February Knitting and Sewing Links

February used to be a real bore, a time to catch up on unfinished projects, or just wait out the last of Philadelphia winter. No so any more, here is a short list of knitting and sewing activities to fill your late winter schedule.

KNITTING

Anna Vest Knit Along. Still on the fence about knitting the beautiful Anna Vest with other Fringe Assoc. fans in the Anna Vest Knit Along. It would be a great winter layer over my closet full of Archers knit with this Underhill Farm undyed wool/mohair. It's beautiful yarn and I got the gauge on the first try. Yay! But (and it's kind of a big one) I might not have enough, and can't get more. I'm weighing the likelihood of running out of yarn with the cost of buying the pattern book. Anyone else planning to knit along who might be able to sway me in that direction? #annavestKAL

Woolful Podcast  - I totally missed the deadline for "man on the street" this week, but I am really excited about the question. The interweb encourages you to keep each little skill in a tiny box by itself, but there is little distinction between knitting and sewing (or embroidery, or dyeing...) when it comes to a handmade wardrobe. I'm happy to see more people blurring the lines. The guest this week is Anna Maria Horner, so if you sew and have never listened, now is a great time to check it out.

I might be the last knitter alive to not have a Featherweight Cardigan. I've got some bigger projects on my to-knit list, but I keep putting up mental road blocks ( knitting for others, knitting for the SweetKM shop, yarn selection anxiety, to name a few) to making them. I'm hoping the Featherweight will give me some momentum and help me identify which of those bigger projects will best serve my closet. 

Secret Valentine Exchange. Not exactly knitting, but I knit for mine so I'm filing it under this heading. Mine is in the mail. I hope showing it here doesn't spoil the surprise for anyone (surely no one can guess their Secret Valentine!?). It's very similar to last year. Call it a cop out, or going with my strengths! This is the Shape Shifter Scarf, knit with Classic Elite Soft Linen.  #2016SVE

SEWING
Galley Tunic Sew-Along. I am a member the very distinguished panel spearheading the the Liesl + Co. Gallery Tunic Sew-along over on the Oliver + S blog. I just got my fabric in the mail and I can't wait to get started. I expect it to be a whole lot of fun, and a universally flattering finished garment. You won't want to be left out. Consider this fair warning, ransack your stash, hit your local sewing mart, fill your virtual shopping cart, get your ducks in a row cause the sew-along starts February 15th. #lieslandco

Petit a Petit + Family.  My first post as a Petit a Petit team member was a sewn pixie bonnet tutorial, you can get the Blizzard Bonnet pattern here. Be sure to check out the other posts, lots of creative ladies sharing lots of great ideas. Celina has been adding video portraits to her posts, making them extra beautiful and dynamic. Tag your makes #petitapetitblog

Sew It Project. I am a huge fan of small goals. Sometime I write things on my to-do list just so I can cross them off. Project Sew It from Petit a Petit is just that kind on goal. Sew one thing for yourself this month (just one!) and share it with us at #sewitproject on instagram or in the Petit a Petit Facebook group. If you're a knitter hoping to expand your handmade skills, this is a great time to jump in. Just make one thing! Now, go put that on your to-do list. #projectsewit

Best Sewing Blogs. Have you voted for the Madalynn Best sewing blogs yet? I feel a bit dubious about these things, but then again I'm usually not on the list. Thank you to whoever nominated me, it's a thrill. I'm category #30 "Best New Blogger". Lots of my other favorite ladies are on the list Meg from Cookin' and Craftin', Jo from Jo Sews, Sarah from Fabric Tragic, Brienne Moody, Nicki from This is Moonlight, and lots of other well known sewists who don't need a shout out from me.  Hustle on over and support your favorites! (link to form)

OTHER STUFF

Perhaps you've noticed I've cleaned this place up a bit. I've added tabs across the top to highlight the knitting tutorials and sewing tutorials I've made in the past. If you've made any, please share! #sweetkmpatterns

The Fast Pace of Slow Fashion Month.

The internet stops for no man (or over scheduled mom), and that feels especially true this fall. There must be 40 (small exaggeration, but I'm not gonna take the time to count) knit/sew/make alongs going on in October. Enticing things pop up on my instagram feed, sending me sprinting from fabric to yarn, design to production, personal goals to group participation, trying to make all the things. I'm tempted to say f-it and catch up on my netflix queue, but I love this little internet community, and I want to play along. I just have to choose carefully. Here is a list of all the random stuff I'd like to keep an eye on this fall.

