small + friendly

Please Stand By

I will participating in Screen Free Week.  I hope to return next Monday refreshed and full of new ideas.  I will be checking my email occasionally so if you need me feel free to drop me a line, smallfriendly at yahoo.  

Here's hoping the pinterest withdrawals aren't too severe.  

Wishing you and yours a peaceful week.  

P.S. - Need to occupy your little one sans screen?  Check the archives for some cool screen free activities.

Coastal Cargos - Complete!

Inspired by Meg, I decided to try my hand at the Coastal Cargos by Blank Slate Patterns.  Oh man, these bad boys nearly killed me.  So many details. Too many details.  

I skipped the zipper fly, bias tape inseam, and belt loops, and yet I still felt as though I'd never finish.  Until I did.  And now I am so glad I pushed through.  I love them + Jude loves them = victory; sweet, sweet victory.  

They are made of a cotton bottom weight from Joann, plus I eeked out enough left over houndstooth from these shorts for the details.  As always, I have been so very inspired by all the amazing garments filling up the flickr pool.  If I didn't know there was a wonderful group of gals sewing their hearts out, I probably would have thrown in the towel.  All right, my brain is officially fried, so I will leave you with a few more pictures.  

Hooray for another successful Kids Clothes Week!   

Give Old T-Shirts New Life

I know I do this a lot (1, 2, 3).  But really, can you blame me?  Between my husband and my father, I have an almost unending supply of cool t-shirts just begging to be upcycled.

 

Sure, you can get t-shirts for preschoolers fairly cheap, but free is still a whole lot cheaper.  Plus, these are WAY cooler than what's on offer at Target (I know, I checked today).  And they are made in the good old U. S. of A.  Both of these shirts once belonged to my dad (he's a pretty cool dude), and they are thin and super-soft, perfect for spring.

 

I used the Basic Tee Pattern by Dana of Made (score-bonus on having a boy the same size as hers).  The pattern has a great slim, fit and the tutorial is oh-so-fabulously detailed.

I only changed two things:

1. I sewed one shoulder and then applied the ribbing (sans pins, just pull the ribbing slightly as you sew) and then closed the neck hole by sewing up the other shoulder.  This means your ribbing seam ends up at the shoulder which is not as nice as a seam in the back, but much, much easier.

2. The pattern calls for adding 1" in length if you need to make a hem, but I added 2 inches.

 

I'm not getting quite as much done as I'd like for Kids Clothes Week (Jason, AKA Dad, has been sick), but I do plan to at least start a pair of Coastal Cargos.  These tees were a quick sew, and would have been even quicker if I had applied all the sleeves the right way the first time.  

Anyone want to ooh and ahh at my twin needle skills?  I am living proof that you need nothing more than a very basic machine to sew knits (although, I wouldn't say no to a serger).  

  

Are you participating in KCW?  I'd love to know how it's going.  Oh, and I'm desperate for some new sewing tunes, have any favorites?

Tiny Pocket(less) Tank

I finally did some sewing!  And for myself no less!  After seeing many a fab tiny pocket tank on Fake It While You Make It, I decided that it was time to make my own.  And just in time for the Spring Top Sewalong!  I really like this pattern and especially appreciated the grainline tutorial.  

I did have a little trouble with the sizing however.  I feel like every time I measure myself for a pattern (and cut accordingly), it comes out too big.  I know there are worse problems to have, but I'm beginning to think I have a touch of body dismorphia; or else I just suck at measuring myself.  Either way, I cut a 14, started french seaming, brought the sides into a 12, and still find the fit a little wonky.  Next time, I will go in between 10 and 12 and attempt an FBA.  

And there will be a next time!  In fact, I really want to try the dress version next!  The fabric I used is a quilting cotton from a local shop.  I do love the crispness (and loose fit) of this top for the upcoming hot weather.  I feel it will get a lot of wear, even if (or perhaps because) it's a hair tent-ish.     

Now if only I could get this gal to teach me how to model.

Happy Spring Sewing!   

Has It Really Been Three Years?

Three years ago I started this blog on a whim.  I had enjoyed reading blogs since planning my wedding and the birth of my son made me want to join the conversation.  And what a conversation is has been!  The creative blogging community is a wonderful place.  I have made so many amazing friends.  

Having a blog gives me the excuse I need to put creative living and making at the top of my priority list, it has insured that Jude's childhood is well-documented, and it has connected me to a community of outstanding, encouraging people (I'm talking to you dear reader).  I love blogging so much, I hope to one day call it my job.  That goal is a bit lofty but, with your fabulous support, I dare to dream it.  Thank you so much for visiting my little spot on the web.

