutorial-style instructions and color photos illustrating each step, you'll soon have a flock of new friends in time for holiday gift-giving.

You can purchase the pattern in my Etsy shop here or from the sidebar to the right.

The pattern also includes my tutorial for a semi-random patchwork back (no more piecing hundreds of teensy squares together one-by-one!) and plenty of options for personalizing your owl's face. So what are you waiting for, let's get sewing! And please do post your owl photos in my flickr group, I love seeing your creations!

Also, most of the owls you see in the photos are available for purchase; I will try to list them in the shop within the next few days.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Kim

12 Pears of Christmas

Have you begun your holiday sewing yet? I tell you, I have been doing so much hand sewing lately, what with making partridges and pears, that I have actually sprained one of my fingers. And unfortunately, with Last Minute Holiday Panic Sewing about to commence, there is no way I can slow down for at least a couple of weeks.

Sorry, these pears are spoken for!

But if you want to make your own, you know where to find the pattern.

Doesn't Michael Miller have such wonderful retro holiday prints? I love the bold, bright colors. There is no way these will hide in the Christmas tree!

Oh, and in case you didn't have enough on your To Sew list, you will have one more thing to add very soon...

You just knew it had to be coming, right?

Well, it's that time again. It's back to the sewing machine for me (although I may need a Thin Mint break, first, mmmmm). What are your holiday sewing plans?

Kim

Just around the corner

Hello! Good day! Why is she being so cheerful, you wonder, suspiciously. Well, I thought the following idea might go over better with a friendly introduction. I don't want to alarm you or anything...but have you noticed all the Christmas decorations popping up lately? You're not ready yet, you say? Haven't even bought your Halloween candy? Shhhh....it's going to be okay. Kim is here to help. You may already be familiar with my pear ornament pattern. Well, I didn't want to leave you hanging, so to speak, without a little partridge friend to roost in your pear tree...

So, as my early gift to you, here is a free pattern and tutorial to make a Playful Partridge ornament! The pattern also includes a baby-sized bird for those who would like to make a whole partridge family.

Materials
Pattern
Wool blend felt in assorted colors (a 12 x 12" square will yield 3 Mama partridges with leftover scraps for flowers and leaves)
Quilting cotton fabric scraps for wings
Lightweight fusible interfacing for wings
Buttons
Embroidery floss
10" length of narrow ribbon or medium rick rack for hanger
About 4" of floral wire (try Joann or Michael's)
About 10-15" of fluffy or feathery yarn (I used Bernat’s "Boa" yarn and Patons "allure")
Fray Check
Stuffing


Tools
Hand sewing needle
Scissors and/or small rotary cutter
Crochet hook (optional)
Wire cutter
Iron


Instructions

1. Cut two bird bodies from felt. Cut one wing each from cotton print and interfacing (bumpy side up). Cut flower embellishments from felt, using the provided templates or inventing your own. (You'll notice two sets of wings in the photo; you will only need one unless you choose to decorate both sides of your partridge)

2. Fuse the bumpy side of the interfacing onto the wrong side of the wing according to package instructions (this will help reduce fraying and adds stability for embroidery).

3. Carefully divide a 60” length of embroidery floss into two sections of three strands each. With one length of floss, attach wing to bird body with blanket stitch, using the (*) on the pattern for placement.

4. Stack felt flower embellishments in desired order at top of wing, place button on top, and attach to wing through button holes with embroidery floss.

5. Make fluffy plume for top of bird's head:

Crochet – Ch 10; Row 1: SC in 2nd ch from hook; SC in next ch; turn; Row 2:Ch 1; SC in second hole from hook; tie off and trim end

-or-

Cut 3 strands of yarn several inches long; knot strands together at one end; braid strands for about 3 inches; tie strands into a knot at end of braiding. Trim ends.

Now, weave florist's wire through long SC tail of crochet or one knotted end of the braid, all the way to the other end. Bend the wire backwards at the top and twist to secure wire (this step is a bit fussy, go slowly and be patient!). Bend the remaining wire at the bottom of the yarn tail into a larger, exposed loop and twist to secure--see photo. Trim off any stray yarn fluff and long ends as necessary.

6. Attach plume to wrong side of partridge's head, using embroidery floss and carefully whipstitching around the wire and then through a superficial layer of felt (so it doesn't show through the front, I recommend using floss that matches the color of felt) all the way around the loop; bend the plume so it curves toward the beak of the bird.

7. Fold rick rack or ribbon in half to make hanger. Sew cut ends together with embroidery floss and use Fray Check on the ends to prevent unraveling. Place cut ends of hanger (overlapping at least 1/2 inch onto the felt) on the wrong side of partridge--where indicated on the pattern--and attach with whipstitch, again only going through a superficial layer of felt.

