Sandi Henderson's "Gracie", a different way to construct the yoke...

I have totally enjoyed making Sandi Henderson's 'Gracie' pattern. I've done it a few times now, and marvel at its ease, until you get to the part with the bias on the neck.

I have nothing against bias binding per se, it's just hard to do it neatly when you tuck in the ends. After thinking on it, I decided to try to construct it a little differently.

Forgive the pictures as this is my first attempt at showing my work in progress, and the photos are a little rough. This will probably make more sense to those of you who have made this jumper a few times. Also, a little disclaimer. I am by NO means an expert in sewing, this is just my way of making this pattern easier for me.



So, you go along as normal, following the pattern instructions, until you get to the round yoke neck piece. Sew the ends as before, but then go ahead and stitch the inside seam of the yoke too. Now, Sandi's patterns have a 1/2" seam allowance. To account for the fact that you'll be leaving the bias edge out of my version completely, only do 1/4" seams so you don't have to adjust the pattern. Once you sew the inside edge, clip the seam allowance, turn right side out and press.





Then, instead of sandwiching the jumper between the outside of the yoke, just stitch one layer of the yoke to the jumper, leaving the other free. You will want to match up the back of the yoke seam with the edge of the back. So, only stitch one side, and only where it meets the actual jumper.





Once you get one side sewn down, press the seams toward the yoke. Then, press 1/4" under on the side that isn't sewn at all. This will serve as a guide when you pin it all down.







Then, pin the turned under edge just to your line of stitching. Pins are your friends here. Because you will be blind stitching and this jumper is reversible, I take a lot of care to make sure that the two sides are matching up so that when you topstitch on one side, it won't be wonky on the other.





Pin all the way around the yoke, and when you come to the arm section, turn both sides under and pin. Then, topstitch the entire yoke. And voila, no more bias binding. Finish the rest of the jumper as in the pattern.









I don't know if this method is any more or less tricky, but at least you don't have to make the bias tape and use more fabric.

spring crocus

spring crocus, originally uploaded by littlegirlPearl.

Today was the first nice day here in Northern New England that I was home with my daughter. I had planned on taking at least a couple hours to try and sew, but it just didn't happen. Some days are like that.

I've been keeping my eyes peeled for anything remotely resembling Spring. Yes of course we've had the mud and the frost heaves but that doesn't exactly lift one's spirits. But today, at last, a harbinger. Some of the crocus I planted to naturalize in our lawn are up and blooming. I must have planted about 250 bulbs in late fall. Scillas, crocus, and fritillarias, my favorite.

These gorgeous crocus have the unfortunate name of 'Negro Boy' and are from Old House Gardens, an heirloom bulb company that I've ordered from just about every other year. They are the darkest midnight purple I've ever seen and date from the year 1910. I also planted a mix of colors from Van Engelen that included yellow, white, and a striped purple. I can't wait to seed the lawn and see the results next Spring...

Adventures with a little girl...

A little disclaimer, this has nothing whatsoever to do with sewing, and everything to do with hitting the reset button on our lives.



My husband, daughter and I took a little trip this past week, and I just had to write a little something about it. We decided to do a camping trip through some of the National Parks in Southern Utah, and it was totally extraordinary. Being from New England we are used to feeling surrounded by forest, lakes, and trees, but the country out there is like nothing I had ever experienced. Sure, I've been to Vegas, Phoenix and the like, but the transition from one landscape to the next is so abrupt in that corner of the state it's just very exciting.



So we started our trip in Zion National Park where the order of the day is soaring sandstone canyon walls and steep, heart attack inducing cliffs. My child hiked 8 miles that day (not all at once!), and as you can imagine slept like a champion in the tent. We would've loved to go up the canyon, but you have to get your feet wet, and the weather was still a bit chilly.



The following day we headed to Bryce Canyon where we had thankfully given ourselves a night inside after two nights in the tent. Bryce is at 8000 feet, and it was COLD! In fact, it snowed that night, and I got some great shots of all the hoodoo rock formations in the canyon the following morning. At this point in our trip it seemed as though the weather was really going to get worse, and we toyed with the idea of heading south to the Nevada border. But, no, not us hardy souls. And in fact, I'm so glad we didn't because we would've missed one of the highlights of the trip. So on to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and some of the coolest, narrowest slot canyons I've ever been in.



Spooky Gulch, in the Escalante area, is a small gulch that is known for its accessibility, and narrowness. Honestly, we are not small people, but had we been much wider we would not have made it through the maze of rock. It is about 15" wide at its narrowest, but to be frank, that goes on for a long time. I think the canyon itself is only about 1/2 mile long, but it feels so much longer! Our daughter had no problem racing ahead, a serious problem for us of course, because you really can't see around the next bend, and she was soon unseen.



All's well though, and my husband eventually caught up to her and helped her over the harder spots. I thought I'd feel a little claustrophobic, but the canyon was so awe inspiring, that I loved every second of it.