MAKE ALONGS

Slow Fashion October with Fringe Association- I love how Karen has so seamlessly rolled knitting, sewing, mending, and thrifting together for this month of thoughtful hand making. I struggle to show the connections between knitting and sewing here, and I see many makers combining disciplines in their handmade wardrobes. It's nice to see a leader in the category bring the sometimes messy gray areas of overlap together, when the internet prefers separate defined categories.

My main goal for Slow Fashion October is to make the time to begin some longer term projects that I have been thinking about for a while. Choosing yarn for my Georgetown Sweater if my first priority. It seems so simple, but so often choosing yarn/color/size is my biggest hang when to starting a new project.  Committing to a single time consuming project is difficult with other daily demands, making this the perfect Slow Fashion goal. I'm also hoping to get a self drafted pants pattern I've been working on sporadically for a few weeks to the point where I can cut into the "nice" fabric, and wear them out of the house without embarrassment. Last, I've got some goldenrod and pokeweed in the freezer that I'm hoping to turn into some naturally dyed linen and canvas.

Knitbot Month at Quince and Co. - As stated above: Georgetown Sweater. Sadly, all the good colors of Owl are sold out online. I have a good substitute in mind, but really want to make something in Quince, too. At the very least I'll make the Simple Hat, or 70 Yard Mitts (or both!). You can never have to many hats with two kids and a Philadelphia winter. Maybe I should make two!

Kid's Clothes Week - Kid's Clothes Week is my very favorite sew along. This season's dates are October 19-25, and you can sew along with the Disguise theme, or completely ignore it, as I usually do. Now that both of my kids are in school, I'm not sure how the photographing part of this season will go. Get ready for clothes taped to the wall photos from me! Handmade Halloween costumes are a must in this house, so I will definitely be sewing along.

OTHER BLOG NEWS

Woolful Man On The Street - I finally mustered the courage to do a Man on the Street segment for the Woolful Podcast. I have never been so nervous to leave a voicemail. You can hear a great interview with Allison of Shutters and Shuttles, and a little story about my family Christmas stocking on Episode 35.

Butcher Sew Shop's New Blog - I live about 6 blocks from this sunny little corner of Philadelphia, but have never been inside. So glad Mali and Andrea (of Four Square Walls) have added a blog so we can all see what they're up to without actually being there.

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GREAT PROJECTS
There are also a few very individual projects I've seen lately that deserve all the search engine optimization a link from this little site can possibly provide.

Vera Luna Pieced Denim Vest - This vest is so good I want to shout it from the roof tops! Old jeans cut apart and repurposed in to the most amazing child's hooded vest. The pockets seamlessly hidden within the over all pattern is my favorite detail. Go see it for yourself!

This Is Moonlight One Year One Outfit - The one year one outfit challenge seems like a whole lot more work and follow through than I am capable of, but it's fun to be the a fly on the instagram wall watching Nicki come up with some pretty amazing materials within 500 miles of her home. The felted wool vest, and hand stretched silk are pretty impressive, but the local buttons are my favorite. Nicki also made my Bless Your Heartwarmer for her son with local wool, thanks Nicki! (pattern here)

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Where are you focusing your making this fall? What make alongs am I forgetting? Let me know below.

KCW Inspiration : Kid Art

Today I'm over at the Kid's Clothes Week blog brainstorming ideas for kid's clothes based on kid's art. When you're finished here, do stop by and check it out.

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My kids, and I would imagine most kids, generate enormous quantities of art. I have a thick stack of artwork too precious to part with, and another thick stack of art work destined for other projects. We make greeting cards out of it, wrap presents in it, cut it up and make new art with it. As I'm brainstorming my (kid art themed) Kid's Clothes Week must-sew list, I thought it might be helpful to get some of that thick stack of artwork up on the virtual wall. I thought maybe seeing it pinned next to possible sewing patterns and fabrics might trigger a few sewing ideas.

L is dedicated to works on paper, many of her recent pieces are below. J is more into installations, which don't photograph nearly as consistently, but you can see a few of them here.

My guys have been into layering lately. Blobby watercolor, or marker with something finer on top. (Hmmm...layering)

L painted this series of moody blues, and blacks while recovering from a 25 minute freak out (oh the metaphor), initiated by my allowing one of J's friends to ride her scooter home from the park (mean mommy!), while she was seated quite comfortably in the stroller. (Hmmm...color palette)

This is a yellow nest with blue eggs.

This is a rainbow nest with rainbow eggs. (Hmmm...variation on a theme. Okay, not sure where I'm going with that.)

And this, well I'm not sure quite what to do with this (and this), but there must be a jumping off point for a mama sewn outfit in there somewhere.