Here are a few of my favorite posts from the past year:

Most Used DIY

Favorite Gift

Yummiest

Favorite Sewing Project for me and for Jude

Funniest

Most Played With

I'd love to know what you'd like to see more of on small + friendly.  Do you come for the sewing, DIY tutorials, motherhood musings, recipes, or something else entirely?

Here's to many more adventures in modern homemaking!      

It's Too Beautiful to Blog

I had lots of cool post ideas for this week but I just couldn't sit my butt at the computer while the sun was shining and the temperatures where rising.  The chicks got to have their first outdoor adventure yesterday and this weekend we are hosting a coop building party, grab a hammer and come on down.    

While small + friendly was quiet this week, there was plenty of cool stuff on the interweb.  Here were my favorites:

Jude and I created this rad DIY Key Wind Chime for Inner Child Giving.

Jennifer Cooper put a huge smile on my face with this post.

This blog almost made me pee my pants. (Thanks to Kristin for the heads up)

I am so very excited for Kids Clothes Week.  Did you see the fab new site?  Ruling. 

Speaking of kid sewing: sew much cuteness over at imagine gnats and petit a petit & family this week.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.   

DIY Decor: Our Instax Wall

I am horrible about printing and displaying pictures.  I take thousands of pictures, and I've only had a fraction of them printed.  I still haven't framed any of my wedding pics, and the only framed picture I have of Jude is in the kitchen.  Yep, it's bad.  It's on my list of to-dos, I swear.  In the meantime, I've finally got some pictures on the wall.  Lots of them.  I got Jason the Fujifilm Instax Mini for Father's Day a couple years back, and I added the wide INSTAX 210 to his collection at Christmas.  We love these little cameras.  The photos have the awesome flattering vintage quality of polaroids.  And while the film isn't cheap, it means we actually have printed pictures.  The printed pictures were half the battle for sure, but then we had quite the collection sitting in a box.  

I decided enough was enough.  I had pinned this image (and quite a few like it) long ago, it was time to create my own photo wall.  Half way through the process, the coolest kids on the bloggity-block did this, and I knew I'd made the right decision (mine isn't quite as cool, but it sure is fun to look at).  Someday, the whole entire hallway will be covered.  I think this would look rad with printed instagram photos too.  

Here are a few tips if you'd like to create your own photo wall:

• After trying a few different products, I found a this to work the very best.  The pics haven't budged, yet I'm not damaging our photos or the wall.  Just a small dot in the middle of the small pics and tiny dots on the corners of the larger ones. 
• Organize your photos by orientation so that it is easy to create a pattern that fills the whole space.  
• Start in the middle and work your way out.  
• Don't over think it.  (This was hard for me.)  It's not supposed to be perfect or overly organized.  

Our tiny hall used to simply be a way to get to the bathroom and bedrooms.  Now it is a destination all it's own.  

Alright, I'm off to get some GD pictures in frames already!

In the Garden: Sowing Seeds

Hooray for Spring!  We have been busy working in the garden.  Lots of weeding and trimming and turning beds, not exactly fun, but I honestly love any time spent in the garden.  Jude loves turning the beds because it means hours of playing in the dirt and making friends with worms.  For me, the best part of spring in the garden is the sowing of seeds.  

We have started herbs in egg shells.  This time we've got basil and borage happening.    

Jude and I also planted sunflowers in toilet paper rolls.  Last year the birds ate all of the seeds for our sunflower fort.  Not this year!  Sunflowers don't like having their roots disturbed so I'm hoping the fact that you can plant the whole thing, tube and all, will work in our favor.  Oh, and if you need a very mini greenhouse, look no further than the produce aisle, clear plastic salad bins work great!

And the thing I am most excited about: our Eco-Lawn is getting a nice reseeding to return it to it's original glory.  I love our Eco-Lawn.  The back area of our yard was a big ugly dog run when we bought it.  I knew I wanted that space to be turf, but I also knew I didn't want the traditional high-maintenance, water-guzzling lawn.  A little online research led me to find Wild Flower Farm's Eco-Lawn.  This stuff seriously rules, I especially love how it looks unmown.  (I like the no-mow look so much I neglected to mow it twice a year like you're supposed to, thus the need to reseed.)  If you are looking for a natural, soft, meadow-type lawn that likes shade and requires little water and even less maintenance, this is the stuff for you.  I know I sound like a commercial, but I want people to know that they can have a lawn without hurting the environment.  Early spring and late summer are the best times to seed and the seed comes with all the info you need to sow successfully.  It won't be long before we are picinicing on a lush lawn once more.  

What's happening in your garden this spring?

Full disclosure:  The nice folks at Wild Flower Farm gave me a bag of seed for this reseeding (I had already fallen in love with the product) as always, all opinions are 100% my own.