This top is made from fabric botched in the dye pot, which was supposed to be beautiful ombre curtains for my dining room, which before that was a lovely soft sheet on our bed, which got horriblly ripped, so I thought it would make nice curtains until I screwed it up the dye job (and turned the bathtub blue) and now, it turns out, is perfect for this top.

The tank top pattern is from wiksten made. Sadly, she’s not selling them anymore, but I bet if you scoured the web, one would pop up for sale. (By the way, if anyone has a xs, s, m tova top pattern that they’d like to trade for the tank top pattern–and trade back–let me know!)

The pattern is incredibly simple and nicely done: french seams, all edges bias bound, nicely cut. Because I’m always scared I will make clothes too small, I cut out patterns too large. So with this one I just said fuck it and cut a small. The fit is okay, maybe a little close, but at least I don’t have to take the sucker in. I was a little on the edge about the contrasting pocket, but today I saw a lady with a freakin sequin pocket, so I think I’m good to go.

I need a little help picking out material for curtains. Sadly this is the story of my life, which is why all the curtains in my house are white. I can not commit to a fabric. Ridiculous. The kids’ room is too white for white curtains. And they go to bed before it’s dark out these days, so they need a little light blockage action if they are ever going to get to sleep. Here are the windows (sorry one is a before picture, the other is a during): window one, window two. The fabrics I’m thinking about are pictured above, they are:

1. nani iro painting muji canvas
2. joel dewberry herringbone
3. nani iro saaaa saaa (it looks like I randomly typed some letters, but that’s really what it’s called)
4. alexander henry pirate grid

I want something dark blue and something hand drawn-ish.  So vote away! Tell me what to do. My kids will never sleep if you don’t tell me which to get. Really. And if you have any other suggestions, I love to hear them.

This is all a part of me redoing my kids room and you helping. The posts about the process so far are Before and During.

You get two for one today. That is, if you are not sick of looking at pillows yet. You probably think I’m crazy for making all these, but I had been thinking about making a bunch of pillows for ages. It’s amazing how much time I can waste just staring at fabric. This week was a nice kick in the pants to just decide already, they are only pillows you know.

To answer a few questions:

• yes, I’m using pillow forms.
• yes, zippers are really easy. I used this zipper tutorial, but erin has a fancy dancy video tutorial that will talk you through each step.
• yes, I’d love a cup of coffee, thank you.

Since I crocheted over a stone a while back I’ve been working on little crochet projects here and there.  It’s nice to have a little project to work on for no other reason than it’s enjoyable to do. Crochet can be so odd and sculptural, like this potholder: it looked like some leggy sea creature when I was working on it and then with the last row it suddenly came together and became a beautiful flower with folded petals.  (Here is the ravelry link if your interested in the specs)

I’m not sure if these projects will be gifts or not, but the baby seems to think we’re keeping this one. Crochet can get very crazy, very quickly and this very apparent with potholders for some reason, but these bears are restrained enough to be just the right amount of cute.

Though I failed horriblly at facebook, I’m kind of enjoying twitter. If you would like to listen to me blather on about nothing at all there, I am elsiemarleyblog. Hey, have a good weekend!

I started this skirt right before Easter I think. It sounds like it took a ridiculous amount of time, but there would be weeks that I didn’t even pick it up. I think this skirt is more like a knitting project than a sewing one (not as if I know anything about knitting), but it’s a slow going, watching tv kind of project like knitting is. Sometime the slow rhythm of the stitching would be comforting, but other times it would become tedious as hell.

It’s horrible working on something for so long and not knowing if it will fit at all, much less fit and be flattering. To make this skirt (the swing skirt from the Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin) you have to paint the design on the skirt, then hand stitch around each leaf, then cut out the leaf from the top fabric, then only after all of that can you sew the panels together and see if it fits. Whatever expectations I had about this skirt in the beginning were made even more unattainable by what the author tells you to do when you are preparing your thread for stitching:

“Loving” your thread infuses the work with kind intentions, but it’s also a very practical step that removes excess thread tension and prevents pesky knotting…Hold the doubled thread between your thumb and index finger, and run your fingers along it from the needle to the end of the loose tails while saying, “This thread is going to sew the most beautiful garment ever made.  The person who wears this garment…will bear it in health and happiness; it will bring joy and laughter.”

So there is much hope and good intention in my stitches, but it is not the most beautiful garment ever made. Though I feel a little bad saying that, as if I am hurting the skirt’s feelings, because well, I told her she would be the most beautiful garment ever made about a thousand times over as I threaded my needle and began to stitch. Look at that! talking to a skirt! going a little crazy over here. Maybe this skirt is the most beautiful garment in the world, but it’s only the skirt that knows it.

As I see it, the skirt is a little big. But maybe I’ll take it apart someday and take it in a little, but for now it’s fine–not the best thing in my closet, but the only one I’ve ever had a conversation with.