A fun kids craft.....

I've been trying to find a few different and engaging kids crafts lately with an emphasis on using our hands and just being creative.  Yesterday the kids and I tried some embroidery. We used a scrap of burlap that I had in my sewing stash, it's got nice big holes in it and is very easy to work with. We also used a large and quite blunt tapestry needle to try and avoid any unnecessary pokes. I was surprised at just how focused the kids became, they really got into it! We decided to just go with the flow and not concentrate on the design but after the first few threads went through we figured their design looked kind of like a star or a snowflake :) We stuck with it and I actually think it looks pretty sweet! 

Isobel has tried her hand at finger knitting and liked it and seemed really keen to give the embroidery a go. I think it's a really cool way to develop her hand-eye coordination (as well as ignite a bit of creative passion) and was surprised at just how skillfully she was able to embroider. Neither of them poked themselves at all! They were both interested to watch the other in action and when we decided we were finished they were both very proud of their joint creation!

It's definitely something we'll try out again.

 In other news my camera on my phone is broken! SHOCK HORROR! i don't know how I will cope without it! I'm an instagram addict. Hopefully it'll be fixed soon but in the meantime at least it made me grab my real camera to take photos of the kids crafting and of these rather yummy muffins Bel and I produced yesterday.....

She helped me bake them and clean up the mess and then fell asleep just before they came out of the oven leaving me to sit in complete peace and quiet with a cup of tea scoffing cooling muffins by myself, oh dear ;) 

Quick baby sling project....

Bel's birthday is coming up and one of the things I've bought her is a lovely handmade Waldof doll. Shhh! Don't tell her! I've been looking around at clothing and other bits and pieces to go with her new dolly and one of the things I kept searching for was a baby sling. I've seen a few really nice ones online but sheesh are they pricey!  In the end I decided to have a go at making one. I honestly don't know why I didn't think of it earlier! It was so easy! I used a lovely scrap of fabric I had left over from the baby quilt and whipped it up in about 20 minutes. I did a quick scan of Pinterest and came across this tutorial.  It couldn't have been easier and the I honestly think the end result is waaaay nicer than all the slings I've seen in the shops! I gave her the sling right away just because I was so excited and she hasn't taken it off since. Yippee for successful sewing and lovely handmade toys!

Growing and building.....

 Bad news....my seedlings failed. Twice. Yes, I made two separate attempts to start seed of tomatoes, lettuce, various herbs, arugula, not to mention a few other things and the only solitary thing that has survived is one Genovese Basil plant. I call him my precious and skulk around him possessively, chattering to myself like a crazy bipolar creature. I carry him gently to the bathroom every night so that he doesn't get chilly with the cool mountain air coming in the open window and every time I pass him I spritz him with room temperature water and whisper sweet nothings to his leaves.  Too scared to plant him outside.....but he would love it.....cold nights...squirrels.....noooooo! I think I am crazy....but isn't he beautiful!?

 Meanwhile Seb is growing something......

We're not sure what it is, he was blindfolded when he planted it. From what I can see of the seed I think it will be a sunflower but it's quite fun waiting and guessing.
Neil hasn't grown anything but he has been building stuff! He built this workbench for our garage.......

It's really quite sturdy. It has a shelf, a pegboard and a connected multi-outlet power supply! I was so impressed I immediately asked him to build me a planter for the deck and within an hour...voila! 

Isn't it nice! Just a shame I wasn't able to fill it with my own plants. Oh well, that's what the Garden Centre is for I suppose, failures like me :)

Luckily we have the Community Garden, we are proud members of the Tomato Crew. So far Neil and I have helped build eavestrough wicking planters and a passive solar wall out of old pop bottles for the tomato house and it looks like we might be able to have our first nibbles of tomatoes in the next week or two! It's really cool to be a part of the garden and I'm seriously hoping I learn enough to get my home garden growing strong next year. 

My biggest knit-complishment.....