8. Place the two halves of the partridge together, right sides out. Blanket stitch the two pieces together using the unused 60" length of embroidery floss, going three quarters of the way around. Tip for corners: use the needle to help place the thread exactly on the tip of the corner. Hold down floss at the tip with your fingers while making the next stitch to keep it from sliding off the point.

9. Stuff the bird lightly with polyfill and finish blanket stitching around the body. Tie off and trim embroidery floss.

10. Hang the partridge along with your pear ornaments on a tree, wreath, mantel, or garland and enjoy that holiday feeling. They'll make sweet gift toppers, too. The pear pattern is also available for purchase in the sidebar to the right.

Happy creating! I hope you'll share your partridge creations in my flickr group. I can't wait to see your own interpretations of this project!

P.S. The instructions for Baby partridge are the same as for Mama (though I did use small rick rack for Baby)

P.P.S. Those fluffy plumes remind me of the feathered plumes we used to wear on our caps in marching band, we called them "chickens". I can still hear the section leaders boisterously shouting to us, "Fluff your chickens!" while we waited to go out on the field.

P.P.P.S. Yes, I was a band nerd. I played alto sax. Good times. Go Cougs!

Please let me know if anything needs clarification!
Kim

sunshine on a cloudy day

Happy packages from the mailbox certainly go far in cheering up a dreary day

Oop! What's this? A sneak peek of something? Hmmm...what could it be...

Happy Tuesday! I hope you're enjoying some sunshine, too!
Kim

walk in the park

Another visit to the gardens, and they were even more beautiful than before, if that's possible. I don't think I could possibly capture how spectactular this place is with my camera, words even elude me. I still found myself fascinated by the smaller details, though.

like this lovely speckled bench

Nature comes up with the best color combinations, am I right?

Are you as obsessed with Hens and Chicks as I am? I am so drawn to this plant, especially this miniature version.

They were in these beautiful handmade pots, not really part of the gardens but sitting on tables. I wanted to take them home with me.

I will have more project photos for you in the near future. I haven't had time to stock the shop as I have begun taking on holiday orders. I hope to have some goodies to put in the shop soon, but if you have something specific in mind that you'd like, please don't hesitate send me a convo since I can't make any promises about what or when items will be available.

Happy autumn!
Kim

Do not adjust the settings on your blogroll

I'm actually posting for the first time in *coughalmosttwomonthscough*. This summer got away from me; it's been incredibly challenging and busy, not always in a good way. And if you get through this next bit I promise there is some crafty goodness waiting down below.

First, I took part in a language therapy study with my two boys--it was so helpful. Sort of a Floortime style approach. In related news, we had to retire our old stroller and get a new one. Now, if you had told me before I had kids that I'd get excited over a stroller for my three year old, I would've said you were crazy. However. I didn't know then that I would have a kiddo with serious sensory issues and a major dislike of crowded, noisy, new places, who would weigh 45 lbs and insist on being carried everywhere. Hence: the Maxi-Cosi Foray stroller.

My 5-year old test drove this thing and would have to grow inches before his feet touch the ground. The canopy opens without touching his head, it has a smooth ride, storage underneath, and best of all a small turning radius. We got ours at Babies R Us, and it was quite a bit cheaper at the store, plus a 20% discount for trading in our old stroller. Good deal!

The aforementioned 5-year old kept himself busy this summer by discovering every possible way of getting out of the house or yard in order to explore the neighborhood without supervision. So securing windows, doors, etc. took up a fair amount of time, as well as our recovering from escape-induced panic attacks.

I was so busy, in fact, that I haven't touched my sewing machine all summer. I know. Both shocking and disturbing. Fortunately, one of my lovely customers inquired about getting a custom quilted clutch, and the rest, as they say, is history. She wanted something to match her black and gray diaper bag with hints of lime green, and let me tell you I was excited to have a chance to stock up on some Summer Soiree by Paula Prass for this project. I just kind of improvised as I went along, and I rather like how it turned out

and, of course, buttons

I also managed to add to my unending list of unfinished projects by trying out English paper piecing. No UFO collection is complete without having piles of hexagons waiting around to be made into something.

I'm dreaming they'll someday be a throw pillow on my chocolate brown couch.

We're now settling into the school year (finally both boys are going to school!), and I now have a couple of hours to myself every day. Hopefully that means I'll be able to post more frequently, or at least I'll be able to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee in the mornings...but more likely than not it will be a frantic dash to the sewing room to get as much done as possible in my free time....

