The Ultimate Upcycled Renaissance Costume

My costume is finally done!! Every single bit of fabric on this thing either used to be something else, or was a scrap from another project.

Dress: Hideous sofa slipcover from Goodwill
Sleeves: Leftover from sewing a corset
Chemise: Playpen cover
Partlet and hair covering: Old sheer curtains
Velvet ribbon at waist: Drawstring from old yoga pants

The only part of the dress that is new are the buttons. So I paid $15 for the whole thing.

For the geeks out there, this is a 1490's Florentine merchant class costume.

Behold the Awesomeness.

My new diaper pattern is OUT! (Check out my Etsy shop.) Get 'em while they're hot! I am also accepting license applications for those who want to sew and sell the diapers.

The Countdown has Begun!

My Super-duper, coolest diaper pattern ever will be out on MONDAY! They will be stocked in my Etsy shop and ready to rock and roll! My testers did such a great job! I am so excited, this diaper officially fits babies and toddlers from 8 to 40lbs!

Beating the Heat (in the smallest pool ever).

You would have a really small pool too, if you had no hose, and had to fill it up with a pitcher!

Kyle has no idea...

Jayson enjoying his luxurious pool.

Kiddie pool yoga, the newest fitness craze.

Un-Fancy Cloth Napkins

I am really making an effort to used fewer paper napkins and paper towels in my house. I hate spending money on things that will end up in the trash. I could be saving that money for an embroidery machine! (or just blowing it on fabric.) Anything is better than just throwing it in the trash!

The main consumers of paper towels around here are messy little faces. So, I came up with these fun and kid friendly cloth napkins. They are made from cotton quilting fabric and simply serged around the edges. Obviously, you could press and hem them, they would actually look nicer. But, I don't have that kind of time (or motivation). They are 8 1/2" square. Just the right size for little hands. And, since they don't take much fabric, they are a great stash buster.

Crazy Train?

It's going to be 100 degrees today...what do you think we should do? Hhmmmmm, I know, let's go for an hour long ride in a really old un-aircondtioned train! The train was actually really interesting. It ran from Sunol to Niles (it's actually part of Fremont), and back, on the Niles Canyon Railway. We rode in a 1949 car for the first half of the trip and a 1911 car for the second half. The conductor provided a fact filled tour, while the vinyl seats provided buckets of sweat!

When we got back to our car, it said it was 103 degrees, and we parked in the shade!

I <3 California!

4 tickets for the surface of the sun, please!

Meet Kyle, the sweatiest kid ever!

A Few Small Steps for Kyle, One Giant Leap Into Toddlerhood.

I can't believe my baby is walking! Waaaaahhhhhh!

Sweet.

Vintagey Deliciousness

I made these "vintage-esque" tea towels for my sisters birthday. Now that she has them, I can write about them without spoiling the surprise! The embroidery pattern is vintage. The red ric-rac is also vintage, out of my great-grandma's stash!

As I started to stitch, I realized, "Crap...you can see the back." Yep, nowhere to hide mistakes on a towel. I was worried that it was going to look really bad, and everyone would point at the back of my embroidery and laugh, hurling insults ad rotten fruit. Somehow, I managed to get over my ugly-embroidery-back anxiety, and kept working.

I worked the outline of the fruits in chain stitch, the stems in stem stitch (duh.),the green loopies in cable stitch, and the writing in split stitch.

I have to say they turned out really cute and no one has thrown a single piece of rotten fruit at me.