Marie Grace Designs

Garden prep 2010...

Just so ya know, living on a mountain is awesome. The view is awesome. The hiking is awesome. The wildlife is awesome. The soil... not so awesome.

We've got noth'in but rocks, clay, and shale. And more rocks.

The first year we tried to plant a garden here we added lots of good stuff, raked rocks for days, and talked really nice to our wee little garden plants. They tried really hard to grow and though they managed to live it was like a garden of growth-stunted pathetic wanna-be veggies. Poor things never had a chance.

Now I understand it takes years to amend poor soil but really I don't have that kind of patience. It was all rather anti-climactic.

Part way through the last growing season I picked up a copy of Square Foot Gardening and knew instantly I had found my answer. Unfortunately it was too late in the season to do much but I did build one frame and plant some fall lettuces. Let me tell ya... I had happy lettuce clear up to the winter holidays!

So this year we're going right for more garden frames. 

 

Granted, I rarely do anything strictly by instruction so this is our own version of square foot gardening. I won't be putting the little 1 foot slats in and I'm just going to have a local guy bring an entire load of good gardening soil instead of getting bags of special mix from the garden center.

Last year I planted a lot of herbs in pots on the back deck which worked out great for the herbs but sucked up a lot of deck real estate. Plus the area around the deck is pretty much a desert wasteland and just sort of "unfinished". Therefore we added a few slightly terraced frames for herbs and strawberries.

 

I'll also get to use my rainwater collector thinger to water it all. It may not be pretty (yet) but I've got high hopes. 

I also promised the kids we'd do some pole bean tee-pees just for fun. My dad has bamboo growing at his place so we'll be going there to cut poles soon.

And just incase you were wondering... it only takes 2 goose eggs to make an entire loaf of french toast.

 

 

  

 

Bunnies... en masse...

So Tater's class is making Easter baskets. Our local Farmer's Market (Thanks Stacy and crew!) donated the baskets and parents are sending in goodies. Now I know its all about the candy but for some reason I really wanted to send in something different. The way I see it between school, various other activities, and The Bunny the kids are getting plenty of sweets.

  I don't know if you saw this but I did and had to whip one up for Tater right away. See, we have a sort of finger puppet "thang" around here. Mac Daddy had a little frog with giant eyes for a long time and he drove the rest of us crazy with it. It got so bad that GI Joe kidnapped Frog and sent a Polaroid to prove it, complete with ransom request. But anyway.

 

Tater loved that little bunny puppet so much I figured it was a great idea for all the kids. See how I get myself into these things?

So Tater and I spent an afternoon making 20 little bunny puppets, 17 for the class plus 3 extra because for some reason 6 year olds always need "extra". Now, the Purl Bee version is all felt and all hand stitched but we needed to make some adjustments if I was going to make 20 of the little buggers.

I always save scraps of Warm and Natural quilt batting and this was a great way to use some of it up. Its felt-like and a nice bunny color. For the inner color we used material scraps from the scraps bucket. For the sake of mass production and stability we used iron on fusible webbing to hold it all together...

Once we had a piece of batting fused to a piece of colored fabric it was time to trace. I made a little cardboard template of the bunny pattern to make tracing easier.

 

If you're keeping count that's 40 bunny cut-outs (it takes 2 cut-outs to make each bunny). 

 

I stitched all the bunnies together with the sewing machine because it would have taken forever to do them by hand. Since the fusible web is enough to keep the fabric layer adhered to the batting layer I skipped stitching the ears at all...

 

Satin stitch on the machine made the eyes and the noses...

 

We hand assembled 20 little yarny bunny tails and stuck them on with a hot glue gun...

 

It was a pretty smooth production all in all. Meet Tater Bunny-Hands...

 

 

 

So the bunnies went off to school with Tater today and if you decide to make bunnies en masse there's still time... so hop to it! 

  

 
 

I love to clean...

 

 

 Okay... that's a lie. Its more like I love things to be clean and unfortunately I've figured out that the only way for things to be clean is for me to clean. Sort of like how I love to cook simply because I like to eat. Which, by the way, must be why a bear can hibernate for the winter and emerge all skinny in the spring yet I hibernate all winter and gain 10 pounds. Bears don't cook.

Anyway, along with some work this week (where did this week go?) I got a bit distracted with some household clutter and went on an organizational rampage. I don't deal well with clutter. I try to ignore it but the voices in my head whisper about it. Do you suppose there's a specific program for that? People with little voices that whisper... about household clutter? Its very disturbing and keeps me from my yarn work.

I have a dear friend who thinks I'm super organized. What that means is I'm really good at tricking my friends. Cause I'm not organized. I'm just a master stasher. Our new house is relatively small so it can be a real challenge to keep things neat and tidy and keep those little whisper-ers quiet. My solution to everything is containers. Containers with lids, containers with drawers, containers that stack, big ones, little ones, whatever it takes to ya know.... contain things. And shelves. Shelves are good. For stashing containers.