The next two nights were very cold, down into the low 20's, but we still had an amazing time. The last day of our trip we decided to drive the Burr Trail from Capitol Reef National Park back to our campground in one big loop. We saw a few arches, the "Waterpocket Fold", which is a geologic feature in Capitol Reef that is too strange for words, and picnicked overlooking the Fold and the Henrie mountains.






I'd highly recommend any of the places we went for kids. There are tons of small, rewarding hikes to do, and that's all they really need to be entertained anyway. A few rocks, a whole lot of dirt, and you're on your way.

But I admit, my own bed never looked so good...

Sofia Masri

Alas, the life of a flight attendant. I was supposed to be home tonight, but due to weather in Boston, I am here in Detroit. But don't cry for me because I'm staying in the BEST hotel in the system. Serene and restful decor (read: no burgundy or hunter green in sight), crisp white linens, and a marble bathroom. Still, I'd rather be home...

So last week I was in Madison, and checking out that lovely shop Anthology and they have a number of etsy sellers there. The one that caught my eye was Sofia Masri. I have always admired her style when I've seen her porcelain earrings and pendants on the front page, but sometimes it seemed the pictures were too good to be true.

I'm here to tell you that they aren't. Her porcelain pieces are more beautiful in person than they are on the web. I really admired a small yellow pendant in the shop that was similar to these earrings. One of these days I'll be ordering myself a beautiful pendant, the only problem being trying to winnow it down amongst all the gorgeous colors!

And, On to the Pink...

Tonight I'm in Fort Myers, FL, but just a short trip this time. I'm home tomorrow, and then on vacation all next week. Yippee!

The second part of my line is the perennial girl favorite: PINK! I used soft pinks, hot pinks, and sophisticated (if there is such a thing) pink. The mix and match features a reversible pink wrap skirt with a chickadee on one side, and a cool pink and green trim on the other. That skirt pairs with my happy dot blouse, and spring blooms top. If yellow is your thing, you can pair it with my sunshine peasant blouse from the blue collection too.



The ruffle capris go with everything, and even extend the life of my reversible pink jumper. My daughter is wearing the size 2, and she normally wears a size 5! So the first summer she wears it as a jumper, the next year as a top, so it's like getting 4 outfits in one!



My wavy capri pants are the other coordinate for the spring blooms top and can also extend the life of my reversible asymmetric jumper.

The reversible pink jumper features a sweetheart neckline and a keyhole opening in the back. Just a little piping and rickrack complete the look.



And no collection would be complete without a trendy apron dress.



Next up: cross-pollination.

Spring/Summer 2009 Collection!

I've been thinking about this collection for so long that the styles made themselves in my head long before they were translated into cloth and thread. However, I think having them all in one place would be helpful for you to see how they work together and all of the possibilities!

So today, it's all about the aqua with dashes of hot pink, apple green, and sunshine yellow...



This first dress is reversible, and you can see that you get two totally different looks in one dress. One of the features I love about this one is the elastic under the arms which makes it so that you can get more use out of it. As she grows up, she can wear it next season as a top with my aqua capris!



I love the combination of these fabrics because they are so refreshing and cool for the summer heat. The wrap dress has an easy style that can go from casual to a bit more dressy, and the apron dress has a trendy appeal.



Finally, all my mix and match styles in one place! The polka dot apple green skirt reverses to a solid aqua, and will go with all of my tops. The yo-yo garden skirt can also be paired with everything and the aqua capris can extend the life of those aforementioned dresses. I designed everything to mix and match even for when it's Daddy's turn to dress her up. I know you know what I mean...

Everything is available in my etsy store and as always if you like a fabric but want it in a different style, I can do that too.

The other thing I'd like to try doing is letting you all know where I am in the world when I write these posts, because I'm sure it seems like a crazy life for many. As you know I'm a flight attendant and travel the country on a weekly basis. I'm headed home after a four day trip which has included layovers in Edmonton, Detroit, and right now Madison. By the way, I have stumbled upon a wonderful shop at 218 State Street which features all manner of paper, fabric, and handmade creations that fit my aesthetic perfectly. Its name is Anthology, and if you live in Madison, you should go check it out. Today I tried on a pendant from Sofia Masri that was really hard to leave at the shop. More on that later...

Anyway, from Madison, happy spring!

A New Style, A New Look

As promised, a sleeveless version! I'm calling this particular color "Sunshine on Her Shoulders". Yes, probably a tad cornball, but when you are talking about little girls, you're allowed, right? It took me a long time to decide on a yoke treatment. I thought about horizontal trim and ruled it out with all that is going on with the buttons and the skirt print itself. In the end I decided to do a simple scallop treatment that really stands out against the bright yellow of the yoke. So sweet.



The other thing I started messing around with this afternoon is some of the free textures on flickr. Through the magic of photoshop I was able to apply it to my favorite photograph of my child wearing the sunshine dress. Let me know what you think!