I knit these! Should that be knitted these? Probably. Either way it was little old me, who just a few months ago couldn't even knit a small square swatch (I could knit a very wonky triangle with lots of raggedy patches and holes that was supposed to be a small square swatch). I never would've dreamed I could knit something with a thumb! With double pointed needles no less! (This was my first project with DPN's.) I'm quite proud of me even if I do say so myself :)
It took me quite a long time to knit these mitts mainly because I made a few mess ups and had to rip out rows or start from scratch more times than I care to admit. Truth be told my first mitt was the one pictured with my mug cosy a few posts back but it barely resembles the pattern it's so "unique" and believe me, unique is not a good thing when it's one of a pair. I knit that one mitt and then before starting it's matching mitt decided that I wanted to knit a pair for my good friend Sarah's birthday. I went to the yarn shop and chose this beautiful hand dyed Yarn by Sweet Georgia in Vancouver. The colour is Pomegranate and I knew it would be perfect for Sarah's mitts. The fingerless mitt pattern is by Jane Richmond and I absolutely love it along with every single other pattern that comes out of that lovely lady's brain! Jane Richmond is my knitting icon. I know I haven't been around a heck of a lot of knitwear designers but so far I haven't found another designer who gets it all oh so perfectly right as Jane does. To top it all off Jane is from Vancouver Island and this particular pattern is called Rathtrevor. It's named after a stunning provincial park on the east coast of the island. It's a special place for me, the morning of the first day I ever set foot in Tofino, I woke up in Rathtrevor. We'd been travelling all day and after a late ferry decided we wouldn't make it all the way to Tofino that night. We pulled into the campsite in Rathtrevor in pitch black without a clue where we were. We were ratty and exhausted. We parked up and set up camp with only a flashlight lighting up our very immediate surroundings then fell into bed. The next morning, which  happened to be Neil's birthday, as if by magic we woke up in paradise. In a sun dappled glade of tall trees with deer softly wandering by we followed a little path from our campsite through the trees and out onto a huge and empty stretch of beautiful beach. Rathtrevor is lovely and so are these mitts.

I decided to buy Jane's new book Island, partly beacuase I love all the patterns but also because I love Vancouver Island and the book is full of beautiful photos perfectly capturing that calm and soul soothing essence of the Island. The photography is by Jane's talented brother Nicholas Kupiak. I just love the book, it even feels good, the cover is soft like moleskin. It's a work of art and I don't think there's another book of knitting patterns quite like it. 

Anyway, I finished the mitts on a Thursday and it was Sarah's birthday on the Saturday so I literally wore them for 5 minutes while Neil snapped some photos for me then had to wrap them up and send them on their way to their new home. I was a little sad to see them go but on the other hand it's a really lovely feeling to be able to actually make something for someone special. I can't wait to knit myself a pair or at least finish my slightly unique pair I've already started. Then it'll be onto the next pattern from Island.  I'll keep you posted! 

Baby bibs two ways....

To go along with the wee little baby hats I made for Zoe I decided I'd have a go at making some bibs. I figured bibs don't look complicated......I'm pretty sure I could do that. So, I did :)
I chose a really pretty fabric, I picked this lovely colourful scalloped cotton because I thought it was pretty without being too girly and because it's nice to have things that are gorgeous and stylish and not necessarily covered in cartoonish figures or overly babyish patterns. Make the most of this control while you have it Mum's, once that kid turns three she'll start demanding "Dora the explorer" or "Disney Princesses" to be plastered over everything!
For the backing fabric I used an Ikea tea towel (brand new I assure you). I happened to have a few that I bought a while back with the intention of trying out some more home printing. They're really inexpensive, 100% cotton, soft and absorbent making them perfect bib making fabric! For bib number one, lets call it the classic, I traced the outline of a bib I already owned onto my two layers of fabric, cut around my traced lines and sewed all around the edges (right sides together.) I left about an inch and half gap for turning the bib right sides out then pressed it all flat and topstitched around all the edges again, thus closing my little gap. For the neck closure I decided I wanted snaps, I remember getting quite frustrated with my babies pulling off velcro bibs whenever they felt like it. I sent Neil out to our cute local quilting shop with instructions to buy me snaps and a snap setter and he delivered! Once we'd figured out which bit of the snap fitted where and hammered them all together we had our first completed bib! Not too shabby even if I do say so myself. 

For bib number two I wanted to try and make one of those bandana style bibs. I think they're more for catching dribble than anything and as they don't look quite so... errr...bibby for want of a better word. You can get away with your Bubba wearing it all day, kind of like a stylish little dribble catching accessory. For this one I used my existing bib as a guide for tracing the neck size then just pretty much made up the rest. Looks alright wouldn't you say?

I'm really pleased with my first foray into bib making and am so happy that Zoe's little parcel is finally ready to send. I'm quite sure that she's going to be the most stylish girl on the block!

