It was at that exact moment that I realized I say, “damn it” too much.

And I said “damn it” a whole bunch today. We had three power outages in our area. 100 degree weather. No AC. No fans. Hot damn! Hope it’ll stay on tomorrow.

Go to cute baby #17, super baby.

Posted in: Family, Illustrations, Illustrations - "Cute Baby" Series
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I saw this tutorial for superhero capes but put it out of my mind. I didn’t think I’d be sewing a superhero cape for a few years. But Isabelle surprised me the other day with her superhero antics. So I immediately went looking for it. It gives you the basic idea for the cape and how to do the appliqués.

But don’t just wing the neck area like I did. That’s how you end up with two superhero capes (which isn’t a bad thing for a big kid like me). I screwed up the first cape using my real red fabric. What happened was, I didn’t quite understand how to do the neck area. I thought, it’s just a cape. How hard can it be? Well that resulted in a cape that wouldn’t fit around Isabelle’s neck.

I didn’t want to waste more red fabric without testing it on muslin. And the second time, I was smart. I measured her neck. What an improvement. It actually fit around her neck.

I was about to make her another one when Alan said, why don’t you put an “I” on it for Isabelle. I didn’t have any felt or fusible web so I thought I’d test yellow fabric out on the screwed up cape. It worked but it’s a little puckered.

But before I could even start on a new cape, Isabelle noticed the “I” on the red fabric. She went gaga over it, yelling, “super baby! super baby!”. So instead of cutting new red fabric I cut more of the neckline away. It was a pain to turn the fabric but it worked, it fit around her neck. Yeah…blah blah blah. You want to see the pictures right? Here they are:

Mild mannered baby…

with a secret identity! It’s SUPER BABY!!

She leaps tall buildings in a single bound.

Or ummm errr steps.

Up, up, and away!!

Hee hee!

Sorry. No pictures of me in my super cape. I couldn’t find it this morning. I was sort of bummed that I didn’t know where it was. It’s not as fun running around yelling “Super Mama!” without the cape. And when I did find it, Isabelle wanted to play with SUPER DOG!!!

Oh and how we photographed Isabelle flying.

Oh my gawd, I’m just kidding. Do not throw your baby. It was actually done through Photoshop, of course!

Posted in: Family, Finished Project, Illustrations, Sewing
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Actual photos to come. I’m trying to sort them out. Well pictures of Isabelle I should say. Not of me because I’m too busy behind the camera. Maybe I can sort that out tomorrow.

Posted in: Illustrations
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Hope you all are having a great day. I was surprised with this:

I was at the kitchen counter when I heard a rolling noise. I turned around to see Isabelle pulling a little wagon. Inside was a box of chocolates, an orchid, and a bamboo plant.

The box of chocolates was a big hit with Isabelle. I let her choose one piece then I closed it and put the box on the kitchen counter. Well she is so tall now she can reach up there without a chair. So what did she do? She helped herself to some chocolate of course.

She sat there holding it in the palm of her hand, taking tiny little bites out of it.

And making this face saying, “cheese! cheese!” (She wanted her picture taken)

When she was done taking her tiny bites I told her to put the rest down. But she wouldn’t let go of it. It just sat there melting in her hand.

It finally melted away into a flat messy blob. That’s when she decided to put it down. All she managed to do was smear chocolate all over a plate. So we had to wash it all away.

Ok off I go. Alan’s up now so he’s going to bring me to a fabric store!!

Posted in: Family
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Yes. Isabelle really did this today. She got the idea from the book, The Adventures Of Super Diaper Baby. So can you guess what I’m sewing her next?

And in my washer, right now as I’m typing this, I have some cotton jersey. I got it from Joann Fabrics. It was a bit hard to find. I had to ask a salesperson. The only bit left was in the red tag section. Oh wait. They had one shade of green in this tiny organic section. I didn’t even know they had organic at Joann Fabrics. Or can you really call five or six bolts a section. It was barely a shelf.

I also have two t-shirts I’m going to be deconstructing. Can you guess what I’m going to be making for myself?

Go to cute baby #16, new word.

Posted in: Family, Illustrations, Illustrations - "Cute Baby" Series
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If you were reading on our anniversary, you saw that Alan brought me to the book store. I didn’t find the book I was looking for but found this one instead, Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin.

I’ve never heard of it before. It was just luck that there was that one copy in the store and that I pulled it off the shelf. I opened the book and fell in love with this reverse appliqué swing skirt.

I sat there flipping through the pages of beautiful pictures. Stopping occasionally to read about beading, stenciling, deconstructing a t-shirt, and at the unexpected like a biscuits recipe and “loving” your thread. And right then and there I knew I had to have the book. I ordered the book and since it’s arrived I’ve been carrying it from room to room reading it.

There’s a paragraph in the first chapter where she writes about how in the mid-1990s a lot of garment factories closed with businesses moving overseas. It makes me sad.

Ok and here is where I go off on a completely different subject.

I read that chapter and in the back of my mind I think about a link my sister sent me, The Story of Stuff and how whenever I go to Target there is just stuff everywhere. Racks and racks of clothes made by cheap labor in other countries. Clothes we don’t need. Clothes that are inexpensive to buy. I think about how much time and effort it takes for me to make something and it makes me mad.

Do we care less about things when we don’t have to pay a lot for them? When they are easy to replace with more cheap stuff that we don’t need?

It makes me think of the documentary my friend, Veronica, recommended, The Corporation, and how big uncaring companies are everywhere. Companies that do not care about the world we live in or the people who live in it. And then I get mad that I shop at Target. That big stores have things cheaper. That food sprayed with pesticides is cheaper than organic. That I don’t even know where to find a mom and pop store for the necessities.

It makes me sad to think our country is a consumer country. We don’t make things anymore. We buy things. Our economy is based on how much we buy. The government is giving us a tax rebate hoping we’ll buy more stuff to stimulate the economy.

I don’t know where I’m going with this. It all just makes me sad, this fast paced life we live in where everything is easily had and easily thrown away.

And even though I think all this I can’t stop myself from wanting a play kitchen. Even after or especially after I quickly made a sucky drawn one for Isabelle.

She sits down and we pretend to have tea on it. So she thinks it’s a little table, not a stove.

I just don’t want to think about any of that anymore. It’s all depressing. I guess I’ll just sit down and sew all the sad thoughts away. Yeah. That’s it. Sewing. Hand made. With love. By me.

Posted in: Books yum BOOKS
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This post was going to be about the new book I bought. The one I keep mentioning briefly. The one I already took a few pictures of. But I’m not sharing. It’s late, I’m tired, and the book deserves a proper post. So how about some pictures of Isabelle instead?

Here’s a picture I tried to take of the book.

Can’t see it? It’s right there. Under her tooshy. And here is the picture of the skirt I absolutely fell in love with from the book.

Yeah. Right there. Under HER FOOT. I swear, I do take care of my books. It’s just, Isabelle is fascinated with the camera these days. She actually picks up the camera, brings it over, and asks to have her picture taken!

And how is the little miss doing? Thankfully she is much improved. No more crying or shaking. Just a bit red but it doesn’t seem to be bothering her. Ok. Maybe real pictures of the book tomorrow. When I can say all the nice things I want to say with a fully awake brain.

Posted in: Family, Oops Didn't I Choose?
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