Until next time,
Kim

photo tour

I had a lovely week enjoying a visit with my best friend Anna, who I haven't seen for a very long time (so long, in fact, that in the period since I last saw her my family has acquired 2 dogs, 1 child who is now 3 years old, and moved across the country--needless to say we had quite a bit of catching up to do). We enjoyed road tripping, swimming, movie-watching, and general girly chatting/dishing/giggling over fashion magazines, etc.

We also spent a fantastic afternoon here, wandering, people-watching, and smelling the roses, so to speak.

The textures and sculptures at the gardens were at least as fascinating as the flora. I was especially captivated by the Thai Pavilion, with its dragon-scaled roof and gold leaf ornamentation. I could have stayed there for hours, gazing into the fountains, watching the ducks, and dreaming about the pavilion's long voyage across the sea. So relaxing.

Where have you traveled this summer? Hopefully you have seen some lovely and new places, whether far away or close to home.

Happy exploring,
Kim

I suspect

That I may need to move someplace sunnier. I'm one of those folks who notices a distinct downturn in mood when it's cloudy outside, and we have had nothing but dreary, overcast days for the past week. You'll notice that I mention the weather quite frequently in my posts. It doesn't help that I sew in a basement room, and have but one window, that faces....northwestish? In any case, I don't get any direct sunlight down here, which is not only depressing but downright awful for taking pictures. Which is why I haven't yet shared my latest apron creation. (I will, soon...right Mother Nature?)

I needed a little bit of faux sunlight to perk me up this week, so I did what anyone else would do--I did some flickr-surfing. And I found this fantastic quilt. I think I gasped audibly when I first saw it. And I knew I had to make one. Had to as in I was going to be obsessed with this idea until I started making a string quilt of my own. And it had to have white center strings because that is completely brilliant.

After staring at my fabric stash for a moment or two, I started grabbing print after print. I think half my stash was on my ironing board at one point (it now lies in gloriously high piles on my cutting table). A little confession: I've always been terrified of scrappy projects. My brain has a serious problem with putting any old fabric next to any old fabric. Everything has to match, perfectly. I truly envy people who can throw a pile of random fabrics together and it ends up looking fantastic.

So this was also somewhat of attempt to just let go.

Except that I couldn't.

You have no idea how not-random these quilt blocks are.

But I'm okay with that. That's just the way my mind works I guess. In any case, I sure had fun creating a bit of sunshine on my own. And I have about 44 more quilt blocks worth of sunshine-making left to create!

Hope the weather is better wherever you are...
Kim

Sunny Day

In case you were curious about what my finished projects were in my last post, here they are: new clothespin aprons! They're fun as hostess aprons too. You can find all three of these aprons in my shop.

There's something so fresh and crisp about lemon-lime (Alexander Henry lemon print/American Jane polka dots)

I can't resist this combo of royal blue and orange (Denyse Schmidt daisy print/American Jane Pez print)

I love these cool oceany blue pressed flower and stripes prints by Amy Butler

This is quite possibly my favorite new print combo, a rose bouquet Pop Garden print by Heather Bailey paired with polka line by Anna Maria Horner. LOVE it.

I've got another Heather-Anna pairing in the works that is fab-u-lous. Can't wait to show you.

Have a lovely day!
Kim

Peonies & Popsicles

As the end of the school year approaches, our pace of life has been accelerating steadily with appointments, planning for summer visitors, sewing orders, and somehow not letting four dogs' worth of winter fur take over the house. I always seem to get more done the busier I am, and yet I was reaching a point where I needed a time-out. Fortunately I was in a cooking sort of mood the other day, and whipped up a batch of perfect aqua playdough. Jack and I spent a good hour playing with the warm dough and giggling nonstop. The photograph below is not representative of the fantastic mess we made of it.

After a much needed break, it was back to the grind. But last night I was awakened by a tremendous thunderstorm. I had to rush out of bed to close the windows and lay awake as lighting completely illuminated our bedroom. It was the kind of Midwestern thunderstorm that used to terrify me as a child, and in fact it didn't take long before we heard little feet padding down the stairs and climbing into bed with us. The storm finally subsided and we drifted back to sleep. This morning I ventured outside to see how the garden fared, and discovered some lovely and very waterlogged peonies that had begun to bloom.

The rain had completely rejuvenated the flowers and grass and our little bird feeding area was teeming with baby robins and rabbits. It reminded me how I've always been fascinated by the process of watching things grow. Flowers bloom from tiny buds, small kids grow into bigger kids even after consuming what seems like nothing but dirt and popsicles, piles of neatly folded fabric turn into something completely different.

Even after years of sewing, I still love watching this

turn into this

turn into this

I guess sometimes it just takes a good rain to make me slow down and enjoy life's little everyday magic. I hope you too can find the time to stop and smell the flowers today, or at least share a popsicle with a loved one.

Kim