So I lugged home a few containers with drawers because I wanted to organize my "currently awesome" yarns that are in the cedar chest because I'm tired of having to dig for what I'm looking for. Plus there's always stuff on top of the cedar chest which means that everything from the top and most of the yarn in the cedar chest end up all over the place whenever I need something. Ugh.

The kids were actually honored to be allowed to handle the currently awesome yarn and put it in drawers. I swear, I didn't ask them to. They offered to do it and they ohhhed and ahhhed at all the pretty colors and squishy yarn. They kept saying "You really do have a lot of yarn!" Silly things. Obviously they have no idea what's stashed in those cabinets downstairs. In containers.

On smocking ...

Tater's Paisley Bishop

Pattern is a bit of  Ellen McCarn's Ultimate Bishop Dress and a little of The Smocked Bishop Start to Finish by Nadine N Lomax and Jane MacPherson. The latter is quite hard to come by anymore. I bought mine a good 7 years ago or so. These 2 booklets are the original 2 that I purchased when I first decided I wanted to learn to make smocked dresses (I was pregnant with Tater). Both are excellent and walk you through every step of the process yet each does a few things slightly different so having both in my scant smocking library is a big plus. 

Fabric is 100% cotton (I think I purchased it at Jo Ann Fabrics) and the smocking design is one of the several in The Smocked Bishop booklet and, believe it or not, is called "Marie".

 

Tater's Smocked Rosebud Nightgown

Nightgown is Child's Smocked Gown and Robe (scroll down). I have this pattern in both the child's size and the lady's size and have used it over and over again. Its simple and straight forward. Only the front and back panels are smocked. Neckline is finished with bias trim to match. The smocking plate is one in the booklet. Fabric is from Mom's last stash clean-out. Its a really light cotton or maybe a cotton blend.

 

 

   

 

Recent thrifting finds and plans...

I've been having a really good time challenging myself to fill as many of our needs as possible with local and thrifted things. Here's the haul and the plans from a recent trip to the thrift store:

Some summer skirts for me. It was blue tag day at the thrift store so anything with a blue tag was 50% off. These skirts were originally marked $1.99 but had blue tags so I got them for $1...

 

I found this king size bed set which is yummy, heavy, crumply Damask cotton. Blue tag. $5. It is no longer a bed set but is now yards of lovely fabric waiting to be repurposed...

 

A few other 100% cotton sheets and table cloths that will be magically turned into something new...

 

This adorable little nightshirt is for Tater but the main reason I bought it is to use it to make a pattern for more nightshirts...

 

And a few more cotton jersey shirts to take apart to feed my uncontrollable desire to make things out of thrifted cotton jersey all thanks to that Alabama Studio book...

 

Not only was it a good-find day at the thrift store but the fabric store had patterns on sale for $1.99.

 

Ummm.... more hours in a day, please.  

  
  

So I had this idea...

 

 

Any mom with boys that happens to be a crafter (the mom not the boy) knows that boy stuff takes a bit of planning. Not only are there precious few sewing and knitting patterns for boys but really I think its a lot harder to please a boy than a girl. I know all my girls need is something pink or purple or sparkly or fluffy and they're sold. Add a bit of ribbon and you're a hero.

The boys aren't so easy. It can be difficult to meld the things they like with the things we like to make. Patterns and prints for boys are harder to find and often less than impressive. 

So I like to think I keep this in mind as sketches and samples and swatches go across my desk. For me to just whip up another plain sweater in "boy colors" and call it a success would be a cheap fling so I really do spend a fair amount of time thinking it through. I'm always mulling over shapes and textures and combinations trying to come up with something a little different.

This idea was sort-of-kind-of sparked as I was thinking over what my younger son likes to do best... put little things together into bigger things. Legos. Blocks. Models with dinky pieces. Colors and pieces that come together to make something bigger.

And while I'm working on this design and the weather is lightening up a bit I'm also collecting together a few sewing projects. Yea... I know... like I need more projects... but along with FlyBoy's quilt that I have going and stuff for the girls I also decided to make him some more pajama pants and some raglan t-shirts to go with them. See, I've sort of gotten addicted to buying cotton jersey shirts from the thrift store (for like a buck) and cutting them up to make "new" stuff. I'll get around to posting some of it here at some point.

And so you don't think I forgot... Tater's smocked stuff that I was working on is done but the weather has been grey and raining for what seems like forever... not good for pictures of pretty smocked things. Now that the sun is shining and its supposed to be a beautiful few days I'll get some good pictures to show.

Down the rabbit hole...

I'm not one for movie theaters. To me the best way to watch a movie is at home in my jammies on my own couch and with my own snacks. I am perfectly content to wait for things to become available on disk or iTunes.

But with all the 3D stuff on the big screen lately I let myself be talked into taking the kids to see Alice in Wonderland so we hit the Sunday matinee.