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Wondering where all this is headed? Stop in at the Kid's Clothes Week blog to see where this brainstorm leads, or check out my KCW inspiration board on Pinterest. 

Do you have a KCW planning blog post, Pinterst board, or scribble on a napkin? Link to it in the comments, I would love to check it out.

Planning: Kid's Clothes Week

Normally, I stumble into kids clothes week with whatever I have on hand, and make one little thing at the last minute. I am still riding the wave of, more or less, continuous sewing since last KCW, so I am on top of this one. Here's a preview of what I plan to make.

Oliver + S Playtime Tunic:

Image by Oliver + S

Another Oliver + S Playtime Tunic (last time dress). This pattern has three big things going for it: it's fast, it's versatile, I already own it. The last one, in a sacred vintage print, was to gaze upon. This one, in navy and white pin stripe cotton from Joann, is for the playground.

Oliver + S Playtime Leggings:

Image by Oliver + S

Also for the playground are the Playtime Leggings, in this vintage knit floral. I have enough of this vintage floral from my MIL's enormous stash to make a dozen pairs of leggings, so bring on the knee holes.

Striped Ruffle Dress:

Image by Fine Little Day

At just about the time I was agonizing over L's Easter dress, I came across this little piece of perfection from Fine Little Day. When I was 6, I would have put this dress on on June 1st, and worn it until my mother wrestled it away from me to go back to school. In fact, I sewed myself a dress just like this, in two sizes of country blue floral print, when I was 10. What do we sew for, if not to perpetuate the fashion sins of the 90's on the children of today? The only way the above dress could be better, is if the stripes were rainbow. 

Luckily, Grandmom's stash does it again, with this light weight vintage cotton. So excited! I hope I don't mess it up. 

Kid's Clothes Week starts Monday, what are you sewing?

Planning: Kid's Easter Outfits

With the aforementioned family wedding behind us, I've gotten a jump start on Easter sewing. Last week I went on a caffeine fueled sewing frenzy, and sewed the fabric stack shown above, into Easter/Wedding outfits for my little ones. I haven't photographed them yet, and (maybe you've noticed) I've figured out a way to make 3 post out of one project, so I'm just going to go with it.

Image from Oliver + S

 For J: Oliver + S Art Museum Vest in the blue pin stripe linen.

Image from Purl Bee

For J: Purl Bee Little Boy's Tie to be made in the Liberty print. A "real" necktie for boys, not the tie-on-a-strap that tends to look like a necklace.

Image from Popelin

For L: Something along the lines of this high/low number by Popelin. Bodice in the linen pin stripe, skirt in the pink cotton, accents on it somewhere in the Liberty print. The proportion of the above dress is just perfect, but it is a baby size and I'm making a 4T. I've drafted my own pattern, L has already worn it once, and I'm still tinkering. 

Planning: Salme Cropped Blazer

I've got bold plans for a certain early spring wedding. So early, that I felt it necessary to buy wool. While I hope the weather is nice for the lovely bride's sake, I hope its not so nice that I regret my fabric choice. I've got a tried and true (i.e. boring) black strapless dress. The dress to end all dress shopping. The dress that can be worn to 10 successive weddings with different accessories or shoes and no one will notice the repetition. I've worn the dress once. I'm already tired of it. I'm hoping a perfectly proportioned Salme Cropped Blazer will add a little life to my tired old dress.

Image via Salme Patterns

Normally, I would charge into a project like this and whip out an ill-fitting piece in the wee hours of the morning. Not this time, I am going to be uncharacteristically careful. I am going to measure twice, cut once, and rip anything that isn't perfect. I've already made two muslins, exactly two more muslins than I have ever made before. So far, so good. Stay tuned...

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See the finished Salme Cropped Blazer HERE!

Kid's Clothes Week : Goals

Trying to keep the KCW goals on the modest side so I'm more likely to get some of it finished. I've got three things in mind, coincidently, all of them blue.

1. Figgy's Tee Time for Two, Size 5, two tone blue knit. Just like last year, love this pattern.
2. Flashback Tee adapted into a dress, Size 4, lighter blue knit. I was feeling wishy-washy about buying the actual Flashback pattern, it works for a boy or a girl but I would have needed both size groups. Grrrr.... Then I found a set in sleeve toddler t-shirt pattern in my Mom's pattern stash from the 70's. Yea!
3. Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress, Size 4, in the Triangles print.

I have a good start on #1 & #2, I'm a little worried about getting to #3. I am a grand champion procrastinator. I bought this pattern and fabric last year at Home Made on the Jersey Shore. Will there be a dress by the end of the week? Hmmm...