Hat's for Zoe

A week ago another little Ralston joined the family. Far, far away in Perth, Australia our little niece Zoe was born :) Would you believe that Neil's brother and his lovely wife now have three kiddies under the age of 3! They are going to have their work cut out for them but holy moly there's going to be some fun happenings in that house! Triple the joy that's for sure! Anyhoo, I really wanted to make a little something for Zoe now that I have discovered my crafty thumb. I got this idea in my head that I wanted to sew some sweet little knotted baby hats and at first tried to wing it. If you follow my instagram feed you'll have seen my first two attempts. They weren't complete failures but neither were they really good enough to give as a gift to perfect little newborn. Eventually I went searching for a pattern to follow and ended up finding the exact design I had pictured over at Zaaberry. The pattern was so easy to follow and I whipped up three pretty little hats in no time. For a wee bit of extra fun I carved the end of a carrot (yes, I seem to have a thing about using veggies for printing) and added a few little heart stamps to one of the hat's........Da Daaaaa! A perfect little handmade gift for a perfect little baby......

Sustainable Snack Bags.....

In my efforts to reduce the amount of plastic packaging we use I purchased some Lunchskins a little while ago. I really liked these cute little reusable snack bags with a velcro closure but have since lost them :( Neil always takes stuff like this to work and forgets to bring them back, tut tut! I'm trying hard to break this habit of his. Anyway a while after I bought the lovely lunchskins I came across this tutorial by Amy Karol to make a similar thing yourself. This version doesn't use velcro, it has a simple overlapping envelope opening that does a perfectly good job of preventing snack leakage. Anyway I've been meaning to make them for ages and now that I've finally unpacked my sewing machine it seemed like a good time.  Another thing spurring me on is that Seb's school is a Green School and they want all snacks and lunches to be garbage free. I'm all for garbage free too so there was another reason to whip up some snack sacks! I choose a really cute food inspired japanese fabric and just ordered a couple of fat quarters. I think I'll easily be able to make 3 snack bags from each fat quarter. 

They are perfect for dry snacks like crackers but work just as well for sandwiches. You just bung them in the washing machine to give them a good clean. The kids love them because they are cute and so far we haven't lost them!

I also got to try out my own personal sewing labels, I got a whole bunch of them as a really sweet birthday present from my sister. I didn't really need to bother sewing a label on my snack bags but I just really, really wanted to see how they looked  :)

Legging love...

I do love leggings. There's nothing quite as comfy or as easy as a nice pair of leggings. I'm sad to say I pretty much live in leggings but seem to have noticed that all my beloved soft and stretchy friends were looking a bit worse for wear recently (yes, holes in the seam right on my butt! Why does it always happen there?) I've made a couple of repairs but eventually decided it was time to go legging shopping....until I discovered this video tutorial by Amy Karol. It shows you a quick way of making a new pair of leggings using an old pair of leggings as a template. That lady is a genius! If you like leggings and can get your hands on a sewing machine you must try it! Here are my finished lovely leggings....(please accept my apologies for the weirdness of my legs from this angle (at least I hope it's just the angle). I didn't have anyone else around to take a better picture).

Before I forget....

or more acurately, before it dies......

Here's proof that I grew a plant. This is the Oregano plant I grew from seed. I also succeded with a Thyme. Unfortunately my lettuces aren't looking so photogenic or edible. Not to worry.....small steps!

a bit of knit

They say that knitting is very therapeutic and apparently has even been prescribed as a remedy for people with anxiety issues. I don't think I've got anxiety issues (yet) but, as you might have gathered, I've been feeling a little stressed lately so I took up knitting :)
I actually did go through a little knitting stage a few years ago, I mostly made a lot of wobbly edged scarves and only really learnt how to cast-on, knit (badly) and cast off. My scarves were a hit with my friends at work (well at least 2 of them) and they were affectionately known as "Scophies". You usually could spot a Scophie a mile off they were so unique! Anyway this time I've bothered to also learn how to purl and do a couple of other tricks and have invested in a circular needle as well as a couple of pairs of straight needles. As with the sewing I LOVE it!! I am still intending to sew lots but that's something I have to schedule when the kids are otherwise entertained or fast asleep but with knitting I can do it while we all watch a movie or while I'm at the park with the kiddies it's so amazingly portable! I've discovered a whole new world of fibre and have quickly learnt that fancy yarn can be pretty darned exciting!! Oh I do hope I'm not boring you to tears!
Here are a few of my first creations.....

This is a hat (or a touque if your from around these parts) that I knitted for Neil for his birthday. He really seems to like it and has worn it already a few times for our eveing dog walks now that things are turning chilly. It's a magical hat that seems to fit everyone from the tinniest Bel to the big-headed Neil. You can see Seb modelling it further down the page to see what I mean. 

This one is a neck warmer thingy with a nice wooden button. This was my very first project and I really like how it turned out. I think I might send it off to my good friend Caroline (if she likes it). It's a chartreuse green which I think would look lovely on her and she is my biggest "Scophie" fan so I think she deserves an updated version. 