Ya know... a long time ago I posted about a 3D movie we took the kids to. Tater was maybe 2 at the time and all I remember is her freaking out in the dark theater and Mac Daddy having to take her out while I finished the movie with the rest of the crew... though I believe the term "freaking out" doesn't really do justice to what really happened. It must have been even more traumatic than I remember because I'm pretty sure that was the last time we all went to the theater together. For years Mac Daddy has taken the older kids to movies while Tater and I find something else to do. Its been so long that I was surprised the 3D glasses are no longer paper. 

Anyway, this time was much better. The movie was good and worth the trip but I think my favorite part is still watching the kids watching the movie. Tater sat on my lap so I caught every duck-and-weave she did as leaves fell, tea cups flew, and creatures growled in our faces. 

I do believe we'll be visiting the theater more often now that its fun for everyone involved and its a good thing because some of those movie trailers... sheesh. Our TV at home just wouldn't do. Especially since Mac Daddy figured out there's a new Tron movie on its way. Geeks. All of us. I'm tell'in ya.

 

Its not much...

I don't know how other bloggers manage to fill in post after post even when there's nothing to say or nothing to show or at least nothing thats show-able for whatever reason. I depend on having something to show so I won't have to say too much 'cause really I'm not all that interesting so when there's not much to show... I've got not much to say.

Lately I've had not much to show because the work I've been doing needs to be saved for release dates and some other work is for a proposal. See, I landed a literary agent a while back and have been working on stuff... a lot of writing and a lot of self-doubt.

Ya know, I swore to myself back at the beginning of this year, back when I decided to get moving and quit letting the personal stuff in my life affect the work I so terribly wanted to do... that this would be strictly a blog about knitting and sewing and such and that there'd be no more personal stuff. Tutorials are good and patterns are good and discussions on the different ways to cast on and bind off are good but the mire that is my emotional state some days should be far, far away from all this pretty yarn and fabric.

But I've come to realize that this grand plan of mine is what keeps me silent on the days there's nothing to show. That its all connected. That if I could throw a big squishy knit blanket over it all I'd be golden. But when the life you live is the result of divorce and death and trial by fire its hard to keep it all clean and neat and pretty. The complexities of being a parent in a broken and then re-blended home, and trying to be level headed and adult-like and responsible and strong are just too much to carry every day... day after day... and not get scuffed and scratched and scarred along the way. Getting lost in old anger, new boundaries, and everyone involved forgetting that above all we are all fragile and just people trying to do our best.

The stories I could tell. The things I would say. If this were something other than a knitting blog.

So I've been doing a lot of yank'in myself up by my bootstraps both literally and figuratively. The barn yard is thawing and therefore muddy and the goats are loving the recent sunshine. The kids were out after school walking them on halters because they have big plans to walk them at the lake this summer. That will be a sight.

The geese and the chickens are laying eggs and there's bits of green popping up here and there amongst the trees and fences.

I've been writing a lot and doing math a lot. And I've been knitting a little. Its not much but its enough to show... here on this knitting blog.

 

How in the world...

How in the world am I supposed to focus on finishing what's already started when new stuff arrives? And on a sunny day which has me all sorts of distracted already. Oh my.

  

 

 

 

Spun singles make me squeak. Really. Be glad you are reading this and not having to actually listen to me.

    

Sparrow Knitting Pattern

This little cotton shirt was inspired by some of my favorite sewing patterns! I’m always impressed by the simple yet beautiful shapes and colors and fabrics I see in Japanese sewing books. My knit version combines crisp cotton and a soft color to make a pretty little textured blouse to go with all those pretty little summer skirts.

 

 

SIZES

Girls 2 (4, 6, 8, 10, 12) years.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Chest: 23.5 (25.25, 27.5, 29.25, 30, 32.5).

Length: 13.5 (16, 17.75, 18.5, 19.25, 20.5) inches.

Note: always choose which size is best by the measurement in inches rather than the number size.

YARN

Blue Sky Alpaca’s Skinny Dyed Cotton. 

100% organic cotton 

2.3 ounces / 65 grams per hank. 

150 yards / 137 meters per hank.

3 (3, 4, 4, 4, 5) hanks. 

Sample shown in color “Glacier”.

NEEDLES

US #5 (3.75 mm) knitting needles. 

29 inch US #5 (3.75 mm) circular needle for neck finishing. 

OR the size needle you need to obtain appropriate gauge.

EXTRAS

Tapestry needle, one small button.

SKILL LEVEL

Easy.

SKILLS NEEDED

Basic shaping, working a simple stitch pattern, seaming.

GAUGE

20 sts/28 rows = 4 inches over stockinette stitch.

Note: Wash your swatch as directed on the yarn care label and carefully block it. Let it dry completely and then measure for gauge.

Price: $6.00
Your printable pattern will be immediately downloadable in Adobe PDF (v5.0 or later) format