bib for dorothea

When I first started making these bibs, I was using bits of Otis’s old baby clothes paired up with fabric from my own stash. But as I’ve made more of these bibs and added girls to the mix, the collection of fabric has grown, and I’ve started added the cutting-room scraps of fabric from other designers too: Liberty prints from Calliope, Erica Tanov, and just recently, Lina Renell. When I look at the finished bibs, I see so much history already. Of course, none of that meaning transfers, making it a blank slate for all the new memories that are to be created.

This bib is going out to a baby named Dorothea, and I was lucky enough to listen to a song that was written and recorded in her honor. It’s so lovely and moving. I so rarely learn anything about these babies’ lives, so it made me so happy to catch a glimpse at this one’s.

i love procrastination

There’s always a flurry of activity in my house before any trip, as I like to leave the house clean and organized. Usually, that’s about the time when I feel the need to clean out my closets and make a trip to the Salvation Army, but this time, I printed this instead, using a plain white dress I bought some time ago.

Can you tell that I was horrible around finals time in college?

Bee loves her new dress and has performed many happy dances in it. I think I need to take on more printing projects after I get home.

happy friday!

Hope you’re doing something fun this weekend. I’m hoping to enlist some small hands for working in the garden if the weather holds. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve cooked up for Fashion Show Sunday this weekend, but in the meantime, here’s a summer nightgown I made for the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. It’s for Bee to wear when we’re in the hot hot (did I mention hot?) weather of Taiwan.

Some clothes from the Challenge that caught my eye: a lovely smock top, an awesome bird cape, and lord, this kid needs a motorcycle.

how to: surprise ball

As I mentioned in my last post, the highlight of Otis’s party for me was playing the game Pass The Parcel. My original idea was to make individual surprise balls as party favors for the kids — I KNOW!! But it sounded like a great idea when it came to me in the middle of the night! Happily, this solution was much more fun for everyone.

Here’s how I made my surprise ball.

I went to the store and purchased a variety of small prizes. I bought a couple of bulky prizes which I wrapped up in the center, but otherwise, I tried to find flat and flexible prizes.  I also bought two different colors of crepe paper rolls.

Start wrapping! Wrap firmly, in all directions, and make sure the prize is completely covered. Glue or tape the end in place before you start wrapping the next prize. Here’s a helpful hint – do NOT buy a prize that wants to talk and coo and scurry away when you keep accidentally pushing one of its many start buttons or you will spend quite a bit of time looking for the OFF button and cursing.

For the other layers, find a good spot to place your next prize, with the goal of making the finished Parcel as ball-like as possible. It’s a good idea to fill those nooks and crannies.

Finished! It looked more like a Surprise Pumpkin than a Surprise Ball, but nobody seemed to mind – it was a huge hit.

present idea: stenciled shirt

We made a freezer paper stencil shirt for our beloved Wu Yi Lao Lao recently for her birthday, and I was just thinking about what a great Mother’s Day present it would make. Well, this is assuming, of course, that you didn’t have to help make your own Mother’s Day gift. On second thought, perhaps it would make a better gift for a Grandmother or Grandma Aunt. Or maybe wait until Father’s Day.

Freezer paper stenciled shirts are not a new idea, but what makes it such a great gift idea is that the kids can be totally involved in the making of the shirts. Here’s what freezer paper is (you can buy it at grocery stores, next to aluminum foil and wax paper) and here is a brief tutorial. I gave each kid a piece of freezer paper and let them make their drawings.

Otis made a brown bear catching a salmon, with a bright yellow moon in the sky. I love the salmon detail so much, and I actually think that it’s a beautifully composed drawing.

Bee wanted a little more help. She’s loves to draw people and write letters, but wanted to make hearts for her shirt so I let her dictate where the hearts of different sizes would go, and drew dots for her to trace.

Each child helped me stencil in the textile paint, and watched with excitement as we peeled off the freezer paper. And Wu Yi Lao Lao loves her shirt, though she hasn’t decided if she’s ever going to wear it or just save it, tucked away safely in her drawer.