This one  was a lesson in doing a few fancy lace type stiches, it's a scarf that I knitted in two pieces and sewed together. One end has a little hole that you pull the opposite end through to secure it around your neck. It's a little on the big side for Bel but I think she models it with flair!

Here are a few more interesting pics for you thanks to my trusty child models....

I'm starting work on my Christmas pressies so you all know what to expect now! First job is the most lovely and perfect hat for my sister!
 Hooray! I love knitting! 

A quilt for Violet...

So I have a bit of a thing for quilts. Of course I mean the kind of quilts that are made by one person who painstakingly pieces it all together and crafts it with care into something lovely. Even better if it's made of beautiful colours and a patchwork of all kinds of fabric all coming together to create a thing of beauty. Quilts are for comfort and warmth, to be a reminder of home, happiness and snuggles.  I love the idea of creating something like that as a gift for someone you care about. Unlike a piece of clothing or a toy, you can never grow out of a quilt. My sister has made us  a couple of quilts and one of hers even features in our wedding photos. We love them. I had one made by a very talented lady for Isobel when she was a wee baby and then when my niece Molly was born I had the same lady make one for her. Bel sleeps with her quilt every night. It gets dragged all over the place, made into forts and wrapped around her if she's ever feeling sick. I hope that it'll always be a reminder of a happy home for her and that one day maybe it'll be wrapped around her babies. Anyway I've always kinda hoped that maybe one day I'd be able to make one myself. As soon as I got the gist of sewing I had quilts on my mind but to be honest I felt like it was beyond me and I didn't know where to start. When my niece Violet was born I was going to get her a quilt from the same lady that made Bel's and Molly's but for various reasons I didn't get it done. Violet's first birthday is coming up and I figured that there wasn't ever going to be another person so worthy of me giving it my best shot. Now, my quilt isn't fancy and isn't very elaborate but I made it with lots and lots of love for one of the sweetest, most adorable little girls you could ever meet and I'm just over the moon with the end result! I hope it keeps her warm and cosy and feeling loved for a long long time.

I decided not to attempt piecework on the actual quilt top just yet, I mean I didn't want to set myself up for failure! I decided on a cute fabric for the front. It has owls (Bel loves owls) spider webs (Seb loves spidey) and dragon flies and they always remind me of my sister because she had a dragonfly tatooed onto her foot while staying with me here in Canada. I made my own bias tape for the binding by cutting scraps of some pretty yellow polka dot and striped fabric and sewing them together into a long strip. The yellow spotty fabric was given to me by my sister (Violets mummy) in the sewing kit she made for me and I'd previously made some little tooth fairy pillow creatures for Molly and Violet with it and with  the yellow stripy one so they had a touch of personal meaning to them.  The back of the quilt is made from an old bed sheet of Seb's that  I'd also used to line that first bag I made. So it's got a touch of the upcycling tradition of quilting too. I also decided to appliqué Violets initials and a couple of the little owls and spider webs onto the back just to make it extra personal to her. After a whole lot of pinterest browsing and googling I'd formulated a basic plan of action and felt ready to start sewing.

Here's where I have a bit f a confession.....I bought a new sewing machine.  I know, I know, I went on and on about how I loved my old Singer and I do so appreciate that machine for getting me started. I honestly don't think I'd have had the confidence to even know what to look for in a sewing machine before I used that good old girl. The trouble was that I found it difficult to sew in a straight line with the old Singer, she was just too flippin fast. Knowing also that I really really wanted to get into making some quilts I did a bit of research and then made the fatal mistake of going into a sewing machine shop and , well, that was that. I went for a machine with lots of space for quilting and even considering that and the fact that this was just a baby sized quilt I was quite taken aback by how hard it is to work on such a big piece and still see what the heck you're sewing!



Once I'd started I just couldn't stop! I worked all day and nearly all night with barely a breather to feed my children some scraps before getting back to it. By the time I got to binding, I think it was nearly 2 am hence the very bad lighting in the photo below. Time to pin that binding tape....

I kept going and learnt a very important fact of sewing..... wearing shorts while working on a big quilt covered in pins is a bad idea. I'm honestly surprised there's no blood on that there quilt!

By some time in the early morning the quilt was done. With no one else up to show it to I was so ridiculously happy and tired I didn't know what to do with myself. For at least half an hour I sat on my sofa in the early morning light with a big smile on my face...all snuggled in Violets quilt. :)

I love it! And best of all, I think she will too.